The Paid Bridesmaid(37)

I hurried toward the elevator and ran over a million worst-case scenarios in my head as I waited. It finally arrived and took me straight to Troy’s floor. I sprinted to his room, banging on the door.

When he opened it he announced, “Finally!” and let me inside.

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

“Lei,” Troy announced. “We need lei for tonight and the florist made them in the wrong color. They have to be white. I told them white plumerias, but somebody messed up and they said they didn’t have time to do new ones. I told them that was fine, I could do them by myself. But I need your help.”

So, not technically by himself, then. “I thought you were only supposed to give them out as a welcome.”

“There are several people arriving today for the party, and I don’t want to overlook the new guests,” he said.

His room was full of buckets of white flowers and he’d used his desk to set up a bunch of strings and a few long metal needles. He was kidding, wasn’t he?

“Are you serious?” I asked.

“I never joke about weddings,” he told me. “I’ll show you how to make one. It’s easy.”

Troy and I had never worked together before. He’d heard about me from another wedding planner and, based on that recommendation, given my name to Sadie when she’d told him she needed a special type of bridesmaid at her wedding.

It was one of the things I focused on in growing my business—building reciprocal relationships with wedding vendors who would recommend me to their clients.

Which meant that I couldn’t tell Troy no, even if his request was ridiculous. So I paid attention as he showed me the proper length for the string, how I should double it up and knot it at one end, hooking the free end to this foot-long steel needle. He pushed the needle through the bottom of the flowers.

“And you just keep doing that until the lei is full.”

I looked around the room. “We have to make all of these?”

“Not we. My assistants and I are needed downstairs. But don’t worry. I’ve called for reinforcements. If you haven’t had lunch yet, please get room service. It’s on me. I’ve left you my cell phone on the notepad there. Call if you need anything. See you soon!”

My stomach gurgled at the offer. It was past lunchtime, but I wasn’t the least bit hungry. I still felt queasy and unsettled.

Then he left me alone. I sat down at the desk and sighed. I’d strung many a garland and arranged more than my fair share of floral centerpieces. A lei couldn’t be that much different. It seemed relatively straightforward—just time consuming.

I’d finished three lei, pleased with how they’d turned out, when there was a knock at the door. Finally, Krista had arrived. I wondered if Mary-Ellen was going to show up, too.

Throwing open the door I said, “It’s about time—” but immediately stopped when I saw who was standing there.

Camden.





CHAPTER THIRTEEN


He smiled at me like everything was just fine and normal and he hadn’t woken up in my room at four in the morning, then announced, “I’m here about getting some lei.”

“You are such a child,” I told him. “And it’s making lei, not getting . . . you know what? Never mind. I don’t need any help.” I still had several hours before the surprise event started.

I turned around and let the door start to swing shut on its own, but Camden followed me inside. “It looks like you need help.”

Despite what I’d said, he wasn’t wrong. “Fine. I’ll show you how to make it.” We didn’t have to talk or anything. I put the desk between us as I gave him the exact same instructions Troy had given me. I didn’t make eye contact with Camden, focusing on my task.

Fingering a flower on one of the completed lei he said, “You do good work.”

He was not going to butter me up with compliments.

And I felt my resolve harden when he asked, “Should I write that down on a piece of paper so you can put it in your box?”

While I knew he was trying to be cute or whatever, his comment stung. It reminded me how much I’d shared with him last night. How I’d told him things I had never told another person.

Nobody else knew about my happy box.

“You can sit over there,” I told him.

A strange expression crossed his face, but he took his needle and string and did what I said. I sat down at the desk, focusing on my task and doing my best to ignore him completely.

For a moment I considered texting Krista and having her join us. The only reason I hadn’t so far was because when Troy said he had called for reinforcements, I’d assumed he meant the other bridesmaids. I never imagined that he would have contacted Camden.

And if I got in touch with Krista now? Once I told her what was going on she’d rush down here with a big bag of popcorn just to have the chance to enjoy watching my embarrassment. Then she’d probably say some inappropriate things.

Because this room was already chock-full of Grade-A one hundred percent awkwardness, and the longer our silence went on, the worse it got.

I was almost grateful when he finally spoke. “Are we just going to pretend like last night didn’t happen?”

Feeling less grateful. “Can we? Because that would be great.”