“What about a photographer?” Hope asked.
Mandy sighed. “This is becoming such a big deal.”
“No, it’s not,” Ivy said. “It’s easy stuff. Kit said that Val was going to ask Ace to be his plus-one. I’ll see if she minds bringing her camera and taking a few pics. She’s always showing me pictures she’s taken—she has a phenomenal eye. So when do you want to do this?”
“Tomorrow, Rocco and I are going shopping for rings, so the day after?”
Ivy tapped her chin. “Can’t do it in two days. How about if we do it in four days? The bakery will need at least that much time for the cake. And I need to special-order the crown roasts from my supplier.”
Mandy nodded. “Okay. Four days. Do we need to hire extra staff?”
“I don’t think so,” Ivy said. “Between the Jacksons and Carla, I think we can handle it. It’s not that much different from a regular evening.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to have it catered?” Mandy asked.
“Absolutely! I don’t get the chance to work with an elegant menu very often. I might see if Ty’s dad would lend a hand.”
“And you’ve got all of us,” Remi pointed out. “You can put us to work. I can take off that day to do anything you might need.”
“What kind of cake are you going with, Mandy?” Hope asked. “Can it be chocolate?”
Mandy moaned. “Now I’m craving that. Absolutely.” She pointed to Ivy’s tablet. “Let’s pick one we like.”
Ivy swiped around some screens as she searched for pictures of wedding cakes. Mandy looked at the five women who were intent on helping her plan her wedding. Nothing she could have done on her own would be as nice as what they collectively could come up with. “Thank you for helping me. I’d be lost without you.” She shook her head. “You have no idea.”
“Of course we’re helping you,” Eden said. “You guys helped me with mine!”
“I think we have this down to a science,” Fiona said.
“How many weddings have you done together?” Remi asked.
“This is our third,” Fiona said. “And we may have a fourth soon.”
Mandy smiled as her friends exclaimed over that news, feeling as if she were the luckiest woman around to have so many friends who’d become like sisters to her.
“I’ve been thinking about the kids during the ceremony,” Ivy said. “They don’t have the attention span to sit through a long, multi-course meal. I was thinking about having them be at the ceremony, of course, then maybe setting up their own party with a special dinner and a movie that they could watch in the theater room. With popcorn. I might even order a few cupcakes so that they don’t have to stay up until we serve your wedding cake. Casey can babysit Zavi—that way, Wynn can join us. Would that be all right with you?”
“Absolutely. They know they can pop in and see us during the evening. It’s a great solution. And it will give us an opportunity to get to know Wynn a little better.”
*
Val knocked on Ace’s door. He could have phoned, but that would have been a waste of an opportunity to see her in person. A shadow darkened the peephole. A second later, the door opened. Ace stood there, wearing a heavy metal tee, skinny jeans, and her vamp boots.
He smiled. “Hi.”
She didn’t smile back. “Val. S’up?”
He leaned against the doorjamb, resigned to the fact that she wasn’t going to invite him inside. He tucked his hands in his pockets and made an involuntary sigh. “A friend’s getting married tomorrow. I need a date.”
She released the door and folded her arms. “Really? You can’t attend solo?”
“I don’t want to. Maybe you could bring your camera, and, I don’t know, take pictures.”
“No one else in this town you could get for your plus-one?”
“No one else I want as my plus-one.” He shrugged. “If you don’t want to, I’ll go alone.” He looked into her eyes, those frosty green orbs. “I’m tired of solo, Ace. I’m not a solo kind of guy.” She was close enough that he could reach for her, pull her close, kiss her. His gaze lowered to her mouth. Pale pink gloss made it shimmer. Her top lip had two pointy peaks. Her lower lip was nicely rounded. He wondered what they’d feel like against his.
“What’s the dress code?” Ace’s voice was barely a whisper. It was only the two of them in the area; there was no need for quiet voices. A shiver slipped over Val’s skin as her soft voice wrapped around the two of them.
“Show me your wardrobe. I’ll pick something.”
“I’m quite capable of dressing myself.”
“True. But it’s more fun if I dress you.”
Her lips twitched as if she fought a smile. “The dress code?”
He shrugged. “Fancy, not formal. Dress like you would for an evening at a restaurant or theater.”