“I’ll bet you a thousand bucks he talks her out of it,” Emily says, when they’re out of earshot and we’re gathering our things to leave.
“I’ll take that bet. I need new Choos.”
“You think she’ll talk him into it?”
“She will.” I sigh and take one more sip of my now-cold coffee. “I don’t think I grabbed my bottle of Advil this morning.”
“You okay?”
“I got a speeding ticket, thanks to you jinxing me.” I turn and glare at her, but she giggles. “I don’t find it particularly funny.”
“You don’t look great today.” Em tilts her head and watches me thoughtfully. “Did you go on a bender last night?”
I laugh and shake my head. “I wish. No, didn’t sleep well.” I can’t very well tell her that I had wild sex dreams about the sexiest man I’ve ever seen.
“Insomnia.” She nods wisely. “You should take melatonin. It works wonders.”
“I’ll remember that,” I murmur and check the time on my phone. “I have to be in Olympia by noon.”
“Are you meeting with Will Montgomery?” she asks. She smiles softly and sighs.
“Yes.”
“Can I—”
“No, I don’t need you to come along for this.”
She pouts, making me laugh. Emily has never made it a secret that she has a crush on the handsome football star.
Hell, we all have crushes on the whole Montgomery family. They’re all fine specimens of men, and their women are sweet and funny. What’s not to like? They’re also my best clients, and are the reason I can afford my condo and my shoe fetish.
And I like to think that they’ve become friends as well.
“You get to have all the fun,” Emily says.
“I do. And I also get to handle all of the bridecrazies and complaints. I believe it falls in my ‘owner’ job description.”
“Yeah, you can keep those. I’ll meet you back at your place later this afternoon?”
“Yes. You’re meeting with the Peterson couple to go over their flowers, right?”
“Yep. The MOB is a pain in the ass.”
“The mother of the bride is paying for a one hundred thousand dollar wedding. She’s paid for the right to be a pain in the ass.”
“True.” Emily holds her fist out to bump mine and grins. “Have a good time with the hot Will Montgomery.”
“I will. I’ll have my cell on me if you need me.”
“Back at ya.”
With that, Emily climbs into her Honda Civic and drives away. I pause and take a deep breath before I jump into my SUV and head toward Olympia. It’s still early, but that’s okay.
I should be early for something today.
***
“You look…interesting.” Blake, the caterer and my best friend, cocks his head to the side and watches me with humor-filled eyes as I walk into his office and sit on the edge of the chair across from his with as much dignity as I can muster.
“Fuck you.” I smile sweetly and pull my iPad out of my handbag.
“We’ve been there, done that. I think you still have some of my T-shirts.”
“I sleep in them,” I remind him, and bring my iPad to life, thumbing through client files until I find McBride-Montgomery Wedding. “But if you want them back, you can have them.”
“I don’t give a shit about the shirts.” I glance up to find his chocolate brown gaze watching me. Blake is a looker. He’s no Dominic Salvatore, but then, few are. Blake is tall and thin. His arms are muscular, thanks to all of those hours in the kitchen. He has a solid, square jaw and short dark blond hair. He’s the only person I’ve ever allowed myself to fully trust in my life.
“Are you ready for Will and Meg?” I ask, hoping to change the subject.
“I’m ready for you to tell me what’s up with you today. And what’s up with your hair?”
“It’s not that bad.” I roll my eyes, but Blake smirks.
“It’s not your usual perfect. Which means you were flustered this morning.”
“It’s just been a shitty day. Bad hair day. Broke the heel of my shoe.” I pout, making Blake grin.
“The expensive ones?”
“They’re all expensive.”
He smirks again. Blake is good at smirking. He can be an arrogant ass. “Is that all?”
“Got a speeding ticket and I was almost an hour late meeting a client.”
“Wow.” The humor leaves his face and he quirks a brow. “Bad day.”
“Yeah.” I clear my throat and glance back down at my iPad.
“Been happening a lot lately.”
I ignore him and stare blindly at the words on the pad in my lap. He’s right. I’ve been off my game for the past few months, and I don’t know why. Life is good. My business is thriving. I love it. I have a beautiful condo right on the water of the Puget Sound and good friends.
But something feels…off.
“Wanna talk about it?”
“I really just want to talk about Will and Meg, Blake. They’ll be here in a few minutes.”
“I have the staff in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on the dishes we already talked about. The wine is corked and ready. We’re ready.”
“Great.”
“Hello?”
Megan McBride’s voice calls out from the lobby of Blake’s offices. I jump up, happy to see her, and grateful for the change in subject. I join her and Will, with Blake on my heels.
“Hi guys.” I smile and hug Meg and offer Will my hand to shake, but he just laughs and pulls me in for a big hug too. He’s surprisingly gentle for such a big man. Standing at least six foot four, he’s nothing but pure muscle and mischievous bright blue eyes. Will is my favorite of the brothers because of his fun-loving attitude and sense of humor.
Meg is a lucky woman.
“Sorry we’re early,” Meg says with a shrug.
“I’m always early when food is involved,” Will adds, and rubs his hands together. “Bring it on.”
“He’s so classy.” Meg shakes her head and slips her arm through Will’s and kisses his bicep.