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“Knock knock,” I hear from the doorway and Ruth walks into my office.
I smile. Ruth is a wonderfully feisty woman who keeps this place entertaining. She’s been a matchmaker for pretty much her whole life and she definitely has a way of doing things. She embraced the idea of Layla starting a business and even though she likes to grumble about technology and the app, she loves that her granddaughter has followed in her footsteps.
“Hi, Ruth, how are you today?” I ask, turning toward her. Since I’m standing at my desk, she perches on the arm of the couch, facing me.
“Oh, I’m just hunky-dory, darling. How are you? I feel like I haven’t seen you around the office much.” She smiles as she interlocks her fingers together and places them in front of her on her thighs.
With a sigh, I lean onto my forearms on my desk. “So busy. You know how I love to move and keep busy, but I’m relishing in the fact that my feet are planted here for the next hour.”
She chuckles. “I understand, but with you so busy, it means business is good.”
“Very much so. I’ve had to turn clients away, which I hate, but I won’t risk the integrity of the company to take on more than one event a weekend. It’s just not fair to the client.”
“Agreed. You are such a wonderful woman, dear.” Her smile is so comforting. I lost my grandparents when I was younger, so having Ruth in my life makes me feel loved. Not to mention that my own mother isn’t very motherly toward me. She’d have to be around to be motherly. Or at least call.
“Well, I have one hell of a mentor, Ruth.” I grin. “So what’s up?”
While I know Ruth is a caring, loving person, she is a very intentional person. If she’s in my office, it’s not to chitchat.
She waves a hand. “Oh, nothing really, just wanted to chat.”
My brows narrow. Right. I’ll chat and then soon enough her reasons will show.
“I wanted to catch up, to be honest. I heard you took on a last-minute client.” Her face is thoughtful.
“Oh yeah, Nora and Mateo. Super fun couple, med students. She thought she could handle planning a wedding but just got overwhelmed,” I tell her.
“The girls were saying you’re turning this puppy around in under six months.” Her eyes widen.
“I am. But Nora is very laid back and the library magically had an opening for November, which was her original plan. It felt as if it was kismet.”
She nods. “Well, I have no doubt you will give her the most wonderful wedding.”
The praise makes me blush, but I shrug it off. It’s my job to create the most wonderful weddings.
“You mentioned the bride is laid back. That’s probably going to help. How active is the groom?” she questions.
“Nora is super fun and has been very easy to work with so far. She’s super busy with school, but her communication is on par. And the groom, he just wants her to be happy, but like most grooms, he’s not the one calling the shots.” I smirk. That’s the typical breakdown.
Ruth nods, liking what she hears. “Very good. Nice-sized budget?”
“Yup,” I say. “She also comes from money, so I’m not feeling restrained in what we can do. You know what I always say, the best client is the one who can afford what they want.”
“Hallelujah. I remember that one bride last year kept asking for over-the-top things and you were so stressed as her budget was so small.” Ruth’s bottom lip pops out in a pout.
“That’s always the worst,” I agree.
“ So, easy couple. Quick turnaround, big budget. Anything else exciting?” Her tone is dreamy.
I think about what else I can share when it hits me that I totally left out the obnoxious man footing the bill.
“Oh my goodness, yes, so big brother is footing the bill.” I take a breath.
She jumps in with a, “Bride’s or groom’s?”
“Oh, bride. They lost their parents when she was a teen. He’s like seven or eight years older and so he’s paying for the whole thing.”
“Okay, that sounds lovely.” She’s clearly confused.
