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“New clients only help the practice if I’m capable of doing the work for which they hired me. If I can’t, they’ll move on, and I’ll be right back where I started.” He patted his legs. “And I barely have enough time now to keep up with my current workload thanks to all of my various medical appointments.”
“But that won’t last forever,” Lanie countered as she pushed him into the office.
“No, but the timing is still awful. If this had happened when I was more established, it wouldn’t be stressing me out as much.”
She snorted. “Oh, please. You’d be stressed no matter when it happened.”
He opened his mouth to protest but thought better of it. “Be that as it may, I need to find a better balance between my health and my work. Preferably one that doesn’t cause me to go bankrupt or my business to go under.”
After pushing him into his office, she stooped and gave him a hug. “I have faith you’ll figure it out, and we’re here for whatever you need.”
Once he was alone, Steven opened the spreadsheet they used to track new clients. Sure enough, Sandra had booked several new ones. She’d set up meetings with them for the following week on both of their calendars. Shaking his head, he couldn’t help but smile. If his law firm survived, Sandra deserved a raise.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Rose found herself dragging her feet to her appointment with Carissa to discuss the rehearsal dinner. Time kept flying by, and she couldn’t catch her breath.
As she walked through the lobby toward Carissa’s office, the sound of raised voices caught her attention. After tiptoeing to the corner, she peered into the room. Max and Carissa sat opposite each other, clearly in the middle of a heated argument.
“You’re being unreasonable,” Carissa said, flipping her salt-and-pepper hair over her shoulder. “Rose’s parents have already paid for the rehearsal dinner. We’re just deciding on a location.”
Rose sucked in a breath. My parents sent Carissa money? They shouldn’t have done that. Between her grandparents moving into long-term care and her parents’ struggle with employment, the last thing they needed to be worried about was her wedding. Looks like I have a phone call to make after this is over.
“It’s not unreasonable to want to follow tradition.” Max crossed his arms.
Carissa rolled her eyes. “As I told you before, they contacted me privately to pay for the rehearsal dinner because they can’t attend or pay for the wedding. It’s their wedding gift to their daughter and is important to them. If you want to contribute, I have a binder full of other outstanding items right h—”
“And as I told you, what is the difference if the money they sent is used toward one of those outstanding items?” He gave a stiff shrug that Rose suspected was meant to be nonchalant. But as she had never known him to be an easygoing kind of guy, it failed in execution.
“If it doesn’t matter where their money goes, why does it matter where your money goes?”
“Because I’m here. I’m attending the wedding, and I insist on paying for the rehearsal dinner. I want to have a say in where it’s held.”
Rose had heard enough. The wedding was becoming way more trouble than it was worth. She walked into the room, making sure her heels clicked loudly on the floor to mark each step. Both Max and Carissa turned toward her.
“Rose!” Carissa rushed over, the angry flush on her face dissipating. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” Rose said, keeping her tone neutral. She raised her eyebrows at her future father-in-law, and he shrugged, clearly not at all perturbed at being caught midargument.
“Not at all.” Carissa grabbed her arm and pulled her over to the table, where a number of menus were set up. “I’ve chosen several options for the rehearsal dinner. We need to book one of them soon.”
Before Rose could respond, Max angled himself between her and Carissa. “I brought a few menus as well.”
Carissa’s hands curled into fists. If he saw the death glare she gave him, he didn’t let on.
“A little less upscale, perhaps, but much more in line with what the people of Cedar Haven are used to.”
“Quaint,” Carissa said, her voice deceptively sweet. “But since the guests aren’t limited to locals, we should plan for a variety of tastes.”
“You mean the dinner my parents have apparently paid for, which you conveniently never mentioned?” Rose asked, narrowing her eyes at Carissa. To the wedding planner’s credit, she had the decency to look guilty.
“They wanted it to be a surprise.” Carissa’s eyebrows pulled together. “They planned to tell you after the wedding. Your mother feels terrible that they’re going to miss it.”
So do I. With a sigh, Rose sank into the chair that Max pulled out for her and began sifting through the mountain of menus. But her heart wasn’t in it anymore. She wished Steven was there, both to act as referee and to help her sort through her complicated emotions.
Like he’s helped me talk through my feelings the last few weeks. Heat built in her belly before shooting through her. There she was, tying up loose ends for a wedding she was beginning to wonder if she even wanted anymore. The cracks she’d ignored in their relationship had grown too big to overlook.
Before she could change her mind, she pushed back from the table and stood. “Carissa, I need to talk to you.” When Max made a move to go with them, she held up a hand. “Alone.”
