Chapter 13 – Katie
Thirteen
PRESENT DAY
KATIE
“Ihope you’ll choose Epilogues Forever for your special day.” I walked a newly engaged couple through our floral showroom. “I would love to make your day all it can be.”
“We were sold on your services years ago, Miss Elizabeth.” The bride-to-be shook my hand. “We can’t wait.”
“Agreed.” The groom smiled. “She has twenty Pinterest boards dedicated to your work.”
My heart swelled at the compliment. “Thank you very much. Let me show you to our guest relations manager so we can get the contract started.”
I led them through our mock ballroom, and as I ushered them inside an office, I spotted Michelle standing by the entrance.
“Michelle?” I walked over to her. “Am I supposed to be at a wedding party event right now?”
“No…” She shook her head. “Can you walk with me outside for a few minutes?”
“Sure.” I grabbed my purse and let her lead the way.
We walked half a block before she said a word, and before I could tell her that I needed to go back to work, she finally stopped.
“How many weddings are you working on right now?” she asked.
“Eight that are coming up, but we’ve got a queue of fifty over the next two years.”
“That’s insane, Katie…”
“More like a dream come true,” I admitted. “Working a hundred hours a week on events like this isn’t really work at all.”
“Okay, well…Not to push,” she said, “but where are you on our wedding? Like, percentage-wise, how much has been done?”
“Sixty percent.”
“Already?” Her eyes widened. “How is that even possible?”
“We went full speed the first day you booked me, I guess.” I smiled. “Plus I want yours to be in my top five all time, so I work on it whenever I have free time.”
“Now I feel quite awful about that. Thank you.”
“No, you’re fine, I promise.” I put my hands on her shoulders. “I’ve enjoyed every single second of planning your wedding, and I can guarantee—”
“I don’t know if I want to marry Chris anymore.” She cut me off. “And I’m not looking forward to the wedding.”
“Please tell me you’re joking…”
“It’s true what they say about never really knowing someone, no matter how close you think you are.”
“No one says that except thriller authors and cynical jerks, Michelle. No one…”
“I’m not saying I don’t love Chris, because I do—I really do, but all this wedding talk is masking the marriage talk, you know?”
“No.” I refused to play into this. “No, I do not know anything about that at all.”
“Katie…”
“No.” I shook my head. “You literally just sent out an email about all the activities you have planned, and you call my interns every day giving notes about the wedding. You’re just nervous. That’s all this is.”
“I need a backup plan, please…” Her voice trailed off. “Just in case.”
“In case what?”
“In case we get all the way to Punta Cana and I change my mind,” she said. “Actually, I think I have changed my mind, but I don’t want to cancel flights or the hotel since I know people are depending on the money, so…”
“So, what’s the rest of that sentence?”
“So, I need you to help me get out of this.”
“No.”
“You can’t tell me no.”
“I just did,” I said. “This is a job for your future brother-in-law. Call him if you want to screw over your fiancé.”
“I was hoping you could talk to him about this for me.”
“Are you out of your mind?” I glared at her. “Surely, you’re not hearing yourself.”
“If I go to him, he’ll tell his brother, but if you approach him with a mystery client...”
“That’s not happening.”
“It’s just a backup, Katie.” She looked into my eyes, her irises twinkling with fear. “I do know how much you hate him, and I can see the irony in asking him to help you ruin your own work, but…Set aside the fact that you’re the wedding planner and just pretend like the shoe is on the other foot.”
“I would never break up with someone before or at my wedding unless it was absolutely dire.”
“It is absolutely dire. I can’t go to him, Katie,” she said quickly.
“Not yet. My parents are over the moon—they won’t stop talking about this wedding.
And his family…” She swallowed. “They’ve already treated me like I’m one of them.
I can’t be the villain who blows everything up unless I’m absolutely sure. ”
She stepped back, stuffing her hands into her pockets. “Can you at least think on it?”
I couldn’t help but nod. “Sure.”
“Thank you.” She hugged me so hard I struggled to breathe. When she let go, she walked away without another word, and I stood on the corner confused as hell.
As I returned to work, I wondered if someone had slipped her some drugs because that was the only thing that made sense.
It wasn’t until later that evening that her text made it clear no drugs were involved.
Michelle
FYI. I’m not losing my mind, and I wasn’t high or drunk when I saw you earlier.
I’m really debating if I should marry Chris.
Thank you in advance for helping me…
I sighed and scrolled down to Asher’s number.
Then his second number.
They were both blocked, but I wasn’t ready to set them free just yet.
Besides, this was something best handled in person…