“Don’t be too impressed, Mr. Paulson.”
Matt blinked, forcing himself back to the present and the lovely set of boobs. “Come again?”
“The corset pushes everything up. They’re not as big as the dress makes them look.”
He quirked an eyebrow, amused by her admission. “Who said I was looking?”
Even the laugh that escaped held a hint of the South. “No one had to say anything, Mr. Paulson. I can see your eyes with my own.”
Matt scrubbed a hand down his face. “Sorry. I haven’t had much sleep in the past thirty-six hours and I got a little distracted. And I think you should call me Matt.” A hint of a grin finally crept up his face. “I’m guessing the formalities aren’t necessary once you get caught leering down a woman’s dress. How much time do I have left?”
Her lips quirked as she reached in to her bodice “It’s now seven forty-five. You have ten minutes left.” She tipped her head curiously. “Don’t you wear a watch?”
“I do,” he said. “I just enjoy the sight of you pulling that watch out of your dress.”
Her warm laugh encouraged him to settle more comfortably against the counter.
“So tell me about your brother’s wedding fantasy,” she said.
She turned and leaned her elbows back on the counter, and he wondered if she knew the position put her on even better display. From the focused look on her face, he’d say no. The woman had slipped fully into themed-wedding-planner mode. He forced his eyes away from the expanse of skin of her bared shoulders and the line between the curve of her breasts.
“Simple,” Matt said. “His fantasy involves a video game.”
Callie groaned. “That’s why Colin sent you to me.”
“Tommy and Penny want their wedding to be a Dungeons of Zhorg weekend set here in New Orleans,” he said. “And since I volunteered to come and hire someone to organize the wedding, I wanted to check and make sure there wouldn’t be any legal problems with the plan. So I hunted Colin down to clear up any copyright hassles.”
“Which would only be a problem if you were selling tickets to the public. I assume this is a private party.”
“More or less.”
Her eyebrows drifted higher. “So which is it, more or less?”
Here was where things were about to get tricky.
Matt shifted on his feet, trying to get comfortable against the counter. “They want to combine their wedding with a LARP event for their fellow gaming friends. You know, a live-action—”
“Live-action role-playing. Yes, I know. I dated Colin long enough to be well versed in geek speak.”
Matt felt his brow crinkle in surprise.
So Colin was her ex. When Matt had searched the creator of Dungeons of Zhorg out at Rainstorm Games and found him in his office late on a Friday afternoon, Matt’s opinion of the geeked-out gamer had been complete. Fortunately, the man had no problem with Tommy and Penny’s plans. In fact, Colin thought a newspaper article about the event would be good publicity for his game. Matt had told him he’d check with Tommy before agreeing, but figured his brother and the equally geeked-out fiancée would be thrilled. Matt could just see the headline now.
Ex-Drug Addicts Saved by Finding True Love Through the Dungeons of Zhorg.
Everyone would love the story. Hell, Matt loved the story.
He just wished he could believe the current state of affairs would last.
The familiar surge of unease filled his stomach like a concrete truck unloading its contents. Damn. If he’d learned anything over the years of Tommy’s addiction, it was that taking care of today was the best Matt could do. Sometime it was more than Matt could do.
And often, his best just hadn’t been good enough.
Matt pushed the thought aside and returned to the more interesting topic of Callie. “You and your ex must have remained pretty good friends if he’s sending you my business.”
Her eyes crinkled at the corners. “You’d have to pry the game controller from his cold, dead fingers before the man would admit the truth, but he owes me. I helped him track Jamie down after they first met. Now they’re married.” Callie let out a chuckle. “That and he wants to ensure the wedding gets done right. You know, with the proper attention to Zhorg detail.” He heard, rather than saw, the roll of her eyes in her tone. “But a ceremony shouldn’t be too hard to pull off.”
“Actually, the entire weekend needs to be planned.”
“Wait,” she said, straightening up from the counter to face him. “I thought you just needed me for the wedding part. You want me to be in charge of the entire LARPing event?”
After several years of experience as the locums doctor in various E.R.s located in big cities across the country, Matt had learned how to handle addicts flying higher than a kite, as dangerous as a violent criminal.
Much like a cornered wild animal, the key was to never let ’em see you flinch.
He maintained her gaze and adopted his best soothing tone. “Yes. But the weekend doesn’t need to be that elaborate. Throw up a few tents, offer a little food, and the guests bring their own costumes. And we can call it a day.”
He knew he’d totally downplayed Tommy and Penny’s vision for the weekend, but Matt thought they were dreaming too big anyway. He’d told them both pulling off exactly what they wanted would be impossible, short of crawling into the video game itself.
Her brow scrunched and several seconds ticked by.
“How much time do I have?” she asked.
“Two months.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“I’m completely serious.”
“Impossible. Sorry, Mr. Paulson, you’ll have to find someone else.” She reached out and took his wrist, pushing up his sleeve to peek at his watch. And then gave him a pretty smile. “Time’s up.”
Momentarily stunned, he watched her head toward the cake table.
Until he remembered his goal, and took off, following her through the crowd. “I love what you did with The Wizard of Oz wedding,” he said, keeping stride with Callie. “And having the Mad Hatter as the wedding officiant in the Alice in Wonderland theme was inspired.”
Did he sound as stupid as he felt?
“How did you learn about that?” she asked.
“Colin gave me one of your brochures. He said you’re the best in the business.”
Callie cast him an amused glance but kept on walking. “Are you trying to use flattery to change my mind?”
“You bet,” he said. “Is it working?”
“Not yet, but feel free to keep trying.”
“The Elizabethan venue was spectacular—” he dodged two Southern belle dresses and a Confederate soldier “—and The Three Musketeers theme was cool, as well.”
She shot him a wry look. “Pirates,” she said. “It was a pirates theme.”
“Whatever,” he said. “Who else is better qualified for a Dungeons of Zhorg themed wedding?”
Callie stared out across the crowd of guests milling about as they enjoyed appetizers. A furrow of concentration between her brows, she appeared to be running through the idea in her head. She chewed on her cheek before swiping her lower lip with her tongue.