Prologue
No Time for Romance
Maya looked out at the rest of the staff, their eyes on her expectantly. Growing uneasy, she looked back down at her tablet with the rest of the tasks that Naomi was supposed to hand out. Back in her comfort zone, she found the remaining items and said without looking up, “And the newer staff need to organize the front and get it cleaned up before the flowers and decorations arrive in 30 minutes.”
She glanced up as the group of people in front of her took off to handle their assigned tasks in the final push before the wedding. As the staff spread out to get the work done, Maya resumed tapping on her tablet. Frustrated by the fact that her business partner Naomi had suggested a break for the staff, then disappeared when it was time for them to get back to work, Maya’s focus wasn’t as sharp as she would have liked. Especially since there were only a couple of hours left before the wedding began.
“Excuse me, but are you Maya?” The voice was low but confident.
Maya looked up at a shifter she did not recognize. “Yes.”
He smiled at her. “Excellent. I was wondering if you would like to grab dinner.”
She stared at him, her finger hovering over the tablet, her mind trying to figure out exactly what he was saying. Then she settled on the most obvious conclusion. “The wedding will start soon, then we will have dinner at the reception area. There are seven different options, and Naomi can tell you more about the food when she returns.”
His smile had faltered, but he soon had it back in place. “How about getting dessert after dinner?”
“Oh, I’m heading home after the wedding. You’ll need to talk to Naomi about the cake and other dessert options.”
“That’s even better. I can take you somewhere really nice, somewhere more private. Unless—”
Maya let out an exasperated sigh. “I’m sorry, but do you need help with the upcoming event?”
Finally, the guy frowned. “No. I’m—”
Irritated by the unnecessary interruption, Maya returned her attention to her tablet. “If you don’t have any questions about the wedding or reception, then we have nothing to discuss.”
He spluttered and said something, but Maya just turned and walked to the cathedral area, her attention back on what she needed to be doing. When the shifter who had approached her grabbed Maya’s shoulder, she turned and frowned at him. “Turn around and walk away.”
He got a glazed look in his eyes, then he turned and walked out of the church. Seconds later someone ran up to her, asking about one of the tasks she had recently been assigned. Maya focused on clarifying what needed to be done—it was a bit easier one-on-one than when she had to address a group. Once that was taken care of, she entered the cathedral and looked around at all of the activity, and she couldn't help but think about how much more still needed to be done in the next couple of hours.
Turning her attention back to tasks and coordinating the last-minute issues, Maya quickly managed a handful of items before she was interrupted again. A couple of members of staff that she recognized asked specific questions, which she quickly answered. Just as she looked back down, an unfamiliar voice cut into her work.
“What about this?”
Maya looked up from her tablet and into the wide orangish-yellow eyes of someone she did not recognize. His tight blond curls looked like coiled springs as he bounced on the balls of his feet. Then Maya looked at the large object he was holding, her mind trying to process what she was seeing. Although considerably taller than her five-foot-six-inch self, the person in front of her couldn’t be older than a teen, but he was holding something that easily weighed 10 times her weight. How he was able to do that wasn’t the immediate concern, though.
Keeping her annoyance and concern concealed, Maya responded in a cool tone, “If you would, please return that to the indentation that it left up in the front there.” She pointed back toward the front of the church.
“Oh. I thought you wanted it moved. You said to clean up the front.”
“Yes, I did ask that the front be cleaned up. But that is not something that needs to be cleaned up. That is, in fact, the altar, which is an important part of the ceremony,” Maya kept a level tone as she explained. “Once you put it back, we can discuss how you can actually help get things ready for the wedding.”
The teen looked at the large item in his hands, a wistful look in his eye. “I just, I really want to help my brother.” He then looked at her, “So, please, give me a real task. I can do a lot more than other people my age, and I want to work.”
Ah, there it is, Maya thought, now understanding not only the kid’s motivations but a bit about his potential. And that potential went well beyond his strength.
Where is Naomi?Maya felt very frustrated by her business partner’s absence. As the partner responsible for managing the staff, Naomi was sorely missed, especially with all of the interruptions Maya had been dealing with. Without Naomi there, Maya had to continue to manage the numerous interruptions. This one, though, was one she knew she had to be more careful about handling. Allowing an amused smile to spread across her face, she said, “Don’t worry, Mr. Honeysett, I have just the task for you. You don’t need to do anything rash to get my attention. I really don’t need any distractions with so little time before your brother’s wedding.” The smile was completely gone by the time she finished speaking.
As if in response, his smile also faltered. “I’m—I wasn’t trying to distract you.”
Maya tried to keep her frustration in check.Where is Naomi? She should be dealing with this.
Unsure what to do or say as the kid seemed to be getting more and more agitated, she sought to find something to tell him that might diffuse the situation. “Don’t worry, it shouldn’t have too much of an impact. As long as you go and put it back right in the exact same spot where you found it, no one has to know that you tried to abscond with the altar.” Her words were meant to be a bit teasing, but Maya failed to use a tone that made that clear.
His eyes widened for a second. “I’m so sorry! I wasn’t trying to take it. Just to … move it out of the way ...”
Seeing that her words had made things worse, Maya tried to think of something to say that might make him feel better. “Again, things can still be fine. So you need to return it right now.” Her tone was a little harsh because, in her experience,people tended to act faster when they were given direct and unflinching orders.
