Wait. Olivia pressed her fingers to her lips and reached for the—yup, a folded envelope. It was small enough to fit in the palm of her hand with room to spare, a little crumpled from her having sat on it, but it was in the shape of a heart.
She turned it over before unfolding it. There was no note, nothing written on it, but Olivia was far from disappointed. The note didn’t need to say anything. The very fact that Margot had played along, that she’d thought to tuck it inside Olivia’s pocket, said enough.
Enough for now.
Olivia spared a final glance at herself in the mirror after changing quickly, shoving the sleeves of her oversized burgundy Henley up her arms. The sweater fell down to her thighs, a good thing because the leggings she’d packed were a little on the thin side, less opaque than she’d have preferred. Feeling like she’d struck the right balance of cozy and cute, she left the bathroom, padding out of her room and through the adjoining rooms on socked feet, following the sound of voices until she came to a sliding glass door someone had left open. She stepped out onto the patio, where the group of eight were gathered around the fire, one large U-shaped sectional eating up most of the patio.
“Olivia!”
All eyes turned to her. Okay, awkward. She smiled and waved. “Hey.”
Brendon hopped off the couch and crossed the patio, stopping beside her. “Everyone, this is Olivia, Margot’s friend and our wedding planner. Aka, the person responsible for keeping Annie and I from losing it over the last two weeks.”
“Speak for yourself.” Annie winked at him from her spot beside the fire. “I would’ve been fine with eloping.”
Brendon groaned. “Annie, baby, we don’t use that word.”
She threw a marshmallow at his head, hitting him dead between the eyes, and laughed. “You’re ridiculous.”
“You wouldn’t have me any other way.” He reached down and snagged the marshmallow off the deck, tossing it back at her. Annie wrinkled her nose at the leaf stuck to it, ultimately tossing it in the fire. “Olivia, you’ve met most everyone.” He pointed at a man and woman cuddled up on the far end of the sectional beside Annie. “That’s Katie and Jian; they both work at OTP.” They waved. “And this is my friend I was telling you about, Luke.”
Brendon’s friend stood. He was attractive in a clean-cut way, blue eyes and dark blond hair closely cropped on the sides of his head, slightly longer on top. He smiled, all blindingly white teeth, and offered her his hand. “It’s nice to meet you. Brendon’s told me you’re quite the miracle worker.”
She shook his hand, which was, thankfully, dry. There was nothing worse than a handshake that left you wondering why the other person’s hand was mysteriously damp. “That’s a bit excessive. I mean, God, you’re a—a doctor. I plan parties and you save lives. If anyone’s a miracle worker . . .”
Luke had yet to let go of her hand.
“You make dreams come true,” Brendon said, with an air of gentle correction. “I’m pretty sure Annie and I owe you our firstborn for the magic you’ve pulled off, putting everything together last-minute.”
“Firstborn?” Yikes. “Unless I read it wrong, that wasn’t in our contract.”
Across the patio, on one end of the sectional, Margot snorted.
“Point being, this wedding wouldn’t be happening if it weren’t for you,” Brendon said.
Luke finally released her hand and dropped back into his seat with an easy smile.
“It’s nothing. It’s what I do.” Olivia fiddled with the hem of her Henley. She’d far surpassed her quota of time spent in the spotlight for one day. “Speaking of, there is supposed to be in-room Wi-Fi, right?
“No working tonight,” Margot said, brows rising. “Remember?”
Right. Relaxing.
“Margot’s right. Absolutely no working.” Brendon practically herded her toward the sectional.
“But I really need to make sure the new DJ has that list you—”
“You can check in the morning. For now, you sit right here”—he led her to the empty cushion beside Luke—“and I’ll get you a drink.”
Chapter Fourteen
Not a setup, her ass.
Margot picked at the peeling paper label of her beer as Luke stood and patted Brendon on the shoulder. “I’ve got it.” Luke turned to Olivia and grinned. “What’s your poison?”
Olivia tucked her hair behind her ear. “Oh, um, I’ll just have a beer.”