“Sanan…”
Her assistant was all about rules and hierarchy and doing things the right and proper way. Sanan had said her father was in the military and ran his household like an army unit. Ani had to continually remind Sanan that she had a more relaxed view of things. Part of her wished she had let Sanan in on theAvedissians’ actions before the wedding; she bet Sanan could have death-stared them into handing over the money. Too late now.
“Sorry, sorry, not boss.”
The day was cold and Ani had worn her best wool coat for the occasion, figuring she wasn’t going to get down and dirty today. They were just planning and measuring. It was long, loose-fitting, and plum-colored, and it made her feel like a million bucks. Just the right type of thing to wear around Raffi, to show him she wasn’t impressed by all his YSL shirts, Gucci shoes, and seventy acres in Napa. She could hold her own.
Ani steered them to the side of the winery, toward the garden. There stood Raffi and his contractor friend, bro-ing it up among the cherry trees. Raffi slapped his friend on the arm and threw his head back in a laugh. No doubt talking about some weekend conquest, Ani thought. Well, she was just glad she wasn’t one of them. And she would hold her ground, no matter how chiseled his jawline was.
Raffi’s demeanor changed when he noticed Ani and Sanan. His smile softened and he stood more upright. Raffi was wearing a sports coat and button-down shirt at nine in the morning. His shoes were black and pointy. This guy had no chill.
“Ladies,” he said, and Ani scowled at him.
“Raffi, this is Sanan, my amazing assistant,” Ani said.
“Nice to meet you. Raffi,” he said, extending his hand.
Raffi nodded to the man next to him. “And this is Chris, the lead contractor I told you about.”
Chris shook Ani’s hand, then reached for Sanan’s, who seemed to freeze up a moment before remembering herselfand quickly taking his hand. “Sanan,” she said in a voice Ani had never heard before. Shy? Sanan was never shy. This Chris guy was pretty cute. About the same height as Raffi, beefier, most likely Armenian by the shape of his eyes and dark brows. Ani and Sanan were almost always all business and didn’t discuss personal matters—not that Ani had any personal matters to disclose besides, you know, the debt—so Ani didn’t know if Sanan was seeing anyone or if she was even into men. Guess this Chris guy was Sanan’s type, though.
“I see you have a temporary fix over the lawsuit rocks,” Ani said to Raffi.
“Careful, you’re hurting the plywood’s feelings,” Raffi said, smiling.Damn it, that was kind of funny, she thought, while also thinking,My god those teeth are sexy. She didn’t know she had a thing for sharp incisors.
“So you’re telling me itisstill going to be around for the wedding day.”
“I figured it added a nice touch of ‘abandoned warehouse’ to the place. Too pretentious otherwise.”
Chris chuckled. “C’mon, man. We were just talking about filling that space in.”
Ani tried not to feel impressed by this. Raffi was just taking sensible advice.
“Well, that’s good. Should we get started on the plans?”
“Definitely,” Raffi said. He walked over to the part of the garden by the cherry tree grove.
“This would be the perfect spot for the Pinterest dream wedding dome. We’ve got the cherry trees, some vineyards, you’ve even got the villa in your view if you’re sitting here as aguest. I know I’d be happy to watch a wedding from these seats.”
Chris nodded with approval.
Ani took in his suggestions. She’d come prepared but wanted to consider all angles. “That is a pretty spot for sure, very lush, but I was also thinking…”
From her tote bag, Ani whipped out her iPad to share the digital renderings she’d created. She had spent some time playing with different design options, finding the best spots for the dome and fountain.
“Over here,” she paced to the back side of the garden, “would give you the most symmetry. It has the best view of the hills and distant vineyards, and if you’re thinking about the time of day when most ceremonies and receptions take place, the sun won’t be in your eyes.”
She walked back to where Raffi and Chris were standing and gestured around them. “Right now this seems great, but come four or five o’clock, in the late summer and early autumn when a lot of weddings take place, the sun is going to be blazing in your guests’ eyes. And on top of that, photos will be ruined. In that spot there,” she indicated back to the place she’d chosen, “you’re going to get that perfect golden-hour glow brides dream of for their outdoor weddings.”
On cue, Sanan flipped her phone screen to the mock-up she had made of the golden-hour light at a September wedding here on the property.
Raffi seemed irritated.
Then he took several steps toward Ani.
He was close enough that she could see the faint stubblealong his jaw and stripes of dark gold in his umber eyes. He looked at her intensely.
“Show me. Set me right on the spot where the dome is going to be.”
