Weddings paid the bills, but tonight, the spectacle of marital bliss grated. Everything—from syrupy vows to the bouquet toss—felt staged.
But she wasn’t fooling herself. The real reason she disliked weddings was harder to face. She knew, with cold certainty, this milestone would never be hers. No father walking her down the aisle. No mother fussing over her dress and hair. No Ethan at her side. And no Alec, the man she’d always envisioned as her groom.
Her smile thinned. She’d chosen safety over connection, and now the cost was plain. Psychologists had a term for it—avoidance. No attachments meant no pain.
Emily called it survival.
While clearing the dessert plates, she ignored the twinge in her lower back from lifting yet another heavy tray full of dirty dishes and made her way to the kitchen. It took her only moments to unload before returning to the ballroom for more.
“What’s keeping the happy couple? My dogs are barking!” Julia Dykstra leaned against a pillar, breathless and frizzed by the humidity—every inch a poodle caught in a thunderstorm. She was a warm, willowy blonde with a wry sense of humor, and the closest thing Emily had to a friend.
“What happened to you?” she asked.
“Regina put me on ice sculpture duty for being late today. A fitting punishment since humidity and my hair do not mix.” Julia pulled the hair tie from her ponytail, finger combed it, then tried to wrangle her mass of hair into a bun but failed.
“Forgive me for pointing out the obvious, but knowing that, why move to Florida of all places?”
“If you’d ever lived through a Minnesota winter, you wouldn’t question my motives,” she said, snagging and tucking in a stray curl.
“How did you lift it? Doesn’t it weigh a ton?”
“I didn’t have to unload it, but everything else, from unwrapping, draining, and unclogging hoses, was all on me. Who spends money on ice sculptures in the subtropics?” she scoffed. “They turn to slush in this heat. Which happened by eight. Regina moved me to trash detail then—another cruel and inhuman punishment. It’s still ninety freaking degrees outside, and the sun went down hours ago.”
“I was wondering about the aroma,” Emily said, waving a hand in front of her nose. “Stand downwind at least, will you?”
Julia made a face. “I’m going to sleep standing up. Wake me when it’s time to go.”
When she stilled and her breathing deepened, Emily couldn’t believe she was actually asleep on her feet. She glanced around for their grumpy boss. She wasn’t anywhere in sight, but Regina had a knack for appearing out of nowhere when least expected.
“You’re already in trouble, Jules. Don’t make it worse. She’s fired people for a lot less.”
Her friend groaned. “Just five more minutes, Mom?”
Emily laughed, the sound soft but genuine. Julia’s humor loosened something tight in her chest. For a breath, she felt almost normal. “You’ve got to stay awake,” she insisted. “If for no other reason than you’re my ride home.”
It took them two months of working together to realize they lived in the same building—Julia on four, Emily on three.
She grunted, pushing to her feet. “You’re probably right. With my rent, car insurance, and car loan all coming due next week, I can’t afford to screw this up and miss out on Saturday night.”
“Regina mentioned a special function. It’s all very hush-hush. Are you working too?”
Suddenly alert, Julia’s eyes widened with surprise. “She told you about that?”
“Yah. Why are you so shocked? I’ve been working for her without a major screwup for over a year. From the way she talks, that’s gotta be a record.”
“It’s a really exclusive gig. We have to sign nondisclosures. But it pays a whack.”
“How much of a whack?” Emily asked. Regina never said.
“Five hundred bucks.”
“For one night!” Emily exclaimed, drawing a few glances.
“Yeah,” Julia replied as she pulled her behind the pillar, shielding them from curious eyes. “It’s a regular thing. Regina caters it once or twice a week.”
A regular thing? NDAs? Five hundred bucks? Her instincts prickled. Something about it felt off—but she needed the money too badly to care.
“Why wasn’t I asked before now?” Emily’s voice sharpened. “I’ve been with Regina longer than you.”
