Page 8 of A Happy Endings Wedding
Bonnie folded her hands tightly on the desk. “I’m afraid it’s for the same time, reception to follow in the grand ballroom. Their costumes can be hot and they specifically asked for the early evening time. I’m so sorry for the mix-up, but they flew here all the way from Australia, paid double the fee up front, and I didn’t realize the mistake until they’d arrived last night. You see, they wouldn’t be accepted at home for their furry selves, and it was important they be recognized in marriage by the creatures they identify with.” She lowered her voice conspiratorially. “The bride is pregnant.Verypregnant. I think that might be why she chose to be a kangaroo with a big pouch.”
Hailey straightened her spine as Josh’s hand landed on her shoulder and squeezed. She looked up at him, silently communicating that they wouldnotbe playing the pregnancy card. She turned back to Bonnie. “Be that as it may, my wedding must remain at the agreed-upon time. I’ve arranged for bothLuxury WeddingsandBride Specialto be in attendance. They’ll be reporting on Villroy as a destination wedding and my wedding as the inaugural wedding. They didn’t come here to report on a kangaroo bride. They came here to report on the wedding planner responsible for Princess Silvia Rourke’s wedding in America. You see how it would be advantageous to Villroy’s new venture and to your future employment to reschedule the other wedding?”
“Yeah!” Mad chimed in. “Your ass will be fired! Tell her, Phillip!”
Phillip approached, standing awkwardly next to the desk. “I’m sure we can work something out. It was an honest mistake, and Bonnie was the best applicant for the job.”
“How many people applied?” Josh asked drily.
Phillip bristled. “Trust me, she was the only one close to qualified. She used to manage the fishing vessel scheduling at the port.”
“She sucks at scheduling!” Mad barked.
Phillip turned to Hailey. “She’s already got three weddings scheduled after this weekend, and we anticipate many more with the bridal magazines reporting.”
Hailey spoke through her teeth. “If the magazines discover this huge mistake, it would scare away business. Big time.”
Bonnie piped up. “I’m so very sorry. Let’s please work this out. Maybe we could shift your wedding to later in the day?”
Hailey closed her eyes, reaching for calm, trying to think it through. She couldn’t even request her wedding be shifted to tomorrow because her mom and Josh’s dad were set to arrive tomorrow afternoon. She couldn’t chance them missing it if there were travel delays. So the question was: did she want to go on Saturday before a furry wedding and have to possibly cut the reception short to accommodate the other party, or go later and enjoy the ballroom as long as she could? She and Josh were leaving on Sunday for their honeymoon. “I’ll take the later time.”
“No,” Mad protested. “Don’t give in to her. It’s her stupid fault. She has to make it right. You get what you want, end of story.”
Josh leaned down to her ear. “Are you okay with this or being polite? Say the word.”
He meantsay the word and I will raise hell. But she had to think ahead to what was best for both the wedding and the venue. She was here to help Villroy and her royal friends. Plus the magazine coverage would be fantastic for the good of her future wedding planning business.
She smiled up at Josh. “I’m good.” She turned to Bonnie. “My wedding will be at seven p.m. in the chapel, reception to follow as planned in the ballroom for as long as we want. Please add extra candelabras to the chapel and extra lighting to the ballroom to maximize photo opportunities. Let the other wedding party know they will need to end their reception promptly at seven to leave time for cleaning and setup for mine. I will personally supervise all the changes.” She pasted on a smile. “I’m sure there’s a lot I could teach you as a wedding planner, since you’re new at it, which will ensure all future weddings on Villroy will go through without a hitch.”
“Of course,” Bonnie murmured, lowering her gaze to her desk.
Phillip clapped his hands together. “Excellent. I knew we could work something out. Thank you, Hailey, for your understanding.” He smiled. “Now let’s get you settled in your room. I understand theLuxury Weddingsreporter is waiting in the audience chamber in the west wing. No rush. They’ve been offered tea, and I believe she and the photographer are quite happy chatting with your sister-in-law Claire. I’ll join them straight after this. Meet us when you’re ready.”
Hailey mustered a smile. “Sounds good, Phillip, thank you. I would like to freshen up.” She stood to go, a small sense of relief washing through her. Her wedding was back on track and Claire and Jake were here. That meant they had her gown, her fur babies, and her darling nephew, who never failed to make her smile. Things were looking up.
She was walking to the door with Josh when Bonnie spoke up. “One more thing. Your flowers didn’t come in. The tulips? I’ve been waiting all day and I was almost afraid to mention it.”
Hailey whirled. “Afraid to mention it? You don’t hide things from the bride. How could the flowers not come in? They were ordered months ago! You should’ve followed up.” Her voice choked. It was one thing too many.
Josh took her hand and gave it a squeeze, looking into her eyes with a silent message:I got this.
She nodded, her lips pressed tightly together. Her man would handle it. A pregnant bride could only take so much. The baby would feel stress hormones, and she had to do all she could to let her know that she was being born into a loving stable family. She secretly thought it was a girl.
Josh jerked his chin at Mad to take his place at Hailey’s side. As soon as Mad reached her, Josh turned and ambled over to the desk to let Bonnie know how things were going to be.
The last thing she heard was Josh saying ominously, “I’ll wait.”
~ ~ ~
Hailey settled into her third-floor room, a beautiful suite of two bedrooms with a sitting area filled with gorgeous walnut antiques trimmed in gold. Gleaming hardwood floors, enormous stone hearths, and large windows framed by deep blue velvet drapes overlooking the sea added to the elegance. The bed in the bedroom she decided they’d be sleeping in was a full four-poster canopy bed with drapes in a beige and brown link pattern that could fully enclose the bed. So cozy and private. She could see spending her wedding night there.
Her luggage was already here. She was digging in the large wheeled suitcase for her toiletry bag when a knock sounded at the wooden door. “Come in,” she called.
A young woman with her dark hair pulled back in a bun, holding a pitcher of ice water, stepped into the room. “Hello, ma’am.” She curtsied. “I’m Anna and I’ll be helping you during your visit. I’ve brought you some water.” She moved quickly to a round antique table by the window and poured Hailey a glass, setting the pitcher on a trivet.
“Hi. Thanks so much.”
Anna turned and bobbed her head. “Would you like some fruit salad or perhaps something more substantial?”
