7. Chapter 6
Chapter 6
Vic
D erek and Ava’s wedding is sparkling and perfect. They had decided to go with Adalie’s idea of a Christmas in July theme, so the hall and rooftop patio are decorated in red, green, and gold. We used a lot of our regular Christmas decorations, which kept the costs down for them, dressing up the areas with garlands and poinsettias and other red flowers.
Adalie and I aren’t in the wedding party. Ava had wanted her sister Lacey and no one else. Derek said he couldn’t choose between his three best friends, but they wanted to keep the wedding party even. I opted out right away. I don’t need to be up there to know how much Derek values our friendship.
In the end, Spencer and Adalie played rock-paper-scissors and Spencer won, which isn’t really a surprise since he usually wins at rock-paper-scissors—something about instinct and knowing your opponent.
Spencer and Derek are in a room getting ready, while Ava and Lacey are in another. All that’s left is for me to get ready. Adalie has already gone into her office to change, while I take one more glance around the hall when someone says from behind me, “What themes are you considering for our wedding? I’m guessing not Christmas.”
I gasp and spin to find Tanner. We’d agreed to meet here today. I haven’t seen him since the dinner. He looks disgustingly gorgeous in a tailored charcoal grey suit that shows off his broad shoulders and slim waist. His shirt is a very pale blue and his tie is black. His short dark hair and neatly trimmed beard suit him well. He didn’t have the beard in university, and I admit it looks good on him. But the sexiest part about him is his eyes. Dark brown and hidden by black-framed glasses which always make him seem safe until you look past those glasses to the sharp intelligence behind.
“Didn’t mean to startle you,” he says, those dark eyes alight with amusement.
“It’s fine. And no. Christmas is fun and all, but I have no particular attachment to it.” I wave a hand at the space around us. “They chose this because they got back together during Christmas the year before last.”
“I see. So is there anything of significance you want at our wedding?” he asks.
I shrug. “Not particularly. Our marriage is temporary. Why does it matter what our wedding is like?”
“Your family will care,” he counters.
I glower. “What if what I want isn’t something my family would approve of?”
“Tell me,” he says, pulling out a chair for me to sit at one of the tables. I do and he sits as well, turned toward me close enough that our knees brush. He catches one of my hands. I’m surprised that I don’t hate the proximity or the simple touch, letting him hold my hand, though I don’t know why.
I take a breath. “My mother would want me in a huge, sparkly dress with like five hundred of our closest friends and family,” I say, rolling my eyes. I can hear the annoyed tone, but I don’t try to curb it. “She’d probably want something colourful and girly for a theme. Something in pastel or maybe a garden theme.”
While I speak, Tanner’s smile grows bigger. He gives my hand a squeeze. “None of those sound remotely like you.”
“You don’t think I’m girly?” I counter.
“You’re very girly. But you don’t want to show people. You like people to consider you in charge and don’t believe anyone will take you seriously if you present too feminine. For your wedding, you’d want something understated and elegant. Something timeless. Black and white?”
I stare at him for a long moment. “How do you know this?”
He smirks. “Am I right?”
“Yes,” I huff.
His smirk spreads into a grin. “Excellent. We have a theme. We should talk more about this later. I’m guessing you need to change.”
I glance at my clothes. “Are you saying I shouldn’t wear a pair of plain black slacks and a white blouse to my friends’ wedding?”
He laughs as he stands, helping me to my feet with the hand he still holds. Even when we’re standing, he doesn’t let go.
“You could wear whatever you want and look beautiful.” He raises my hand to his lips and kisses the back of it, his eyes meeting mine.
Butterflies take flight in my belly, and I tell them to calm the fuck down. It’s a little light flirting. It doesn’t mean anything. I’ve flirted with a bunch of people before. Most of the time, it doesn’t go anywhere.
Of course, none of those people were my fiancé.
“Before you go,” Tanner says as he lowers my hand but doesn’t let go. “I made this for you.”
He pulls out another piece of origami from his pocket, raises it to his lips and blows on it, making the body inflate. Then he hands it to me.
“A frog?” I ask.
“Who knows? If you kiss it, it might turn into a prince.”
I raise an eyebrow. “You’re ridiculous. Do you carry these around with you everywhere?”
“Only when I’m going to see you. I don’t make origami for just anyone.”
“Mm-hm.”
He laughs. “Put it in your office. You don’t have to carry it around all day.”
I go downstairs, turning the paper frog in my hands. I played it off like he’s being a fool—which he kind of is—but I also have to admit to myself that I kind of like it. It’s nice being given things, even if they’re only silly folded pieces of paper. But he’d had to think of me and spend time to make it. That care isn’t something I’m used to in relationships.
In my office, I close the door and set the frog on the shelf. I’d set the crane next to my mug and Pride flag, but more would make my desk feel cluttered. I’ll have a zoo in here before long.
I change into my dark green dress and go to check on Derek and Spencer, then Ava and Lacey. Everyone is fine, as I knew they would be. Our assistant, Denise, has taken over for the day—as she will be doing more often when she becomes the coordinator at the Crescent Beach location—and has everything under control. On my way out of the room where Ava and Lacey are getting ready, I run into Lis, who is coming out of the kitchen.
“Can’t stay out of it anymore than I can, huh?” I ask her.
She grins and shrugs. “It’s going to be hard taking a break when the baby comes,” she admits, placing a hand on her belly as we start up the stairs together.
“It’ll be easier than you think,” I say. “This little one will take up all your thoughts and we’ll have to wrestle you back into the kitchen. Then again, maybe we won’t. Maybe you’ll take the executive chef position we asked you to take.”
We want Lis to be the executive chef, in charge of both locations’ menus. She wants to remain in the kitchen. She has, however, been in charge of the renovations of the new kitchen.
The ceremony is beautiful. Derek cries when he sees Ava, like she told him she wanted him to, and everything is perfect. We go into Stanley Park for pictures, then return to the venue to take a few more on the beach before the reception begins. Food, speeches, cake cutting, everything runs like clockwork.
Then comes my favourite part of most weddings: the dancing. Not because I like to dance—I don’t—but because this is the part of the night when all the work is over except for the clean-up at the end. My job is done. Even though I’ve technically been off the clock for this one—and for Spencer and Lis’ wedding last year—I’m still relieved when we get to this point of the night because, if anything were to go wrong, it would have been earlier.
I’m considering going to get another glass of wine from the bar when someone touches my shoulder.
“Would you care to dance?”
I look up to see Tanner with his hand out, waiting for me to accept or decline.
“I don’t really like dancing,” I say.
He leans close and says, “Maybe you haven’t found the right dance partner.” I consider him for a long time before he says, “Come on, Vic. Let’s give them something to talk about.”
I take his hand and stand. “Who exactly do you think will talk about us dancing together?”
He draws me with him onto the dance floor, placing one hand on the small of my back, turning me toward him as we begin a slow sway to the music.
“Anyone. Everyone. People who are going to find out in a few days that we’re engaged.”
“About the engagement,” I say. “I’ve been thinking I should get my own ring.”
Tanner shakes his head.
“Don’t be stubborn,” I say. “If the marriage is temporary, why should you spend money on a ring?”
“Why is irrelevant. I already bought it.”
My mouth drops open in shock. He taps my chin, and I shut it again.
“When?” I ask.
“Friday. I went to a couple stores on Wednesday. A couple more on Thursday. Found one I think you’ll like and bought it on Friday. They even had your size, so I walked right out with it.”
I narrow my eyes. “How do you know my ring size?”
“I asked Richard. I told him our date went really well and I’m confident, when I ask you to marry me, you’re going to say yes, and if everything goes right, we should be announcing our engagement before the end of the month. Then I said I wanted to get the ring, so I was ready, and did he know what your ring size was?”
My brows draw down. “Did he?”
“No. But Karen did.”
“You told my mom about the engagement?” Everything about this conversation is shocking, but this might be the biggest. Though I have to admit, it’s nice that he’s telling me and not trying to do things behind my back. It makes me feel like we’re really in this together.
“No. Richard called her. Lied right to her. Said he was considering buying you a ring for your birthday. Which is ridiculous because your birthday is in January.” He shrugs. “She believed him, and I bought it that day.”
“How do you know when my birthday is?” I ask.
Tanner rolls his eyes. “Other than the fact that I’ve been to the family dinner two years in a row when it’s celebrated?”
“Oh. Right.”
“Also, I remembered. We went out for dinner for your birthday after we all graduated. Spencer made those reservations at that really expensive place. It was the one and only time I’ve been to Gotham Steak House. Derek and Adalie came, too, and Spencer insisted on paying for everyone. He said he’d rather we come and have him pay than us not come because we couldn’t afford it. None of us had jobs at the time.”
“I remember. I’m just…”
“What?” he asks.
I shake my head. “I’m surprised you do. Anyway, if you already have the ring, where is it?”
He smirks. “Wouldn’t you like to know? I’m not giving you your engagement ring at your best friend’s wedding. From what I hear, that’s almost as serious a faux pas as wearing a white dress or announcing a pregnancy.”
I give him a wry smile. “It’s the actual engagement you’re not supposed to do. We’re technically already engaged. Though, I admit. You have me intrigued. When are you planning to give me this ring, then?”
The song ends and a faster one begins. Which is when I realize how close I’m pressed against Tanner’s chest. He’d drawn me closer by degrees so small I hadn’t noticed. What’s more shocking, though, is the fact that I don’t want to move away.
He spins me out under his arm and tugs me back to where I had been before, with his arm wrapped around my back and mine wrapped around his shoulders, our hands clasped. We ignore the beat of the music and dance to our own.
“I don’t know yet,” he says. “What do you want to do? I could give it to you tomorrow, or we could do an engagement photo shoot. I could hire a photographer.”
“A photo shoot isn’t a bad idea. It would definitely add legitimacy to the whole thing. But Ava would probably want to do it, and they’re going away for a couple days.”
“That’s a short honeymoon.” he says.
“They’re going on their honeymoon in September. This is just a little getaway”
“Can you wait until we can set up a photoshoot?” he asks, his tone teasing.
I lift my chin. “Of course I could. I am incredibly patient when I need to be. But if we’re announcing our engagement to my parents on Thursday at dinner, I should probably have the ring before then.”
He laughs. “Right. Very practical. You’re not dying to see it at all.”
I don’t deign to respond to that, but he’s right. I’m incredibly curious to see what he’s bought. And if he knows my style as much as he seems to know what I’m feeling.