“With penguins?” I asked.
“A half dozen of them.”
“So that’s what Alex is doing back in town.” I nodded to myself. Things were starting to make sense. A little.
“It’s a great opportunity. They’re even bringing in, get this, Chyna Daniels as the wedding planner.” Lacey let out a little squeal as she said the name. “Chyna Daniels . . . she’s one of the hottest wedding planners in LA. In the world, really.”
“And I’m supposed to be impressed about that, why exactly?” I tilted my head, suddenly very much aware of how Lacey’s life had taken a different turn. While she was wrapped up in celebrity wedding planners and the lifestyles of the rich and famous, I’d been trying to get by, keep my head above water, and ensure my dog shelter stayed dry.
Lacey sat up straighter, her eyes taking on a little bit of a wild shine. “She could put us on the map. I’m talking big weddings. The six-figure kind. The kind that could?—”
“The kind that could make this town even more outrageous than it already is.” I shook my head.
“What are you talking about? This is good news for all of us.”
I clucked my tongue, a trick my mother used to pull on me when I’d done something and should have known better. “Lacey, who’s going to do your million-dollar wedding’s cake?”
“Well, Jojo’s been doing a great job so?—”
“The flowers?” I leaned over the bed. Before I gave Lacey a chance to respond, I fired again. “The food? The people in this town aren’t prepared to handle zillion-dollar weddings. They can barely handle the day-to-day business they’ve got.”
Lacey pushed herself up, her eyes burning bright, apparently ready for a verbal throwdown. “Oh yeah? What’s our unemployment rate since we started the wedding venue from where it was when the Phillips Imports business shut down? Those weddings you seem to hate are giving the good people of this town jobs, paying to put food on their table, and keeping the economy afloat.”
I hung my head. “I just think you’re setting them up for disappointment. What’s going to happen when Jojo’s cake receives a scathing review from one of those celebrity rags? Or there’s nowhere to stay because the Sleep Tight Inn is all filled up? Are you going to set up some luxury campground for guests?”
“You know”—Lacey tapped her lip—“that’s not a half-bad idea.”
“Oh, give me a break. This whole thing is getting out of hand. First you wanted puppies, now you’ve moved onto penguins?—”
“Puppies and penguins could be cute together.” Lacey reached for a notepad on the side table.
“Can you even hear yourself?” I asked.
At that moment, the curtain shifted. Alex stood there, a paper cup in one hand. “Sorry, I hope I’m not interrupting anything, but I got you some fresh water.”
My cheeks heated as his gaze roamed over me, probably trying to figure out how I fit into the day’s events. “What are you doing here?”
“He followed the ambulance over.” Lacey tossed a pearly smile his way. “I see the two of you already know each other. Have you had a chance to get all caught up?”
I gritted my teeth as I faced Lacey. The tone she’d used was a dead giveaway. Now that she’d found her happily-ever-after with Bodie, she couldn’t wait for me to settle down with my own Mr. Right. But the problem was, Ido was only so big and there weren’t a whole lot of misters to choose from. It didn’t take someone with a PhD in matchmaking to figure out the kind of ideas Lacey must have whirring around in her head.
“I don’t think now is the time for catching up.” I smoothed my hand over the crisp hospital sheet. “We need to make sure you’re okay. Maybe you need a painkiller”—I leaned closer to Lacey—“or a sleeping pill.”
Lacey laughed off the attempt at shutting her up. “Don’t be silly. I’m fine. Besides, you’re not supposed to argue with a hospital patient.”
Before I could respond, a nurse came into the room. “You’re free to go, Ms. Cherish. I’d suggest making sure you eat breakfast from now on. You’ve got to keep your blood sugar more consistent with a baby on the way.”
“Looks like you’re not going to end up a hospital patient after all,” I said.
Alex stifled a laugh.
“Wait. Did you say ‘baby on the way’?” I asked.
Lacey’s eyes went wide. “I was going to tell you.”
“When?” I crossed my arms over my chest, all of a sudden feeling the need to put a bit of a barrier between myself and Lacey. Although, it wasn’t like getting knocked up was contagious. “When exactly did you plan on telling me you had a baby on board?”
“I just found out about it a couple of weeks ago.” Lacey shifted to hang her legs over the side of the bed.
