Huh. Maybe I shouldn’t bring Ali with me.
Theo’s brother Camden is a complete hottie, and very smart. I love his idea of reopening the Carmel Valley Farm and making it bigger. Better. He said he wants to take it to the next level by offering farm-fresh food, from garden to table. I gave him a few ideas—both Camden and I got excited and came up with a business plan on his laptop right there at the restaurant with Theo looking on proudly. Theo was so impressed, he took me back to his place that night and fucked me senseless on his couch.
I shouldn’t say fuck anymore, because that’s not what Theo and I are doing. It’s morphed into something else these last few weeks. Something thoughtful and caring and—loving. Oh God, I can’t even believe I thought that word. I think I’m going to be sick.
Resting my hand atop on my stomach, I say to Alex, “What’s the news?”
“Vegas wants you. Badly.” He pauses. His lips form into a barely there smile. “And so does London.”
My mouth drops open. “They’re both offering me the position?”
Alex nods. “You have until Monday to make your decision.”
“That’s only four days,” I say, my brain scrambling and short-circuiting. Four days to make the most important decision of my life.
“Plenty of time to consider, don’t you think?” His smile stays fixed in place. I give this man a lot of credit for never showing much emotion. Though from what Caroline says, he’s the sweetest man alive, and I believe her. “We have to get moving with training. Getting you over there soon—whichever hotel you should choose—is important.”
I blink at him, at a loss for words. I can’t believe they both want me. “Which one do you think I should take?”
“I don’t want to influence your decision—” he starts, but I interrupt him.
“I value your opinion, Alex. Please.” I smile. “I need some advice.”
He’s quiet for a moment as he contemplates me. “Vegas is the busier hotel, no doubt. It has a higher profile as well. Plus, your friend lives there, and I know how close you two are. Her boyfriend is sending people to our resort, and we appreciate that. He’s recently become one of our influencers.”
That’s hilarious. Mitch Anderson, the hotel peddler.
“But London is in another country. A completely different experience, one you might not get the chance to take advantage of again,” he continues. “It’s a beautiful city. That would tempt me.”
“It does,” I tell him. “They both tempt me. I don’t know what to do.”
“That’s why you need to take the weekend and try to figure it out,” he says, his voice gentle. “Though you’re busy with a wedding, right?”
I nod. “Theo’s ex is getting married.”
Alex chuckles. “That ought to be interesting.”
“I’m sure.”
“Caroline handled their invitations,” he says. His wife and my friend works at and is partial owner of Noteworthy, a specialty stationery shop in downtown Carmel. “She mentioned the future groom as being an…unusual type.”
“I haven’t met him,” I say, though I will be meeting him in a few hours.
“Me either, but I’ve heard stories. We may live in a bustling area, but it’s really just a small town when you break it down.” Alex rises to his feet and I do the same. “Think about it, all right? And let me know your choice Monday morning.”
“I will. Thank you so much,” I say as he walks me to the door.
“You earned it. Thank you for interviewing so well. You make me look good.” He grins and opens the door for me. “I have a call in ten minutes. Put them through right away?”
“Yes, sir,” I tell him as I make my way to my desk on suddenly wobbly legs.
I collapse in my chair, staring at my computer screen, though I really don’t see anything. I’m too much in shock over what just happened. I didn’t just get offered one new job, I was offered two. And one is in London, which is just—amazing. I applied for a passport right after I learned of the opportunity. I’ll have to apply for a work visa as well, and I don’t know how long that will take, but they explained during the interview process that I shouldn’t worry about it. They’d make it work.
It’s an assistant desk manager position at the Trafalgar Square location. Not as high in position as I’d hoped for, but they pay a lot. I did some research, and the cost of living in London is extremely high too. But…it’s London. I never would’ve dreamed in a million years I’d have such an opportunity!
The call Alex is expecting comes in exactly ten minutes after I left his office, and I put the call through to his phone. He’ll be talking for at least an hour. Maybe more. Deciding I deserve a little extra break, I grab my phone and text Eleanor.
What are you doing?
Luckily enough, she responds within seconds.
Waiting in between clients. What are YOU doing?
I decide to FaceTime her. I need to see her when I give her the news, because I think I know what I’m going to decide, but I need to hear her opinion first.
“Oh my gosh, look at you!” Eleanor says when she first sees me. “You’re…glowing.”
I blush, which is silly. Maybe it’s all the great sex I’m having with Theo. I don’t know. “It’s just another Friday in Pebble Beach,” I tell her.
“Please. Girl, I hear the rumors.” She waves a dismissive hand, a giant smile on her face. Eleanor is blond and bubbly and cute as a button. She’s also madly in love with her pro football player. Those two will probably get married eventually.
For once, I’m the teeniest bit jealous. Marriage normally doesn’t appeal to me, but since I’ve been spending so much time with Theo lately…
I’ve started thinking about it. And realizing that maybe I do want the fairytale. The happily ever after.
“What rumors?” I ask her.
“About you and Theo. My former date.” She bursts out laughing, and I can’t help but giggle too. “Our financial advisor! Tell me, does he count his money when you two have sex?”
“He’s too preoccupied to worry about money when we’re together,” I say coyly, making her laugh harder. “Look, I have something serious to tell you.”
She sobers up immediately. “What is it?”
“I got offered a promotion—at Wilder.” I can barely contain the smile that spreads across my face.
“Oh my God, that’s amazing! Congrats! I’m so happy for you!” This is why I called Eleanor. Not only is she one of my closest friends, but she’s also probably the most enthusiastic person I know. I was craving her exuberance and she’s delivering, just like I hoped.
“Here’s the thing.” I take a deep breath. “I was offered my choice of jobs. One at the Vegas location—”
“Get the hell out!” she interrupts, making me laugh.
“And one at a Wilder Hotel in…London.”
She screams and shouts for a while, and I turn down the volume on my phone, hoping I don’t disturb Alex’s phone call. Luckily enough, no one else is around in our small office, so I’m not bothering anyone.
I let Eleanor get it all out before I finally say to her, “Help me make a decision.”
“Oh, I can’t make that choice for you,” she says, sobering.
“I don’t want you to make the choice, but I need advice.”
“What does Theo think you should do?” she asks.
I press my lips together and drop my gaze, feeling like an asshole.
“Kelsey.” Her voice is stern. “You have told Theo about this, right?”
I lift my head and hiss out a breath. “No?”
“Oh my God.” Eleanor sounds completely exasperated with me. “Why haven’t you told him? You’ve been with him for a month. You’ve been friends for longer than that!”
I’ve given a few details to Eleanor about me and Theo, but not too many. Looks like other people have been talking. Which is fine. It’s my friend group, and I know they all mean well, but what Theo and I have isn’t that se
rious—
Wait a minute. I need to stop. I’m lying to myself. What we have is fairly serious. I don’t know what falling in love feels like, but I think it’s pretty close to what I’ve been experiencing with Theo these last few weeks.
Holy. Shit.
“I legitimately forgot to tell him about the interviews when I first found out, and then after a while, so much time had passed, I didn’t know how to tell him without worrying he’d get upset,” I explain.
“Right, so you’re going to tell him once you’re packed up and ready to leave? That’s not cool, Kelsey.” Eleanor shakes her head.
I hate that she’s disappointed in me. Worse, I’m disappointed in myself. I don’t want to hurt Theo. He means too much to me. And I don’t want to be another Jessica, breaking his heart and leaving him.
That would be awful.
“I’d tell him before I leave, I swear. I just—I don’t know how.” My stomach roils again, and I swallow hard, hating how nauseous I feel. My mouth tastes awful too. Quickly I open the top desk drawer and pull out a piece of gum, popping it into my mouth. I hope the minty taste will ease the nausea quickly.
“He deserves to know what’s going on in your life. You need to come clean,” she says firmly. “Tonight.”
“The rehearsal dinner is tonight.” I make a face. If I looked out at the lawn that leads to the ocean right now, I’d see them setting up for the grand wedding tomorrow. The rehearsal will be outside tonight, where the ceremony will take place. Afterward, Jessica and Craig have reserved one of the rooms at our restaurant, and it’ll be a lovely, intimate dinner for fifty of their closest friends and relatives. Including me and Theo.
I can’t wait.
My stomach gurgles at the thought.
“I feel terrible,” I tell Eleanor, resting my head in my hands. “He’s going to be so mad at me.”
“You definitely need to tell him,” Eleanor says, pausing when I lift my head and meet her gaze through the camera. She frowns. “Honey, are you okay? You don’t look so well.”
I frown. “What do you mean?”
“You’re looking a little green around the edges,” she explains. “You eat something bad at lunch earlier?”
I think of the turkey sandwich I brought from home and immediately want to throw up. As in, the urgency is there, right at the back of my throat. “Oh God. Eleanor, I gotta go.”
I don’t give her a chance to say goodbye. I end the call and bolt from my desk, making my way down the hall in record time and busting through the door of the employee bathrooms. I don’t even bother locking the stall behind me before I’m kneeling before the toilet and puking my guts out.
God, it’s disgusting. There’s nothing worse than having your lunch come back up on you unexpectedly. I collapse on the floor and press my forehead against the stall wall, appreciative of the cool metal hitting my skin. And I still have to go to this stupid rehearsal dinner tonight.
By the time I’m back in the office, Alex is off his call early, a concerned expression on his face when he spots me. “What’s wrong with you?”
I love how he doesn’t ask if I’m okay. He just automatically assumes something’s wrong. “How was your call?” I ask him.
“An annoyance, but it’s over so there’s that. How are you?” He tilts his head. “You don’t look so well, Kelsey.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t feel good. I don’t know what happened.” I try to explain myself but eventually he doesn’t want to hear it. And not because he doesn’t believe me either. Sometimes my boss is a very impatient person.
“Find an empty room in the hotel and take a nap,” he suggests.
“I can’t do that.”
“Oh yes you can. And I’m telling you that you should. I’ll call over to the front desk and make the arrangements.”
“I was just going to hang out here until I could change in the employee bathroom and meet Theo outside at six,” I explain feebly.
“No. I won’t hear of it. I don’t want you sick while you’re also trying to make a major life decision this weekend. Gather your things. You’re off for the rest of the afternoon,” Alex says as he comes to my desk and opens the bottom drawer, pulling my purse out and handing it to me. “Did you bring something to change into?”
I nod, taking my purse from him. “I left everything in my car.”
“Give me the keys. I’ll have someone from concierge take care of it and bring everything to your room.”
I hand him my keys and he calls the front desk, finding me a room within minutes. “Someone will meet you at Room 426. You want me to accompany you there?”
“No, I can walk over on my own.” My boss also has this way of taking command over everything and handling it with ruthless efficiency.
Reminds me of Theo. He’s the same way.
Alex smiles, his gaze gentle. “Go on, Kelsey. Get some rest. Have fun at your wedding this weekend. I’ll see you Monday.”
“Alex, thank you so much for—everything.”
He nods, and then goes back into his office.
I have the best boss in the world.
So why would I want to leave this place?
Twenty-One
Theo
It’s six-fifteen and Kelsey still hasn’t shown up at the rehearsal. I send her a text, but she hasn’t answered that either. Craig won’t stop asking where my date is and I claim she’s running late, but that sounds stupid when she works at the very place where this is being held. Not that he knows, but I do.
I’m worried. Where is she? Is she okay? Is she somehow…upset over something? With me?
There is absolutely no reason for her to be upset with me, so I’m worrying over something that is pointless. Dealing with Jessica and her saying that she misses me and she’s making a mistake is fucking with my head. Not that I miss her and want to be with her…
Seeing her dredges up old memories. None of them fond either. I remember the hard times. Finding her with Craig. The way her betrayal cut at my heart, leaving it in shreds.
Well, that shit is pieced back together now, and it seems to only beat for a certain dark-haired woman who’s not here yet.
Finally the rehearsal ceremony starts, and I do my thing. I escort my eighty-nine-year-old grandmother down the aisle and guide her to her seat in the front row on the groom’s side before I get into position at the altar. My parents are here tonight as well, accompanying my grandmother, and I’m grateful to see them sitting in the chairs watching the run through unfold. Especially since Kelsey hasn’t shown up.
I need someone here on my side.
Craig makes his way down the aisle with his parents, making cracks as he passes by familiar faces and acting like this moment is one big joke. Swear to God, his mother just looks relieved. I bet she thought her son would never find a woman to tolerate him.
Or maybe that’s just me being mean.
The music changes, and everyone stands up straighter. It’s time for the bride to make her way down the aisle. I know it’s just the rehearsal and it’s not even my wedding, but my stomach twists like I’m a nervous groom, and that is some ridiculous shit.
Just as Jessica is making her way to the start of the aisle with her father, I spot Kelsey emerging from the building in front of us, off in the distance. She’s headed toward the ceremony, wearing a short floral dress that looks nothing like the sedate floral dress my grandmother is currently wearing.
The skirt is short and—sassy. That is the only word I can think of to describe it. It swishes and swirls around her slender thighs, accentuating her long, smooth legs. The long sleeves are billowy, covering her up, but the neckline is a deep, sexy V, exposing her chest and a hint of cleavage. Her strides are effortless on strappy nude stilettos, and her long dark hair falls in luxurious waves past her shoulders. The entire look is effortless. As if she rolled out of bed and just showed up.
I can’t stop staring.
Our gazes connect and she offers me a little wave, a look of apol
ogy on her pretty face. She came into the area at an angle, so she doesn’t disrupt the bride-to-be coming down the aisle, and my parents greet Kelsey enthusiastically as she settles in beside them.
I smile at Kelsey. She smiles back, those dark eyes capturing mine once more as she mouths sorry.
God, this woman. She has stolen my heart and she doesn’t even realize it.
A new song starts up, something romantic and cheesy, and I tear my gaze away from Kelsey to spot Jessica standing with her arm wound around her father’s as they slowly walk down the aisle. And she’s not watching Craig as she heads toward him. She’s watching…
Me.
Her expression is sour. As if she caught me making googly eyes at Kelsey, which she probably did. But so what? I’m not with Jessica any longer. She has no say in who I’m with.
Fuck her.
Damn, those are harsh words, but they describe exactly how I feel. Fuck her. She’s the one who cheated on me. She’s the one who snuck around behind my back for months and had sex with my idiot cousin, all while pretending to still be in love with me.
That’s messed up.
So yeah. Fuck her.
I get bored after a few minutes of standing around and doing nothing as everyone frets over the flower girl and ring bearer, or the speed Jessica is supposed to walk when coming down the aisle. Nearly groan out loud when Craig’s mother demands we do one more run through. We go through the ceremony again, and all I can think about is wanting to be with Kelsey. Wishing I was sitting with her and my parents instead of standing up here pretending I care about and support the bride and groom.
Let’s be real. I don’t.
Finally, the show is over and we’re all walking to the restaurant in the hotel where the dinner will be held. I wait for Kelsey to approach, trying my best to avoid seeing Jessica, but she comes to me before anyone else does, and I have no choice but to speak to her.
“I’m so glad you’re here. You’ll have to introduce me to your girlfriend.” Her smile is fake as hell, and I don’t know why she bothers.
“At the dinner I’ll make sure to,” I say, offering a fake smile as well. “Don’t you think you should go find Craig?”
Wedding Date (Dating Series Book 6) Page 17
