The day she had left the naga’s flower shop, finding Khash moping out on the sidewalk, she'd walked as briskly as her short legs were able to move, passing him as she returned to the car.
"C'mon. We have somewhere else to go. Step on it, big man."
Khash's eyebrows had drawn together, his mouth opening in shock around his thick tusks, but Lurielle had only leaned from the passenger door, giving him a look.
"Bluebell, I don't understand what you think were going to get at the Farmer's Market —"
She had made the samepspspspsound at him, jabbing her index finger in his direction. "You know what, you can either stay in the car or go mosey around the store. I have something to do. No, I don't need your assistance."
She left Khash sulking in front of a display of pumpkins outside the farmstand shop, marching off to a little striped tent advertising information.
The woman sitting behind the table had a cloud of fluffy blonde curls and wide blue eyes, and as she rose from her seat behind the table, speaking into her little headset for assistance at information, Lurielle took in her brightly patterned dress. A-line and cinched at the waist, somewhat emphasizing her not at all model-like pear shape, she turned back to Lurielle with a cherry-red smile, motioning for her to follow. Lurielle breathed a sigh of relief, feeling giddy.This is the one. I have a good feeling about her already.
When she learned that Grace was not only the events coordinator for the farm, but had been an actual wedding planner for nearly a decade prior, Lurielle almost cried tears of relief and gratitude.
"Thank you so much for even checking your schedule, you have no idea what it's been like to even get a shop to do that much," she burbled, dabbing at the corners of her eyes with a tissue, feeling like a fool. "And I understand, I do. Everyone is busy with the Hemming wedding and I want the shops in town to do well, but —"
"Oh, we're not even going to talk about that," Grace cut in. Her voice was still bright and her smile serene, but her blue eyes had hardened. "I get it. They're trying to spread the money all over town. They’re doing the rehearsal dinner next door at the winery. The moon temple is getting the ceremony. And we can't complain, Saddlethorne is providing some food for the reception. I get it, but I don’t have to like it. I'm not going to pretend I won't be out in my yard trying to magic up a thunderstorm the day of."
Lurielle choked out a burble of laughter she wasn’t able to hold back. She couldn't help it. This was the sort of petty she approved of.
"Okay, so what do we think of a Saturday afternoon ceremony? Maybe . . . second week of June? I know you're concerned about the heat, but I would be more concerned about storms in May. We can set up in a nice shady area to protect you and your guests from the sun, but there's nothing I can do to save you from a tornado watch. You said a tree, right? . . . hmmm, I think I have just the right spot. Let me take you over there and show you what I'm envisioning."
Lurielle blew her nose as they walked out of the tent, casting a glance back to the farm store with a slight pang of guilt. Khash was probably inside, trapping some hapless cashierin conversation, asking for an in-depth description on every unusual Brussels sprouts and unfamiliar lettuce leaf he came across.My granddaddy didn't come home every night with a crick in his neck from hunchin’ in the mines for me to eat a plate of baby cabbages instead of a real meal, Bluebell.She could save the employees and fetch him, take him along to whatever picturesque tree Grace had in mind . . .
No. Khash had his chance to be reasonable and prove himself for the past month.Just look at today! He was ready to walk out of that shop because they weren't fancy enough, and then changed his mind and had a fit when they couldn't accommodate us.Wedding planning made him irrational and competitive, and she would do better to leave him behind.Besides, learning about lettuce would be good for him.
"Hop on. I promise I'm licensed to drive these things."
Lurielle laughed, climbing onto the golf cart beside the human woman, gripping the front bar tightly. As Grace zipped them down a little gravel lane, up hills and around corners, Lurielle took it in — the farm was beautiful.. Rolling green hills, agricultural crops and grazing animals, picturesque outbuildings and barns. There was a giant pond, nearly the size of a small lake, and just before it, a long, covered pavilion. At the edge of the water stood a huge weeping willow, her long branches stretching down, dipping leafy fingertips into the water's surface.
It was beautiful. It was perfect. She was crying before the human woman even had her little key out of the ignition.
"It's good, right? I was hoping you would have this reaction. And then, over there behind the pavilion, we have a fire pit. I don't know if that's good enough for the fire ceremony you talked about, but we can do our best. If we have to move to a secondary location, we can –"
"This is perfect," Lurielle wheezed. She was going to stand before him beneath that lovely tree and promise to love him for the rest of her life. "I'm really not a hugger, she gasped out, pulling her crippled tissue from her pocket to mop her face. "But —"
"Oh, don't worry. I am!"
By the time she was walking out of the little trailer office, barely an hour later, everything had been arranged. Lurielle had hissed that her fiancé didn't really want a wedding planner, that he had it in his head they should be doing everything themselves with a true Orcish DIY spirit, but that she was at the end of her tether.
"Well, good news," Grace said cheerfully. "You don't need to book a separate wedding planner. You have me. If you already have a vision, we can help you bring it to life. If you don’t, we can create it for you. That's the service we offer here – as inclusive as the bride and groom needs.”
Everyone who came into her life was there for a reason. The naga hadn't been placed in her path to do her wedding flowers. He had been dropped into her life to send herhere. As her eyes filled with tears again, it was hard to see this pretty human woman as anything other than a savior.You need to pay this forward, like, tenfold. Make someone else's day better because of this. Maybe set Dynah up with one of Khash’s friends.
“We can take care of tables and chairs, the linens, everything like that . . . you said you’re doing pastels for your bridal party? I already have something in mind for the flowers . . . All the food will be farm fresh, of course. I'll send you home with some of our sample menus. For an afternoon affair, I would suggest a selection of small plates."
"I'm not sure if small plates are going to cut it. Did I mention I’m marrying an orc? These are big appetites."
"We can accommodate big appetites with small plates," the human laughed. "Our cocktail service is provided in packages, that’s also on one of the menus. I think that’s everything . . . this will be our all-inclusive package, then. Sooooo, if you want to look things over with your husband and call me back to let me know within the next day or two —"
"Oh no." Lurielle scrambled, reaching into her cross body bag. "Are you fucking kidding me? So that Grayson Hemming can call in ten minutes and decide he’s going to book an overflow venue just for funsies? I'm not walking out of here without things taken care of, on the books, deposit paid. This is it. You're the one, Grace. Fate sent me to that flower shop for a reason, and that was to wind up here. Can you put it on my card?"
The human woman smiled widely, her cherry lips stretching around her small, white teeth. "We can absolutely use your card to hold everything. And if this same card is okay to use, I'm going to go ahead and call Ranar when you leave, and we'll get things set up with him. Look over the menus with your fiancé and pick your beverage package. Honestly, thank you for making it easy for me. Usually when we book weddings, it's a few meetings just to get all the details squared away. But if you're willing to put everything in our hands –"
"I am," Lurielle blurted. "I'll be happy with whatever, at this point I'm just so frustrated with being told no, every yes feels like a win."
Grace smiled again. "Well, I'm thrilled to hear it. Grayson Hemming's loss is your gain. Saddlethorne is thrilled to host your special day."
