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Elijah owns that place and the last thing I want to do is give Easton another way of knowing what I’m doing. Instead of objecting to the idea, I nod against the phone and smile. “Sure, no problem. What time?”
“I can be there in ten minutes,” she says excitedly.
I’m sure she’s more excited to talk about the wedding plans rather than seeing me, considering marrying Dawson is all she’s ever dreamed of doing, so if she wants to talk at the cafe, that’s where we’ll talk.
I grab my purse and keys from the kitchen table and head out the front door with nerves wracking through me. There’s no way I’m going to be able to hide anything from Savanna for much longer. She knows me too well.
The traffic heading onto the main street is slow, which isn’t much of a surprise, and it doesn't take me long to find an empty parking spot near the cafe. It also doesn’t surprise me when a few women standing on the sidewalk glare at me as I walk by, not bothering to hide their disdain.
This is the thing I dislike the most about small towns. The gossip and judgment are never-ending. Within minutes the whole town knows when something happens and it spreads like wildfire. I’m sure most of the single women in this town tried to interview for Easton’s nannying job and they’re mad that he hired me. I’m the last person everyone had expected him to hire, considering my sketchy employment record, but that’s not what they are mad about.
They’re mad that I get to be around Easton as often as I am, which is what they wanted. Bethany was their gateway to get into his bed and they’re pissed that I’m the one who’s close enough to do that. Little do they know I’ve already been there and it was incredible.
I give them a smug smile and finger wave before pushing through the cafe door. Elijah is behind the counter when I go up to it and he gives me a nod in greeting. “You look like you could use a good coffee.”
“Gee, thanks,” I mutter. “I’m meeting Savanna. Can you just bring over my usual when it’s ready?”
“Sure thing,” he says.
Without another word I head over to a table and slip into the seat, my gaze casting out the window and watching as the people walk by. A few kids run along, laughing as they chase each other, and I jump when Savanna drops her purse on the table.
“They’re cheerful this afternoon aren’t they?” She says, nudging her head toward the middle of the cafe where the women are now standing.
They’ve still got scowls on their faces as they stare at me and I scoff. “Doesn't bother me any,” I tell her.
She sighs and slips into the empty chair across from me, then pulls out a giant binder that has me widening my gaze. “Well, let’s get into it then, shall we?”
“What are you planning? One wedding or ten?”
Savanna chuckles and shakes her head. “When I come up with one thing, Dawson comes up with another and this is the result. You, my dear best friend and maid of honor, are going to help me narrow shit down.”
“Great,” I mutter, then plaster a bright smile on my face. “Happy to help.”
She cocks her head to the side and frowns. “Everything okay with you?”
That gets my attention and I sit up in my seat, straightening my spine. “Yeah, why wouldn’t it be?”
“You’re just acting weird and you look like you haven’t slept.”
I knew that she would be able to tell something was up. Every time I lose sleep, I look like the dead coming back to life. Instead of getting into it, I clear my throat and point to the binder. “I’m fine. Shall we get started?” This is bound to exhaust me by the time we are done and I still have to get Bethany from her softball practice.
“Here you go, ladies,” Elijah interrupts with my flat white and cream cheese bagel. “Savannah, can I get you anything?”
“Hey, Elijah,” she says. “Can I just get an iced water? I had a big breakfast thanks to Dawson.”
“Coming right up.”
When he leaves to get her water, Savannah eyes me warily, but opens the binder. “Okay. First, the venue. I want it at a vineyard while Dawson wants to have it in a barn. I’ve got details for both. Which one do you think would be best?”
I glance at the images throughout the binder, committing it all to memory and then slide the binder back over to her. “The vineyard seems more you than the barn, but maybe you guys can compromise?”
“How on Earth do we manage to do that?”
“You could always have the ceremony in the barn, then hold the reception at the vineyard.”
Savanna sighs. “You don’t think that would be too much?”
I shrug. “I think it would be a good way of incorporating both of your ideas.”
