Page 82 of Along Came Amor
Roman pointed. “Over here, so everyone isn’t blinded by the setting sun.”
“First look photoshoot or at the altar?”
“First look. We’ll also get the family photos out of the way beforehand.”
“Very good.”
“Ashton and Jasmine can take more photos at sunset while everyone else is enjoying the cocktail hour. There are also going to be a number of celebrities attending, and we have to assume many of them will also be out here doing their own photoshoots. So we’ll bring the couple into the reception a little later.”
Belinda looked impressed. “Excellent thinking. We can work backward to figure out exact times for photography, hair and makeup...”
Belinda and Roman walked away, leaving Ava to stare after them, open-mouthed.
What the hell? Not only had she not gotten a word in, they’d decided the entire day’s schedule without any of her input!
By the time she caught up to them, they were halfway through a discussion about flowers and décor. Ava tried to jump into the conversation, but there was never a lag, never a moment where either of them said, “Ava, what doyouthink?” And Belinda was tossing out so much information, it was a struggle to write it all down.
Belinda showed them photos of centerpiece flower arrangements on her tablet, and Ava was at least able to narrow it down to the two she thought Jasmine would like best. Meanwhile, it seemed like all the decisions Roman made were based onlogic—like the sunset timeline, which Ava could admit was a smart thing to take into account—and not on what Jasmine and Ashton would actuallylike.
Besides, Ava had pages and pages of notes about Jasmine’s preferences. That was why she was here, to be her cousin’s proxy, and Roman was cutting her out of the decision-making process without even giving her the chance to ask follow-up questions.
And so it went through place settings and seating options.
By the time the three of them headed to the tasting, Ava had fucking had it. It was difficult to keep her Resting Pleasant Face intact when she wanted to outright glare daggers at Roman. If this man talked over her one more time, she was going to explode.
And then he had the absolute nerve to ask her what was wrong.
Not wanting to get into it in front of Belinda, Ava kept her dreamy smile in place. “Nothing.”
His frown was concerned. “Are you sick?”
“No.”
“Then why do you look like that?”
She dropped the serene expression and scowled at him. “It’s my Resting Pleasant Face.”
He blinked. “Is that like the opposite of...”
“Resting Bitch Face? Yes.”
“How often do you do that?”
Ava flipped to the tasting section of her planner as they walked. “Do what?”
“Hide what you’re feeling.”
And because she was tired, hungry, and getting a fucking migraine, she answered honestly. “Always.”
As soon as she said it, she realized this was the first time she’d made this face around Roman.
Not only that, he was the first person to ever notice she was doing it.
Unable to confront the implications of those realizations, she ducked her head and pretended to study something in her planner.
He reached for her, his expression troubled, but Ava sidestepped. Before either of them could say anything more, Belinda ushered them inside one of the smaller ballrooms for the tasting.
The resort’s head chef and in-house pastry chef had put together a custom menu. Jasmine had provided a series of questions and notes for Ava to bring up, which were all tucked away in Ava’s planner. There was no way Roman was cutting her out this time.
