“I’ll be right back,” Mal told them.
“Oh, I can’t wait to see what she brings out,” Caspian said, adding a little more chocolate to his coffee.
When Mal appeared with a massive board of cheeses, meats, breads, and pastries Caspian’s jaw dropped.
“I hope we don’t have any place else to be,” he told Hailey.
“Actually, I thought you might like to meet my contact for flowers,” she told him. “But we’re not on a timeline.”
“I heard there’s a storm on the way,” Mal ventured.
“A storm?” Hailey asked.
“That’s a bother. I can’t get snowed in here,” Caspian said. “I have to shoot in the morning.”
“Weatherman on the radio said starting around two,” Mal told him.
“That’s plenty of time to eat, visit with Sage, and still come out and see the farm,” Hailey told him. “We’ll have you out again on the noon train.”
“Isn’t she the best?” Caspian said to Mal, gesturing toward Hailey.
“She is the best,” Mal said thoughtfully.
Later that morning,as Hailey drove Caspian back through the snowy fields of Trinity Falls countryside to the village to catch his train, the light flurries that had been falling all day began to pick up.
“Oh, look at that,” Caspian said, gazing out the window.
“I guess you’re leaving just in time,” Hailey told him. “Did you get all your questions answered today?”
“And then some,” Caspian assured her.
“Excellent,” she said, making the turn onto Ambler.
Hopefully, he had liked everything. But if what he wanted was more elegant, or different in some way, then it was better that she knew. Hailey wanted to exceed expectations.
At last, they pulled up in town and walked over to the train platform together.
“Thank you so much for everything, Hailey,” Caspian said, taking her by the hands. “I’m ready to commit, to thevenue, the food, the flowers, and whatever else you think we’ll want.”
“Thank you so much, Caspian,” Hailey said, flying into his arms as she fought back tears of gratitude. “I appreciate it so much.”
“Oh, me too,” he told her. “And I wouldn’t book it if I didn’t think Regina would love it. I can’t mess things up with her now.”
Hailey laughed through her tears and pulled back to smile at him.
“I’ll run every detail past you,” she promised him. “We’ll make it perfect.”
“I’ve seen what you have to offer, Hailey,” he said. “And I trust you. Just go with your instincts. I can’t wait for the big day.”
The train was pulling up, so there was no time for her to tell him again how much she appreciated his confidence in her.
But she was pretty sure he knew.
As she waved goodbye, she promised herself she would make Caspian and Regina’s engagement party the most beautiful event imaginable.
Everything was really coming together for her.
Everything in her professional life, at least…
