Bed of Roses (Bride Quartet #2)(95)

"Oh, what a beautiful color. Like a spring leaf through a drop of dew. Perfect for a fairy-tale wedding." She turned to her display and chose a white silk tulip. "See how the white just gleams against this watery green?"

"Yes. Yes, I do. As soon as the final designs are approved, we'll send you the sketches. Thank you, Emma, for the time."

"We're all here to make certain Jessica has the perfect day."

"You see." Adele poked her sister's arm. "That's exactly the sort of attitude I want to offer. In fact, I think The Perfect Day would be a wonderful name for the business."

"I like it," Emma told her.

"If you change your mind, you've got my card," she reminded Emma. "I'll promise you ten percent over what you make annually now."





"I'M TRYING NOT TO BE ANNOYED SHE'D TRY TO STEAL YOU. Again." Parker slipped off her shoes after the second of two full consults.

"How much did she offer you to move to Jamaica?" Emma asked.

"Carte blanche, which I told her was a rudimentary mistake. No one's worth a blank check, especially when you're designing a business model."

"She's rolling in it," Laurel pointed out. "And yes, I know that doesn't matter on a practical, business level. But she's used to rolling in it."

"She has a good concept. An exclusive and inclusive wedding company in a popular destination wedding site. And she's smart to try to hook people with solid experience. But she's got to create a budget, and stick."

"Then why aren't we doing it?" Mac wanted to know. "I don't mean let's all pack up and move to Jamaica or Aruba, or wherever, but a branch of Vows in some exotic locale? We'd kill."

"I'll kill you." Laurel formed a gun with her thumb and finger, and went bang. "Haven't we got enough work?"

"I've thought about it."

Laurel gaped at Parker. "Let me reload."

"Just a loose outline, for the future."

"When they perfect human cloning."

"A franchise rather than a branch," Parker explained. "With very specific requirements. But I haven't worked out all the details or kinks. If and when I do, we'll all talk it through. And we'll all have to agree. But for now, yes, we do have enough work. Except for the third week in August. We're blank."

"I saw that. I meant to ask you about it," Emma continued as she stretched out some kinks in the small of her back. "I figured I'd forgotten to plug something in." 

"No, we don't have an event that week because I blacked it out. I can change that if nobody's interested in taking a week at the beach."

There was a moment of stunned silence, then three women leaped up to do a happy dance. Laurel snatched Parker's hand and pulled her up to join them.

"I take it you're interested."

"Can we pack now? Can we? Can we?" Mac demanded.

"Sunscreen, a bikini, and a blender for margaritas. What else do you need?" Laurel swung Parker around. "Vacation!"

"Where?" Emma asked. "What beach?"

"Who cares?" Laurel flopped down on the couch again. "It's the beach. It's a week without fondant or sugar paste. I wipe a tear from my cheek."

"The Hamptons. Del bought a house."

"Del bought a house in the Hamptons?" Mac lifted her fists in the air. "Go, Del."

"Actually, Brown LLC bought it. That's what some of the paperwork he's been bringing over was about. A property came up. It's a good investment. I didn't say anything, in case it fell through. But it's a done deal now. So, we'll all pack ourselves off to the beach for a week the end of August."

"All?" Laurel echoed.

"The four of us, Carter, Del, Jack, of course. It's six bedrooms, eight baths. Plenty of room for everyone."

"Does Jack know?" Emma wondered.

"He knows Del was looking at the property, but not about August. We both felt there wasn't a point in talking about taking the week if we didn't go through with it. Now we have."

"I have to go tell Carter. Yay!" Mac gave Parker a smacking kiss before she rushed out.

"This is so great. I'm going to go put it on my calendar, with lots of little hearts and shiny suns. Moonlight walks on the beach." Emma hugged Parker. "It's nearly as perfect as dancing in a moonlit garden. I'm going to call Jack."

When they were alone, Parker looked at Laurel. "Is anything wrong?"

"What? No. God, what could be wrong. Beach, a week. I think I'm in shock. We need new beach clothes."

"Damn right."

Laurel pushed up. "Let's go shopping."





WHEN INSPIRATION STRUCK, EMMA RAN WITH IT. IT TOOK SOME juggling and a client flexible enough to bump up a consult by an hour, but she managed to clear her Monday afternoon.