She looked at it for a moment before placing her smaller hand in mine. Her skin was warm and soft, and I had to resist the urge to pull her closer.
“To a successful partnership,” I said, giving her hand a brief shake before releasing it.
“And a kick-ass wedding,” she added with a grin.
We sealed the deal over breakfast, and an hour later, I drove her home to her apartment. Somehow, the idea of working with her was more intimidating than being her rival.
“Hudson, these vendor quotes are insane.” Mari’s voice pulled me from my concentration a month later. “Two thousand dollars for a sign? Is it made of gold?”
I looked up from my desk to find her leaning in our office doorway, waving a spreadsheet. In the month since we’d begun officially working together on Lia and Manny’s wedding, we’d fallen into a surprisingly effective rhythm. Mari floated between her desk and mine depending on the task at hand.
“It’s what they wanted,” I explained. “Lia wanted it, and Manny approved of the cost.”
“Still ridiculous,” she muttered, but made a note on the spreadsheet. “I wish I were made of money. Maybe I’d have a stupid expensive sign with my name too.”
“You could always write it on your chalkboard.” I pointed to the sign on her desk that still readRivals Not Welcome.
“It’s not the same.”
“Any progress on the venue they requested for the family dinner?” I asked, refocusing on work.
“Three options, all amazing, all available.” She perched on the edge of my desk, a habit I’d given up trying to break her of. “But we need to decide by end of week, which means we need to see them in person.”
“All three? That’s a lot of site visits to cram in.”
“And they’re all not in Chicago.” She bit her lip. “They’re in Door County. Manny has family there who can’t travel, and they decided it was easier to just do it there.”
I frowned. “Door County is five hours away.”
“Hence, my proposal.” She straightened, slipping into presentation mode. “We drive up Friday afternoon, see all three venues on Saturday, drive back Sunday. One trip, all decisions made, minimal disruption to our schedules. Unless you have other weddings this weekend. I’m clear, surprisingly.”
It was a logical plan. Efficient, even. But the thought of spending an entire weekend with Mari, hours in a car together, possibly staying in the same hotel...
“We could split them up,” I suggested. “You take one, I take two.”
“Doesn’t work.” She shook her head. “According to the couple, we need to see all of them to make a fair comparison, and Lia and Manny want our collective opinion.”
She was right, and we both knew it.
“Fine,” I conceded. “I’ll book the accommodations.”
“Already did.” She slid a confirmation email across my desk. “Peninsula State Lodge. Two rooms, lakefront views, excellent reviews.”
I scanned the email, noting the dates and details. “Looks good.”
“Great!” She hopped off my desk. “Oh, and your phone’s been buzzing for the last five minutes.”
I glanced at my cell phone, seeing three missed calls and a text from Eleanor Trolio. My stomach clenched.
“Everything okay?” Mari asked, clearly noticing my expression.
“Fine,” I said, perhaps too quickly. “I’ll go return these calls.”
She nodded. “I’m heading out to meet with Criss to talk about the floral arrangements for the reception. Need anything while I’m out?”
“No, thank you.”
Once she was gone, I checked the text.
