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“For what?” Rem asks as he joins us, looping his arm around Erin’s shoulders and kissing the top of her head.
“I’m going to take point on speaking to Summer about the flowers on the arbor,” I fill him in. “So Erin doesn’t have to worry about it. She has enough to figure out.”
“Appreciate it,” Rem says with a nod, admiring my handiwork. “You did a hell of a job there, Chase.”
I look up at the arched arbor and nod in agreement. This might be one of my best pieces to date. “Thanks. I’m happy with it, but I’m just glad that Erin likes it.”
“Love,” she says. “I love it.”
“Hey, I have a question.” I turn to both of them and scratch the back of my neck. “I was in the flower shop the other day, and the ladies there mentioned that Charlie Lexington is the best wedding planner in the valley.”
Rem’s eyes narrow. “And?”
“And…have you considered hiring her to help you out?”
“I have,” Erin confirms and side-eyes her fiancé, “but Remington shot it down. Rival family, and all that ridiculousness.”
“It’s not ridiculous,” Rem insists, but I shake my head.
“Maybe it is, just a little,” I reply, and Rem turns his eyes back to me. “We don’t have beef with the Lexington siblings, Rem. Our parents had beef with their parents.”
“I still have beef with their dad,” Rem says, shaking his head. “He’s an asshat when it comes to property lines. Nothing has changed there. I caught a fence that was moved just last week.”
“That’s not Charlie’s fault,” Erin reminds him. “And yeah, I could use the help. Look, my aunt used to be the best event planner in Seattle, and she volunteered to come out here to help, but there’s no need for her to fly back and forth if there’s already someone who lives right here who’s just as good. Charlie has relationships with the vendors and knows all the ins and outs of this place. My aunt Alecia doesn’t.”
“You two are ganging up on me,” Rem says.
“Nope.” I grin at him. “I had no idea that Erin was already thinking about it. Talk about it some more. Maybe Charlie won’t take the job, but it might be worth the ask. Anyway, I have to go figure out this arbor situation with Summer.”
Erin bounces over to me and pulls me down to her so she can kiss me on the cheek. “You’re the best almost-brother-in-law ever.”
“I’m going to tell Brady and Ryan you said that. No take-backs.”
I laugh as they walk away, and then I pull my phone out and call Paula’s Poseys, smiling when Summer herself answers the phone.
“Hey there, Blondie, this is Chase. How do you feel about a field trip?”
“A field trip?” I can all but hear her frown on the other end of the line. “I have several hours left of work here, Chase. I’m sorry, I can’t just leave. I wish I could, though.”
“Yes, she can,” Sharla calls out.
“Honey, you need to get out of here for a while. Go hang out with the handsome cowboy,” comes Ida’s voice.
“It’s actually work related,” I put in and explain the situation with the arbor. “I’d like to come pick you up and bring you out here so you can look at it in case you need to change anything for the wedding.”
“Hmm.” She sighs on the other end of the line. “Okay. I can be ready to go by the time you get here. I’d like to see the arbor.”
“Great, I’ll be there in thirty. See you soon.”
Immediately after ending that call, I place another to Old Town Pizza and put in an order for carryout, then get into my truck and head for town.
The pizza’s ready for me when I get there, and when I pull up in front of the floral shop, Summer’s waiting out on the sidewalk.
“They kicked me out,” she says as she hops up into the truck. “Like, physically shooed me right out of my own business. But Ida’s going to take Lily home for me, so that’s nice of her. You got pizza?”
“I did,” I reply with a grin, and I can’t help but reach over and tuck her hair behind her ear the way I did earlier today. Keeping my hands to myself is proving to be harder and harder, and thankfully, she doesn’t seem to mind. “It’s good to see you, Blondie.”
Summer grins and then wrinkles her nose. “You saw me just a few hours ago, at lunchtime.”
