Found (Lost & Found #2) - Scarlett Finn Page 0,101
around to the front to start taking the chairs off the tables.
“Why are you doing that?” Poppy asked.
Charley shrugged. “Won’t hurt to be helpful. They’ll be opening soon.”
Figuring her friend was right, she went over to help. They’d only cleared a couple of tables before the door swung open and Naught came moseying through.
“You two looking for work?”
Charley was quick to forget about the task and ran over to hug Naught. Ritchie hadn’t received such an exuberant greeting.
Her friend’s motives became clear when she leaned back to look up at the barkeep. “Any chance of a drink?”
Naught just exhaled and eased out of her embrace to go behind the bar. “Geez, Charley, see someone about that problem, huh?”
Despite his response, he did pour both of them a drink as Charley took the stools down from the bar and gestured her over.
“So we have to ask a favor,” Charley said with her usual level of confidence.
“Another favor,” he said, putting the drinks down then laying his hands on his side of the bar to examine the women. “What is it?”
“You know Poppy’s plan,” Charley said. “To set up the wedding in secret… to surprise Turner when he gets back.”
Poppy preferred the “surprise” angle than the “secret” one. The first suggested something happy, the latter wasn’t so positive.
“Pres told me,” he said. “You don’t want Turner to know?”
Poppy had come to the bar expecting to make the explanations herself. Bringing Charley along turned out to be a coup, she was doing all the talking.
“Don’t think it’s a bad idea,” Naught said.
That wasn’t exactly a ringing endorsement, but at least it wasn’t a flat out insult.
“I think it’s a great idea,” Charley said, raising her glass.
The encouragement was appreciated, so Poppy raised hers too. A little liquid courage wouldn’t go amiss.
“So what’s the favor?” Naught asked.
“I was hoping… thought it might be good…” Hyperaware of both sets of eyes on her, Poppy tried taking a breath. It didn’t do much for her hammering heart, but she kept going anyway. “I want to have the reception here.”
Instant shock struck Naught. “Here?” Poppy nodded, still wincing, waiting for his reply. “I thought you had like a billion dollars in the bank.”
“I’ll pay for everything, of course. We’ll take care of the decorations, call caterers, you won’t have to do a thing. It will be your friend’s wedding, so, of course, we can hire staff. There are temp agencies all over that provide people for events.”
“I don’t get it,” he said. “Why would you have it here? You could hire a whole hotel or fly off to some tropical island. Why here?”
“Because it means something to Turner,” she said. “He loves this place and his friends. We don’t want something stale and impersonal.” At least, she didn’t. Knowing Turner the way she did, Poppy figured something real was so much better than having something flamboyant for the sake of it. “If you hate the idea, we won’t do it.”
Her strategy sort of rode on her getting her first choices. Poppy didn’t have a backup plan; not one as good as her original plan.
“Sure, you can use the bar,” he said. “We’ll close to regulars. But we’ve never had a wedding reception here… The function room is big enough for—”
“I’ll be relying on you guys to make sure Turner has all the friends here he’d want. It won’t be a huge affair. Just family and close friends.” Poppy was lucky in that her closest friends also happened to be Turner’s siblings. “If there’s anything specific you need for the night, you can bill me. We’ll pay for use of the premises, obviously, cover all expenses. We don’t want you losing money.” She took Charley’s hand. “Charley is going to help with the decorations and we’ll probably need a band.”
“I know a few who Turner doesn’t mind.”
To say he loved or enjoyed them was probably a step too far given that most of the time he spent in the bar, he was exhausted from all the work he’d done.
“I still say we should have karaoke,” Charley said.
Poppy rolled her eyes. “Charley—”
“The equipment’s all there,” Naught said. “If it goes that way, I can set it up quickly.”
Depending on how drunk everyone got, it could go that way for sure. “Thank you,” Poppy said. “This means so much to both of us.”
“You’re welcome,” Naught said. “If you’re having the reception here, where do you plan to have the wedding?”