He put his glass down, suddenly enthused by this new idea. He didn’t have to be Ella’s enemy.
“So, can we start again?” he asked.
“Start how?” she asked in a suspicious tone. Gaining her trust was going to be hard.
“We could start with the engagement party,” he said. “Dad made it clear that he really wants me to help.”
“I’m sure he did. But you’ve made it clear that you don’t want—”
“I’ve changed my mind.”
“Oh.” She blinked.
“I want to make him happy. He’s ticked off at me right now.”
Her gaze widened a little. What was going on in that head of hers? She was hard to read. Maybe because her face was so adorable—like some anime character with a turned-up nose and eyes that were just a bit too big and too deep for her face. That big-eyed look could melt anyone.
“I don’t know…” Her voice trailed off as the waitress arrived with the food.
He tucked into his steak while she nibbled at her salad. No wonder she was so skinny. The salad had no protein, not even an anchovy.
“Are you a vegetarian?” he asked.
Her shoulders moved a little. “Not really, but I avoid meat when I can.” She eyed his steak. “You know…cows and carbon emissions.”
He swallowed a bite of pure grade-A, Angus beef. “Carbon emissions?”
She rolled her eyes. “Not to be indelicate, but methane from beef flatulence. It’s a big contributor to climate change. If everyone in the world ate one vegetarian meal a week, it would cut down on carbon emissions by a lot.” She eyed his steak again, but this time she licked her lips.
Maybe he should offer her a bite.
“So, about the engagement party,” he said.
She studied him, fork poised. The sober look in her big eyes and the tension in her shoulders told him that she wasn’t buying his BS. He would have to do a lot more work to earn her trust. He braced himself, ready to argue his case.
But instead of telling him to take a long walk off a short pier, she laid her fork down and nodded. “Okay. You can help plan the party.”
Whoa, wait. She just gave in? Without a fight. What was she up to?
He covered his surprise by popping a hunk of steak in his mouth and chewing. By the time he swallowed, he’d decided to play along with this charade. But he wasn’t going to underestimate Ella McMillan a second time.
“Have you found a venue?” he asked.
“No.”
“No? Well, we better get on that right away. We don’t have much time.”
She cocked her head, a little blush rising to her cheeks. “Sorry. I got sidetracked because Granny is moving into one of those new condos on Redbud Street and she has a lot of stuff to pack up.”
Why was she apologizing? “So what have you done so far?”
She looked down at her salad. “I’ve made a couple of to-do lists?” she said, but he couldn’t miss the uncertainty in her tone.
Maybe he should let her plan the party on her own so she could be the one to face Brenda’s ire when it turned into a disaster.
Wait…That was a pretty good idea.
But he’d have to help her steer the whole thing off the cliff. A nudge here and a suggestion there would be all he needed. And then, when Brenda had her bridezilla moment, Dad would realize exactly what he was getting into.
It was a delicious idea. Even better than the steak.
“I suggest that we get working on this party right away,” he said.
“Okay.”
“So, we need a guest list and a venue. I’ll talk to Dad about his must-invites. You talk to your mother, and you can call me tomorrow with a rough count. That will give us a start. And as for the venue, I’ll see what’s available at the yacht club on short notice.”
“The yacht club?”
“Yeah.”
“Uh, I don’t think so.” Ella shook her head.
“Why not?”
“I don’t think Mom would like the yacht club.”
“Oh, really? Why?” Here it came. Ella was about to unconsciously dish the dirt on her mother, and he was ready to take mental notes.
“I don’t know why. I just know she hates the yacht club. That’s the last place on earth she’d want to have her party.”
Perfect. He knew exactly what he had to do—make sure the party happened at the yacht club.
Chapter Six
On Wednesday morning, Ella got up with the chickens and spent the morning helping Granny pack and sort her stuff. By eleven o’clock, she was dusty and tired, so she took an iced tea break on the porch while a mockingbird serenaded her with spring birdsong. That bird’s song lifted her heart a tiny bit, which was a good thing because Doctor Domineering had left her feeling slightly useless.
Why had she allowed him to take over the party planning?
Simple answer: he’d made her feel incompetent or something. He was just like Cody: a big bully who was skilled at undermining her confidence. And besides, he had a point. She should have done more than make a few lists. She should have worked on Mom’s party instead of allowing Granny’s move to sidetrack her.
Besides, Mom hadn’t been pushing her the way she usually did. She seemed preoccupied with planning her Italian honeymoon.
She leaned her head back on the rocking chair and reviewed last night’s conversation with Dylan. He was going to be difficult to work with. Every idea she offered up had been rejected. Instead, he was hell-bent on having the party at the yacht club.
But every instinct told Ella that the best party for Mom would be something informal and stress free. Maybe a nice get-together on the beach, with lots of yummy Carolina barbecue and some beer and wine. But clearly Jim and Dylan wanted something swankier.
And what the heck. Mom wanted to make Jim happy, so maybe it would be better to let Dylan take the lead. He’d know exactly what Jim wanted. And with Dylan doing the heavy lifting on the party planning, she
