Chapter 4
Joelle
Everywhere I look, colorful tulips surround me.
Several vibrate with magic since I just spent the last twenty minutes making a few of them a little livelier.
Checking my watch, I see that it's almost time for a Tanner or Alyssa family member to swing by to pick up the flowers.
I catch sight of myself in the small mirror by the door and laugh at how crazy my messy bun looks.
But before I have a moment to fix it, I hear a man loudly cursing outside.
Swinging open the door, I see Tanner's panty-melting hot brother glaring at his phone.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" I ask, stepping onto the front step.
"I just got some really shitty news," he grumbles, slipping his phone into his back pocket.
"Can I help?" I ask, the gravel crunching beneath my feet as I walk toward him.
"No. Not unless you want to play my fake girlfriend at Tanner's wedding today to make my elderly grandmother happy," he mutters bitterly.
"Sure," I say, and almost laugh out loud at his reaction.
"You're not serious," Evrard says, his blue eyes wide, studying my face.
"No, I am, if you need my help. I love weddings. It's one of the reasons why I got into the florist business."
"It's today, though."
This time, I can't help but laugh.
"Yes, I know. Hence why my shop is filled with tulips."
"Oh, yeah. The tulips," he says, smacking his forehead.
"I'll help you put them in the back of your car. I hope they all fit. Tanner seemed to think so since it's an SUV, but I don't know."
Evrard follows me into the shop. We quietly fill the back of his SUV with flowers, but when we are almost finished, he pauses in the middle of my driveway and turns to me.
"Were you serious about being my date today?"
"Yup!"
"Did you hear the part about having to act like you're my girlfriend for my grandmother's sake?" he quickly adds with a cringe.
"Yeah. That's really sweet of you," I say, walking towards the shop to get the last of the flowers.
Returning to the SUV, I quickly say an incantation to make more space in his car to fit the last of the tulips. When I turn back around, I catch Evrard grinning at me, his blue eyes sparkling in the spring sunshine.
"Your abilities are wicked cool," he says, and I swear I can see his cheeks turn a light shade of pink.
"Thanks."
"Okay. Well, um, I guess I'm ready to go. Are you positive you want to go through with this?"
"It will be my good deed of the day."
"Thank you so much. I really wanted to make my grandmother happy with this. I'll, uh, pick you up?"
We exchange numbers so that he can text me the details. I watch him back out of my driveway before turning to lock up the shop.
I need to figure out what the heck I am going to wear to a wedding in just a few hours.
"Are you sure this isn't too much?" I say, spinning in front of my laptop with my sister on the video screen.
"No, not at all. It was brilliant to get your maid of honor dress shortened after my wedding," Petula says while holding a sleeping Sherman against her chest.
Flint pokes his head over my sister's shoulder, entering the frame and scoops up the sleeping toddler, disappearing.
"This is so exciting," Petula says, grinning at me.
"I'm nervous," I say, smoothing down the dress and looking at myself in the mirror again.
"Don't be. You're literally this man's knight in shining armor or whatever the equivalent for a woman is," she says with a laugh.
"It's the twenty-first century. I guess I am a knight in shining armor," I quip.
"Damn right. It's the twenty-first century," she says, laughing.
My sister stays on the video call while I do my hair and makeup, complimenting me throughout.
"Are you wearing the same shoes you wore as maid of honor?"
"Yeah. They match so well. Do you think that's okay?"
"Of course it's okay," she says. "Stop being such a nervous Nellie."
Looking at my phone, I realize Evrard should be here in five minutes.
"Okay. I should pee before he gets here," I say.
"Alright. Have fun and text me how it goes as soon as you get home."
"I will, I will," I say, glad that there's a three-hour time difference between us.
Two minutes later, I'm drying my hands on a towel when I hear a car pull into my gravel driveway. I grab my light shawl and bracelet purse and head out the door just as Evrard is walking toward my front steps.
"You look beautiful," he says, and I can hear the sincerity in his voice; however, I'm too distracted by what an absolute dish he is in his tuxedo.
I follow him down the steps to his SUV.
"Thank you for being willing to come early. Being the best man means I have extra duties," he says with a sexy, lopsided grin.
"No worries at all," I say as he opens the passenger side door for me.
While we drive towards the Sacred Plate, we discuss our fake girlfriend and boyfriend story.
"I figured we will just say we met when I actually did meet you. Seems the simplest," he says.
"That makes sense."
"And just so you know, both Tanner and Alyssa are completely aware of everything, and I'm pretty sure Alyssa gave her bridesmaids a heads-up as well just to be supportive."
"Okay," I say as he pulls into the restaurant's parking lot.
When we enter the front of the Sacred Plate, Tanner is there talking to a couple of other groomsmen.
"It's your knight in shining armor," he quips to Evrard, and I almost burst out laughing.
"She is definitely my savior today, that's for sure," my fake boyfriend says, looking at me in a way that makes my palms sweat.
"So, Joelle, Alyssa said you can go hang out with her and the bridesmaids in the bridal suite. Does that work for you?"
"Sure."
Evrard turns to me and lightly touches the back of my arm.
"So you're good?"
I have to swallow hard before responding because, once again, his touch sends an electric thrill through my body.
"Yeah. I'm good. I'll see you on the main stage," I quip before following one of the groomsmen to the bridal suite.
Once inside, I'm handed a glass of champagne, and the women coo over my dress.
"You are a lifesaver," Alyssa says, giving me a side squeeze.
"I'm happy to help. And I love weddings, so this will be fun for me."
Her maid of honor gasps as she peeks out the window.
"Oh, those flowers are gorgeous, Joelle!"
Alyssa runs over to see.
"So many tulip colors! Joelle, you outdid yourself," she says, turning to me and pulling me in for a hug.