“Consider it done. I’ll see you soon.” Daniella’s wings fluttered as she made her way across the room.
Jackie stepped through the doorway and into the main events room. Daniella had added special touches to the fairy forest to make Jan and Cliff’s wedding extra special. There were more flowers scattered around the park-like interior, and the ceiling was filled with pink and white paper lanterns.
When she saw the floral archway, she was stunned. The delicate silk roses and twinkling fairy lights were amazing.
A smile lit her face when she saw a dozen flamingos standing tall and proud on the edge of one of the gardens. On the far side of the room, another group of flamingos decorated the edge of the chocolate fountain. She could only imagine everyone’s delight when they saw the long-legged birds beside the warm, chocolate treat.
“I hope I haven’t gone overboard with the flamingos,” Daniella said, coming to stand beside her. “I added forty to the garden, and I found some pink flamingo paper napkins for the tables.”
“Everything’s amazing. Even the pink sashes around the backs of the chairs look beautiful.” Fifteen circular tables had been placed around The Fairy Forest. Covered in crisp white tablecloths, sparkling crystal glasses, and silver cutlery, all they needed was the table decorations Jackie had finished this morning.
Reaching inside the box, Jackie lifted out a vase of pale pink roses and placed it on the nearest table. “What do you think?”
Daniella smiled. “It’s perfect. Jan and Cliff will love what we’ve done.” Her cell phone beeped and she read the text. “Oh, no. The ice cream truck that was supposed to be here this afternoon has broken down. Will you be okay bringing the rest of the decorations inside? I need to talk to the company.”
“Go ahead. I’ll be fine.”
“If you need anything, let me know.” With her phone pressed to her ear, Daniella hurried from the room.
Jackie took another vase out of the box and made sure the floral foam was still wet. The last thing she wanted was for the flowers to droop before the wedding. It wouldn’t take too long to bring everything inside and, once Paris arrived, it’d be even quicker.
“Excuse me. Are you Daniella?”
She jumped and the vase wobbled in her hands. Quickly, she pulled it close to her chest. “No,” she said as she turned toward the man. Her eyes widened and curiosity made her take a closer look at his face. She didn’t recognize him, but that wasn’t unusual. Each day, more and more people visited Sapphire Bay to get away from big city life. He was tall—well over six feet, with dark brown hair, and guarded blue eyes.
She didn’t get the impression he was here on vacation. “Daniella left to sort out a problem.”
“Oh. I’m sorry if I startled you.”
“It’s okay. I was thinking about something else and didn’t hear you come into the room.”
The stranger’s gaze wandered around the room. “This is amazing.”
Jackie nodded and placed the vase of flowers on a table. “There’s a wedding here this afternoon. It looks just as stunning for other events.”
“Do you work here?”
“No. I work at The Flower Cottage. We’ve created most of the floral arrangements.” She walked back to the box and took out another vase. “If you want to speak to Daniella, her office is on the left-hand side of the main reception area.”
“Would you mind if I look around before I find her? I need to choose a venue for a fundraising event, and this could work.” He held out his hand. “I’m Aidan Remington. I work for BioTech Industries.”
She wiped her hand on her sweatshirt. “I’m Jackie. Do you know David O’Dowd? He’s my friend’s fiancé.”
“David’s my boss. I’ve had dinner with him, Andrea, and her boys quite a few times.”
His appearance in Sapphire Bay was beginning to make sense. Once the new research facility was finished, half of the staff in BioTech’s Manhattan building were supposed to be arriving in Sapphire Bay.
“It’s nice to meet a friend of theirs. Are you moving here with the other staff from BioTech?”
“I’m not sure yet. At the moment, I’m helping to set up the prosthetic labs. After that, I’m heading back to Manhattan.”
For some reason, a flicker of disappointment flared inside her. She had no idea why. Aidan was attractive, and he seemed like a nice person. But she knew nothing about him, and he might not be staying in Sapphire Bay. She really needed to get out more if this was her reaction to a stranger.
“You’re welcome to look around. Just be careful of the flamingos.”
Aidan frowned. “Is that a special code for something important?”
“No. There reallyarepink flamingos everywhere.” She pointed to the nearest ones. “The bride loves them.”
