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There was a simple solution to that: make it real.
He’d turn Catelyn’s fantasy into a reality.
He’d get a negotiation partner to win over Lydia Morris.
And she’d get a real royal wedding.
4
“It’s not right.” Laura twisted her red hair behind her, looping it into a bun that tumbled down her back the moment she let it go. “Accepting all this coverage for content that’s not entirely truthful? It doesn’t seem right.”
“I don’t know.” Daisy looked down at the notepad in front of her. She hadn’t written down anything. What was there to take notes about? This entire meeting had been about the TMZ coverage. Tipsy Catelyn’s blog had gotten a lot more attention than she’d bargained for.
Out in the main office, the phone rang again. Catelyn studied her friends gathered around the little round table in their conference room. She didn’t like the looks on their faces.
“I’ll get that.” She jogged out to the front office. It had been like this for four days solid. Three days after the blog post, TMZ had discovered that Sheikh Rami of Al-Dashalid had had a secret wedding in New Jersey to a wedding planner named Catelyn Wolf. Since then, the phones had been ringing off the hook. They’d booked more weddings in the past four days than the past four months combined. Catelyn snatched the phone out of the cradle on the third ring.
“Catelyn Wolf at Elite Occasions,” she said smoothly into the phone.
“Oh, my goodness, Catelyn, I’m so mortified.” Catelyn recognized the voice on the other end of the line. It was Marissa Keller, and she’d been the first to book with Elite Occasions after the news broke. And it was a big account. As in—a multimillion-dollar wedding.
“What about?” Catelyn asked, her voice level. It was early in the process for a bridal meltdown, but Catelyn was prepared nonetheless.
“I’m almost certain I forgot to congratulate you on your wedding.” Marissa had a gentle Southern accent, not unlike Catelyn’s mother.
“Don’t be silly!” Catelyn chuckled. “I’m sure you did. You’re so sweet for thinking of me.” This wasn’t why Marissa was calling, though. She knew it like she knew when the groom was going to get cold feet. “Was there anything else you wanted me to check on while you have me on the phone?” Marissa’s wedding was still in the venue selection phase. There was no new news on that front.
“I only—” Marissa cleared her throat. “Maybe I’m crossing a line,” she said delicately. “But I only saw photos of your wedding. Do you—do you have honeymoon plans?”
Catelyn laughed. “Not at the moment. And Marissa, let me assure you—even if I was called away unexpectedly, my team is the best in the business. We’re all working to make sure your event is perfect. And if one of us can’t make it, the other two are more than capable of covering. You’ll never be on your own.”
Marissa huffed out a breath. “Oh, thank goodness. Not—” Catelyn could practically hear her blushing over the phone. “Not that you shouldn’t have a honeymoon. Everyone should have a wonderful honeymoon. I just got into a little bit of a panic—”
“That I might not be there every step of the way. Put that thought right out of your head. We’re here for you.”
“I’m glad to hear it. You know,” Marissa said, her tone thoughtful. “The moment I saw those photos, I knew you were the planner for me. I mean—if you can handle a royal family, no wedding is beyond you.”
“That’s right. Just sit back, relax, and we’ll meet next week to choose a venue.”
“I’m so excited. Oh! I’m sure you’re busy,” Marissa said quickly. “I’ll let you get back to it.”
“Talk soon,” Catelyn said, and hung up the phone.
She went back into the conference room and dropped into her seat. “That was Marissa Keller.”
Laura straightened up. “Is she…backing out?”
“No.” Catelyn flicked her eyes between her friends. “She said the reason she wanted to hire us is because she knows I can handle anything. ‘If you can handle a royal family, no wedding is beyond you.’ Those were her exact words.”
Daisy and Laura exchanged a look, and Catelyn held her breath. She didn’t feel awesome about the photoshop job, but how could they delete it now? It was a lie, yes—but it was the lie that launched a thousand weddings. And three careers. The paycheck from Marissa Keller alone was going to keep Elite Occasions afloat for a year.
“We’ll keep it up for now.” Daisy sounded firm. “We can’t delete it without fessing up, and I—” She looked the other women in the eye. “I’ve got loans.” She shrugged her shoulders. “We can take it down later, when everything has…died down.”
“Meeting adjourned,” Catelyn declared.
The three women stood up from the table as the phone in the outer office rang again. “My turn,” said Daisy, and she rushed for it.
Catelyn went back to her office and sat heavily in her chair. Ugh. This was not how she’d wanted to launch their business to the next level. Even if Daisy and Laura disagreed, wasn’t it best just to delete it now? She brought up the blog on her screen. If she left the blog post up, she was going to have to go to sleep every night knowing that it was there. It was enough, really. The contracts they’d signed in the past four days would keep them going for long enough. Especially the Keller account.
