I breathed in slowly. The lake wind moved through the birch leaves, carrying the smell of water and cut grass. Behind Eden, two more cars turned into the drive. Guests. Her guests. Women in summer dresses. Men in polos. A couple I recognized from her posts. They slowed when they saw the half-built tent and the circle of tense adults near the driveway.
Eden saw them too.
Panic moved over her face before pride covered it.
“Can we not do this right now?” she said, lowering her voice.
“You brought it here.”
“Victoria.”
“No.”
Maren stepped forward, professional again. “Mrs. Sutton, I need to clarify something. You represented in the signed agreement that you had authorization to use this property as the event location.”
Eden gave a little laugh that sounded like a glass cracking. “It’s a family property.”
“It is not in your name,” Maren said.
“Families share things.”
“Not without permission from the legal owner.”
Eden looked at me with pure frustration. “Are you really going to stand here and embarrass me in front of everyone?”
“You embarrassed yourself when you invited them to a place you didn’t have.”
More cars arrived.
A silver sedan. A black SUV. A couple carrying a gift bag. Someone paused near the driveway, clearly unsure whether to walk forward or reverse into the road and pretend they had gotten lost.
Brett finally spoke.
“Eden, we should talk to Maren.”
She turned on him. “Not now.”
“Yes,” he said, his voice low. “Now.”
That was when I noticed how gray he looked.
Not annoyed. Not merely embarrassed. Gray. His commission checks had been slow, Eden had said later. But in that moment, watching him look at the tent, the staff, the guests, and his wife’s trembling composure, I realized he had probably known money was tight long before the party was booked.
Maren turned the clipboard toward Eden.
“Because setup has already begun and the crew was dispatched based on the information you provided, cancellation terms apply. The remaining balance is still owed.”
Eden blinked.
“What?”
Maren’s voice stayed even. “The contract covers labor, rental delivery, custom florals, tenting, and food service coordination. Your deposit is nonrefundable, and because the event location was not legally secured, the cancellation falls under client breach.”
“That’s insane,” Eden said. “You can’t charge me for a party that isn’t happening.”
“I can charge you for resources reserved and deployed under a signed contract.”
Maren pointed to the page.
I saw the number before Eden did.
$6,400.
Eden stared at it.
Then she laughed.
Not because she found it funny. Because disbelief needed somewhere to go.