She grabbed his ankle and yanked.
Tanner’s grip on the canvas tightened.
The pole tilted further and then…
Crash!
The pole ripped out of the ground, and the entire tent came down on top of Veronica, trapping her and Tanner in a heavy layer of canvas.
21
Harper raced to the gate at the side of the building in an attempt to stop whatever it was that Tanner wanted to “make right.” He hadn’t replied to her text, so she’d thrown money at the bartender and ran to the office to stop him. If it was true that he wanted to make things right, then she guessed he’d switch the tent poles, not knowing that she’d already gone against his previous order and made sure that the good poles were used.
The gate wouldn’t open. Something was jammed against it.
Harper jumped up to look over, her heart clenching when she saw the tent sway, then collapse to the ground like a deflated hot-air balloon.
Did she hear muffled yelling? Uncle Tanner might be trapped!
She grabbed her key card and raced to the front door. She needed to get to the tent via the reception room. She yanked on the door as soon as the lock clicked and ran down the hall, colliding with TJ, who had just come off of the elevator.
He put his hands on her shoulders to steady her. “Whoa, what’s the rush?”
“The tent. Outside. The one for Marly’s wedding.” Harper said in frantic huffs, trying to catch her breath.
“Okay, the tent? Yeah, it’s all set up already. I saw it earlier. It looks great,” TJ replied, giving her a strange look.
Harper knew she must sound crazy and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.
“The tags on the tent poles were switched. My Uncle Tanner doesn’t realize that the right tent poles are up. He thinks they are the wrong ones, and he’s trying to take them down. And I just saw the tent collapse!”
TJ’s eyes widened as Harper spoke. She broke free and ran for the stairs, TJ on her heels.
“Hurry!” Harper yelled, taking the stairs two at a time.
They pushed into the ballroom where Harper could see directly through the glass. The tent spread over the ground, almost flat except for two figures in the middle struggling to get out. Uncle Tanner and… she didn’t have time to figure out who else was flailing around in there because she saw flames licking the edge of the tent. It had fallen on one of the luminaries lighting the pathway to the river.
“Fire!” Harper raced to the flames and started stomping on burning canvas.
TJ remained frozen in place, the memory of his tent fire twisting his gut. The thick smoke choking him, the smell of burning canvas, the pain as the flames scorched his skin. The sound of his screams. But now they mingled with other screams, screams coming from under the canvas.
Veronica! She hadn’t stood him up. She’d been down here, trying to make sure nothing happened to the tent.
His heart twisted. Veronica was trapped under the heavy canvas. Harper was trying to keep the fire from spreading, but if she didn’t, Veronica and whoever was under there with her—Tanner, he assumed—might burn.
“Hold on!” he yelled, lifting enough of the canvas to crawl beneath it.
Inside it was pitch-black. The heavy canvas engulfed him, grabbing at him on all sides. He couldn’t see a thing. TJ’s breath came in short gasps, the stifling memories of his tent fire creeping back into his mind. Under the canvas, the air was already stale and heavy. He took a deep breath but couldn’t fill his lungs. Dizziness washed over him.
“Get off me, you stupid tent! Gah!”
Veronica’s voice brought TJ to the present. A smile tugged at his lips, chasing away the dread and fear. Leave it to her to boss the tent around.
“Veronica! Where are you?!” he yelled, crawling with his arms out in front of him to push the canvas out of his path.
“Hey, who’s there? How the hell do I get out of here?” A man’s voice yelped out in the dark. It must be Tanner, TJ thought.
“Keep moving this way. Follow my voice.” TJ heard the canvas rustling and another sound—hopefully not the fire eating away at it. He didn’t dare mention that to Veronica or Tanner lest they panic. Better to remain calm and lead them out.
The tent space around him opened, and Veronica appeared. She was on her hands and knees, her white slacks grass stained, but the smile that lit her face when she saw him made his heart leap. Then a heavy man crawled into the cleared area, causing her to scowl.
“This is your fault!” Veronica accused.
“I was trying to do right. I know I did bad things, but this time I was trying to make things right.”
“Huh, I doubt that you—”
“Guys,” TJ struggled to keep his voice calm. “Let’s focus on getting out. Then you can argue.”
“Good idea,” the man said.
“Fine.” Veronica squinted into the darkness. “Which way is out?”
“Follow me.” TJ turned back the way he’d come, using his arms to clear the tent folds in front of him, his legs burning with the weight.
He pushed along inside the tent for what seemed an eternity, eventually seeing some light in the distance. Harper held up a portion of the tent and yelled to them.
TJ cautiously made his way toward the light, pushing the canvas in front of him so Veronica could get out first, then Tanner, who emerged from the tent and jumped up, his arms flailing as if he were being attacked by hundreds of bugs. Finally TJ climbed out, glancing nervously toward where the fire had been, his shoulders relaxing when he saw it was extinguished.
“Uncle Tanner, are you okay?” Harper hugged Tanner.
TJ and Veronica looked at each other, then jerked their heads back to Tanner and Harper.
Veronica rounded on the girl. “Uncle Tanner?! So, you were the mole!”
“No, no!” Tanner said quickly as he wiped his forehead and tried to straighten his clothes. “Harper did nothing. It was all me.”
Harper shot Tanner a confused look, and Veronica’s narrowed glare told TJ she didn’t believe Tanner. Before either girl could say anything, Gertie’s squeaky wheels interrupted them.
“What the hell is going on here? You damned people ruined the tent!” Gertie yelled as she surveyed the giant mess on the lawn.
“Tanner tried to ruin the wedding! He was trying to switch the poles,” Veronica said.
“No, no! I had a change of heart! I came here to replace the bad poles with the good ones. The poles that are up have the red tags.” Tanner gestured to a pile of poles on the patio. “I was going to replace them with these green-tagged poles. The good poles.”
“What? You’re lying. You must have already switched them,” Veronica said.
“No. I was here for only a few minutes. I got the good poles and then was going to switch them and hope that no one noticed. You have to believe me.” He turned to Gertie, a lovesick look on his face. “Yes, I tried to ruin the wedding by doing other things, but since getting to know Gertie I’ve had a change of heart. I swear I only wanted to make it right this time.”
Gertie chuckled. Leave it to Gertie to laugh when someone was trying to ruin things for her. She wheeled in front of Veronica.
“What did I tell you, Veronica? You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar. I knew Tanner would come around. There was no need for you to go off on all those covert missions.”
“But he didn’t… I mean he was trying to…” Veronica looked from Gertie to the tent poles to Tanner. TJ noticed that Tanner actually did look apologetic. Had Gertie’s influence really turned him around?
Gertie spun around to look at the collapsed tent. One corner was slightly singed, but no one would notice that when the sides were rolled up. Near as TJ could tell, the tent remained useable.
“And as far as this tent mess goes, you people better get it set back up pronto! Are you all dense?” Gertie gestured to the pile of poles. “There’s nothing wrong with any of these poles. I had them all repla
ced after we talked to Ben. You don’t think I’d have rotted poles just lying around do you? You people all need to step up your game! Get to it!”
Veronica was speechless as she watched Gertie smile at Tanner as if he were a star pupil. How could she just forgive him so easily? He’d almost managed to ruin their first event, which could have spelled the demise of O’Rourke Signature Events!
But Gertie was like that. She never passed judgment. And she always gave a person room to make up for bad deeds. She’d looked past Veronica’s antics from the island show and given her this opportunity.
Veronica glanced at Harper and Tanner. She wasn’t so sure she could be as generous with her forgiveness as Gertie had been. And as far as Harper, well, she wasn’t so sure that she was innocent in this mess.
She suddenly realized that TJ’s arm was around her shoulders. Her stomach fluttered. TJ had risked getting stuck under the tent to get her out. No one except Gertie had ever gone out of their way for her. But then she remembered seeing TJ kiss Sarah and she stepped way, looking down at the ground.
“What’s wrong?” TJ asked.
Veronica crossed her arms over her chest. “You probably shouldn’t have your arm around me if you’re seeing someone.” It came out sounding a bit childish, but she didn’t care.
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“Sarah Thomas,” Veronica said, looking him straight in the eye. She wasn’t going to let him get out of this one. She had learned this the hard way with her ex when she’d caught him lying. He’d always played dumb. She didn’t think TJ was the type to do that, but the confused look on his face told her otherwise. She knew what she’d seen.
“Ha! You dimwit! Sarah is his sister! Ha ha! Now I’ve had all the entertainment I can stand for today!” Gertie said.
Veronica was confused. Gertie was wrong.
“They have different last names.” She turned to TJ. “And if she’s his sister, why didn’t he say anything?”
TJ’s brow quirked up. “Um… she is my sister. We have a different last name because I needed to protect my family when I was going through those hard years. And what do you mean, why didn’t I tell you? Why would I tell you? It wasn’t really relevant to anything. And besides, I figured Gertie had already told you.”
“Well, she didn’t,” Veronica said lamely. Now she felt childish and stupid. TJ probably thought she was a jerk. Worse, judging by the look on his face, jumping to conclusions about what she’d seen between TJ and Sarah might have ruined things between them.
“Well, this has been fun, but I need everyone to focus on this wedding now! All’s well that ends well. Chop, chop! Get this tent up! We have a wedding in two days!” Gertie wheeled off, leaving the rest of them scurrying.
22
Veronica dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. She had spent years trying to make Marly cry, and now here she was, crying at Marly’s wedding.
The bride looked stunning. The wedding gown was beyond gorgeous. People had gasped when Marly walked down the aisle at the church. The gown was an off-the-shoulder style with an open back nipped in at the waist and then flared out, with the bottom tapering down in the back. The train was about six feet long. The dazzling Swarovski crystals that had been painstakingly sewn into the gown shimmered and sparkled magnificently as Marly walked down the aisle. It was simple yet elegant, and it fit Marly like a glove. She was glowing, one of the most beautiful brides Veronica had ever seen.
Surprised to even receive an invitation to the ceremony, Veronica had arrived at the church early to make sure Marly had everything she needed. Much to her surprise, Marly had actually hugged her when they first saw each other in the church dressing room. Even Sarah had shot a tentative smile in her direction.
Still, Veronica didn’t feel like a part of the gang, so she sat in the last pew. Then, just as the ceremony was ending, she ran out to make sure the limo driver knew where he was taking the bride and groom for photos before the reception. Then she hailed a cab to O’Rourke’s to ensure everything was ready for the guests.
The final result in the ballroom at O’Rourke’s was nothing short of amazing. The weather had cooperated with a gorgeous evening, so the rear wall of sliding glass had been opened, allowing a slight breeze in. The tables were all set with crisp white linen tablecloths and lilac cloth napkins. White plates with a thin gold line around them sat atop vibrant gold chargers at each setting. Every table had an amazing floral centerpiece of lilac roses and daises. The vases were a unique turquoise glass, something she’d found last minute in storage. She had been worried about the color, but they added a stunning pop to each table.
The sides of the tent were rolled up to afford a better view of the river, so the singed part wasn’t noticeable. The glass luminaries—their doors closed to contain the flickering candles—added an ambiance to the outdoor area that would be magical once the sun set. They’d moved the luminaries further away from the tent upon Gertie’s instruction. Apparently someone had placed them too close. Veronica had to wonder if that had been just another part of the plan to ruin the wedding.
The soothing trickle of the wall fountain echoed across the room. None of the guests had arrived, but the servers rushed around dressed in their uniforms of black pants and white button-down shirts, with a lilac rose pinned to their shirts. Veronica had added the lilac rose at the last minute, earning added praise from Gertie.
Veronica walked around, checking things over one last time. In the kitchen, she ran into Harper. She still wasn’t sure what to think of the girl. Tanner had insisted she wasn’t the one who had been trying to ruin the wedding, but the way Harper turned red when he’d said it made Veronica think he was covering. Veronica had found out later that Harper had insisted they use the red-tagged tent poles and had known that Tanner had had them switched out, so she did have that in her favor. Maybe Veronica should be more like Gertie and show forgiveness.
“Veronica, oh my goodness!” Harper exclaimed when she saw her. “You look amazing!”
Veronica smiled and spun, holding her arms in the air as she did so. A few of the kitchen employees did a low wolf whistle, making her blush. It had been a long time since she’d felt she looked pretty, but the cream-colored dress with its intricately beaded bodice and flowing lines really did flatter her figure and skin tone.
“Thanks! It’s a dress from Marly’s line. She insisted I try it on the other day, even brought it here for me. Can you believe how great it fits?!” She ran her hands along her sides as she said it, emphasizing her curves. “You don’t look so bad yourself.”
“Thanks.” Harper blushed. Her deep purple tea-length dress was simple, the only adornments teardrop-shaped crystals that hung from the bottom of the jacket. It looked elegant even with Harper pulling the edges of the jacket close as if to hide inside the dress. “I feel awkward being dressed up. I mean, I don’t even know Marly or Jasper.”
“Gertie wanted all of us to attend the first event here. It’s a big deal. Is everything all set with the butterflies? I mean, for real this time?” Veronica asked. She had arranged for real butterflies to be released during Jasper and Marly’s first dance.
“Yes, everything is perfect. Marly will love it,” Harper said.
“Great. Well, I guess everything is ready. The guests should start to arrive, and Marly and Jasper will be here soon. We should go into the reception room.”
In the ballroom, Gertie was talking to Tanner at one of the bars. She caught Veronica’s eye and motioned her and Harper over.
“Oh, girls! You look so beautiful!”
Both of them slowed as they neared Tanner and got a full view of Gertie.
“Gertie?” They both exclaimed, not believing what they were seeing. Gertie wore a strapless, long beige dress. Her skin was bronze, and her long arms were extremely toned. She had her long grey hair pulled up in a very tight bun, with a few loose strands framing her face. Her green eyes stood out against her bronzed skin, and her minimal makeup enhanced he
r beauty. She looked twenty years younger, easily.
“What’s the matter, girls? You didn’t know I was this hot, eh?” Gertie laughed. “Sixty years wheeling yourself around, and you can have arms like these too!”
“You’re stunning, Gertie,” Veronica said, blown away by how beautiful and young her employer looked.
“I agree!” Tanner chimed in, obviously smitten.
“Gertie, the table you requested is all set.” Harper pointed to a table in the rear of the room. It was dressed like the rest of the tables, but was reserved for a few employees. Gertie, Harper, Ben, and Veronica would sit there, apparently Tanner was Gertie’s date. Veronica still couldn’t wrap her head around that, but her dismay at Gertie’s choice of plus-one was overshadowed by the fact that one person was missing—TJ.
“Thank you, dear. It’s show time, everyone! Enjoy yourselves, but more importantly, make sure our guests enjoy themselves more!” Gertie yelled to all the servers hustling around the room.
Veronica scanned the room, telling herself that she was making sure everything was in place. She was not searching for TJ. Nope. She hadn’t seen or heard from him since they had put the tent back up a few days ago. She figured he was avoiding her because she’d assumed the worst of him when she’d seen him kiss Sarah. Her heart sank, and she took her seat just as the wedding party arrived at the door.
The lead singer of the Frank Sinatra-style band took the mic. “Ladies and gentlemen, please stand as we welcome Mr. and Mrs. Jasper Kenney!”
The ballroom exploded with applause as Jasper and Marly entered and walked toward the dance floor for their first dance as husband and wife.
Veronica held her breath as she saw Harper standing off to the side with the box of butterflies.
Please, let this go right!
As the song started, she nodded to Harper, who slowly opened the box. Nothing happened. Harper looked at Veronica with a panicked look on her face. Just as Veronica was about to signal to her to close the box, a single butterfly emerged. It slowly flew toward the couple and then drifted upward, out toward the sky via the open glass wall. Dozens of butterflies followed in hues of gold, purple, and orange, the colors brilliantly vivid from the slanting light of the setting sun.
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