“That sounds like a better plan than hunting through the Internet.”
Paris looked up from the arrangement she was making. “If he wants to be blown away by what we’re doing, we might have some more pictures to show David.” She placed the vase of flowers on a small round table beside the front counter. Pink and red tinsel hearts were sprinkled over the center of the white tablecloth, and guest name cards, embossed with red roses, sat between the silver cutlery and red crystal glasses.
“What do you think about this for the reception? The tables will be bigger, but it gives you an idea of what they’ll look like.”
Andrea walked around the table. “It’s lovely. Are you sure you’ll be able to get all the roses we’ll need?”
“My supplier has assured me I won’t have any trouble,” Paris told her. “If something changes, another wholesaler said they’ll put some of their auction roses aside for me.”
Andrea breathed a sigh of relief. “You don’t know how happy that makes me. I’m just glad we’re getting married in The Fairy Forest. It doesn’t matter what the weather does, or how many last-minute emergencies we have, between you and Daniella in charge, everything will be okay.”
Before Andrea moved away from the table, Jackie took a few photos of the setting and the bride-to-be. “David will be happier when he sees these photos, too.”
Paris studied the project plan on her laptop. “That’s the table decorations sorted. Andrea’s happy with the bridal bouquets, and the flower arrangements for the church are signed off. The only thing we have to work on is David’s statement piece.”
Andrea emailed Jackie the photos. “I’ll call Daniella. Other people who’ve rented The Fairy Forest might’ve used something more extravagant than the arch at Cliff and Jan’s wedding. Her storeroom’s full of pieces from movie sets. There might be something in there David will like.”
Andrea crossed her fingers. “I hope so. Apart from what we’ve organized this morning, I have some other good news.” Her smile widened. “My wedding dress has arrived and Kathleen’s making the adjustments. By the end of the week, everything will be finished.”
Jackie grinned. “That’s wonderful. Before you know it, there’ll be nothing left to do.”
“That’s what I’m hoping.” Andrea checked her watch. “I should go. I have to check on Vanessa and make sure the café’s ready to open. Thanks again for the table decorations, Paris. They’ll look amazing.”
“I’m glad you like them. After you’ve spoken to David about what he wants, give Jackie and me a call. We’ll see what we can come up with.”
After Andrea left, Jackie placed her bag in a locker and pulled an apron over her head. “I hope we can create something David likes.”
Paris collected the unwanted leaves and stems off the counter and dropped them into the trash. “I’m sure we can. All we need to do is read his mind.”
Jackie thought about her conversation with Aidan. “I might have a better way of figuring out what he wants. I met a friend of David’s who also works with him. He might give us some ideas about what he likes, especially since they’re both involved in the new research facility.”
“It’s worth a try,” Paris said as she checked their orders for the day. “Are you ready to make a lot of people happy with some amazing flower arrangements?”
Jackie laughed. “I hope so. And while we’re making today’s orders, you can tell me about the wreaths Ben wants for the Christmas Shop.”
With Christmas only a couple of months away, the number of orders they had to make had suddenly exploded. Paris and Andrea’s dried flower wreaths were so popular they’d had to make them year-round to keep up with demand.
While Paris told her about the style of wreaths Ben wanted to sell in his store, Jackie checked what flowers she’d need for their first order.
Looking at the spreadsheet of arrangements she had to make, she wouldn’t be asking Aidan about David today. But, if Andrea could figure out exactly what her fiancé wanted, it wouldn’t matter.
CHAPTER3
This morning, Aidan was running earlier than usual. Even though it was Saturday, he had an important conference call with some suppliers in New York City. As long as he returned to The Lakeside Inn within the next ninety minutes, he’d be fine.
As he jogged down Main Street, he waved to Cassie as she arrived at her jewelry store. Saturdays were one of the busiest retail days of the week. With the farmers market and craft stalls filling the Connect Church’s parking lot to overflowing, people came from far and wide to enjoy this small, lakeside town.
Maybe a market atmosphere was what he needed to create interest in his two events. With his feet pounding against the sidewalk, he took out his cell phone and dictated a few ideas that could come in useful.
One day, he’d learn how to switch off his brain. But it seemed to always be busy, creating one idea after another to make BioTech’s involvement in the community more valuable for everyone.
“Hi, Aidan.”
He tripped on an uneven slab of concrete and stumbled.
“Are you all right?” Jackie asked with a worried frown. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“I’m okay.” He slid his cell phone into his pocket. “I should’ve looked at where I was going, but my mind was a million miles away.”
