Bryan pulls his iPad out of his Cartier messenger bag. “Since I was leaving a job in New Orleans, I decided to take a detour to see this one-horse town for myself. It’s so charming, I didn’t know what to do with myself. It’s like the land that time forgot. I just fell in love.”
“I can’t believe you actually went all the way down there,” Chase says. “It’s not an easy place to get to.”
“I’m glad I did,” Bryan replies. “Because while the pictures Katie sent me were great, I wasn’t seeing much to work with, and I would have totally missed out on the hidden gem I found.”
“There’s a gem?” I ask. “In Dillon? Are you sure you were in the right place?”
“I stopped by Aldrich Ranch, and Rusty was kind enough to give me a tour. He showed me this spot in the very back corner of the property. There’s this clearing surrounded by live oak trees that have to be hundreds of years old. The branches of the oaks fan out over the clearing, about fifty yards wide, creating a canopy of sorts. The perfect spot for a wedding. Since live oaks don’t shed their leaves until the spring, we have all this beautiful greenery to work with. The things I can do with these trees! I’m telling you, it will be beautiful.”
He hands us his iPad with CGI sketches of his idea. He’s planning to use the trees’ natural beauty and add lights, hanging strings of pearl-white flowers and tea light candles to bring out a fairy tale quality.
“It really is breathtaking,” I say.
Charlie scoots over next to me to get a better look. “Oh my God, you have to do this. I can totally picture you guys standing up there, saying your vows. It’s perfect. The downtown wedding was really something, but this is just so… you. I love it.” She rests her head on my shoulder. “You have to say yes!”
“Scroll through and look at the rest,” Bryan says. “We’d have the reception in one of the nearby fields. It’s warm during the day, but Texas still gets cold at night, so if we have a four o’clock wedding, we’ll have cocktails and appetizers on field number one until six, then we move into the tent for dinner, dancing, and dessert.”
Chase scrolls through the images. “Why not just do the whole reception in the tent?”
Bryan looks shocked. “That beautiful ceremony deserves to be savored, and we can’t do that in a tent. If it rains or is particularly cold, we’ll adjust, but otherwise, the landscape is stunning and we should utilize it.
“Speaking of dinner, I spoke to Marquis yesterday, and he just so happens to be free on Saturday three weeks from now, and he’s willing to come cater. We’re going to bring in a ton of grills, and he’s going to do this like a proper Texas barbeque, Marquis style.”
“Your father will be ecstatic about that,” Katie says. “My brother, Marvin, who owns the only restaurant in town, said he’ll handle the rehearsal dinner, as well as brunch before the wedding and the day after. It’ll have to be a buffet, but it’ll be delicious.”
I put down the iPad. “Bryan, your ideas are amazing, as always, but Dillon presents a million problems—lodging, for one. Where are people going to stay? Dillon has two motels, and they’re both kept in business by truckers, people cheating on their spouses, and high school kids looking for a place to drink and screw around.”
Bryan smiles like the cat who ate the canary. “Who needs hotels when you can go glamping?”
Charlie’s jaw drops. “I never thought of that! It’s brilliant.”
“What’s glamping?” Chase asks.
“All the big stars are doing it,” Charlie explains. “Guy Richie just did it. Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis did it. Think of it as one big wedding slumber party.”
Chase still looks totally lost.
“It’s luxury camping,” I tell him. “You bring in tents that aren’t anything like the ones we use when we go camping. They’re huge and decked out with actual furniture, electricity thanks to solar batteries, heat and air conditioning, even bathrooms. Charlie’s right—it’s genius.”
“In the fields closer to the house, we have enough space to make a fantastic glamping setup. I’ve spoken to a company that can bring us two hundred five-star luxury tents in time—if we act fast. As in, by this afternoon.” He pulls a folder from his bag then hands it to Chase. “Pricing and details are spelled out in that packet.”
“Well done, Bryan. You can really secure your privacy this way,” Katie says. “There’s no hotel staff to leak information. No press hanging out in the lobby. Not that we have to worry too much about the press in Dillon.”
Charlie raises her hand. “Can I ask a stupid question? On the wedding night, will they still be glamping with us? I’m not sure I really want to hear my brother get it on with my best friend.”
Katie chokes on her water. “I second that.”
“Like I didn’t have to listen to you and Spencer when I was staying with you,” I mutter under my breath.
“That was different. We were on a fertility plan, it was doctor ordered,” Charlie argues. “And that was just you, we didn’t do it within hearing range of all of our friends and family.”
Bryan looks offended. “Do you really think me that uncouth? A bridal suite will be set up at the ranch house. No one will have to hear anything. Will that work?”
“Perfectly,” I reply. “What else do you have for us?”
Bryan flips through the pictures on the iPad and shows me his design. “I’m thinking we’ll lay down some slate pathways between the tents and have string lights as well as solar lanterns along the path, so people will be able to see as they stumble back at the end of the night.”
“Okay, that takes care of the accommodations, but what about transportation?” I ask. “Getting to Dillon is a huge pain in the ass. The little airport I always fly into can’t handle a million private planes coming in, and I’d hate to ask people to fly into one of the major cities then drive a few hours to get to Dillon.”
“We fly people commercial to centralized cities—New York, LA, Chicago, DC. Then private jets will fly them to the airport outside Dillon,” Katie says. “That’s what we did for the funeral, and it worked well. The guys at the airport are easy to work with if we’re organized.”
Katie handled just about everything for Dad’s funeral. I was such a mess that I don’t remember much of it, but from what everyone says, it was beautiful and went off smoothly. I don’t think I’ve ever thanked her for everything she did then. That’s something I’ll have to rectify soon.
“So what are the wrinkles?” Chase asks.
“Some technical issues on my end,” Bryan says. “I have to figure out how to get all the flowers and greenery there in time. It’s doable, but I can’t put those plans into action until we have a commitment. Plus, I’m still working on the music and photographer. I’m tapping into every possible source I have, and I keep coming up empty. With this short of notice and the location, it’s a tough sell. Anyone decent has been booked for ages. If they’re free, most likely there’s a reason. If no one else wanted them, you have to ask yourself why.”
Calder lets out a wail from his play area. Charlie grabs a bottle from the diaper bag then picks him up. “I’ll take care of the photography and videography. With the paparazzi exhibit getting as much hype as it is, the students owe me. I know five who would be amazing.”
“That sounds lovely, Charlie, but you don’t want an amateur shooting the wedding,” Bryan replies. “We need a professional—someone good.”
She carries Calder to the sofa, pops the cap off the bottle, then offers it to Calder. He fusses for a minute but quickly gives up the fight and latches on.
“Most of them have been shooting weddings and events to pay their way through school. They may not be big names in the wedding business, but the group I’m thinking about will be big names in the art world in the future.” She looks at Chase and me. “I wouldn’t recommend them if I didn’t have faith that their work would be comparable to any of the wedding gurus Bryan’s calling.”
Katie nods as Charlie t
alks. “Charlie drags me to all their shows, and the work is quite impressive. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed in the least.”
With raised eyebrows, Chase looks at me and shrugs. “What do you think?”
“I haven’t signed onto the ‘Get Hitched in Dillon’ plan, so I’m not committing one way or another.”
Chase’s face falls, and Charlie and Katie give me the same irritated look. It seems I’m letting down the crowd, but Dillon has a very different meaning for them than it does for me. They have so many happy memories there with their grandparents and aunts and uncles, but I hear Dillon and I think death. The majority of the time I’ve spent there has been at the cemetery. Even “Aldrich Ranch,” where the wedding would take place, was a gift my father bought for my grandmother after my grandfather died, and she died soon after moving in. I can only think of one time I went to Dillon for something other than a funeral, and I was eleven and barely remember it. It’s hard for me to see it as anything other than a place to mourn and grieve.
On the other hand, if we have the wedding in Dillon, Maggie can be there, and that would mean the world to Chase. Having a wedding without her just wouldn’t be right.
I look at Bryan. “I need to hear about the other wrinkles. What else?”
“Invitations,” Bryan says. “Even if we make DIY invites today and have them FedExed tomorrow, we won’t get responses back in time. People always sit on invitations for a few days. We’ll be lucky if we get them back in a week, and we need a head count before then.”
“What about an Evite?” Katie asks.
Bryan chokes on his water. “Evite?” he says as though the words are poison on his tongue. “Someone get me a drink. I must officially be in hell if we’re considering sending an Evite like some common country picnic.”
“What’s wrong with an Evite?” Chase asks. “Seems like the best solution since we’re in a time crunch.”
“The invitations set the tone of the whole wedding. The texture of the paper. The script of the font. The sophistication of the design. Each element clues the guest in as to what type of wedding they’ll be attending. An Evite tells you, ‘I was too lazy to go to a proper printer.’ Instead of black tie, it says redneck. It says, ‘Be prepared, it’s a cash bar.’ Or worse yet, ‘BYOB.’ People can crack open their six-packs while we pass out buffalo wings, mozzarella sticks, and jalapeno poppers.”
“Bryan, you are such a snob!” Charlie jokes. “No one’s going to show up in a wife beater and grease-stained, holey jeans just because you send an Evite. Everyone uses Evites. I bet if you took the time to look, you’d be really impressed.” She flips Calder around to burp him. “Dammit! Now I want some wings!”
Katie taps her finger on her chin. “Didn’t you buy a ton of iPads for swag bags?”
“Yeah, I’m not sure where they are, but I know they’ve been paid for,” Chase replies.
“They’re locked up in my warehouse,” Bryan says.
“Why don’t you send an iPad invite?” Katie offers. “You get the benefit of an electronic response while also sending a tangible invitation.”
I groan. “Keyshawn ‘Me-shawn’ Johnson did that for his wedding a few years ago. It felt obnoxious and ostentatious, just like him. As though a traditional wedding invitation wasn’t enough for him so he had to go over the top and give iPads.”
Calder’s eyelids look heavy as Charlie gently bounces him. “You are not Keyshawn Johnson, so don’t even go there. I think it’s a really cool idea. What if we made a wedding trailer? We could have pictures of Chase and Ari in the beginning, then the invitation at the end? We’ve already got the pictures ready to go, we could put that together in a snap.” She turns to Chase. “We’ll put it to music. Something country.”
Gazing out the window, Bryan taps his fingers on his lap. “I don’t hate that idea. I took some really great pictures of the town that we could sprinkle in there. It’ll tell the guests this is going to be a rustic ranch wedding with dressed-up, classic elegance and grace. It’s not the silk-covered invitations adorned with pearls and platinum foil that I would recommend, but it could work.”
Katie takes Calder from Charlie’s shoulder then carries him to the port-a-crib we leave set up in the corner. “It’s different. I like it.” When she sits back down on the sofa, Heisman crawls onto her lap.
Charlie pours herself a second glass of orange juice. “We can like it all we want, but it really doesn’t matter unless Ari signs off on the plan. What’s it going to be, Ari?”
Nothing like being put on the spot. I throw Charlie a glance that should let her know just how much I appreciate her contribution here this morning. “I don’t know. Can Chase and I have a day or so to think about it?”
“Nu-uh,” Bryan says. “If this is going to happen, decisions need to be made now.” He claps his hands to really drive home his point. “We are one hundred percent out of time. If you don’t go for this, my suggestion is stick with the May plans. Nothing has been canceled yet, so we can still make that happen.”
Chase shakes his head. “I don’t want to wait until May. What do you say, Blondie? If you don’t like this, then we can always come up with something else, but I like this.”
Katie scratches Heisman behind the ears. “This big baby can come along, which you wouldn’t be able to do anywhere else.”
“And with this wedding, you can wear your dress,” Charlie says in a sing-song voice.
“What do you mean she can wear her dress?” Chase asks.
Now there’s a can of worms I don’t need to open.
“Nothing,” I say, waving him off.
The weight of their stares of anticipation feels like a lead blanket covering me. Clearly, they all love this idea. It’s not the plan itself I have a problem with. It’s the location. If it weren’t in Dillon, I’d be all over it. Is that really a reasonable reason to shoot down this plan and go back to the drawing board—again? “If I sign off on this, will you promise this will be the last wedding I have to plan?”
“Hey, I offered to swing by City Hall on the way home,” Chase protests. “You said no, remember?”
Smacking Chase’s arm, Katie’s face goes stern. “Because she’s a smart girl. I would have killed you both.”
Ignoring his mother, he takes my hand. “I promise you’ll never have to plan another wedding for the rest of your life. This is it—you and me, forever. What do you say? Will you marry me?”
As I look at Chase, a picture on the wall just over his shoulder catches my attention. It’s a picture of Daddy and Pat when they were in high school. Maybe I’ve been looking at this all wrong? Maybe Dillon isn’t the place where life ends but rather the place where it all began. Maybe I won’t be reminded of my parents graves but instead maybe I’ll feel their spirit.
My eyes focus back on Chase and the warmth of his smile melts my heart. If this idea makes him this happy, I’d be a fool to pass up on it.
“Yes! Let’s do it!” I lean forward and kiss him.
“Awe,” Katie and Charlie say at the same time.
Bryan opens his iPad and types furiously. “I’m mobilizing the troops. Three weeks till show time—we’d better get moving!” He shakes his head as he types. “Pulling a wedding together in twenty-one days… I’d better make sure I’m stocked up on Nexium and Xanex if we’re going to pull this off.”
Chapter Forty-Two
Chase
“You are so lucky I love you two.” Bryan drops his messenger bag into the booth and subtly waves to get the server’s attention. “Double vodka martini extra dirty, and bring some of that foie gras pâté please.” He takes off his drenched raincoat then hangs it on the back of a chair of the neighboring vacant table. “They have the best foie gras here. Remarkable for a hotel, but it’s damn good. I get it every time I come to town.”
Bryan asked if Ari, Shelly, and I could meet him at The Top of the Mark tonight for a status meeting. He insisted we need to make sure we’re all on the same page with a t
housand details. Things are moving very quickly, and we have no time for problems, miscalculations, or errors. He’s over an hour late, but it’s hard to be frustrated since I know he’s late because of working on our wedding. Shelly, Ari, and I have spent the time catching up and munching on appetizers.
“Long day?” Ari asks.
He leans his umbrella against the side of the table and slides into the booth. “I’ve been working with my entire staff to upload the invitation video, engrave the iPads with your names and the wedding date, and package and address the boxes with an old Western font.”
Shelly dips her slider into the thousand island dipping sauce. “Bryan, FedEx is just going to stick a label over it. All that effort’s going to go to waste.”
Bryan flashes her a “you’re kidding me, right?” look. “Do I look like a rookie? It’s the box within the box. This isn’t an ordinary FedEx—it’s the introduction to your wedding experience. We constructed a box that looks like weathered saloon doors. Guests will open the box to the iPad, which immediately pulls up the video Charlie and the videographer made up, and that leads to the invitation response page. It took us two solid days of work, barely stopping to sleep, eat, or pee to get those suckers out the door today.”
Two straight days? At his hourly rate? Fuck, I’m not looking forward to that bill. “Oh man, had we known it would be that much work, we’d just have done the Evites. Pop in the date, time, and location, and we would have been done.”
He turns up his nose. “The sleepless nights are worth it to not have my name on an Evite. I do have a reputation to uphold.”
Ari flashes me a glance that tells me I said the wrong thing. “Bryan, we’re so grateful for everything you’ve done. We know how much pressure the last-minute changes have put on you and your staff. Chase and I are so appreciative of all your hard work. We know there’s no way we’d pull this wedding off without you.”
She’s always been such a kiss ass, but based on the way Bryan perks up at her words, it’s working. Considering his staff has now planned two weddings to the most minute detail only to have us scrap them and start from scratch, we’re probably due for a little ass kissing.
Love To Love You (Love/Hate #3) Page 37