Best Man for the Wedding Planner

Adele pushed herself to standing again and smiled. “In that case, I’ll just make sure your water is topped up, unless you’d like something else.”

“I’m fine, really.” Holly couldn’t contain her smile. “And thank you, Adele. You were right. Today has been perfect.”

“I’m glad. I’d better disappear into the woodwork again. Just shout if you need anything.”

She disappeared out a side door, but not before he saw her pale face or the shadows beneath her eyes. He wasn’t sure if she’d taken more meds, but she was clearly feeling worse by the minute.

But it wasn’t his problem. Not in the least.

CHAPTER SIX

ADELE WASN’T SURE she could stay on her feet much longer.

The meds were no longer working. After persevering through the day and fighting valiantly, she was quickly starting to lose the battle. What she needed was to go to bed, to curl up in her cozy blankets and attempt to sleep this off. She prayed the virus didn’t last long. She had a Valentine’s Day wedding coming up, plus she hated being sick. Even a simple cold or flu made her uneasy, as if her body were somehow betraying her. It had been this way ever since her diagnosis and treatment. Being sick made her feel weak...and out of control.

She watched as Holly and Pete had their first dance, and tried to keep some emotional distance. An hour and a half ago they’d been clients. Lovely clients, certainly, but she hadn’t felt quite like this. The news that Holly was pregnant had somehow flipped a switch inside her. And it wasn’t as if she’d never had pregnant brides before, though not often.

She rather suspected it was because Dan had been right there, looking at her. That he’d been in her little sphere of existence for the last two and a half days, bringing up all sorts of memories and feelings.

Happy-ever-after. That wasn’t what she promised, but she did ensure that couples got off to a great start. She bit down on her lip as Holly and Pete rested their foreheads together, their feet slowly shuffling to the sweet song. They were clearly in love, had a gorgeous home outside Calgary with a view of the mountains, and a baby on the way. A perfect little life.

Dan stood on the edge of the dance floor, watching them, too. For a moment, his gaze flitted to her, and then away again. He hadn’t said a word to her since she’d stopped at the head table. The day was nearly over, and she didn’t need his help anymore. It was crystal clear that his assistance earlier hadn’t been from any lingering...affection, perhaps? Nostalgia? He seemed to be doing a much better job of keeping his emotional distance than she was. It was getting harder and harder to ignore the ache in her heart each time she saw him or heard his voice. That laughing timbre had once been just for her. The way he rubbed a finger over his eyebrow when he was deep in thought hadn’t changed. All the little things that had been out of sight, out of mind, were suddenly right before her eyes.

One of the staff members came by and offered her a piece of wedding cake. The smell of it turned her stomach; she hadn’t eaten since earlier in the afternoon and the medication, plus copious cups of tea, had her tummy not quite settled. Her head pounded and the loud music wasn’t helping. At this rate, she was just going to leave her car here tonight and get a cab home. Getting behind a wheel simply wasn’t a good idea, nor did she want to expend the energy required to focus on the road.

She sneezed into her sleeve, and then reached into her pocket for a tissue. Again.

The first dance ended, and she persevered through the next few numbers, where the wedding party and family joined the couple. As soon as the obligatory pairings were over, she made her way over to Pete and Holly. She made sure she didn’t get too close; the last thing Holly or Pete needed was to get sick on their honeymoon.

“Everything’s well in hand. Congratulations, you two. I’m going to be heading out now.”

“You’re not staying until the end?” Holly’s face fell, and Adele’s heart warmed.

“You don’t need me now. The bar’s open and running smoothly, the hotel staff has everything under control and the DJ is here until midnight.” She paused and then decided to be honest. “Truthfully, I’ve come down with the same bug that created some of our staffing issues today. I’ve been popping cold-and-flu pills since this morning, but I’m really starting to feel awful. Plus, I don’t want to give it to anyone, including you two.”

“Oh, Adele! You should have said something earlier!” Holly sounded genuinely distressed.

“It’s fine. I promised you a day of your dreams, and I hope you had it.”

“We did,” Pete said. “Everything was beautiful. Not quite as beautiful as Holly, but amazing.”

She smiled, though her head was pounding in time with the upbeat song blaring through the speakers. A shiver racked her body. “I’m sorry. I’d love to stay. I just...”

She weaved for a moment, light-headed, and reached out for a chair to steady herself.

“Adele,” Pete said, his voice deep with caution. “You do need to go. Thank you for everything, but please, go look after yourself.”

She nodded, but then Dan’s voice came from behind her. “Is everything okay?”

Adele turned to say yes, but Pete interrupted first. “Adele is horribly sick. You can’t drive,” he said to Adele, and then looked at Dan again. “Could you see she gets into a cab, Dan?”

“Of course.”

Dan took her elbow and she followed him meekly, too sick to put up any sort of a fight. The momentum of the day had kept her pushing through, but now that it was over, it seemed she’d lost all her fight. They stopped to get her coat and bag, which she was certain he carried out of politeness. They were outside the ballroom, where it was cooler, when she tugged on his arm.

“Wait.” She couldn’t keep up with him. Plus, the cooler air felt so good on her face, even though her body was cold. Her heart was racing, too. “I feel weird, Dan. I need a minute.”

“Take the time you need. I’ll let them know we need a cab.”