Chapter 2
Marlise’s eyes brightened when she saw them together. “Oh, good. You’re already here, Rebecca. And I see you’ve met James.”
Rebecca forced a smile. “Yes.”
“Well, I don’t want to overwhelm you, but I need you to jump right in and get to work. I didn’t plan on losing two assistants at the same time. Heather is on bed rest and won’t be back until after she has her baby, and Felipe ran off to fulfill his dream of being a world-traveling bum.” Marlise sighed. “So I’m handing you off to James. We are fully booked this weekend. A wedding Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at three different venues, and I need to run and meet Clarissa and Annette at the castle. We won’t return until this afternoon.” She held up her coffee cup. “Thanks for this, by the way.”
With that, she left.
Rebecca glanced at Jay—James, whatever he went by now, waiting for him to say something. She was at his mercy and still reeling from the knowledge he’d kept from her. Had everyone known Patrick was a cheater? Everyone but her? The betrayal and embarrassment all came flooding back.
“Okay, well, let me show you what’s going on today.” He moved to his desk and woke up his tablet.
She came over to look at it with him, her arm accidentally touching his. Standing close to him never bothered her in college. He used to hug her just for the heck of it. Why the sudden attraction now? How super inconvenient, especially considering they not only shared an office but apparently now shared a job.
He pointed to the first filled-in square on his calendar. “We’re overseeing a band rehearsal in forty-five minutes. The bride and groom will be there, practicing their first dance as a couple.” He glanced at his watch. “It’ll take us thirty minutes to get there, so grab a water from the fridge, use the bathroom, and meet me at the front door in two minutes.”
Rebecca nodded and did exactly as he asked. But she couldn’t get over this all-business, no-nonsense side of Jay, as if they’d never recognized each other and were starting again as strangers.
In the bathroom, she brushed her fingers through her curls and straightened her blouse. “You can do this, Rebecca. You’ll rock this. Put your game face on.”
She walked out and almost ran into him just outside the door.
His mouth twitched in amusement. “Still giving yourself pep talks?”
“I thought we were meeting at the front door.” The walls must be paper thin here. She’d have to remember that.
“We were, one minute ago. I came to find you.”
She took a deep breath and brushed past him. For whatever reason, he was trying to push her buttons, and unfortunately, he had the information to do so. She did give herself pep talks. It started in high school when she tried out for the cheerleading squad and made it, and continued into college during their study sessions. It used to make him laugh. Now, it gave him a way to make fun of her.
He caught up and held the front door for her. “We’ll discuss the rest of today’s schedule on the way.”
“Oh, my purse.” She returned to the office and grabbed it from the desk she hadn’t had a chance to sit at, and followed him out to their small parking lot. His car was the black Mercedes she’d admired on the way in.
He opened the passenger door for her and shut it after she folded her legs in. This was so surreal. Everything inside looked and smelled expensive. This was not the car of her friend from college. Okay, it was time to bury her feelings about a guy who clearly no longer existed and move on.
Jay got in and revved the engine, making it purr. “The first thing you need to know is that our customers are paying a lot of money, and they expect the Marlise Miles star treatment. Never look bored or impatient, even if you are.”
“Um.”
“To the bride, this is the only wedding in existence and she’s already one broken cookie away from a mental breakdown. When in doubt, say nothing and call Marlise.”
“Got it.”
He handed her his tablet and pointed at the calendar app. “Open that, and let’s go over the rest of today.”
She went down the appointments, reading them aloud. “Showing the Las Palmas location at noon. One-thirty, vetting with Alvin’s Catering. Three is a planning meeting back at the office.”
His fingers tapped the wheel as traffic slowed to a crawl. “For us, that’s a light day. On weekdays you might get out of here as early as three or four in the afternoon, but plan on never having a social life. I’ve attended a wedding almost every weekend for the past four years.”
“Wow. Does it get old?”
He glanced at her. “I remind myself if it wasn’t this, I could be squirreling away my life in some cubicle, or a cutthroat law office where the stress slowly ate away at my stomach lining. Instead, I party with strangers on the weekends.”
“But no drinking. Marlise mentioned that when she interviewed me.”
“Correct. The open bar is completely off limits. It doesn’t matter if the bride or groom shoves it into your hand. Throw it in the bushes if you have to.”
