Chapter 28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
S he knew what had happened. The rogue flames from the damned fire dancers Alex had insisted on, not to mention his ridiculous gladiator s vegan leather armor, had burned the wall behind the curtain and shorted the wiring. And when she d plugged the faulty screen into a nearby outlet, she d overloaded the circuit. She hadn t thought the screens were necessary in the first place since they weren t at a flipping sporting event and likely wouldn t need to do an instant replay of the I-dos.
Though she d known from the beginning what a control freak Alex was. She should ve known not to believe him when he d promised not to interfere in her planning.
She still wasn t sure why the overloaded circuit had taken down power to the entire hotel, but she knew one thing: she was the wedding planner, so it was her responsibility.
And from the squinty-eyed look Alex had given her before he d turned away to take his call, he agreed.
Not that she blamed him. Losing power in the building had to be stressful. How many hotel guests, diners, and gamblers were complaining, blowing up Alex s phone? Was anyone injured because of her mistake in plugging in the silly video screen?
She clenched her fists, digging her nails into her palms. She couldn t worry about that now. She had to get the wedding back on track.
Thank goodness her walkie-talkie system was battery powered. Joey, do you have the judge and the groomsmen ready?
Joey s voice chirped in her ear. Rohaan, the judge, and the guys are ready. I ve even got the ringbearer up here. Want me to send him to you?
No, without the lights, better keep him there with his dad. You ve got eyes on both rings?
They re here, thanks to Evie s needlework.
Mary sent up a silent thanks to St. Anthony for helping her brother find the lost rings. She d give one of her spa days to Evie to thank her for saving the day. Twice.
Evie, are Rochelle and the bridesmaids ready? she asked.
There was a brief silence. I think we need you, Mary.
Her heart skipped a beat. Are you in the bride s room?
No, we re outside by the pool.
Oh, God. Not in the pool? Could Rochelle have accidentally fallen in? Mary hurried out of the ballroom.
No. Just come. Quickly, please. I m no good at this.
She broke into a run as soon as she reached the hall that led to the exit nearest the pool. When she pushed open the exterior door, she easily spotted Rochelle s white dress. It caught the light from the neighboring casino and seemed to glow as the bride paced across the pool deck.
Hi, Rochelle. Mary approached her cautiously. How are we doing?
Not good. Not good. The whites of her eyes were wild in the dim light. This is a sign. I thought the baby was a sign we should get married, but now the universe is telling me it s a mistake.
Evie melted into the shadows. She really wasn t good at this.
But Mary had to try. The universe? She stepped closer. So we had a tiny fire. And a blackout. You should see the ballroom with everyone s phones lit up. It s so romantic.
And my dress. And I know about the rings falling into the drain. Devon told me about it. I m afraid if I step down that aisle, Rohaan s going to get struck down with appendicitis. Or Daddy will have a heart attack.
Mary held out her palm. Rochelle looked at it for a moment, then laid her trembling hand on top. Mary clasped it.
You don t have to get married tonight, she said.
Evie gasped in the darkness.
You don t, Mary said, her voice stronger. But there s a reason you decided to marry Rohaan. Even before you knew about the baby. Do you remember why?
I love him, she muttered. But that doesn t mean I have to marry him.
No, it doesn t. Why do you love him?
Rochelle paused. I m the best version of myself when I m with him.
Mary s heart fluttered. She felt like that with Alex, too. She wondered briefly if she made him a better person. Then she forced her attention back on the bride. Sounds like a good reason to stay with him.
Of course I want to stay with Rohaan, Rochelle snapped. But marriage? It s a big commitment. What if all these disasters are telling me it s not right for us?
In the big scheme of things, none of the things that have gone wrong are all that important. Everyone s safe. You re glowing. And Rohaan wants nothing more than to be your husband. Do you want me to get him?
No. No, Rochelle muttered, pacing away. He ll just hug me and kiss me and make me feel better. I ll think more clearly on my own.
Will you? I always do my best thinking with someone else. My brothers. My employees. And Alex.
Alex? Rochelle snorted. He has a nice hotel, and he s bent over backward to accommodate this wedding because of Daddy, but you re the one doing all the work. Meanwhile, he s getting all the credit.
You think so? The flutters died in her heart, and her stomach felt heavy. She remembered the curl of Alex s lip when he turned away from her in the ballroom. If he didn t appreciate her help, why was she even doing it? Her tripled fee and the spa treatments weren t worth the time away from her brothers. The near-disaster at the reception for Teagan and Twyla, who d believed in her when few others did.
Rohaan would never take credit for my work. He always shines the spotlight on me.
He sounds like a winner. Mary s voice trembled. But this wasn t about her problems. She cleared her throat. You sure you don t want to prove how much you love him by walking down that aisle despite everything that s tried to get in your way?
Maybe you re right. Maybe it s a test.
Like God tested Job, Mary said.
God was an asshole to Job.
Mary was glad for the darkness that hid her shocked expression. She and her brothers had a healthy respect for God, who d done a lot of taketh-ing away in their lives.
Rochelle continued, And the universe has been an asshole to us tonight. But I m going to show everyone, including the fucking universe, how strong we are together. Rochelle pointed her middle finger at the sky. Screw you, universe. I love Rohaan, and we re going to live happily ever after, starting tonight.
Mary sighed her relief. She tapped her earpiece. Joey, start the processional. We re on our way.
* * *
It would take two massages to release the knot of tension in Mary s shoulders. And it would be a long time before she could have a glass of wine to relax her jangled nerves. She hadn t even spared a thought for the wedding banquet. Was the kitchen able to keep everything warm without power?
One disaster at a time.
And from the sound of it, they were approaching another one.
Ray Richardson s raised voice echoed down the hall. What kind of second-rate, cheap-ass establishment doesn t have a backup generator?
We ve got a fucking generator. It just hasn t come on yet. My maintenance chief is working on it.
Mary winced at Alex s volume. Rochelle, just a second. I m going to make a call.
Okay, Rochelle said. I m going to see if I can calm Daddy down. She marched toward the arguing men.
Mary plucked her phone out of her pocket and dialed her brother. Michael, are you still here? she asked as soon as he picked up. There s an issue with the generator at La Villa, and?—
Evie already called me. I just met up with one of the maintenance guys, and he s taking me to it.
Good. Thank you.
No problem. Need me to call Rafe to raid the church supply closet for candles?
Mary imagined five hundred candles lighting up the wedding. Romantic, but open flame hadn t been a friend to them tonight. Better skip it. The phone flashlights are doing the job.
Okay. Looks like I m here. I ll have this bad boy purring like a kitten in no time.
Thank— But her brother had already disconnected.
Alex and Ray Richardson were still arguing, a little more quietly now that Rochelle clasped Ray s arm.
Mary spoke into her earpiece. Ready, Joey?
Bridesmaids are lined up. Just waiting on the bride, he said.
Okay, we re on our way to you.
Pasting a falsely confident smile on her face, Mary stepped between Alex and the Richardsons. Ray, Rochelle, we re ready for you. It s time to get married.
Rochelle s grin was fearless. I m ready to show the universe who s the boss. And it s Rohaan and me. Come on, Daddy.
But— Ray protested.
Not now, Daddy. I want to get married. You can fight with Mr. Villa later.
Her father s frown melted as he looked down into his daughter s face, lit up by her phone s flashlight. You re so beautiful. Even in the dark.
Thank you, Daddy. Now, walk me down the aisle.
He crooked his arm toward her, and his daughter threaded her hand through it. Together, they walked toward the ballroom door, their flashlights lighting the way.
As Rochelle proceeded toward her groom and her future, a tiny flame lit inside Mary, making her chest expand like a hot-air balloon. She sighed. She d never have a father to walk her down the aisle, but maybe she d find her groom someday. If things kept going well, the man beside her might want the job.
She shot him a tentative smile. But he was too busy scowling at the father and daughter to see. She took his hand. We did it, she said softly.
He flicked off her hand like he d been stung, and when he turned to face her, his eyebrows smashed together. What, fucked everything up?
It wasn t that bad. Accidents happen.
Accidents don t happen in my hotel. Today has been humiliating to Ray Richardson. He ll never forgive me.
Accidents are a part of life. It s how you deal with them that s important. And a beautiful wedding is happening right through there. She waved at the ballroom door, where Evie stood, staring at them instead of watching the ceremony. A few curious people in the back rows of chairs leaned back, watching them too. She turned her back to them and tried to shield their conversation from the nosy guests. You ve had a trying day with your mother and all. When s the last time you ate? We can probably find something in the kitchen. I ve got a granola bar in my bag.
You can t solve a problem like this with food! he shouted. Everything that happened today was one hundred percent preventable. If you re in control of your work. And your personal life.
What are you saying, Alex? She kept her voice low and even. Everyone did their best. That s all we can ask of anyone, including ourselves.
That sounds like some nursery-school bullshit. I live in the real world, where results are what s important. And a dark casino on a Saturday night and a disaster of a wedding aren t results I can be proud of. I ll never get the Paradise now. His face twisted with pain. She d never seen him lose control like that before, not even when they were kids.
Wait. That s why you re upset? Because you won t get to buy that stupid casino? Not because Rochelle and Rohaan might ve missed their chance at happiness, or because someone might ve been injured in the dark?
Stupid casino? He finally lowered his voice. I explained to you what it means to me.
She put her hand on his arm. You don t need the Paradise to prove you re a better man than your father. Anyone who knows you already believes it.
Not Ray Richardson. Not the gaming board. Not anyone who matters.
The flame in her chest flickered and died. The balloon shriveled up, leaving her heart enshrouded in ice. No one who matters?
Without the support of the gaming board, I might as well call it quits. They ll take pieces of my business away from me until I ve got nothing left.
Nothing? She squeezed his arm. You d have friends. People who love you.
Yeah, right, he scoffed. People only care about what I can do for them. I learned that when we lost everything. Even you dropped me. Finally, he met her gaze. This is a business relationship. Don t worry, you ll get your fee despite how shitty everything turned out.
She gasped and snatched her hand away. A business relationship? Sure, she d done everything in her power to make this wedding a success. But she d taken it on for personal reasons, despite knowing it was too much with the rest of her responsibilities. She d lost sleep. She d endangered the shop. She d even taken her eye off her brothers. And when one thing after another had gone wrong, she d called in favors from Evie and her brothers. All to help Alex.
Was he grateful? No! He said it himself: she didn t matter. Cold realization swept through her like the dawn breeze in the desert, scouring out all her pride, all her happiness, all her hope. She d let herself become one of his disposable women. He d pampered her and flattered her as part of their business relationship. How long was he going to lead her on after? Weeks? Days?
She was worth more than that.
He d crushed her heart half her life ago, and she d forgiven him. All these years later, she d made the mistake of entrusting the sad, patched-up thing to him again, and he d dropped it on the hard marble-tiled floor, smashing it into a million pieces.
Alex didn t care about her. He d only been using her to get what he wanted.
No, he wasn t. Not anymore.
I quit. You can keep your damned fee. When she hitched her heavy tote bag onto her shoulder, her weak finger twinged, but she ignored it. And we re through. You can lose my number. Again. Goodbye, Alex.
Mary turned on her heel and marched out of La Villa, her flashlight guiding her into the starry night.