A Wedding to Remember in Charleston, South Carolina

by Annalisa Daughety

  “Are you sure? Because I don’t want you to feel like you have to say yes just because we’re friends.”

  Summer smiled. “I’m positive. I’m sorry you had to ask though. I should’ve thought of it myself. I know how hard you’ve worked over the past months, and I know how good you are at what you do.” She sighed. “Honestly, I think it will be a relief to share responsibilities with someone. The business is at the point where we’re either going to have to expand or start turning down work. There’s only so much two of us can do without literally working around the clock.”

  “Thanks.” Ashley couldn’t hide her surprise. She’d fully expected Summer to be upset at the very idea of being partners.

  “It might be the answer to a prayer actually. I’m hopeful that Luke and I will have things back on track soon. And honestly, I don’t want work to be my primary focus all the time. But if we restructure some things and hire some support help, I think you and I can both have real lives outside of work.”

  Ashley nodded. “That sounds perfect.” A real life. She knew that’s what she’d have with Justin. The kind of partnership she’d always wanted. Everything she knew about him told her that he’d be committed to her and to their future.

  The only thing holding her back now was her own insecurity.

  Chapter 35

  Luke stopped at the front desk of the resort. “Could you tell me if Summer Nelson from Summer Weddings is on site?”

  The receptionist gave him a shaky smile. “I think so. She was in the east ballroom earlier. The flowers didn’t get delivered, and she was pretty upset.” She glanced around and leaned forward conspiratorially. “To tell you the truth, I feel sorry for her. What kind of people insist on having their wedding during a hurricane? I mean, honestly.” She sighed. “I wouldn’t be here except that I figure this building is safer than my house, plus I’m making overtime. I don’t even normally work the desk here, but everyone else headed out of town. My boyfriend loaded up our dog and is driving west.”

  He nodded. “I’m sure it will be fine. It’s not supposed to hit for several hours, and maybe by then it will have weakened.”

  “You sound just like my daddy. He refuses to evacuate. I guess I’m a big old chicken.”

  Luke’s daddy had the same philosophy. His only concession to a potential tropical storm had been to put the plastic lawn chairs in the garage. “About Summer. Do you know where she might be now?”

  “She has a suite reserved. You want me to ring it?”

  He thought for a minute. “Actually, can I make a reservation? But not on the same floor as her.”

  The girl narrowed her eyes. “You’re not some kind of stalker are you? Because I don’t want any drama.” She smiled. “I’m hoping that if I do a good job, they’ll offer me a position at the desk permanently. And if I end up letting a psycho in the building, that’ll never happen.”

  “I’m her husband,” he said quietly. “I’m trying to surprise her for our anniversary. That’s all.” He raised his hands in surrender. “I promise.”

  She seemed satisfied by his answer. “Well, okay. We do have a lot of rooms available. Just a few guests are riding out the hurricane. And that crew from the Weather Channel.” She sighed.

  He paid for a two-night stay and went outside to his truck. He needed to call Ashley and see if everything was in place.

  And he didn’t want to risk running into Summer before it was time.

  Justin lifted Colton from his car seat and carried the sleeping child into his parents’ house.

  “Just put him in your old room,” Mom whispered.

  He gently put Colton on the bed, and the little boy curled up in a ball. He was such a good sleeper. He smoothed Colton’s blond curls, covered him up, and shut the door behind him. He took two steps and turned around. What if Colton got scared and Mom couldn’t hear him? He opened the door a crack and made his way to the living room.

  “Thanks for letting me bring him by. I appreciate it so much.” Justin leaned down and kissed his mom on the cheek.

  She looked up with a smile. “Anytime. But I wish you’d stay. They’re saying it’s only a matter of hours before the storm rolls in.” She nodded at the weather coverage on TV. “Your daddy has gone to get gas for the generator in case we need it.”

  He shook his head. “Thanks. I’m hoping it’s going to miss us completely. I’m glad you’re going to be with Colton though.” He sighed. “Luke has concocted some crazy plan to win Summer back. He won’t let go of it. I’m headed down to Folly Beach to help him. I have to go by their house and pick up their dog and take him down there.”

  “Can’t you tell him you don’t want to be out in a tropical storm? It could turn into a hurricane, Justin. That’s not anything to play around with.”

  “I know. But I’ll get there in plenty of time to hunker down. You know that after the last one came through here, most of the buildings were built to withstand high winds.”

  “Okay. You need to go on then. I don’t want you out when it hits.” She stood and gave him a hug. “And don’t worry about Colton. He’ll be fine.”

  “Thanks, Mom.” He headed out the door and climbed in his truck. The sky looked ominous. Not at all the kind of weather he wanted to be out in.

  The only upside to the situation was that Ashley was with Summer at the resort. And even though things hadn’t worked out the way Justin wanted them to, he still held out hope that she would have a change of heart.

  Chapter 36

  A knock at the door startled Summer. She wasn’t expecting anyone. After Ashley rushed off to take a phone call, Summer had tried to get some e-mails answered. But she kept a wary eye on the sky.

  Even though she’d been a little girl when Hurricane Hugo hit, she still remembered the destruction. It had taken days for them to get power back and years for the area to return to normal.

  The pounding continued, and she peeked through the peep hole. You’ve got to be kidding me. She opened the door. “What are you doing here?”

  Jefferson stood in the doorway clad in a red polo shirt and khakis. “I came to check on you.”

  After her talk with Ashley the other day, his appearance made her uncomfortable. “You didn’t need to do that. I’m fine. This place is solid. And the wedding I’m working on should go off without a hitch.” If I can find a flower shop willing to deliver during hurricane conditions. And a photographer. And if the bride and groom actually make it.

  “Without a hitch, huh?” He cleared his throat. “I’m actually here because I was worried about you. I thought you might need some help. You know, some muscles to move things or somebody to corral a rogue groomsman.” He winked. “Or console a bridesmaid.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

  “You just gonna leave me standing here in the hallway, or are you going to invite me inside?”

  She frowned. Two weeks ago she wouldn’t have thought twice about inviting him inside. But now…it seemed inappropriate. “I have a lot of work to do.”

  Jefferson cocked his head to the side. “Come on, Sunshine. I haven’t seen you in over a week. You didn’t come out to your parents’ the other night for game night. I even knocked on your door a couple days ago, and you didn’t answer.” He comically furrowed his brow and stuck out his bottom lip in a pout. “Are you avoiding me?”

  She shook her head. “Fine. You’ve got ten minutes. I’m working. And you shouldn’t be here.” If Ashley came back and saw Jefferson in the suite, she would hit the roof. And probably retract her desire to become business partners. Summer felt like an idiot for not thinking of it herself. She was proud of the business, but there was no denying she could use the help. Relinquishing control would be a challenge, but it would be good for her.

  Jefferson plopped down on the plush sofa. “Man, what a spread you’ve got here.” He looked appreciatively around the room. “This looks like a honeymoon suite.”

  “Don’t a
ct like you’ve never been in a nice place before.” She sat down at the desk and shuffled through her itinerary fortomorrow’s festivities. “I know good and well that you spare no expense when you travel.”

  He chuckled. “Okay, you’ve got me there. But it’s only because I want the best.”

  “Of course.”

  Jefferson patted the cushion next to him. “Come sit down. Take a break.”

  She reluctantly stood and made her way over to the sofa. If focusing on him for five minutes would get him to leave, then that’s what she’d do. “I can’t take much of a break. And you need to be hitting the road. It looks like the bottom is going to drop out any minute.” She narrowed her eyes. “I’d hate for you to get stuck here.”

  “Would you hate that? Really?” he asked. “Because I don’t think you would.”

  She sighed. “What are you getting at?”

  Jefferson turned toward her. He reached out and lightly ran his finger down her arm. “We’re alike, you and me. We come from the same background. We want the same things out of life.”

  She got to her feet. “Please don’t touch me!”

  “These last weeks have been nice. You confiding in me. Me putting a smile on your face.” He stood, tipped her chin up so she’d have to look at him. “Luke never deserved you. And he still doesn’t.”

  So Ashley had been right. Summer started to turn away, but Jefferson grabbed her hand. “Don’t deny it. You’ve wondered over the past weeks if you made a mistake in letting me go, haven’t you?” He pulled her close until they were face-to-face.

  “No one ever has to know. This can be just between us.”

  Bile rose in her throat. She pushed him away as hard as she could. What a fool she’d been. “That day in the cemetery.” She glared at him. “You said you wanted to be friends. I should’ve said no. But I wanted to believe that you were a good person.”

  “I am a good person. And I know a good thing when I see it. What was I supposed to do? I come to town and find out you and Luke are having trouble, and I’m supposed to walk away? How could I do that?”

  “He’s twice the man you are. Without even trying.” She walked to the door and flung it open. “It’s time for you to go. Whatever you thought was going to happen between us isn’t happening. I’m a married woman. And in a moment of weakness I might have confided in you. But that doesn’t change the fact that I love my husband. And I will always honor him.”

  Jefferson shook his head. “Your loss, Sunshine.” He shrugged. “But it was worth a try.”

  A sudden blast of rain pounded against the windows, startling her. It looked like the storm had arrived early. “If you won’t leave, I will.” She pushed past Jefferson and ran to the stairwell. She didn’t want to chance being stuck on an elevator with him.

  She pushed the exit door open and sank onto the top step. What was wrong with her? She’d come dangerously close to betraying her husband. Not because she was tempted by Jefferson. But because she never should’ve allowed herself to confide in him in the first place. No matter what was going on in her life. Lord, please give me the right words to apologizeto Luke. And guard my heart in the future. She slowly made her way down the stairs.

  She reached the first floor and took a deep breath. Had Jefferson had time to leave? She hoped the blinding rain outside didn’t mean he’d have to stick around. She pushed the door open and looked both ways. All clear.

  She went down the long corridor toward the reception desk. Maybe the girl there could tell her if the wedding party had made it yet. She rounded the corner and stopped in her tracks. Her hands rose to her mouth and muffled the sound of her gasp.

  Jefferson and Luke stood facing each other in the grand lobby. And from the look on both of their faces, they might need a referee.

  The hurricane-force winds outside had nothing to do with Luke’s bad mood. He’d been so excited about the prospect of surprising Summer for their anniversary. He had it all planned out. From the words he was going to say, to the gift he was going to give her.

  Yes, it should have been perfect.

  But when he walked into the resort lobby carrying a huge bouquet of roses and his suitcase, he ran right into Jefferson.

  “Fancy meeting you here, Jeff.” Luke forced a smile.

  Jefferson looked from the roses to Luke and sneered. “You’re a little late.” He nodded toward the elevator he’d just stepped from. “Those would’ve looked great up in Summer’s suite. Number 432, in case you didn’t know.”

  Realization hit Luke like a brick. “I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, but I feel like you might need to be reminded again that Summer’s my wife. She made her choice a long time ago.”

  “Maybe. Or maybe she finally came to her senses and realized she chose wrong.” Jefferson smiled a slow, menacing smile. “She’s too good for you. Always has been.”

  Luke glared. “There might’ve been a time when you could get to me with those jibes. But not anymore. It isn’t worth it. You’re not worth it.”

  “Summer seems to think I’m worth it. In fact, she’s spent a lot of time over the past weeks telling me how unhappy she is. Because of you.” Jefferson shrugged.

  Luke’s blood boiled. “Why are you here?”

  “Summer and I had some unfinished business.” He met Luke’s eyes. “She’s a feisty one, isn’t she?”

  Luke flinched. He fought the urge to knock the smirk from Jefferson’s face. The idea that Jefferson might have acted inappropriately with Summer made him nauseous. “You’d better not have laid a hand on her.”

  “Her skin’s as soft as it was when she was sixteen.”

  Luke had worked all summer to let go of his anger. He’d promised Summer. So he had no choice right now but to turn the other cheek. No matter how much it hurt. He calmly rolled his bag to the reception desk and carefully placed the bouquet on top.

  Then he turned and walked right out into the storm.

  Chapter 37

  Justin sat in the lobby and watched as Luke had a very heated conversation with some preppy-looking guy. Luke was normally so laid-back. But whatever the tall guy was saying was causing Luke’s whole body to tense up.

  Justin had already snuck Milo up to Luke’s hotel room and was waiting on his friend to fill him in on what the big surprise was supposed to be. It had better be good to justify all the trouble he’d gone to. Thankfully it had been easy to distract that girl at the desk while he led the big dog onto the elevator.

  “Justin?” A familiar voice said from behind him.

  He turned to see Ashley with her laptop under her arm. “Hey.” Man, he’d missed her.

  “It’s looking bad out there.” She motioned toward the big windows. Rain pounded against them, and the sky outside was dark even though it was daytime.

  He gestured toward Luke. “It’s looking bad in here, too.”

  Ashley made a face. “Ugh. I can’t stand that guy.” She filled him in on Jefferson and his history with Summer and Luke. “He’s so smarmy. I don’t understand why Summer doesn’t see it.”

  He sighed. “Some things are easier to see from the outside looking in, I guess.”

  She sat down next to him. “Yeah. Maybe.” She jerked her chin toward the two men. “Do you think we should go over there?”

  He shook his head. Whatever was going on, Luke needed to handle it himself. “Nah. It’ll be okay.” At least he hoped it would. Luke wasn’t a fighter. And that preppy guy didn’t look like he could throw much of a punch even if he tried. Probably wouldn’t want to mess up his manicure.

  “I guess you got Milo here okay?” Ashley asked.

  Justin raised his eyebrows. “You know about that?” He was always the last to know about stuff.

  She giggled. “Yeah. Luke and I have been working together.”

  Before he could ask her what the big surprise was going to be, he spotted Summer hovering in the hallway watching Luke. He leaned over to Ashley. “There’s Summer. She looks really up
set.”

  Ashley halfway stood then sat back down as they watched Luke put his things down and walk out the lobby door.

  Summer took off running. She pushed against Jefferson and said something that made him glare, then ran outside after Luke.

  Ashley raised her eyebrows at Justin. “Should we be worried that they’ve both gone out into a huge storm?”

  He shrugged. “I’m sure they won’t go far. Maybe to the parking lot. They’ll be back in a minute.”

  The lights flickered in the lobby.

  “That’s not good.” Ashley looked around nervously. She stood. “I think there’s a TV in the restaurant over there. I’m going to check to see if there’s any update on the weather.”

  He nodded. “Mind if I come with you?” He wanted to talk to her and see if there might still be a chance for them. But he didn’t want to come across as a creep who wouldn’t leave her alone.

  “Yeah. I’d like that.” She smiled.

  They walked past an empty bar then an empty section of the lobby. No one was in sight.

  “It’s kind of eerie how deserted it is here.”

  Ashley nodded. “Most of the guests left yesterday. There are a handful who chose to stay. I met a couple of older ladies this morning who are here from the Gulf Coast.” She laughed. “They said they were too old to drive back and fight the evacuation traffic, so they were staying put.”

  “My family decided to hole up at Mom and Dad’s. Colton is there with them.” He frowned. “I hated to leave him, but I wasn’t sure what to expect here. Luke’s been so evasive about everything.”

  They stopped at the restaurant entrance.

  “You think there’s anyone there?” he asked.

  She nodded. “Yeah. This is the only place to get anything to eat. I think some of the resort employees are staying here tonight with their families.” She shrugged. “You know, people who are afraid their homes might not withstand the storm.”