“How do you—”

“Adele.” Kathryn clucked her tongue. “You’re interrogating again.”

“All right, all right. I’m full of questions, I know. But I’m very serious about launching a wedding planning company in Jamaica.” Nodding, Adele scanned the area again. “It seems you have a perfect arrangement here, so there’s little hope in luring you away.”

“But I’m happy to answer questions. Still, for an overview of a business model, Parker’s your girl.”

“We’re going to get out of your way.” Kathryn reached in her bag. “The swatch.”

“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.

She planned to surprise Jack with a twist on their usual Monday night date.

On the way out she stopped by the main house and tracked down Parker in the office.

Parker paced, her headset in place, and rolled her eyes when Emma came in.

“I’m sure Kevin’s mother didn’t mean to be critical or insulting. You’re absolutely right, it is your wedding, your day, your choice. You’re entitled to . . . Yes, he is very sweet, Dawn, and extremely well behaved. I know . . . I know.”

Parker closed her eyes, mimed strangling herself for Emma’s benefit.

“Ah, why don’t you let me take care of this for you? It would take the stress off you and Kevin. And sometimes an outside party is better able to explain and . . . I’m sure she doesn’t. Yes, of course. I’d be angry, too. But—But . . . Dawn!” Her tone sharpened just a fraction, enough, Emma knew, to shut down whatever rant the bride might be on. “You have to remember, above anything else, any detail, any complication or disagreement, the day and everything about it is for you and Kevin. And you have to remember, I’m here to see that you and Kevin have the day you want.”

This time Parker shot her gaze to the ceiling. “Why don’t you and Kevin go out and have a nice dinner tonight, just the two of you? I can make a reservation for you wherever . . . I love that restaurant.” Parker scribbled down a name on a pad. “Say seven? I’ll take care of that for you right now. And I’ll speak to his mother this evening. By tomorrow, everything will be fine. Don’t worry about a thing. I’ll talk to you soon. Yes, Dawn, that’s what I’m here for. Good. Great. Mmm-hmm. Bye.”

She held up a finger. “One more minute.” Once she’d contacted the bride’s choice of restaurant, wrangled a reservation, she pulled off the headset.

Parker took a breath, let out a short but enthusiastic scream, then nodded. “Better. Much better.”

“Dawn’s having a problem with her soon-to-be mother-in-law?”

“Yes. Oddly, the MOG doesn’t understand or approve of the bride’s choice of ring bearer.”

“It’s really not her—”

“Which is Beans, the bride’s Boston bull terrier.”

“Oh, I’d forgotten about that one.” Emma’s brow creased. “Wait. Did I know about that one?”

“Probably not, as she only told me a couple of days ago. The MOG thinks it’s silly, undignified, and embarrassing. And said so in very clear terms. The bride’s decided her future mother-in-law is a dog hater.”

“Is he wearing a tux?”

Parker’s lips twitched “At this point, just a bow tie. She wants the dog, she gets the dog. So I’ll ask the MOG to have a drink with me—as such matters are best done in person and with alcohol—and smooth this over.”

“Good luck with that. I’m heading into town. I’m going to surprise Jack, cook him dinner, so I won’t be back until morning. But I’m also going to see if you and Laurel left any sexy summer clothes anywhere in Greenwich.”

“There may be a halter top left. Possibly one pair of sandals.”

“I’ll find them. I’m going to the market, and by the nursery. Is there anything you need? I can drop it back by in the morning.”

“Are you going by the bookstore?”

“I’m going to town; what would my mother say if I didn’t drop in?”

“Right. She’s got a book I ordered.”

“I’ll get it for you. If you think of anything else, just call my cell.”

“Have fun.” As Emma left, Parker looked at her BlackBerry. Sighed. And picked it up to call Kevin’s mother.


Delighted to have a few hours out and about, Emma stopped at the nursery first. She gave herself permission to just wander and enjoy before settling down to the business of selection.

She loved the smells—the earth, the plants, the green—so much she had to order herself not to just buy some of everything. But she promised herself she’d take another swing through in the morning and pick up a few more plants for the estate.

For now, she debated on pots while envisioning Jack’s back porch entrance. She found two slim urns in a rusted bronze color she decided would be perfect flanking his kitchen door.

“Nina?” She signaled to the manager. “I’m going to take these two.”

“They’re great, aren’t they?”

“They are. Can you have them loaded in my car? It’s right out front. And the potting soil? I’m just going to pick out the plants.”

“Take your time.”

She found exactly what she wanted, sticking with deep reds and purples with a few sparks of gold to set them off.