The sound of approaching footsteps in the hallway pulled him from his thoughts.
"Sorry to keep you waiting." Piper's voice preceded her into the room, her heels clicking rhythmically until they stopped abruptly when she crossed the threshold.
She stood framed in the doorway, folder clutched to her chest, blinking at the vacant chairs. She turned to Zach. "Where'd they go?"
"Anna's throwing up, Drake's probably holding her hair, and Tess went to solve three problems at once," Zach answered.
The way Piper's forehead creased with concern made something twist in his chest. "Is Anna okay, that sounds?—"
The door swung open again as Tess returned, her attention still half-focused on her phone screen. She glanced up and around the room pointedly. "We're missing a bride, a groom, and the wedding planner."
"Nope. I'm right here." Piper waved. "I'm the event planner assigned to this wedding."
The words took more than a second to register fully. This was the same woman who declared her hatred of all things matrimonial earlier, yeah?
"You?" Zach asked, not totally loving the way the word came out like an accusation with a sprinkle of shock. "Not Aspen?"
"Aspen is taking more of a strategic role, so you get me." Piper tried to be chirpy, but it didn't land.
Zach couldn't help his slow smile. "The woman who thinks fairy tales are a scam is planning my sister's happily-ever-after? This day just keeps getting better."
"Professional obligations trump personal opinions," Piper replied primly. "Separating the two is part of the gig."
"Ah, so you're saying you'll plan the perfect fairy-tale wedding while internally rolling your eyes the whole time?" Zach leaned forward. "That's some next-level compartmentalization."
"I excel at compartmentalization," she said, tapping her folder. "It's how I've survived corporate retreats where CEOs demanded live tigers as 'conversation pieces,' charity galas where donors expected their names spelled out in fireworks, and a tech conference that wanted to release five hundred butterflies in an air-conditioned convention center in January."
"Impressive résumé," Zach nodded appreciatively. "Any chance you're available to freelance? My sock drawer could use your compartmentalization expertise."
"Sorry," Piper shot back, "I only organize important things. Like seating charts that prevent family feuds and cake flavors that won't trigger obscure allergies."
"Are you implying my socks aren't important?" Zach pressed a hand to his chest in mock offense. "They're the unsung heroes of the wardrobe world."
"You seem unusually passionate about socks." Piper pointed out, a reluctant smile tugging at her lips.
"I'm passionate about many things," Zach replied, his voice dropping slightly. "Priorities being one of them."
The look that passed between them lasted a beat too long, the rest of the room seeming to fade into the background.
"You know, when I first started my business, I'd lie awake at night, worried I'd fail spectacularly. Had to learn to compartmentalize or I'd have never gotten out of bed."
Piper's eyes gentled momentarily. "The 3 a.m. entrepreneur panic? I know it well. Started planning events out of my studio apartment. First year, I organized a birthday party where the flower delivery went to Idaho instead of Indiana."
"Ouch."
"Yeah. Had to raid every grocery store within fifty miles at dawn. The bouquets were creative, to say the least."
"But you pulled it off," Zach said.
"Always do," she replied with quiet pride that resonated with something inside him.
Tess cleared her throat. "Now that we've established that. I have two notes. One: we need to add a quiet room to the venue plan, zero fragrances. Two: medical details stay private unless Anna and Drake approve release." Her gaze flicked to Zach—not unkind, just unmistakably in charge.
Zach blinked, the world rushing back into focus as he remembered they weren't alone. Tess had clearly observed their exchange with clinical interest. Her gaze flicked between them, a slow, deliberate assessment, as if she were scouting players for a different kind of team.
Honestly, he'd only ever seen a thorough observation of that magnitude from his babushka.
"You'll run point on logistics," Tess said to Piper. Not a question. "Be sure to secure and forward vendor NDAs to me before disclosing any details."
