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“There is one change to the table plans; my brother's partner can't come. They kind of split up,” Rory says.
“Okay, what's her name so that we can see where she is sitting and make the relevant changes.”
“Her name is Selena,” Jess says, pouring the water for us.
Alison finds her and moves someone from the last table to her space. “Super, I've done that; we just need to get it printed, and then we will be great.”
“Obviously, she won't be coming to the rehearsal dinner either. Do you have a replacement? Or are you happy to be one short at the table?” I look up and see them looking at each other.
“No, we don't mind being one short. My best man, Ryan, is flying in at the last minute. I'm hoping he can make the rehearsal dinner, but he's not 100%.” Rory looks at me and smiles.
“We can put him at the end opposite the empty seat, and then if he doesn't show up until halfway through, it's not going to cause any inconvenience or anything. He can just sit at the end of the table.” I'm used to doing this, so I know how best to work these things out.
“That sounds perfect; he is going to try his best to be there on time, but it all depends on his flight. He is flying in from Vegas that night.” Rory looks at his watch. “Ladies, I have to go and take this call, but Jess knows the ins and outs of everything.” He stands and kisses Jess, and you can see how compatible they are. This has definitely been a dream wedding to plan. I really hope they tell people about us.
We watch him leave, and then we talk to Jess about the rest of the rehearsal dinner and the wedding itself. She has her dress upstairs as she is leaving from the house, whereas Rory is staying at the hotel venue. We make arrangements to see her at the rehearsal dinner, and then we leave. I drop Alison home and then speed down the road with my roof down, my hair blowing everywhere, and not a care in the world. I love my job, and I love where I live. Life is good.
CHAPTER 2
Ryan
I'm watching the clock in my meeting. I need to get out of here as soon as possible if I'm going to make my flight. I know Rory says it's okay to arrive late, but I hate doing that. As it is, I'll just make the start of dinner. I'll have to keep my bags at the restaurant.
“Sorry, guys, I have to leave in fifteen minutes, I have a car collecting me to take me to the airport. So, can we finish this up now?” I'm getting irritable. I hate being under pressure to be anywhere; whenever I do, it ends up in chaos. I hate chaos.
Ten minutes later, I am sat in the car and heading to the airport. I lean my head back and close my eyes. Taking deep breaths, I try to calm my heart rate down. Breathing techniques really help, but I think I'm getting to the stage where I'm too old to be doing all this wheeling and dealing myself. I need to pass some of the work down to my staff. I need to take a leaf out of Rory's book. He moved to LA and met Jess. They are the perfect couple, and he works from home a couple of hours a week; the rest of the time, he has trusted people to look after his business. He is living the dream.
I might talk to him about moving closer to him. I miss him. We've been friends since kindergarten, and it's been hard the last six years. I know we can afford to fly back and forth, but it doesn't happen as often as I want because I am always so busy. Yeah, I think I'm going to ask for his help in moving over and working fewer hours. You never know; I could work for a charity or do something rewarding.
Before I know it, I'm stepping off the flight. There was a very short delay, but I am in a cab on the way to the restaurant. When we pull up, I look at the venue. It's beautiful, there are trees on either side of the doors, they are lit up, and Jess and Rory's initials are in lights. Beautiful. Someone has really taken their time with the decorations.
As soon as I step inside the door, I am accosted by the beautiful smell of Italian food. Not your junk food crap, but real Mediterranean cuisine. Someone steps in front of me.
“Hi, you must be Ryan.” She takes my bags. “I'm Alison, and I'll put these somewhere safe so no one falls over them. Everyone is waiting for you. They have just sat down so you didn't miss much.”
“Thanks, Alison,” I say as I follow her into the room where my friends are.
“Hey, Ryan, you made it,” Rory stands and comes over to give me a bear hug. “So glad you made it.”
“Did you doubt me, Roy?” I hug him back.
“They put you on the end just in case you were late.” Rory laughs.
I lean over and kiss Jess's hand. “Beautiful, are you sure you want to marry this man tomorrow? We can always run away together.”
She laughs. “Sorry, Ryan, Rory is far more relaxed than you are. I couldn't cope with your pace of life.”
“Well, that might be changing soon.” I wink at her and then turn to Rory. “I know you are getting married tomorrow. I also know you aren't going on your honeymoon for a few days after. Can we take some time to catch up? I have a proposition for you.”
“I hope you aren't thinking of taking him away from me, Ryan,” Jess says. She is a sweet-ass woman until you cross her. I vowed never to do that when I heard her talking to someone who had.
I hold my hands up in the air. “Absolutely not. I promise.” She smiles at me and goes back to talk to her best friend, Rachel.
“No problem, we can catch up after the wedding. We are staying at the venue tonight, and it’s your job to get me to the wedding on time.” Rory sits down.
“That’s great, thanks, bud. And you’ll be there… that’s a promise.” I need to focus on the wedding first; my life changes can wait till after his big day. I head back to my seat and sit down.
The appetizers are sent out, and Malcolm, Jess's brother-in-law, asks, “How did the stag do go? I was pretty peeved I had to miss it.”
