Total pages in book: 190
Estimated words: 181992 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 910(@200wpm)___ 728(@250wpm)___ 607(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 181992 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 910(@200wpm)___ 728(@250wpm)___ 607(@300wpm)
“You were when I first suggested you pull out of the wedding,” she reminded me.
“He and I had only just broken up then.”
“Yeah, and I get why you chose to still forge on ahead with organizing this event. But I reserve the right to be annoyed by it, because I know it’s going to sting for you to see him and Felicity together, even though you’re over him. And she’ll sit there looking all smug because she managed to lure him back to her. If she has the opportunity to throw verbal barbs at you, she will.”
Such was the life of a shrew.
I’d read countless romance books where the female main character got involved with a dude who had a bitch of an ex. In many of those novels, said ex strived to win the guy back. But he’d resist, he’d choose the female lead character, and they’d live happily ever after.
In real life, though, it didn’t always work out that way. Sometimes, the man chose his ex-wife, even when he swore it broke a part of him to do it.
“You know I’m right,” Sabrina added.
“She might go ahead and act like a tool,” I conceded. It honestly seemed like Felicity couldn’t help herself in that regard. “But I would never let something like that stop me from doing my job, nor would I let down my clients. Period.”
I’d started my company, Sapphire Glade Events, six years ago. While there were plenty of highs and lows to running your own business, I loved it.
A whole lot of time and effort went into designing and managing events. The work could sometimes be complicated, and the hours could be long—particularly since we were often planning several events at once.
No two were the same—each had different needs and stages, so the process of bringing one to life would vary. This also meant that, although there were some things we commonly did each day, we had no real daily routine.
So, yeah, the job could be challenging and unpredictable. Even stressful at times. But it was also highly rewarding.
I cocked my head at a sulky-looking Sabrina. “Knowing me as well as you do, did you honestly think I’d agree to pull out at any point?”
She blew out a breath and fussed with her spectacles. “No. Neither did Alicia,” she added, referring to one of my younger sisters. “But we figured there was no harm in me taking a shot at convincing you.” She sulkily slid her gaze to the large window of the multi-office building.
In my opinion, it was one of the swankiest buildings here in Redwater City, Florida. Like many company directors, I rented an entire floor. There was therefore an office for each employee, a break room, a conference room, and also restrooms.
Sabrina had handled our floor’s interior design, including that of my office. Bright and airy, it was very chic. Aside from the wall behind me—which was pure white covered in black, decorative swirls and lined with shelves and cubbies—the walls were a striking royal-purple.
The company logo in a moss design hung on one wall—a gift from my mom. A bonsai potted plant sat in the far corner. There were a few other pieces of wall-mounted artwork, including a black, metal tree.
There was a lounge area at the rear of the office. It had a gray-velvet sofa, a glass coffee table, two cushioned swivel chairs, and a coffee machine.
The entire space was clean and tidy. But there was nothing neat about the dry-erase board. It sported haphazard scribbles in various colors, along with an endless amount of sticky notes for a number of upcoming events. This particular summer was proving to be busy for us so far. We were only in the third week of June and already—
“At least let me handle the wedding,” implored Sabrina, her blue eyes pleading. “You don’t need to be there. I’d make sure it all runs smoothly.”
“I know you would.” I hadn’t made the brunette my event coordinator because she was my best friend—one I’d known since childhood, since our moms were close; I’d assigned her the role because it fit her like a glove. “But I always attend such huge events to oversee everything. If I wasn’t there, people would guess why. And their respect for me would dwindle at the idea that I’d allowed my personal shit to get in the way. There’s no chance in hell I’ll let Grayden or Felicity have any impact on Sapphire Glade.”
With the help of my team, I’d built it up through sheer hard work. A lot of blood and sweat and soul had gone into it. I would never do anything that would trample on the company’s success and reputation.
Her shoulders drooping, Sabrina let out a resigned huff. “I don’t know what he sees in her. I mean, okay, she isn’t evil or anything. In fact, she’s apparently a total dear to all the elderly people in the nursing home where she works. But she’s so damn catty and sly. I’ve never heard her say a kind word about anyone. All she does is bitch about others—including people who think she’s their friend. Why he chose her over you, I’ll never know.”