Count Your Lucky Stars (Written in the Stars, #3)(30)

Annie nodded. “I liked that one.” She picked up her fork. “I think I’m going to need to taste a few of these again.”

Darcy snorted. “Make picking a little easier.”

“Shut up.” Annie laughed and elbowed Darcy.

Brendon leaned his elbows on the table. “So, Olivia.”

She still hadn’t moved her foot from where it was pressed snug against Margot’s. “Mm-hmm?”

“I forgot to ask this the last time I saw you—first time I saw you.” Brendon’s smile went lopsided. “What made you want to go into event planning?”

Margot could answer that. Growing up, Olivia had wanted to be a professional mermaid, an ice dancer, a paleontologist, and an event planner, in that order. All but the last had been phases, short-lived. Event planning had stood the test of time, Olivia the first to volunteer to plan sleepovers and camping trips, later joining the student council and spearheading everything from spirit week to bake sales to prom. Olivia had an eye for detail, a hard-on for checklists, and the patience to bring her exact vision to life. Margot couldn’t imagine a more perfect job for her.

“I can’t really remember a time when I didn’t want to be a party planner,” Olivia said. “I’ve always enjoyed planning events. Birthday parties for myself when I was little, school dances when I was older.” She smiled and shrugged. “I guess I just really love the idea of bringing a vision to life and maybe making someone’s day, or, when it comes to weddings, making someone’s dreams come true.”

Predictably, Brendon looked completely sold, his smile bright and his eyes huge. “I love that. That’s why I started OTP.” He laughed. “Not the first part, but making someone’s dreams come true.”

Margot smothered her smile with a sip of ice water. She hadn’t ever thought about it until now, but she had a habit of surrounding herself with altruistic optimists. First Olivia, then Elle, then Brendon.

“I’ve heard only wonderful things about OTP,” Olivia said, shuffling her plates to the side, clearing room to rest her hands on the table. She nudged her chocolate–peanut butter petit four toward Margot with a quick wink.

Margot flashed her a smile and slid the plate closer, reaching for her fork. She mouthed a quick thanks before digging in, swallowing a bite of cake and, with it, a moan. Shit, that was good stuff.

Brendon shrugged, somehow striking the balance between casual confidence and humility. There wasn’t a disingenuous bone in Brendon’s body, which helped keep his words from toeing into humblebrag territory. “I like to think we’re doing a good thing.” His brow furrowed softly, eyes narrowing as he chewed on his bottom lip. “Say, Olivia, are you seeing anyone?”

“No, no.” Margot set her fork down, shaking her head brusquely. “Do not answer that question, Liv.” She turned to Brendon, leveling him with a hard stare. “We do not ask strangers if they’re single. It’s invasive.”

Brendon held up his hands, face the picture of innocence, all wide who me? eyes and lips parted, ready to spout an excuse. “Olivia’s not a stranger. She’s our wedding planner, and she’s your friend.”

“It’s not your business, Brendon,” Margot said, jaw clenching. “Butt out.”

“It’s fine.” The shiny gold hoops in Olivia’s ears danced against the sides of her neck when she shook her head. “I’m not currently seeing anyone, no.”

Brendon smiled. “Would you like to be?”

“Jesus,” Margot muttered.

Annie bumped Brendon’s shoulder. “Babe, maybe ease off?”

Brendon’s lower lip jutted out.

“You’re giving off we saw you across the bar and really like your vibe, energy,” Annie said.

He frowned. “We do like her vibe.”

Annie whispered something in Brendon’s ear that made him blush.

“For the record, that was not a proposition,” Brendon clarified, scratching his jaw. “It was a general question.”

Olivia tucked her hair behind her ears. Her face had turned a soft shade of pink, her neck slightly darker, her flush working its way north. “I—”

“You do not have to answer. Plead the fifth,” Margot said, rolling her eyes. “Brendon, as much as we adore him, hasn’t quite grasped the concept of boundaries.”

“I think he understands boundaries perfectly well,” Darcy said. “I think he simply chooses to ignore them.”

Brendon clutched his chest, expression wounded. “I came here to have a good time, and I’m honestly feeling so attacked right now.”

“2014 called and they would like that joke back.” Margot softened the jibe with a smile.

“Olivia.” Brendon turned to her, still clutching his chest. “Do you see what I go through? These people call themselves my friends.”

“I’m your sister,” Darcy said, tapping away at her phone, probably texting Elle, who hadn’t been able to make it to the cake tasting, having agreed to babysit last minute for her older sister. “I’m stuck with you.”

He turned his puppy-dog stare on Annie. She patted him on the cheek. “You know how I feel about you.”

Margot grinned and gestured at her plate. “I’m just here for the food.”