Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 83368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
“Drive all the attention to the castle wedding by making a deal with the press,” Finn said suddenly.
“What are you suggesting?” Arch asked. “A little dance with the devil?”
“Exactly,” Finn replied. “Court the press, flatter them, invite them in. Contact one of the big glossy mags and give them the rights to the wedding. An exclusive interview and a photoshoot.”
“Not a bad idea,” Damien said. “At least if you placate the press, you’ll have control over the coverage.”
Mila looked at Tessa, who had stayed suspiciously quiet during this suggestion. She couldn’t imagine Tessa agreeing to splashy photoshoots, posing with her bouquet in an elaborate staged embrace with Arch.
There was a rare lull in the chatter as the rest of the family trained their attention on Tessa. Even though she was the newest, and not yet even an official Davenport, Tessa’s quiet calm inspired respect from the others.
Arch took her hand and waited for her verdict.
“I think it’s a fantastic idea. We’ll donate the fee to a charitable cause. Maybe divide it among charities we both support.”
“Perfect,” said Arch.
“We can use that lovely caterer who did the Fairbanks wedding. Francesca’s. I made sure to get her card,” Betsy suggested.
“Francesca books up months in advance,” Erin said. “We ran a feature on her once. A high-end chef from Milan who came here, fell in love with Carmel-by-the-Sea, and decided to change careers.” Then she glanced around. “For weddings, she takes bookings a year in advance.”
Howie said, “I’ll do the catering. Hamburgers and hot dogs on the barbecue. What do you say, kids?”
After shooting his dad an exasperated look, Damien said, “Call Crystal. She probably works with Francesca all the time.”
“Does Crystal work miracles?” Finn wanted to know.
“As a matter of fact,” Damien replied, “she does. I was on the beach at my place in the Bahamas, just chilling, and she called and asked me to perform at the birthday party of some billionaire’s kid. I swear, one minute I was saying no, and the next thing I knew, I was singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to a bunch of tweens jacked up on sugar.”
“Sounds perfect,” Howie agreed. “And at least you know you have a backup plan. My barbecue and I aren’t booked at all.”
Mila fell silent during the rest of breakfast. All this talk of weddings, happy futures… Seeing Arch, maybe the least able to commit of all her siblings, entrust his life to another person? It made her feel suddenly very… single.
Or was this odd feeling connected somehow to Herschel Greenfield? His face, his voice kept floating back to her. The memory of him had hooked inside her, and it wasn’t letting go.
“You look miles away, Mila.” Her mom’s soft voice penetrated her reverie.
“You got me,” Mila replied. “I was thinking about some new clients, a young couple looking for their first home.” She avoided her mom’s knowing look. Betsy Davenport could see right through to her children’s innermost cores. It would be annoying if she weren’t so full of love. Mila kept her head down and forked up another piece of omelet. As much as she hated to admit it, Herschel Greenfield had gotten under her skin. Worse, even though she’d given him her card, he’d yet to call.
Chapter Three
Breakfast was over, the dishes washed and put away, and no one seemed in a hurry to move on. Howie brewed another pot of coffee, and the Davenport family took their usual places in the living room, with its furniture made for comfort rather than elegance. Mila curled up her long legs and sank into her favorite damask armchair. Arch, Tessa, and Finn shared a couch with Buster, who was taking up more than his share of the space.
During a lull in the wedding-planning conversation, Erin, who had her finger on the pulse of local news through her job at the Sea Shell newspaper, said, “I heard that Herschel Greenfield is thinking about moving to Carmel-by-the-Sea.”
Finn looked impressed. Like the rest of the family, he was used to movie stars moving into the area, but he didn’t even recognize most of them, let alone care. Mila saw that a world-famous astronaut got his attention. He said, “Hersch Greenfield? The guy who nearly died during splashdown after all those months in space? He’s a legend.”
Erin looked at her brother as though he might be needing help with his homework. “Yes, that Hersch Greenfield.”
Mila stayed silent, waiting for the rest of the family’s reaction. Arch spoke next. “Jay said he was quite taken with Tessa’s paintings.” There was so much pride in his tone Mila couldn’t help but smile. Tessa’s cheeks turned pink. She still wasn’t used to receiving compliments about her art, and it was cute to see her blush. Arch continued, “Jay’s always hustling. Now he wants to make a biopic of Hersch’s life—with me playing the lead role. He’s buzzing about the idea. You know how he gets when he thinks he’s on to something good.”