Chapter 5
EVAN
Evan looked up from the spreadsheet he was trying to edit on the tiny screen of his phone to see a small group forming on one side of the lawn.
Right after the ceremony, he’d gotten his phone out to do a little work, and he’d passed up the canapés and champagne that were going around so that he could focus.
A few more minutes, and he’d grab a bite to eat, then see if it was too soon to slip off to the hotel.
Earlier, he’d considered buying the pretty latecomer a drink, but he’d put that out of his mind.
He needed to focus on work, not romance, as always.
Everyone else was having fun or seemed to be.
People were sampling canapés, chatting, and laughing.
A few had moved to a dance floor that had been set up on the terrace, where a live band was playing instrumental versions of popular music.
Lots of people were toasting each other with champagne, giggling, and flirting, while Evan squinted at his phone screen and wished that he’d brought his laptop.
Now, though, people seemed to be forming a very annoyed mob.
In the middle, he could make out the pretty woman in the lacy dress he’d spotted coming in late.
Frowning, he stood, slipped his phone into his pocket and went to see what was happening.
As he approached, he heard Genevieve’s dad — he was pretty sure that the man was Genevieve’s dad — say, “Let me guess. You’re not on the list because you were never invited.
Am I correct? You crashed this wedding.”
The woman began to reply, stumbling over her words and blushing. On impulse, Evan crossed between Genevieve’s parents and put his arm around the woman.
“What do you mean, she crashed the wedding?” he asked. “This is my plus-one.”
Everyone looked at him, surprised, as the accusations fell silent. The woman looked particularly shocked, but he gave her a smile and a silent plea not to say anything, so she nodded.
“Yes, that’s right.”
Genevieve’s mother, a woman Evan had only spoken to once before, looked between them, the suspicion not gone from her smooth features.
“Is that so?” She turned to the woman. “Why didn’t you say so?”
“I’m sorry.” The woman shrugged, her posture already relaxing. “I got mixed up, I suppose, but I was about to explain. I didn’t get a chance.”
“And you.” The mother turned to Evan. “Evan Hirst, right? Tyler’s friend?”
“That’s right.” Evan nodded, impressed that she’d remembered.
At their one previous meeting during the rehearsal dinner, Tyler had briefly introduced Evan before being pulled away for one of his various duties, and Genevieve’s mother had asked why Evan wasn’t Tyler’s best man, if he was his best friend.
It had been a deeply awkward interaction — much like this one — and Evan had hurried away at the first opportunity.
“You didn’t check plus-one on your card,” she said.
“Goodness, didn’t I?” Evan turned on the charm that had gotten him favorable deals with numerous other tech companies that should have been Reign’s rivals. “I am so sorry, Mrs. Saint Claire. That must have been my mistake.” He smiled broadly.
“Please, you can call me Elizabeth.” The woman softened. Apparently, Evan’s charm worked wonders on her; he should have tried that the first time. “It is important to be accurate on those cards, you know. Wedding planning is difficult enough without unexpected guests.”
“I know, and I really am sorry. I can’t believe that you created such a beautiful event,” Evan exclaimed. “Is there anything we can do to fix this?”
“I suppose.” Elizabeth Saint Claire glanced back at the woman, her gaze narrowing again. “It’s fine.” She grabbed a passing staff member. “Can you make sure we have an extra place setting at dinner? This woman is Evan Hirst’s plus-one.”
“I’ll see what I can do.” The staff member nodded, and Elizabeth Saint Claire turned back to Evan and Mia.
“Well, it’s sorted for now, but do be more careful next time, Evan, darling.” She turned to Mia. “And you. Just…” Seemingly unable to complete her sentence, Elizabeth Saint Claire waved a hand as though dismissing an annoying insect.
“Thank you so much.” Evan took Mia’s hand. “Shall we go dance, sweetheart?”
She nodded, smiling as though she were holding back a laugh. “Of course. Dear.”
He pulled her toward the dance floor, and they slid into an open space between other couples as a lively instrumental cover of a hit song that Evan couldn’t remember the name of began to play.
Evan took her hand with one of his and put his other hand on her waist. She placed her free hand on his shoulder, and they began to sway.
“Thank you so much,” she said quietly. Her brown eyes were wide. “You totally saved me back there.”
“It was my pleasure.” Evan spun her around and pulled her back into his arms. “Elizabeth Saint Claire is a force to be reckoned with.”
“I’m beginning to see that. But seriously, I owe you one.” She smiled, and Evan spotted an adorable dimple in one of her cheeks.
“Well, I’ll have to decide how I want to collect.” Evan winked at her, and her cheeks pinked.
“I would say I’ll pay you back in dancing, but I’m clearly not very talented at that.” She nodded at her feet.
“So far we haven’t had any major injuries, so I’d say we’re doing great.” He smiled. “But perhaps you could tell me your name, as a start.”
“Right!” The pink in her cheeks deepened. “My name is Mia. Mia Newton. And I believe you’re Evan Hirst, right?”
“That’s right. So, tell me, and I promise I won’t report you. Did you crash this wedding?”
As Evan had expected, her cheeks grew even redder. It was adorable.
“Well, kind of.” Mia winced. “See, I was supposed to come to my college roommate’s wedding.
And I hadn’t talked to her in years, so it was a bit strange that I’d been invited, honestly, but I didn’t want to be rude and not show up.
I was running late and rushing a lot, and when I arrived, I sat straight down, and the ceremony started.
It was only when I saw that the bride didn’t look anything like my college roommate that I realized I’d come here on completely the wrong day.
So I did crash the wedding, but it was an accident. I promise.”
Evan laughed. “You should fire your assistant. That’s a terrible mix-up.”
“Assistant?” Now Mia laughed, even as she shook her head. “It’s hilarious that you think I have an assistant. No way.”
Evan winced internally at his misstep. “Well, either way, that’s a great story. You’ll be telling that at cocktail parties for years.”
“I definitely won’t. I’m so embarrassed.” Mia looked down, her blush returning. “You must think I’m a total idiot.”
“Not at all. Although I do wonder how you missed the signs.” He tilted his head toward the large, cursive-lettered signs announcing the Park-Saint Claire Wedding. Mia took her hand off Evan’s shoulder to whack herself playfully on the forehead.
“Okay, now I really feel like an idiot. I promise, I don’t do things like this very often.”
“Really? You aren’t in the habit of accidentally crashing weddings?” Evan was grinning. He spun her around and dipped her back.
“No. I promise.” She came back up from the dip smiling. “This is the first — and hopefully last — time.”
“So, what do you usually do?”
“I’m a high school math teacher at a school in San Jose.”
“Really, math? That was my favorite subject in school.”
Mia’s eyes lit up as though he’d just told her that she’d won a million dollars and a crateload of puppies in the lottery.
“I know, right? Math is so underappreciated, but it’s the best subject.
Each equation is like a little puzzle, just waiting to be solved, and as long as you have the tools, you can figure anything out.
” She caught his eye. “Oh, no. Now you think I’m an idiot and a nerd. ”
“Not at all. Maybe it’ll help if I tell you that I run a tech company. I’m a nerd, too.”
“What company?”
The song ended, and they stepped apart. “It’s called Reign,” Evan explained. He looked around at their fellow dancers, who were either filtering off the floor or pairing up for a second dance. “Can I interest you in some champagne?”
“I have to drive back to San Jose tonight,” Mia said regretfully. “But maybe some sparkling apple cider.”
“Sure thing.” They left the dance floor and got drinks — sparkling apple cider for both of them. Evan had work to do later, so he’d stay clear-headed too.
“So, Reign.” Mia paused, her eyebrows lowering in thought as she sipped her cider. “I’ve heard of it. It’s a company that makes project-management and HR software, right?”
“Right. Not the most exciting stuff.”
“But it is! It’s great. I remember reading an article about how Reign’s task distribution system, CollApp, optimized efficiency in small and large companies by reducing the need for long meetings and check-ins. I remember it was called, ‘The future of agile’ or something like that.”
Evan grinned. “CollApp was one of our bigger successes.”
“What did you say you do there, again?”
“I’m the CEO and founder, actually.”
Mia’s eyes widened. “Seriously? That’s amazing.”
“Your work sounds pretty cool, too. I could never teach high schoolers.” Evan shook his head. “Me and kids are like oil and water.”
“Well, calling them ‘kids’ would certainly be a bad start if you were to work at a high school.” She shook her head. “But you have to tell me more about your work. What was your inspiration for starting an HR and project-management company?”