by Robyn Neeley
Lauren removed her sunglasses from her head and placed them on. “Okay wedding planners, should I meet you both tomorrow morning?”
Kate nodded. “Nine A.M. would be great. Miles has arranged for you to try on wedding dresses.”
“Oh, goody! Is it okay if my mom joins us?”
“Of course.” They’d have to extend the time they allotted for trying on dresses. Kate knew from experience that mothers always wanted to see their daughters in as many dresses as possible.
“Thank you,” Lauren said. “I know it sounds bizarre that I don’t even have my dress picked — ”
Kate put her hand up. “Not strange at all. It will be a lot of fun.” Yes, seeing Lauren show off her size four figure in beautiful white wedding gowns all morning long was going to be ever so much fun.
“Thank you for everything. I’ll see you in the lobby at nine A.M. sharp.” She hugged Kate. “I just know we’re going to become lifelong friends. I can feel it.”
Kate smiled wryly and watched Lauren and Drew leave the restaurant hand in hand. Once they were out of sight, she reached for her assistant’s untouched piña colada and tilted it back. A brain freeze was probably inevitable but she didn’t care. She kept guzzling it down.
Miles cocked an eyebrow. “Thirsty?”
“Yeah.” She set the empty glass down and wiped her mouth with her napkin.
“They seem like a nice couple.”
“Yeah, they do.”
“Except you made out with her fiancé last night.”
Kate snapped her head toward Miles. “What are you talking about?”
“Oh, come on. It’s not hard to put two and two together. I booked your flight, remember? There were only two seats in the first class row to choose from.”
“He wasn’t the one,” she denied emphatically.
“You said you kissed your row mate.”
Kate stared at the ocean. There was no use lying to him. She’d already confessed too much. She buried her head in her hands. “Miles, what have I done?”
“You didn’t do anything. Lauren’s ‘Baby’ is a two-timing bastard.”
She lifted her head. “But he was so nice on the plane.”
“I bet.”
“No, really. Well, not a first, but after we started talking, he was so incredibly sweet. He’s the one who initiated the kiss.” She sighed. “That incredibly amazing kiss.”
Miles grabbed her hand and squeezed. “Okay, you know what we’re going to do?”
“Find the nearest volcano and let you push me in?”
“That wouldn’t be good for my career — or yours. No, no. Here’s what you’re going to do.” He stood and pulled her up to her feet. “You’re going to plan an amazing wedding because you’re the best in this business and that’s what you do.”
He tugged on the lei still around her neck. “But we’re also going to have some fun. Look around, Kate. This is paradise. You’re going to forget Mister Loose Lips, and I’ll help you.”
“I don’t know … ” Drew had been a random mistake. She didn’t need to go looking for trouble.
“Let the fake blonde have him. There are plenty of hot men on this island. Trust me.” He winked. “And I bet half of them are straight.”
She forced a smile. All talk of finding a fling aside, he was right. She needed to get a grip. Both of their careers were riding on this wedding. Miles had just as much to gain if this wedding went off without a hitch as she did. “All right. What’s on our agenda for this afternoon?”
“That’s my boss.” He patted her back. “We have a tasting at three o’clock at Mau Loa Cakes. The owner is setting up a preliminary tasting of ten or so cakes for us to narrow down to our top three to present to Lauren and Drew.”
“Mau Loa. That’s a pretty name. What does it stand for?”
“Forever.”
“Forever,” she repeated and squared her shoulders. Fitting name for a bakery specializing in wedding cakes.
“You ready?”
“Let’s do it.” Somehow she doubted the sweet taste of cake filling and frosting would overpower the taste of Drew that seemed to still linger on her palate.
• • •
Luke moved through the Aolani lobby while checking his iPhone for the umpteenth time. He was waiting for an important call from his dad. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught his brother relaxing on an aqua blue leather sofa. Maybe Drew knew why his father had suddenly gone MIA.
“Hey.” He sat down. “Have you heard from Dad today?”
“No. He missed this morning’s conference call with the west coast regional VPs.”
“That’s strange.” Luke settled into the sofa. “How did your meeting with the wedding planner go?”
Drew smirked. “You’ll never guess in a million years who she — ”
Luke’s phone buzzed. “Hold that thought. It’s Dad.”
“Tell him I need to talk to him later.”
Luke answered. “Hi, Dad. Can you hold on for a second? Thanks.” He turned back to Drew. “I’m going to be on conference calls all afternoon about the merger. What are your plans for dinner?”
“We’re headed to the airport in a few to pick up Lauren’s parents. We’ll probably eat somewhere near the hotel. Want me to call you once we decide?”
“Nah.” Lauren’s mother was nice enough, but Luke wasn’t fond of Lauren’s overbearing father. “They’re not staying here until your wedding, are they?”
“God, I hope not. Only the weekend. Lauren’s mom wanted to help her pick out her wedding dress.”
“All right. Text me later. Maybe we can meet out at the tiki bar for a drink.”
“Later, bro.”
“Sorry, Dad.” Luke stood and walked toward the elevators. That’s weird. The other end of his phone was silent. He glanced down. The call hadn’t appeared to drop. Had his father hung up on him?
He pressed the elevator button and waited. He’d call his dad back once he was in his suite and get to the bottom of this.
It was a busy time for his dad. Luke was sure accounting and PR were both yanking him in different directions. Their family company, JDL Toys, would soon merge with another New York City-based toy chain. The lucrative deal was done and an official public announcement would be made soon. They were trying their best not to tip off the media until then.
In one week, Drew and Luke would both stand proudly by their father’s side at the scheduled press conference to announce the news.
This merger was not only going to make his family even richer than they already were but was going to revolutionize the toy industry. As acting CEO of the company, Luke could hardly wait for what was in store for the holidays. Black Friday would never be the same.
The elevator stopped on the seventieth floor. Luke stepped off and reached in his pocket for his suite key. How happy he was that his brother so easily agreed to swap rooms. Although, Luke had noticed that Drew wasted no time arranging a second suite for Lauren and him. Shoot, Lauren’s parents probably owned a suite in this hotel.
He pushed open the door. Well, this is new. A decadent arrangement of chocolate covered strawberries and a bottle of champagne in an ice bucket had been delivered since the last time he’d been there.
He picked up the bottle and read the fancy label. Expensive. Nice touch, Aolani. A turquoise envelope addressed to Lauren and Drew was propped up in front of two flutes. The hotel must have not changed Drew’s name on the room. He smiled. It could be fun to run up his brother’s credit card with mini bar and incidental expenses as payback for missing the opportunity to get Kate’s number.
He picked up a strawberry and popped it into his mouth. The rich chocolate melted on his tongue. Who was he kidding? He should be thanking his little bro for making him switch seats.
He plopped down on the couch, powered up his laptop and leaned his head back. He needed to try reaching his dad again, but his thoughts had other plans, immediately going back to the moment he met Kate.
How hard
would it have been to get her last name? Dumbass.
He sat up. His dad could wait. He needed to find Kate. But how? It wasn’t like he could walk up and down Waikiki Beach, slipping a hundred dollar bill to each concierge for a listing of guests named Kate. Stupid idea.
Or was it? He glanced over at the champagne chilling in the ice bucket and the two flutes. What he wouldn’t give to be back in the air with her toasting again to safe landings. Why on earth did he listen to his brother and leave his seat?
Because he was big brother, Luke Cannon, and that’s what he did. He was only older by four minutes but at times it felt like four years. Luke was the more responsible and grounded of the two. When his brother called, he went running. He looked out for Drew. It had always been that way. Ever since their mother had died in an automobile accident when they were ten, he’d taken on a caretaker role where his brother was concerned.
Someone had to. After the accident, their dad had been stricken with the grief. He buried himself in the family business.
Even before their mom’s death, the business had grown virtually overnight from one tiny toy store in Brooklyn to a national conglomerate. Their dad moved the family into the city to a luxurious apartment on Park Avenue. Luke and Drew grew up among New York City’s elite. They had everything money could buy — except a father.
Ironically, for a man whose livelihood largely depended on the Christmas holiday, their dad had been the real-life Ebenezer Scrooge. He wasn’t like that anymore, but for years, he’d barricade himself in his office well before Black Friday all the way past New Year’s. Luke and Drew spent many Christmas dinners with their nanny and the housekeeping staff.
A young Luke learned to accept that his dad would never embrace fatherhood and do the things with them that other father’s seemed to do. In high school, both Drew and he worked part-time at the flagship store that had moved from Brooklyn to a central residence in Times Square. That prime residence now attracted over one hundred million visitors annually.
After high school, Luke enrolled at Yale to study business management while Drew partied his way through NYU. They both went to work for their dad after graduation.
They were a dynamic duo until Lauren convinced Drew to move to California. She wanted to be closer to her parents. His brother was put in charge of JDL West, the company’s Far West operations. The plan was to expand the territory and set sights on Asia Pacific. With the new merger, it would likely happen next year. His newlywed twin was going to be extremely busy.
Luke missed his brother. They would often spend their birthday and holidays together skiing in Aspen or surfing in Hawaii. It had always been their thing. They’d also meet up throughout the year for weekend debauchery in Las Vegas or longer south pacific jaunts, but always on the fly.
These spontaneous trips were likely to end now that his brother was finally marrying Lauren. If Luke knew his soon-to-be sister-in-law — and after nine years he was sure he did — she wasn’t going to wait another second to start a family. Trips to Sin City and Tahiti were likely going to be replaced with family excursions to the Magic Kingdom and SeaWorld. He’d be lucky if they sent him a postcard or a T-shirt.
Not that there was anything wrong with that. The stability Lauren brought would be good for Drew.
But he would be lying to himself if he didn’t admit he felt a little jealous. It had been three years since he’d been in a serious relationship with his father’s executive assistant. He laughed sarcastically. If he could call it that.
It was around this time three years ago when he’d caught his live-in girlfriend, Olivia, in bed with another man — his senior accountant. She claimed it was his fault for always working and never paying attention to her.
He shrugged. She’d been right. All of his waking hours were devoted to building the company. He thought she would be more understanding since she worked for his dad, but that wasn’t the case. Their failed relationship was his fault. Deep down he knew it. After they had sex, he’d roll over and cuddle with his laptop, answering e-mails and crunching numbers until the wee morning. Pretty pathetic.
Since Olivia, he’d been on a string of forgettable dates. No one lit his fire.
Until last night. He stood, walked over to the table and picked up a flute. What was it about Kate from LA that left him spellbound? There had to be a way to find her.
Think, Luke. Think. She had said she was staying on the island for a few weeks. He was only here until Sunday. Could he find her in four days?
He could hire a private investigator. That wasn’t a bad idea.
He shrugged and set the flute down. And tell him what? Please find a beautiful woman with long, wavy brown hair, wearing a white dress stained with tomato juice.
A tomato juice stained white dress. He slapped his forehead. That was it! Luke, you’re a freakin’ genius. If Kate was anything like he suspected, she’s probably already arranged for her hotel to dry clean the dress. He sat back down and reached for the room phone, hitting the button for the concierge. This could work.
Seconds later he was transferred to housekeeping.
Please be staying here, Kate. He crossed his fingers.
“Housekeeping. How can we help you?”
“Hi. I’m in seventeen twenty-five. My girlfriend, Kate, dropped off her dry cleaning and it should be done soon. Could you check on it for me?”
“One second.”
Luke used that time to strip out of his white button shirt. He needed a shower. He pulled his wallet out of his pants pocket and set it on the coffee table.
“Sir?”
“Yes, I’m still here.”
“We do have a dress for Kate Ashby. Is that her?”
“Is the dress white with a tomato juice stain?”
“Yes.”
“That’s the one!” He pumped his fist. “I mean, yes that is her.”
“It says here she’s in room seventeen twenty-four.”
Luke’s jaw dropped. She was in the room next door!
“It’s a pretty bad stain, but we think we can get it out. We’re nearly done pre-treating it.”
He raced over to the couch and Googled her name.
Several links related to wedding planning popped up. He clicked the top one for Tie Your Knot Wedding Consulting. One click later, he landed on the Contact Us page. His heart began to race as he scrolled down and saw Kate’s picture. She was wearing a simple light blue dress with pearls. Her long brown hair was pulled back by a matching blue bandana.
She’s a wedding planner? Luke raked his hand through his hair. Well this is an interesting development. Could she be the one planning his brother’s wedding? She did say she’d be staying on the island for several weeks for work.
He walked over to the chocolate-covered strawberries, picked up the envelope and tore it open.
Lauren and Drew – May this be the first of many toasts to your love. Kate and Miles
“Sir, are you still there?” The voice on the other end startled him.
Luke reacted. “Yes, I am. There’s been a mistake. Please send the dress up to Room seventeen twenty-five.”
He set the receiver down and stared at the blue card in disbelief. What had he done?
Chapter Five
Kate bit into the soft spongy mixture and closed her eyes. “Miles, this is pure heaven,” she muttered. An afternoon of tasting scrumptious wedding cakes was exactly what she needed to shake off the shocking revelation at lunch. They had been at it for over two hours, determined to narrow down the cakes tasted to their top three favorites.
From her pre-planning interview, Lauren had indicated to Janet that she wanted exotic flavors and fun elements. They set out to taste amazing cakes filled with passion fruit, guava — and Kate’s personal favorite — haupia, a blend of thickened coconut milk and sugar.
Miles dug his fork into the last untested cake. “Here try this one.”
She put her hand up in a halt. “It’s all yours. I don’t think I can eat anothe
r bite.”
“If you insist.” He shoved the fork in his mouth and held up his thumb.
“Top three?”
“Definitely. Lauren and Drew are going to love these. I’ll arrange for a private tasting tomorrow afternoon at the hotel.” He kept eating the cake.
“Perfect. So tomorrow we’ll accompany Lauren and her mother to try on dresses in the morning, and then wedding cake tasting in the afternoon.” She rummaged through her bag for her iPhone. “The wedding invitations will be here this evening, yes?”
Miles nodded.
“Good, we can stuff tonight.”
He wiped his mouth with a napkin. “I called the printer this morning. They are being shipped to the hotel as we speak. Maybe already there. I’ll give them another ring.”
Kate raked her fork through her favorite of the cakes. She’d never had haupia before. The sweet coconut custard was simply divine. She set her fork down. How pathetic was it that she was picking out a wedding cake for a man that only last night she had swapped spit with and then fantasized earlier today about peeling his clothes off? She sighed. This would only happen to her.
Kate felt sorry for Lauren. She seemed like a nice woman. Her only flaw was having a schmuck for a fiancé.
She stared down at the cake. Back at the restaurant, Drew showed all the signs of being totally in love with Lauren. His words echoed in her head. I can’t wait to marry you.
She shook her head and took another bite. He didn’t even flinch when he saw her. He must be a good actor. She sighed. She’d bet her hard-earned paycheck that she wasn’t the first woman to be invited into his version of the mile high club. At least the only thing they had shared was a kiss.”
A tanned hand waved in front of her. “Earth to Kate. Still thinking about him?”
“What? No.” She shook her head and grabbed the to-go box that the owner had packed for them. “Let’s go.”
Outside, Miles grabbed the box from her. “A minute on the lips … ”
Kate smiled. “Good call. Thanks.” He was probably right. She didn’t need any more wedding cake today. What she needed was an hour on the treadmill or better yet, twenty minutes with a punching bag with a picture of Drew taped in the middle.
