You Say It First--A Small-Town Wedding Romance

by Susan Mallery

  “Just be careful,” Nick warned. “You don’t want some woman coming back in six months and saying she’s madly in love with you.”

  “Not gonna happen.”

  Nick hoped he was right.

  “Atsuko says you’re going to be working for one of the wedding venues,” Mathias said.

  “Yup. Weddings in a Box.”

  His brother frowned. “Doing what? Folding napkins?”

  “I’ve never folded napkins. It could be interesting.”

  Mathias stared at him. “Do I have to worry about you?”

  “I don’t know. Do you?”

  His brother’s stare turned into a glare. Nick laughed. “I’m going to be restoring two sets of wooden panels. They’re old and in bad shape. The work is brilliant. I need to do some research to see if I can figure out who made them.”

  “You should ask Atsuko. She knows things and has a lot of connections in the art world.”

  “That’s a good idea. I’ll take some pictures and see if she can show them around.”

  He’d only known the gallery owner a few weeks but he was already impressed. The fifty-something woman had buyers everywhere. She drove a hard bargain, got an excellent price, then handled shipping. He’d sold more through Atsuko in the past three weeks than in the past three years.

  His father’s philosophy had always been to let the art buyer come to him. Nick was beginning to believe that was a very shortsighted way of doing business.

  “Heard anything on the Dubai commission?” Mathias asked.

  “No. It’s going to be a couple of months until they decide. Then I’ll have to figure out what I want to do. Two years is a long time.”

  “Is this where I point out you don’t have the job yet?”

  Nick grinned. “Hey, it’s me. Who else would they give it to?”

  “Someone with talent.”

  “You’re jealous.”

  “Not of you, big brother.”

  Nick laughed and turned his attention back to the night. “Any bats around here?”

  “Scared?”

  “Intrigued. I keep getting flashes of a piece that has a lot of bats in it.”

  Mathias shook his head. “There’s something wrong with you.”

  “Probably.”

  “Bats. Fruit or vampire?”

  “Fruit. I think. I should do some research.”

  “On bats.” Mathias took a drink of beer. “Do you think Mom dropped you on your head when you were little?”

  Nick laughed. “Not as often as she did you.”

  * * *

  WHILE PALLAS ENJOYED lunch out with friends as much as the next woman, lunch with her mother was a completely different animal. First there were the logistics involved. They didn’t trade off picking restaurants. Instead the command performance always occurred in the bank’s executive dining room. A fancy title for a slightly nicer than average display of tables and chairs in a square, windowless room. There wasn’t a kitchen, so food was brought in. Still, there was an assigned server and white tablecloths were the norm. All of which meant changing from her usual jeans and T-shirt into a dress.

  As she drove across the river to the north side of town, Pallas told herself she would be fine. She’d been dealing with her mother for twenty-eight years. She knew how to get through the conversations with a minimum of pain and judgment. She just had to smile and nod and say what was expected. No big deal.

  Except it always was a big deal—one way or another.

  All her life Pallas had wanted desperately to please her mother, which shouldn’t have been a problem. Libby Saunders loved rules. The most sensible plan would have been for Pallas to follow said rules and voilà—motherly love. Only it hadn’t worked out that way. Not even once.

  Perhaps it had something to do with the old saying about the road to hell and good intentions. Or the fact that Pallas had felt torn between wanting to make her mother happy and wanting to make herself happy. Whatever the reason, her childhood had been an ongoing battle—one she’d never won. Not for a lack of trying.

  Cade, her twin brother, had been much smarter. He’d simply withdrawn from the field of conflict and had gone his own way. Emotionally and physically. Pallas still remembered their shared fifth birthday. Libby had asked her children if they wanted to work in the bank when they grew up. Pallas had immediately said she did, even though she had no understanding of what “working in the bank” meant. All she knew was that her mom went there every day and it was important and that working in the bank would make her mom love her enough that she didn’t feel scared inside.

  Cade had smiled that happy smile of his and said, “No. I’m going to grow up to be a cowboy.”

  Libby had been unamused, but Cade stood firm. He loved horses, not stuffy banks. He’d never once wavered. At eighteen, Pallas had dutifully gone off to college to major in finance and Cade had taken off to learn his trade at a famous breeding farm in Kentucky. Five years later, he’d moved on to Texas.

  They stayed in touch, and from everything he’d told her, he was blissfully happy. Life away from Libby and the bank was, apparently, very good. Pallas wouldn’t know. She was still trying to prove herself to the stern matriarch of the family.

  Pallas parked in the customer parking lot, careful to take a spot at the far end so as not to inconvenience anyone, then walked into the bank.

  Her great-great-grandfather had established California First Savings and Loan in 1891. It wasn’t the first S and L in the state by a long shot, or even the second, but it was still standing and she figured that had to be a point of pride. A lot of people thought that if she came from a banking family, she must be rich. Alas, no. While her grandfather had been the only one to inherit, he’d produced seven daughters, all of whom had children. Not only was Pallas’s sliver incredibly tiny, she wouldn’t inherit anything until she was thirty-nine. Because if nothing else, Grandpa Frank had a sense of humor.

  So making her own way in the world wasn’t an option and she had the student loans to prove it. She also had Gerald’s business, which wasn’t exactly the shining example of flush.

  It was early April. Except for one oddly vacant date in June, she had a wedding booked every weekend from now until late September. If all went well, she would be able to pay her bills, make a few repairs and continue to take a small salary herself. Assuming she kept the business. Because as much as she loved Gerald and appreciated his completely unexpected gift, she’d never planned on making Weddings in a Box her life’s work. She’d always thought she would go to work with her mother at the bank.

  Pallas walked into the old, Spanish-style building. The combination of high ceilings and dark wood made her feel as if she were stepping back to a more elegant time. A floor-to-ceiling mural depicting the desert at sunrise dominated the east wall. It had been an old WPA project paid for by the government during the Great Depression in the last century. For reasons not clear to Pallas, her mother had always hated the mural, but there was nothing to be done. It was as much a part of the bank as the marble floors and old-fashioned teller windows.

  She passed through the lobby and headed toward the executive suites. Despite her brisk steps, she felt a growing need to bolt for the door. Her stomach clenched and her chest tightened. When Pallas was ten feet from the door to her mother’s office, Libby stepped out into the hall and gave her a tight smile.

  Pallas instantly felt as if she were eight years old and had broken a treasured plate. Or tracked mud on the floor. Or been responsible for one of a million transgressions that had marked her childhood.

  “Hello, Pallas.”

  “Mom.”

  Libby offered her cheek for the expected brief kiss. The Saunders clan weren’t much for hugging.

  Pallas had inherited her brown hair and average height from her
mother. She knew she had her father’s hazel eyes, but other than that, Libby’s genes dominated. Their smiles were the same, as was the way they walked. As a teenager, Pallas had hated looking so much like her mother. Eventually she’d surrendered to the fact and had tried to appreciate that despite the passing years, Libby never seemed to age. At least that was something to look forward to.

  As always, her mother wore a dark suit and a white blouse—appropriate attire for her senior vice president position. Her hair was pulled back into a tight bun at the nape of her neck. Her makeup was light and tasteful, her jewelry elegant and simple. Pearl studs and, despite being a widow for eighteen years, a gold wedding band.

  “Thank you for being able to make lunch,” Libby said as she led the way to the small dining room.

  Pallas didn’t know what to say to that. “My pleasure” wasn’t exactly the truth and “You’re welcome” seemed oddly snarky. She settled on a noncommittal throat noise.

  As per usual, the table was set with china and crystal. Two large delivery bags sat on the sideboard. As a kid, Pallas had been so impressed to learn that any restaurant in town would happily bring in food for lunch. Now she wondered why Libby couldn’t simply go get a sandwich or bring her lunch from home like the rest of America.

  She also noted the lack of server, which was not a good sign. Not that she needed anyone plating her food—it was more that Libby didn’t want anyone else overhearing their conversation. Pallas spent a couple of seconds trying to figure out what she’d done wrong this time, before giving up. No way could she guess. Besides, Libby would tell her over and over again, when she was ready.

  “Would you like to dish us up?” Libby asked, taking her seat.

  “Sure.”

  Pallas brought the bags to the table and opened them.

  Inside the first were green salads, broiled chicken and a side of vegetables. The second bag contained bottled iced tea and one roll, along with a single, tiny square of butter. The latter were for her, Pallas thought, not sure if she should be amused or not. Libby wouldn’t eat carbs at lunch.

  Pallas put the food onto plates, and then collected ice from the small refrigerator in the corner. Her mother poured the iced tea and they sat across from each other.

  Pallas told herself that there was no need to feel defiant, yet she took two spoonfuls of salad dressing to her mother’s delicate drizzle. What was it about being around Libby that made her feel like a cranky preadolescent?

  “I’m so pleased you’ve finally finished your degree,” her mother said with a smile. “I’m sorry it took you so long, but that’s water under the bridge.”

  Pallas put her fork down and told herself to just breathe. Time would pass and she would get to leave. Or she could throw something or scream. That would work, too.

  While Libby had paid for Pallas’s college in Southern California, there had been several stipulations. First, that Pallas maintain a B+ GPA. Second, that Pallas earn her own spending money. Pallas had gotten a job working at nearby Disneyland. She’d loved it so much, she’d taken on extra hours, and in her third semester, her GPA had fallen to a B-. Within hours of finding out, Libby had sent an email explaining she would no longer be paying for college, her dorm room or anything else. Pallas was completely on her own. Permanently.

  With less than thirty dollars to her name, Pallas had been forced to return to Happily Inc and move in with a girlfriend while she figured out what to do. She’d eventually gone to work for Gerald at Weddings in a Box and had put herself through community college, then a state school. It had taken eight and a half years, but she’d done it. She was now the proud owner of a degree in finance.

  Her mother looked at her. “I assume you’ve learned your lesson.”

  “I don’t even know what that means, Mom.”

  “That you won’t be foolish again.”

  Pallas wanted to point out she’d simply gotten a C in geology. That she hadn’t been arrested, done drugs or even dated inappropriately. But there was no point. Libby wouldn’t care. The rules had been broken and there were always consequences. For everything.

  “I’m pretty sure everyone but you is foolish every now and then,” she said instead. “Regardless, yes, I have my degree.”

  “Excellent.” Her mother smiled. “Then it’s time. Pallas, I’m delighted to offer you a position here at the bank. You can start in two weeks.”

  There it was. The one thing she’d wanted since she was a little girl. The chance to work here—with her mother.

  Pallas waited for the wave of excitement or even a sense of satisfaction. Finally. Finally she would gain respectability. Stability. She would be part of the family legacy. She was thrilled. Really.

  Or not. Because in truth what she felt was...nothing.

  Her mother frowned. “What’s the problem? I thought you would be overjoyed.”

  “I am. I appreciate the offer...”

  “Do not say but to me, Pallas. I mean it. I’ve been waiting for this for almost a decade. If you hadn’t screwed around at college, you wouldn’t have wasted the last eight years of your life.”

  “It was one C, Mom. Because I was working extra hours.”

  “At Disneyland,” her mother said between clenched teeth.

  “I loved my job there and I learned a lot. For the record, I don’t consider my life a waste, but thanks for the vote of confidence.”

  Libby’s expression turned impatient. “Then what is your problem? You should be jumping at this opportunity.”

  “I can’t leave Weddings in a Box in the next two weeks. I have weddings booked through September. I have employees who are depending on their paychecks.”

  “Dear God, you can’t be serious. Are any of your employees full-time? Isn’t there someone else who can handle the weddings? It’s people getting married. How hard can it be?”

  It was one thing for Pallas to wonder about making Weddings in a Box a success, but it was another to hear her mother denigrate the business. Her hackles went up and she went from mildly irritated to seriously annoyed.

  “I owe Gerald,” she said, doing her best to keep her voice low and calm. “He left me his life’s work and I am going to do my best to honor his gift.”

  “The man is dead. He doesn’t care one way or another.”

  “That’s harsh, even for you.”

  “It’s practical.” Libby’s brown eyes snapped with anger. “I absolutely can’t believe this. What is it about you, Pallas? You simply will not do what is expected. You’ve always been this way. Defiant. Stubborn. You get it from your grandfather.”

  Something Pallas had heard her whole life. She found it difficult not to roll her eyes. Plus, she really loved Grandpa Frank, so where was the bad?

  “So how long do you plan to keep that ridiculous business open?” her mother asked.

  “You may not like what I’m doing, Mom, but that doesn’t give you the right to mock Weddings in a Box. It’s a legitimate firm that makes people happy. Even you should see the value in that.”

  Libby pressed her lips together. “All right. How long do you plan to work there?”

  “I’m not sure. As I said, I have weddings booked through September. I was thinking I would sell it then.” Maybe to Alan, not that he’d ever expressed any interest in owning the company.

  “That’s a long way from now. I can’t promise there will be an opening then. Or ever.” Her mother’s stern expression returned. “This may be a one-shot deal, Pallas. Are you willing to give up everything you’ve worked for because of a worthless inheritance?”

  And there it was—the Libby-like ultimatum. She shouldn’t be surprised. Or hurt. And yet...

  “It’s not worthless to me.” Pallas still remembered how stunned she’d been to find out her boss had left her Weddings in a Box. She’d known they were friends
and that he cared about her but to leave her the business—just like that—had been incredible.

  “There will be consequences for this decision,” her mother warned.

  “There always are.”

  She looked at her plate and realized there was no way she was going to be able to eat anything.

  “If there’s nothing else, I’m going to go,” Pallas said as she tossed her napkin on the table. “I’m sorry I’ve upset you.”

  “You’re mistaken. I’m not upset. I’m disappointed. There’s a difference.”

  A familiar one, Pallas thought grimly. Because she’d always been the disappointing child.

  “Goodbye, Mom.”

  Libby only sighed.

  As Pallas walked back to her car she wondered why it was always like this between her mother and herself. No matter the circumstances, they clashed. Libby ended up disappointed and Pallas was left questioning the fact that she continually had to earn her mother’s love. Nothing was freely given. It wasn’t that way for Cade or any of her cousins, but it had always been like that for her. She had no idea why, and was equally clueless on how to get things to change.

  CHAPTER THREE

  PALLAS WENT THROUGH a fast-food drive-through window on her way back to work. By the time she arrived, she’d finished her double cheeseburger and only had a few fries left. She tossed them in a belated attempt to be virtuous, then took the stairs to her office at a jog. As if that would burn off any excess calories.

  “Mothers,” she muttered as she changed from her dress into jeans and a T-shirt. “What was God thinking?”

  She tied her tennis shoes, then drew in a breath. She was restored to her regular self. The day would go on as if the unfortunate lunch incident hadn’t occurred. Pallas genuinely didn’t know what to do about Libby’s job offer. She’d earned her degree in finance because it was expected and required to go into the family business. Shouldn’t she be thrilled at the thought of working at the bank? It had always been her dream. Weddings in a Box was hardly making her a fortune. The sensible decision would be to sell it and start living a normal life. Only she just couldn’t seem to do it.