You Say It First
Page 59

Tears burned. She blinked them away. “Maybe I should have told him. Maybe it was a mistake to not let him know how I felt.”
“Only if it would have made you feel better,” Carol said quickly. “I’m serious. This is all about you. I’m team Pallas, all the way.”
“Thank you. I don’t want to have any regrets.”
“I don’t want that, either. If you think you would feel better having him know you were in love with him, then tell him. If you are comfortable with how you handled things, then the jerk doesn’t need to know.” Carol grimaced. “I’m just sorry we don’t have any predators on the preserve. It would be fun to let a hungry lion loose in Nick’s truck. With him inside, of course.”
“You’re just saying that. I happen to know you’re not the least bit bloodthirsty.”
“Not usually, but he hurt my friend. I care about you.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I can’t believe how stupid he is. I know I said that already, but it’s true. I’m sorry things turned out this way. I know he’s going to regret letting you go. He has to.”
The support felt good. It would be a while until Pallas was herself again, but she figured if she’d finally learned how to fall in love she would also be able to learn to fall out of love. Eventually. Until then she had to figure out how to fake being normal and dig deep to be brave.
* * *
PALLAS HADN’T REALIZED that installing a zip line for the wedding would involve math. When the installer started his conversation with the charming phrase, “Your drop can’t be more than six percent of your length,” she felt the first hint of the headache that was sure to follow.
After clarifying that when he said your length he actually meant the length of the zip line, she waved him in the direction of the second-floor balcony.
“Whatever you can do would be much appreciated,” she told him. “We’re looking more for the spirit of a zip line than an actual thrill ride.”
“At a wedding?”
“So it seems.”
The zip line was so the least of it, but why take the time to explain? There were a thousand other details that needed her attention.
The courtyard and building swarmed with people. The floral setup was going to take a whole day. Wynn had already started on the printed paper panels that would set the scene for the gaming world. Violet and Cade and even Drew were working together to braid different thicknesses and textures of ribbon to hang between the panels. This was a wedding, after all, and it required decoration.
Pallas wanted as much as possible set up today so that tomorrow they could focus on the ceremony and reception themselves, rather than prep work. That meant getting tables and chairs in place this afternoon. She would wait on the decorations until the morning, but she had to confirm all the deliveries. At two the DJ wanted to do a run-through with the sound system. The caterer would be by to check on the flow of the room. One hundred and fifty guests weren’t that many, but all the world-building elements provided interesting obstacles for serving staff.
From the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Nick. He’d brought his papier-mâché flowers that morning. The plants themselves were incredible—detailed replicas of the computer-generated images from the game. He’d matched the colors perfectly. She happened to know there were only three different flowers, but the way he’d arranged them, it was difficult to tell.
She did her best to avoid him. Honestly, she had no idea what she was supposed to say. Pretending they were just friends was impossible. With everyone running around getting things done, a personal conversation wasn’t going to happen—not that he seemed to be in a hurry to get close to her again. Fortunately fate seemed to be on her side in the form of people asking her questions and Nick staying busy with his flowers. She was able to keep her distance without making it obvious.
A little before noon, Nova, Joel and Tim showed up. Nova’s father looked pale and thin, but happy as he walked in with the bridal couple. Pallas hurried over to greet them.
“You made it,” she said happily, hugging all three of them.
“We did.” Nova kept her gaze on her father. “Dad’s feeling good.”
“I am.” Tim smiled. “I’ve been given the gift of a little more time and I plan to use it to see my best girl get married.”
Pallas watched Joel stay close to his father-in-law-to-be, offering a steady arm if Tim needed it.
“I have a lot to show you,” she said. “First, some details.” She turned to Nova. “Your dress was delivered to the hotel this morning. I’ve arranged for two of my best tailors to meet you at two. They’ll work their magic and have the dress back to you first thing in the morning.”
Nova’d had her first fitting before she’d shipped the dress to Nick but there were always final adjustments.
“I’ve tried to keep my weight steady,” Nova told her. “I’d lost a few pounds, but when Dad rallied, I started eating.”
“She’s not kidding,” Joel teased. “We went to an all-you-can-eat buffet and the manager finally had to ask her to leave.”
“That’s my girl,” Tim said.
Pallas pulled one of the chairs from a table and moved it close to Tim. He smiled and sat down on it.
“I can’t wait to see the dress,” Nova admitted. “Nick sent me pictures. I can tell it’s stunning but I know it’s going to be even better in person.”
“You’re going to be blown away,” Pallas told her. “Whatever you’re imagining, it’s ten times better.” Not only was Nick talented, this had been a project of the heart for him. Like everyone else involved, he’d wanted to make Nova’s and Joel’s dreams come true.
She allowed herself exactly two seconds of missing him and feeling the ache in her heart before turning back to Nova.
“We’ll walk through the ceremony right now.” Pallas glanced at her tablet. “It’s pretty traditional, so nothing you haven’t seen before. You’ve looked at the bridesmaids’ dresses?”
“I love them.”
“I do, too. So we’re a go on that. Let’s go inside and check out the setup there. The panels are up and we’re adding the embellishments as we speak. Atsuko assures me her costume is ready, so we’re good there. You’ve talked to the caterer already and Silver has the signature drink options ready to go.”
They went into the main ballroom. The chairs were already set up in even rows. Ten-foot-high frames held printed panels representing the landscape of the gaming world. Long braided ribbons looped across the top of the panels. They were also attached to the sides of the chairs by the center aisle. A glittering white runner cut between the chairs.
Up front, where the ceremony would take place, what had been a traditional, simple, white gazebo had been spray-painted silver. Several of Nick’s large papier-mâché plants nestled together. Silk flowers were scattered on the walls of the gazebo.
“We’ll place the real flowers tomorrow,” Pallas said, showing Nova and Joel where they would be attached by the chairs. “They’re a variation on your wedding bouquet. We’ve also created this—”
She pointed to an arch at the far end of the center aisle. “When it’s time for the ceremony to start, we’ll dim the lights and turn on the arch.”