Flowers and Financiers by Alina Jacobs

7

Amy

“Amy,” Ivy hissed at me.

“He can’t be the best man. He’s rude and aggressive. This is the wedding of the century,” I retorted. “I’m not coordinating with him. I have a flower-power wedding planned.”

“I like flowers!” Meg said, breaking the tension.

“We’re happy to coordinate with both Sebastian as best man, and Kate and Susie as matron and maid of honor,” Ivy said, making notes.

She kicked me under the table for good measure, which roused Baxter, who jumped up, sending my cup of coffee—piled high with whipped cream, sprinkles, and mini marshmallows—into my lap.

“Shit! Shit! Baxter, don’t eat that. Sorry,” I mumbled, grabbing a wad of napkins and going under the table to mop it up.

“How much work exactly is the maid of honor role?” Susie asked warily while I chased the river of coffee under the table. It was running back toward the window where Meg and Sebastian were sitting… along with Sebastian’s very expensive-looking leather bag.

Crap! Crap! Crap!

“I have so much work to do as deputy mayor,” Susie said as I lunged, creating a napkin dam inches away from Sebastian’s imported-leather briefcase.

“But you’re one of my best friends!” Meg cried.

“I have crazy seniors to corral,” Susie ticked off, “and the feral-cat committee is about to suffer a schism, and civil war is brewing. Besides, I have no sense of style. I’m not going to be able to make decisions. At the very least, have a second maid of honor.”

“Kate will help,” Meg insisted.

“Ideally, we would have someone local to Harrogate,” Ivy said, “though we are happy to work with whomever you choose.”

Next time, I am not ordering so much coffee,I decided as I furiously grabbed the marshmallows that were swirling in eddies of coffee under the table.

“Hmm,” Meg said thoughtfully. “What about Amy as maid of honor?”

“What?” I shrieked, jumping up and slamming my head on the underside of the heavy reclaimed wood table.

“What in the world?”

Sebastian’s angry face appeared under the table.

“Are you out of your mind?”

“I’m not working with you!” I shrieked, clambering out from under the table.

“My briefcase.” Sebastian cursed, grabbing his bag as I hauled myself out from under the table with Baxter’s help.

“I cannot plan a wedding with him.” I pointed at Sebastian.

“And I am not working with her.” Sebastian crossed his arms. “Look at her! She’s a disaster.”

“As if you’d be any help anyway,” I shot back at him.

“I’m more useful than you,” he said. “At least I manage not to spill my coffee all over myself.”

I stuffed a marshmallow that was in my hand into my mouth and chewed angrily. Nothing stuck in my craw more than when people acted like they were better at wedding planning than me, an actual wedding planner.

“Was that on the floor?” Sebastian snarled.

“It’s still good. Or not.” I made a face and pulled a piece of horsehair out of my mouth.

Sebastian gagged.

“Oh, just go and trade some stocks or something,” I shot at him.

“That is literally not what I do.”

“Well, weddings are what I do, so stay out of my way.”

“Wedding planning is not that difficult,” Sebastian began.

Oh, here we go.

I rolled up my sleeves and climbed onto my soapbox.

“Contrary to what you might think, wedding planning is extremely difficult, especially this wedding, which is practically a small-town royal wedding.”

“I’ve planned a wedding before,” Sebastian droned on, “for my father’s second marriage, and I did it while growing my company and taking care of my sick brother. The wedding ran very smoothly. People were impressed.”

“Probably because expectations were low,” I snapped.

Meg stood up.

“It sounds like you both have it under control,” she said brightly. “We’ll need all hands on deck for a wedding in two months.”

Across the table, Ivy choked on her coffee. Elsie patted her on the back as she wheezed.

“Two months?” Ivy gasped.

My mouth fell open. “We need a year and a half, at least!”

Sebastian made a disgusted noise.

“I’ve been waiting years to marry Hunter. I’m not waiting anymore. Because I’m almost thirty-three,” Meg stated. “I want a baby, and the clock is ticking.”

Now Hunter was the one to choke on his drink.

“How many kids?” he gasped as Sebastian pounded him on the back.

“Just one. Let’s not overdo it. I’m sure more of your siblings are going to pop up.”

“A girl?” Hunter asked hopefully.

Meg glanced across the table at her teenage sisters, who made obnoxious faces and barely looked up from their phones.

“Er…we’ll play the slots.”

“Two months? That’s no time at all!” I protested. “Oh my god, I need to plant more flowers!”

I clapped a sticky hand to my hair then cursed when I realized marshmallow and coffee were glued to my curls.

“Sounds like they are incapable of meeting your deadline,” Sebastian sneered.

“We absolutely can meet that deadline,” Ivy said gamely.

“Yeah,” I added, trying to pick marshmallow goop out of my hair. “This is going to be the best wedding ever!”

“And I expect you to be the best small-town maid of honor, Amy,” Meg said.

“Really scraping the bottom of the barrel there, Mayor,” Sebastian said snidely.

I stuck my tongue out at him.

“Amy’s a small-town girl. She knows what I like. She’ll be perfect.” Meg waved her arm over my shoulder. “I now pronounce you co-maid of honor.”

Sebastian stood up and collected his things. “This wedding is going to be a disaster.”