Page 97 of The Secret
Trent, who had similarly golden blond hair, an athlete’s body, and a butt-dimple in his chin, straightened and lifted that chin at me. Then he looked around the room, sniffed once, and propped himself against the wall on the other side of the table.
I looked at Charlotte, whose eyes widened infinitesimally.See what I mean?
Oh, I saw. Violet had picked herself a winner, alright.
Bringing up the rear was a slightly shorter, slightly older version of Trent, right down to an obviously hereditary butt-dimple. “Vince Gaynor,” he said, shaking my hand with a little more force than necessary.
Vince took the seat directly across from me and patted the chair next to him. “Violet, honey.”
After a single worried glance at her fiancé, Violet obediently sat.
“So, we’ve heard good things about you,” Vince began. He slouched in his chair. “Very good things.”
I glanced at Charlotte, who’d taken the chair next to me, and she shrugged before smiling brilliantly at Vince. “I told you, I gave the Gaynors your portfolio to look over.”
Vince smiled. “Actually, I was interested long before that. Website says you’re doing Marcus Turnbull’s wedding, aren’t you?”
I cleared my throat. “Well, not Senator Turnbull, but his stepdaughter, Marissa—”
Vince waved a hand negligently. “Of course, of course. But we all know who’s footing the bill.”
I smiled blandly, then turned to Charlotte expectantly. “Alright, well, if you’d like to tell me a little bit about the theme of the wedding—”
“Love,” Vince said.
“Pardon?”
“The theme. It’slove.”
“Oh,” I said. “Right.”
“Isn’t that what the senator’s having at his wedding?”
I ran a tongue over my top teeth.Think of the money, think of the money.
“Marissa,” I clarified, “is having a Valentine’s Day theme, because her wedding is on Valentine’s Day.”
“Well, fortunately for us, love is a year-round thing!” Vince laughed uproariously at his own joke. “Good thing, too, or you’d be out of business, eh?”
Wow.
“So true.” Charlotte’s smile was brighter than the sun. “But you know, most brides want to put their own stamp on things. Is there any particular flower you really like or dislike? What are your favorite colors?” She pulled up a screen on her tablet and prepared to take notes.
“Well, I—” Violet began.
“Violet’s a practical girl,” Vince interjected. “She doesn’t mind.”
“And Trent?” I asked.
Vince snorted. “Trent’s not concerned about flowers.” He looked over his shoulder. “Are you son?”
Trent slid a little farther down the wall and folded his arms over his chest.
Super.
“You know, I always discourage my clients from following another bride’s style too closely,” I said smoothly. “Especially if there’s any chance that there might be guests who attend both.”
Vince frowned, like he hadn’t considered that.
