Catching Her Rival (Mills & Boon Superromance)

by Lisa Dyson

“The resemblance is remarkable.” He shook his head. “Anyway, I promise not to take so long this time.” He spoke over his shoulder. “I’ll bring enough to share in case you change your mind.”

  Jack kept a lookout for Charlotte’s double as he made his way through the throng of people toward the food. No sign of her, though. He filled a plate with different cheeses, crackers and fruit, grabbed two napkins and hightailed it back to Charlotte. He was supposed to be showing her a good time, and instead he’d spent more time away from her than with her.

  He slipped a piece of cheese into his mouth and set the plate where both he and Charlotte could reach it. “Miss me?” He winked and was pleased to see her smile. He handed her a napkin and then pointed out people he knew while they emptied the plate of food.

  “We’re back!” Frank and Julia appeared suddenly as the very tall glass French doors opened and everyone was invited into the ballroom.

  Jack and Charlotte were seated at the cousin table. Frank and Julia were across from them, with Frank’s sister, Kate, and her husband on Charlotte’s side. Next to Jack was his cousin R.J. and R.J.’s girlfriend, whose name he didn’t catch.

  The wedding party arrived a few minutes later, and they were introduced. Charlotte whispered to Jack, “Look how many attendants there are. I’ve never seen so many pink dresses.”

  “I know. This could take all night,” Jack whispered back, still watching for Charlotte’s double.

  After a stilted toast by the best man and a long, weepy and emotional tribute from the maid of honor, dinner was finally served. A Caesar salad and warm rolls were followed by a choice of salmon or vegetarian pasta primavera.

  Without warning, Julia, who had excused herself a few minutes before, came up behind Charlotte and said loudly enough for Jack to hear, “Charlotte, I just saw someone in the ladies’ room who looks exactly like you!”

  * * *

  “I FEEL BAD for you,” Rachael told Allie at dinner. “You’ve missed so much of the day.”

  Allie shook her head and chewed the bite of salad she’d stuffed in her mouth. She was starving. She hadn’t eaten since that protein shake she’d gulped down on her way to get her hair done that morning. “It’s okay. Weddings aren’t my thing anyway.”

  Rachael looked at her askance. “You know, the day will come when you’ll change your mind about that.”

  “I doubt it.” Allie buttered a roll, not caring that she’d been trying to avoid carbs now that it was swimsuit season. She’d make up for it by running an extra mile tomorrow.

  If she could squeeze it in between attending the family brunch and completing her potential client’s presentation.

  “You just haven’t found the right guy.” Rachael tilted her head at her husband, who was playing keep away with an asparagus spear he was trying to get Sophie to eat. She was giggling wildly as Dan attempted to feed it to her ear.

  “You got the last good one,” Allie told her sister. “The guys I meet are interested only in what’s in it for them.”

  “Jimmy was an idiot,” Rachael said, fully aware of his stupid extortion plan. “You can’t compare all men to him.”

  Allie shrugged and took a bite of her salmon with dill sauce. It melted in her mouth, and she practically moaned aloud. “He was the last in a long line of users.”

  “You mean losers,” her sister corrected her.

  “Yeah, that, too.” Allie couldn’t argue with the truth. She pushed back her chair when they announced it was time to cut the cake. “I’m going to the bar. You want anything? Soda? Mineral water? Juice?”

  Rachael shook her head. “Nothing for me, thanks.”

  She looked to Dan. He held up his hand, and it was quickly grabbed by Sophie. “I’m good, thanks,” he said on a laugh.

  No one else had shown up to sit at their table for her to entertain, so Allie hurried off to the bar.

  “Hey,” the female bartender greeted her. “You must be thirsty from all your running around. I keep seeing you everywhere I look.”

  “I doubt you saw me every time. They tell me I have a double here somewhere.”

  The woman’s eyes widened. “Really? And you haven’t seen her yet?”

  Allie shook her head. The idea of someone looking that much like her was crazy. “Hard to find anyone in this crowd.”

  “Well, if I see her,” the bartender said, “I’ll tell her you’re looking for her.”

  A lie, since Allie didn’t care about this other woman, but she gratefully accepted her white wine, kept her mouth shut and headed outside, where the sun had almost set.

  * * *

  THE BRIDE AND GROOM’S first dance was nearly over, and Jack was still searching for Charlotte’s double. Then the bride danced with her father while the groom danced with his mother.

  Jack was sure he’d spy Charlotte’s double once the bride threw her bouquet. Unfortunately, the woman was nowhere to be found when that time came. Maybe she was married. Not that it mattered either way. But why was she was so hard to spot?

  “I wonder what happened to her.” Jack craned his neck to look around the crowded room.

  Charlotte laughed. “Stop worrying about some woman who looks like me. If we’re meant to see each other, we will.”

  “How can you not be intrigued? I think it’s pretty cool.” Jack shrugged. He looked at her and smiled. “Want to dance?”

  The “Chicken Dance” was starting, and people were forming a circle on the dance floor.

  “Really? The ‘Chicken Dance’?” Charlotte laughed but rose from her chair. “Sure, why not? You probably just want to get out there to see if you can spot her.”

  He grabbed her hand and gave her a pull. “You’re absolutely right!”

  They were both laughing by the time they squeezed into the circle of participants. Charlotte’s laughter made him feel good. Even more so when the music got faster and faster and they messed up the motions because they were laughing hysterically.

  “Do you see her anywhere?” Charlotte asked breathlessly after they finished the “Chicken Dance” and a just-as-much-fun attempt at doing the “Y.M.C.A.”

  He pulled her in to slow dance to a Beatles favorite. “See, you are interested in finding her,” he teased.

  She turned her face away, but not before he saw a corner of her mouth curl up. “Maybe I am a little curious.”

  “I knew it.” He squeezed her hand in his and spun them around a hundred and eighty degrees.

  “Whoa!” She laughed. A wonderful sound to hear.

  * * *

  ALLIE SAT ON the edge of the large fountain outside the mansion. Her wine was long gone, and the empty glass sat next to her. The outside lights were the only illumination. What time was it? Almost time to go home? Could she make a break for it, or would she need to help gather and transport things back to the hotel for the bride and groom? Did she really have to stay until after they were gone? Her brother wouldn’t care. He probably wouldn’t even miss her.

  Too many questions. Not enough answers.

  All she wanted to do was go back to the hotel and get a good night’s sleep. It only made matters more stressful that her incomplete Monday-morning presentation was hanging over her head. This account could make or break her agency. Where would she be if she didn’t get the account?

  Her parents’ spare room in rural upstate New York? The same room she had growing up?

  No way.

  She inhaled deeply. The floral scent around her was strong. No wonder Dad had needed his inhaler. The last she saw him, though, he was enjoying a piece of wedding cake.

  Her parents were wonderful people. Even when Mom was pushing her to “find the right man,” Allie knew her mother’s motives were pure.

  That didn’t preclude Allie from feeling like an outsider in her own family, though. She just didn’t think or act like the rest of them.

  She stood up, brushed off the back of her dress and picked up her empty wineglass. A quick stop in the restroom to touch up her lipstic
k and she’d get back to the party.

  She adjusted her evening bag’s chain strap on her shoulder and headed inside.

  * * *

  CHARLOTTE WAS HAVING a wonderful time. She couldn’t remember when she’d laughed so much. Jack really was fun to hang out with. Since she’d moved to Newport from Burlington, Vermont, she hadn’t gotten close enough to call anyone a friend. But Jack fit the bill.

  The crowd had begun to thin a little, and she was slightly disappointed that she never did run into her double. She must have taken off earlier in the evening.

  “We can leave whenever you’ve had enough,” Jack told her. “Unless you want to take a short break and hit the dance floor again.”

  “Let me think about it while I go to the ladies’ room,” she said. “But if you’re ready to go—”

  “I’ll get us fresh drinks and we can see how we feel.” He pulled at his collar. “It’s pretty warm in here. Why don’t I meet you out in the hall? I saw a nice seating area around the corner to the left.”

  She nodded and headed to the restroom. Even this late, there was a line coming out the door.

  “Is there another restroom to use?” she asked one of the bartenders.

  “Go right around there—” she pointed down the hallway “—and you’ll see a sign. You can’t miss it.”

  “Thanks!”

  Turned out the bathroom was on the lower level. It took a while for her to make her way down the old cement stairs without breaking her neck on her high heels, and then she had to navigate a maze of hallways. But once she committed, she refused to turn back.

  * * *

  JACK GOT THEM drinks as promised. Another white wine for Charlotte and a Scotch on the rocks for himself. He sipped his drink and waited for his “date” to return.

  Very few people came by, and he wondered if Charlotte might have misunderstood where they should meet. He went back into the ballroom and there she was, on the far side of the large room. Charlotte’s back was to him and she was speaking to one of the bridesmaids, which surprised him. She was being more outgoing than he’d thought she would be. Maybe coming to the wedding had helped her remember life before grief. He had no idea what her personality had been like before her mother became ill—perhaps she’d been more outgoing, adventurous.

  The DJ switched to “Shout,” and the dance floor filled up quickly. Jack caught himself tapping his foot to the beat, so he set down his drinks and made his way around the crowd to where Charlotte was.

  She was unaware of his presence. He came up behind her and grabbed her waist. “Let’s dance.” She squealed and said something, but the music was too loud for him to hear her. “Sorry, Patience,” he apologized to his cousin for interrupting their conversation. Then he took Charlotte’s hand and pulled her behind him onto the dance floor.

  He found an open spot and then turned to face her. His jaw dropped. The woman wasn’t Charlotte.

  The woman he’d dragged onto the dance floor was her very angry double.

  * * *

  “WHAT DO YOU think you’re doing?” Allie had to yell over the blaring music to be heard. She ripped her hand out of his.

  The man who’d pulled her away from her conversation with the sister of her new sister-in-law stood there with his mouth hanging open.

  She widened her eyes, an attempt to clue him in that she was waiting for an explanation.

  “You’re not Charlotte,” he finally yelled back over the loud music. “But, damn, you two could be twins.”

  “Yeah, right. If this shtick is an example of what you think is a good pickup line, then you’re in for a shock, buddy. This ain’t workin’ at all.”

  She turned to leave the dance floor. The song ended and the volume lowered as the DJ played a slow song. Instead of letting her walk away, the crazy guy spun her into his arms.

  She stiffened. “What are you doing? Let me go.”

  He loosened his grip, though their bodies remained a few inches apart. “I’m sorry. Please, don’t make a scene. My cousin—the bride—would never forgive me.”

  “Maybe you should have thought about that before you dragged me away from my conversation with her sister.” Who must also be his cousin, if he was telling the truth.

  They swayed to the music, and her anger slowly abated. She remembered the feeling of being held by a handsome man and had the urge to press against his solid form but didn’t want him getting the wrong idea.

  “Who are you?” His breath was warm on her cheek. “Besides being my date’s doppelgänger?”

  “Allie. Who are you?” She wasn’t about to give him a last name, even if she did share it with the groom.

  “Jack.”

  “Just Jack?” She looked him straight on.

  “Just Allie?” he countered with a damn sexy grin.

  She considered it. “Allie Miller, sister of the groom.”

  Jack’s feet planted in place, and he stared at her. His eyes narrowed. “Really? The groom’s sister?”

  She got that reaction all the time. She’d spent her life explaining. “Scott was born in China. I wasn’t.”

  Allie nearly laughed as the lightbulb figuratively came on over Jack’s head.

  The song was ending and Allie halfheartedly tried to free herself, but he held her hand. “Let me get you a drink as way of apologizing for my behavior.” Another slow song began, and he pulled her closer.

  “No need,” she said a little breathlessly. “I’ve been hearing all night about this woman who looks exactly like me, but I haven’t seen her yet.”

  He chuckled, his warm breath ruffling her hair against her cheek. “I know. I’ve been trying to find you again ever since I saw you in the line at the bar. I think Charlotte thought I was crazy until other people started telling her they’d seen you, too.”

  Allie nodded, inhaling deeply. She found the hint of his spicy soap or aftershave or something intoxicating. His splayed hand at the small of her back was practically burning through her dress to her skin, and it was all she could do to keep her rubbery legs from giving out. She couldn’t think beyond how his thigh felt so good against hers. She was hyperaware of every cell of her body.

  “Charlotte? That’s her name? This woman who looks like me.” A sudden thought caught her by surprise. “Is she your wife?”

  He laughed from deep in his chest. “Not even close. She’s a friend, my neighbor from across the street. Someone who needed to get out and have a good time.”

  “And yet you’re dancing with me and not her.” She looked directly at him and raised an eyebrow.

  His smile in return was almost her undoing. His full lips revealed straight white teeth, and the gleam in his eyes had her expecting a tinkling bell to go off like it would in a television commercial.

  He squeezed her hand with his much larger one and whispered in her ear, “She’ll understand.” His cheek rubbed lightly against hers, and her knees nearly folded.

  Allie was glad this Charlotte would understand, because Allie didn’t have a clue about what was happening.

  One minute she was playing errand girl for her family, and the next she was in the arms of a complete stranger who didn’t feel strange at all.

  In fact, he felt pretty damn good.

  * * *

  JACK DIDN’T WANT to let her go. His attraction to Allie—who was essentially a stranger—was strong and unexpected. He could barely keep his body under control.

  He needed to talk about something nonsexual. Not that anything they’d talked about had been sexual in the least. Exactly the opposite. But that hadn’t stopped his body from responding otherwise. The last thing he wanted to do was scare her off.

  “I should introduce you to Charlotte,” he said abruptly. He cleared the hoarseness from his throat.

  “Of course,” she murmured close to his ear. “I’d love to meet her.”

  He had to stop thinking about Allie’s breasts pressing against him.

  “As soon as this song ends,” he promised.r />
  “Uh-huh.”

  He had to stop wondering what she tasted like. The nape of her neck, her earlobe, her shoulder.

  Stop.

  He inhaled deeply in an effort to clear his thoughts, but instead caught a whiff of something citrus. Her shampoo? Perfume? Intoxicating, whatever it was.

  The song ended.

  They drew apart, but Jack held on to her hand. He opened his mouth to speak. Before he could form words, he heard another voice.

  “Allie.” The very pregnant Asian woman who spoke sounded out of breath as she hurried toward them. “Do you have that double-sided tape? Mom caught her heel in the hem of her skirt, and she refuses to come out of the bathroom until she can fix it.”

  “It’s in my purse.” Allie looked around the room. “I think I left it at my seat. I’ll go get it and take it to Mom.”

  “I can do it,” the woman said. “I don’t want to interrupt whatever this is.” She pointed to the two of them with a devilish grin.

  “It’s nothing,” Allie insisted.

  “Hey,” Jack said automatically.

  “You’ve had a long day,” Allie reminded the woman, pointedly ignoring Jack. “Go sit for a few minutes and get off your feet.”

  Allie had apology written all over her face when she spoke to Jack. “This won’t take long.” She extricated her hand from his, and he immediately wanted to snatch it back. “By the way, this is my sister, Rachael Thompson.” She said to Rachael, “This is Jack—” She turned to him with furrowed eyebrows. He’d never told her his last name.

  Jack put a hand out to Rachael. “Jack Fletcher, cousin of the bride. Nice to meet you.”

  Allie smiled. “I’ll be right back. Don’t let him go anywhere, Rach. He’s the one who brought my double to the wedding. I’m anxious to see her for myself.”

  “So you admit you’re using me,” he teased loudly as she hurried away.

  She shook a fist in the air, and he heard her laugh as she disappeared through the crowd.

  * * *

  CHARLOTTE FINALLY FOUND the ladies’ room on the lower level, but it was locked up tight with an out-of-order sign on the door. Deciding it would have been easier to just wait in line, she made her way back up to the main-floor bathroom.