Page 12 of Without a Hitch
I stare at Melinda, and my heart hurts for her. What a betrayal that must have been. And from her own stepsister? My gaze returns to Jenna, and I really wish I had my glass of wine in my hands as they begin to shake. “Okay. Keep Olivia in line. Keep Jacob out. Got it.”
“Gah! Give me your room number. I’ll have my stepdad write up a contract and wire the cash to you. I’ll come by your room in a couple of hours?”
“Ah, sure. I’m in room 1219.”
Jenna scrunches up her nose. “Oh, no. That won’t work. Pack up your stuff. We’ll get you an upgrade.”
“That’s really not necessary.” Judging by the horrified eyes of the girls around me, I just made a serious faux pas.
“Oh, it is. All the bridesmaids are staying on the twentieth floor. It’ll seem weird if you’re not with us.”
I nod because what the hell did I just get myself into?
Two hours later, I’m standing inside a suite better suited for royalty than a poor girl from Camden Crossing, with twenty thousand dollars in cash, still wondering how I ended up in the wedding of a woman whose last name I don’t even know.
Par for the course for you, Tilly. Par for the course.
LOVE IN THE LOBBY
Hello, lovely readers,
Gah! Full disclosure. I’m two glasses of wine in, and I’m feeling a little sad today.
Or lonely.
Or sad that I’m lonely. I guess that really comes down to the same thing, doesn’t it? But I love love. Rom-com? Yes, please. Pop songs about heart-stopping love? Hello, Swiftie for life, right here! Pinterest board chock-full of my dream wedding? Check. Check. Check.
I’m not desperate. I’m waiting patiently for my turn because we all deserve the fairy tale. Someday I’ll find that special someone who loves me for who I am today and who I’ll be tomorrow.
I’ve dreamt of my wedding day since I was a little girl. Not because I need a man to take care of me, but because I want a partner who chooses to love me at the end of the day, even if it’s hard. Even if I’m a raging lunatic or a crying mess. A partner to stand by my side in good times and bad.
Is that so much to ask?
I’m sure you’re reading this and thinking I have a giant flashingdaddy issuessign on my forehead. But you’d be wrong. It says parent issues. Plural.
Growing up, my dad loved whiskey more than his girls. My mom had demons who won the battle of life. They couldn’t choose me. I know that now, but I also know that there’s a man who will choose me every day. Because that love I’m waiting for? I know it exists. I feel it all around me. And even if it’s not my turn to find it yet (YET, you hear that universe?), I’ll do everything in my power to make sure other people get their HEA until my turn comes.
That’s why, tonight, as I sit here in The Regency by Hollands in Scottsdale, Arizona, I’m looking for the couple in love. Haven’t you ever walked into a place and thought,this is it? This is where my meet-cute will happen? Or see a couple and just know they’re destined for a lifetime of love?
I know I’m not the only one who still believes in ever afters. So, as I sip my wine and glance around, I zero in on the happy couple snuggling together on the same side of the booth. Am I doing a karaoke lip-sync version of their conversation?
You bet your ass I am. But the question remains, will they get their happily ever after in this hotel?
At first look, yes! The Regency is everything you could hope for when planning a wedding. The elegance. The grandeur. It’s magnificent.
But like many things, after the shine wears off, you’re left with the underappreciated cogs that make the world turn. In this case, the employees. The bartenders. The housekeepers. The service industry workers who keep up The Regency’s appearances.
Watching my couple, whom I’ve named Tammy and Timmy, I chat with my bartender. She’s exhausted, having worked her fifth double in a row. Something that is unfortunately common for this understaffed establishment.
As the couple laughs together, my bartender, we’ll call her Amber for privacy’s sake, gives me the inside scoop on The Regency and her coworkers. I’m sad to say, it’s an abysmal letdown.
If The Regency invested a quarter of what they pay their CEO (I Googled him) into their employees, their turnover rate and employee satisfaction would improve immeasurably. But more on that in my rating.
I’ve decided my couple were on a first date. He was more into it than she was, but he slowly won her over.
Will they go home together? Bartender Amber thought so. I wasn’t convinced, but I’m confident a second date will be in their future by the time they leave.
So, can The Regency deliver a Happily Ever After?
