Page 25

Olivia

I t’s weeks before Chesna is strong enough to sit on the kitchen island. The sun is painfully bright through the window, the air warm as I lean against the marble, a cup of coffee warm in my palm.

At first, the morning is quiet. Over the hum of the air conditioning, I drink everything in. A brief moment in between weddings and the promise of the busiest wedding season of my life. Chesna’s soft feet pad on the counter.

She appears on the marble in front of me with curious brown eyes. Her tail flicks back and forth as she buries her legs beneath her, laying flat on her stomach. It’s the first time she’s done it since the surgery, and the very sight makes me pause.

The pink scar on her belly is a faint reminder of the last few weeks- of the terror I felt when I came home and thought she was gone. My mind is immediately swarmed with anxiety. Worry. The unshakable feeling of being watched.

Within moments, it’s like a dam breaks, and everything floods in. My phone rings first. Not even a few seconds later, my computer pings twice. I give Chesna’s head a soft scratch before reaching for my phone. I leap into action when I see the time and seven impending messages:

I’m going to be late for a meeting. A lunch in town that I need to be ready for in…

I hear the guest room door open, and Taylor pokes his head out, hair tousled from sleep.

“Two minutes!” he hollers but from the looks of him, we’re both running late.

Depositing my mug out of Chesna’s reach, I practically trip over my feet to grab clothes and a bow to tie my hair with from my room. My dress is pretty enough, but I finish by adding some pearl earrings and stilettoheels. By the time Taylor and I stumble to the car, I already know we’ll be fifteen minutes late… and I’ve never been late.

It’s something I pride myself on. Not to mention, when I don’t get somewhere with enough time to prepare, it usually ends with even more gut-wrenching anxiety. I use the ten minutes before any event to check my planner. It’s a technique I developed years ago- one I didn’t realize I rely on until I check my watch and realize we’re not even halfway there yet.

I shoot off a quick text, hoping Aleks and Sofia don’t mind waiting, but I scroll through my messages. One from Dad asking how I am, and two from an unknown number:

Unknown: How does this Friday sound for dinner?

Unknown: This is Chase. Your father gave me your number.

He’s persistent, I’ll give him that, I think with the slightest shake of my head.

Sliding my phone into the pocket of my dress, I make a mental note to reply later.

In no time at all, the city dissolves away. I’ve never been to the Rebren Hotel before, but the gothic black gates engraved with an R tower over the tall ash trees lining either side of the road.

Despite the Westlan heat, a wave of cool falls over me when I step out of the car. Storm clouds loom overhead, angry with the promise of rain, and even once inside, the faint earthy scent follows me. The hotel is busy with patrons lounging and drinking about the small cafe just inside, and further past reception, I spot Aleks Benenati sipping a drink by the elevators. He smiles, waving me over.

“Hi,” I say, and he greets me with a kiss to either of my cheeks. “Sorry I’m late! Thank you for being so patient about meeting with me.”

“Sofia should be down any minute. I’m so glad you could make it.”

I smile, despite the situation being less than ideal. “I can’t exactly miss the next big wedding of the century, can I?”

Sofia appears at the top of the stairs. “Olivia, thank you for coming!”

“I’m happy to,” I say as she comes to stand beside her fiancé, diamond ring sparkling on her hand.

She’s wearing red today, the dress pretty and delicate like a rose. With her black hair drawn back in a wave of loose curls, she looks beautiful. It’s only now that I’m able to look at her properly. She looks every bit like a woman Aleks would chase after. She smiles almost as if she knows it.

“I reserved a private table for lunch. Just upstairs.”

I follow her up the winding staircase that opens to a terrace of spacious tables overlooking the grand ballroom. A large table is tucked away in the corner, already set with drinks and food.

A waiter arrives to take our orders, and I pull out my planner with a fresh page for notes as I clear my throat and look between them. “So, tell me everything! How did you meet? Where are you thinking for a venue? Do you have a date in mind?”

“Well,” Aleks sighs, gazing at her with adoration in his eyes.

“We met at a bar of all places. He was on the way to some corporate gala, and I-“ Sofia begins, smiling. “Well, I just needed a drink. We hit it off, and we’ve been close ever since.”

I’ve heard this same story about a hundred times, but it doesn’t stop my smile from forming.

“We’ve been more than close,” he amends. “She’s had me wrapped around her finger since the moment I met her, and I only recently had the balls to finally ask her. We haven’t made it public, obviously. But we figured we’d confer with you… and see where it goes from here.”

I clear my throat, afraid to voice the question on the tip of my tongue. “Does… Do Skar and Charlotte know?”

“Of course!” Sofia huffs a laugh, and it’s clear that she and Aleks have at least discussed the fact that there might be some tension. “They offered to fund everything actually. Which neither of us was expecting… I think they just approve!”

I nod, jotting down a few notes before I look between them again. “Let’s talk about the wedding date then.”

“Next summer” Aleks says at the same time Sofia says, “As soon as possible.”

They laugh between themselves before Sofia amends. “We haven’t nailed anything down yet.”

“I can plan for late summer, early fall next year?”

Aleks gazes at her again, nodding. “I think I’d like a fall wedding.”

“It’s a popular time of year.”

Sofia glances lovingly at him. “There’s the All Saints chapel. I know it would be hard to do since they rarely host, but I think I’d love to get married beneath the stained glass cathedral.”

“I can work some magic and see if we can make that happen,” I say smiling. “Let’s talk color schemes, dress ideas-“

“Red!” Sofia blurts just as soon as Aleks says “We haven’t talked about anything yet.”

They share another look and Sofia finally sighs. “Sorry. We’ve both been a bit busy. I think we’re both fairly open. But…” she looks to him to see if he agrees before continuing. “We were hoping you might have some ideas?”

It’s not often that my opinion holds much merit in conversation like these. I can’t say I’m all that prepared for the question.

“Red can be good,” I start. “But green has always been one of my favorites.”

Our food arrives, and we spend the next hour or two discussing potential ideas in between food and drink.

Sofia and Aleks bicker a bit, but with the secretive glances and the easy magnetism between them, I know this wedding will be the next talk of the season.

I only hope that with everything that’s happened lately, I’m able to give them the wedding they dream of.