Chapter Nine

The sun that welcomed them outside McCluskey’s was already warmer than when she’d gone in not even ten minutes ago. Tori and Wyatt walked side by side in a shared silence that made her hands feel twitchy at her sides. But she couldn’t for the life of her come up with anything to ease the awkwardness.

He’d told his grandmother about her, but to what extent? As simply the new girl in town? Or had he told her about the hours they’d spent together talking the night of the wedding before falling asleep on the beach?

Or did it focus more on recent events, like their competing for the same gig and her tendency of turning into a flirt whenever they spoke? She wasn’t proud of it. It was far from the professional she’d been preaching herself to be. But she had to admit, that at least was better than the uncomfortable silence stretching between them now. She needed to think of something to break the ice.

She had nothing.

“What did you order?”

“Huh?”

He nodded to the bag in her hand. “For lunch. Get anything good?”

“Oh, right. A sandwich and salad for Lettie and Deb. And a lasagna for me.”

“Really? Lasagna?”

Tori used her hand to shade her eyes from the sun, confirming the raised eyebrow look she’d heard in his voice. “You sound surprised. It did come highly recommended after all.”

“Oh, I remember. I just figured you were too busy trying to telepathically blow my head up to pay attention.”

“What can I say? I’m an excellent multitasker.”

Wyatt’s head fell back, and he laughed so loud several people nearby sent startled looks in their direction. It was so surprisingly infectious, Tori was instantly grinning along with him. A sound she only just realized she’d been missing over the last week. Somehow, it made all her anxiety about the new business and the new town and the Bedlands that had been sticking to her slide off. It was refreshing to say the least.

“Well, you’ll soon find that Dani’s recommendation was spot-on.”

“I certainly hope so. Of course, it’s no chicken tenders and French fries.”

“Right.” He chuckled. “I’m pretty sure in Gammie’s eyes I’ll always be ten years old. Not that I’ll ever complain. It’s a lot easier to get away with eating all those cookies when your grandmother buys them for you.”

Tori smiled. “So…that was your grandma.”

“Yeah.” His grin grew then faltered almost as quickly. “Sorry about that. She can be a bit much for some people. Believe it or not, she once was this quiet little thing. But then she hit seventy, and it was like she woke up deciding she’d earned the right to say and do whatever she wanted, no matter how many people she offended in the process, unfortunately.”

“I liked it,” she assured him. “Honesty is kind of underrated these days. I mean, sure, people say they want the truth, but they don’t really mean it.”

“Honesty, my foot. You should see the bit she does when she thinks she’s found someone new to try to set me up with.”

“What bit?”

He shook his head. “She’s dead set on finding my future wife. Anytime she sees a beautiful woman, she believes it’s her job to suss her out. Is she single? Working? Does she want the kind of future that comes with marriage and kids and a labradoodle named Max? You know, normal stuff like that.”

“Well, at least she knows what she wants in a prospective suitress.”

“Suitress?”

“The female equivalent of a suitor.”

He grinned down at her. “Right, of course. She even puts them through this sort of test. She pretends to be this pitiful, helpless old woman who can’t so much as cross the street without someone’s help.”

“Pretends?”

“Oh yeah. She may look all frail and elderly, but this woman still jogs at least five miles every morning. She used to go base-jumping off the Dolomites in Italy annually until a few years ago. Gammie Rhoades is as healthy and strong as an ox. She’ll probably live longer than me.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Nope. And she has no shame about reeling these women in either. She loves to make a dramatic production of struggling to push the cart at the market or lift a package the delivery guy drops off or—”

“Carry a heavy tray of food across the restaurant to her table?” Tori froze on the sidewalk as what she’d just said sunk in. “Oh my gosh.”

Wyatt stopped beside her and grimaced. “Uh-oh. I know that look.”

She frowned up at him. “Gammie played me?”

“Gammie played you,” he repeated, nodding his agreement.

“I can’t believe I fell for her fake arthritis and elderly charm.”

“It happens to the best of us. It’s that old-lady Gammie wisdom she was talking about. It makes her a master at manipulating the younger generations. Just one of her many, many skills.”

They took several steps in silence.

“So you, uh, told her about the wedding last weekend?”

His face scrunched. “Actually, my sister and her big mouth did.”

“Oh.” Something in her chest sank like a deflated balloon. “Your sister told her about me?”

Reese had said Tori was the talk of the town the last few days, so it wasn’t that surprising Gammie had heard about her. What she hadn’t expected was the tinge of disappointment she felt realizing he hadn’t told his grandmother about her himself.

“Yeah, she saw us leaving the wedding together and blabbed to Gammie about it. I guess that’s what I get for leaving her in charge.”

“You left your sister in charge of the wedding?”

“She’s also my assistant,” he explained. “Turns out I’m not above nepotism.”

“Do you often leave your assistant in charge to duck out early?”

“To duck out, no. That was a first for me. But I do like handing over the reins and just enjoying the vibe.”

“The vibe?”

He shrugged. “You know, the ambiance. When you’re the one in charge, you spend all this time creating this atmosphere, but you don’t really get to enjoy the fruits of your labor. So once all the big moments are done, I like to put someone else behind the wheel and just take it all in. Have a few drinks, enjoy a couple songs—”

“Take a few pictures?”

He grinned. “Exactly.”

“Is this you telling me that camera’s not just for posing as a photographer to try to impress women at weddings?”

The same playful glint she’d seen the night they met lit up his eyes. “Is this you telling me it worked?”

Tori’s face and neck heated. She turned away, pretending to notice something across the street.

“Before I got into wedding planning, I used to do my own photography. I still dabble every now and then, and I like to throw together an album or something as a wedding gift for the bride and groom after it’s all over. Not just of the wedding but all the planning moments leading up to it.”

“Really? You any good?”

“I like to consider myself a humble man…but yes, I’m pretty decent. Or so my friends say, at least.”

“And our friends and family would never lie to spare our feelings.”

“Ouch.” He chuckled. “But also a valid point. Though if you knew Astrid, you’d know that’s not always true.”

“Is she the sister who works for you? That can’t be easy.” Working with Lettie could be hard enough sometimes, and they weren’t even related. Tori couldn’t imagine working that closely with family.

“Oh, she can be a real pain sometimes. But, honestly, my job would be a lot less fun if it weren’t for Astrid. She keeps the books and does all the boring business stuff I hate doing so that I can focus on the fun parts.”

“Fun parts?”

“Not so much the planning and scheduling. But the conceptualizing and coming up with a theme or design that works cohesively with what the bride wants. I enjoy taking what they like and who they are and telling a story with it.”

After all the crazy stories he’d told her that night, there was really no question why he considered that the fun part. “The planning is my favorite,” she admitted. “Trying to find vendors the clients will like while also making sure they’re available. Setting schedules for meetings that work for everyone involved. It’s like one giant puzzle. And then, of course, there’s the business side.”

“Astrid’s the one who enjoys the business stuff. I thought I was the one doing her a favor, but now I can’t imagine running Narrative Weddings without her. I don’t know what I’m going to do now that she has her MBA. I’m sure she’ll be ready to start up her own thing soon, and I’ll either have to do it myself or hire someone to take care of it all for me and help me expand our reach in case this magazine spread doesn’t pan out.”

Right. The magazine spread they were both currently competing for. “I’m sure it’ll all work out.”

“Yeah.” He shoved his hands in his jeans pockets. “Am I allowed to ask how the venue search is going? You know, strictly as one professional to another.”

Tori stared down at the sidewalk, deliberating. No matter how easy it would be to tell him or—the most unnerving part—how badly she wanted to share with him and get his opinion on it all, it was an impulse she couldn’t give in to. Their effortless back and forth as he walked with her only further proved how easy he was to talk to, how comfortable she felt around him.

But the fact of the matter was, this man was her rival.

She didn’t really know him. And there was no telling what kind of repercussions would come of opening up to him. Wyatt hardly seemed like that kind of guy, but anything she said could be used against her even unintentionally to give him a leg up.

She wasn’t prepared to take that big of a risk. “Oh, you know, it’s going.” And lucky for her, fate seemed to be on her side. She stopped in front of her office door. “And now so must I. Thanks for accompanying me through the rough downtown streets, but you should get back to your lunch.”

The light she’d seen in his eyes dimmed. His hands slid into his pockets again as he rocked back on his heels. “Sure. No problem.”

“And if she ever asks, I’ll be sure to tell Gammie that you fulfilled your gentlemanly duties satisfactorily and with great enthusiasm.”

“She’ll be thrilled to hear it,” he muttered, not reciprocating her forced attempt at levity. Not that she could blame him. He’d opened up to her about himself and his business, and the second it was her turn, she’d completely shut down. “I’ll see you later, Tori.” He turned to go without waiting for her response.

For a split second, she considered going after him. Though what she’d say once she did, she had no idea. What would be the point? The more time she spent with Wyatt, the blurrier that professional line between them was getting. She needed that distance if she wanted to land this gig and the feature in Bridal Belle. There was no other option.

So instead of following the path that led to distraction and confusion and who knew what else, she took the one back to the real world of contracts and vendors and decorative flower arrangements.

Inside the office, she set the salad container on Deb’s desk before handing the wrapped turkey sandwich to Lettie.

She’d unwrapped it and taken a bite before Tori could even sit at her own desk. “Was that who I think it was?” she mumbled through a mouthful of turkey and veggies.

“I suppose that depends on who you think it was.”

“You both looked pretty upset before he left. And not in a rivals-out-to-win-the-same-client kind of way. You still trying to convince yourself there is no guy?”

Tori bit her lip. Clearly, Lettie didn’t buy that line. To be honest, Tori was struggling to believe it herself at the moment. “Be nice to me or I won’t tell you about the cute musician I found for you at the sandwich shop.”

Something in Tori’s expression or voice must have convinced her to let it go for now. Lettie rolled her chair across the floor, turkey sub in hand, and parked herself on the other side of Tori’s desk. She gave her a small, tender smile and then a firm pat on the back. “Okay. But I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk about it.”

“Thanks.” Even if she wasn’t ready to talk about whatever she was feeling right then, she was grateful for the way her best friend’s concern wrapped around her like a warm, fuzzy blanket. “Did I mention the cute musician had a tattoo?”

Lettie scorched to the edge of her chair. “Tell me everything.”