“Improvisation,” I replied, trying to recover my usual nonchalance. “And it worked. We got the venue.”
“You made me lie! You put me in an impossible position!”
“An impossible position would be trying to do the splits in that dress,” I said, straightening my cuffs. “This was just a little creative storytelling.”
“This isn’t a joke, Callan.” The use of my first name surprised me. “You can’t just declare people your fiancée without their consent.”
“Would you have preferred I told her the truth? That I’m planning a wedding for a bride I haven’t met yet to win a bet?”
She sighed, running a hand over her face, careful not to smudge her makeup. “No. But there had to be another way.”
“Sometimes the direct approach is best,” I shrugged. “Besides, you were quite convincing as my besotted fiancée. The frozen eyelashes were a particularly poetic touch.”
“If you ever pull something like that again?—”
“You’ll what? Force-feed me wedding cake until I explode? Force me to try on tuxedos until my will to live expires?”
“I’ll let Mari take over.” Her eyes glinted as she smoothed her skirt. “She’s been begging me to let her take your wedding since you showed up in the office. But hey, maybe you’ll marry her and your little scheme will be true. You really will marry the wedding planner. She’d love that.” She pressed a finger to her cheek and tapped it twice as if she were pondering something. “In fact, that’s probably a great idea. I won’t have to deal with her 10am drinking, or her hangovers, and you’ll never have another boring night of your life.”
“Maybe I will.” I stuck my hands in my pockets, tilting my head. “She seems very fun. Was showing me some of the yoga poses she’s learned. Very… bendy.” I enunciated the word smirking at her.
Instead of glaring at me like I thought she would, she shrugged with an evil look in her eyes. “Oh she is. You may want to pick up some chafing cream though.” She crossed her arms. “Mari is insatiable. You’ll never sleep again.”
“Good.”
“Good.
“Fine.”
“Fine.”
But it wasn’t her best friend I was picturing hours of mind blowing sex with.
Shit.
When was the last time I got laid? Maybe I needed to take care of that before continuing to work with the ice queen wedding planner. She looked like she was considering additional methods of torture when Ms. Windsor’s assistant appeared. The cheerful young woman seemed immune to her boss’s stiff edge.
“I’m Missy,” she introduced herself with a bright smile. “I’ll be showing you the grounds and discussing package options. Don’t mind Ms. Windsor.’”
The tour was actually pleasant, despite Anica maintaining a careful ten inches of space between us at all times. The Rhodes Estate was objectively stunning, with its manicured gardens, crystal-clear lake, and various reception spaces that managed to be both grand and intimate.
I watched Anica more than the venue. The way her professional mask slipped when she saw something that particularly impressed her. The quick notes she took on her tablet. The gentle slope of her neck as she tilted her head to examine architectural details.
When we reached the garden pavilion where my grandmother had exchanged her vows, a strange tightness crossed over my chest. The white marble structure overlooking the lake was exactly as she’d described it in the moments she spoke of her wedding day.
“This is it,” I said quietly. “This is where my grandmother got married.”
Anica looked at me, and for a moment I felt utterly transparent. “It’s beautiful,” she said simply.
“Yes,” I agreed, not entirely sure we were talking about the pavilion.
The spell was broken when Missy launched into details about setup options and maximum capacity. By the time we finished the tour and completed the preliminary paperwork, it was nearly noon.
“Ms. Windsor will be in touch to discuss final details,” Missy said as she walked us back to my car. “Congratulations again on your engagement! You two have such great chemistry. I can totally see why you fell for each other.”
Anica managed a smile that only looked slightly like she was passing a kidney stone. “Thank you for your help.”
The moment Missy was out of earshot, Anica turned to me, arms crossed. “That was the most unprofessional experience of my career, and I once had to wrangle a drunken groom out of a fountain while he was wearing nothing but a bow tie.”
