In Sickness and In Elf (Paranormal Wedding Planners Book 1)

by AE Jones

  “It might not be an internal matter,” Alex replied.

  “What do you mean?”

  Devin answered. “We think someone is finding ways to ruin weddings.”

  Steve’s mouth dropped open. “You believe someone is sabotaging your weddings?” He stared blankly at the two of them for a moment, and then the light bulb went off. His face flushed red. “You think PWE has something to do with this?”

  Devin nodded. “We’re exploring all possibilities.”

  “Just because PWE has taken on some of your unsatisfied customers doesn’t give you the right to accuse us of sabotage.”

  “You did it two years ago,” Alex responded. “Why should now be any different?”

  Steve shook his head. “I’m sorry about what happened before, Alex. I handled it poorly. It was not some grand plan to ruin your business. The bottom line was I didn’t want to marry you, and I panicked instead of telling you the truth.”

  Steve’s words pricked at Alex’s skin, but surprisingly didn’t pierce her. She glared at him for a moment before responding. “Did you make that decision before or after PWE stole our client?”

  Steve’s jaw clenched. “Not everything is a conspiracy. You’re grasping at straws with this nonsense about sabotage. Your grandmother is finally losing it, and she’s blaming everyone for her incompetence. We’re done here.”

  Devin stood, held out his hand to Alex, and pulled her up from her seat. They walked toward the door, and she stopped when Devin squeezed her hand.

  He nodded at Steve. “I want to thank you.”

  “For what?” Steve asked, crossing his arms.

  “For not going through with the wedding. Don’t get me wrong, you were a jackass coward for leaving her at the altar, but your loss is definitely my gain.”

  At Devin’s pronouncement, heat raced up Alex’s chest and neck, spreading across her face. Although his words were make-believe, they were no less powerful. And Alex wasn’t the only one affected by them.

  Steve’s already red face turned purple, and a lightness Alex hadn’t felt in a long time surged through her. She had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing out loud. What a difference a few years, a weekly visit to a shrink, and a gorgeous pretend-boyfriend could make.

  Devin winked at her and yanked open the door. The receptionist, acrylic nails, platform shoes and all almost landed at their feet. She must have been leaning against the door in order to listen in on the conversation. A fitting end to the whole ridiculous encounter.

  Lorinda’s Wedding Tip: At least one conversation with the bride will start with “He doesn’t understand…”

  Chapter 7

  It was too quiet again. Devin pulled into the parking lot of Bennett Bridal and shut down the engine. Alex was probably pissed at him for his caveman tactics, but he hadn’t been able to stop himself.

  In fact, he was shocked at his reaction. Hell, he had told her not to lose it with the guy, and then he almost lost it himself. He prided himself for always being in control, yet the minute they stepped into that pompous ass’s office, he wanted to body-slam the jerk.

  He cleared his throat. Facing away from him, she continued to look out the passenger window. Her shoulders were shaking slightly. Shit, she was crying.

  He reached for her instinctively and grasped her shoulders, turning her to face him. “I’m so sorry, Alex.”

  She looked up at him, her eyes widening. Instead of crying, she had a huge grin on her face, and she giggled, her shoulders shaking under his grasp. “I know I’m being childish, but did you see his face when you thanked him for leaving me at the altar?”

  Her mood was contagious. “Yeah, he looked like he was sucking on lemons.”

  Alex laughed harder. “Exactly. Thanks for that.”

  He held her longer than necessary, and her laugh faded until they stared at each other for a drawn-out moment. He reluctantly released her shoulders so he wouldn’t stroke his hands down her bare arms. “I was afraid you were pissed at me for the whole boyfriend routine.”

  She blinked. “Umm…no, it was perfect. I’m vindictive enough that it felt great. You’re a terrific actor. That whole sexy-glowering routine you had going on was Oscar-worthy.”

  “Right.” Except it wasn’t totally an act. No question she was gorgeous, but there was more. Her innate kindness. Her dogged determination to help her grandmother. The vulnerability he’d seen when she talked about her parents and grandfather. The affection she showered on a cat with no name…He could easily fall for her.

  But he had other priorities. First, he needed to get his powers back. Then he would go after the gang that killed his brother and Marina. And in order to do that he couldn’t blow this case.

  If he hadn’t crossed the line between business and pleasure before, Marina might still be alive. He wouldn’t risk anyone else, especially not this caramel-eyed beauty. “Now that you’ve seen Steve, do you think PWE is involved in the sabotage?”

  She pondered the question. “I don’t think Steve is involved, but that doesn’t mean someone else at PWE isn’t—his father, for example.”

  “William Stephen Phillips, II. CEO of PWE. Born with a silver spoon in his mouth. His family money originally came from railroads.”

  Alex nodded. “You’ve done some homework.”

  “I’m here because I have a job to do.”

  “About that. What exactly is your area of expertise?” she asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well I thought you were a high-powered PR man. When you were talking to Julian last night you mentioned providing security for his wedding?”

  Devin nodded and chose his words carefully. “I wasn’t lying to you when I said I handle damage control. It can include PR, but if it calls for more than that, I have resources to handle security matters.”

  “Your friend, the former SEAL?”

  “Charlie, yes. And a few others who work on my security team. But I have some true marketing people who spin the story in a more positive light as well.”

  “Are you bringing your team here?”

  “My marketing group works remotely, but Charlie will be here as soon as he wraps up his latest assignment.”

  “Did you tell him to pack his tux? I bet he never thought he would be protecting whiny brides.”

  He shrugged. “You’d be surprised who we’ve had to protect in the past.”

  “So what do we do next?”

  He didn’t like where she was going with this. She was not going to be part of the team. “There is no we. I’m going to continue my investigation.”

  Her chin jutted out again. “I’m helping.”

  Before he could protest, she plowed on. “Please don’t make me say ‘Since you work for me, I call the shots’. I hate when people say that.”

  “Technically, I’m working for Peggy, so I report to her.”

  She opened her mouth as if to argue, then closed it, smiling slowly. “Right. Your sister did hire you for this job, so what she says goes.”

  “Yes.” His nerves jangled at her acquiescence. She was up to something.

  She nodded. “I’ll let you get back to your job, then.”

  She sauntered toward the building, hips swaying, and he knew with a twisted sense of certainty her involvement was far from over.

  * * *

  If Devin didn’t know better, he would swear he was in the middle of a circus and Alex was the ringmaster.

  Peggy shook her head. “I don’t want to hear any more arguments. She’s helping with the investigation.”

  “You can’t be serious.”

  “I’m dead serious.”

  “How did she do it? I made two phone calls and came in here,” he checked his watch, “six minutes after she did. How could she have convinced you in that short amount of time?”

  “She’ll be an invaluable resource. She knows the business.”

  “Is that you or Alex talking?”

  Peggy scowled at him. “Let her help,
Dev. I’ve been trying to get her to come back to the business for two years.”

  He opened his mouth to protest, but she continued. “It’ll be good for her. I can’t remember the last time I saw the sparkle she had in her eyes today.”

  “She can help.” He took a deep breath. “But if things get dicey, she’s out. I won’t risk her safety.”

  “I would never ask you to.” She paused before continuing. “Alex isn’t Marina.”

  Devin’s stomach twisted. “No, she’s not.”

  “Alex merely wants to help. She won’t cause trouble. With your hearing coming up, Marina must be on your mind a lot. But you have to let it go, Dev. She was undercover. She knew the risks. You all do. The Tribunal can’t permanently remove your powers.”

  Marina was dead, and he’d been the lead on the case that killed her. They damn well could take his powers away forever, but he didn’t want to argue about it. “Drop it, okay?”

  Peggy shifted slightly, like she wanted to say more, but finally nodded. “Sure.” She clicked on her intercom. “Alex, would you join us in my office?”

  Within seconds, Alex opened the door and strolled into the room. Had she been standing outside the door listening? He wouldn’t put it past her.

  Peggy pointed to her other guest chair. “You’re in.”

  Alex shot him a self-satisfied grin, and Devin should have been irritated with her. Instead, her smile sucker-punched him low in the gut. He wasn’t a randy high-school kid, for God’s sake, but there was something about her that threw him off balance.

  He frowned at her. “Are you happy now?”

  “Quite happy, partner.”

  Now he was irritated. “We have a lot of work to do. But understand this. I am in charge of this case.”

  Alex nodded. “Peggy, we need to learn the specifics of how the other weddings were sabotaged. Can you give me access to the binders?”

  “Of course.” Peggy handed her a computer tablet. “The weddings we had issues with are marked with an asterisk.”

  Devin stared at the two of them in confusion. “Binders?”

  Alex explained while she typed on the screen. “When Grandmother started the business, details for each wedding were kept in three-ring binders. A few years ago, Peggy moved our binders to electronic files. We should review the details before deciding our next steps.”

  He reluctantly agreed. “Makes perfect sense. It would also make sense to interview the wedding parties, if that’s possible.”

  Peggy nodded. “Let me know who you want to talk to once you review the files. I can also make the staff available. And of course, you’ll want to discuss everything with Lorinda as well.”

  Alex’s smile disappeared. “Why can’t I just go through you?”

  “I take care of the details so no one gets suspicious about the supernatural weddings. But your grandmother is involved in every wedding. She will have important insights as well.”

  Alex didn’t respond.

  “You can’t avoid her forever, Alex,” Peggy chided.

  “I’m not avoiding her.” She tucked her hair behind her ear.

  Devin watched the interplay with interest. If Alex was intimidated by her own grandmother, she must be formidable. The time had come to meet one Lorinda Bennett, wedding planner to the rich and famous.

  Lorinda’s Wedding Tip: The choice of color scheme should not be taken lightly. It drives many of the wedding details, from flowers, to dresses, to linens.

  Chapter 8

  Alex was not purposely avoiding her grandmother. Or so she told herself when she glanced at the clock and breathed a sigh of relief. Her grandmother had probably left for the day. Chicken.

  She reviewed the file on the tablet in front of her. Peggy had a coding system for supernatural weddings. The files each had the shield symbol from their website embedded in them, and the type of supernatural was also listed. V for vampires, WW for werewolves, and so on.

  The average person who reviewed the files would not know what the shield meant. Which, of course, was Peggy’s intention. Alex rubbed her tired eyes, having reached the point where she was having trouble focusing on the screen in front of her.

  Her thoughts wandered to Devin. She ran her thumb over her bottom lip, remembering when Devin touched her there. The feel of his fingertip was tattooed on her brain. A brain that knew darn well he had only done it in front of Steve as payback. The whole boyfriend routine had been pretend, but her tingling body apparently hadn’t gotten the memo.

  She reached for her coffee and took a large sip, wrinkling up her nose at the cold, stale liquid. She pushed away from the desk. It was time to move around. She wouldn’t spend any more time daydreaming about Devin’s green eyes and cocky grin.

  When she emerged from the office, raised voices echoed down the hall. They seemed to be coming from the conference room. Hurrying toward the noise, she stopped at the door in time to hear a female voice screech. “It’s mango, not orange!”

  A young woman clutched a fabric swatch in her hand and glowered at the man sitting next to her. Piles of colored swatches littered the table. Chrystal, one of Peggy’s assistants, sat across from them, twisting the pen in her hands.

  Alex hesitated. It was one thing to help stop the sabotage, but was she ready to get involved again with the day-to-day running of the business?

  Surprisingly, the idea didn’t cause heart palpitations or the threat of hyperventilation. She could do this. Alex cleared her throat, getting everyone’s attention. “May I be of assistance?”

  Chrystal’s relief was palpable. “Of course. We’re choosing the color theme for the wedding. Paul and Susanna, this is Alex Bennett.”

  As soon as she heard Alex’s last name, Susanna, the bride, sat up straighter. “We could use your help.”

  Alex smiled. “Absolutely. Selecting your colors can be a huge decision.” She walked over to Chrystal. “Let me do a quick review of your file, and then we can get started.”

  Chrystal handed her the tablet and she reviewed the screen. The supernatural symbol was at the top along with the initials CD. Maybe she didn’t want to get involved with this.

  “Would you excuse us for a moment while I confer with Chrystal?”

  Once they were in the hall, Alex gestured for Chrystal to follow her into an empty office. She shut the door. “What are they?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I know. Peggy told me. But I haven’t seen this code before. What does CD mean?”

  Chrystal’s eyes widened. “Peggy told you what?”

  “That we’re in the supernatural wedding business. Now spill.”

  “CD stands for chameleon demon.”

  Alex kept her voice steady. “And what are they, exactly?”

  “They have the ability to change colors and blend with the environment.”

  Holy hell. “So what’s the problem in there?”

  “When chameleon demons get married, their family members change their skin color so they can be identified as a member of the bridal party or groom’s party.”

  Alex gaped at her for a second. “So we’re not just picking out napkin colors, are we?”

  Chrystal grinned. “Nope. And the colors can’t clash.”

  “Got it. Let’s get back in there.”

  When they re-entered the room, Alex and Chrystal sat down across from the couple.

  Alex got the ball rolling. “I understand our task is to pick out three complementary colors, since your wedding parties will be wearing different colors?”

  Susanna hesitated for a moment and then nodded.

  “What have you discussed so far?”

  Paul answered. “My family wants to be in blue.”

  Susanna rolled her eyes. “That’s so boring.”

  Alex chimed in. “There are varieties of blue we can work with. What about your family, Susanna?”

  “My nana wants the family to wear a warm color. Somewhere in the red family. She insists that her sk—she looks best i
n warm colors.”

  “Whatever Nana wants, Nana gets,” Paul mumbled under his breath.

  Susanna blinked back tears. “I don’t want a blue and red wedding. I don’t want a patriotic theme!”

  Alex patted her hand. “I know what it’s like to work with a strong-willed grandmother.” She reviewed the fabric swatches cluttering the table. “I think I have an idea. Chrystal, would you remove all the colors from the table?”

  Chrystal stood and cleared the table. Once the surface was clean, Alex pulled a turquoise swatch out of the blue color book and a burnt orange from another book. She placed them next to each other on the wooden table. “What about these colors? They are amazing together. The turquoise would fit in the blue family and the burnt orange should work for your nana. A bit of a southwest theme, but you’re getting married in the summer, so I think it would be a great combo.”

  Susanna stared at them wide-eyed. “I like it. What do you think, Paul?”

  “Looks good to me. But what about the third color?”

  Alex nodded. “I’ve got that one covered.” She pulled a neutral, sand-colored swatch and set it on the table. “Since each family will be decked out in such festive colors, I think the table linen should be crisp and clean. We’ll use this sand for the napkins and under cloths on the tables, and top them with pristine white. It will be a very sharp color scheme.”

  Susanna beamed. “Yes!”

  Alex took that as a signal to move on to the next step. “The best part of a theme is it can help you plan the rest of your wedding as well. I see from your file that you haven’t decided on your food yet. You might want to consider leaning toward Southwest cuisine. Our caterer is top-notch, and has amazingly creative ideas.”

  “That sounds wonderful,” Susanna gushed.

  Alex stood. “Great. I’m going to leave Chrystal to work out the rest of the details with you. Thanks for letting me help with your wedding plans.”

  When she left the room, Peggy poked her head out of her office door and called to her. Alex stepped inside.

  “You did a great job in there.”