“It’s Luc,” I say to Pierre as I see his name flashing on my screen. “Do you mind if I answer?”
Pierre waves it off. “That’s my son you’re talking about. Go right ahead.”
I look at him for another second. “Just don’t let him know I’m here with you, please. I’ll tell him eventually, depending on how this goes.” I try to place extra meaning in my tone and expression, and he catches on. He nods.
I only hope he’ll stick to his agreement, but I’ll just have to see. My phone keeps buzzing, so I quickly swipe right to answer. “Hey, baby,” I say as I pick up.
“Hey, can we talk? Are you busy?”
I look at his father. If Luc had any idea... “No, I can talk.”
“What are you doing?” he asks me, not sounding suspicious. I suppose I should be relieved about that, but I can’t bring myself to be. Because I have to lie.
“Just... preparing some stuff for work while having coffee. What’s up?” The words his dad just said pop into my head.Keeping secrets already, huh? I press the thought down. This isn’t a lie, it’s a surprise. Those are different things. I’m doing this entirely in Luc’s best interest.
Luc sighs softly. “I found this amazing wedding venue. It’s an old, renovated castle with ballrooms that would be great for a reception, especially if it’s raining, and beautiful gardens where we can get married if it’s sunny, and guess what? Those gardens are full of sunflowers. It’s perfect for us.”
“That sounds like a great venue for sure.”
“Yes, but... it’s twelve thousand dollars for the day.”
I frown at that. “Twelve thousand dollars?! That’s... that’s a lot of money.”
“I know. We can’t afford it, can we?”
“Maybe. We can do it if you really want it.”
“I do want it, but... I think I want a honeymoon and a house more. Will we still be able to do that too?”
I run a hand through my hair, mentally going through my bank balance. “I think we can, but we’ll definitely have to cut back on those things.”
Luc stays silent for a while, and I imagine he’s thinking, looking at something with that same intense expression his father has. Then he says, “I don’t want to cut back on those. What happens after the wedding is more important. I’ll try to find something else.”
I nod and smile, even though he can’t see it. “There has to be somewhere cheaper that we like.”
“I agree. I’ll keep looking.”
“Alright, I trust you. Thanks for calling, baby. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
We hang up the phone, and when I look up, I find Pierre staring at me. “What’s all this about a twelve-thousand-dollar wedding venue?”
I shake my head. “Nothing. Luc found this amazing castle with everything we want and more, but it won’t happen. I told him we could, but Luc said what happens after the wedding is more important. He wants to save the money for a honeymoon and a house, maybe some other stuff.”
I could almost swear Pierre looks impressed. “That’s quite sensible of him.”
“He is sensible,” I reply, taking a sip of my coffee, and I can’t help but crack a small joke. “Much more sensible than he looks.” Pierre’s dad chuckles, and I use it to turn the topic around. “And he might try to hide it, but it hurts him that you brushed us off so easily at the cafe when he introduced me. We are getting married after all.”
“And how do you feel about that?”
“About getting married or about you brushing us off?”
“The latter.”
I shrug. “Not a lot. What you think doesn’t matter much to me, but Luc’s happiness does, and I know he’ll be miserable if you aren’t at the wedding, supporting him.”
Pierre frowns at me, and I can only hope I haven’t pissed him off by saying I don’t care what he thinks. When he remains silent, my worry grows. Have I ruined it? Is he the type of man who needs to feel admired and respected before doing favors? If he is, I’m screwed, and I’ll have no chance. Maybe I should have just sent the save-the-date by post, as I told Luc I had.
