by Tara Randel
Every so often Max cast a frown in her direction. While that should’ve bothered her, instead, her heart beat rapidly. If anything, Max had caused her nothing but trouble today. First, by refusing to be a volunteer groom, then when she’d inadvertently got caught in his stakeout. Shouldn’t she be upset with him? Her stomach flip-flopped. From all the excitement, she reasoned, not because of totally gorgeous Max. His dark, unruly hair kept falling over his forehead after he unsuccessfully brushed it back. Could he be any more adorable?
No. He’s making your job more difficult, remember? Because of him, she’d have to find another suitable volunteer groom. Her mother would not be happy that Max hadn’t jumped on board with her idea, which meant an earful for Lilli.
Yep, Max Sanders had made her life complicated. Again. But she did feel bad that he’d lost his wallet.
When they’d arrived at the station, Max had removed his sunglasses and glanced at her. She’d gotten up close and personal with those stormy gray eyes. For a fleeting moment his annoyance had vanished, replaced with...what? Curiosity? Interest in her, perhaps?
She’d tried not to react, but how could she not? He was seriously good-looking. Throw in the broad shoulders, six feet of muscular build—obviously the man worked out—and long denim-clad legs and...well, she noticed.
Yet she had to ignore his undeniable appeal and how it affected her. Even if she had wanted this tug of awareness to go somewhere, the unresolved past between them would make that impossible.
“I can’t believe he’s been spying on Bart,” Jewel fumed as she shot the hunky Max another glare. “Why would anyone want Bart tailed?”
Bart came across as a nice enough guy, but had trouble with his “confusion of ownership” issues. Amused by Jewel’s passionate defense, Lilli listened, letting her friend vent. She’d never seen Jewel this charged up before.
The chief, a tall bear of a man, with distinguished gray hair and a ready smile, moved their way to join the tail end of the conversation. He hadn’t changed much since the night he sat her in the squad car while he called her parents. At least this time she wasn’t in trouble. “Max was doing his job,” the chief explained.
Jewel simmered down, but her lips pursed in mulish displeasure.
“This is all just a misunderstandin’,” he assured them.
“Bart would never hurt anyone,” Jewel insisted. “Sure, he’s a little different, but that’s his appeal. Not everyone follows their inner voice.”
Not everyone’s inner voice told them to pick pockets, either. Lilli glanced over at her friend. “Since when did you become so interested in Bart?”
Pink covered Jewels cheeks. “I’ve run into him around town a few times. We went to high school together,” she explained. “Recently we reconnected. I even invited him to join us for lunch today...before we were interrupted. But he turned me down.”
Interrupted by Max. Lilli peeked over at him again, her stomach fluttering. For the second time in her life, Max Sanders caught and held her attention, but she resisted the lure. She had a lot on her plate, which didn’t include getting tangled up with Max again.
“The officer has your statements, ladies, so if you’ll excuse me, I should probably get back to Max.” The chief excused himself.
“Isn’t that peachy,” Jewel grumbled.
“He knows what he’s doing,” Lilli told her friend.
“Bart’s not even here to defend himself.”
Lilli decided not to point out the fact that his disappearing act looked suspicious. While Jewel complained, her attention went back to Max.
He stood only a few feet away, so she couldn’t help but hear the chief laughing while Max spoke in a low tone. He frowned and seemed put out, while the chief enjoyed the entire situation, especially when he handed Max a square brown object that could only have been the pilfered wallet. Max’s neck grew red as he shoved the billfold into his back pocket. Lilli chuckled at his disgruntled expression.
He headed in her direction. Uh-oh.
“Look, things got out of hand. Thanks for not blowing my cover.”
“Are you appreciative enough to be a groom?”
“No way.”
“You know, I could have told the officer you were causing trouble.”
“I still would have ended up here. Like the last time the police brought us both in.” His eyes narrowed. “You seem to have a special ability for getting me in hot water.”
“Hey, I didn’t plan to.”
“Today? Or years ago?”
“Neither. And I resent the implication.”
“You’re trouble, pure and simple.”
“And you’re not?”
The chief chuckled. “Should I leave you two alone to work things out?”
She grimaced. “No, thanks.”
The chief still grinned. “That’s good, ’cuz Max here doesn’t like being cornered.”
By his scowl, Lilli knew she’d managed that. Twice in one day.
“I still lost Bart,” Max groused.
“Are you implying it’s my fault he got away?” Lilli planted her fists on her hips. Max leaned toward her and she couldn’t deny the sparks flaring between them as they squared off. Every flash of potent energy threw off tantalizing heat, yet she didn’t back down.
“No, I’m flat-out saying it.”
They were still glaring at each other when the chief stepped between them.
“Bart’s a slippery one, I’ll give you that. But I have no doubt you’ll get the job done.” He slapped Max on the back, as if giving Max his cue to leave. Max’s neck grew red again. He sent Lilli a curt nod and strode off.
“Our lunch hour is completely blown.” Jewel told Lilli as they left the station. “But watching you push Mr. Security Consultant’s buttons? Worth not eating.”
“Did I do that?” Lilli asked innocently while batting her eyelashes.
“Like a pro.” Jewel held up her hand for a high five. Lilli slapped her hand against Jewel’s. “So really, what’s going on between you two?”
Lilli adjusted her purse strap, her gaze following the path Max had taken. “Nothing.”
Jewel snorted. “Yeah, right.”
“I sort of know him.”
Jewel’s eyes went wide. “Explain ‘sort of.’”
Lilli squirmed. “We met twelve years ago. Just once. At the beach.” She laughed. “I got him into trouble with the police.”
“Do I even want to know?”
“It’s a long story. Suffice it to say, he’s still holding a grudge.”
“And now you’ve reconnected. Interesting.”
Lilli frowned. “There’s nothing to be interested in.”
“So you say.”
Okay, so maybe she missed their verbal skirmishes already. She squirmed under Jewel’s smug scrutiny, not wanting to delve too deeply into the matter here in the middle of the sidewalk. Bad enough she’d provoked the guy. She didn’t want to uncover the reasons why.
“Let’s not go there,” Lilli said.
“I knew it. You’re totally crushing on Max.”
“Am not.”
“Are, too. Why are you denying it? What are you afraid of?”
Flashbacks of the night on the beach were quickly overshadowed by the catastrophe that had been her wedding rehearsal dinner. The pain and humiliation. Afraid? Yes. But she’d never admit it out loud.
“My relationship with Max, if you could call it that, is difficult.”
“Looks like it.”
“He’s infuriating.”
“That’s half the fun.”
Lilli glanced down the empty sidewalk. “I knew you’d say that.”
* * ** * *
BACK AT WORK, Jewel continued her running commentary about B
art while Lilli tried to concentrate on the Natural Puppy account. She’d hoped that Jewel’s evaluation of Lilli’s attraction to Max would prove wrong, but with reluctance, admitted she might be right.
What was she going to do about it?
As the question swirled around in her brain, an annoying chime sounded from her purse. Digging through the tan leather bag, she found her cell.
She squinted at the caller ID, sighing heavily. Her mother’s timing could be uncanny. “Mom, I’m in the middle of a deadline,” Lilli said by way of greeting. “I can’t talk about the benefit right now.”
“Of course you can,” Celeste Barclay informed her only daughter in her cultured tone. “It’s for the good of the society.”
Lilli gripped the phone tightly. “I don’t even belong to the society.”
“Of course you do. I added you to the roster years ago.”
Lilli clenched her teeth. Of course she had. With her mother, every answer started with, of course you do. Or can. Or will. Of course you can swim, just pump your legs. Of course you’ll attend the ballet, we bought you a ticket. Of course I can upset your life, I’m your mother and I love you.
“You promised you’d be back in plenty of time for Tie the Knot,” Lilly reminded her.
“No, dear. I promised to do everything in my power to get back in plenty of time. My ladies are counting on you.”
Her ladies. Lilli rolled her eyes. Just because they were her mom’s ladies didn’t mean Lilli should inherit them. “So are you saying you won’t make it back in time?”
“If your father hadn’t left his tennis bag on the floor right by the balcony of our suite, I wouldn’t have tripped over it.”
“Dad is with you?”
A slight pause. “He was.”
“Why?”
“I told you. Aunt Marian got herself into a little legal entanglement. Your father came here as her attorney.”
That made sense. But still, her parents, together?
“As I was saying, I nearly pitched right over the railing. I could have died. Instead I only hurt my arm.”
“Your arm?”
“It’s a sprain. I told that man a thousand times not to leave his things in the middle of the floor. He never listened. Briefcase, gym bags, shoes, you name it. It’s been like this—”
Lilli had heard these complaints before and knew if she didn’t cut her mother’s tirade short, she’d go on all afternoon.
“Does it hurt?”
“Does what hurt?”
“Your arm.”
“My arm? Oh, my arm.” She paused on a well-timed moan. “My wrist hurts and there is some swelling, but I don’t need a cast. Could you imagine trying to accessorize? The sweet doctor taped my wrist and said I need to stay put for now so I don’t aggravate it. Although I can’t complain—even though your father abandoned me to go back to work. Between you and me, I think your father is trying to kill me.”
“I doubt it.”
“It seems that way.”
Yeah, it always did with them.
“Mom, you should be here. The fund-raiser is your baby.”
“The prep work for the fund-raiser is already done. I have lists and committees all set up. All you need to do is step in and take over. Oh, have you read the information about the Wingate collection yet? I can’t believe my old friend Clare came through for me. Especially since I asked her on a whim. It’s the pièce de résistance of the benefit.”
And an additional responsibility to take Lilli away from her job.
“Her late husband presented her with this antique jewelry collection the night before they were married at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York. It is rumored to have been smuggled out of Russia by one of the last royal family members of Czar somebody-or-other. I’ve seen the necklace myself, just once, and it is stunning! We’re not only going to display the necklace, but also the matching earrings, bracelet and ring, as well. After the benefit, Clare is letting us show the collection at the historical society office.”
Celeste stopped to catch her breath. While her mother saw another successful event, Lilli saw a logistical nightmare go from bad to worse.
“Now, Lilli, as I was saying—” On her mother’s end, a knocking sounded in the distance. “Hold on, dear. Someone is at the door.”
Lilli held on while her mother put the phone down. From now on she vowed to let her mother’s calls go to voice mail.
An untimely growl sounded from her stomach. Lunch had been a quick stop at a to-go burger joint and Lilli hadn’t made much of a dent in the burger before they’d returned to work, hurrying inside so Jim didn’t make a scene. She scanned the office. With Jim safely ensconced in his office, she slid open her top drawer, snuck a fry from the box tucked away inside and nibbled.
Her mother finally came back on the line. “I called for fresh towels. Did I tell you they have the most extravagant amenities here? Why, yesterday—”
“Mom, where are you? You said Aunt Marian needed you.”
“She did. We rendezvoused at the spa.”
“That’s your emergency?”
“We didn’t come here until after her troubles. Now she has some personal issues we needed to discuss.”
“At a spa,” she reiterated in a flat tone.
“What better place?”
Lilli tried to ignore the throbbing in her head. “I need to get back to work.”
“Oh, of course. Well, then, one last thing, dear. Did Max agree to be a volunteer groom?”
The question sent a chill through Lilli. “Not yet.”
“What do you mean ‘not yet’?” her mother asked in her steely tone.
“He wasn’t exactly receptive to the idea.”
“And you explained why he should volunteer?”
“Yes, but he still refused.”
“Hmm. That’s hard to believe. Police Chief Gardener assured me he’s a lovely man to work with. And he was perfectly pleasant when he came to set up the security system.”
Max Sanders? A lovely man? “I wouldn’t go that far.” Handsome, yes. Focused, most definitely. But lovely? No possible way. And she couldn’t imagine a man’s man like the chief using the word lovely to describe Max. Or anyone else, for that matter.
“Keep working on him. I don’t have any other single men to choose from.”
“I can give you a list.”
“No, Lillian. Get Max to commit. I hired him for security and he has to be there now that we have the jewelry collection. Don’t let him get away.”
Suddenly Lilli heard a muffled voice on the other end of the phone, sounding suspiciously like a PA system announcing some sort of activity. “Mom, are you still there?”
“Lillian, I must run now.”
“Run where? Aren’t you supposed to be resting?”
“Mud wrap. It’s good for the spirit and the body. And my arm, of course.”
“Mom, what’s really going on?”
She talked to dead air. Dropping her shoulders, Lilli looked up at the ceiling and took cleansing breaths.
“Celeste?” Jewel asked, plopping down into a vacant chair beside her.
“How could you tell?”
“Your face is red.”
“This is crazy.” She flipped her cell phone closed. “If she needed time away, why didn’t she just say so? I would have understood. But to make it sound like an emergency and leave me with all this responsibility? As usual, she just assumed I would help her. And I fell for it. What does that say about me?”
“That you’re gullible when it comes to your mom?”
An understatement if there ever was one.
“And from what I heard from your end of the conversation, she still wants you to convince Max to be a groom.”
“After this afternoon? Good luck with that.”
“You do realize how complicated this is, right?”
Jewel shot her a sympathetic shrug.
“Some help you are.”
* * ** * *
AT SEVEN O’CLOCK Lilli turned in her project, much to her boss’s relief. Jim stayed at the office so she wouldn’t be alone, although he usually worked late anyway. He depended on her way too much, not only for her ability to make account holders happy with her ideas, but because of her organizational skills, as well. Yeah, because she nearly ran the place. That’s why getting this promotion had to happen.
She always finished her projects on time. At least, she had until tonight, when visions of lace, tulle, seed pearls and white, white, white had invaded her mind. Throw in a tall, dark and scruffy security consultant and she’d had enough for one day.
The fluorescent light hummed over her as she straightened up her desk for the night. She stared at the accordion file from Mrs. Rumpold. She’d asked Jewel to leave it on her desk until tomorrow so Lilli could look through it first. Almost reluctantly, she reached for it and then hesitated. If she started looking at the material her mother had collected, she would be totally committed to the event, though realistically she knew there was already no going back.
Wouldn’t it be nice if her mother showed up tomorrow, good as new and ready to take the job back? She suspected there was more to her mother’s story than Celeste was letting on. But Lilli couldn’t force her to reveal whatever she was hiding. Why couldn’t her family be normal? Just when she’d finally managed to move beyond her mother’s drama, she got sucked back in again. When would she have her own life?
Her mother had only been gone a few days, and already Lilli been had thrust into working on a historical society function, reluctantly dredging up the past and reconnecting with a man who definitely caught her attention. What next?
Lilli refocused on the file filled with every bride’s hopes and dreams. She didn’t want to decorate for a wedding with all the glamour and bells and whistles that went with the event. A designer gown and lavish reception? Not for her. She’d almost had it once. She didn’t need it now.
“Great job,” Jim told her as he locked up his office. “I only glanced over the proposal, but it looks solid. Natural Puppy should like it.”
