I sat up straighter, taking that in, trying not to think about the Luke part of the equation. “Barns can make beautiful wedding venues.”
“West says he’d feel more at home in a barn than a fancy hotel.”
“I can see that from your blue-collar guy.”
“I’ll just come out and ask. Do you think you can work with Luke?”
I tried not to let my true feelings show as I smiled and said, “For you, I can work with the devil himself.”
“Are you calling Luke the devil?” she asked, tilting her head.
“Not at all.” I laughed to act as if I didn’t have a doubt in the world.
“But there’s bad blood between you,” she said. “Right?”
“I wouldn’t call us BFFs, but this is business. My business.” My business that was everything to me—my means of supporting myself, repairing my reputation, and proving my hateful father wrong. “I’ve got you, Presley.”
She let out a squeal that was so not the norm for the former investment banker, but who could blame her? She was marrying the man she loved in less than three months. I could barely imagine what that must feel like, but the joy pouring out of her gave me a strong indication.
We hugged again, and she bounced with excitement.
“So tell me what you have in mind,” I said, leaning my backside on the edge of my desk. “General idea. Colors? Music? Will the ceremony be at the barn too or just the reception?”
Presley flopped back into the chair as if those simple questions wore her out. “I was never the kind of girl who dreamed of a wedding and planned everything out. I never thought I’d get married. So basically I’m overwhelmed. West and I talked about evergreens and silver. That’s literally the only thing I know.”
“That’s a starting point,” I said, a kernel of excitement blooming in my gut at the possibilities. The events where I had more freedom, where the people involved had fewer ideas of what they wanted, were my favorite. They allowed me to flex my creativity, which was what I loved most. “You’re in the middle of your morning rush at the shop. We can set a time to get serious about planning. But it has to be soon if you want Christmas Eve.”
“I want Christmas Eve. I don’t want to wait any longer than that to start my life with West. Rumor has it my eggs are rotting.”
I laughed at her choice of words but not too hard, because my thirty-five-year-old eggs were in the same rotting boat. While she had a good chance to have babies now, I wasn’t sure that would ever be in the cards for me.
I shoved the threatening anxiety down. This was a happy moment, a significant milestone in my friend’s life that called for joy and celebration, not to mention a new client for me.
“Is it too early for a champagne toast?” I asked.
Presley glanced at the time on her phone as she sat up straighter. “I need to get back to help Glenda, but here’s the deal with the venue. West and I have a meeting with Luke at six tonight to see the barn. He’s just starting to remodel it, but he swears he’ll have it ready in plenty of time for the holidays.”
“He could book other events if he’s ready by early December,” I said, my party-planning mind taking over and allowing me to ignore that it was Luke Durham we were talking about.
“It sounds like there’s a lot of renovation work. West agreed to help him with some of it. Anyway, right now it’s bare bones, but I was hoping you could come too?”
I worked to keep my expression blank as I mentally ran through my admittedly loose schedule. “Of course. We have so much to plan. Seeing the barn is important.”
“Okay.” She studied me, and I smiled again to hide my feelings toward Luke. “It should be pretty fast. Just a look around while he explains what the final space will be like.”
I nodded. “It’s fine, Presley. It’s good. Let’s do this.”
She stood, hugged me yet again, then picked up her coffee. “You’re the best. I know the timetable’s a big ask, but I have every bit of confidence that, if anyone can pull it off, it’s you.”
Her confidence warmed me clear through. I knew I could do it, because I’d put everything I had into it. It wasn’t like I had any kind of life outside of building up my business.
The timetable? It would be a challenge, but this was where not having a huge client list yet would be a benefit. Presley and West’s wedding could get the majority of my time.
The venue owner? That part would be unpleasant, but I’d just put on my professional, get-out-of-my-way-we-have-an-event-to-pull-off face and ignore him as much as possible.
I wasn’t about to let an insignificant thing like a man who hated me get in the way.
Chapter Two
