Adriana and I watched him announce the food and serve it with a flourish. There was a round of applause from most of the table, aside from Celeste. She looked as if she was having a terrible time, but we’d decided to ignore her as far as possible. She hadn’t shown any completely awful behavior thus far, at least.
“Wait,” I heard Adriana whisper as people began to eat. “Wait, oh… Oh no.”
I was about to ask what was wrong when a commotion started taking root at the bridal table.
Celeste had started coughing and choking, and Forrest was already on his feet. “Somebody, help!”
“She’s allergic to tree nuts,” Adriana said to me, her eyes wide and terrified. “I think I forgot to tell Nolan.”
“Get a paramedic,” I told her, before jumping forward toward the bridal table. “Please, everyone, remain calm, give her some space.”
Around me, people moved back, the room quickly filling with audible gasps, whispers, and a splash of panic. Forrest was yelling, demanding that someone save his mother, while Dahlia was crying.
“Don’t worry,” I said to Celeste, pulling her chair out so that there was more space. “We have someone on the way. You’re going to be okay, I promise.”
Within two minutes, the hotel paramedics were on scene, and took over from me. Adriana had already started talking to Dahlia, while Bryant was keeping the rest of the room calm. Forrest ran after the EMTs as they wheeled Celeste out into the hallway, and I followed, knowing that this meant trouble.
“Get Dahlia to the honeymoon suite,” I told Adriana as I passed by. “Bryant will keep things moving here.”
Forrest and I went all the way down to the lobby alongside the EMTs, where I reminded them to go through the back exit for the ambulance. The press was still hounding the front gates, and we didn’t need that kind of attention right now.
“Who is responsible for this?” Forrest yelled at me once his mother was taken away and they’d assured him she’d be alright. “Whatidiot—”
“Please calm down, Sir,” I insisted, though my heart was hammering. This wasn’t a small issue. This was huge. “I promise you, this was a freak accident.”
“Accident?”Forrest’s voice simply increased in volume. “I demand to know who it was that was trying to kill my motherthis instant!”
“We can discuss this in my office,” I answered firmly. “I am sure you don’t want an audience from the media to hear right now.”
Forrest glanced over my shoulder toward the front door. “Fine. But don’t think you’re getting away with anything. She could still die! I could have this place shut downright now.”
I led him to my office while he shouted all the way. A few texts later, Adriana, Bryant, and Nolan were all gathered in the office, too, looking worse for wear. Adriana, especially, seemed terrified of what the consequences were going to be for this disaster.
Forrest paced across my office furiously, his face a bright red and his fists balled up. At this point, we’d been told his mother was being held for observation, but was going to be fine.
He didn’t seem to think that fact made any kind of difference.
“Who did this?” he demanded of the four of us. Nolan, Bryant, and I shared a look, but Adriana stepped forward before we could say anything.
“I am sorry,” she said, her voice shaking but her shoulders squared. “I did not inform the kitchen of your mother’s allergy. It was my mistake.”
“Fire her!” Forrest immediately yelled at Bryant, who simply raised his eyebrows. I could see tears start to form in Adriana’s eyes, but she stayed where she was, ready to take whatever punishment was thrown her way.
“Absolutely not,” Nolan, Bryant, and I all said at the same time.
“Excuse me?” Forrest was shocked enough to pause both his yelling and his pacing. “She almostkilledmy mother and you’re keeping her here? Do you understand what this will do to this hotel? I will tell the entire world!”
“You are free to do so,” I said.
“But that will not change anything.” Nolan added.
“We will stand by her, no matter what,” Bryant ended. “Even if we lose everything.”
Epilogue
Adriana
The following week passed in a flurry of accusations, investigations, and fires that had to be put out. Bryant, Landon, and Nolan refused to let me get involved, however, all insisting that they’d sort the whole thing out. Eventually, the dust settled, and things seemed to be back to normal.
