Chapter 2
PIPER
With no more time to think about Zach or the fact that she did, in fact, prefer control, Piper fixed a smile on her face. One hand on the railing, she climbed those steps with a conviction like she was climbing the last leg of Pikes Peak.
This was it. This was the contract Piper needed to prove to Aspen Montgomery that she was ready to snatch up the head event planner job and lock down any worry she wasn't the right choice.
She was the right choice. Sure, others might have had better connections than she did. Piper was new-ish to Denver. But connections could always be developed. The grit and commitment that Piper had forged through her life? Not so easy to come by.
She paused at the door to Montgomery Events, using her jacket sleeve to buff a smudge from the gold nameplate.
"Hey, Aspen." Piper called, the lush cream-colored carpet cushioning her footsteps as she stepped inside.
The reception area opened before her with recessed lighting that cast a warm glow across the pristine white walls adorned with framed photos of past events.
And Zach-from-the-sidewalk stood near reception, casually leaning against the sweeping curve of the polished white marble reception desk. Light from the fixtures hanging above caught the rose-gold accents, as if they twinkled for him.
Piper's stride didn't falter, but her internal monologue did a full-on screeching halt. Of course, Zach was there. The universe really had a twisted sense of humor.
He glanced up and grinned like he'd won a race she didn't even know they were in. Her competitive streak flared at the loss, even if she hadn't known she was playing.
"Hello, again," he said, all casual and relaxed. "Cinderella." His eyes lingered on hers a beat longer than necessary, and that dimple in his right cheek made an appearance.
"Hi... again," she replied, still slightly out of breath from the altitude and the stairs. "Zach." A warm flutter spread across her chest, which was ridiculous considering she had other priorities right then.
Still, there was something in the way he leaned forward slightly that made her wonder if he'd been waiting for her.
"This is where you work?" he asked. His voice held the confident air of someone who either had nothing left to lose or had everything already secured.
"Uh, yeah. Who are you meeting with?" Piper replied, surprising herself with the slight hint of flirtation in her tone.
"Aspen," Zach replied. "I'm here for the meet with Aspen."
Despite his relaxed posture, Piper caught a flicker of something more calculated in his eyes. Only a brief professional assessment suggested he had more riding on this meeting than his casual demeanor let on.
But the look vanished as quickly as it appeared, replaced by that damn smile.
"I didn't realize she was having a meeting." Piper tucked her hair behind her ear, suddenly conscious of how she must look after climbing three flights.
The elevator was clearly quicker. Noted for next time.
Also noted were the three other people in the attached waiting area, seated around the glass coffee table that held the latest issues of Vogue, Architectural Digest, and several high-end wedding magazines.
This was odd because there was no client, potential client, or any other sales meeting on the schedule for the day.
Piper glanced at Zach by the desk, at the couple sitting on the loveseat currently invested in quiet conversation, then at the lady sitting across from them.
The woman sitting across from the couple cleared her throat and gave Piper a thorough once-over. Dressed similarly in her own version of a pantsuit, she was about the same age as Piper. But where Piper was pink and fun, this woman was severe in a no-nonsense kind of way.
"That's Tess," Zach murmured close to Piper's ear, his breath warm against her skin.
"Same meeting, I take it?" Piper asked.
Zach nodded.
Tess straightened in her chair, her eyes darting between Piper and Zach with calculated interest.
"Strange that we're still waiting to begin," she said loudly enough for everyone to hear. "Aspen is usually so punctual. I wonder what's holding things up today."
Piper's pulse quickened, not just from Zach's proximity but also because Tess wasn't wrong. It wasn't normal for Aspen to keep anyone waiting. Though she had been stretched extra thin lately with her husband traveling for work.
"Oh good, Piper," Aspen said, poking her head out from the doorway to the back offices. "You're here."
"Piper…" Zach stretched her name out, his pupils flaring as though he tasted her name for the first time instead of simply saying it.
Why did that make her feel all warm and cozy and give her a sudden need to fuss with her lipstick?
Piper glanced at Aspen, hoping the many questions she had for her boss reflected in her expression. "I’m here."
"I need a quick sec," Aspen said, tilting her head toward her office.
She had blonde hair with bangs, the kindest smile, and she always came to the office in business casual. Slacks and sweaters or, like today, a long flowing flower skirt she'd paired with a simple ribbed tee.
"Yeah," Piper said. "Of course."
She didn't have a choice; this was her boss after all.
"Just two minutes," Aspen said to the rest of the people in the room. She confidently moved down the hall and stepped into her office, making room for Piper.
Piper fought the urge to share her good news because something was seriously off here.
"I have a job for you," Aspen said, sitting on the edge of her desk.
Her mannerisms were the usual calm and put together paired with perpetual smile lines around her eyes.
But she also used her matter-of-fact, this-is-how-it-is tone.
The one she didn't pull out often and, frankly, had never used on Piper.
"Okay," Piper said, cautiously, taking the seat Aspen waved her hand toward.
"That's Drake Wellington and Anna Dvornakov out there," Aspen said with a deep sigh.
"Oh," Piper said, the little hairs on her neck prickling because somehow, she just knew she would not enjoy what came next.
Drake was the quarterback for the Denver Stallions football team. The thing to understand about Denver was how bananas over-the-top everyone got with their football team, the players, and all things Stallions.
"I didn't catch that's who was there," Piper said.
This was a total faux pas because Denver bled gold and blue during football season.
And during all the other seasons, too. This was a football town.
Something that took getting used to when you didn't grow up here, but like the Rockies standing tall to the west?
You just accepted it as how things were.
"What I mean is that the two of them were turned away…" Piper continued.
Could she blame her inattentiveness on Prince Charming and his stupid blue eyes?
"They are engaged," Aspen said like she was leading Piper somewhere she didn't want to go. Only probably with confetti cannons and fondant cake.
"No-o-o-o," Piper said, frowning. "Did it just happen?"
Aspen nodded, obviously understanding the full implication of what this meant.
"They can't do that," Piper said, quickly.
Clearly, they could. But the last handful of times one of the star players got engaged before the season began… well, the season flopped. Big time.
It had happened often enough that there was a solid Denver lore preventing just this kind of pre-season engagement.
With one very specific caveat: the wedding had to happen before the start of the season.
"Please tell me they're going to elope," Piper said, already understanding that would make things too simple.
"Nope." Aspen shook her head. "And I need you to handle their wedding."
A loud silence stretched between them for a lengthy second.
Piper didn't even have to think about it. "Aspen, no. Anyone but me."
Piper had been clear when the last wedding couple went up in so much smoke the annulment was completed before the honeymoon was even supposed to be over.
The mere suggestion of planning another wedding sent Piper's heart racing, her palms instantly slick with sweat.
Add in the fact that this was Denver football royalty? Oh no.
The memories flooded back… the Garfield wedding six months ago, when the bride had discovered her fiancé's affair during the reception.
The screeching profanities, the thrown cake, the smell of buttercream and harsh perfume…
the lawsuit that followed. And that one had nothing on her own parents' spree of nuptials and breakups or her own wasteland of a love life.
All other events? Fine.
Give her every corporate gala Denver could throw: the birthday blowouts, quinceaneras, even the occasional christening.
But weddings? Hard pass.
"I need you to take this one," Aspen said gently.
She twirled an ink pen between her fingers, her gaze dipping before meeting Piper's again.
"I really have to pare back my schedule.
I can't keep working eighty-hour weeks. The kids need me to be more present—and I want to be there for them.
Last night Bronson asked if I love my job more than him.
He's my kid. He shouldn't feel like that.
And…" she offered a small, hopeful smile, "you know I've been wanting you to step into the senior planner role. "
Piper's stomach knotted. Her palms went clammy. Her chest tightened until it felt like breathing through a straw.
"It's a bad idea," she managed, her throat thick.
This wasn't just professional discomfort. After the Garfield disaster, she'd sworn off weddings forever. She didn't want to be remembered as Denver's premier wedding ruiner. Especially not with the quarterback golden boy's nuptials.
"I get why you'd feel that way," Aspen said gently. "But you're good at this, Piper. Better than you give yourself credit for."
"It's not that I hate weddings," Piper muttered. "I just don't enjoy watching relationships implode in real time while everyone's wearing pastels."
Aspen gave a sympathetic laugh. "Fair. But this is a big deal, and I can't handle it myself on top of everything else. I could give it to someone else, but honestly? I trust you more than anyone else. You have the instincts for it."
Piper's fingers clenched on the edge of her chair. She forced them to loosen.
"The last thing this wedding needs is another curse." She licked her bottom lip. "Every couple I've planned for has split. Every single one. If the national average is fifty percent, mine is a hundred."
"A string of bad luck isn't a curse. It's just coincidence with good catering." Aspen slid a fat binder across the desk—swatches, color palettes, vendor notes already tucked inside. "You don't break people up. You bring their vision to life. That's what you're amazing at."
"When I'm involved, the happily ever after part never loads correctly," Piper whispered. "I'm the common denominator in a series of romantic disasters. This is just a bad idea."
"Maybe this is the one that proves you wrong." Aspen's voice softened further. "And I'll be here in the background however you need me. You're not alone in this."
Gah. Ugh. Piper's stomach did another unhappy twist.
"Fine." She exhaled. "Let's just get this over with."
"Good." Aspen tapped the binder. "You know Anna and Drake—the bride and groom.
The woman with them is Tess, from the Stallions' publicity department.
They're footing the bill, managing the PR, and fighting the whole superstition thing so there aren't riots downtown when it gets announced. Keeping her happy is important."
"Aspen..." Piper said, flipping through the binder like it was a prison menu offering her last meal.
"You can do this," Aspen said, again.
Of course, she could do it. That was never in question. The problem came as to whether she should do it.
"I cleared the conference room," Aspen said, sauntering out the door and back down the hall.
Piper followed Aspen and said, almost too quiet, "I got a commitment from the Directors of Interment and Cremation Knowledge. They're having me handle all of their events."
Aspen paused, turned to Piper and smirked.
"I had no doubt you would." She hit Piper with a huge smile and clapped quietly. "As I said, you've got this."
She could scream or maybe even cry. This was supposed to be the moment she’d built her career up to, and she couldn’t even enjoy it.
Blah, just because she had that did not mean that she had this.