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It was a Friday night and a rare occasion when Hunter was with his father, Seth. I shouldn’t get tipsy just in case Seth called and needed to bring him back, but I couldn’t help but let go just a little. I was always the responsible one, and for once, I wanted to celebrate with my friends and business partners.
A sense of contentment and gratitude came over me. The arrangement was originally Gia’s idea, but we’d quickly signed on, seeing the potential. She had amazing business sense, and I hoped to learn a lot from her.
We sat in the overstuffed leather chairs arranged around Gia’s desk to go over Savannah and Ethan’s wedding in more detail. Our intention was to fix any issues that came up for future weddings. When we finished, there wasn’t anything, other than the surprise groom’s gift for the bride.
We set the spreadsheets and paperwork aside while Gia poured a third glass. Her cheeks were flush from the alcohol. “We should set up some rules.”
Lily lifted her glass. “To not sleeping with the bridal party.”
I almost choked on the champagne I’d just sipped. Did she know about Nick and me?
Gia nodded. “That goes without saying. Don’t flirt or sleep with anyone in the wedding party. At least during the time leading up to the wedding and the wedding night.”
My chest was tight, and I couldn’t draw in a deep breath. She had to know. Why else was she bringing it up? Yet she wasn’t looking at me.
Sophie ticked off her fingers. “And don’t sleep with the vendors, that includes the musicians, the caterers, and our suppliers. It would be awkward.”
She’d recently reconnected with her high school sweetheart, Mark, so she didn’t need to worry about the rules affecting her.
Gia groaned. “Definitely don’t make that mistake. I carefully cultivated relationships with various vendors, and we don’t want anything to interfere with business when we’re just getting started.”
The only vendor we used who wasn’t in the room was Harrison. He owned a wedding supply company, so we didn’t need to store our own furniture and linens. As a bonus, he stayed to help us move whatever we needed.
Gia took another swig of her champagne. “And while we’re on the topic. No sleeping with the competition.”
I reached for the champagne bottle, offering her a refill. I hoped she drank enough to forget the conversation in the morning.
“Who counts as the competition?” Sophie asked.
Gia’s eyes widened.
Returning to my seat, I said, “I think Gia meant the vendors who host weddings and retain on-staff wedding planners.”
Gia nodded. “In this area, no one else is offering wedding planning services. Our main competition are resorts and hotels that offer a one-stop shop. They don’t offer a personalized experience. It’s just a monopoly for the vendor. And most of the time the wedding planners on staff aren’t versed or experienced in weddings.”
Gia was most likely referring to our biggest competitor, Chesapeake Resort. The owner, Silas Sharpe, was a b’dillionaire and oldest of four brothers, all successful in their own right. Gia mentioned that Silas seemed to have radar whenever she met with a large client. He’d swoop in and steal them away. It drove her crazy, or, maybe I should say, he drove her crazy.
I’d let Gia go on long enough about these rules. It was time to rein her back in. “I thought these rules were to protect the business. We might’ve gotten a little off track.”
Gia grabbed a pen and a paper. “Let’s write them down before we forget.”
Lily and Sophie nodded like it was the best idea. I must have been the only one who was sober at that point and questioning the intelligence of writing the rules down. If anyone found them, it wouldn’t look professional.
Gia held up a finger. “Number one—no sleeping with the wedding party. Best man. Groomsmen. None of them.”
My heart picked up its pace. Was she talking about me?
“How about no hooking up at the wedding,” Sophie offered helpfully.
“Or before,” Lily added.
Gia was frantically scribbling on the piece of paper, her tongue peeked out in concentration.
“No cavorting with the enemy,” Gia murmured as she stared at the paper.
“I think it was no sleeping with the enemy,” Sophie said seriously.
Gia looked up at her and nodded. “No sleeping with him. No matter how much you want to.”
