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He frowned at the thought. Maybe he was coming down with something.
Rylie didn’t seem to notice his momentary panic. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Likewise,” Toni said. “It’s so nice to see Dustin with such a lovely young woman.”
Dustin spluttered. “No, Toni, we’re not together—”
“I have a boyfriend,” Rylie said at the exact same time.
Toni’s face turned crimson. “Oh, well, when you said you needed a tour, I just assumed…” Toni trailed off.
“We work for Something Borrowed, Toni,” he said. “We’re scouting the winery for a client.”
Toni seemed to recover from her initial discomfort and smiled. “Oh, well that is wonderful too. And it is still nice to meet you.”
“Yeah, you too,” Rylie mumbled, her cheeks a cherry red hue.
Toni shot Dustin a confused look. “Wait, you work there too?”
“Yeah. It’s fun, and you know how good I look in a tux,” he said, winking at her.
“Oh, well, you definitely do.” Toni was probably still wondering why he, a multi-millionaire, would work at a place for rental bridesmaids. Everyone had been asking him why, including his mother, but he’d just changed the subject. It was nobody’s business but his.
Toni seemed to regain her composure, because her saleswoman smile was back in place. “Let me show you around. Dustin, you’ve been here before, but we’ve remodeled the main clubhouse and our lodge rooms since then.”
Rylie was all business now, walking beside Toni as they headed across the grounds. “And how many guest rooms do you have?”
“About fifty, including several suites.”
“Wow, that’s great. Our clients want an intimate affair,” Rylie said. “Do you allow outside caterers?”
“No, but we have a varied menu that should work well for their needs. I’d be happy to set up a tasting.”
Dustin didn’t want to get her hopes up if they decided to go with another venue. “Let’s just see what you’ve done with the place first, Toni.”
“Certainly.”
Dustin followed behind Rylie and Toni as they walked along a stone path. The grass was green, proving that Heart and Soul wasn’t concerned about the California drought. Then again, Northern California never had the climate troubles that their Southern counterpart did.
Dustin’s pocket vibrated and he checked the screen. Shit, it was his agent.
He hit the reject button. He’d call him later, when there was no one around to eavesdrop. It wasn’t as though he could openly tell people he was writing a book.
Especially when the subject matter was about a groomsman for hire spilling all the dirt he could on the celebrity couples and their weddings.
He’d been trying to come up with a book idea for months, and frustrated by severe writer’s block, had taken a drive out to his family winery. When he’d found his mother, she’d informed him that starlet Paula Riviera was celebrating her marriage to her wife, Julie Waynewright. There was only about fifty people in attendance, and absolutely no press. Dustin had spotted Marley Stevenson and her boss, Kelly, working as bridesmaid and wedding planner and it had struck him. People loved reading about celebrity dirt, and it was well known that weddings brought out the beast in almost everyone.
So, that Monday, he’d called his agent and pitched his idea. He’d gone wild for it, and Dustin had walked into Something Borrowed and offered his services to Kelly. He’d been surprised how receptive she was to the idea and before he knew it, he’d had his opening three chapters written and a proposal for his agent to shop.
And the Rolland/Marconi wedding was going to be his gold mine.
“Oh, this is lovely.” Rylie’s voice brought him out of his head and back to the present. There was a beautiful pond surrounded by flowers and several benches. A couple of swans swam across the clear water.
“Yes, the pond is a popular attraction,” Toni said.
“How do you keep the water so clear with the birds?” Rylie asked.
“We filter and clean it daily.”
