Mixed reactions and loads of theories. I love it! Thank you for the PMs and reviews to those who wanted to tell me you aren't flouncing, it means a lot!

Thank you to Nic and MidnightCougar for rec'ing this on TLS. 3

As always, hugs to Iris, Pattinlethr, MightnightCougar, and Sparklymeg for making my words pretty.

Chapter 5

"I can't believe… He's so… That asshole!" Jessica takes the words straight out of my mouth as we hurry outside and try to catch a cab as quickly as possible.

As soon as Edward arrived and introductions were made, we quickly rounded the appointment up, making excuses about having a late night at the office. With the hours we keep, nobody doubted us, and I left with Tanya's details and the promise of contacting her when I had an appointment at the hotel set up. They'd be desperate to secure this wedding, so I assured her it would be soon.

"And he's getting married! And not just married, but married to Tanya Turner! What a—"

"I get it, Jess," I mutter, rubbing my head, trying to comprehend what the hell just happened in there.

"Sorry. I just can't believe a guy would chase you — and so obviously — while he's engaged to someone else. And he seemed so nice..."

I nod. "I know. I agree. But can we just forget it?"

"Yeah. Sure. Of course." She glances at me. "You okay?"

I nod, feeling ridiculously stupid for letting this bother me so much. "Yeah. Really glad that kiss didn't happen now."

She smiles. "Silver linings and all that."

"Yeah," I agree. "Do you feel like going for a drink? I think I could really use one tonight."

"'Atta girl."

She steps away from the doorway and flags a cab. When the door to the bar opens, soft music reaches my ears. Someone stands next to me, and I don't need to look to see who it is.

"Bella?"

I take a deep breath and pretend I don't hear him.

"Bella." It's louder this time, and I hate myself for liking the way my name sounds coming from him. I ignore the flutters in my stomach, reminding myself he isn't mine to like.

He's marrying someone else.

I don't feel surprised when his arm brushes mine as he moves closer to me. I shiver and pull my jacket closer to me, though my shivers have nothing to do with the wind.

"We need to talk."

I keep looking straight ahead, focusing on Jess so I don't look at him. "I know you missed most of the appointment, but I think your fiancée can fill you in on anything wedding related."

"I don't want to talk about the wedding —"

"Well, I don't think there's anything else we need to say to each other."

He takes a hold of my hand, and I flinch, pulling it out of his grasp.

"You don't get to touch me," I hiss. "You. Are. Engaged."

He looks down, his hand lingering in the space between us. "I know. I just want to explain. Last Friday—"

"Last Friday nothing, Edward." I step closer to him, keeping my voice as neutral as I can. "As far as I'm concerned, last Friday never even happened."

ooOoo

After one drink with Jess and lots of man-bashing, I'm ready to head home. She's been talking to a group of guys playing pool, and I know she's in for the long haul tonight, especially when I see her making eyes with a cute blond.

"Why don't you come in a bit later tomorrow?"

She looks shocked but smiles. "Yeah?"

I nod and hug her. "Yeah. I'm sure I can direct all the calls myself for a few hours. Come in at eleven."

She grins and glances at the guy. "Thanks, Bella."

I hail a cab pretty easily for this time of night and ignore the driver as he tries to make polite conversation. Normally I'd chat, but I just want to go home and crash. Feeling like a bitch once he's dropped me off, I leave him a decent tip and hope it makes up for it.

Once inside, I change into my pajamas and throw myself onto my bed, my thoughts consumed with the Turner wedding. Securing such a large, high profile wedding will be a huge win for my company. I'll go from being a relative nobody to being one of the most well-known planners in the city, something I've been working my ass off to achieve since I started the business. I should be happy about this — ecstatic, really. I need to focus on my work and what this could mean for us, not the fact I'm attracted to the groom.

I roll over and groan into my pillow. Why couldn't I just secure the wedding and have it go smoothly like every other one?

My phone beeps with an incoming text, rousing me from my thoughts. Thinking it's Jess wanting to push her luck until midday, I roll back over and read it, shocked to see it's from Tanya Turner.

Thank you for tonight, Bella. I can barely sleep with all the excitement! Hope to hear from you soon about the appointment. Tanya

Her text makes me smile. It's just what I needed.

Weddings are my thing.

Watching couples plan for the happiest day of their lives together is what pushes me out of bed in the morning without caring about the long hours. When I see the look the groom gets as he watches his bride walk toward him, the rude clients and working days on end without a day off are worth it.

I can do this.

I just have to remain professional.

ooOoo

The rest of the week passes smoothly. Our appointment at the hotel goes well, and Tanya's ready to sign at the end. Even her dad was impressed.

As we leave the hotel, Tanya loops her arm through mine. Her face is absolutely beaming.

"This is so exciting, to see all the ideas in place. I can really picture it."

I stop as we reach their car parked outside. "I'm glad. The biggest part is done now. I'll be sending you a schedule so we can arrange our appointments to plan everything that'll make your day fall into place. If there's anything you're struggling with, I have a list of suppliers I can recommend."

She hugs me as her dad slides into the back seat first. "Perfect. I'm going in blind here, Bella, but I trust you. Can you email me everything?"

"Sure. I'll have it to you this afternoon."

"Oh, and here." She hands me a business card, and I try to hide my frown when I look down at it. Of course I'll need the groom's contact details.

"Do you want me to copy Edward on the correspondence?" It's unusual for a groom to be so involved, but it's not unheard of.

She giggles. "No, silly. Didn't my dad tell you? You two will be planning some of this without me. I head off on a two-week shoot at the end of the week. Then I'm home for one week and away again for a month."

"Away?" I clear my throat after the word comes out in a whisper. "You're going away?"

She closes the door and lowers the window. "Of course. I can't stop working just because I'm planning a wedding." She states this as if her wedding's a business venture. She pulls out her Blackberry and begins scrolling through. "I'll email you my work schedule so we can try to arrange a Skype session." She frowns. "I should probably get Edward to email you his, as well, as his can get a bit hectic."

She glances up at me, giggling at the shocked expression I'm sure is gracing my face.

"Don't look so worried, Bella. I know you don't work with grooms a lot, but you and Edward will get along just fine."

;

ooOoo

Thank you for reading!

This week, I'll try my best to reply to reviews as normal, but I'm getting my wisdom teeth removed, so it's all gonna depend on how that goes! I promise I'll try my best!

Fic Rec: Back to Life by Alliz - After a broken engagement, Bella finds herself back in her hometown working for her sister and brother-in-law. Her past and present come full circle when she realizes her high school boyfriend, Edward, will be working with her. Their ending was explosive, causing Bella to keep a secret from him all these years. Is it better to know you're alive by living, or to keep yourself closed.