Chapter 6
Six
Jasmin
Oh shit. He answered. Does he sleep at the winery?
“Hello?” He says again.
I wonder what he’d do if I hung up right now. There’s no way he won’t know it’s me since he called me earlier, but I don’t know what to do.
“Hi, uh, Parker?”
The night we met I didn’t have this much of an issue talking to him. It could be because I thought I’d never see him again. Except the world likes to play cruel jokes on me.
“Hey, Jasmin. I’m glad you called back.” He pauses for a moment. “I was beginning to think I left a voicemail for the wrong person.”
Should I have called him earlier? Yes. In my defense, I needed to muster the courage to talk to him. I’ve been thinking about him off and on for over a month. It’s not normal for me, and being the one who has to talk to him isn’t going to make things any easier. But I guess I need to try.
“Sorry about that.” I take a deep breath. “It was my first day at my new job, and my focus has been on that. I didn’t want to call until I had a clear mind. And it’s been a really long day.”
I cut myself off before I ramble even more. He doesn’t need all this information. He’s not my friend, or anything more than that.
“It’s all good. I hope your first day was good, though. That can be nerve-wracking.”
Why is he so freaking nice about things? I’m not saying I don’t like it, but it makes it hard to stop telling him things.
“It was. My boss is great; the company seems like a good one to work for. I can’t complain too much. My direct boss even gave me a basket of goodies to welcome me.” There I go again with too much information.
“I’m totally mentioning that idea to Piper and Pierce. We’ll be hiring more people soon.” He clears his throat. “Anyway, I was calling to see about a head count for the wedding. I’m trying to figure out a couple of things with seating arrangements and table setups.”
He doesn’t know that I already know this. There was no way I was going into this call without having a reason why.
“I think the list Daniela gave me had around one hundred and fifty people. That could change, but it shouldn’t be by too much. We don’t even know that many people, and most of it is family.”
“Wow. You have a big family.”
I do. Family gatherings are always hectic, but they are a blast. I can’t imagine not having them all in my life.
Maybe because that’s the way I grew up? I don’t know.
We were never bored as kids because we always had our cousins.
Even if I was the oldest and had to make sure they weren’t murdering each other.
“Wait, don’t you have a bunch of siblings?” I could have sworn he told me at the Valentine’s party. Maybe not. I know he mentioned a brother and a sister.
“Yep. Two sisters and three brothers. The only difference is, both of my parents are only children.”
“That sounds lonely.”
He sighs, but it’s not a frustrated one. “Not really. We had each other. Actually, we still have each other. But we always have issues with a certain brother.”
“Why?” I hate that I even asked. It’s none of my business. Not really. We’re also straying into friendly territory, and we don’t need to go down this route.
This time his sigh is heavy, and I know there’s some resentment behind it. “Mostly because he’s overbearing. It doesn’t matter what any of us do, it’s never good enough. Pleasing him is like jumping through hoops.”
Yikes. I couldn’t imagine feeling all of that toward my sister or brother. Do I get annoyed with her? Of course. That’s a normal thing, but having so much pent-up emotion doesn’t feel like a good move.
A small part of me wonders if his brother is an older sibling or younger.
I think that may make a difference, but I’m not going to ask.
It’s not my business, and I have enough on my plate.
The last thing I need is to add feelings over whatever is going on with Parker and his siblings. It’s not my place, anyway.
“So, are there questions you have about the wedding or venue? Now that we have a guest count, I can work on some seating plans.”
I’m glad he broke the silence and switched the topic back to all things wedding related.
“Not really.” I think through any possible scenario and remember the ceremony will take place in summer.
“Actually, what are your plans for guests dealing with the heat? I know it’s totally my sister’s fault for choosing to get married when it’s Hell on earth, but I want to make sure our guests are as comfortable as possible. ”
Most of them won’t mind. We typically get together in the middle of the day in the summer. I’m more concerned about the groom’s family.
“I’m actually working on that. My big sister gave me some options.
I need to see what we can do that won’t take away from the ceremony.
” He’s quiet for a second, no doubt waiting for me to chime in.
When I don’t, he continues. “We’ll have misters for sure.
Plus, the room will be open for those needing a break from the heat. ”
“Great, keep me updated on any other options you come up with. That’s one less thing I have to worry about.”
Who knows what else my sister will throw at me. I guess it depends on how overbearing her future mother-in-law becomes. It’s just a weird thing for me to understand because Daniela has always spoken highly of her. Apparently, things change when there’s a wedding involved.
“Anything I can help with?” He asks before rushing on. “I know I’m not a wedding planner or anything, but I’m sure I can source things for you. I have a lot of connections in this town.”
“You make it sound like you’re part of the mob.” I can’t stop the giggle making it’s from my lips. Oh my God. Did I really just make that sound?
“You never know. The small town of Asheville could have its own underground crime organization.”
I hear the smile in his voice, and it takes me back to Valentine’s Day. Honestly, I’m glad he’s the one we’re working with, as much as having to talk to him sends me into a tailspin. He’s laid-back and honest…mostly.
“I’ll make sure to be on the lookout next time I’m in town.” Which will probably be more frequent than I can imagine. “I’m waiting on my sister to mark which places she wants to visit for some of the items. I figured it’ll be better to work with local companies and it’ll cut down on delivery fees.”
“It will. I can personally vouch for everyone we have on the info sheet.”
“Oh, so you’ve been married before?”
“Oh my God, no.” He laughs, and I want to hear more of it. “I believe we’ve had this conversation before. Relationships aren’t for me.”
“Wow, you defended yourself so fast.” I sigh, “but I get it. I wish my mom understood that. My sister hinted that if I didn’t have a plus one, I would on the wedding day. Apparently, my mom is scheming behind my back.”
“That is the worst.” He groans in commiseration. “Piper is always trying to fix me up with a forever person.”
“Gotta love well-meaning family.” I glance at the clock and realize it’s getting late. “I should probably get going. Is this your work or personal number?”
“Both?”
“You sound uncertain.”
“Well, it’s my personal phone. I left it for you because I didn’t know if you’d call back within business hours.”
Or it was a way to get my phone number. Either way, it doesn’t matter. “Is it okay if I text you if I think of anything else?”
“Sure. I have a note in my phone going over what we talked about. I’ll add it to the file in the morning. I’m trying really hard to keep that work/life balance so I don’t end up like Pierce or Peter.”
“Before I go, do all of your names start with a P?” I’m pretty sure every sibling he’s mentioned had a P name.
“Yep. Clearly, my parents have a sense of humor.”
“I think it’s adorable.” It’s not a lie. A little too matchy-matchy for my tastes, but cute.
Parker clears his throat. “I’ll let you go. Feel free to text, or call, anytime.”
Did I say something to offend him? If so, I didn’t mean to. Maybe it was too friendly. This is something I don’t need to overthink, but I know it’ll occupy my thoughts.
“Thanks, Parker. Bye.”
“Talk to you later, Jasmin.”
I wait until the screen goes dark and sit up in my bed. My phone flies out of my hand and hits the floor with a thud. My sister is standing in the doorway, smirking at me.
“What the hell are you doing, Daniela?” I didn’t even hear her open my door. I’m almost certain I closed it.
“I was coming to see if you called the winery.” She glances at the phone on the floor and then at my face. “But it looks like you did.”
I bend over and grab my phone. Daniela saunters in here like she owns the place. I really need to move out of my parents’ house. I know Daniela will move out as soon as she gets married. Hell, I’m surprised she’s here tonight. She’s almost always at Jacob’s place.
“Yep. We got the number situated, and he was telling me about some plans about trying to keep the guests cool during the ceremony.”
“It sounded like you were talking about more. In a…more flirty way.”
“Stop trying to match make me.” I groan. “Besides, shouldn’t you be working on wedding stuff.”
“That’s actually why I’m in here.” She pauses and taps her fingers on the edge of my bed. “I hope you don’t have any plans this weekend. I made an appointment with the flower shop in Asheville and I want to check out the town while we’re there.”
“Why do you keep springing these things on me?” It’s not like I have anything to do, but some warning would be nice.
“It was a last-minute decision. Jacob’s mom kept bugging me about using her florist, and I refuse to let that woman take control of my wedding.”
“Why is she being like that? I thought y’all got along.”
“We do. But she relishes event planning and apparently this is the thing she wants to take over.” She runs her hands down her face. “It’s frustrating.”
“I’ll run interference if you need me to.” Being the bad guy isn’t something I love, but I’ll do it for my baby sister.
“Thank you.” She gives me a quick hug and rushes back toward the door. “You might want to figure out your plus one soon. I heard Mom on the phone talking to one of her friends about their son.”
“She’s not!”
“You know better than that, Jas.” She grabs the doorknob, gives me a quick wave, and leaves my room.
There’s no way in hell I’m letting my mom set me up with someone. Before I even know what I’m doing, I press Parker’s number and send him a text.
Jasmin: You said you’d help however you can, right?
Parker: Yeah, did something change?
Jasmin: Yes and no. I need a plus one for the wedding. You game?
A few minutes go by and I’m certain he’s going to say no. Not that I blame him. He doesn’t know me that well, and it’s an odd request. I shouldn’t have sent the message. What was I thinking?
There are bubbles by his name, and whatever he’s typing must be an essay.
Parker: Let’s do it.
All of that typing for a three word answer.
Jasmin: You are a lifesaver.
Before I can embarrass myself any further, I put my phone on do not disturb and set it on my nightstand. It’s completely unprofessional, but I think the wedding might be more enjoyable now.