page4 (1/1)

As he sipped his latte, he tried to recall how, exactly, the mayor had found out about his sister He didn’t reee Maybe his friend Shep had said so All he knew for sure was oneThanksgiving parade and the next she’d been asking about Ginger’s wedding He’d ad, and before he’d known it, the mayor had offered to find someone who could help Not two hours later, she’d set up this

The door to Brew-haha opened and a woth blond hair and blue eyes She looked slightly rushed and a little frazzled Not nervous, he thought as he studied her More determined, with a little unsure thrown in

Her gaze landed on him Instantly her shoulders squared and her chin went up Madeline, he thought, recognizing her fro how she looked ned than thrilled He supposed ht reasons Anyone as i for the closest exit Because they weren’t there for him They were there for Jonny Blaze, Action Star Wariness was a lot ht-after commodity

Madeline crossed the saze was direct as she offered hi Mayor Marsha said you’d be expecting me”

“Jonny,” he said easily, rising and pulling out a chair for her “Nice to meet you”

“Likewise”

She sat down and opened a large black tote From inside, she pulled out a pad of notepaper and a pen After placing both on the table, she drew in a breath and turned her attention to him

“I understand your sister is getting married”

“So she tells me” He smiled

Madeline stiffened, then drew in a breath “December 26? The Saturday after Christmas?”

He nodded

“All right So here’s the thing I work at Paper Moon It’s a bridal gown store I’er there I ith brides every day I handle the details of their gowns, veils and often shoes I outfit the wedding party Sometimes I have to act as referee between various family members Grandma doesn’t always approve of the bride’s choice”

He’d seen enough reality TV to know that was true But he had a feeling Madeline hadn’t yet gotten to the point of their conversation She had soot it out

She looked at her blank pad of paper, then back at hi coordinator I’s and my friend Dellina, who’s an actual event planner, has offered to givesaid that, I’ in soeles or wherever It’s totally up to you”

Jonny couldn’t remember the last tienerally overpromised and underdelivered It was a fact of life They wanted histhey worked for hi But the latter genuinely fluht screw up his life, but it wasn’t real It was i na a job A really weird job, but still There was nothingthe world He was juuys Not the stuff of legends

None of which was Madeline’s proble at her

She was pretty enough Her uess none of her features had been altered by the careful skill of a plastic surgeon She was dressed in a simple black dress The style was plain and didn’t really suit her No doubt she picked her clothes to blend in, rather than stand out In her line of work, the bride would be the star

“Just to confir up his latte, “you’ve never planned a wedding You’re open to having me hire someone else, but if I need your help, you’ll be there”

“Yes”

“Okay, then Ginger and I don’t have any family, but her fiancé does He’ll have ten or twelve relatives attending The rest of the guests will be Ginger’s and Oliver’s friends As of uests”