Diary of a Single Wedding Planner (Tales Behind the Veils Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

Marketing, accounting, taxes, insurance. All the crap that comes with the glory.
    “It’s me!” I answered, walking across the open salon area toward her office. I was relieved to see Lillian’s office dark. I dreaded the conversation I knew was coming as I had no desire to be stripped to the bone by her teeth and talons.
    “What’s shaking?” Laura tucked her reading glasses into her long, dark hair and gave me a smile. I plopped into one of her comfy overstuffed chairs, pulled one of the pillows out from behind my back, and put it over my face.
    She laughed the sweet, deep, gravelly laugh I absolutely love. I swear I would be an entirely different human being if Laura could be my mom.
    “Aw! What’s the matter? Why are you hiding your face this morning? Did you have a late night?” She chuckled again as I pulled the pillow down and fought back tears. Somehow the warm security of Laura’s voice made me want to cry.
    “I screwed up again. I swear, Laura, every time I work one of her weddings I screw something up. Why is that?”
    “What happened? I talked to her this morning and she didn’t mention anything, so you can’t have done anything too bad. Let’s get you some coffee and talk about it.” She took me by the hand and led me back to our tiny kitchen.
    I gave her the briefest summary I could of what happened, pausing for her to gasp and cover her mouth when I got to the commando part.
    “Come here, honey!” Laura put her arms around me in a big hug, and I wanted to melt. I’m such a big baby sometimes.
    “The Yellow Rose of Texas, huh? Wow.” She laughed again and let me go. “Well, it sounds to me you did everything you could to ensure our bride was taken care of. You helped her in her time of need, you stayed calm in the face of a difficult situation, and you got her to the wedding dressed and feeling pretty. So I think you did fine. I would definitely rather you keep your phone on so we can always reach you, but I understand you were in a situation. You made a decision that may not have been what you would do next time.”
    Laura has an amazing ability to say “don’t ever do that again” and make it sound like a good thing. I’ve never met anyone so kind, patient, and compassionate. In the three years I’ve worked here, I’ve never heard her raise her voice or lose her temper, yet she is authoritative and in control. I wonder if her sons have ever heard her lose it. They’re both in college now, but could you raise two teenage boys and never yell?
    I shrugged as I took the coffee she offered. “I’m not sure Lillian will see it that way. She was furious.”
    “Well, you have to remember Lillian ran an entire hotel empire where multiple properties in multiple countries all depended on her leadership and organization skills. She was responsible for a lot of people. She made the company very successful because she ran a tight ship with little room for error. So she tends to get a little tense when things don’t go as planned,” Laura said.
    “Didn’t you tell me once she started out at the front desk of one of those hotels?” I asked. I don’t know why, but I always found it comforting to picture Lillian as a front desk clerk. I’d love to be all noble and say it was because it inspired me to work hard and make my way to the top. But nah . . . I just liked picturing her in a silly front-desk uniform with someone telling her when she could take a fifteen-minute break.
    “Yes, she did. Worked her way into upper management and ended up running the entire company. That’s why she comes across so tough. She expects people to do as she commands. You and I both know brides aren’t always in that mindset.”
    “Aren’t you forgetting the part about her marrying the boss’s son? I think that’s an important little detail in her climb to the top,” Chaz said, slinking in through the door frame and leaning against it with a Cheshire-cat grin.
    I swear the man has sonar hearing when