I hesitated, weighing pride against practicality. The expo would open in less than two hours, and I still had to set up the entire booth.
“There are three more boxes in the trunk,” I said finally. “And a garment rack with sample dresses.”
“Consider it done. You go start setting up. I’ll bring everything in. And I’ll try not to flex too obviously while carrying things.”
“I—thank you,” I managed.
He grinned, and my traitorous heart did a little flip. “Don’t thank me yet. I expect full payment in embarrassing wedding stories later. The weirder the better. I want to hear about the drunkest mother-of-the-bride, the most inappropriate best man speech, and any and all wardrobe malfunctions.”
“Deal,” I agreed, heading toward the booth with the cake tray.
True to his word, Callan brought in the remaining materials. By the time I’d arranged the sample photo albums and laid out the business cards, he was wheeling in the garment rack.
“Where do you want the dresses?”
“Against that wall,” I replied, gesturing. “But they need to be arranged by style, and the white tulle one goes in front because it catches the light best, and?—”
“I got it,” he said, already rearranging the dresses. “Display 101: Put the eye-catching stuff up front.”
I blinked. “Yes, exactly.”
“Don’t look so surprised,” he said without turning around. “I’ve set up a tech booth or two in my day. Different product, same principles. Though wedding dresses are significantly prettier than server racks.”
Working together, we had the booth nearly complete in record time. The only thing left was hanging the banner, which proved problematic due to my height limitations.
“If I could just—” I strained on tiptoes, trying to reach the hanging hook on the booth’s frame. “Almost?—”
“Let me,” Callan offered, stepping closer.
“I can do it,” I insisted, grabbing a folding chair. “I just need a little boost.”
I climbed onto the chair, wobbling as I reached for the hook. My fingers brushed it, but I couldn’t quite get a grip.
“Be careful,” Callan warned, moving closer to the chair. “That doesn’t look stable. And while I’d love to catch you if you fall, I’d prefer you not get injured.”
“It’s fine,” I assured him, stretching further. “I just need to?—”
The chair shifted beneath me. I fell. Not gracefully. Not in slow motion. And not silently either. I yelped like a kicked puppy. Before I could process what was happening, strong arms caught me. One moment I was plummeting, the next I was cradled against Callan’s chest, his heart beating rapidly under my palm.
“You okay?” he asked, his voice lower than usual.
I glanced up into his face, aware of how close we were. Close enough to count his eyelashes. Close enough to notice the tiny flecks of darker blue in his eyes. “I’m—yes. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He didn’t set me down immediately, and I didn’t ask him to. For a suspended moment, we just looked at each other, my hand still resting on his chest, his arms secure around me.
“I should probably...” I gestured vaguely toward the ground.
“Right,” he said, carefully setting me on my feet but keeping one hand on my waist until he was sure I was steady. “Maybe let me handle the high-altitude banner installation. Since I don’t need artificial height assistance.”
“Show off,” I muttered, trying to recover my composure.
“Always,” he admitted with a grin. “It’s part of my charm.”
“Whatever you say lightning pole,” I agreed. “My insurance doesn’t cover ‘death by wedding expo.’ Or ‘. embarrassment by billionaire rescue.’”
He reached up and secured the banner, not even needing the chair.
“Perfect,” I said, stepping back to admire our work. The booth looked professional, inviting, and, most importantly, completely set up.
