Page 5 of The Wedding Planner's Manny
“Hello,” I said approaching the register. “I'm here to see Mr. Kramer? We spoke on the phone and he gave me this address.”
“Oh, that would be my fiancé.” The alpha stood from his chair. “You must be the wedding planner he talked to. My name is Zander. Very nice to meet you.” He offered me his hand. I shook it.
“My pleasure. Call me Ethan, please.”
He nodded. “Let me take you up to the apartment upstairs so you can talk to my husband to be.”
“You won't be joining us for the conversation?”
“I will, in a few minutes. I need to close up first. But you really only need to talk to Nick. He's the one who wants a spectacle.”
Good to know. “I'm sure we can find a way to make sure it'll be a spectacle you can enjoy as well,” I said as Zander led me to the back of the store and pointed up a flight of stairs.
“I'll enjoy myself if Nick's having a good time,” he said with a small shrug, and then, “Just knock on the door. I'll finish up down here and join you.”
“All right then.” I went up the stairs and knocked. After a minute, another young man opened the door.
An omega this time. He was rocking a fussing baby in his arms, but I couldn't focus on the little one.
My eyes stuck to Nick's face. I'd seen him before somewhere. In a small town like Oceanport, it wasn't unusual to run into people you knew everywhere, but I couldn't recallwhereI'd seen Nick before and that bothered me a little.
Maybe at school?
“Come in, come in,” Nick said, pulling me out of my thoughts. “You're the wedding planner, aren't you? Mr. Probst?”
“Ethan, please.” The reply rolled off my tongue naturally as I took Nick up on his invitation and he led me into the small apartment's living room, still rocking the baby. “How old is he?” I asked. “He's adorable.”
“Thank you. He's ten weeks old. His name is Sam.”
“That's a cute name. I remember when mine were that little. They grow up before you know it.”
“That's what everyone keeps telling me but I feel like every day lasts an eternity. And the nights are worse.” He said this with a laugh as he lowered himself and the boy onto the couch. The child was falling asleep now. Good, that would allow Nick to focus on the topic at hand. I needed to be sure of what he wanted to be able to do my job well. Sitting with him, I set my briefcase down.
“Your fiancé mentioned you liked spectacles?”
Another laugh escaped the omega next to me. “I do! I mean, why get married if not for the party? And the cake, I guess! But I got the feeling everyone else would prefer a quiet affair.” His voice softened a little as he spoke on. “That's why I wanted to talk to you alone first. I didn't want them to be talking over me, insisting that I should have my party even while I know it's making them uncomfortable.”
“I see. And I agree with you. It's important to find an arrangement that will make all of you happy.”
Nick nodded. “Kade is my best friend and Shane is my cousin and I want them to have a great day too.”
“That's what I'm here for,” I assured him. Seeing a tricky event play out according to plan wasn't the only thing that made weddings so rewarding. It was also seeing the happiness on my clients' faces when they promised each other forever and knowing that I'd provided the right framework to make that promise all the more magical.
“I'm glad to hear you say that. I already know we absolutely can't do a church wedding. My friend has sort of been burned by a religious cult and I don't want to drag up those memories.”
Also good to know. “There's a lot of other things we can do with the venue, and you could have a close friend officiate the ceremony for you. There's no reason that can't be just as lovely as a church wedding. A lot of couples choose to do things differently these days. Have you decided on a date yet?
When we know the time of year this wedding is going to take place, we can narrow down our options.”
“We um...” Nick dug his fingers into the leather of the couch as if suddenly nervous about something.
“We haven't really settled yet, no.”
“That's okay. No rush, I suppose. The way my contract is set up is such that I only charge you for the time I actively spend working on your wedding. So even if you take longer to—” My phone rang, cutting me off. I sighed, exasperated. My phone was always ringing at the worst times lately. I had half a mind to let it go to voice mail, but when I glanced at the caller ID, it was my nanny. “I'm sorry,”
I said to Nick. “I'm afraid I have to take that. Do you mind if I...?” I motioned at the hallway and he nodded, so I stepped out the living room to take the call.
“Sandra?”
