saying you’re wrong. You’re not. It’s a difficult situation. I got carried away. I want to tell you it won’t happen again, but it probably will. I’ll learn from what happened and try to do better next time. I mean that.”
She felt her tension easing. “I’m sorry, too. I shouldn’t have gone on that ‘you first’ rant. I felt attacked so I hit back. I’m explaining, not justifying.”
“Relationships are hard.”
Why did he have to keep saying the R word? “We could go back to just sex.”
“No, I like this better.”
She thought maybe she did, too. “Thank you for coming to apologize.”
“You’re welcome.” He kissed her again. “Now you have to get to work and I should be writing. Do-over on you coming by for margaritas?”
“Absolutely.”
“Good.”
He got in his truck and she walked into her office. Her mood had lightened considerably and the knot in her stomach was gone. She might not want a relationship but she had to admit if she was going to try again, Jasper almost made it worth taking the risk.
The morning sped by quickly. At eleven thirty, she went out in the lobby to greet Tara and Owen, who were finalizing their football-themed wedding.
They arrived right on time, Tara greeting Renee with a happy hug, while Owen shook her hand.
They were a handsome couple, tall, athletic and easy to be with. Tara was at least five-eight or -nine and Owen towered above her. Next to them, Renee felt like a miniature version of the species.
“It’s nearly the happy day,” Renee said, leading them to the conference room. “I think you’re going to be very pleased to see how everything is coming together.”
“I found this really great meditation app,” Tara said, smiling at Owen. “To keep myself centered.”
“Someone was getting a little snappy.” His tone was more teasing than annoyed.
“I was, but I’m better now. It’s a lot to think about.”
Renee motioned for them to take seats. She settled behind the computer and activated the connection with the screen. “I’m hoping that today’s wrap-up meeting will calm your nerves and allow you to simply enjoy the experience.”
Owen grabbed Tara’s hand and kissed her knuckles. “It’s nearly here, baby. We’re going to get married.”
“We are.”
Renee sighed happily. Her gut told her this couple was going to make it and that made her feel good about their wedding.
She pulled up the file and they went through the entire day from arrival to the final dance. The football theme—with a heavy emphasis on the Dallas Cowboys—had turned out perfectly. The silver-and-blue color scheme worked well for the reception. The food had been ordered, the drinks decided on.
Renee opened a box of jerseys that had been delivered for the wedding party and showed them to Tara and Owen.
Tara fingered the fabric. “It’s really nice quality, just like you said. I like that they’re not too thin.”
“We’ll have them all steamed and hanging by the time of the wedding,” Renee assured her. “They’ll be perfect. Do you want the steamer heated for your reception dress?”
Tara was wearing her great grandmother’s wedding gown for the ceremony, then changing into a more contemporary party dress for the reception.
“I shouldn’t need it.”
Renee made a note on her tablet. “I’m going to make sure it’s ready for you, just in case.”
They went over the rest of the details. The groom’s cake was in the shape of a jersey and instead of throwing the garter, Owen would be throwing a football signed by Dak Prescott. As he did every time the signed football was mentioned, he grumbled about giving something away that he would rather keep. Renee was careful not to look at Tara, afraid her amusement would give away the secret. What Owen didn’t know was that Tara had two signed footballs and Owen would receive the other one after the reception.
The meeting took less than ninety minutes. Tara and Owen left reassured that their big day would go smoothly. Renee added a few things to her master calendar, then shut down the conference room and returned to her office. She’d barely started to think she should eat the lunch she’d brought from home when her friend Carol walked into her office.
Renee didn’t bother hiding her surprise. “What’s going on?” she asked. “You never just pop in. Is everything all right?”
Carol nodded even as she twisted her fingers together in obvious distress.
“What’s wrong?” Renee asked. “Just blurt it out. We’ll both feel better.”
Carol hesitated a second before saying, “Pallas told me. I don’t know if she