With a bit of time and a whole lot of love, it will be the perfect venue for a reception. This farm is too beautiful not to use for purposesother than a cidery. It deserves more, and selfishly, I think thatmoreis weddings.
I park my car next to Izzy’s swanky SUV, which costs more a month than my rent thanks to Craig’s fancy tech job, and trudge into the cidery that’s come to feel like a second home since it opened.
I’m greeted by the gorgeous view of the Cascades, a wall of windows taking up one side of the building. The hills of the farmland look like they go on for miles, then pull your eyes up, up, up to the view of the snow-covered mountains.
As good as the cider is here, I must admit that the view is my favorite part of Stick Taps. It looks like something ripped right off a postcard.
“Odette!”
I grin at my friend sitting at the bar. She has her arms slung wide for a hug like she hasn’t seen me in years, never mind that I saw her for dinner just last night, when we demolished two bottles of wine and ate chicken Alfredo with breadsticks until we felt like we were going to burst.
I step into her embrace, then pull my jacket off and drape it over the stubby chairback of the stools at the counter before sitting next to her.
“You look like you’re feeling better,” I say.
She lifts her cider to her lips, grinning at me over the edge of her glass. “That’s because I have a wedding venue.”
“That you do.”
All right, so wemighthave schemed last night over dinner to get Noah on board for hosting weddings here. Granted, we bet a lot of it on luck, because we had no idea Ezra would agree so easily, but man, am I glad he did.Hewas our biggest hurdle, not Noah. He never tells Izzy no, so we sent her in alone. I had the idea to turn this place into a wedding destination last year, but Noah shot me down. I’ve been biding my time ever since, waiting for the perfect moment to pounce.
This is it.
Just like this is the perfect venue. It’s unique. Everyone else in Port Harbor gets married at the community center, the pier, or in their backyard. All the photos on my website are evidence.
But this ... this could be a game changer. Maybe people will stop seeing me as the wedding planner who messed up and will start taking me seriously. Not just another victim of the Chambers curse—and certainly not a failure just because a few couples got divorced shortly after I completed their weddings.
I push away those thoughts that keep tickling the back of my mind, focusing on the fact that we finally secured a venue and can officially plan the wedding.
The wedding that will go off without a hitch and lead to a marriage that will last a lifetime.
“I see you wasted no time to swoop in.”
Noah pulls me out of my head, setting a tray of freshly cleaned glasses on the counter. He grabs one, puts it under the spout for Stick Taps’ bestselling cider, Neutral Zone, fills it to the brim, and slides it my way without spilling a drop.
“Thanks,” I mutter, taking a pull from the semisweet apple-and-strawberry mixed cider. I set it down. “How are you, Noah?”
His lips press into a thin line. “You’re not changing anything in here, Odie, so don’t go getting any ideas in that head of yours.”
“I don’t know what you could possibly mean.” I give him my sweetest smile, even though I want to flip him off for using the nickname I hate. He’s been calling me that since I was a teen, and try as I might to get him to stop, he won’t. It reminds me of the dog fromGarfield. While it’s annoying on its own, there’s nothing worse than your former crush likening you to a cartoon dog with too-big eyes.
His eyes narrow. “I mean it. You’re not moving anything.”
“Of course I’m not, Noah.” I bat my lashes, my smile widening. I have every intention of ignoring him and moving whatever I want. Ihaveto if I want this wedding to succeed, not just for Izzy but also for my business.
“I’m serious,” he says firmly.
“Sure you are.”
He grunts, then heads back toward the bar, still looking as surly as ever.
I try not to laugh, but it’s impossible not to.
Noah should know by now that I’m going to do whatever I want, despite what he says. It’s just who I am.
“He’s so going to regret saying yes to this,” Izzy comments.
“I think he already does.”
