She got back on the phone once the barking had turned into a dull roar. “They love you so much!”
I had a scar on my left ankle from where Tommy had sunk his teeth into me and still mourned my favorite pair of high heels after Toby had defecated in them and I’d been forced to throw them away, but sure, the dogs loved me.
Before I could respond she asked, “Are you going to be spending some quality time with Camden today?”
“Mom, why would I—”
I didn’t have long to wonder what she was up to, as she finally saw fit to enlighten me. “I had the loveliest conversation with him a few hours ago.”
“What?” I mean, I recognized all of the words she had just used, but the order she’d used them in made no sense. How would she have talked to Camden?
“I forgot about the time difference because usually you’re two hours ahead of me instead of two hours behind me and I called you and it was probably like four in the morning and you didn’t answer your phone. I had the front desk connect me and there was this sleepy handsome man answering, telling me that you weren’t feeling well and he’d have me call you later. I can’t believe you finally listened to me and took my advice. It’s better than Christmas!”
What was it about this man that made every woman who met him want to set him up with me?
“It’s not what you think.” Did one tell their mother that they were really drunk and were sleeping it off and that they had asked the man who had been nice and helpful to stay because one didn’t want to be alone?
There was no way to describe this to her that wouldn’t send her down the wrong path. No matter what I said or did, or how innocent I tried to make it seem, she would pole vault over me to get to the wrong conclusion.
“You don’t want to know what I think!” she said, with that annoyingly chipper singsong tone of hers.
No, I most definitely did not. “Okay, I really do have to go. Love to Dad. Talk to you later.”
I half expected her to call right back in an attempt to pump me for more information, but she didn’t.
I had just finished using the bathroom when I heard my hotel phone ring. Was my mother trying to circumvent me from checking to see who was calling?
Or maybe she’d done it in hopes that Camden would answer again?
“Hello?”
“Rachel? This is Troy. There is a wedding emergency and I need you down in my room right away.”
“Is it Brandy?” I asked, the first place my mind went after I heard the word emergency. “Sadie? Is she okay?”
“Just get down here immediately.” He told me his room number and then hung up. Troy was the kind of wedding planner who always prepped for emergencies. What could be so bad that he’d need me right away? I threw on some comfortable clothes, quickly brushed my hair, and twisted it into place. Troy had sounded like it was urgent, but I had to stop and clean my teeth. I half expected to see green fuzz growing on them, given how they felt and smelled.
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.