The Engagement Embargo: A Meet Me at the Altar Novel Read online

  “I don’t think that’s going to happen. It would be really tacky for them to do that, don’t you think?”

  “Thank God we got paid before the ceremony, but…what if they put a stop on the check?”

  Now she did roll her eyes and turned her head. “First of all, we have a contract. No one is stiffing us for the bill. We might not get the money today, but the law will be on our side. The worst-case scenario here is that we’re going to be eating three hundred crab cakes and more because we don’t have enough takeout containers for all this stuff.”

  “Okay, but…”

  “I’m just giving them a few minutes to discuss before going out there and talking to them. I’m sure they’re just trying to figure out what to do, as well. After all, it’s not every day that your daughter walks out in the middle of her wedding like that. I doubt they had any idea or even considered the possibility of this happening.” She paused. “I don’t imagine this sort of thing happens very often.”

  “But maybe…”

  Crossing her arms, Skye scanned the beautifully-decorated event room and shook her head. “Of course, they could just go on with the party and celebrate…something. It would be a shame to let it all go to waste. Or maybe the bride and the preacher really did run off to get married and this could be their reception.”

  “I thought we agreed he wasn’t a preacher and that it would be tacky?” Leanna commented, seeming to calm down. From her spot beside Skye, she looked around the room too. “Although…if it meant we get paid and people get fed, who am I to judge? Someone’s got to have a birthday or something, right? That would be a lot more palatable than substituting one groom for another.”

  Just the thought of it put a bad taste in Skye’s mouth.

  As if on cue, the parents of the bride walked in and she quickly excused herself. “Please be good news,” she whispered to herself as she plastered a smile on her face. “Mr. and Mrs. Burrows, tell me what I can do for you.”

  For the next twenty minutes, it was extremely tense and Leanna joined her midway through to make sure everything was going to be okay. The Burrows’ were visibly distraught by what their daughter had done and hated to be out the money for a reception that wasn’t happening, but fortunately they weren’t taking it out on Skye and the business.

  “I’m not quite sure what the protocol is on something like this,” Mr. Burrows said with a weary sigh. “It’s not like Tracy to be this impulsive, but…”

  “Skylar,” Mrs. Burrows said with an equally tired tone. “What are our options?”

  There was a question about event insurance–something Meet Me at the Altar did offer, but the family turned down–and it was painful to remind them of that. However, the insurance would have only applied if an act of God or nature caused the cancelation, not a runaway bride.

  Is there such a thing as runaway bride insurance? Do we need to add that to the contracts?

  They did try to haggle a discount, but Skye rejected it and was thankful Josie hadn’t come out to see what was going on.

  Either way, Mr. Burrows asked for all the food to be donated to the local homeless shelter.

  Once they were out of the room, Skye and Leanna sagged against each other with relief. “Oh, my goodness,” Leanna said, pulling a chair away from one of the fully-set tables and sitting down. “That was rough.”

  Pulling up a chair to join her, Skye sat down with a weary sigh. “You can’t blame them for trying to get a deal, but we still have to pay the staff and cover the cost of everything.” Her head leaned back. “At least they were decent enough to want to donate the food. We need to make some calls and see who can take it and if there are any restrictions.”

  “I’m on it,” Leanna said. “But I need to sit for a few minutes. This whole day has been exhausting.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  “I’m so happy you were still here. I don’t know what I would have done if I had to handle this alone.” She paused before glancing Skye’s way. “And…why didn’t you leave?”

  “Morbid curiosity,” she murmured. And rather than engage in more conversation, she simply closed her eyes and wondered what they should do next. They had to break down the room they’d just set up, load everything up in the truck and take it back to their warehouse-slash-office. It was going to be tedious, and they were still going to have to wash everything even though they didn’t use it, but…health codes prevailed.

  She had no doubt that everyone was going to want to talk about what happened and she hoped Josie didn’t want to come and join in to help.

  Everyone knew not to let Skye help because she had a reputation for being a bit of a klutz. And because of it, she had never worked in the food service industry–not in high school, not in college, just…never. Even thinking about it was enough to make her shudder.

  The food, the mess, the noise, the risk of dropping a tray of food on someone…yeah, totally not her thing.

  So when it was time to gather the crew and tell them how the rest of this day was going to go, they would already know she’d be the one directing, not helping.

  And Skye would get to that in another few minutes. She just needed a little more time to let the events of the last few minutes really sink in. Beside her, Leanna let out a long breath and stood up.

  “I’m going to go and call around about the donations. First, I’m going to feed the staff, and then we’ll talk to them about how we’re going to break down the room. Is that okay with you?”

  “Absolutely. Thanks, Lea.” Once her friend walked through the kitchen doors, Skye let out a long breath of her own and glanced around the room that looked so festive and yet would see no celebration today.

  That’s when her psychology-major mind kicked in.

  What would make someone do what the officiant did? Why would he wait until the ceremony to profess his love like that? If he was close enough to Tracy and Elliott to volunteer to perform the service–if that was even the way it was–why not say something sooner? What has to be going through someone’s mind to think that the actual ceremony was the proper time and place to make a declaration like that?

  “I mean, for the love of it, wouldn’t it have been better to go speak to the bride before she walked down the aisle?” she murmured as she reached over onto the table and picked up one of the place cards, absently studying it. With a flick of the wrist, she tossed it aside as anger simmered just below the surface.

  What kind of woman can just walk away from the man she is supposed to love and marry? How can a few words from some…some…guy, make her issue a flimsy apology before she runs off? Did she even love Elliott at all or was this wedding an excuse to get away from her parents or some other kind of cry for help?

  “I hate people like that,” she said, touching a silk sunflower in one of the centerpieces. “Did she even give poor Elliott more than a cursory thought before turning and running?” She paused. “All I can say is good luck to the new groom, because if she was heartless enough to walk away from one man, she more than likely won’t have any problem walking away from you.”

  “Did you say something, Skye?” one of the servers said as she walked by.

  “What? Oh…um, sorry. Talking to myself.” And with a smile, she stood and walked toward the back of the room and gazed longingly at the exit. While Skye knew Leanna would totally be fine if she left now, it just didn’t sit right with her to dump everything on other people. There was still no sign of Josie and this was something they’d never had to deal with before so she’d suck it up and do her job because…well, just because.

  It was a toss-up whether to go right to the kitchen or to head down the hall to the groom’s suite and see what was going on. No one would question her being there now. She and Josie had been best friends since the sixth grade and she was practically family. There had been a long line of people who followed after Elliott once he made his exit and she doubted he’d even notice if one more person showed up to offer him…what? Advice? Condolences? W
hat was the proper etiquette for someone getting left at the altar?

  That’s when it hit her how wrong it was for her to go back there. To know that all his family and friends just witnessed what was probably the lowest point in his life…she now wanted to go and shoo them all away. He must have felt like he was punched in the gut and now had an audience around him when he probably wanted to be alone. She couldn’t imagine that he had seen this coming.

  But Tyler was warning him…

  Still, even if it wasn’t Elliott, no one deserved to have something like this happen to them–especially when they’re good and decent, like Elliott. He was one of the good ones, and she’d like nothing more than to get five minutes alone with Tracy to put her in her place. After all, how could she possibly look at such a sweet face and then leave him?

  And Elliott had a really sweet face.

  A kind face.

  Sandy brown hair, gray-blue eyes, and black-rimmed glasses…he had kind of a sexy geek vibe about him.

  And that was just the tip of the iceberg. Elliott Sullivan was the total package and didn’t deserve to be humiliated like this.

  The poor guy…

  Wistfully, Skye looked around the room one last time and felt an overwhelming sense of sadness that no one was going to enjoy the beautiful décor and the food or celebrate the union of two people.

  It was a little heartbreaking.

  And as she made her way toward the kitchen, she wished someone would come out and give her an update so she could know if Elliott was okay.

  “An embargo?”

  “Yup.”

  “But doesn’t that normally deal with government or trading goods or…”

  “Stop being so literal, Elliott!” his father cried out before taking a moment to compose himself. “All I’m saying is that maybe…enough is enough. For right now, at least.”

  Scanning the worried faces staring at him, Elliott had to wonder how long they had all been waiting to have this kind of talk with him.

  “But…Dad…”

  Holding up a hand to stop him, Martin Sullivan stood tall and gave his son the stance that never failed to put him in his place. “Son, we have watched you valiantly search for that perfect someone for years. You wear your heart on your sleeve and there was a time when it was admirable and sweet. But even you have to admit that something just isn’t working here.”

  Sighing, he nodded. Why deny it?

  “All we’re saying is that it’s time for you to take a step back and maybe re-evaluate some things in your life.”

  His eyes instantly went to his mother. She was always his biggest champion–his biggest supporter and the one who always believed in him. She looked so pretty in the plum-colored gown she had finally decided on. For months she searched and conducted surveys in the family to help her pick. They had all celebrated her decision and now look where they were–in a tiny groom’s suite celebrating nothing. He could see the weariness in her eyes–the sadness.

  The pity.

  Damn.

  “So what exactly is it you’re saying here, Dad?” he asked, rubbing a hand over his face and wishing he could simply be alone. Having so many witnesses to his humiliation certainly wasn’t helping anything right now. And who thought it was okay for his entire extended family to come in here?

  His mother was the one who responded, however. “Elliott, you need some time where you aren’t thinking about being in a relationship. A little time where you focus on yourself and realize it’s okay to be alone.”

  Seriously?

  “Oh, I’m pretty sure I’m going to be focused on being alone right now, Mom,” he said wearily. “As a matter of fact, I can guarantee when I get home later, it will be blazingly obvious that I’m alone.”

  “Again, you’re being too literal,” his father said, crouching down in front of him as if Elliott were a child. “Your whole life, you’ve been searching for someone to be with–your other half–and because of that I don’t think you truly know yourself or how to be alone. You’ve got this vision of who you would be as part of a pair. I think it’s time for you to figure out who you are as just yourself.”

  But Elliott already knew the answer to that.

  Lonely.

  “I get what you’re saying, Dad. I do. But being alone isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Trust me.”

  “Maybe you should take up a hobby!” his aunt Ruth chimed in. She was eighty-eight and had hair as yellow as the sunflowers in the centerpieces and always seemed to have something to say.

  Like now.

  “Um…”

  “Maybe you can take up yoga or learn origami!” she suggested.

  “Aunt Ruth, I don’t really think origami…”

  “I know I always adore getting one of those little paper creatures,” she interrupted. “I once had a friend who made me an origami frog that could actually leap!” She laughed softly. “It was such a beautiful little frog. So sweet.”

  Groaning, Elliott was about to respond when someone else spoke up.

  “No, he needs something a little manlier–like knife making or glass blowing!” his sister Josie called out and when he looked up at her, she winked and he knew she was trying to lighten the mood.

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” someone else called out. “Elliott’s not the kind of guy who’s going to build weapons. He needs something that’s a little more his speed–maybe birdwatching or model train building?”

  Okay, now he wanted to know who said that! Jumping to his feet, he scanned the group and saw his cousin Nick was the smartass. “Model trains? Seriously?”

  All his cousin did was smirk.

  Next thing he knew, everyone was throwing out suggestions–most of them equally ridiculous–so he stood up on his chair, stuck his fingers in his mouth, and whistled as loud as he could until the room went silent. With fifty pairs of eyes on him, his shoulders sagged.

  “Look, I appreciate all of you and how you’re looking out for my best interests here, but…this is just all a bit much to think about right now.” Stepping down, he did his best to put a smile on his face as he turned toward his parents. “I get what you’re saying, and I promise to think about it.”

  That should have been it.

  But it wasn’t.

  Clearly, there were some strong feelings about what was going to happen next.

  “I’m sorry, Elliott, but we’re all in agreement here,” his father said sternly. “You are not allowed to date, get involved with, or ask anyone to marry you for at least a year.”

  “Not allowed?” he cried. “Are you serious?”

  “As a heart attack.”

  Doing his best to remain calm, Elliott tried to reason with him. “Dad, I am a grown man. You can’t just…forbid me from dating! Now I’ll admit that I am going to need some time to move on, but…”

  “A year, Elliott,” his mother said. “You’ve tried things your way and it hasn’t worked out for you. Maybe take some advice from others who have had…let’s just say…more success in their relationships. I think we know what we’re talking about.”

  And then fifty heads seemed to nod in unison.

  Damn them.

  “We are all actively committed to making sure you stick to this,” his father continued. “So plan on seeing a lot of us–all of us–over the next year. We’re doing this for your own good.” He placed a hand on Elliott’s shoulder. “Because we love you and we don’t want to see you get hurt again.”

  “Maybe you should get a dog? Or some fish?” Aunt Ruth called out.

  He couldn’t hold back the sigh. There was no way he was going to win this argument right now, so rather than try, he simply thanked everyone for coming out and said he needed to be alone.

  Amazingly enough, they all listened and walked out of the room together after hugging and kissing him goodbye. Josie was the last one to leave and she hugged him extra hard. “I’m so sorry this happened.” When she pulled back, she gave him a weak smile. “I’m here for you if
you need to talk.” They were only eleven months apart and more like twins than anything, and he always turned to her for support but right now, he seriously just wanted to be alone.

  When it was down to just Tyler in the room, Elliott sat back down.

  “Man, that was…intense,” he murmured.

  “Which part?” Tyler joked, sitting beside him. “Seriously, you okay?”

  He shrugged. “I’m still a little shell-shocked.”

  “I’m so sorry, Elliott. Really. Now I feel even worse about the things I said before the ceremony. Although, if you think about it…”

  “Not the time for that,” he quickly interrupted. Because…yeah. He’d already thought about it.

  They sat in silence for several minutes before Tyler spoke again. “C’mon, let’s get out of here. We’ll go grab a beer and a burger and just chill. What do you say?”

  It sounded good, but…

  “I appreciate it, but I really just want to go home and…be. Rain check?”

  “Yeah. Sure. I’ll drive you home.”

  Right. Because he didn’t have his car here because he and Tracy were supposed to be taking a limo to the airport later to go on their honeymoon to Belize.

  Daniel was probably buying himself a ticket and packing his suitcase right now.

  The bastard.

  Together, they walked out of the room and Elliott noticed the catering staff scurrying around cleaning up the room. Hopefully they all got paid and would be happy to be able to go home early rather than hanging out all day serving wedding guests.

  Then he wondered how much the average server made. Did they get paid by the hour? By the gig? Were they getting shorted on their pay since there wasn’t a reception? His mind was spiraling but at least he wasn’t simply thinking of himself right now.

  Unlike some people…

  Damn Tracy and Mr. GQ.

  No one made eye contact with him and he wasn’t offended. The last thing he wanted was more sympathetic glances. He had a feeling he’d be seeing an abundance of them in the coming days and weeks so if he could avoid a few right now, he’d take it. When they were outside by Tyler’s car, Elliott stopped.