I take in the room, studying it from a business perspective, and notice three boxes stacked in the corner. I rush to them as Paige also leaves the banquet hall.
The boxes contain fake flowers, mirrors, glass vases, and flameless votive candles. I’ve been in the event planning business long enough to figure out what these centerpieces are supposed to look like. Not too complicated.
Tristan watches me in silence.
I count the tables in the room. There are fifteen round tables and one long table where the wedding party will sit.
Ashley walks over to me, Eric beside her. “She left without setting up the centerpieces,” she says, her cheeks flushed. “She said it was an oversight, but I think she just went home because it was the end of the day and she didn’t want to deal with it anymore.” Her eyes fill with tears.
That could be the case, or maybe it really was an oversight. I’ve seen it all, and I know there’s really no point in focusing on blame. Problems need solutions.
“I can’t believe this,” Ashley says, shaking her head in dismay. “I’m supposed to be up early to get my nails done in the morning. And now I have to stay up dealing with this mess.”
“No, you don’t. I’ll take care of the centerpieces.” Rising to my feet, I meet her gaze.
Ashley blinks, her chin wobbles, and she throws her arms around me.
I hug her and reassure her at the same time.
“Are you sure you’re okay with handling this?” Ashley asks as she pulls back. There’s unmistakable hope shining in her eyes. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but tomorrow is such a big day and—”
“Don’t worry about it,” I cut her off. “There aren’t many tables. I can put together the centerpieces tonight, no problem. Everything I need is in those boxes.” I point to the open one with the flowers.
“They were supposed to be real!”
Afraid she’s going to cry again, I pat her on the shoulder. “I’m going to make these look beautiful, I promise. You just go rest. You don’t want dark circles under your eyes tomorrow.”
“Thank you so much.” Ashley steps forward to hug me again, but Eric pulls her away.
“We appreciate it, Kaylee.”
I merely smile.
Everyone files out of the room except for Tristan.
“Planning to keep me company?” I ask, jokingly as I kneel down to the open box.
“No, I plan to make myself useful. I’ll warn you now, though, I don’t have much artistic talent.”
I shoot him a grateful smile. Though it’s not his problem, I appreciate the help and I’m not about to turn him down.
I pull a round mirror from one box and a glass vase from the other. “This is a basic setup.” The vase sits on the mirror with the purple pebbles in the bottom. Then, we fill it with the fakepink flowers and water. We’ll surround the vase with the votive candles on the mirror and they can be turned on tomorrow at the beginning of the reception.”
Tristan nods along as I explain. “All right, put me to work.”
I have Tristan unpack the mirrors from the box, while I find glass cleaner in a nearby closet. I make sure the mirrors are spotless, handing them over to Tristan to place in the center of each table. It takes a little time, but I don’t mind because I have good company.
He tells me all about running the nightclub and it’s less exciting than I imagined. “I swear, I spend more time in my office doing paperwork than anything else.”
I scoff. “Come on. That can’t be true. Every time I come in, you’re swaggering around the VIP section, flashing your charming smile at everyone like you’re king of the world.”
“You think my smile is charming?” He waggles his eyebrows, and I snicker as I shove him playfully. “But yeah, I spend about fifteen minutes strutting around like I own the place—”
“Because you do,” I interrupt.
“Butmost of my energy is spent dealing with things like invoices and staff scheduling and insurance. That’s a lot of time stuck in a windowless room where the bobblehead on the corner of my desk practically vibrates with the continuous thump of the bass from the loud music.”
“A bobblehead?” I exclaim like an excited child. “What kind?”
