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W H I L E   A W A Y   T H E   H O U R S

(part two)

BY THE TIME we arrived, the driveway of Sereinn was filled with cars that carried guests for the wedding. The ceremony wasn't for another two hours, but Brielle had arranged for an open bar and few would say no to that.

I left Ean to park the car and led Ms Swinton into the lobby. Sereinn never looked lovelier than it did in wintertime, where it became a wonderland of fairy lights and blue tinsel. Even so, I knew that Ms Swinton was carrying out her own private inspection. She brushed a hand against the lacquered front desk, then stopped to pluck invisible lint off the couch.

But when she frowned up at the white Christmas tree—still bare because it was one of the many things on my to-do list, I quickly hurried her along. "The lift's waiting, Ms Swinton. Brielle's room is on the third floor."

"And the boy?"

It took me a second to realize that she was asking about the groom. "Right this way."

A babble of noise hit us when we entered the dressing room. Filled with groomsmen, their dates and several other guests, the group was sampling the wine that Brielle had flown in from France. The groom, however, was seated on the counter table as he fixed his own tie.

I'd known Carson Flores all my life. Everyone in this town did. He'd been shunned, insulted and cast aside through no fault of his own. I'd never paid much heed to the rumors of what his dad had done, but then again, I'd always known Carson as the kind waiter who gave me extra chocolate syrup on my waffles.

But it wasn't until then, as I watched Ms Swinton greet her future son-in-law with unexpected warmth, that I realized he'd won. Carson now had the job he liked, the girl he loved and the mother he'd always needed. The only way to get even with the town that made your life hell was to prove that you could still find your slice of heaven in spite of what they did. If life were a game, then Carson Flores was winning.

And I couldn't be happier for him.

My thoughts were interrupted when I heard the groom's chuckle. "Don't you think it's a bit too early for the waterworks, Darce?"

Sniffling inelegantly, I looked up at Carson, who stared at me with equal parts worry and amusement. "I can't help it. I know how hard you've had it all these years, and I'm just so glad it's over."

His gaze softened and he reached for the tissue box. I grabbed one and blew my nose into it.

"Are you scared?" I asked. "Big day and all."

"Not at all." He grinned when I glanced at him in surprise. "The thing is, I've loved Brielle long before I even understood what that word meant, so I'm quite looking forward to it. Not the wedding—that part's a drag, but what happens after."

"The honeymoon?"

"Marriage, and everything that comes with it."

Sniffling again, I patted my eyes, then let out a squawk of dismay when I found the tissue stained with mascara. "Now you've ruined my makeup!"

He laughed harder at that and handed me another tissue. "Still looking lovely, Darce. But I'm sure Brielle will fix your makeup if you asked."

As if on cue, the doors flew open with a bang and my eyes widened. "Damn, how did she know?"

I spun round with a grimace, only to realize that it wasn't Brielle but Flo. Flo—who was the self-appointed wedding planner, even though Brielle had it all under control, and whose eyes narrowed when she saw me.

My face fell. "Oh, balls."

Beside me, Carson snorted and quickly stepped aside. Traitor. I shot him a betrayed look as Flo came marching up, then looked down meekly at my boots. As if I hadn't just cried my heart out and tracked non-waterproof mascara down my cheeks.

"Don't play that woe-is-me card with me, Darcy Evers, I invented that," Flo scolded in a no-nonsense tone. She grabbed my arm and all but hauled me out after her. "Come on, you're late and the bride wants to see you! Follow us, please, Ms Swinton."

The three of us headed for the third floor, while I huffed and rolled my eyes as Flo rambled on about the merits of always wearing waterproof mascara. She was right, of course, but one couldn't be picky about mascara when one had far more important things to do. Thankfully, Brielle's mom picked up a phone call on the way, so she couldn't add to that inane, one-sided conversation.

The moment we stepped out of the elevator, we were waylaid by one of Sereinn's employees. Jessa looked frazzled, her dark curls all askew, as she rushed up to us.

Flo immediately flung out a hand to stop her. "Nuh-uh. Bride wants to see them. Unless this is an emergency—"

"But I have to—"

"Absolutely not—"

"Flo," I interrupted, shooting an apologetic smile at the other woman. Flo was one of my closest friends, but she did have a knack of going a little crazy on special occasions such as these. So did I, but in a less overbearing and more mascara-running-down-cheeks kind of way. "It's alright. Why don't you and Ms Swinton go in first?"

Flo gave Jessa a hard look, before she sighed. "Fine. Five minutes. Any later than that and you'll have to answer to Brielle. And, trust me, I am an angel compared to the bride when she finds out that you've delayed her maid-of-honor."

With that parting remark, Flo spun on her heels and led Ms Swinton off. Once they were out of sight, I turned to a pale-faced Jessa. "Don't mind her," I said kindly, "or Brielle. So what's going on?"

Jessa's gaze shifted left and right, as if searching for any eavesdroppers. Then she clasped her hands in front of her and let out a quick breath. "I'm really sorry, Darcy," she rushed out. "But it appears we may have a code-red."

A myriad of possibilities raced through my mind. On a day like this, code-red could mean anything. A chef who hadn't washed their hands before preparing the food, or a guest who wanted to gate-crash the ceremony, or an ex who was determined to stop the wedding, or...

I gasped as the worst-case scenario struck me. "No! The groom's gone missing?"

Jessa blinked. "What? He's—"

"But he can't be missing, I just spoke to him!"

"That's not—"

"Forget that!" I grasped Jessa by the shoulders and fixed her a firm (slightly unhinged) look. This was a nightmare. "You and I are going to tell no one about this and look for him right away. We'll find him, haul his stupid ass back, and I'll get to sneak in a punch or two to his sorry gut before the wedding—"

"Darcy!" Jessa clutched my elbows in return and gave me a solid shake. "He's not gone."

I stopped mid-ramble and blinked. "What?"

"The groom's not gone. Carson is fine. This is about work—we have a code-red situation at Sereinn."

Oh. Torn between embarrassment and relief, I let out a sigh and frowned at her. "Work?" I echoed in disbelief. "You couldn't have led with that? And what did I say about not talking about work today?"

"I know, but this is really important and could very well jeopardize the whole company."

My eyes narrowed. Work was the last thing on my mind, but Jessa did look serious. "Fine, what is it?"

"Remember that piece of land we've had our eye on?"

"There are several pieces of land we have our eye on, Jessa, do be specific."

"Caverly View. I hear there's an interested buyer in the market."

"So?" I shrugged. "We're already up against several rival buyers, one more isn't going to change anything."

"Yes, but this is different. This company is fierce and competitive, I mean, they've broken into the estate market uptown but I don't understand why Caverly View is next. I hear even La Cour's backed off on their bid."

"Hmm." I stared at Jessa, mulling over her words. I didn't want to belittle what she clearly perceived as a threat—after all, she wasn't one of Sereinn's top employees for nothing. But there was a time and place for work crises like these, and it was neither here nor now.

"We'll resume this conversation when the wedding's done," I said at last. "But don't let Brielle know, we can't have her worry about this today."

"Of course, I won't say a word."

Letting out a sigh, I watched Jessa scuttle off down the hallway. A new rival company certainly seemed like a cause for worry, not to mention the fact that I would have to deal with it once Brielle went on her honeymoon. Trouble seemed to be looming in the horizon...

But first things first.

I shook all thoughts about work from my mind and stepped into the bride's room.