A few less if you’re interested in a sit-down dinner.”
“We are,” Julie said, making a note.
“But the guest list isn’t nearly that big,” Marina told him. “It’s about a hundred.”
“Ryan said it was closer to two hundred.”
Marina turned to her sister. “That many?”
“It keeps growing.”
“That’s a lot of tables.”
“I know. So I need you to check out the ballroom and see how it would be. Is there still room for dancing with all the tables in place? Where would the band go? I’m torn. Being outside would be great, but I’m not sure I can trust the weather, and I won’t need to be stressed about one more thing.”
“We’ll decide that first,” Marina said, taking notes. “That will affect all the other decisions. What’s next?”
“Flowers, favors—nothing stupid, please—food, entertainment, a photographer and my dress. Oh, and you and Willow have to pick out bridesmaids’ dresses.”
Ryan was so going to owe him, Todd thought humorously. “Tuxes,” he said.
Julie stared at him. “Oh God. You’re right. The guys need tuxes.”
“I’ll take care of the dress myself,” Marina said, smiling at him. “The dress is purely a girl thing.”
“Do you plan to get a say in the tuxes?” he asked.
“Sure.”
He waited while she began sputtering.
“Wait a minute,” Marina said. “A bride’s dress has to be something special. She’s only going to get married once.”
“I could say the same thing about Ryan. He’ll want to look good and you don’t trust me to make that happen. Why should I trust you?” Of course he had no real interest in the wedding gown, but fair was fair.
Julie waved her hand. “I don’t care who goes to the bridal shop. Just find me an amazing dress. Nothing fitted at the waist, of course.”
That’s right, Todd thought. Julie was pregnant.
He knew Ryan was excited about being a father. While Todd never intended to marry, he liked the idea of having kids. The lack of wife would complicate things, but didn’t make the situation impossible.
“I can’t believe you want a say in the dress,” Marina muttered.
He leaned toward her. “Think of all those models I’ve dated. Some of their fashion sense must have rubbed off on me.”
“Did you talk about fashion much?”
“We didn’t talk at all.”
He heard her grind her teeth together and nearly laughed.
“Willow works for that nursery,” Marina said as she ignored him. “I’ll ask her for recommendations on the florist front.”
“Good idea,” Julie said.
“I know a photographer,” Todd told her.
Marina widened her eyes. “Does he take pictures of people with or without clothes?”
“Both. You’ll enjoy looking at her work.”
“I don’t care about naked,” Julie said. “Does she do weddings?”
“They’re her favorite.”
“Good. Put her on the list. Marina, nothing too artistic. Just regular pictures.”
“Gotcha.”
They went over a few more things, then Julie left to find the dress pictures she’d torn out of magazines.
Todd turned his attention to Marina. “I think this is going to be fun.”
“Oh, me, too.”
“You don’t like me much.”
“I don’t know you.”
“You don’t want to.”
“Actually I haven’t decided that. Amazingly enough, you haven’t been on my mind at all.”
One point for her side, he thought. “You didn’t say nice things about me before. I heard you.”
She tilted her head as she stared at him. “You have a reputation which, personally, I think you enjoy. But people form impressions based on that notoriety.”
“You think I’m shallow.”
“I don’t think you’ve ever had to work very hard at anything but your company.”
“Still, you agreed to go out with me. One date. You promised. Aunt Ruth told me.”
Her gaze narrowed. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”
She might be uncomfortable with the idea of dating him, but he was the one who had to live with the reality of his aunt offering her granddaughters each a million dollars if one of them would marry him. It made him feel like a loser. What the hell was so wrong with him that a woman had to be paid that much money to make a commitment?
Not that he wanted to get married, but it was the principle of the thing.
Fortunately Julie and Willow were both out of the picture, which left only Marina. He would have refused even a single date with her, but Aunt Ruth had looked so happy at the thought and although he would rather face medieval torture than admit it to anyone, he was a sucker when it came to his aunt Ruth.
“It’s only one date,” he said. “What’s the worst that could happen?”
“It will be three hours that will seem like a lifetime?” But there was a flash of humor in her eyes as she spoke.
“The wedding,” he said. “We both have to be there, we’re both in the wedding party, which means it wouldn’t be much fun for anyone else we brought.”
She nodded slowly. “We will have just spent all that time arranging the event, so we’ll have plenty to talk about.”
“We can have lots of champagne.”
She grinned. “Always a plan. All right, Todd Aston the Third, I’ll be your date for my sister’s wedding.”
Two
G randma Ruth’s three-story Bel Air mansion was just as awe-inspiring the second time Marina pulled in to the stone covered circular driveway. It was massive and out of place—this was Los Angeles, not eighteenth century England. But the rich lived different lives, Marina thought as she climbed out of her aging import.
