The Wedding Planner (Open Novella Contest)

Chapter 13

Annie shuffled around the office, gazing at the certificates that hung proudly on the wall. "She really is good then huh?" she asked Brian.

"Yeah, she's great." Brian nodded as he watched Annie walk around the room curiously. The office door opened, Rachel smiled warmly at the couple who had both turned to give her their undivided attention.

"Brian it's nice to see you again!" she smiled. "And you must be the lovely Annie I've heard so much about." Rachel held out her hand to Annie, she shook it firmly. "Please take a seat and we can talk about the wedding." Brian and Annie nodded and sat down on the sofa as Rachel sat behind her desk, she pulled out her notebook and pen and looked at the couple. "So the wedding is in four weeks to the day correct?"

"Yeah, it seems rushed but my mother isn't well and she won't be able to travel far once she starts her chemotherapy, so we want to get married as soon as possible," Annie spoke softly, Rachel paused for a moment. She was unsure how to respond to a delicate matter such as this. "She will be fine, I just know it but I'll be leaving tomorrow morning to go and spend a few weeks with her before the wedding but I'll be communicating with Brian and he will be coming to see you to make sure everything is going okay." Annie smiled. "With all these appointments she has, I want to spend some time with her before she becomes too sick to enjoy my company."

"I completely understand. I wish your mother the best." Rachel smiled softly. "What I want to know is the basics from you today. So what is the basic outline of your perfect day?" Rachel had her pen at the ready.

"Okay so I want to be married in a church - an old fashioned church if possible. I want a white, pink and grey theme for the wedding, bridesmaids to wear pink, grooms-men to wear grey. I want a bouquet of tulips and lilies if possible, they're such beautiful flowers. And I guess I want a meal at a hotel, then the reception there too." Annie gushed, she watched in awe as Rachel scribbled down every word she said furiously, she was a machine. "What about the finer details like the song I would walk down the aisle to? Or what about caterers or the priest to officiate the wedding?" Annie had a look on her face that Rachel had seen many times before. Panic. Every bride wanted the perfect day, but not every bride knew exactly how to plan every single detail of a wedding, especially if it was on short notice. Rachel gave Annie a reassuring look.

"Small details are worked out on the way. First, I'm going to find you the perfect venue for the wedding and the reception. Don't worry about anything, I'm free for the next few weeks so I can give this wedding my full attention. Everything will be fine. I promise." Rachel beamed, Annie let out a sigh of relief and Brian gave Rachel a look as if to say he was grateful for her calm, collected approach to Annie.

"I do have to go soon, I have to pack up my stuff to go to my mothers but if I tell Brian everything or email you directly will that be okay?" Annie asked.

"Of course!" Rachel reached down, she opened a drawer in her desk and pulled out a small white folder with pictures of married couples on their wedding day, plastered on the front. "This is my basics for the soon to be wed. It explains everything I will be doing, what you can do, what choices are available to you, what different things some people have at their weddings and it has all my contact information inside too. Even if you ask me about something so minuscule such as the type of ribbon that will hold the cutlery together before the meal, I'll do my best to answer any questions and sooth any anxieties you may have." Rachel handed Annie and Brian the folder. Annie nodded appreciatively.

"No wonder Luke likes you." Annie chuckled, Brian gave her a nudge and a look which made Annie shrink back. "I shouldn't -"

"Don't worry about it, I'll pretend I didn't hear anything. So Brian ill book you in for your appointment with me on Friday to discuss where we are all up too okay?" Rachel asked.

"Sure." Brian agreed. Rachel pulled out her phone and looked at the screen. It said she had 10 messages from Luke, most of them told her to answer her phone it was urgent but one message caught her eye in particular.

'Rachel, a man named Oliver Anderson is in my office. He won't leave until he sees you. Come to my offices if you can. Please?'

Rachels' throat instantly went dry, her palms began to sweat profusely, time seemed to halt for a moment as her body went into shock. Oliver...Her father? What did he want? Rachel had so many questions, but she knew she did not want the answers. Brian looked at Rachel, he watched her face crumple and fall.

"Rachel?" he spoke softly, he was trying to be careful, tactful even.

"I'm fine." she forced a smile. "But there's an emergency, I have to go." she gave Brian and Annie her most apologetic look. "It was so nice to finally meet you, Annie, you two make such a lovely couple. I look forward to working with you both. But I do have to go, right now." Rachel grabbed her keys and made her way to the door.

"Thanks, Rachel. I hope everything is okay with your emergency!" Annies soft voice calmed Rachel, only for a second. Rachel gulped as she thought of all the possible scenarios that could unfold this evening, but she knew she had to try and remain professional.

"Me too," Rachel whispered.