Page 11 of A Happy Endings Wedding
Chapter Four
“Hi, everyone!” Hailey exclaimed as she entered the ornate audience chamber. The massive room was clearly meant to impress with an antique hand-carved double throne at one end. A center chandelier in gold and crystal shone over glossy inlaid hardwood floors. There was gold trim on absolutely everything—the picture frames of royal ancestors along the walls, the ceiling’s ornate carved detail, and around a huge painting in the center inlaid panel of the ceiling that looked like it dated back to the Renaissance. Long deep blue velvet sofas and high-back wooden chairs with patterned cushions had been arranged in two seating areas, warming up the space.
A chorus of hellos from the group—the reporter, photographer, Claire, Jake, and Prince Phillip—were quickly drowned out by her beloved fur babies barking their heads off, racing toward her and Josh. She bent down and pulled them close. “Rose! Max! How’re my babies?” Their tails wagged madly as they licked her face, just as thrilled with their reunion as she was. Josh dropped to his haunches next to her, ruffling Max’s furry head, and both dogs leaped all over him too.
He scooped up the dogs and stood, heading over to the group. Phillip stood and waited for her to take a seat on the sofa. Josh waited, too, before sitting next to her and setting the dogs on the floor.
The reporter, Evelyn, looked to be in her thirties, her blond hair in a sophisticated twist, her makeup subtle, mostly highlighting her brown eyes, and her dress was a chic satin Armani in a brightly colored abstract pattern with an asymmetrical silhouette. Hailey knew her designers. Evelyn offered her hand from the adjacent chair and spoke in a clipped British accent. “Hailey, nice to meet you at last after all of our emails.”
Hailey shook her hand. “Yes, so nice to meet you too, Evelyn. And this is the groom, Josh.”
Josh shook her hand. “Nice to meet you.”
Evelyn indicated the young woman sitting on the end of the sofa across from them, her dark brown hair also in a twist, wearing a white pants suit. “This is Lucy, our photographer. You might’ve seen her on the dock earlier at your arrival.”
Hailey and Josh stood to shake Lucy’s hand. Hailey smiled over at Claire and Jake and worked her way down the sofa to them, hugging them both at the same time, one arm around each of their shoulders. “I’m so happy to see you guys,” she whispered. Baby Owen reached up from Jake’s lap and yanked her hair. She leaned back, carefully untangling Owen’s pudgy fingers. The boy had some grip. “And you too, Owen.” She held her hair back with both hands and kissed his cheek with a squeaky pucker. His brown eyes went wide at the sound, making her smile.
She greeted Phillip too and returned to her seat while Josh shook everyone’s hands, kissing Claire’s cheek and ruffling Owen’s hair before taking his place at her side.
“Shall we get started?” Evelyn asked, placing a small recorder on the side table next to her.
Claire stood. “We’ll leave you to it. Owen is overdue for his nap. So nice to meet you all.” She walked around the seating area, stopping behind Hailey to lean down and whisper, “Small issue with the rings, but I’m sure it’ll be taken care of tomorrow. Just keep a close eye on the dogs.”
Hailey’s eyes widened.What?
Claire stared at the dogs, a grim expression on her face. “Check your texts.” She walked away.
Jake joined Claire, holding Owen against his chest. “Nice meeting you all.”
Phillip stood. “I, too, have some business to attend to.”
“Was it something I said?” Josh quipped.
Everyone laughed and said their goodbyes. Except Hailey, who dug her phone out of her purse and turned it on. She’d had it shut off while traveling today. She stifled a gasp at Claire’s text.
Do NOT freak out. The vet said the dogs should be fine. Jake let Owen hold the ring box when we first arrived in the room because he was fussy. Somehow he pried it open, the bands fell out, and Rose grabbed one. Max grabbed the other, and by the time we chased them down, they’d swallowed them. Check their poop and don’t let them out of your sight.
Hailey’s gut churned, nausea rising fast. “Excuse me.” She bolted from the room, frantically searching for a bathroom. Finally she found a door that led outside and stood there, bent over, hands on her knees, waiting to see if she was going to throw up. When it didn’t happen right away, she straightened and took a deep breath of bracing sea air. It was a gorgeous sunny day, not a cloud in the sky. So why did she feel like a dark cloud hung over this wedding? Like it was doomed—no, like it was cursed! First, the gown was ruined, then she had to power through with morning sickness, then the furry wedding, then the flowers, now the rings. She looked to the sky.What else could go wrong?She was afraid to find out. How could the one wedding that fell apart be hers? She’d never had so many disasters in all of her years as a wedding planner.
She sighed and walked back inside.
Josh strode toward her. “There you are. Are you okay? If you’re not feeling well, we’ll do the interview later.”
She squared her shoulders and straightened her spine. “I’m okay. So here’s the latest, Claire said the dogs swallowed our wedding bands. The vet thinks they’ll come out the other end tomorrow.”
He stared at her. “Seriously?”
“Why would I make that up?” she exclaimed. “Could this wedding be more screwed up? I swear it’s cursed!”
He pulled her into his arms. “So dramatic,” he murmured. “When you go big like this kind of wedding, there’s bound to be some issues. It’s a lot to bring together.”
She pulled away. “I’ve planned plenty of weddings, including a royal wedding. This does not happen on my watch.”
“Okay.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
He lifted one shoulder. “Obviously it is happening on your watch. It’ll work out.”
