Setting my bag on the desk, I roll my shoulders, the tension from the last twenty-four hours refusing to ease. It’s going to be a long day. But before I can power up my laptop, the faint sound of footsteps approaching makes me pause.
“Morning, Elyse!” Faith’s voice cuts through the silence, awide grin on her face. My other two interns, Ben and Paisley, follow behind her, all three of them looking far too chipper for this early hour.
“Morning, guys.” I force a smile, bracing myself for what’s coming. These kids have been a handful, but they mean well. And I forgot, Fridays are when they spend the entire morning in the office. “What’s up?”
Faithsmirks and nods toward my desk. “Notice anything different?”
I furrow my brows in confusion, roaming my eyes across the wooden desk. “Why? What did you guys do?”
Paisley laughs, shaking her head. “To your left.”
And that’s when I see it, my eyes snag on it, not sure if I should be embarrassed or impressed.
It’s a framed copy of my mugshot sitting amongst the cluster of family photographs I have displayed. How they managed to get it so quickly is beyond me. I doubt it’s even hit public records yet. I pluck it, staring at it more closely. My bright red lipstick only draws more attention to the corner of my mouth lifting in afuck yousmirk.It’s got that messy, early-2000s celebrity mugshot vibe—and I kind of love it.For as pissed off as I was about the whole thing, I actually look pretty good.
“Oh my gosh.” I turn back to them, trying to keep my voice stern, but my lips twitch despite myself.
Faith’s smile widens. “We thought you’d appreciate some humor after yesterday’s…events.”
Ben snickers, leaning against the doorframe. “My cousin Nicky works for the sheriff’s office, she did me a solid.”
Well, that explains how they were able to get ahold of the picture so quickly.
Paisleychuckles. “Plus, it’s kind of iconic now. I mean, you look like a Hollywood actress.”
I shake my head, trying not to smile. “You guys got me,” I admit.
I’m almost thankful they broke the ice. The last thing I’m in the mood for is explaining every detail of what occurred. I’m glad they’re lightening the mood. After all, they could’ve been annoying about it, but they chose to playfully tease me instead.
I laugh, setting the picture down.“It’s creative, I’ll give you that.”
The irony of it sitting between my college graduation photo and a family portrait from a charity gala the winery hosted—forever the bad seed in my family, no matter how hard I try to hide it.
“Oh, and these came for you.” Ben hands me a vase of red roses. My favorite.
I set them down and immediately grab the card nestled in the arrangement. I don’t often get flower deliveries.
The card reads: “Thinking of you. S.”
S?
I have to think for a moment, and then laugh for not realizing it sooner.
“Who are they from? Secret admirer?” Faith asks.
“My best friend, Scottie. She’s just being a brat.”
I’ll have to remember to text her later, but right now I need to get into work mode.
To keep the interns from getting further distracted by my embarrassing arrest, I hand them the training packets I meant to give out yesterday. That should keep them preoccupied for the time being—my brain is too scattered to dole out assignments.
They head back to their desks and get to work before leaving for their afternoon classes at the local community college.
Meanwhile, I spend the next few hours buried in mindlesstasks, my inbox overflowing with client inquiries and questions from vendors. We’re one of the only wedding venues in the area to offer full planning services—something I implemented when I took over. Most venues only provide a day-of coordinator, making Ledger one of the more desirable places to host a wedding. With it being nearly wedding season, it seems everyone picked today to start their planning in earnest. I’m answering emails, confirming appointments, and sorting through vendor contracts when the phone rings.
“Elyse Ledger, Event Coordinator.”
“Hi, it’s me.” I immediately recognize Marisa’s voice. She’s my brother, Ethan’s girlfriend, but she was my friend first, so I still claim her.
