Without a Hitch(11)

A wedding! My literal happy place! And twenty thousand dollars.

When I think about it in blog terms, it’s a no-brainer.

Reaching out, I shake Jenna’s hand. “What about a dress, shoes, all of that?”

“I’ll get my wedding planner on it now. Give me your sizes, and it’ll be here by morning.”

Shaking my head, I smile. You truly can make anything happen if you have enough money. “Okay, Jenna. You have yourself a deal. Anything else I should know about my charge for the weekend?”

She launches herself the last few feet that separate us and wraps me in a giant hug. “You, Abby Chambers, are a lifesaver. All you need to know is to keep Olivia from sabotaging my big day. She’s sneaky, and I wouldn’t put anything past her. Oh, and keep Jacob from crashing.”

“Jacob is the boyfriend?” I ask gently, gauging Melinda’s reaction.

She nods, but it’s Jenna who answers. “Yeah. He was engaged to Lindy when Olivia got her claws in him.”

“Jesus. Not that it’s any of my business, but why is she even in your wedding?”

“Ugh,” she scoffs, hurt and anger flickering across her features. “My father made me. He’s kind of an asshole, and she has had him wrapped around her big, sticky fingers ever since he married her mother.”

The two women share another look that has me missing my sisters terribly.

Melinda turns to me with affection written all over her pretty face. “At least mom remarried someone with a heart. Our father might be a troll, but our stepdad is a hero straight out of a fairytale.”

I stare at Melinda, and my heart hurts for her. What a betrayal that must have been. And from her own stepsister? My gaze returns to Jenna, and I really wish I had my glass of wine in my hands as they begin to shake. “Okay. Keep Olivia in line. Keep Jacob out. Got it.”

“Gah! Give me your room number. I’ll have my stepdad write up a contract and wire the cash to you. I’ll come by your room in a couple of hours?”

“Ah, sure. I’m in room 1219.”

Jenna scrunches up her nose. “Oh, no. That won’t work. Pack up your stuff. We’ll get you an upgrade.”

“That’s really not necessary.” Judging by the horrified eyes of the girls around me, I just made a serious faux pas.

“Oh, it is. All the bridesmaids are staying on the twentieth floor. It’ll seem weird if you’re not with us.”

I nod because what the hell did I just get myself into?

Two hours later, I’m standing inside a suite better suited for royalty than a poor girl from Camden Crossing, with twenty thousand dollars in cash, still wondering how I ended up in the wedding of a woman whose last name I don’t even know.

Par for the course for you, Tilly. Par for the course.





LOVE IN THE LOBBY

Hello, lovely readers,

Gah! Full disclosure. I’m two glasses of wine in, and I’m feeling a little sad today.

Or lonely.

Or sad that I’m lonely. I guess that really comes down to the same thing, doesn’t it? But I love love. Rom-com? Yes, please. Pop songs about heart-stopping love? Hello, Swiftie for life, right here!

Pinterest board chock-full of my dream wedding? Check. Check. Check.

I’m not desperate. I’m waiting patiently for my turn because we all deserve the fairy tale.

Someday I’ll find that special someone who loves me for who I am today and who I’ll be tomorrow.

I’ve dreamt of my wedding day since I was a little girl. Not because I need a man to take care of me, but because I want a partner who chooses to love me at the end of the day, even if it’s hard. Even if I’m a raging lunatic or a crying mess. A partner to stand by my side in good times and bad.

Is that so much to ask?

I’m sure you’re reading this and thinking I have a giant flashing daddy issues sign on my forehead.

But you’d be wrong. It says parent issues. Plural.

Growing up, my dad loved whiskey more than his girls. My mom had demons who won the battle of life. They couldn’t choose me. I know that now, but I also know that there’s a man who will choose me every day. Because that love I’m waiting for? I know it exists. I feel it all around me. And even if it’s not my turn to find it yet (YET, you hear that universe?), I’ll do everything in my power to make sure other people get their HEA until my turn comes.

That’s why, tonight, as I sit here in The Regency by Hollands in Scottsdale, Arizona, I’m looking for the couple in love. Haven’t you ever walked into a place and thought, this is it? This is where my meet-cute will happen? Or see a couple and just know they’re destined for a lifetime of love?

I know I’m not the only one who still believes in ever afters. So, as I sip my wine and glance around, I zero in on the happy couple snuggling together on the same side of the booth. Am I doing a karaoke lip-sync version of their conversation?

You bet your ass I am. But the question remains, will they get their happily ever after in this hotel?

At first look, yes! The Regency is everything you could hope for when planning a wedding. The elegance. The grandeur. It’s magnificent.

But like many things, after the shine wears off, you’re left with the underappreciated cogs that make the world turn. In this case, the employees. The bartenders. The housekeepers. The service industry workers who keep up The Regency’s appearances.