Suzanne glanced over at the bar. Where the hell was their waitress? She needed another drink. “I need the money. My alimony runs out at the end of this year. I should have done this a long time ago, but I was enjoying my time off. But now I’m going to be shit out of luck if I don’t get off my ass and generate an income.” Waving her hand at the waitress, she added, “Another reason I can’t go to Texas. I can’t afford the airfare or the hotel.”

Boo hoo her. God, she hated sounding so damn pathetic, but it was the truth. She had been ignoring reality and now it was biting her in the butt.

“Suzanne, I had no idea. I just assumed you had a settlement or that your position on the board was paying.” Imogen looked stunned. “That wasn’t very long for alimony.”

“Half the length of the marriage. Two years. We were married for four.” And for fuck’s sake, was she actually going to cry? She better well be getting her period and this was just PMS, because she had no time to get weepy. It wasn’t like she and Ryder had just broken up. It was old news, and she needed to get a serious grip. “He gave me a lump sum of money, which I used to buy my condo. But I still have bills, and without the alimony, I need some kind of income.”

“Well, I’m sure you’re a fabulous wedding planner, despite your irritations with the clients. You have amazing taste and you’re incredibly organized. I imagine some of your previous clients would be willing to give you referrals to get you started again. Who is the potential client? Is it a big wedding or something small?”

Suzanne appreciated that Imogen was just being matter-of-fact about the situation and not commenting on the demise of her marriage. “Here’s the kicker.” This was actually ridiculous enough to make her smile. “The bride to be is Nikki Borden.”

Imogen’s jaw dropped. “What? Are you serious? She and Ty just broke up!”

“I know. The girl wastes no time whatsoever. And she wants a Christmas wedding, and is willing to pay out the nose to make it happen.”

“Who is the groom? Is it the guy she was making out with on the hood of my car?”

“Yep. Jonas Strickland. Nice enough guy, but he clearly doesn’t have the sense God gave a goat if he’s saddling himself with Nikki after a week of dating. I mean, who falls in love in a week?”

“Yeah, exactly,” Imogen muttered, frowning down at the table. “That’s insane. Isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is,” Suzanne said firmly, alarmed at the look on her friend’s face. She wasn’t fancying herself in love with Ty, was she? Would no one ever learn?