Finally she said, “Fine,” through clenched teeth. “I’ll tell them we’ll be making our final selections in the coming weeks.”
“Thank you,” I said tensely. I glanced at the time and closed my laptop. “I think we’re done here today. I have a wedding to pull off.”
I threw enough cash on the table to cover my half of the bill, then slid out of the booth. “I’ll call you next week to continue the discussion.”
“Have a merry Christmas, Magnolia,” she said, her tone only a little softer.
“Same to you.” That was all the holiday goodwill I had in me at the moment. I needed to get to the barn and get a jumpstart on the decorating for the wedding.
Chapter Thirty-One
Magnolia
I’d known we were cutting it close for time with Presley’s wedding in general. It wasn’t a small-budget affair, and to have only two and a half months to pull it off was a big task. One I was absolutely up for, but right at this moment? After the frustrating meeting I’d had with my mother? My mood wasn’t great, and my energy level was in the cellar.
Both Luke and I were sleep-deprived, short-tempered, and stressed to the hilt as we worked on our separate projects in his chilly barn.
His most pressing concern was the barn’s new heating system, which was currently not working right. We’d need to pass out parkas at the wedding if he couldn’t fix the problem.
My project at the moment, one of a long list, was assembling the remaining centerpieces. Cambria had been swamped with candle orders, including ours, and had finished the last batch for the wedding late last night. I was nearly done when my phone rang in my pocket.
“Hello, this is Magnolia,” I answered, not recognizing the number.
“Hello, Magnolia. This is Allegra, Ella McCabe’s assistant.”
“Yes,” I said, standing up straight to stretch my aching back as I wondered why the heck Ella’s assistant was calling. “I remember. What can I do for you?”
“Ella would like to reschedule that appointment if that’s possible. She wanted me to apologize on her behalf?—”
“She’s fine,” I said, my curiosity growing.
Luke came out of the barn kitchen, his attention on me as he pulled a chair out from a table and sat down tiredly. He was due to go help with tree sales, I knew, but he looked about to fall over.
He raised his brows at me as if asking what the call was. I shrugged as Allegra continued.
“She said to tell you she received incorrect info and that she’s so glad your boyfriend went out of his way to set her straight.”
“Wait,” I said. “What?” I frowned at Luke.
“She had no idea the person who warned her father about you was your estranged father or that he was trying to hurt you.”
My stomach sank at the mention of my embarrassing family drama. “He’s…not actually my father,” I said stubbornly.
“Felix James is—was with a company that Ella’s father has done business with for years. Her father didn’t realize Felix was no longer employed. Her friend Everly filled her in on the truth.”
“Everly?” She had to mean Everly Ash, but I didn’t know her well.
“Apparently your boyfriend tracked Everly Ash down at a party and asked if she knew Ella. He remembered they’d done a duet and was hoping Ella and Everly were friends. Everly told her everything about the spurned Felix and his vendetta against you.”
“There’s some history between us, yes,” I said, striving to stay professional.
Why the hell did Luke interfere? Did he think I couldn’t do this on my own?
As I paced out of the room, into the preparation room, I did my best to maintain my end of the conversation as we set a time and date to meet right after Christmas.
When I ended the call, my gut was roiling. I didn’t even want to meet with Ella. I would, because it was potential business, and as the new planner on the block, I needed every last event I could book, but I wasn’t sure I’d ever feel comfortable sitting across the table from her, wondering if she’d hired me out of sympathy or pity.
Between my mother and now Luke, I felt as if nothing was under my control. As if someone had swooped in and taken away my autonomy and made decisions about my life without my input. Just like when Felix had decided I would marry his stupid, philandering underling, Rick. Or in high school when Felix had pulled strings to make sure I made the cheerleading squad even before tryouts because it would look better for him if his daughter was a cheerleader.
