boxed it away instantly—she didn’t batt her eyelashes at him, didn’t make any subtle attempts at flirting, nothing. So, yeah, I liked her.
Miley clasped her hands together. “What kind of post-wedding celebration are you hoping for? Something small and informal for family and close friends? Like a barbecue or house party? Or would you prefer something grander that has that special wedding feeling?”
“The latter,” replied Dane, his fingers threaded through mine. “But my wife and I are busy people. We need to be able to trust that you can see to as many details as possible. We’ll collaborate with you on several points, but we’ll expect you to take on most of the leg work. Will that be a problem?”
“Not at all,” Miley assured him. “Do you have a particular date in mind?”
“Sometime in late autumn that doesn’t clash with the holidays.”
“We can make that work. Before we get started on the plans, we need to know your budget.”
Dane tossed out a number that made my mouth drop open and my heart begin to pound. I supposed it was pocket change to him, but still.
I licked my lips and placed the portfolio on the coffee table. “Dane, that’s a lot of money.”
He gave me an amused look. “I’m well-aware of that.”
“We don’t need to spend that much. I mean, we’re already married.”
“And this will, essentially, be the wedding reception we didn’t have. Do you really think I’d skimp on something so important?”
No. Which meant he needed to act as if it was in fact important to him. Fine. Whatever.
“We also need to know your dream venue and how many people you plan to invite,” said Miley.
“I’d imagine there’ll be approximately one-hundred and fifty guests in total,” said Dane.
Really? I didn’t even know one-hundred and fifty people.
“As for the venue, we’re open to suggestions,” Dane added.
“Well, I had an idea when I caught sight of all your lush landscaping,” Chris told us. “There’s a grand hotel about an hour’s drive from here. It has a beautiful, large indoor botanical garden. Would you consider holding the celebration there, if we can secure the date?”
“I like the idea.” Dane looked at me. “What about you?”
“Yeah, I’d really like that.” I originally wouldn’t have thought of such a setting.
Chris grinned. “I was hoping you’d say that. Here, you can take an online tour of it.” He brought up the hotel’s website on his phone and played the video tour for us. The indoor garden was absolutely stunning for sure.
“Make the necessary calls,” Dane said to him.
Chris nodded. “We’ll try our best to book the venue for you. If it proves to be impossible, we can find somewhere similar.”
“Now, we’d like to ask you a few more questions,” said Miley. “If we better know you, we can better determine what type of flowers, food, and décor you might prefer. Then we can provide you with some ideas.”
The planners asked us dozens upon dozens of questions, and Miley jotted down notes on her tablet.
Chris looked at me. “Do you plan to wear the dress you wore for your wedding ceremony?”
I poked the inside of my cheek with my tongue. “I think I’d look pretty underdressed if I did, considering Dane has all these grand plans for the party. But I’d also feel overdressed if I wore an extravagant white wedding gown.”
“What if it were a different color and the bridal tone was dialed down?” Chris suggested. “There are so many alternatives to traditional wedding gowns nowadays.”
I pursed my lips. “Yeah, I’d be happier with something like that.”
“Great. We could probably find a designer to custom-make your dress in such a short space of time, but there would be a lot of coming and going for various consultations and fittings. That might not be ideal for you, since your work schedule is busy. You might find it less stressful to select and purchase one from a bridal boutique and then have it altered to fit you—there’s a particular one we deal with regularly; our clients all loved it.”
I shrugged. “Works for me.”
“Excellent.” He smiled. “You know, there are so many reasons I love fall celebrations. You have all the pretty foliage, and you can often center your décor around the season—something I think would fit the reception well if it takes place in the botanical garden. I can jazz up the bouquet and boutonniere you wore at your ceremony and make it fit with the theme of the reception.”