Why Not Tonight (Happily Inc. #3)

“I haven’t got a clue.”

A low rumbling noise interrupted them. They both turned and saw the custom truck moving toward them. The cab was normal size but the back was overly tall, with canvas sides and a frame top. As they watched, the truck came to a stop.

Carol and several assistants walked over to talk to the driver. He turned the truck and backed it toward the enclosures. As the rig got closer, Ronan could see the upper back was open and a giraffe watched as he was moved closer to his new home.

“He’s so handsome,” Natalie said, grabbing his hand and squeezing his fingers. “I wonder if he has a name or if we get to name him. That would be fun.”

She had a zest for life that impressed the hell out of him. Next to her, he was King Dour—something that had happened gradually.

Carol worked gates and portable fencing, creating a walkway for the giraffe. When everything was in place, she opened the rear door of the truck. The giraffe looked toward the enclosure, then at the people standing around, watching. He sniffed once or twice before cautiously stepping down the ramp. Once he reached solid ground, he walked more quickly and stepped right into his enclosure. Carol secured the gate behind him.

“He’ll stay on his own for a couple of weeks,” Natalie said. “Once he’s comfortable, the other giraffes will spend time in stalls close to him so they can all get used to each other. Eventually they’ll be able to roam around together.”

“And have sex.”

She rolled her eyes. “You are such a guy. Yes, they’ll have sex and eventually we’ll have baby giraffes. They’re so cute. Have you seen videos of baby giraffes? They’re totally adorable. So leggy and awkward.” She sighed, then dropped his hand. “All right. Back to work.”

He chuckled. “Way to break the mood.”

“Did you need to cuddle?” she asked, her voice teasing.

“I don’t know. It would have been nice, but never mind now.”

She leaned close. “I’ll make it up to you later. I promise.”

Which was about all the inspiration he needed.





CHAPTER ELEVEN

HAPPILY INC WAS a destination wedding town. Several venues offered wedding parties the opportunity to fulfill their wildest marital fantasies—at least when it came to actually getting married. Hotels had theme rooms, there were emergency tailors and florists, not to mention officiants on the go. The bride and groom could choose to be cowboys, royalty, pirates or become legally bound in a hot-air balloon.

Natalie had discovered the unique rhythm of the town when she’d first decided to make the area her home. Locals learned not to expect to go out to dinner on the weekends and to avoid the center of town unless you wanted to get stuck behind a horse-drawn carriage.

The previous evening Pallas had texted and asked if Natalie could attend a planning meeting for the Batman & Robin movie-themed wedding. Natalie had agreed. As she parked outside of Weddings Out of the Box, she wondered what on earth she could add to the discussion. Still, her friend had asked, so here she was.

She found Pallas in the main conference room. There was a long table for client meetings and a large video screen and computer set up to work as a projector. Shelves and a buffet table had been set up along one wall displaying several small cakes, unopened shipping boxes of various sizes and stacks of linens.

“Hi,” Natalie said, carrying in the two vases she’d filled with paper flowers. “Do you really go through all this with every wedding? It’s so much work. I had no idea.”

Pallas gave her a wan smile. “Some weddings are managed remotely, so we do video conferences instead of in-person ones, but Ellen and Barry live close enough that they want to be here.” She pointed to the video screen. “Both sets of parents are tapping in via Skype. It’s going to be a crowd.”

Despite carefully applied makeup, Pallas seemed pale. Natalie frowned in concern. “Are you feeling all right?”

Pallas hesitated, then started to speak, but before she could say more than “I do want to—” they heard someone calling out to them.

Silver breezed into the conference room, pulling a cooler on wheels behind her. “Have you searched our comic book hero on Pinterest? I can’t believe how many great ideas there are. People are so creative. I have too many possibilities for signature cocktails. Seriously, we need two, not twenty, but I’m having trouble choosing.”

She hoisted the massive cooler onto the end of the table. “I figured the easiest way to decide is to sample.”

Natalie glanced at the clock. It was ten minutes to one in the afternoon. “I guess it’s five o’clock somewhere.”

Silver grinned. “Just take a sip of each cocktail, otherwise you’ll be plastered.”

“Not for me,” Pallas said, placing a hand on her stomach. “I’m not feeling great. I’ll pass on the liquor.”

Silver shot her a concerned look. “I have some ginger ale with me. Want some?”

“That would be great.”

Silver’s gaze narrowed. “Pallas,” she began.

Pallas shook her head. “Ellen and Barry will be here any second. Let’s focus on that.”

Natalie felt as if she were missing something, but before she could ask, the happy couple arrived.

They were both in their midthirties, on the tall side and a little chubby. They were also obviously wildly in love and totally excited about their wedding.

“My mother is texting me four hundred times a day,” Ellen said as she hugged Pallas. “I think she was afraid I was never going to get married.”

Barry kissed his bride’s cheek. “That’s because you were waiting for me.”

“I was.”

They gazed at each other as if they were the only people in the room. Natalie felt a little jolt of envy—oh, to be that much in love.

Pallas made introductions. Everyone took a seat at the table and Pallas got the connected parents up on the screen.

Natalie was impressed with how quickly her friend worked the technology. The split screen allowed everyone to see who was talking. When Pallas uploaded a picture from her computer, the screen divided into three parts, keeping everyone in the loop.

“We’re here to make some decisions,” Pallas said, opening her tablet and glancing at a very long list. “The sample cakes are here and Silver wants to talk signature drinks. Some of the favor samples have arrived. Natalie has flowers for you to look at. We’re also going to brainstorm the rest of the details for the wedding and make sure our timeline still works.”

Ellen sighed. “The flowers. Can I see them?”

Natalie passed over the mason jars filled with the comic book flowers. Both Ellen and Barry carefully touched the paper petals. Ellen beamed.

“They’re stunning. You’ll be able to make flowers for three vases for each table? Is that too much?”

“I have a schedule and I’m already ahead. So I’m glad you like what I’ve done.”

“We don’t like it,” Barry told her. “We love it. You’re a gifted artist.”

Silver leaned close and whispered, “Could they be cuter? I don’t think so.”

Natalie smiled.

Pallas moved on to the rest of her list. “Just to clarify, the theme of this wedding is a specific movie. Not the comic books, not the rest of the franchise. So we’re going to be true to those villains and the main characters.” She glanced at her tablet. “The minister marrying you will be dressed as Alfred, is that right?”

Barry chuckled. “Yes, and he’s superexcited about it.”

Pallas confirmed that the wedding bands had been ordered and were on time. The rings were platinum with inset round diamonds and black onyx in the shape of a bat. Ellen would wear a white eye mask and her shoes would have tiny bats on the heels. Barry had chosen a black tux with a yellow vest and tie. The bridesmaid dresses were black with yellow sashes around their waists.