She’d expected more tension and conflict with Theo, but it hadn’t been like that this time. Something had changed. She had noticed it when he had begun to open up to her about the lobster boils in his childhood. And then, when he had offered to get that plate for her… she hadn’t realized it when she’d suggested the idea, but she had been expecting mockery. She’d thought he would laugh and say that the idea of trying to remind Max of a plate he’d liked in his childhood was stupid. But he hadn’t. He had gotten on board with the idea right away. Even if he couldn’t manage to get hold of the plate, he had dignified her suggestion by taking it seriously, and she’d never expected that of him.
No doubt about it — things are changing between the two of us.
She went home and tried to focus on work. There was an event she was supposed to be planning, a silent auction for a local business, but she couldn’t seem to focus, and after about an hourof trying to organize the seating chart, she realized that she was on autopilot. Her mind was miles away, with Theo.
Had he always been so handsome?
It embarrassed her to have to admit that she had developed feelings for him, but they were difficult to ignore. Of course, these weren’t actuallyfeelings, she reminded herself — it was only a crush, and it was based on his looks, not his gruff and cantankerous personality. Maybe it was being helped along by the fact that he had let his walls down a little bit today. She knew she was a sucker for that sort of thing. But it wasn’t something she was going to take seriously.
No work was getting done. She was too distracted. She shouldn’t be indulging thoughts about Theo, but thinking about the wedding was fine. There was plenty left to decide there. She pulled out her binder and flipped through the pages, wondering if there was something she might be able to make progress on tonight.
Ah. Here was something — the bridal shower. Tara had been very firm about the fact that there was no need to have one. “After all,” she’d said, “that sort of thing is for people who are setting up their first home together, and Max and I have been cohabitating for years. We have all the stuff we need. We’re not even putting together a wedding registry. We don’t need a party like that.”
She had a point. But also, it would be fun to have a party, and Tara deserved to wring every possible drop of celebration out of this season of her life. Maybe there was a way to do it that wouldn’t feel awkward…
Before she knew what she was doing, she was reaching for the phone.
It was anyone’s guess whether Theo would answer a call atanytime of the day, so she was pleased when he picked up. “Let me guess,” he said in lieu of a greeting. “Cake emergency?”
“Hello to you too.”
“Hello. Did we forget to go over something at the restaurant earlier?”
“No, this isn’t about food,” she said. “Or rather… maybe it is. I’m not sure.”
“Well, that isn’t at all confusing.”
“Listen. This isn’t usually one of a best man’s duties, but I’ve been thinking about the bridal shower.”
“You’re not going to tell me you wantmeto plan the bridal shower? This might be going a little too far, Harper.”
“Oh, relax. No, I’m not going to tell you that,” she said. “I was just thinking it might be worth talking about throwing a shower together. For both of them.”
“What are you talking about?”
“They don’t really need any gifts, and I know they aren’t registered,” Harper said, aware that she was speaking quickly, trying to get all the words out before he gave up and ended the call. How was it that Theo always made her feel so frantic? “What if we got together and threw a barbecue for both of them? It wouldn’t need to be a gift-giving occasion, just a chance for close friends and family to celebrate them.”
“Hang on,” Theo said. “Now you’re saying you want to throw a barbecue in addition to a wedding?”
“The barbecue would be a precursor to the wedding festivities,” Harper explained. “We would treat it as kind of an excuse for everyone to get together and celebrate the fact that there’sgoingto be a wedding.”
“So, it isn’t enough to celebrate the wedding day? Now we have to celebrate the fact that we’re going to be celebrating?”
“I don’t know why you’re being negative about this,” Harper said. “I thought it was a good idea.”
In all actuality, she was sure that it was a good idea. Now that she had described it aloud, she liked her plan more than ever, and she was sure that if he just relaxed and allowed himself to have a good time, he would be able to enjoy it too. “You’re worrying too much,” she told him. “You’re thinking about what it’s going to require of you, that you’ll have to take more time away from work or something.”
“I mean, I definitely would have to take more time away from work,” Theo agreed. “But I wasn’t thinking about that. I just think this is getting crazy. We’re already planning a big party for these two, and now you want to plan asecondparty for them?”
“You make it sound like you don’t think they’re worth the effort.”
“Oh, stop. I don’t make it sound like that,” he said. “That’s not what’s happening here, and you know it.”
“This is the only wedding your brother is ever going to have.”
“Yeah, you need to stop playing that card with me,” he told her. “It’s not having the effect you think it is. You want me to go belly-up for this sappy stuff, to say that I’ll move heaven and earthto make sure this is a romantic experience the two of them will never forget. Right?”
“I mean, why would younotwant to do that? Don’t youwantit to be an experience they’ll never forget?”
