The applause that follows is so loud it’s almost a physical blow. My skin prickles. For a second, the air shifts. I try to tune it out, but my brain is fixated on the APPLAUD NOW cue cards. I can almost see them floating in front of me.
All over again, it’s the robotic, foggy applause, hands suspended midair, faces contorted with amusement. I’m stuck in that never-ending loop, trapped in a spotlight moment. I can barely breathe.
They’reall laughing.
Everyone knows what happened with Julian. Theysawhim humiliate me.
My throat tightens and my heart drums a solo against my ribs.
“I’d love nothing more than to plan your perfect day,” I say to Hailey and Donovan, not even bothering to acknowledge Julian.
He doesn’t get it. While I plan weddings, I’m not sureIeven believe in happily ever after anymore. Not for me. So, yeah. I’m actually glad he cornered me by the restroom. He did me a favor. Now IknowI don’t miss him. I don’t care whether he’s with Nora or anyone else. That chapter is closed. All I want to do now is work on rebuilding my brand and putting my business back on the map.
A weight lifts off my shoulders.
But as Hailey starts walking toward me with her arms outstretched, I catch Cornelia’s smile.
That smile.
It’s not her usualI’ve got the winning hand, and you’re not invited to the gamesmile, no. I know Cornelia’s self-satisfied little grin when she’s glowing with superiority. That same smile she had when she told me I’d never make it without her son.
This one’s sinister, laden with warning. I saw it when the divorce was final. I got my car, money, priceless waterfall paintings, and a townhouse big enough to hide from her—andI got Ebony Grace Events. What really burned her up was knowing that Julian, despite her advice, gave me full control of my business. He relinquished his ownership. Without a second thought, I cut him loose, cut the Livingstons loose.
She was seething mad then, and now, not only has her son’s reputation been dragged through the mud along with mine, but he’s also lost his coveted job.
He’sfloundering withoutme.
Now, after his “perfect match” speech, Cornelia’s smile is a warning. She doesn’t want me anywhere near her precious son. She’s got nothing to worry about there, but it couldn’t hurt to let her believe she does, could it?
And now I’m smiling.
“Ebs, if anyone can make it happen, it’s you.” Hailey pulls me into a tight hug. “And you can bring a date, too—obviously, I want you to attend as a guest as well as plan things.” She starts rambling about her vision board and a June—maybea September—wedding, and I’m only half listening when she says, “Can you just imagine how elegant it’ll be? Donovan and I, the first couple in ages to dance underneath the magical crystal chandelier…fall florals inside the grand ballroom at Madison Manor…”
My brain checks completely out.
Madison Manor.
An immediate jolt of tension rushes through me. It’s slated to be restored and transformed into a luxury venue for public events. Formal gardens, extravagant rooms, an even grander ballroom—the whole nine. Last year, around the time my life got flipped-turned upside down, there was a whole bidding war to buy the historical mansion.
Cornelia won.
Oh, no.
I mean, somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew Hailey would ask me to plan her wedding. Actually, I was counting on it. A year’s hiatus has been a death sentence to my bottom line. So, after sulking and therapizing my life’s hangups, it’s time. And how amazing to foray back into the event-planning scene for the powerful and privileged with a wedding in a legendary venue? Naturally, I knew that meant I’d be dealing with the mother of the groom. But it’s only just now, in this very moment, it’s hitting me that the “MOG” of the Winston Livingston wedding is Cornelia Livingston.
My ex-mother-in-law.
The recurring subject of many a therapy session, whom I’ve actively distanced myself from.
The spanking new owner of this premier venue.
She’s the groom’s mother.
And now I know what’s behind that smile.
I close my eyes on a deep exhale, becauseof coursethis no-expense-spared dream wedding—thatwillput my business back on the map in a hugeway—comes with a hefty price tag. Just to make things extrafun(because my life isn’t complicated enough already), I’ll have the dual honor of dealing with her as the mother of the groom and the venue owner.
Lovely.
