“I’m Maren. I’m the event coordinator. We were told you were aware.”
“I was not.”
“She said it was a family lake house.”
“It was. Now it’s mine.”
Maren’s expression shifted from confusion to caution. That was the look of a professional realizing the ground beneath a contract might not be as solid as advertised.
“She also said you were out of town,” Maren said slowly.
I let out a breath that might have been a laugh if I had been less furious.
“I work fifteen miles away.”
Maren pulled out her phone, scrolled through something, and turned the screen toward me.
There was a text thread.
Eden’s messages were bright blue, confident, and casual.
My sister’s fine with it. She’s just hard to pin down.
She’s out of town Thursday, but setup is approved.
Don’t worry about getting her signature. It’s a surprise for her too.
I read the words twice.
A surprise for her too.
The cold feeling in my chest spread.
Eden had not misunderstood. She had not assumed. She had lied strategically, with just enough detail to make other people act before I could stop them.
“That’s not true,” I said.
Maren’s face went pale.
“I need you to understand,” I continued, keeping my voice steady because if I let it shake, I might not stop. “I never authorized your company to come here. I did not sign anything. I did not approve a setup. I did not agree to host an anniversary party. Eden Sutton does not own this property.”
Maren looked back at the tent, then at her crew.
“Stop setup,” she called. “Everyone stop where you are.”
The men carrying the floral arch lowered it carefully into the grass.
Colleen came down from the porch and stood beside me.
Maren flipped through the clipboard, lips pressed thin. “I’m so sorry. We were given a signed venue confirmation.”
“By Eden?”
“Yes.”
“Not by me.”
“She represented that she had the authority to use the location.”
“She doesn’t.”
Maren looked like someone watching her afternoon turn into paperwork.
I felt bad for her. Truly. This was not her fault. She had a crew, trucks, supplies, labor hours already moving. Eden had used her too.
“Can I see the contract?” I asked.
Maren hesitated, then nodded.