The Missing - Kiersten Modglin (the reading strategies book TXT) 📗

bright red lipstick and changed into a solid white jumper and a pair of Tory Burch sandals, spritzed perfume on my wrist and topped off the ensemble with a simple, elegant diamond necklace.

Then, as if I hadn’t just rushed through the entire process, I walked out of my bedroom and made my way down the grand staircase as if I had all the time in the world. I walked across the foyer and into the sunroom slowly, a bright smile already plastered on my face.

When I entered the room, Belinda set the pitcher of lemonade down, though she’d been refilling one of the guest’s drinks and had not yet finished. She cleared her throat and gestured toward me.

“Ms. Sheridan,” she said, my name a full sentence as the guests stood as well. “This is Lester and Tom Allen.”

I smiled humbly and shook both of their hands, starting with the oldest one. “Please, sit,” I said, and once they had, I did the same, tucking my hands under my legs to smooth the pants as I went.

I rested them on my lap when I was done.

“Thank you both for meeting with me at my home. I’m sorry I couldn’t make it into the office today, and I’m also sorry I was late. I had a conference call that ran over. I hope this hasn’t given you a bad impression of me.”

“No, ma’am,” Lester, the older one, said and I noticed a more-than-slight Southern drawl. “Thank you for meeting us, ’specially because we weren’t sure you would. We know your secretary said your prices start out at much more than we can afford, but it’s Tom’s wedding, you see.”

“My fiancée's from New York,” Tom chimed in, as if that explained everything. “And she just loves your work.”

“I was more than happy to meet with you. Like my assistant told you, my prices for weddings start at thirty-five thousand and go up from there. Now, keep in mind, I’m going to be able to get everything from catering to floral arrangements at a discount no one else in the industry can get you. Not to mention, my events aren’t just events. They’re pieces of your life. Pieces you don’t get to redo. Pieces you’ll have pictures and memories of for the rest of your life.” I smiled patronizingly. “You can’t put a price tag on that, now can you?”

The old man looked at his son, and I watched his Adam’s apple bob.

“But, as my assistant also told you,” I went on, “I like to do a few heavily discounted events throughout the year, just as a way of giving back. I’m required to do them off the books, which is another reason I’ve asked you to meet me here, rather than at the office. If people found out about this… Well, you know how it goes, you do someone a favor and twenty more show up looking for favors, too. Are you from here in Naples, Tom?”

“We’re from Savannah,” he told me. “Drove overnight to get here.”

I smiled again, reaching forward and patting his hand. “I’m so glad you did. Now, tell me, would the event be in Savannah—beautiful city, by the way. Or would you prefer to travel? What would the guest list look like? Tell me exactly what you’re looking for. Describe your dream wedding.”

I leaned forward, reaching for the digital tablet on the coffee table and opening the folio to begin taking notes as they spoke.

“Well, Alyssa wants…decently small. Just a few close friends and family, her sorority sisters and co-workers. And a few of my buddies. We’d probably do it in Savannah or outside the city somewhere close ’cause a few of our relatives are older and don’t travel well. We aren’t picky about most of it. She wants coral and gold colors, we don’t care if it’s inside or outside, and we haven’t set a date yet, so we’re flexible on that, too. As far as food, I thought we could just do a potluck and BYOB to save money there. We don’t want anything too fancy, you know? But…she’s got this Pinterest board, and she’s always talking to me about how much she loves your work. I thought, well, I thought maybe this could be my wedding gift to her. If I told her you were planning our wedding”—he looked at his dad, who was smiling fondly back at him—“she’d be over the moon.”

“Is that why you haven’t brought Alyssa today? Is this meant to be a surprise for her?”

He nodded slowly. “I didn’t want to get her hopes up if it wasn’t going to work out. Truth is, if I brought her here and we couldn’t afford to do it, she’d be devastated. I know it’s a long shot. I just couldn’t do it to her…”

I watched him closely, his innocent blue eyes staring at me, pleading with me. I closed the folio after I’d written down the last of what he’d said and leaned forward. “She’s going to be so happy.”

His expression lit up. “You mean you’ll do it?”

“I can’t do it for free, but how does twenty thousand sound? I have a friend who owns some event space in Savannah. I can call in a favor and get that for free. And I know if you can get the guest list under one hundred people, I can get the catering—two food options and a cash bar—for under three thousand. We could plan it for December, so you’d have six months to save in case anything came in over budget, but I don’t think that’ll be the case. Flowers can be something simple. I think we could do it for just a few hundred for the bouquets, as long as she doesn’t want the venue decorated with them, but even then, I think we’d be looking at around a thousand if I can get a few favors there, which I’m positive I can. It’ll be tight, but if you can do the twenty thousand, I’m