Page 65 of Some Kinda Romance

“So your mother keeps saying, but it’s like there’s a new thing every week that goes wrong.”

“And that’s wedding planning for you,” I said sincerely. “That is why both of us have jobs. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it themselves, but it’s not. Shit happens, Serenity. You can’t allow it to make you question yourself.”

“That’s easy for you to say, but people are waiting for me to fail, Dash. We may be weathering the same storm, but we’re not in the same boat. I’m on a hunk of junk that could start taking on water at any given moment and you’re on a brand-new luxury yacht.”

“True, but I’ve been doing this for years. I know you have been too, but no one else knows that. My reputation came with time. Just give yourself that, and maybe a little bit of the grace you show others as well. Soon enough, they’ll all be eating their words and they’ll realize that you’re awesome at this.”

“Am I, though? Because it sure doesn’t feel that way right now. I’m not fishing for compliments or anything. It’s just that so many things have gone wrong.”

“None of this has been your fault,” I said firmly. “You didn’t mess up, Serenity. Life happened. When I told you people would lose faith in you, I didn’t mean it in a bad way. I meant it as a warning to let you know they were watching.”

I was definitely going to have to start being more careful about what I said, though. Squeezing her hands, I looked right into her eyes as I tried to reassure her. “People put an insane amount of pressure on just one day to be perfect when it’s their wedding day. The vendors feel that pressure and so does everyone else involved in the planning. I firmly believe that’s why weddings take so much more effort to plan. That’s why it often feels like so many more things are going wrong.”

She was listening intently and at least now, she seemed to agree with what I was saying. All that was left for me to do was to make her believe that she truly was good at handling that pressure. “With this wedding, it’s been so much worse because it’s the first high-profile wedding you’re planning. You’re smart enough and self-aware enough to know that potential future clients will be watching how this turns out and I know that stunt Ethan pulled didn’t help.”

“It really didn’t,” she said softly.

I nodded, stroking my fingers along the length of hers. “Don’t get in your head about it. You’ve got this. The wedding is going to be incredible, and everyone will be able to see that you were born to do this. In just a few more weeks, there won’t be any more doubt and Ethan won’t be able to take that away from you. Neither will I, for that matter.”

“What if they think it was only a success because of you?”

“They won’t,” I said. “If anyone tries, I’ll set them straight. All I’ve been is a representative of my family. I haven’t touched the planning more than any other client would have—well, maybe with a bit more criticism, for which I feel bad now. Still, the planning has all been you and I’ll make sure people know it.”

She drew in a deep breath, but finally, she nodded and gave me a sweet smile. “Should we eat? It’s probably all gone cold by now.”

I chuckled. “Crispy bacon is good at any temperature.”

We tucked in, chatting about lighter topics for the rest of our short flight. As soon as we landed, we went straight to Molly’s bakery, walking in side by side but not holding hands. Why am I even noticing that? Do I want to be holding her hand?

Internally sighing, I watched as the girl behind the counter saw us. A big grin spread on her face as she opened her arms. “Serenity!”

“Hey, Mol.” She smiled, breaking away from me to hug her friend. “Thanks for seeing us on such short notice.”

“Anything for you,” the other woman said, glancing at me over Serenity’s shoulder. “This must be the infamous Dash St. Clair.”

I smirked. “Infamous? Thanks. I’m going to take that as a compliment.”

She laughed, unexpectedly pulling me into a hug as well. She was taller than Serenity and a bit rounder, with short blonde hair and a heart-shaped face. Something about her made me like her instantly. She had a warmth people just didn’t have in LA.

Surprising myself, I hugged her back gently then let go, taking a step closer to Serenity once more. Molly glanced between us, giving Serenity a knowing look before she waved for us to follow her. “We’ve got you set up in the tasting room. Right this way.”

Serenity flashed me a slightly nervous smile, then went after Molly. I fell into step behind them. The bakery was small, but the rooms were spacious, with high ceilings and little nooks she’d created with comfortable furniture for people to sit and have their coffee and treats.

The tasting room she led us to was tiny but intimate, and they’d laid out several plates with silverware for us in advance. Molly turned to smile at us once we were in the room. “Have a seat. I’ll grab you some coffee and some water, and then we can jump right in.”

The next hour was like I’d died and gone to decadent heaven. Molly brought out several flavors of cake for us to taste, as well as other desserts I knew my mom loved, like cheesecake, mousse, and baklava. Everything was delicious, and it wasn’t because I was forcing myself to think so for Serenity’s sake.

This woman really knew what she was doing in a kitchen. I grinned at both of them once we’d worked our way through it all. “That was amazing. I’m impressed.”

Relief softened Serenity’s features and she smiled. “I’m so happy right now.”

Molly arched a sassy eyebrow at me. “Does that mean I’m hired?”

“Absolutely. I’ll leave you guys alone to discuss the details.” My role on behalf of the family had ended with the last bite I’d taken and now the wedding planner had to step in.

Serenity seemed surprised but nodded at me when I got up. I gave her a quick wink, then found an open seat near a window and had some more coffee while I waited for her. As soon as she came out, I swigged the last of it and took her arm, not giving a damn about being seen.

“I’m taking you to celebrate now,” I said, leaning into her as we left. “I’m familiar with Fiona’s work and she’s good, but Molly is even better. You pulled off one hell of a save here, baby. You should be proud.”

Again, I wasn’t just saying it. I really meant it. She was going to be a fierce competitor in the industry with her out-of-the-box way of thinking and problem-solving. I didn’t know if she knew that yet, but before we left this city, I would make sure she did. In fact, I was going to make it my personal mission to ensure that she knew exactly how good she really was—and how sorry I was feeling that I hadn’t hired her for Mom’s wedding myself.