Beach Wedding (20 page)

Theo looks tense. “I get it. If this thing wasn’t so
important to everyone…” he stops.

“What?” I demand.

“It’s nothing. Look, if it makes you feel any better,
I’ll go check another five different weather forecasts.”

“Yes please!” I hug him. “And look up bird
migrating patterns too. The last thing we want is a flock of ducks
flying over and pooping right before the vows!”

Theo heads off to triple-check for me, and I step out back onto
what’s now a gorgeous stone-paved terrace. Pots of flowers are
clustered along the walls, and the manicured lawns sweep down to the
shore, where Pixie and Clyde are posing for promo photographs on the
rocks.

I look around, trying to reassure myself. “You’ve got
this,” I whisper under my breath.

“Talking to yourself again?” A pair of strong arms
encircle me from behind. I let out a yelp of surprise, and then laugh
as Luke lands a kiss on the side of my neck.

I twist to look at him. “What are you doing here?” I ask
happily. “I thought you were up on a job in Marathon today?”

“We finished up early, so I thought I’d come take a look.
You did good,” he adds, looking around.

“It wasn’t just me,” I laugh. “Your crews
worked overtime.”

“Yes, but you’re the one who had the vision.” His
arms squeeze around my waist. “It’s going to be great,
Ginny. A day they’ll never forget.”

I lean into him, reaching up on tip-toes for a kiss. With the sun on
my back and Luke’s mouth on mine, suddenly, all my anxiety
seems to melt away.

“Thank you,” I breathe. “I needed that.”

He smiles. “Anytime. In fact… Want to come over again
tonight?”

I nod. We’ve spent almost every night together since that first
amazing reunion, and even though I’m no closer to figuring out
what the future holds for us, I’m definitely learning to relax
and enjoy the present with him.

“Great.” Luke grins. “There’s a drive-in
movie playing down in Key Largo. We could go and make out in my
backseat, for old time’s sake.”

“It’s a date.”

There’s a shriek from across the lawn. I turn in time to see
Pixie lose her balance. She slips, and tumbles into the ocean with a
splash.

We race over, but by the time we’ve arrived, Nick and Neil are
already fishing her out. Clyde stands, bewildered, on the shore.

“You let go!” Pixie yells at him, crying. She’s
drenched, her hair a wet mess and her dress dripping in heavy clumps.
“I can’t believe you just let go of me.”

“But you were falling, love. If I’d kept hold, I would
have gone in, too.”

“That’s the point!” Pixie wails. “We’re
supposed to be in this together!”

I push through the small crowd. “Hey sweetheart.” I take
her hand. “Let’s go get you dried off inside, OK?”

I lead her away, with Luke following behind. Pixie is sniffling and
sobbing, and ready to go into meltdown, I can tell. “There,
there.” I soothe her. “It’s just a little water. No
harm, no foul.”

“It’s not that,” she whimpers. “It’s
everything! You saw Clyde, he just stood there, the way he always
does. He never tries to help me, or go out of his way at all. I have
to do everything myself! Sometimes I wonder why we’re even
getting married at all!”

I take a deep breath. “Are you getting cold feet, Pixie?”

She sniffles. “Maybe? Would that be so wrong?”

“Lots of brides have seconds thoughts close to the wedding,”
I say carefully. “You just don’t want to do anything
you’ll regret later.”

“I know.” Pixie’s face is screwed up. “And I
know everyone’s counting on me. You, Marcie, the whole team.
Everyone’s job depends on it.”

“Yes, their job,” I agree. I know I should be talking her
back into the wedding, but I can’t help feel sympathy for her.
Pixie seems lost in the middle of all this production, and I wonder
the last time that anyone asked her if it’s really what she
wants. “The TV show, the cameras, that’s your job too,”
I add. “But you have to think about your life outside the show,
that’s what really matters. You can quit a job any time you
like.”

“I can quit?” Pixie seems to perk up.

“Sure, you can walk away if you want to.” I check Marcie
isn’t around to throttle me, but there’s only Luke
following us a couple of paces behind.

“But won’t everyone be mad at me?”

“Maybe. But you’re the one who has to live with your
decision,” I tell her. “It’s the easiest thing in
the world to just leave. Just get in your car and go, if that’s
what you really want. You have to trust your gut. Sometimes, you just
don’t feel it.”

“But I don’t know what I feel!”

“Then how about you hold off making any big decisions until you
do,” I soothe her. “Just get a good night’s rest,
maybe take a nice bubble bath. Things will look different in the
morning.”

Pixie nods slowly. I look around. “Theo!” I call him
over. “Can you take Pixie back to the Inn? Maybe get some food
sent up, too. You look like you haven’t eaten all day.”

“Marcie said I needed to drop that ten pounds,” Pixie
sniffles.

“Well, I think you look perfect the way you are. Marcie doesn’t
have to know,” Theo takes her arm and gently steers her towards
the car. “How does a double chocolate milkshake sound?”

“With extra fries?”

I think I see a glimmer of a smile on Pixie’s face as Theo
leads her away. Crisis averted – for now.

I turn back to Luke. “Drama, drama, drama,” I sigh, worn
out. “I can’t wait to clock out and meet you tonight. The
movie’s just what I need.”

He clears his throat. “Actually, I forgot, I made plans with
some buddies of mine. I’ve been blowing them off all week, so…”

I try to hide my disappointment. “No, go ahead, you should
spend some time with them. Maybe call when you’re done and I
could come over?” I add, reaching for him.

Luke steps away. “Sure, maybe. It could be late, so don’t
wait up.” He holds up his phone. “I’ve got to make
some calls.”

“OK.” I watch, puzzled, as he strides away. But then I
hear my name being called, and I don’t have time to dwell on
it. I’ve got a dozen things to check off my list, and I’ll
see Luke later tonight. The wedding waits for no man – or
planner.

Luke doesn’t call back that night, or respond to my texts, so I
figure it was a late one with his buddies, after all. I get a good
night’s sleep and wake ready to attack this final phase of
wedding plans. We’re in the home stretch, and barring any more
bridal meltdowns we can hit this one out of the park. Next up: the
rehearsal dinner. Except with the show, nothing’s a rehearsal:
there will be cameras on every inch of this event, the first time all
of Pixie and Clyde’s family and friends step foot in Pelican
Key Cove.

“It looks like the weirdest tour group in the world,”
Theo remarks, as we watch the limos start arriving. Women in tiny
bandage dresses and teetering heels spill out, exclaiming loudly
about this ‘darling’ beach and that ‘way cute’
pelican. Meanwhile, Clyde’s band mates decided to roar up in
the massive party bus they’ve hired out for the night, blasting
hard rock music at full volume. “If anyone wondered where the
world’s supply of dirty leather and Viagra is, it’s right
here.”

“Is Pixie feeling better?” I ask, still worried about
her wobble yesterday.

Theo nods. “Yes. But she’s really feeling a lot of
pressure. She thinks everyone’s careers are depending on this
wedding, and they’ll all hate her if she screws up.”

“They will,” I reply, distracted. I look back to see
Theo’s frown. “Hey, we don’t have to tell her that.
Just keep her calm and happy, it’s just like any other gig.
Remember the Fitzgibbons-Fleischer wedding in May? There was a whole
international corporate merger riding on that ceremony, and they made
it through just fine.”

“But that couple really loved each other.”

“And Pixie and Clyde do too. In their own way.” I watch
the hoard of bridesmaids descend on our bride, squealing with
excitement. “Look, she says she wants to marry him, and that’s
her choice to make. It’s just all a bit much right now. I would
be buckling too under all this chaos.”

Theo sighs.

“It’s not our job to judge our clients,” I remind
him gently. “I’ve worked with a few couples who should
never have been walking down that aisle. I’m talking knock-down
drag-out fights over something as simple as an invitation style. It’s
not easy, but they want to go ahead with the ceremony, and that’s
their decision. We only see part of the story. Trust me, Pixie and
Clyde are like a match made in heaven compared with some of the
things I’ve seen.”

“OK,” he says, reluctant.

I check the time. “I have to go talk to the chef. Can you take
care of the bridal party? I think the seating is worked out, but
there might have been some feuds break out in the last five minutes.”

“Hide the steak knives?”

“And the nail files.”

I head inside, pleased with how the place has come together. We
needed a great restaurant that didn’t mind being overrun by the
Hollywood hoards, so I decided to hire out the whole of Luke’s
friend Evie’s place. The big dining room is already set with
camera equipment and big boom microphones, poised to pick up all the
gossip, and the far doors are open to the evening breeze.

“Everything looks great,” I say when I find Evie in the
back. “Thanks so much for accommodating all the production
needs. I know it can seem a little crazy, but I promise, they’ll
leave the place exactly the way they found it.”

“Are you kidding? This is fun!” Evie smiles, then leans
in confidentially. “Don’t tell anyone, but I’m,
like, addicted to their show. I sprained my ankle last year and wound
up in bed for a couple of days. Once I clicked on the first episode,
I couldn’t stop.”

“It is pretty compelling. Although I don’t know if I
could watch it any more, now I know everything that goes on behind
the scenes.”

“You don’t want to know how the sausage is made,”
Evie agrees. “Although here, we do it with sage and bourbon.”

I laugh. “Listen, about the menus—”

“I have the latest draft right here.” Evie pulls out the
heavy card stock, lettered with a glamorous calligraphy. “We
have gluten-free options, low-carb, and even a raw food course if you
need it.”

“I could kiss you right now!” I sigh with relief. “I’ve
been fielding emails from everyone’s PR people all day wanting
to check that butter won’t cross their precious clients’
lips.”

“Their loss,” Evie shrugs. “We’ve got a
butter-poached lobster that’s going to blow your minds.”

“Sounds amazing, I can’t wait.” I catch a glimpse
of my sweaty reflection in one of the mirrors. I’ve been
running around all day helping to set up, and now I look like a mess.
“I better get going. I have to go get cleaned up before Luke
picks me up.”

“That’s right, the best man.” Evie grins. “I
can’t believe he got roped into this too. How’s he liking
his moment in the spotlight?”

I pause, not sure if it’s weird to be talking about him after
they dated, but Evie seems totally casual and cool.

“In his stride, like most things. Anyway, thank you again for
all of this. It’s perfect. See you in an hour!”

I head home and dive straight into the shower. It’s rare I
actually wind up a part of events like this. Usually I’m in the
background, making sure everything’s running to plan, or
already at the event space setting things up for the ceremony the
next day. But since Luke and I have roles in the wedding, I’ll
technically be off the clock tonight. I’m looking forward to
taking some time to get dressed up and enjoy a fancy meal on the
production’s dime. Since I’m going to be on-camera, they
even sprang for wardrobe. Marcie messengered over a gorgeous emerald
cocktail dress from a designer who’s usually way out of my
price range. I’m guessing there’s another sponsorship
deal lurking in the fine print, but still, it’s a fun chance to
put some glad rags on.

I fix my hair up and apply make up, feeling excited. I check my phone
for a message from Luke, and then catch myself: it’s like I’m
sixteen all over again!

I laugh, smoothing down my dress. I’m so happy we have this
second chance together. The week has flown by faster than I could
have imagined. I find myself counting down the minutes to see him
again – but instead of having to rush home for curfew, or sneak
around to be together, we have all night to enjoy ourselves. Hours
spent kissing and touching in that glorious big bed of his, catching
up on the last ten years we’ve missed.

I don’t want to lose this again.

I pause. I’ve been trying to ignore the future, just relax and
focus on spending time together right now. But I realize I don’t
want
to put it off any more. I want to plan a future, and know
that Luke is in it. Whatever that means. Jules was right: it’s
not about all-or-nothing. He can come visit me in New York; I could
try and spend part of the year down here. People need their weddings
planned in Florida, too! It could even be an off-shoot of my main
company, a tropical destination spin on the traditional theme. I
could bring someone in to handle the New York office while I’m
gone, or promote someone from the team. My mind races, thinking over
the possibilities.

Don’t rush into anything, Ginny.

The voice of reason cautions me. I haven’t even talked to Luke
about any of this yet; I don’t know what he’s thinking.
But our time together has been so great, this second chance can’t
just be for a one-off temporary fling.

He means so much more to me than that. I don’t want to walk
away again.

“Don’t you look fancy?” Rae comes in as I’m
finishing up my make up, with Bettina right behind.

I do a little spin for them. “These heels make a change from my
sneakers,” I grin. “I just have to make sure I keep my
balance, and don’t fall flat on my face in front of the
cameras.”