“Aw! You haven’t finished yet?” Rowena gushed, her attention fully focused on Jimmy now. “Oooh, you have to let me help! I’m so good at this!”
“You’ve planned weddings before?” Jimmy was skeptical.
“No!” Rowena huffed. “But I’ve planned parties! And that’s all a wedding is, right? A big giant party! Come on! Pretty please?”
“Of course,” Jimmy agreed instantly. He would take anything to get out of having to hang out with Charlie alone. “Our wedding planner is insane. He’s this nutty British dude who’s seriously suspicious.”
“Suspicious, am I?” Charlie’s voice cut in with a smile. He was at the doorway with Jerry, helping him carry in trays of wineglasses for everyone. “How quaint.”
Jimmy clicked his teeth together when he realized he was gawking. He nervously accepted a fresh glass of wine as he stammered, “Y-you’ve gotta admit, you have a really weird way of always showing up at the strangest times.”
“Like tonight!” Charlie agreed with a hearty laugh. “Until I arrived, Jerry was going to prepare and serve dinner for six all by himself. Can you believe it?”
“I can handle myself,MonsieurSwenson,” Jerry said, blushing furiously.
“I’m happy to help you handle whatever you’d like,” Charlie teased. He smiled as he walked through the room to offer out wine to Dario and Rowena.
“Mm, I like him,” Rowena said, greedily drinking her wine.
Jimmy wanted to tear out his hair. He was shocked that no one else seemed to find Charlie as off-putting as he did.
“He sounds like a Bond villain,” Dario mumbled, catching Jimmy’s eye and nodding firmly in a show of solidarity.
Okay, one other person.
“So! You’re the wedding planner, huh?” Rowena asked brightly. “What are you thinking for my big brother and his little sweetie?”
“I haven’t the foggiest,” Charlie confessed. “Mr. Poe hasn’t exactly been very, uh, cooperative with the decision making.”
“Oh!” Rowena frowned at Jimmy. “Really?”
“I don’t want a wedding,” Jimmy huffed stubbornly. “Especially not some big party with gangsters and politicians and whatever. This is ridiculous.”
“Jimmy,” Rowena chided. “There has to be something you want!”
Jimmy looked helplessly at Cold, who said nothing, finally replying in frustration, “If I was ever gonna get married, I would want to do it at the beach! Barefoot, everybody in jeans! Just... relaxed and quiet and simple. Just our family and closest friends.”
“That sounds boring as hell,” Rowena snorted. “No, we definitely need to jazz it up a bit. Jazz! Oh, yes! What about a New Orleans theme?”
“Oh! We could get a live jazz band!” Charlie suddenly squealed. “Instead of a traditional guestbook, we could get a New Orleans-style cookbook and have everyone sign in the margins!”
“We could totally have a bananas foster station!” Rowena started excitedly smacking Charlie’s arm. “Oh, oh! Masks! We could make masks for everyone! Like a masquerade ball!”
“Yes! That sounds splendid!”
Jimmy sighed defeatedly as he watched Rowena and Charlie enthusiastically plan a wedding he wanted nothing to do with. He flopped on the couch and chugged his wine, smiling graciously as Jerry immediately brought him another. “Thanks, Jerry.”
“You’re welcome,monsieur,” Jerry said with a wink. “Quand le vin est tiré, il faut le boire.”
“Sorry,” Jimmy said with a wince. “I don’t understand.”
“When the wine is drawn, one must drink it,” Jerry explained. “You’ve already taken the first step,monsieur. You must move forward now.”
“Uh... thanks, Jerry. I still have no idea what you mean, but thank you.”
“Of course,monsieur. Dinner will be ready in thirty minutes.” Jerry took his empty tray and the one from Charlie, nodding respectfully to Cold before swishing away to the kitchen.
Dario came to sit beside Jimmy, saying quietly, “So, yeah. Your wedding planner dude? He’s already talking to Rowena about planning ours. I’m totally on Team Jimmy. This dude needs to go.”
