The Best Man

by Ana Blaze

  The Best Man

  Ana Blaze

  The Best Man

  Copyright © 2013, Ana Blaze

  All rights reserved. Ebooks are not transferable. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage system without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Edited by Ashley Christman

  Cover Art by Suzannah Safi

  Book design by Ashley Christman

  Publisher’s Note:

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  First Entranced Publishing, LLC electronic publication: 2013

  Entranced Publishing, LLC

  Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America

  www.entrancedpublishing.com

  Acknowledgements

  I was blessed with many supportive friends and family members while writing this story and I would like to extend my thanks to all of them. There are a few whose efforts deserve a special mention.

  Thank you to my husband, for never suggesting that writing is not a real job or that I cannot succeed at it. I won the husband lottery the day I married you. I love you, always.

  Thank you to Terri G. and Elizabeth P. for telling me it was time to take the leap and for their assistance converting an early draft into a manuscript. Without their support I would still be calling myself an aspiring writer.

  Thank you to Ashley Christman, for giving me my very first publishing contract and for taking on the task of editing it with me herself. It’s a better story and I’m a better writer due to her efforts.

  This is my first published work and, even though it’s a bit naughty, I dedicate it to my mom. I love you. Thank you for always making sure I had a book in my hands.

  Table of Contents

  Back Cover Copy

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  About the Author

  Back Cover Copy

  Beth Chase is too busy planning perfect weddings to worry about the lack of action in her own love life. But if she was looking for a man, she wouldn’t be looking at Colin Pratt. Her boss swears that Best Man Colin is a quiet scholar and science fiction writer who couldn’t possibly cause a fuss at his own brother’s wedding. He’s clearly never met the man in question.

  Snarky, sexy and more than a little inebriated, Colin is the final obstacle between Beth and the last perfect wedding she needs to make partner. Of course, when she helps him into a taxi at the end of the night she has no idea that he’s only just begun to poke holes in her professional exterior. Colin might have the skills to seduce a romance professional, but can he convince her that he’s the best man to share her happy ever after?

  Chapter One

  BETH CHASE TOOK A deep breath and blew out, slowly counting to five. All the signs of an imminent disaster were there. That’s why her boss had left it up to her. Eli was no fool; he was making sure that when everything went to shit, he wasn’t around to take the blame. Of course she’d known that when she accepted. The fact was opportunities like this one didn’t come around very often, and nailing this impossible wedding was Beth’s final step up the incredibly long staircase to full partner at Ever After Weddings. It didn’t matter how annoying the bride was or how many times the groom’s mother had a new, last minute idea, Beth was going to smile and give them their perfect day. There were no other options; she was a professional.

  She was also pissed.

  Beth held her hand out and smiled broadly. “Tony, give me your shirt.”

  “What?” Her assistant slumped, but he quickly complied with her request. As he unbuttoned his white dress shirt and passed it to her a small sigh indicated his displeasure, but he kept his complaint to himself.

  Beth accepted it and took the incredibly drunk best man by the arm. “You, come with me.” She struggled to keep the irritation out of her voice as she led the man down the hall. Luckily, she’d kept the jacket to his tux, so he hadn’t ruined it as well.

  “Sorry, love. I’ve got a wedding to attend. Another time, maybe.” His British accent surprised her, since his brother spoke with a distinct Irish lilt.

  “I know you’re in the wedding, Colin. That’s why we’re going to get you all handsome so you can stand up there with your brother on his big day. You don’t want to let him down, do you?” She tugged him into the bathroom and locked the door behind them. Nervous grooms sometimes got drunk before the ceremony, and Beth had seen a fair number of slightly hung over groomsmen, but finding a best man this wasted before he arrived at the church was a first. It was pathetic, it was selfish, and it was a million other things Beth Chase had no time for.

  “Let him …” He laughed hoarsely for a few seconds before ending with a hiccup that sounded like a sob.

  “Whoa. It’s okay. We’re going to get you fixed up.” She gave him a smile as she tugged his wrinkled shirt out of his pants. “It’s going to be a wonderful wedding.”

  “My grandparents were married in this church.”

  “Oh? How sweet. Your brother decided to come all this way to get married in the same church.”

  He grabbed her arm. “No! Not his mother’s parents. Mine. It’s my bloody wedding. Didn’t anybody tell you?”

  Beth stopped for a second. This was a new one. Being in the business for five years, she’d thought she’d seen it all. Clearly, she’d been mistaken. The man in front of her was a mess — worse than drunk. He looked broken. His eyes were bloodshot and she wondered if he’d been crying. Beth placed her hand on his arm. “Colin, this is your brother’s wedding. Remember? He and Andrea are getting married today.”

  “I’m not crazy, Miss … Miss … Who the hell are you again?”

  “Beth Chase, from Ever After Weddings. I’m here to make sure everything goes smoothly.” She gave Tony’s shirt a shake and walked around Colin’s back to help him into it.

  He laughed. “No worries, Team Evil can keep my fiancée. Not gonna steal her back.” Colin brushed away her hands and began buttoning the shirt.

  “You and Andrea were together?” This was exactly the type of information she needed ahead of time to prepare for this sort of mess.

  “That’s what I’ve been saying.” He sighed and gave up on the buttons.

  Beth finished the job and helped him with his bow tie. “Tuck in your shirt and now the jacket.” Beth helped Colin into it and studied the results. Better. Still, it appeared that Colin had slept with wet hair — perhaps outside on a bench during a hurricane. On one side, his hair was matted nearly flat, and on the other it stood up straight. She wet her hands at the sink and ran her fingers though his curls. “Much better. I knew there was a good-looking guy under there somewhere.”

  Beth washed her hands before locating the mints and eye drops in her bag. “Just a couple of final touches ...” She held out the container of mints. Instead of grabbing one, Colin produced a flask from his pocket. Beth frowned.

  He took a drink and held it out to her. “Look, it has my initials. He took my girl and my wedd
ing, but he gave me a fancy bottle with my name on it. Quite a deal.” Beth held her hand out for the flask. He pulled it away and gave her a stern look. “You shouldn’t drink before the weddin’, love. It’s naughty.”

  Beth’s lips twitched. “In that case, maybe you should just let me hold it until later for you.”

  He frowned. “Best I carry it. I’ll carry your bag, too.” He picked up the tote. “What’s in this thing?”

  Beth laughed and took her bag back. She slung her tote over her shoulder and used his momentary distraction to claim the flask. “A girl never knows what she might need. I like to be prepared.”

  “Prepared for what? Zombie apocalypse?”

  “Eat this.” She handed him a mint and smiled as he popped it in to his mouth. “Good. Now, lean back.” She squeezed a drop of Visine into each eye.

  He blinked and scowled. “Why are doing this to me?”

  Beth shrugged. “Sorry. It’s my job. Now, show me the rings.”

  “I threw them out with the bathwater.”

  She gasped.

  He chuckled and pulled a small box out of his pants pocket. “Got the rings right here.” He opened the box and showed her the two diamond-encrusted rings inside. “They’re a bit ostentatious, but you can try them on if you like.” He frowned. “Won’t fit you, though. You’re rather tiny … and bossy. Why are you so bloody bossy?”

  Beth closed the box and pushed it towards him. “Put this back in your pocket and don’t take it out until the minister asks.”

  “I’m not an idiot. I know how to hold the rings.”

  “Perfect.” She took his arm and walked him out of the bathroom and over to the chapel. “Now, you just walk up the aisle with the pretty maid of honor and stand next your brother.”

  Colin snorted. “Mindy hasn’t been a maid in a long time. Bet I’m the only bloke here she hasn’t shagged.”

  Mindy turned to scowl at him. “Thank God Andrea came to her senses and decided to marry a real man.”

  Colin chuckled. Beth plastered on a smile. “Okay the music is starting — everyone get in your places.” She tapped the shoulder of a small, dark-haired girl wearing an elaborate and uncomfortable-looking dress. “You’re on, sweetie. Big smile.” She turned and waved to the next group. “Bridesmaids and groomsmen.” She bit back a laugh at their dresses and nodded. “You all look lovely,” she lied. Andrea had clearly taken advantage of her ability to make her friends look like crap. “And now the maid of honor and the best man.”

  Colin yanked Mindy by the arm. “Come on, trollop of honor.”

  “Jackass,” Mindy whispered loudly, before pasting on a toothy smile and marching down the aisle.

  Beth watched them for only a second. The potential for trouble from the best man was clear, but she had things under control. She turned to give the bride a big smile. “You look stunning,” she gushed. When everyone was in place, she signaled to the organist to play the march and sent Andrea and her father up the aisle. Then she dialed Eli’s number.

  “Hello there,” he answered, “I assume the Pratt Wedding is going splendidly.”

  “Give me the story, Eli. Now.”

  “Whatever do you mean?”

  “Eli, I’m in no mood for the games. Tell me what I need to know or I will start sending your assistants to the downtown dry cleaner.”

  Eli gasped. “You wouldn’t. They turned my favorite Ralph Lauren jacket a hideous shade of green.”

  “I would.”

  “Fine. The bride was engaged to the little brother. He brought her home to meet the family and she apparently decided she likes her men a little taller and a lot dumber. She ditched him for the big lug, but no one told him that was why she’d called things off until last week. Oh, and she kept all the wedding reservations she’d made with brother number one to use with brother number two. Vicious, but practical. Someone should give that woman a reality show. … I smell a hit.”

  “Why is he standing up as best man?”

  “Daddy doesn’t take no for an answer, I guess. I wouldn’t worry about him making a scene though, he’s the quiet type. A writer or a professor maybe … something about Oxford … I don’t remember. The point is: he’s the responsible type, like you.”

  “Right. Anything else?”

  “Nope. That’s the whole sordid tale as far as I know. Now stop worrying and go run a wedding so I can get the rave reviews I need to consider your promotion.”

  “There’s nothing to consider, Eli. You already agreed to make me a full partner after this wedding.”

  “We’ll talk when I hear they got hitched without a hitch. Now, let me get back to my facial.”

  Beth hung up and returned to the chapel doorway to watch the ceremony. The bride and groom both liked to hear themselves talk, and had chosen vows that allowed them to indulge that interest. Her gaze wandered back to the best man; she felt bad for him. Colin didn’t belong at this wedding.

  He wanted to make scene. Fair or not, it was her job to stop him.

  Chapter Two

  BETH SAW THE NEWLYWEDS into their limo and made sure Tony was handing out directions to the reception site before tracking down the groomsmen. She stopped Colin. “We have a ride for you, Mr. Best Man.”

  Colin grinned. “Thief! Don’t think I won’t call Scotland Yard on you just ’cause you’re gorgeous.” He held out his hand. “Give me back my thingy.”

  One of the groomsmen leaned out of the car and laughed. “What did she steal from you, bro?”

  Colin frowned. “Something … my car or … my heart … a guitar?”

  Beth tapped the top of the car. “Okay. We’re all set, guys. See you at the reception. No stops on the way.”

  She turned back to Colin. “You’re riding with me.” She led him to Tony’s car, opened the door, and pulled out a coat hanger. “Give me your jacket.”

  “Why?”

  “I’m going to hang it so it doesn’t get wrinkled during the drive.”

  He stared at her with a slightly mystified look before shrugging out of his jacket. He handed it to her after pulling a mini bottle of rum out of his pocket.

  Beth sighed and reached for it. “Where did you get that?”

  He held it up above his head. “I’ve got methods … methods that aren’t fit for your little ears.”

  “You got it from one of the groomsmen. He stocked up on the plane.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  Beth rolled her eyes. “Just get in the car so I can take you to the reception.”

  “The reception! That’s right. I’m still working on my speech. I need a line that rhymes with scurrilous bitch.”

  Quiet and responsible, that was how Eli had described the best man. Beth couldn’t help looking for hidden cameras. She was being Punk’d, and any moment Ashton Kutcher would pop out from behind a bush, thank her for being a good sport, and offer to introduce her to his hot Hollywood friends. A girl could dream, right?

  Instead, she got Tony. She sighed and guided Colin into the backseat.

  Tony, dressed in his backup shirt, looked from Beth to Colin and back again. “What’s going on, Great Leader?”

  “Mr. Pratt —”

  Colin yelled from inside the car. “I’ve been arrested by the wedding police.”

  “Mr. Pratt is riding with us so I can help him with his toast.”

  Tony shrugged and climbed into the driver’s seat.

  Beth sat on the backseat beside Colin. “Mr. Pratt, I understand this is a difficult day for you. I’m sorry. But, I can’t let you call your new sister-in-law a … anything unpleasant.”

  “She is unpleasant. Don’t know what I ever saw in her.” He shrugged and his eyes got watery. “Except, she’s beautiful. Should’ve known she wouldn’t want to get stuck with me, right? Not when she could have someone like Hunter.”

  He looked like a puppy that’d just been kicked. Beth melted. “I don’t know why Andrea did what she did. All I know is today they got married and you
agreed to be the best man. It might not be fair, but it means you have responsibilities, like saying a nice toast.”

  “George Sand quite famously said, ‘There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved.’ I believe this is eternally true. Please raise your glasses and join me in wishing this happiness for my brother and his bride.”

  Beth’s jaw dropped and she stared at him for a moment. “Um … yeah, that will work. That’s lovely.”

  Colin looked out the window.

  He was being quiet and responsible. She should’ve been thrilled. Instead it made her a little sad. She gave his shoulder a tentative pat. “It’s only a few more hours, and then I’ll be out of your hair.”

  He didn’t respond, or say much of anything for the rest of the ride. When they arrived, he murmured a thank you and rejoined the groomsmen. Beth, with Hunter’s incredibly demanding mother at her side, was soon busy fixing a dozen small problems. She checked in with the band and the caterer, made sure the photographer had everything she needed, and had almost forgotten about Colin’s earlier antics by the time he delivered his brief but uneventful toast. Beth made one very crucial mistake: she forgot to ask the bartender to go easy on Colin’s drinks.

  “Dance with me, tiny thief,” Colin said.

  Beth chuckled. “I’m working, Colin. Go dance with one of the bridesmaids.”

  “Why don’t you dance with one of the bridesmaids and I’ll watch.” He winked.

  She took the glass from his hand and placed it on the tray of a passing waitress. “Have you tried the cappuccinos? I’ve been hearing great things.”

  “I’ve been thinking about giving another toast. Hunter’s cock is a lot smaller than mine. I think people would want to know that. Also, Andrea is three years older than she claims and I’m fairly certain her accent is a fake. It’s bloody hard to find a word to rhyme with mockney. Think I could cheat in an extra syllable somewhere?”