“That’s sweet,” Kat said with a dreamy smile. “I don’t think Andy would know the first thing about planning a wedding. It’s super cute that Trevor wants to be so involved.”
I bit my bottom lip. I didn’t want to burst Kat’s illusion that my fiancé was sweet orcute. And it’s not that he wasn’t. But Trevor’s involvement in the wedding had a whole lot less to do with our day being perfect for the two of us and a whole lot more to do with how it alllooked.
It was a familiar thought I’d been having more and more over the last few weeks, as everything got closer and what was supposed to be a small, intimate ceremony got bigger and bigger. Last time I’d checked, I didn’t even recognize most of the names on the guest list.
Trevor assured me they were important contacts and investors who would be insulted if they didn’t get invited. I couldn’t shake the feeling that what was supposed to be the most special day of my life was nothing more than a business arrangement to him.
I shook my head and reached for my mimosa as I rejoined the conversation, and immediately wished I hadn’t. The girlswere all talking about caterers, flower arrangements, and cake flavors. All the things that were usually so exciting when it came to planning a wedding.
Only, instead of feeling excited, the only thing I could feel was my anxiety growing. I tried to focus on my friends as Noa expertly applied layers of makeup on my face.
“What kind of cake did you decide on?”
“Oh…I think we’ll just go with vanilla.” It was a guess, because Trevor and I hadn’t discussed flavors at all.
Judging by the odd look Kat and Noa exchanged, I couldn’t help but think I guessed wrong.
“And flowers?” Lauren asked. “I assume Charli is doing them?”
I nodded, confident in that much. Of course, Charli, Kat’s sister, was doing our flowers. The owner of Alpenglow Flowers, no one did a better job than Charli. “I haven’t met with her yet, but?—”
“Do you have pictures of what you want?”
I stared at Lauren.Was I supposed to have pictures?
“I’ll take that as a no.” My friend laughed. “What about centerpieces?”
I shook my head in response.
“Favors?” Kat asked hopefully.
“Do people still do that?”
She shrugged.
“Seating arrangements?”
“Music?”
I squeezed my eyes shut and blew out a breath, trying not to let my friends’ questions incite a full-blown panic attack. After all, this kind of thing was normal, right?
Preston
Two hours later, I did end up sending Summit back to hang out with Brody. Not because the puppy had been getting in the way, but because I figured my brother could use the company. I appreciated that he handled the shittybusinesstasks for the shop, and if a cute little fur ball made that task a little bit easier, I’d gladly lend him out.
Besides, it gave me a chance to print out the flyers I’d been working on for the Teens in the Trails group. I’d started up the group a few months earlier, when the Search and Rescue team started noticing more and more young people getting in trouble in the out-of-bounds areas of the ski hill.
There was obviously a growing interest for adventure in the teenagers in town, but paired with a total lack of training, it was a recipe for disaster. I’d come up with the idea to put together a group where we could offer some basic training and knowledge sessions, as well as give the kids a chance to participate in some of the activities they wanted to try out in a safer environment.
So far, it had been a hit. But we were always recruiting more members, and now that winter was finally loosening its grip on the mountains, and we could get out for some more hikes and backcountry camping opportunities, I was sure we’d get some more members.
At three, when our full time employee, came into the shop, I left the dog in the back with Brody, took my stack of flyers, and headed out into the plaza to hang them.
I’d hung about half my posters by the time I got to Plot Twist, the bookstore next to the brewery. The bells over the door announced my presence, and Delaney called out a greeting from the back.
“It’s just me,” I called back. “Take your time.”
“Uncle Pres!” Ethan’s daughter, who spent most of her free time hanging out in her stepmom-to-be’s bookshop, ran through the shop toward me.
