Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
“Hey, stranger,” Max said when Carissa answered her phone.
“I’m sorry I’ve been incommunicado for the last week.” Carissa leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. For several days, she’d been working on a proposed schedule for the corporate event. “What’s up?”
“I was wondering if you could tear yourself away from work to have lunch with me today or sometime this week.” When she didn’t immediately respond, he continued, “I’m cooking.”
“Is that supposed to entice me?” she teased.
“It’s a Lanie-approved recipe,” he retorted, though she could hear the smile in his voice. “I promise I won’t burn it.”
Carissa pursed her lips. The timing wasn’t great, as she needed to get the schedule over to Colin by the close of business the next day, but she was hungry, and her eyes were starting to cross from staring at a screen. Maybe a break would do her good.
“I can be there in about an hour. Does that work?”
“That’s perfect. See you soon.”
After they disconnected, she stretched, working the kinks out of her back. She promised herself she would finish the schedule first thing in the morning when she was fresh and closed her laptop. Then she headed straight for the shower.
Forty-five minutes later, she put the finishing touches on her makeup. Covering the dark circles under her eyes was getting more difficult the longer she worked on the event for Imaginavigation Enterprises. But it would be worth it when the clients began pouring in next year.
After donning a heavy coat, she left her house and drove to Max’s. The afternoon sun was high in the sky but did little to cut through the day’s chill. Before she had even fully exited her car, the front door swung open, and Max stepped out.
“Glad you could make it,” he said as he wrapped his arms around her and bent to give her a quick kiss.
But it had been too long since she had last seen him, and she slid her hands into his hair, holding him in place. He chuckled against her lips as he pulled her closer, deepening the kiss.
“I guess absence really does make the heart grow fonder,” he murmured when she finally released him. “Come inside where it’s warm.”
The house smelled of garlic and onion, and her stomach growled in anticipation. She could get used to someone cooking for her again.
“What are you making that smells so delicious?” She slid into a chair at the table.
“Chicken parmesan.” He glanced over his shoulder, and her face must have betrayed her skepticism. “It’s Lanie’s recipe. I’m planning on making it for her later this week for dinner. You get to be my guinea pig.”
Pressing her lips together to keep from laughing, Carissa smiled. “Lucky me.”
“After we eat, there’s something I’d like to show you,” he said. “I’ve been working on a gift for Lanie, and I’d love your opinion on it.”
“I’m sure it’ll be beautiful.”
“But you have to promise not to tell her. It’s a surprise.”
“I promise.”
He served lunch, and Carissa was pleasantly surprised by how well it had turned out. They talked about how their weeks had gone, and Carissa filled him in on the progress she’d made with planning the corporate event.
Once they were finished eating, Max cleared the table and put the dishes in the sink. His excitement about his present for Lanie was palpable.
“I’ll take care of those in a bit.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her from her seat. Carissa struggled to keep up with him as he led the way to the garage.
After flicking on a light, he moved toward a large object covered with a sheet. With a wink at Carissa, he removed the sheet and revealed a wooden archway. Most of the wood was smooth, but he’d started carving a design featuring roses, leaves, and vines.
Carissa fought to keep her expression neutral as she stared at the monstrosity in front of her. While the arch was beautiful, it was huge. It seemed to almost touch the ceiling of the garage, and it stood about five feet wide.
When she still hadn’t said anything, Max cleared his throat. “Well, what do you think?”
Instead of answering, Carissa walked around and through the archway, studying the piece. A million questions ran through her mind. What was his intention with the gift? Did he hope Lanie would use it in the ceremony? She shuddered. Hopefully not. She doubted it would fit through the door of the church, let alone in the sanctuary.
Finally, she took a deep breath. “Is this piece going to Nate’s house?”
“Eventually, but I hoped it could be included in the ceremony.”
Carissa swallowed her horror and kept her tone as diplomatic as possible. “Did you measure the church to ensure this will fit through the door?”
The excitement in his dark eyes dimmed. “No, but the pieces interlock, so they can be taken apart if needed.” He pointed at the top of the arch. “See this part here? It disconnects.”
Well, at least we can get it in the church. She pressed her lips into a thin line as she tried to think of something nice to say.
“Aren’t you going to say anything else?” he asked. “I mean, obviously, it’s not finished, but I have no doubt I can get it done by the wedding.”
Carissa held up her hand. “You should talk to your daughter before you continue wasting your time.” The hurt in his eyes made her wish she’d chosen her words more wisely.
“Wasting my time?” he repeated as if dumbstruck.
She sighed. “I’m sorry. That came out wrong.” Pinching her nose, she closed her eyes. How can I get him to understand he’s overstepping again? She opened her eyes and tried a different tactic. “What I meant was Lanie has a specific aesthetic in mind for the ceremony.” She stared at the arch. “Honestly, I’m not sure it’ll fit the stage area even if we can get it in the door.”
“It’s a church. I’m sure we can make it work,” he insisted, his tone defensive. “Besides, I know my daughter better than you do.”
She didn’t respond, but her expression must have conveyed her skepticism. While she didn’t want to hurt him or make the afternoon any more awkward, she’d promised Lanie to help rein in her father’s antics.
Before she could say anything else, Max crossed his arms and stared at the floor. “Maybe you should go.”
Her heart sank. She wished she could spare his feelings, but she wasn’t sure how else to convey what a terrible idea the arch was. It would be one thing if he’d run it by Lanie, even if he’d offered to make something for her ceremony and left the actual item a surprise. Though given how large the arch was, she doubted that would stave off Lanie’s irritation.
Perhaps there was a way to salvage their time together. One glance at his face disabused her of that notion, and she sighed. She moved past him and went into the house to gather her coat.
He followed her. “Promise me you won’t tell Lanie about the arch.”
At first, she didn’t respond. While she appreciated that Max wanted the arch to be a surprise, she was contractually obligated to tell her client.
“Please, Carissa,” he begged, his eyes boring into hers. “It means a lot to me to be able to do this for her, and I want it to be a surprise.”
“I understand that,” she began. “But you don’t understand the position you’re putting me in by asking me to keep this a secret. Lanie has entrusted me with this event because she knows I will run everything by her, and we already saw how she reacted when I didn’t tell her about the band. You’re asking me to lie to her again.”
His face flushed. “It’s not a lie!”
She crossed her arms. “Lying by omission is still lying.”
“I’ll tell Lanie before the wedding, when the arch is finished.”
“And when will that be?”
“I-I don’t know,” he admitted. “But I’ll try to get it done by the end of this month. Then Lanie can decide what she wants.”
They stared each other down as the minutes ticked by. Finally, Carissa nodded. “But if she finds out before then and comes after me, I’m throwing you under the bus.”
“Duly noted.”
She opened the door and took one last look at him over her shoulder. He refused to meet her gaze. All the warm feelings she’d felt when she’d entered the house had vanished, leaving her with a bleak emptiness. As she stepped out into the cold November day, she wondered if their relationship had ended before it really had a chance to begin.
Carissa didn’t sleep well that night. After tossing and turning for hours, she gave up around four in the morning and tried to lose herself in event planning. Several emails and calls had come in during her lunch with Max.
Sliding her fingers through her hair, she clasped her hands behind her head and rested her forehead against the dining room table. How had such a wonderful day soured? Had she overreacted to Max’s surprise for his daughter? Maybe he was right. Maybe Lanie would love it.
With a groan, she pushed back from the table and began pacing. On the one hand, Lanie had been very enthusiastic about her dad revisiting his old hobby. During some of their meetings one-on-one, she’d gushed about how talented he was. So it was entirely possible she would be thrilled to receive something he’d worked so hard on for her.
But on the other hand, it clashed with the rest of the decor. The church wood was mahogany, and the deep-brown color went well with the rich red-and-green decor they had chosen for Christmas. Meanwhile, the wood Max was carving was cherry, a much lighter brown. Perhaps that wouldn’t matter to Lanie, but every time Carissa tried to picture it, she cringed. And as far as she knew, no amount of staining would make the wood dark enough to fit in with the rest of the church.
It also bugged her that he hadn’t come to her about it before he started the project. While she had no idea if Lanie even wanted a wedding arch, Carissa could have at least given him pointers on what type of wood would work best, though she hadn’t the first clue whether it was even possible to choose different types of wood. For all she knew, he had to work with what was available.
He’d put her in an uncomfortable position, as if she didn’t have enough on her plate. Not telling Lanie felt wrong, especially since Max couldn’t guarantee when the arch would be done. Which meant Carissa had no idea when he would tell Lanie.
“I didn’t need this right now,” she muttered as she sat back at the table and stared at her computer screen. “I wish I could trust Max to finish on time and tell Lanie.”
Saying Max’s name brought up other unpleasant thoughts. She wished she hadn’t said he was wasting his time. It had been overly harsh and unfair. At the same time, he’d just gotten back into woodworking and was still honing his skills. Why would he decide to take on such a huge project when faced with a tight deadline?
And then he’d asked her to leave. An otherwise perfect day completely ruined because of a pointless argument. She wished he’d never shown her the arch. Then she would be blissfully ignorant, and any fallout between him and Lanie wouldn’t land on her.
You can’t put the genie back in that bottle now. Her husband’s voice rang in her head with one of his favorite sayings. She hated to admit that like all the other times he’d said it, he was right. What was done was done, and what mattered was what she did moving forward.
Shaking her head, she forced herself to focus. As soon as the sun rose, Jacob would start blowing up her phone again, and she needed to address his latest “urgent” nonemergency he’d emailed and called about when her phone was off.
Two hours later, as if on cue, her phone vibrated beside her. Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Carissa pressed the speaker button.
“Good morning, Jacob.”
“I hope you enjoyed your evening off,” he said by way of greeting. “Because we’ve got a lot of work to do.”
“We have a call with the board in about an hour to give them an update, so we may have to push off whatever you’re hoping to accomplish until after that call.”
“Colin sent some talking points he wanted to make sure we covered during the meeting.”
Carissa nodded. “I saw those, and I responded with comments of my own.”
Following a beat of silence, Carissa lifted her fist in a quiet cheer to have finally been one step ahead of the irritating CEO. After her fight with Max, she needed a win.
“Color me impressed,” Jacob said. “You must have been up late last night.”
Or early this morning. “Something like that. Anyway, I’ll forward you the email thread between Colin and me for your review, but I think we’re ready.”
“That’s good to hear. Can you schedule a meeting with the three of us directly after the call so we can keep our momentum going once the board approves our plans?”
Stifling a sigh, she clicked into her computer calendar and started entering information into an appointment. “Sending to you now.”
“All right. I guess I’ll talk to you in an hour.”
“Sounds good. Bye.” She tried and failed to keep the smugness out of her tone. Score another point for me . If only she could keep it up.
The next day, Carissa had a meeting with Lanie, Nate, and their preacher at the church. Her part was simple. She was there to go over logistics, but the preacher wanted to have a deeper conversation with the engaged couple about their relationship to make sure the two were ready to enter into matrimony.
They met in the church itself, and Lanie wandered around the sanctuary, taking in all the details. Carissa stayed near the pulpit, hoping once the preacher took the two lovebirds into his office, she would be able to pull out a measuring tape and figure out where they might fit Max’s arch monstrosity.
“It’ll be even more beautiful when it’s decorated for Christmas,” Lanie said as she came up behind her.
Carissa forced a smile. “I have no doubt.” She waved a hand over the banister that separated the pews from the pulpit. “With the rich red carpeting, it has a natural disposition for Christmas and likely complements the greenery.”
“The only thing I don’t like is the lack of a center aisle.”
Carissa pursed her lips. It was somewhat odd that the church had two side aisles that branched off to pews to the right, left, and center. While it might work well to have the bridesmaids and groomsmen use the two aisles, it would be awkward to have Lanie and her father do the same. But the main door to the church was located stage left, behind the pews.
“You and your father will come down this aisle here.” Carissa pointed. “And we can always encourage people to sit in the middle and left pews. That way, they won’t miss out on your entrance by being too far away.”
“True.” Lanie cocked her head. “I don’t think the guest list will require the whole room. Maybe we can set up some decorations in front of those seats to mark them as off-limits.”
Carissa’s mind strayed to the arch. Maybe that was a compromise Max could accept. The arch was certainly large enough to block off the aisle, then it could still be featured in the wedding, perhaps not exactly as Max had envisioned.
“What’s wrong?” Lanie asked.
Carissa worked to rearrange her facial expression. “Nothing. I’m brainstorming some options to bring your vision to life.”
Guilt churned in her stomach, and she glanced away, hoping Lanie couldn’t see through her poor attempt at lying. Maybe she and Max should have stuck to their decision to wait until after the wedding to start dating. Then she wouldn’t be faced with divided loyalties.
“Lanie? Nate?” a deep voice called from the front of the church. “Are you ready?”
“We’ll be right there,” Lanie said before turning back to Carissa. “You’ll wait here for us? I’d like to hear your ideas of how to block the aisle.”
“Of course,” Carissa promised, hoping she sounded more enthusiastic than she felt.
After Lanie and Nate followed the preacher out of the church, Carissa retrieved her measuring tape and set to work. She had to guesstimate how big the arch was based on her memory, but it had stood taller than Max by at least a foot and appeared roughly four or five feet wide.
“Better safe than sorry,” she muttered as she measured five feet. Working quickly in case the preacher finished sooner than expected, she measured every place she could think of putting the arch, marking the measurements on a piece of paper.
When she was finished, she slumped into a pew and put her head in her hands. If the arch could indeed be separated, it would fit in the church, but it would stand out as an eyesore no matter where she tried to put it. And if Max’s intention was that they would be married under it, then Carissa really had her work cut out for her.
As much as she loved the idea of it sitting in the aisle to block people from entering, it would be cumbersome to set up there because of the limited space in the aisle itself. The only other option she could think of was to have it at the entrance to the church. That way, it could be used as a photo opportunity, and it could be displayed in all its glory, but it wouldn’t clash with the interior or disrupt the wedding ceremony itself.
But Max probably wouldn’t go for that either. With a sigh, she put her measuring tape away. Maybe my measurements are off. After all, she hadn’t actually measured the arch itself and had relied on estimations of its size.
The door to the church opened, and Lanie and Nate came in, followed by the preacher. Plastering a smile on her face, Carissa stood.
“All set?” she asked.
“Reverend Patrick believes we are fit to be married,” Lanie replied, beaming. She took Nate’s hand. “But he did want to discuss your idea of blocking the right aisle.”
“We have had several couples who have voiced your same concerns,” Reverend Patrick began. “And I’ve found that strategically placed decor seems to be just the ticket to discourage guests from using the right pews without marring the beauty of the sanctuary.” He gestured behind him. “Come with me, and I’ll show you photographs from past weddings.”
“He showed them to us already,” Lanie said. “But you might have a better idea of how to incorporate what others have done into my vision.”
Carissa followed the preacher. His office was small and simply set up. A wooden desk sat a few feet out from the back wall with a simple upholstered chair that had seen better days behind it. On the other side were two straight-backed chairs. In one corner was a bookshelf with several versions of the Bible, a few hymnbooks, and some devotionals.
On the desk lay several photo albums that had been opened to specific collages of weddings, and beside those was a document entitled Marriage Contract. She hid a smile. Though she didn’t see it often these days, it had been more popular when she’d first started in wedding planning. The document wasn’t legally binding but was meant to serve as a vehicle to talk to couples about what marriage was like and what was expected of each party. Unlike the Catholic version of premarital counseling and the agreement of a covenant, it was a symbolic gesture to demonstrate a couple’s willingness to enter into matrimony.
“Have a seat,” Reverend Patrick said.
She took the seat nearest the door. “Do you keep photos from all of the weddings you host here?”
“If the bride and groom are willing to donate them,” he replied with a smile. “But we respect their wishes if they do not want to provide photos, and we don’t take our own.” Leaning forward, he pointed at a photo at the top of the album page. “Here, they strung tulle down both sides of the aisle to block the seats. While that’s not exactly what you’re going for, it would signal to guests to return to the main aisle.” He flipped a page. “And here, they put up a simple sign asking people to sit on the other side of the church.”
Both options seemed appropriate for what Lanie hoped to accomplish, but the image of the arch kept intruding on Carissa’s thoughts. She studied the reverend. Max had forbidden her from telling Lanie, but he hadn’t said she couldn’t discuss it at all. Reverend Patrick would know better than anyone whether such a thing would work in his church.
“What about an archway that directs people down the aisle we want them to use?”
Reverend Patrick raised an eyebrow. “What sort of archway?”
A ridiculous one. But she kept that comment to herself. “A large wooden one. Roughly seven feet high by five feet wide.” When he didn’t immediately answer, she continued, “I can get more accurate measurements and a photo to give you a better idea.”
He leaned back in his chair and tented his fingers. “Lanie didn’t mention an archway.”
“That’s because she doesn’t know.” Now, she was treading on dangerous territory. Technically, if the reverend told Lanie, it wasn’t necessarily Carissa’s fault. However, since he knew about the archway only because of her, she doubted Max would see it that way. “Her father is a skilled woodworker, and as a surprise gift, he’s decided to build an archway. He wants to incorporate it into the ceremony, but it likely won’t fit at the front of the church, nor do I believe Lanie would want it there. However, if it would fit, putting it in front of an aisle may be a compromise he’s willing to accept.”
Pursing his lips, Reverend Patrick stared at the ceiling. Carissa wondered if he was consulting God, but she assumed he was just considering the request.
“It’s hard to say without actually seeing the structure.” Shifting forward, he rested his hands on the desk. “Get a picture and the precise measurements, and we’ll figure out a way to make it work.”
“Thank you, Reverend.” She stood to leave then glanced back. “Please keep this between us. I’d hate to ruin the surprise for Lanie.”
He smiled. “My lips are sealed.”
As Carissa left the office, she felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. At least she could say she’d done everything in her power to help Max with his surprise and maintained her client’s vision. A small smile tugged at her lips. In some ways, she supposed she’d left the situation with God.