Happy Ever After
Page 5

“‘Never Ending Love,’” Wyatt supplied with a grin. “We’ve already picked it.Will your artist of a florist work with us, not only on the wedding landscape, but the bouquets and all that?”
“Every step of the way. It’s entirely about you, and creating the perfect—even too-perfect—day for you,” she said with a smile for Deeanne.
“I love the pond,” Deeanne murmured as they stood on the terrace looking out. “I love the image you’ve just painted in my head.”
“Because the image is you, baby.” Karen Bliss took her daughter’s hand. “It’s absolutely you.”
“Dancing on the lawn?” Wyatt’s mother glanced over. “I checked out the website, too, and I know you have a gorgeous ballroom. But maybe they could have dancing out here.”
“Absolutely. Either, both, however you want it done. If you’re interested we can set up a full consult, with my partners, discuss those areas, and more details.”
“What do you say we take a look at the rest.” Wyatt leaned down to kiss Deeanne’s temple.
AT FOUR THIRTY, PARKER WAS BACK AT HER DESK REFINING SPREADSHEETS, charts, schedules. In concession to the end of the day’s appointments, her suit jacket hung on the back of her chair, and her shoes sat under the desk.
She calculated another hour’s paperwork, and considered the day a blissfully light one.The rest of the week promised to be insanely jammed, but with any luck, by six she’d be able to change into casual clothes and treat herself to a glass of wine and actually sit down to a meal.
She went hmm? at the rap on her doorjamb.
“Got a minute?” Mac asked.
“I happen to have several on me. You can have one.” Parker swiveled in her chair as Mac hauled in two shopping bags. “I missed you in the gym this morning, but I see you’ve continued your weight lifting.”
Grinning, Mac flexed. “Pretty good, huh?”
“You’re ripped, Elliot.You’ll have showstopping arms on Wedding Day.”
Mac dropped into a chair.“I have to do justice to the dress you found me. Listen, I’ve sworn not to become Mad Bride or Weepy Bride or other various aspects of Annoying Bride, but it’s getting close and I just need assurances from the goddess of all wedding planners.”
“It’s going to be perfect, and exactly right.”
“I changed my mind on the first dance again.”
“It doesn’t matter.You can change it up until the countdown.”
“But it’s symptomatic, Parks. I can’t seem to stick to a basic item like a damn song.”
“It’s an important song.”
“Is Carter taking dance lessons?”
Parker widened her eyes. “Why would you ask me?”
“I knew it! God, that’s so sweet.You got Carter to take dance lessons so he won’t step on my feet during our first dance.”
“Carter asked me to arrange it—as a surprise. So don’t spoil it.”
“It makes me gooey.” Her shoulders lifted and fell with her happy sigh.“Maybe I can’t stick because I keep going gooey. Anyway, I had that off-site engagement shoot this afternoon.”
“How’d it go?”
“Aces.They’re so damn cute I wanted to marry both of them. Then I did something stupid on the way home. I stopped by the shoe department at Nordstrom.”
“Which I have already cleverly deduced by the shopping bags.”
“I bought ten pair. I’m taking most of them back, but—”
“Why?”
Mac narrowed her green eyes. “Don’t encourage the lunatic. I couldn’t stick, again. I already bought my wedding shoes, right? Didn’t we all agree they’re perfect?”
“Stunning and perfect.”
“Exactly, so why did I buy four alternate pair?”
“I thought you said ten.”
“The other six are for the honeymoon—well, four of them, then I really needed a new pair of work shoes and they were so cute I got one pair in copper and another in this wild green. But that’s not important.”
“Let me see them.”
“The wedding shoes first, and don’t say anything until I line them all up.” Mac held up both hands. “Total poker face. No expression, no sound.”
“I’ll turn around, work on this spreadsheet.”
“Better you than me,” Mac muttered, then got to work.
Parker ignored the rustling, the sighs, until Mac gave her the go-ahead.
Turning, Parker scanned the shoes lined up on a work counter. Rose, crossed over, scanned again. She kept her face blank, said nothing as she picked up a shoe, examined it, set it back, moved to the next.
“You’re killing me,” Mac told her.
“Quiet.” She walked away to take out a folder, slipping out the photo taken of Mac in her wedding dress. She took it back to the selection of shoes, nodded.
“Yes. Definitely.” She picked up a pair. “You’d be a lunatic not to wear these.”
“Really!” Mac slapped her hands together. “Really? Because those were the ones.The. Ones. But I kept waffling back and forth and sideways. Oooh, look at them.The heels, they’re all sparkly, and the ankle strap’s so sexy—but not too sexy. Right?”
“The perfect blend of sparkly, sexy, and sophisticated. I’ll take the others back.”
“But—”
“I’ll return them because you’ve found the ultimate wedding shoe and need to stick.You have to remove the others from your sight and stay out of the shoe department until after the wedding.”
“You’re so wise.”
Parker inclined her head. “I am indeed wise. And as such, I do believe this pair may very well be Emma’s wedding shoe. I’ll exchange it for her size, and we’ll see.”
“Oh, oh, again, wise points.” Mac picked up the pair Parker indicated. “More romantic, more princessy. This is great. I’m exhausted.”
“Leave the wedding shoes—all of them—with me. Take the others. Oh, and check your calendar when you get home. I added in consults.”
“How many?”
“Out of the five tours I did today, we have three full consults, one need to talk it over with Daddy—who’s footing the bill—and one who’s still shopping around.”