‘What if you don’t care about weddings?’ Eva supplied. There was no judgment in her tone. In fact, it was encouraging.
Maddy laughed nervously. Surely this was a trick? This was the last person in the world who’d want to hear that. ‘Ha. Yeah. What if?’ she said tentatively.
Eva shrugged. ‘Why don’t you say it?’
Maddy laughed again. ‘What?’
‘Go on. It’ll free you.’
Maddy paused. What was happening?
‘Repeat after me. “I don’t care about weddings,”’ Eva said with a dry smile.
Well, now she’d beentoldto say it, which changed things. ‘I don’t care about weddings,’ she said quickly. But it felt good. It felt like a relief.
Eva smiled. ‘I’m glad we’ve got that out in the open.’
Maddy was flummoxed. ‘Are you?’
‘It’s easier if I know how much help to offer. If you need a guide, I can do that. If you need someone to outright steer, I can do that too.’
‘You can?’
‘Not everyone who gets married is interested in weddings. And why should they be?’
Somehow, that had not occurred to Maddy. She had really and truly thought herself a freak.
‘It’sokaythat I don’t know what I want?’
‘The opinions of brides gave me my first grey hair last year. So no, I don’t mind.’
‘That’s a weight off,’ Maddy said sincerely. ‘And I can’t see any grey hairs, by the way.’
‘Good on both counts.’ Eva slid a neatly tabbed folder across the table. ‘Inspiration boards. Venue options. To start you off.’
Maddy opened the folder and immediately felt overwhelmed by the number of tabs.
‘Wonderful,’ she said, with the enthusiasm of someone handed a manual for assembling a spaceship.
Eva leaned back slightly, studying her again. ‘You still seem nervous.’
‘Oh,’ Maddy said brightly. ‘I’m always nervous. Sorry about that.’
‘Weddings amplify stress,’ Eva said. ‘But clarity helps. The more honest you are with me, the easier this will be. Honesty is the key to this working. I can handle it.’
Maddy had never thought her honesty was handleable. By anyone. Ever. It was how she approached life.Try not to get in the way with your personality.
Maddy smiled. ‘I’ll try.’ She meant that. Saying what she wanted did not come naturally, but by god, she’d do her best.
Eva considered her for a moment longer, then nodded once. ‘You free Friday morning?’
Maddy nodded.
‘We’ll start with a venue tour on Friday. Just you and me. It’s easier without family opinions. We can bring in the groom later.’
‘Just us,’ Maddy repeated, feeling oddly relieved.
My god, her mother was right. Everythingwasbetter now. Eva was the definition of a safe pair of hands.
