LITMIR.BIZ

      Chapter One

      “See? The gifts for the attendants are wrapped, I’ve confirmed your hairdresser, the caterer and the florist, and we have a guarantee that the cake will be ready and delivered on time. I’m working on the place cards tonight. I promise you, absolutely everything is under control and it will be a truly amazing wedding!”

      Vonni Hunter made sure there wasn’t the slightest hint of haste in her voice as she spoke to her client. It wasn’t uncommon for one of her brides to panic as the wedding date approached. But this bride had shown up unannounced at Burke’s Weddings’ offices twenty minutes before closing time, and Vonni was in a hurry to get to an after-hours appointment. Not giving that away in her tone, she asked, “Is there anything else I can do for you?”

      “Yes. You can make me look like you in the next four days. I need to get rid of the extra six pounds I’ve gained from stress eating!” the other woman wailed.

      It was Monday. This particular wedding was being held on Saturday. The bride was the daughter of one of Denver’s most prominent men, and while she’d been a pleasure to work with, she was a large and not particularly attractive woman on whom six more pounds was not easy to see.

      But, as luck would have it, she’d stopped by the dress designer for a surprise visit today to try on her gown. Although the final fitting had been done weeks ago, the dress no longer fit and would have to be altered again. That had induced the panic that had brought her here to Vonni.

      Vonni looped her arm through the bride’s and tugged her closer. “Melanie, you are the woman Douglas fell in love with,” she reminded her. “He got down on one knee and asked you to be his wife—do not forget that—”

      “But you’re blonde and beautiful....” the bride lamented.

      “And someone who can’t get a man to propose if my life depended on it!” Vonni confided with a laugh. “Not once. Not one man. Ever. No matter how much I’ve wanted it or how hard I’ve tried—and believe me, I’ve tried! I’m the wedding planner who can’t find herself a husband. But you, Melanie Danforth-Hayes, in four more short days, are going to walk down the aisle to the man who loves you like nobody’s business, and become Mrs. Douglas Barnes. And then the two of you are going to party your little hearts out to celebrate that. It’s me who’s jealous of you!”

      The round-faced bride broke into a slow smile and blinked back the tears that had been threatening to fall. “He does love me. Just the way I am,” she conceded. “And he’s gained ten pounds—we have to have more alterations done on his tux. That’s what got me to thinking that maybe I should try the dress again.”

      “And you did because fate is smiling down on you and now the dress won’t be a problem. Everything will be just perfect,” Vonni assured her again, thinking that she was glad two last-minute disasters had been avoided because it was much easier for her to make a few nips and tucks with her emergency sewing kit than to get a bride and groom into clothes that were too small.

      “You always make me feel so much better,” her bride said, obviously beginning to relax.

      “I just want you to have a fabulous wedding and a long and happy life with Douglas,” Vonni said honestly. “You deserve it.”

      “So do you. Well, not with Douglas, but you know, with someone else.”

      Vonni laughed again. “From your lips to God’s ears,” she said. As they’d been talking, she’d slowly moved her client to the front door, which she now opened. “And as always, if there’s anything you need or get worried about—”

      “I know I can count on you. I’m sorry for this meltdown—of course you have everything under control. You’ve done every wedding I’ve been to in the past few years and they’ve all been fantastic.”

      “And yours will make those pale in comparison. You’ve made some of the best choices I’ve ever seen and it’s going to be just wonderful.”

      “I think so, too,” the client confided. “I know at least three people who are going to be green with envy.”

      Vonni laughed again. “We’ll make sure of it.”

      And she had her out the door.

      They exchanged goodbyes on the sidewalk in front of the shop—located in the heart of Cherry Creek North among the more elite boutiques—and Vonni went back inside alone.

      It was already past closing time, so she locked the door behind her, and then rushed to her office.

      It wasn’t unusual for her to be asked to accommodate clients by going to them rather than having them come to her. The lion’s share of clientele for Burke’s

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