The Unexpected Honeymoon by Barbara Wallace Read Free Book Online Page B

Carlos’s hand. “And don’t worry about the budget. Money’s no object. I want her to have anything and everything she wants.”
    He better have a big line of credit, then. Granting his true love’s every whim could get expensive. And in the end, it wasn’t always enough.
    Carlos kept his thoughts to himself. Business was business. If Señor Staves wanted to run himself into debt in the name of love, La Joya would gladly take his business. Served as a nice change of pace to rearranging the accounts to keep their vendors happy. Or negotiating bills with sexy blond guests.
    He walked Señor Stevas to the lobby, the young man thanking him effusively every step of the way. “You made our vacation,” he repeated, enthusiastically pumping Carlos’s hand one last time before leaving.
    â€œNice to see such a satisfied customer.”
    His shoulder blades stiffened. Silly to think he could avoid Jorge forever. He could only imagine what his cousin thought about the way Carlos rushed to Larissa’s villa. Over a spider, no less. What had he been thinking? Contrary to what he told Larissa, he’d heard the term
emergency
used countless times in his career. Never had he rushed to a room the way he did hers.
    Not in five years anyway. When he was married to Mirabelle, he rushed everywhere for fear something might have gone wrong.
    â€œCarlos?”
    Turning, he saw his cousin helping himself to one of the complimentary water bottles kept at the front desk. “Those are for the guests.”
    His cousin’s reply was to hand him a water bottle as well. “You didn’t answer my question. What did you do to make his vacation?”
    â€œI promised him a vow renewal ceremony to end all ceremonies.”
    â€œSounds simple enough.”
    â€œWould be, if we had a decent wedding coordinator.”
    â€œI take it this afternoon’s candidate failed to impress you?”
    Busy drinking his water, Carlos could only shake his head.
Impress
was such a subjective term. While qualified, the man lacked imagination. Anyone could slap together menus and hang decorations. La Joya’s reputation required someone with passion. Whose events sang with magic and romance and all the other intangibles people were willing to pay top dollar to experience. Thus far, he’d yet to find such a person.
    Ironically, once upon a time he would have been that person. Pre-Mirabelle, of course, when he saw everything through a romantic lens. Those days seemed so long ago. When he was young and willing to do anything—be anything—for the woman he loved. He’d fallen for Mirabelle on sight, and from that moment on nothing mattered but making her happy.
    Little did he know he’d taken on an impossible challenge. Mirabelle could never be happy, at least not for long. Her demons—and did she have demons—needed, needed, needed. Right up to the end, when, sensing his heart had no more to give, she shattered it to pieces.
    Perhaps his past was the problem. Here he was relying on his gut to find a wedding coordinator when he’d used up all his romantic instincts years ago. He hadn’t so much looked at another woman since Mirabell’s death. Even if his heart were whole, why put himself at risk a second time?
    â€œSo what are you going to do?” Jorge’s question brought him back to the issue at hand: Paul Stevas’s request.
    â€œHave catering pull together a proposal and hope that it’s magical enough to please our young guest and his wife.”
    â€œSeeing his enthusiasm, I think you’re safe.”
    â€œLet’s hope. He did say money was no object.”
    â€œWell, if that’s the case, perhaps you should steal Señorita Boyd’s ideas. I took a look at her file when reviewing our bookings—which by the way, appear to be in order—she and Maria pulled together quite an extravaganza. Too bad, it won’t be taking