Vow of Surrender

Chapter Twenty-One

A week went by since Caedance's stint in jail. Adam hadn't texted or called a single time. She didn't expect him to, but she was dying to hear from him. She should have just told Sam the truth. That she was developing feelings beyond a professional relationship and she was still working them out. She would have rather Adam over heard that than the cold, panicked words that had come from her mouth.

"Miss Marshall, your 3 o'clock is here," Derrick said.

Caedance looked up from her screen. She'd been staring at it blankly for probably twenty minutes and the screensaver had come on.

"Thank you, Derrick. I'll be out in a minute."

He left the room and she closed her laptop, resting her forehead against her arms. She really needed to get her head back on straight. Thinking about Adam Drake 24/7 had her off her game. After taking an energy shot, she made her way to the consultation room. She'd forgotten who she scheduled today, so it could be one of three brides. She had back-to-back weddings all month.

When she saw Nina Drake sitting at the table, her stomach dropped. At least Adam wasn't with her this time and neither was her fiance. The poor dear was alone.

"Good afternoon, Miss Drake!"

"Hello! And good afternoon to you as well!"

Caedance sat adjacent to her at the table. Nina was so different from her brother. Her hair was a lighter brown and her skin more golden.

"No mom today, I see."

"She had to work. Family business takes up a lot of their time."

"And your fiance? I was looking forward to meeting him."

Nina forced a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "He's . . . busy too. But it's alright! I've had my wedding almost completely planned since I was little."

"I wish I could say the name."

"Really? But you're a wedding planner!"

Caedance smiled. "This business 'Starlight' was my mom's dream. She was planning to use her retirement funds to start it up. When she died, I used my parents' life insurance money to make her dream come true."

"How sweet! I'm sorry about your mother. But I think she would be proud of what you've created."

Caedance sniffed, blinking away the tears. it wasn't often she told that story, but Nina was easy to talk to, much like Adam.

"Alright, let's work on the seating chart. I assume you have a list?"

For the next hour, Caedance helped Nina put together a seating chart before moving on to the centerpiece design. The two of them talked like old friends as they glued, rearranged, and experimented with different flowers and other trinkets.

She hadn't enjoyed this part of the process in a long time, and she forgot about her problems with Adam.

"This has been so much fun! I can see why you do this for a living."

"There's never a boring day. Well . . . except for the select few who only want boring decorations. I had one bride who wanted white roses in white vases and white garlands and white lights. White on white."

"That sounds so . . . clean!"

"Exactly! Too clean. No color anywhere. Even the groom wore a white tux."

"Have you ever done a goth wedding?"

"You mean my future wedding?"

The two women laughed. While Caedance didn't share her private lifestyle, she did open up about her teenage years. She was the stereotypical emo girl with black hair, ripped jeans, and the shag bangs.