Page 62 of 4 Weddings and a Feud
“What’s their rain policy?” Evie asked.
“Rain?” Mary snorted. “You realize we live in the desert?”
Evie speared her with a glare. “A good wedding planner considers all eventualities. Besides, on my drive here, the radio said something about a storm this weekend.”
“A storm? Maybe it’ll be one of those quick downpours.”
“Or maybe it won’t happen at all. Still, you need a plan.”
“Right. Okay.” Mary could learn a lot about managing risk from her new assistant. “I’ll ask them what happens in the extremely remote possibility of rain.”
“The last time I planned a ceremony there, they had a tent. They promised everyone would stay dry.”
Mary wrinkled her nose, imagining a rotten old scrap of canvas rolled up in a spidery storage shed. “A tent?”
“I checked it out, and it’s not as bad as it sounds. They air it out at least twice a year. It’s white and plenty big enough for Teagan and Twyla’s twenty-five guests. I’ll call the garden today to make sure they’ve cleaned it recently.”
“Thank you.” Mary sagged back into her chair.
“What about Cierra’s wedding? Need any help there?” Evie asked.
“We met with the band yesterday. They’re pretty good, and we agreed on the set list.”
“What about her fiancé? When she brought him in last week, he seemed like a real piece of work. That business with Rafe…” Evie shook her head.
“I know, right? He just came in to say hi to Cierra, and Sawyer puffed up like a tomcat. How could anyone think innocent Rafe would touch an engaged woman? But that seems to be Sawyer’s M.O. He got up in the lead singer’s face because he thought he was flirting with Cierra.”
“Was he?”
“I don’t think so. I pegged him as friendly and eager to please his clients, but Sawyer told him to step off.”
“Did he?”
“Yeah. After that, the guitarist did the talking. And he made sure to flash his wedding ring.” The last thing they needed was a groom with a hair trigger. Cierra had dated half of Las Vegas and, for some reason, invited most of her exes. Fortunately, most of them, including Alex, had sent their regrets.
Evie tied off her stitch and cut the thread. “Sounds like you’ve got everything under control. Let me know if you need help.”
“I will. Promise.” Teagan and Twyla’s wedding was small enough for Mary to handle. And for Rochelle and Rohaan’s, she could call on the resources of La Villa. She had it all handled.
She hoped.
“Any questions about the shop?” she asked.
“No.” Evie stabbed her needle into Michael’s coveralls. “Although I failed your brother’s test yesterday.”
“Test? There’s no test in renting cars. Even exotic ones.”
Evie grunted. “Someone called in yesterday looking for a red 1982 Corvette to use in a movie. Don’t worry, I made them promise it wouldn’t be harmed. It’s just for the actors to get in and out of in close-up shots. They’ll use a different one for the stunts. Anyway, I saw we didn’t have one in the inventory system, but we have an ’84. So, I told them yes and sent them the paperwork.”
Mary winced. “The ’84 looks nothing like the ’82. It’s a completely different body style. Boxier. Less sexy.”
“I know that now. After Michael lectured me. He made me go out into the lot and compare them. Then he gave me a pop quiz on the different generations of Corvettes. And tossed in a couple Mustangs just to trip me up.”
“Sorry about that. He can be a little…passionate. Did you swap out the ’84 for the ’78? It can pass for an ’82.”
“Yes, that’s what Michael told me. Who knew cars could be so complicated?”
“Wait until he quizzes you on the difference between a catalytic converter and a muffler.”
