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Three days. I had only three days left. And my answer couldnotafford to be half-hearted. Once I’d given my word, I wouldn’t be able to go back on it.
Realizing the ceremony was coming to a close, I caught the photographer’s eye and gave a firm nod. A member of the groom’s family, he’d never done a wedding before and was extremely nervous.
I spent the next few hours floating from person to person—gesturing for the food to be brought out, signaling the band to play, giving the father of the bride an encouraging back-pat before he did his speech. Fortunately, this was one of the occasions where no last-minute challenges cropped up, so every stage seamlessly flowed into the next.
If there were times my chest twanged when I saw Felicity and Grayden either laughing, holding hands, or dancing together—reminding me of what a fool I’d been—I pretended them away.
If there were times she tried approaching me but was neatly intercepted by him, I pretended them away, too.
If there were times when I caught him looking at me, his eyes dull and regretful, I ignored them as well.
I didn’t, however, ignore when Blaise accidentally-on-purpose threw a prawn at me—despite that I managed to dodge it. Having used a napkin to scoop it off the floor, I gave him a condescending, pitying smile. “Now I’d expect something like that from an eight year old, not someone of your age.”
His cheeks flushing, he jutted out the dimpled chin he’d inherited from his mother. He also had her wide-set blue-hazel eyes and russet-brown hair. “You shouldn’t be here. You’re not welcome.”
How devastating.
There was so much I’d love to say to this belligerent little shit who, if what his younger sisters told me was true, happened to be a major bully to them. But I wouldn’t be baited into doing that here. I wouldn’t spoil the wedded couple’s day or damage my company’s reputation.
I gave him my back, only then realizing that the bride was hurrying over, her smile wide, her gaze wary as it danced from me to him.
“Hi, Blaise,” said Kaelie. “Enjoying yourself?”
“Whatever,” he mumbled before stalking off with a sulky stride.
“Teenagers.” Sighing, Kaelie turned to me. “Sorry if he’s being a pain. I did suggest tosome peoplethat they not show to make things less awkward, but they chose to ignore that. Which annoys me, because I didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”
“I adore you for worrying, but I’m truly fine.” I shrugged. “Grayden and I simply weren’t meant to be.”
Kaelie gave me a gentle smile. “My opinion? He’s a fool for letting you go.” She squeezed my hand. “Thank you so much for making mine and Theo’s day so perfect.”
Just as the bride returned to the dance floor, Sabrina materialized on my left and asked, “Everything okay?”
“Yes, Kaelie was just thanking us for making her big day all she’d dreamed it would be,” I fudged, deciding not to mention the Blaise thing for now.
“I’m glad she’s so happy, but I gotta be honestI am sonotlooking forward to tomorrow.” Sabrina’s nose wrinkled. “Clean-up sucks.”
“Yeah.” Venues often allowed us to return for clean-up duty the day after an event, though sometimes they wanted it done once the guests had trickled out. Luckily, this wasn’t one of those times, but that didn’t mean we would arrive home at a nice hour. Our team was always the first to arrive and also the last to leave.
As such, soon after the bride and groom left later on, I asked my team to politely usher the guests out of the venue and into cabs while I dealt with collecting the wedding gifts.
As I was loading them into our company van in the parking lot, I heard heels click-clacking the pavement behind me.
“You know,” began a high-pitched voice that grated on my nerves, “some people were surprised that you didn’t ask another event organizer to take over.Iwasn’t, though. If there’s one thing I can say for you, it’s that you give your company all you’ve got.”
Turning to face Felicity, I would have thanked her for the compliment if I wasn’t sure she was about to add a bitchy comment.
She smirked. “You gave Grayden all you had, too, didn’t you? And still, it wasn’t enough.”
And there it was.
“You couldn’t hold onto him.”
I shrugged and deadpanned, “Your pull is just too strong, he couldn’t resist.”
She pressed her red-painted lips together. She was a beautiful woman—no doubt about it. One of those people who made the size-zero thing look good rather than unhealthy. But her looks were spoiled by the slyness of her character—it shined through in the cruel curve of her lips, the mean glint in her eyes, the cocky set of her shoulders.
She stuck out her chin, much as her son had done earlier. “I warned you that Grayden would come back to me. I told you it’d be better for you if you let him go; that you’d only get hurt it you didn’t.”
