“I’ve learned to be prepared even outside of the office. There’s always some last minute crisis when it comes to weddings—the photographer who trips on a cord that should have been taped down, the stolen wedding gifts left in the back of someone’s car. Unfortunately, I’ve seen it all. But I’ll take all of those and more over a frantic call from the bride or groom the night before the wedding, calling the whole thing off. We have to go into a holding pattern to see if they change their mind the next day. Then there’s informing all the guests and offering partial refunds. It’s awful.”
“Yeah, I know a little about that,” she answered softly.
Of course. He shouldn’t have let his mouth run. He’d been trying to fill the space between them, the space he didn’t ever know what to do with.
She put a hand on his arm, and he turned to look at her.
“Jay, it was a long time ago. I’m over it. And then some.”
He smiled, liking the feel of her hand. The small gesture made him feel less like a boss and more like a human. “At least with Betty and George, we don’t have to worry about that. I’ve never seen two people who belong together the way they do.”
Rebecca nodded. “I’m sure you wish every couple was like them. With corporate gigs, there are usually a lot of egos at play, but nobody’s making life-altering commitments of fidelity and love. I think I knew weddings were a whole different beast, but experiencing it is different, huh?”
“Yes, it is.” He picked up her hole punch and examined it. “We’ll need a smaller hole for this. I’ll go grab my tiny heart punch.” He took two steps and turned to look at her. “Yes, I’m a guy, and I own things like heart punches and lace table runners.”
She smiled. “Last time I checked, making money was considered pretty masculine.”
***
They’d been working so consistently that she hadn’t had time to look around, but it was hard to miss what a nice house Jay lived in. The leather couch she was sitting on was amazingly comfortable and of the highest quality. Too bad it couldn’t help her back from hurting after hunching forward for over an hour.
Rebecca stretched out her aching back and set down the last burlap bag. “Three hundred wedding favors completed.” The clock on the wall across from her said eleven p.m. “I have to get home and get some sleep.”
“I’ll walk you out.”
She gathered up the extra tea bags and stuffed them back in one of the boxes. “Do you ever drink chamomile or peppermint tea?”
Jay shook his head. “Never.”
She loved his disheveled hair. It would never be as messy as he wore it in college, but right now it was begging her to run her hands through it. She quickly squelched the thought.
“Maybe I’ll take these extras to the food bank then.” She glanced at his fridge, noticing a picture of Jay with a small boy. They had the same hazel eyes and crinkly smile.
“My nephew, Bridger.”
“Do you get to see him often?”
He nodded. “Fairly often.”
“I remember you having a sister. She came to visit you once or twice.”
“Yes, that was Bridger’s mom.”
She was asking too many questions. She could tell by his clipped responses. Things were better between them after tonight, but not where she wanted. But she would never have what she wanted from him, because she wasn’t sure what that was anymore.
Jay picked up her bags and held open the door for her. It was definitely time to go. She walked to her car and took the bags from him, putting them in the back seat. She had a feeling she’d be collecting lots of wedding odds and ends after this. Maybe it was time to retire her jigsaw puzzle collection and make room in her closet.
“See you tomorrow.” Jay leaned toward her, and she froze for a second, not sure if he was going in for a hug, or a kiss on the cheek, or about to pick a piece of lint off her shoulder. But it was none of those. He reached around her and opened her driver door.
She felt stupid, realizing she’d almost gone in for a hug that was never going to happen. She ducked into her car and looked up at Jay, wishing she wasn’t remembering his amazing hugs.
“Rebecca?”
“Yeah?” she whispered.
“Don’t forget to turn in your receipts to Dorothy on Monday.”
