Chapter 8
eight
FINN
T amra and I are only in Lake Starlight for another two days, so our schedule has been nonstop. Turns out there’re a lot of things to decide for a wedding. More than I ever could have imagined. More than there should be for a fake wedding for sure.
So today, Harper has arranged to take us around the few choices we have for the wedding and reception venue.
Lucky me, we’re starting with the Glacier Point Resort, which is the same hotel where Harper and I snuck into an elevator and up to my hotel room a little over a month ago.
I was already plagued with flashbacks the minute Tamra and I checked in and took the elevator to our room.
It was all I could do to get out of the confined space. This won’t be awkward at all.
“C’mon, we have to go meet Harper downstairs,” Tamra says, still putting on her makeup in the mirror.
“I’m ready,” I say, sitting on the chair set against the wall in our room. I’ve been aimlessly scrolling through my phone for twenty minutes, waiting for Tamra to be done.
“I’m ready too.”
I stand, pocket my phone, and watch her apply gloss to her lips. “I’m not sure you understand the meaning of ready.”
She straightens her back, giving herself a once-over in the mirror before leaving the bathroom. “Come on.”
Tamra grabs her purse from the nightstand next to her bed since we’re sleeping in separate beds and joins me at the door.
It’s cooler today, so I’m wearing a long-sleeve Henley and jeans, but the collar of my jacket gets tighter and tighter the closer we get to the lobby of the resort.
Harper and I didn’t have any agreement that our tryst would be anything more than one night together, but it’s hard to be around her with Tamra and not feel as though I’m doing something wrong. Something very, very wrong.
The elevator doors ding open, and Tamra encases my hand in hers as we step off.
Harper is waiting for us at the far end of the vast, lavish lobby.
She’s wearing another set of dress pants, cream this time, and a dark green silk long-sleeve blouse that perfectly outlines the swell of her breasts—which look a little larger than I remember.
The color of her blouse sets off the red of her hair, which draws a memory of her on top of me, when I had my hands through her thick tresses.
Her body stiffens slightly before she puts on a fake smile.
“Morning.” Tamra drops my hand and hugs Harper. She’s always been a hugger.
Harper’s gaze meets mine over Tamra’s shoulder before pulling back.
When the two women part, I give Harper a nod and murmur, “Good morning.”
“Morning.” She turns her attention back to Tamra. “As we discussed, we’ll start here before we take a look at the other two places that are available on such short notice.”
“This is so exciting. Thank you so much for all your help, Harper.” Tamra looks at me as though she’s waiting for me to communicate my gratitude.
“Uh… yeah. Thanks.” God, I sound like a fucking idiot. Harper’s probably wondering why the hell she ever slept with me in the first place.
Tamra cozies up to my side, wrapping her arms around me and leaning into my shoulder. “Excuse my fiancé, he doesn’t realize how much work goes into making sure the huge day goes off without a hitch.”
Harper smiles at Tamra, but it’s forced. “Let’s go take a look.”
She leads us up one level to where all the event rooms are located and escorts us to a room at the far end of the hall.
The large wooden double doors are already wide open, and I can see the view before we even enter through them.
The grand windows lining the wall overlook what I know will be ski runs once the snow settles in for the season.
“Wow.” Tamra drops my hand when we reach the threshold and steps in, admiring the space. “I mean, the room is great, but that view.”
“It’s pretty special, isn’t it? I thought you could have your ceremony so that your guests are facing the view, and that way all your pictures would have the perfect backdrop too.
” She walks to a set of French doors at the far end of the space.
“You can also use this outdoor space for pictures, if the weather cooperates.” She raises her crossed fingers. “Northern Lights.”
Tamra swivels around and raises her eyebrows. “What do you think, honey?”
I almost wince at the pet name.
“It’s great.” It’s hard to be enthused. I couldn’t care less if this wedding happens down at city hall as long as it happens, and I get what we’ve agreed on.
Harper continues explaining our options.
“The space is being set up for an event this weekend, so you can get some idea of how it could look. Of course, this bride and groom have chosen circular tables, but you could also set up several long tables that run the length of the room. Those are gaining popularity. That setup would leave more room for a dance floor, if that’s a priority of yours as well. ”
“And it’s available in October?” Tamra asks.
“By some miracle, it is,” Harper says, then meets my gaze. “Did you enjoy Palmer and Hudson’s wedding?” She looks at Tamra. “It was in another room at Glacier Point.” Harper’s gaze flicks back to mine in challenge.
I clear my throat. “It was very memorable.”
Harper rolls her eyes since Tamra isn’t looking at her, but when Tamra turns her way, she plasters on a big smile. “Well, let’s move on to our next stop?”
“Sounds good.” Tamra turns toward me and gives me a look as though she wants to know what’s going on with me. Can she tell I’m acting weird? “We might as well all ride together. Do you mind driving the rental?”
Great. Now I’m trapped in even smaller quarters with the two of them. This day keeps getting better and better.
“Of course not. Let’s get going.” The sooner we leave, the sooner this is over.
Tamra strikes the next venue off the list right away because, as she says, “It reminds her of her country club back in Vermont, and if that’s what she wanted, we’d have our wedding there.
” It’s a ways out of town as well, and Tamra insists she wants to stay in Lake Starlight so our guests can enjoy the quaintness of the town while they’re here.
I’ve punched the address for our final destination into the truck’s GPS, and we’re about two minutes out when Harper speaks up from the back seat.
“I should warn you before we go to this next place…”
“That sounds ominous,” Tamra says, shifting in her seat to look at Harper behind us.
“It’s a little unconventional. We’re heading to a retirement home.”
I glance at Harper through the rearview mirror and see there’s no joking smile on her lips. “We’re not that much older than you.”
Harper laughs, and I’m sure it’s despite herself. “They started renting out their event space last year. And though we’re going to go through the main doors, the day of your event, your guests would drive around the building and go directly into the event space.”
“Oh okay, that doesn’t sound so bad.” Tamra squeezes my forearm on the armrest between us.
“Fair warning, some of the residents in this place can be… well, I’m not sure I even have a word for it, but you’ll see what I mean when we get there.”
“I’m sure it’s fine. Just a bunch of old people.” Tamra says.
When we reach the end of the winding road surrounded by trees, I pull into the parking lot and see that Harper wasn’t joking. It’s a retirement residence.
“They are,” Harper says. “But they’ve got a lot of life left in them, believe me.”
She chuckles to herself, obviously reliving some memory, and I risk a look in the rearview mirror, wanting to see her eyes sparkle.
Since I’ve arrived back in town, I haven’t seen the woman who stole my attention that night.
Harper catches me looking, and I dart my gaze, finding a spot and parking the truck.
We get out of the vehicle and make our way to the entrance, the automatic doors sliding open for us when we get close.
Harper walks in as though she’s been here a million times and heads straight to the reception desk. “Hi, Leann. How are you?”
The older woman behind the counter smiles at us. “Great, Harper. How have you been?”
“Pretty good. You’re expecting us. I have a happy couple who’s here to see the event space.” Harper motions to Tamra and me behind her.
“Of course, Dougie knows you’re coming. Let me just call him so he can unlock the space for you.
” She picks up the phone and presses a few buttons, holding the receiver to her ear.
She smiles nervously at me when no one picks up before hanging up the phone.
“He must’ve gotten called to one of the residents’ rooms. Why don’t you head to the space?
I’ll track him down, and he can meet you there. ”
“Sounds good. Thanks, Leann.” Harper circles around to us. “Well, brace yourself in case we run into anyone on our way.”
Before I can ask how off-center a bunch of senior citizens could possibly be, she turns to lead us down the hallway. I do my best not to check out her ass as she walks ahead, but it’s an impossible feat.
We’ve only made it twenty paces into the building before every head in the leisure room to our right swivels in our direction. There are probably ten or so people in what seems to be a TV room of some kind. Most of them keep watching, but three of them get up and slowly make their way over to us.
“Harper,” an elderly lady with red hair calls.
Harper’s shoulders sag from behind, but when she stops and turns to face the woman, she’s smiling. “Hi, Alice.”
“Good to see you,” one of the old guys with Alice says.
“You too, Melvin. You’re looking good.”
I swear Melvin’s cheeks get a little pink under Harper’s praise.
“Are you guys a throuple?” he asks.
I choke on my own saliva as Tamra’s eyes narrow.
“What’s a throuple?” the third man, who uses a cane, asks.
Melvin shrugs. “Some new arrangement thing my grandson told me about.”
Harper holds up her hands. “We are not a throuple.” Her gaze darts to mine for a beat. “I’m here to show my clients the event space. They’re considering renting it for their wedding.” She gestures to Tamra and me.
Tamra looks confused, but I nod in hello at the three of them.
“Speaking of which, we have to be going. We need to meet Dougie.” Harper walks away without waiting for them to respond, giving them a wave. Once we’re out of earshot, she looks at us over her shoulder. “Sorry about that. They can be a lot.”
Tamra laughs. “They’re adorable. I can’t believe they thought we were a throuple.”
I stare at my feet walking along the carpet, I’m so uncomfortable, I just look ahead and pray that we wrap up this wedding planning sooner than later.