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“Well, like I told you earlier, we had a meeting and there are going to be two wedding planners because it’s going to take both of them to get the event ready. One is going to do the church prep and the other is going to do the hotel event prep. So that way, they’re not constantly going back and forth between the two venues, but it all gets taken care of properly.” I was super happy that she was taking notice of the things going on around her.
I looked her over carefully. “I have to get with the caterers in a little while, but I did want to check in with you and make sure everything was going okay.”
Her color was good and the pretty girl that had been under all that dirt was taking shape again. She might come out of this with emotional scars, but I felt that she would recover from the trauma eventually. PTSD would probably be an issue, but she would learn to manage that.
“I know we haven’t really talked about what your future might look like, but we want to get you out of this room in the near future, we need to see how you might want to explore that thought.”
Elana smiled, but it wasn’t as bright, and even with her earlier comment, leaving this room would still be a big step for her.
I approached the conversation softly now. “Is there anything you want to do or somewhere you want to go when it’s safe?” I continued to ask questions, hoping that she had some idea of what she wanted.
“All I do know is that I don’t have anyone to go back to in Florida,” Elana admitted. “It’s been years. I never finished college and I wasn’t a senior.” She shrugged, her go-to form of communication.
I kept my gaze on her. Letting her know that I could wait for her to take her time.
Her small voice said, “I’d like to finish my degree and maybe get some kind of job here. It seems like as good a place as any to settle down and start over.”
It sounded like she knew where things were going for her future. “Do you have a job preference?”
“I think I want to be a finance manager. I’d like to work in bookkeeping or something of that nature.” She smiled shyly. “That way I don’t have to be around a lot of people, but I could still support myself.”
She has been using this time to think about things. I was so proud of her. Most would wallow in what had happened, and they would have the right to do that. It was encouraging to see her want to take charge of herself and regain her power.
“Let me see what I can do and figure out some possibilities here for you since you don’t want to go back to Florida or home.” I patted her arm. “There are plenty of jobs here and no need to start over in a completely new place. Here you’ll at least know a few people when you get going.”
Elana shook her head. “That wasn’t my home and the few friends I did have, have probably forgotten about me by now.” She sounded really sad.
“I’m not sure if it’s safe for you to contact them, but if you can and want to find them then we’ll make it a priority.” I glanced at my watch. I knew it was close to time to meet the caterer. So, I tried to finish up with Elana because I didn’t want to keep them waiting.
“Look, keep thinking about it and I’ll see what we can do to get you a fresh start. Gina and Frankie can take you out to the gardens to walk around. Just make sure to stay close to the house so there aren’t any problems.” I stood to leave. “Much as I’d like to stay, the caterers are going to arrive and I need to get this over with.” I made a face, to lighten the mood as much as possible.
“Have fun and let us know what all that fun food tastes like.” Elana sighed at the thought.
I discovered Luciano waiting outside of the dining room.
“How did the meeting go?” He asked as we walked out with his hand on the small of my back.
“Elana wants to find a job and finish school, but she doesn’t want to go back home to Florida.”
“Great. It sounds like a good start.” He reached for my hand. “Can we finish talking about that after our meeting?” he asked as we walked into the room where the caterers were setting up and the coordinators began bringing stuff out to us in waves.
I was touched that he asked and didn’t demand, so I only nodded and kissed the side of his jaw.
He raised his brow at me, and gave me a small smile, one I returned.
We sat at the dining table and each dish or series of dishes tasted amazing. I couldn’t wait to see what they actually came up with for our wedding. I wasn’t too keen on this, but the food would be a show stopper.
I held my nose and immediately waved the dish away. “Oh, I can’t handle salmon. That’s a no.”
“Why is that?” He laughed at my sour expression.
“Because I got locked in the fish cellar once when I was a teenager. It was when I first started working for my dad, and it was all freshly cut salmon. Now, I just can’t handle the smell.”
At my explanation, a darkness came over Luciano’s features, “Who locked you in the cellar?”
I think one of the servers actually eeped, at my fiancé’s tone.
“It was ages ago, and it has been handled. No worries.” I waved my hand at him as if it were no big deal. Because it wasn’t now. I took care of it. I always took care of things.
