to be a photographer."
"It's charming." Kathryn turned to Emma. "We've interrupted your work, and are taking up entirely too much of your time."
"It's always lovely to have an unexpected break."
"I hope you mean that," Adele put in, "because I'm dying to see where you work. Are you arranging today? Making bouquets?"
"Ah . . . actually I'm processing a morning delivery, which is why I'm a little messy."
"I'm shameless, and I'm going to ask if I can see where you work."
"Oh. Of course." She shot a look at Kathryn. "Don't panic."
"I've seen where you work."
"Yes, but not while I was working," Emma pointed out as she led the way. "Processing is . . . Well, as you can see." She gestured to her work counter.
"Just look at the flowers!" Flushed with excitement, Adele moved forward. "Oh, and smell the peonies."
"The bride's favorite," Emma told her. "We'll be using this wonderful rich red for her bouquet, contrasted with the bold pinks down to the palest blush. It'll be hand-tied with wine-colored ribbon and candy pink studs. The attendants will carry smaller versions, in the pinks."
"And you keep them in these buckets?"
"In a solution that hydrates and feeds. It's an important step to keep them fresh, and to help them last after the event. I'll keep them in the cooler until we're ready to start designing."
"How do you - "
"Adele." Kathryn clucked her tongue. "You're interrogating again."
"All right, all right. I'm full of questions, I know. But I'm very serious about launching a wedding planning company in Jamaica." Nodding, Adele scanned the area again. "It seems you have a perfect arrangement here, so there's little hope in luring you away."
"But I'm happy to answer questions. Still, for an overview of a business model, Parker's your girl."
"We're going to get out of your way." Kathryn reached in her bag. "The swatch."
"Oh, what a beautiful color. Like a spring leaf through a drop of dew. Perfect for a fairy-tale wedding."
She turned to her display and chose a white silk tulip. "See how the white just gleams against this watery green?"
"Yes. Yes, I do. As soon as the final designs are approved, we'll send you the sketches. Thank you, Emma, for the time."
"We're all here to make certain Jessica has the perfect day."
"You see." Adele poked her sister's arm. "That's exactly the sort of attitude I want to offer. In fact, I think The Perfect Day would be a wonderful name for the business."
"I like it," Emma told her.
"If you change your mind, you've got my card," she reminded Emma. "I'll promise you ten percent over what you make annually now."
"I'M TRYING NOT TO BE ANNOYED SHE'D TRY TO STEAL YOU. Again." Parker slipped off her shoes after the second of two full consults.
"How much did she offer you to move to Jamaica?" Emma asked.
"Carte blanche, which I told her was a rudimentary mistake. No one's worth a blank check, especially when you're designing a business model."
"She's rolling in it," Laurel pointed out. "And yes, I know that doesn't matter on a practical, business level. But she's used to rolling in it."
"She has a good concept. An exclusive and inclusive wedding company in a popular destination wedding site. And she's smart to try to hook people with solid experience. But she's got to create a budget, and stick."
"Then why aren't we doing it?" Mac wanted to know. "I don't mean let's all pack up and move to Jamaica or Aruba, or wherever, but a branch of Vows in some exotic locale? We'd kill."
"I'll kill you ." Laurel formed a gun with her thumb and finger, and went bang. "Haven't we got enough work?"
"I've thought about it."
Laurel gaped at Parker. "Let me reload."
"Just a loose outline, for the future."
"When they perfect human cloning."
"A franchise rather than a branch," Parker explained. "With very specific requirements. But I haven't worked out all the details or kinks. If and when I do, we'll all talk it through. And we'll all have to agree. But for now, yes, we do have enough work. Except for the third week in August. We're blank."
"I saw that. I meant to ask you about it," Emma continued as she stretched out some kinks in the small of her back. "I figured I'd forgotten to plug something in."
"No, we don't have an event that week because I blacked it out. I can change that if nobody's interested in taking a week at the beach."
There was a moment of stunned silence, then three women leaped up to