Teddi joined her laughter as any tension bled away. “She adores her sister—I can tell you that.”
“I wonder what their story is.”
Teddi nodded, not admitting to Harlow that she hadn’t wondered much else since the meeting. Those eyes… She cleared her throat and lifted one shoulder.
“I guess maybe you’ll find out on Friday?”
* * *
Fast paced, immersive, jam packed, and crazy busy—words that described every Friday before a wedding in Teddi’s business. Hopeless Romantic had always had a reputation for excellence and still did, despite their few recent bumps in the road.
“T.J. is on line two,” Preston told her as she hung up from a heated debate with a caterer.
“Carlson’s trying to jack up his pricing at the last minute. Put a note in his file for me. We’ll think twice before recommending him again.” Teddi swiftly changed lines. “T.J. the DJ. How’s the music business today?”
The morning flew by like it had a jet engine and someplace very important to be. She and Preston sat down over a lunch of subs and chips and went through their lists for tomorrow’s wedding. Amelia DiMarco was marrying Todd Jensen at a vineyard about an hour away. They were a sweet couple and Teddi was looking forward to it.
“This should be a nice one,” Preston said as if reading her mind. “No bridezilla. No douchebag groom. I think they’ll make it.”
“Same. What’s our average now?” Since they’d begun working together, they’d predicted the future of each and every couple they’d dealt with—who’d stay together, who’d be divorced within a year, and everything in between.
“We are disturbingly accurate,” Preston said, then took a bite of his roasted veggie sub.
Teddi grinned. “Okay. I’ve conferred with the caterer, the florist, the DJ, and the delivery guys.”
Preston glanced at his tablet, scrolling a bit with one hand while he held his sub in the other. “Venue, Harlow, limo, videographer. Check, check, check, and check.”
“Fantastic. We are a well-oiled machine, my friend.”
Preston high-fived her across the table.
They ate in silence for several moments, decompressing from the busy morning and bracing for the rush of the afternoon.
“You have newbies coming in later?”
Teddi nodded as she swallowed. “At four. Kelly Scott. Seems like a nice girl. I’ll get more detailed info from her today, then let you know what we’re looking at.”
“This is the one that came in with her sister, was it?”
“Yeah, an older one. Leah. I don’t know where the mother is or if there is one.”
“You’ll find out.” He wasn’t wrong. Being a wedding planner was weirdly like being a bartender. People just told Teddi things. Secrets. Hopes. Fears. She knew about unannounced pregnancies. She knew about last-minute affairs. She knew when a woman wanted to get married more than anything in the world, and she also knew when a woman thought she might be making the biggest mistake of her life. She got it all, never by asking, and she was used to it by now. Preston’s perfectly shaped eyebrows met at the top of his nose. “Leah Scott? Why does that name sound familiar?”
“I’m pretty sure that’s what her sister said. I don’t think she’s married.” Objection. Rejection. Irritation. Her reactions to the idea of Leah being married. Ignore them. Ignore them all.
Preston tapped a manicured finger against his lips, then shook his head. “Nope. I can’t place it. I might be thinking of someone else.”
Teddi popped the last of her turkey sub into her mouth and crumpled up the wrapper. “Ready for round two?”
Preston mimicked her cleanup. “Let’s do this.”
They stood together, fist-bumped, and then headed in separate directions to conquer the battle that was a Friday afternoon at Hopeless Romantic.
Is it four o’clock already?
The question flew through Teddi’s head a while later when the electronic ding-dong that meant the front door had opened hit her ears. She heard Preston’s greeting and knew Kelly Scott was here. Was Leah here, too? It occurred to her that she wasn’t sure. She kind of hoped so—she could admit that. She stood up and glanced in the mirror that hung in her office. She had fixed her hair, repaired her eyeliner, and was adding a quick coat of lip gloss before she registered what it was she was doing. Oh my God, you’re primping. You’re actually primping. Stop it! With a shake of her head, she took a deep breath, let it out, then left her office to meet her client.
* * *
“Say something,” Leah demanded of Kelly as they pulled the door to Hopeless Romantic open and a pretty little electronic bell sounded.
Kelly squinted at her. “What?”
Leah feigned shock, tapped the face of her silver watch with a finger to punctuate each word. “I. Am. On. Time.”
Kelly stopped dead halfway through the door. A super tight hug followed, one that surprised Leah but made her laugh. “You are.” The door eased shut behind them, and Kelly let go of her but didn’t step forward.
“You okay?” Leah asked quietly.
“I’m nervous.” Kelly turned wide eyes to her. “Is that weird?”
Looking at Kelly transported Leah back many years. Just for a moment, she was twenty-three and Kelly was fifteen, getting ready to go out on her first date, gazing at her big sister for reassurance as she told her how nervous she was. Leah had felt protective then and she felt protective now. As she tucked an errant strand of hair behind Kelly’s ear, she smiled tenderly. “It’s not weird at all. I think hiring a wedding planner is a thing that sets it all in motion, you know? Forward, full-force. No turning back. Of course you’re nervous. Totally normal.”
Semi-convinced. Leah could tell by Kelly’s expression. But Kelly gave one nod. “Okay.”
“You must be Kelly Scott.” One of the handsomest men Leah had ever seen walked toward them with a hand outstretched. Judging from Kelly’s deer-in-the-headlights look, she felt the same way. “I’m Preston Lacosta, Teddi’s assistant manager. It’s lovely to meet you.” He shook Kelly’s hand.
“Isn’t Ms. Baker going to be here?” The words were out of her mouth before Leah even knew she was thinking of saying them. She rolled her lips in and bit down on them.
“And you’re the sister. Leah, is it?”
Those deep, richly dark eyes of his probably mesmerized a good chunk of the women—and probably some of the men—who came in here.
“Kelly. Leah. Good to see you both again.” Teddi Baker materialized from somewhere in the back, and just like that, the ground that had felt shaky and uncertain under Leah’s feet seemed to stabilize. Weird. Teddi shook hands with Kelly, her smile wide, dimples on full display. When Teddi turned to Leah, those dark, dark eyes seemed to reach out and collect her, cradle and hold her within them. Their hands clasped, and Teddi’s smile softened as she greeted Leah with a soft “Hi.”
“Hey.” Leah had never believed in things like instant connections or soul mates or any of that hokey crap, but there was something here. Something undefinable. Something sharp and heavy and strong. Did Teddi feel it, too? She wanted to know so badly, but how exactly did you ask that of a virtual stranger? Yeah, keep your mouth shut. You’re here for Kelly.