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“He called in a favor. I like Janet, and I think they both deserve something nice, so I agreed to do it.”
I was momentarily stunned by how sweet it was that Lucas wanted to do that for his brother.
“And you thought of me to make that happen?” I asked in a skeptical voice. “You never think of me in a positive way, Lucas.”
“What?” Rose asked as she turned an evil eye on her son.
His brows pulled in tight. “That’s not true.”
If I hadn’t known better, I would have thought I hurt his feelings, but I knew better than that.
Rose started to speak. “Lucas suggested Wendy, but I told him that you were the better choice.”
Why did that hurt so damn much? “I see.” Lucas looked down at the ground and kicked at a small rock, not meeting my eyes. I should have known he would want her since they had dated off and on over the years. She wasn’t a fan of mine either. All through my freshman year of high school, she had been nothing but a bully to me—until one day I grew tired of it and started standing up for myself.
Clearing my throat, I said, “Well, Wendy does have a lot of experience.”
Rose laughed. “Not like you.”
“She is Janet’s sister, though,” Lucas interjected. Then he sighed. “But when I mentioned her to Mom, she suggested you and said that you were the best.”
“Well, that looked like it was hard to even say,” I said with a smirk.
“It was,” he agreed. Another hit in the stomach by Rose.
“You only thought of her because you’ve dated her,” Rose stated.
My stomach clenched with a sick feeling. I was pretty sure their relationship was a “friends with benefits” kind of a thing, but I wasn’t sure. It also didn’t help that Wendy was also a party planner, not on the scale that I was, owning my own company and all, but she did her fair share of events. Mostly weddings, if I recalled correctly, and catering to out-of-towners who wanted that Salem experience. I never really paid attention to what she did because I never considered her competition. She seemed to like to do the more traditional Salem Witch-type events, which was fine by me. And I didn’t like her. Petty, I know.
Lucas smirked as if he were reading my mind. Suddenly, the thought of working on this with him was too much to even think about.
I drew in a slow breath and exhaled before focusing back on Rose. “I’m sorry, Rose, I won’t be able to help out.”
She frowned. “Drat. Do you have something else planned for that day?”
It was only then that I realized I had no idea when this was supposed to be. I was about to say yes when I noticed Lucas lean forward, suddenly very interested in my reply. When I looked at him, I wanted to slap the smug look right off his face. He knew I had no idea when it was and had just lied.
“Yes, Hollie, do you have something planned for then?”
“When is it again?” I asked Rose as I glared at Lucas.
“They both love Halloween so much, so he’d like to ask her on Halloween. I’d like it to be Halloween-themed. Greg is going to tell her they are going to a custom party.”
I loved Halloween-themed parties, especially when costumes were involved.
“Will it be a party also?” I asked.
“Yes, Greg wants it to be just them alone when he asks, with us close by, of course. Then everyone will join in on the celebration,” Lucas said.
“I’m so sorry, Rose, but I already have two events that I’m organizing for Halloween day. I honestly don’t think I could take on this project as well.”
“Hollie, you’re the only one I trust to make this special for Greg and Janet. I’ll pay you double.”
I shook my head. “It’s not about the money, Rose. It’s honestly about me not having enough time.” It was the truth. I had two Halloween-themed parties I was helping plan: one kids’ event and the other, a very adult-themed party. I did have a small handful of employees, and I knew if I had it all planned out, I could do the surprise engagement and celebration after.
The heartbreak on her face nearly did me in. She forced a smile and gave me a slight nod. “I understand.”
Lucas must have seen it as well because he took his mother’s hands and brought them up to his mouth, kissing the back of both. It was the sweetest thing I’d ever seen him do.
