The Best Laid Plans. Amy Vastine

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      “Yeah? He’s the one?”

      Emma always got what she wanted, and sticking to her plan was the only way to prevent disaster. The last time she even thought about deterring from the plan, bad things had happened. “He’s got to be.”

      The phone rang and Kendall jumped up to answer it. Emma could tell by the smile on Kendall’s face that it was Max calling.

      “I know, isn’t it the sweetest thing you’ve ever seen? I told him we could frame it.” She paused to listen. “Emma’s here, by the way. She wants to know why you asked Charlie to help her with the wedding plans.”

      All of a sudden, Kendall’s eyes widened and she turned her back, piquing Emma’s interest. Emma strode over and tried to overhear, but Kendall pushed her away.

      “I knew it, I knew it, I knew it. We should talk about this. I’m not so sure that’s a good idea,” Kendall said to Max.

      “What did you know? What’s not a good idea?” Emma asked, trying again to hear what he was saying. Kendall ran out of the room. Emma followed. “What is he saying?”

      Kendall swatted at her sister as she attempted to take the phone away. “She’s trying to get the phone,” she explained to Max. “Cut it out, Emma. I will pinch you if you don’t stop it.” Just like when they were children and only had one cordless phone in a house full of adolescent girls, Emma was undeterred by her sister’s warning and wrestled it away.

      “What’s not a good idea?” Emma asked Max. “Why did you tell Charlie to meet with me?”

      “Hi, Em. How are you tonight?”

      “Don’t ‘Hi, Em’ me. What is not a good idea?”

      “I was telling Kendall I really have to get back to work. Charlie just wants to help out. He’s my friend. Be nice.”

      “Be nice? I’m always nice. That doesn’t answer my question. What is not a good idea?”

      “Gotta go. Tell Kendall I’ll call when I get home.”

      “Don’t you—” Max hung up “—hang up on me,” Emma said to no one. She turned on her sister. “What was that about?”

      Kendall swallowed hard, a sure sign she was about to lie. “Nothing. He’s worried this wedding is going to take on a life of its own.”

      “And Charlie is supposed to do what? Keep me from letting things get out of control?”

      “No,” Kendall insisted. “We appreciate everything you’re doing. We’re both swamped and there’s no way we could plan a wedding without help.”

      “But?”

      “But nothing. I know you. You are going to give me the best wedding a girl could ask for. But even without planning it, this is overwhelming. Bear with us, okay?”

      There was still something her sister wasn’t saying. Maybe Kendall believed in her, but Max was another story. Emma was going to show both of them. She was going to help them have the wedding of their dreams, with very little stress to show for it. Even if she had to share credit with Charlie Fletcher.

      * * *

      AFTER GOING BACK and forth about where to meet, Charlie and Emma settled on the Chi-Town Chilly Cow Ice-Cream Shop or, as Emma and her sisters called it, the Triple C. It was an Everhart family favorite.

      “I’ll take a double scoop of the blackberry with some fresh strawberries and a small squirt of whipped cream.”

      “You are definitely a woman who knows what she likes, Nightingale,” Charlie said as he continued to study the menu board.

      “I’ve been here a few times,” she explained with a smile.

      The young man behind the counter made Emma’s sundae and went to ring her up. She stopped him before he entered anything into the register.

      “Oh, I’m Lucy Everhart. There’s a note back there that says I get all my ice cream free.”

      Lucy had helped the original owners by pushing them to go organic and making the Triple C extremely profitable in the Lincoln Park area. As a thank-you, the owners told Lucy she would get free ice cream for life. Only, Lucy didn’t eat ice cream, organic or not. She didn’t do dairy. Emma didn’t see why someone shouldn’t benefit from Lucy’s good fortune.

      Charlie looked amused but didn’t give her up. Instead, he tried to get in on the action. “Does that free deal cover the ice cream for friends of Lucy Everhart, as well?”

      Emma licked some whipped cream off her spoon. “Sorry, Charlie. The discount is for me and me alone.”

      “Aren’t you a Lucky Lucy?”

      “Oh, I am,” she said, diving into her sundae.

      After he paid for his treat, the two of them settled in a booth in the back of the shop. Emma had brought along a notebook to jot down whatever ideas Charlie was here to share. She already had a binder full of all her own ideas separated into categories—ceremony, reception, bride, bridesmaids, groom, groomsmen.

      She started with her thoughts on day and time. Charlie thought having the wedding on a Friday was brilliant. She flipped the page to the reception ideas, all of which Charlie felt were amazing. She figured he wouldn’t have much of an opinion about what the women wore but told him what she was thinking in regard to the tuxes, and Charlie was happy to wear whatever.

      Basically, Charlie had no opinion at all. He thought everything Emma said was fantastic. It didn’t seem to matter what idea she proposed; he liked them all. It strengthened her belief that he was here to spy, not to actually help.

      “You really put a lot of thought into this,” Charlie said, flipping through the binder. “Do you only plan weddings? My dad’s retiring in June and my sister wants to have a party for him. We could use someone as organized as you to get the thing off the ground.”

      “I’m not a party planner. I love my sister, and the last time she got married, I was in college and had no time to be much help.”

      “It’s cool that you and Kendall are so close. I come from a big family, spread out all over the country. I can’t remember the last time we were all under one roof.”

      “Maybe you will be for your dad’s retirement party,” Emma suggested.

      “Maybe. Having all my sisters together can sometimes be more trouble than it’s worth. You and your sister seem to get along better than mine ever did.”

      “Did you guys grow up in Chicago?”

      “Northern suburbs, near the Wisconsin border. Ever been to Six Flags Great America?”

      “Only every summer until I was about twenty.” Going to the amusement park once a year was one of her favorite childhood memories. Emma loved roller coasters and rides that made her stomach drop. One advantage to being so tall was getting to ride them with her sisters even though they were older than her.

      “I СКАЧАТЬ