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“Umm…” The waiter who looked only a year or two younger than herself ran a shaky hand through his auburn hair before scratching at an invisible five o’clock shadow.
“None of it arrived.”
She leaned in. “As in not delivered.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Juniper nodded as an odd grip tightened in her chest.
“The flutes? The martini glasses with the little gold and black bowties. Did you bring those?”
Both men perked up at that and nodded.
“Okay then.” In an effort to regain her composure she offered a small smile. Not all was lost.
The double doors swung open again and she dared a peek. Bright lights and lenses flashed her way.
Just...damn.
Cameras. Live TV.
Her hand flew to her heart and sudden panic tightened around her vocal cords. For a split second nothing came out.
Then her father’s favorite saying came to mind:Fail to plan then plan to fail.
She’d planned this down to the second the newlyweds would be sipping margaritas on a Tahitian beach. No way this little detail would throw a glitch in her work.
In an instant, her mind clicked over from her second panic of the day to instant problem-solver mode. That or risk passing out in the middle of the kitchen on live TV.
Yeah, hard pass on that.
Juniper shook off the cold dread that wanted to cling to her, smiled for the cameras, and let them get a good shot of the cake where she directed Rachael, Vows from Juniper’s in-house chef and baker, to explain the intricate details of the design.
Step one completed, she moved to the side and signaled with a crooked finger for the waiters to follow her.
She didn’t panic when her assistant misplaced a check for ten grand from one of their winter weddings a few months ago or when the wedding photographer showed up drunk from a three-day drinking binge in Cabos on spring break. She wouldn’t panic now.
A waitress swept into the kitchen with a tray of cutlery specifically designed for the cutting of the cake, nearly smacking her in the face. Juniper took it in stride.
“Whoops. Sorry, Ms. Winter. Where should I put these?”
Juniper checked her watch.
Her earpiece crackled a little before her partner came on the COMS to announce the bride-to-be was almost ready as her phone vibrated from a small modified pocket in her dress Juniper added at the last minute.
Shoulders back and with a practiced smile, she calmly spoke to the waiters. “Here’s what we need to do. You two,” Juniper pointed to the waiters and passed over a set of keys, “Ms. Stewart has a cellar. In there you will find five cases of champagne that I had delivered ahead of time. That should be enough to get you started.”
Juniper pressed talk on her phone. “Hello, Juniper speaking?”Please, let it be the delivery guys.
“Juniper sweetie, this isn’t a bad time, is it?” Gran’s familiar voice filtered through the phone’s speaker.
Juniper nearly laughed. “Uhh, not at all, Gran. What’s up?”
She fumbled in her pocket until she found her tiny case of mints.
With the phone still to her ear, Juniper pointed to another waiter who had joined them and not a moment too soon. “And you wait outside for the delivery. I’ll call and get things worked out. Be on the ready to move fast when they arrive. We have an hour tops until everyone hits up the martini bar.” Hopefully.
“Everything okay, Gran?” Juniper repeated, peering at her watch as she spoke. Juniper pulled the phone slightly away and turned to the waitress waiting for instruction. “Take the martini glasses and line all the remaining trays that do not have champagne flutes so we don’t waste any time once everything arrives.”
