Maddie closed her eyes. The family insanity continues…
“Oh, look,” Trent said, “the groom’s family is going to say a few words now.”
With relief, Maddie opened her eyes and looked to where a piano had been stationed. Michael’s father already had the microphone and was thanking friends and family for coming to the party. Aunt Marie, whose hearing was on a downhill slope, made a mad dash to the front. Her aunt Lois was about to follow but not before taking Maddie’s hand, placing the bracelet in her palm, and squeezing her fingers closed around it.
“Wear it in good health, dear,” she whispered before leaving.
Maddie looked at Trent. “Do you believe what I’m dealing with here?”
“Only because I saw it with my own eyes.” He surprised her when he took her hand in his and kissed the back of it. “But I’d still take your family over mine any day. Come on. Let’s go join the others.”
She nodded, feeling surprisingly good-humored. Even if bringing a date to Louise’s wedding wasn’t deflecting talk about her being cursed, she was still glad Trent was here with her. She didn’t think he could be such a comfort and support, but she didn’t know how she’d manage through this evening and the rest of the week if it wasn’t for him.
Louise and Michael were holding hands as Michael’s father passed the microphone to his wife. “We’re so delighted you all could come ahead of the wedding and share in our joy of Michael and Louise’s happiness,” she told everyone. “We hope you enjoy the rest of the festivities we have planned, too. But before we drink to our son and future daughter-in-law, could we have the maid of honor come forward to lead us in a toast?”
Maddie froze as all eyes turned toward her.
“Oh, crikey,” she murmured. “A little heads-up would have been nice.”
“Come on, sweetheart,” Michael’s mom said. “Come say a few words for Louise and Michael.”
Trent nudged her forward. “You can do this. For Louise,” he whispered in her ear.
She ignored the little shiver that went down her neck from Trent’s closeness and took a deep breath. He was right. Although she wasn’t prepared to speak—at least not until the wedding day—she could say what was in her heart. About the happiness and love Louise had found. And what she hoped to find for herself someday.
Maddie gave a slight smile as she took the microphone and tried to combat the butterflies growing in her stomach. “Um, hi,” she said awkwardly. “I just wanted to say that although I can’t speak from experience, I do know relationships are hard work. And I can see with Louise and Michael that when you find the right person, that work becomes easy, because you have two people working together toward the same goal. I’m so proud of Louise for never settling.” She glanced over at Louise, whose smile broadened in approval. “And I’m proud of Michael for realizing how special my sister is and for never letting her go.”
Maddie took a glass of champagne that was sitting on the piano for her and raised it in the air. The crowd mimicked her action. “To Louise and Michael. Love each other deeply and hold on to each other above everything else.”
She drank deeply as her gaze clouded with tears. She wished someone would hold on to her. Men unfortunately had no problem letting her go. Even her own father. But she had a strong feeling in her heart that Louise would not suffer that fate with Michael.
The band began to play “When I Fall in Love” and everything seemed to hit her at once. How ridiculously sad her own life had become. She couldn’t find a job or a date—or at least, she couldn’t find a date without paying for one. She placed the empty flute down and made her way through the crowd of dancers. Her mind was in such a cloud she hadn’t realized she had walked right past Trent.
He took hold of her arm, stopping her. “Hey, I believe you promised me this dance. And I lead.”
“There will be others,” she said, shaking her head. She was hardly in the mood to dance. All she wanted to do was go back to the room and bury herself under the covers. Possibly with a pint of Chunky Monkey.
He looked directly into her eyes, his face right above hers. “As your devoted wedding date, I have to insist. Plus, Louise is watching us, probably wondering why we aren’t out on the dance floor with them.”
Weariness overtook her, and she nodded. He was right. At least somebody was able to keep the charade going. Trent was definitely all business and played his part well, which made it even harder to go right back into his arms so soon after their kiss. It only made her want things that would never be for real.
As soon as their feet touched the patio, he placed her hand on his shoulder then slid his own to her waist. He was silent for a while, which she was grateful for because it gave her time to regulate her breathing. His nearness was so overwhelming. And for a moment she felt like she was floating. She wondered if her legs had even moved yet.
“Pretty speech,” he finally commented, breaking her out of her jumbled up thoughts.
His tone sounded almost mocking, so she looked up to judge his expression. But his face was blank. “Thanks. I think.”
“You’re welcome. If you meant what you said.”
“Why wouldn’t I wish my sister all the happiness in the world?”
“I wondered if you meant what you said about them holding on to each other above everything else.”
“Of course. Everything else is fleeting, but love lasts forever.”
“Sure it does.”
She stopped and stared at him in disbelief. “You sound cynical about love. You can’t be cynical. I’m the one who should be cynical.”
Trent pasted on a polite smile when people glanced over at them, unmoving on the dance floor. “Your feet seemed to have stopped moving, honey. If you don’t give me at least one hip sway, I’m going to be forced to dip you. And PS, I have every right to be cynical.”
“That makes no sense whatsoever.”
“Dipping you or being cynical?”
“Both.”
“All right. You asked for it.” And then she felt herself go backward.
He swung her up again just as fast, and a rush of excitement went through her. “At least you warned me,” she said with a laugh, brushing at her hair that got caught in her lip gloss.
His eyes gleamed with humor. “Next time you won’t be so lucky.”
“Ha, next time I’ll be prepared. I know your moves now.”
He leaned in and brought his face close to hers. “Not all of them, honey,” he whispered in her ear.
A thrill shot up her spine, and she nearly stumbled.
“Are you feeling better?” he asked suddenly.
“You mean now that all the blood has rushed back to my feet again?”
He chuckled. “Yes, that, and in general. You seemed a bit out of it after you toasted the bride and groom.”
“Actually, I am feeling better. Thanks for asking me to dance.”
“What are fake boyfriends for?”
She smiled. “Well, this fake girlfriend hasn’t dated anyone for real this nice in a long time and appreciates it.”
Trent stepped back, closing his warm fingers over hers, and twirled her under his arm. “You’re welcome,” he said, drawing her in to his chest again. “I’m glad I officially broke my bad-boy image to you.”
“Sorry, pal. The jury is still out on that, I’m afraid.”
“Damn, you are one hard woman, Maddie McCarthy. But I do like a challenge.”
“And cheerleaders apparently,” she quipped.
“That does it.” He dipped her again and when he pulled her back up, they were both laughing.
Louise elbowed her out of the blue. “Hey, I don’t think you guys are allowed to have more fun than the engaged couple,” she teased, still dancing with Michael.
Maddie felt her cheeks go hot. She was having fun. She couldn’t remember the last time she had really let go and enjoyed herself with a man like that. Even with his cynical commentary on love, she really was enjoying Trent’s comp
any.
Just remember it’s his job to be charming.
“Trent, promise me you’ll dance like that with me on my wedding day,” Louise said with a wink.
“I’ll definitely save you a dip. Start practicing your yoga moves now.”
Louise grinned. “You bet I will.”
Trent took Maddie’s hand and twirled her around. She marveled at how such a brawny kind of guy could move so fluidly. “Louise may need to practice but you sure don’t. Did Match Made Easy require you to take dance lessons before they’d hire you?” she asked a little out of breath.
“No.” Just like that the humor left his face.
As soon as the song ended, he led her to the bar, and she became a little disconcerted when he immediately handed her a Chardonnay. “How did you know that’s what I wanted to drink?” she asked.
“It’s what you drank when I met your mom. And when we went out to dinner that night.” He frowned. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have assumed.”
“No, you shouldn’t have.” She took the wine from his hand and took a healthy sip. It was crisp and tart with just a hint of sweetness. “But in this case, you’d be right. It’s exactly what I wanted. You’re very good at what you do. I suppose that’s why you’re paid the big bucks.”
“Big bucks? Oh, right. What can I say, I’m a professional,” he said flatly. He clinked her glass with his own glass of Scotch, but didn’t drink any of it. Instead, he scanned the yard, looking distracted.
Something had definitely changed with him, and she wondered what she’d said to affect his mood.
The bar started to get crowded, so they took their drinks and walked down the stone path to the bay. There was a bench facing the water surrounded by white and pink flowering landscaping. Maddie immediately sat down, already exhausted and perfectly happy to stay there until the sun set, but she knew she couldn’t hide from her family all night.
Trent sat down beside her, continuing to stare off into the distance. His mouth was tight and grim. She knew that look well. If they were dating for real, she would have assumed it meant he was trying to come up with a way to break up with her.
“So…how ‘bout those Red Sox,” she said.
The beginning of a smile tipped the corners of his mouth. “I’m a football guy, remember?”
“Football, baseball, it’s all the same.”
He clutched his heart, pretending to be wounded. “For your information, it is not all the same. Football is the ultimate American sport. A Sunday tradition. All players are involved in one play and playoff games actually mean something. Plus, football players play in all weather, not like those hypersensitive baseball pansies.”
“Okay, okay. Sheesh. I obviously struck a nerve. I’ll have to watch a game sometime.”
“Damn straight. In fact, I’ll personally take you to a Patriots game.”
She stilled. “You will?”
“Absolutely. I own season tickets.”
Maddie looked down at her wineglass and banked down the little bubble of joy that sprung up at his suggestion. What was she even remotely excited about? He didn’t really mean it. Besides, football season wasn’t for months, and in a few days they would probably never see each other again once his contract was fulfilled.
“This is some engagement party,” Trent said, motioning with his Scotch glass. “Your sister is going to be one rich bride.”
Maddie narrowed her eyes. “That’s not why she’s marrying Michael.”
He paused a beat. “No, I guess not. She doesn’t seem the type.”
“She isn’t the type. She’s the sweetest, kindest person ever. And if Michael lost all his money tomorrow, Louise would still have him.”
“Michael is very lucky then.”
The sadness in his tone got her attention. She looked at him closely, seeing a hardened shell around him for reasons that went beyond Louise and Michael’s upcoming marriage. “Trent, why don’t you like weddings?”
He seemed startled for a moment then carefully schooled his expression. “What’s to like about them?”
“Nuh-uh. Answer my question first.”
He let a few moments pass, seeming to mull it over. Then he finally answered, “I was engaged.”
Not the answer she expected. “You were? What happened?”
“Nothing happened as you can guess from my lack of wife. She got cold feet the day before the wedding. Exactly five days after I dropped out of the NFL draft. I guess I lost my appeal once I stopped playing football. The real kicker was that she called my parents to apologize before she called me. Wouldn’t want to fall too far under the good graces of the Montgomery family,” he said in a bitter tone.
He blew out a breath as if he had unloaded a ton of weight from his chest. “To answer your question from before, my fiancée made me take dance lessons for the wedding that never was. Glad they finally came to some use.”
Maddie just sat there. Every word that popped into her head seemed trivial and cliché, so she didn’t say anything for several moments. For a man to still be dead set against weddings after all this time, it would seem to matter very much. No wonder he wasn’t involved with anyone seriously and worked as an escort. The job protected him from getting too close.
“I’m sorry, Trent.”
“Looking back on it now, she probably did us both a favor. We were both naive and self-centered. Her leaving me made me take stock of my priorities and what’s really important. I decided to open up a gym but knew I wanted it to be more than just a superficial business. I wanted it to make a difference mentally and physically to people.”
“How so?”
“One of the things I want to start up in my gyms is a youth center for kids. Once I get some money saved, that is, and pay off my bank loan. I’d like some of the young men who don’t have role models at home to be able to find them at my gym. Sports, working out, can give them a purpose. Coaches can have a wonderful influence on kids like that. I should know. I had a great one in college. It’s important those kids know they’re worth more than how much they can lift or how far they can throw a ball.”
“That does sound wonderful.”
“It will be as long as I can pay off my line of credit next month.”
“Do you think you will?”
He thought about it for a second but wouldn’t meet her gaze. “Yeah. I have something on the back burner that looks as if it should work. At least, I hope it does. My business—my work—is what I’ve decided to give my heart to instead of a person.”
Tenderness washed over her, and she wove her arm through his to comfort him. “Your fiancée did a horrible thing. But that doesn’t mean you have to give up on love and weddings and happily-ever-afters.”
“And you haven’t?”
“Well…”
She went speechless.
It wasn’t as if she’d given up on them in general. She believed in all that forever love stuff for her sister. She just didn’t see it in her own future.
“That’s what I thought,” he said, standing and offering her his hand. “We should get back to the party. You’re not paying me to talk.”
She put her hand in his and allowed him to pull her up. “You’re not a bad guy,” she blurted.
His brows lifted. “Gee, thanks?”
“I mean, I thought you were. Back in high school. Now I know I misjudged you.”
“You’re just being nice because you feel sorry for me for being jilted.”
“Not at all. She was stupid to leave you. “
“Really?”
“Of course. I don’t see why she would want you more if you played professionally. Football is way overrated.”
His face fell. “I hope that sacrilegious statement was not intended to cheer me up.”
“Sorry,” she said, holding in a laugh. “Not a football fan, remember?”
“I’ll make you one soon enough.” He gave her a long smoldering look before turning and leading her up the path. “Just wait and se
e.”
“I’d like to see you try,” she murmured.
Unfortunately, with the way her feelings toward Trent were changing, he wouldn’t need to work too hard to persuade her.
“It was a wonderful evening thanks to you,” Louise said, wrapping her arms around Maddie’s middle and squeezing her like a hungry python.
“I…didn’t…do anything,” she wheezed out.
Louise pulled back with a laugh. “Of course you did! The lovely impromptu speech you gave brought tears to my eyes. And well, just the fact that you were having such a good time made me happy, too. I’m the one getting married, but I so wanted us to celebrate it together.”
“Me, too.” Maddie turned her head and brushed away a tear with her finger. All she wanted was this day to be special for Louise. No talk of curses. Just joy and dreams for the future. And thanks to Trent’s convincing portrayal of devoted boyfriend, she was able to pull that feat off.
So far, anyway.
As if her just thinking about him summoned him, Trent appeared, holding a corsage out to her sister. “The caterers were going to toss this, but I thought you might want to save it in some mementos book or something.”
“Oh, I had forgotten I’d taken it off to dance,” Louise said, sliding it back on her wrist. “You are so sweet and thoughtful to think of that.” Smiling, she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome,” he told her then shot a quick wink at Maddie.
“Maddie, this guy is a treasure,” she said, patting his arm affectionately. “He fits in with our family so well. I feel like you’ve been with him forever.”
Maddie resisted an eye roll. “It kind of feels like forever to me, too.”
Trent grinned, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her in close. “Forever and ever, amen,” he said low in her ear.
A small shiver raced down her spine as his breath tickled her earlobe. Because of that she felt a small urge to lean in and get closer, but forced herself to pull away. “Um, it’s getting late, darling, and I’m sure Louise would like to spend more time with her fiancé before going to bed.”
Trent’s eyes seemed to glimmer at the mention of the word bed. He suddenly yawned and gave an unnatural stretch. “You know, we should hit the hay, too, honey.”
Wedding Date for Hire Page 9
