He knocked on the door of her apartment and waited until the door opened. The puppy rocketed through the doorway as Skye opened the door.
“Grab him! Ollie!” she cried.
Chasen lifted the puppy up by the scruff of his neck and hauled him into is arms. When he looked up he said, “Wow, you look great.” She’d changed into a flower-patterned strapless dress and brushed her hair out. He liked her hair soft and around her face and not in those tight, hair-sprayed buns at the weddings.
“Come on in. I made Chicken Marsala and garlic mashed potatoes. After I decided to make the garlic potatoes, I thought it probably wasn’t the best idea if you were going to kiss me again.”
He put the grocery bag down on the kitchen table, came to her, and kissed her. “Well, then we better get it out of the way now.” He grinned. “I think if we both eat the garlic, it’s all good.” He peered into the bag he’d brought. “I didn’t know what to bring, so I got white and red wine, a salad kit, and orange juice.”
“Why orange juice?”
He shrugged. “Because I like it. I’m a bachelor. I don’t spend a lot of time at the grocery store. I eat out a lot. When I go I just usually buy things I like: orange juice, Cheetos, and these.” He pulled out a bouquet of flowers. “I bought them because they were pretty.”
“Wow, thanks.” Skye’s cheeks turned a cute shade of pink. “Are you hungry?”
“I’m always starving.” He laughed and followed her to the dinner table.
AFTER DINNER, HE OFFERED to drive her across town to show her his shop. She bunded Ollie up and they headed out. As they walked into the small, older garage, he flipped on the overhead lights. “I know it’s not much...but it’s mine. I’m proud of it.”
Skye walked around and ran her hand over the long, sleek limousine.
He continued, “I want to fix up the office and expand it so I can have a front office person to talk with clients and a nicer place where I can bring them to sign the contracts. As you can see, I haven’t gotten very far. Best laid plans. I just want to drive and work on the cars, I’m not very good with all the customer paperwork and the meet and greet stuff. I know it’s part of the trade, but I never know how to answer all of the bride’s questions.”
“What kind of questions do they ask?” Skye watched as Ollie ran around and barked at an empty gas can.
“The last one asked if I could supply organic water. I’m not sure what that is. I thought water was organic, and then I realized she wanted a high-end French sparkling water. She also asked if I could have on supply a certain kind of lemons for said water. I agreed to see what I could do.”
“Brides and their rules.” She peered in the office window. “There’s lots of room back here. You could bump the office out so it’s separate from the garage area and then make part of it into a customer meeting area. That way you could use the external door and have the clients come in there and not through the garage.”
“That’s a great idea. I hadn’t thought about using the outside door.” He tapped his chin with his index finger. “It just becomes too much sometimes. The contracts, meeting prospective clients, the cars and then keeping other drivers organized. I’m so busy I never can do all the things I have planned.”
“Do you have a front office manager?”
He shook his head. “I know I need one, I just haven’t taken the time. I need someone organized...” He paused. “Someone like you.”
“Chasen, are you offering me a job?”
“Are you accepting?”
Skye bit her lip. “I mean, what if our relationship doesn’t work? Would that be smart to work in an office together? Would we give each other the stink eye all day if we weren’t dating anymore?”
He laughed. “I could never give you the stink eye. My other drivers, maybe. They can be pains in the rear sometimes, but never you.”
“How do you know?”
“I don’t, but I think that I could be professional enough to work through things. I do with them, and somedays they act like kindergarteners. My business means a lot to me, and to have it better organized would mean the world to me.”
“I’ll think about it.” She looked up through her lashes. “You built this business from scratch?”
“I borrowed the money from my dad to buy my first car and then begged my friend to loan me part of his garage before I moved here. Job by job, dollar by dollar it grew. I paid Dad back and then went from there. I always try to be professional and fair in my pricing. Many places around town aren’t. My good reputation grew and that is worth the price of gold. That’s why Amina at the Lodge likes me. I show up on time and they have never had a complaint.”
“What about last night when you threatened to call the police on the maid of honor?”
“Let them call. Amina was there. She knew what happened. You really think she’d side with them? Wedding parties armed with dangerous glass bowls? I don’t think so.”
“I guess you’re right. That was a crazy night. I hope Helen’s not mad at me.”
“Mad at you? Why in the world would she be mad at you?”
“As you said, they are all girls who want the perfect wedding and no wedding is perfect. I tried to corral her sister, but she caused problems anyway.”
“Which had nothing to do with you helping with the wedding planning. You said that you are doing all of these weddings for free, right?”
“Yes.” Skye exhaled. “And I think that most of the yelling with her sister was in the kitchen and the guests didn’t hear or see what was going on.”
“Couples spend at least twenty grand on all the ‘stuff’ and want you to work for free. Now you have battle wounds for your efforts. You should get hazard pay. Hell, they should pay your emergency room fee.” Chasen took a cloth lying on the work bench to polish a mark off the fender of the car. “I doubt I will get around to hiring anyone soon, so I’ll leave a position here open if you want to think about it.”
“I’ll think about it. I have one more wedding for my coworker in three weeks. She’s the boss’s daughter, so I hope everything goes well. Maybe after that is over, ask me again.”
Chasen took a step closer and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. The fragrance of her light perfume drifted to his nose. She smelled like flowers and looked like sunshine. Bright and cheery. “I wouldn’t mind working with you and I think that I could get used to seeing you every day.” He gently twisted her loose hair around his finger.
“Here at the shop?” she asked, as she looked up.
“Anywhere. Everywhere.” He kissed her, gently at first and then deepened it, letting himself go. Her lips were as soft as silk and the feel of her pressed against him made him heady. Chasen knew he would be a happy man if he could kiss Skye until the end of his days.
He had to kiss her again, this time making her take a step back until she was pressed against one of his cars. Sweet, slow and long. Chasen let himself enjoy the moment for as long as it went on.
When he drew away, he set his forehead against hers. He had a business to run, he didn’t have time for all this sappy nonsense. But, here Skye was standing in front of his making him want her more than his next breath.
He sighed. “I’d better get you home before I ask you to do something here in the back of one of my limousines. Though...that is a fantasy of mine.” He waggled his eyebrows and she laughed.
Chapter Six
PHOEBE AND MATTHEW’S wedding,
The three weeks flew by and every moment that Skye wasn’t at work, she was with Chasen. It was such a cliché, but he was turning into the man of her dreams. He showed her how he’d built his business and told her of his future dreams of expansion. He deeply cared about his employees and would take a bullet for them.
When Bowen’s mom was sick, Chasen worked a fifteen-hour day, so Bowen could go take her to the doctor. When he finished doing the landscape work around his shop, he did the building next door too. He knew the owner was elderly and had trouble kee
ping up with it. Skye had never met a more caring man. She was starting to have deeper feeling for him, but could he feel that way about her? It was all too soon and too fast to make a determination, and Skye didn't want to be the first to state how she felt.
She heard a rap on the door and ran to open it. Chasen stood in his chauffeur’s uniform looking extremely handsome. His hair was brushed to a dark gleam and he held his hat tucked under one arm.
He looked down at an invisible note in his hand and said, “I’m here to pick up a Ms. Wilson. Do you know where I might find her?”
“Well, sir, I think you have.” She pulled him inside, pushed the door closed with her foot, and kissed him. When they stepped apart, he ran a hand over her hair. It made her feel special the way he cradled her in his arms. “I’d better drive myself. You’ll be taking Phoebe and Matthew off to the airport for their ‘magical honeymoon’ to Thailand.”
“That is probably a good idea. ʽMagical honeymoon.ʼ Are those your words?”
“No, Phoebe’s.”
“I figured as much. Are you happy that this is the last of the three weddings for your co-workers?”
“Yes. I enjoy the planning part, but not the high maintenance of these women. This wedding is especially important because Phoebe is my boss’s daughter.”
“You told me that last week. But those are two completely different things. Your accounting job has nothing to do with helping Phoebe or the other two plan their weddings.”
“It shouldn’t, but Phoebe basically threatened me the other day at work. She said that there had best not be any hitches in her wedding or it would all come down on me.”
Chasen’s mouth dropped. “She said that? Why didn’t you tell her to pound rocks?”
“I made a promise and I won’t back out at the last minute. I’m not too worried. Everything seems to be planned out, so there shouldn’t be any issues.”
“I hope not. Put out your hand,” he said.
When she did, he dropped a little red Organza bag into her outstretched hand. Every night when Chasen came to her apartment, he would bring a little romantic token: a seashell, his favorite book. She saved them all in a wooden box. When Skye opened the bag where she found three black tokens inside. One said, Candlelight Dinner of Take-Out, one Breakfast in Bed, and the other A Night of Passion.
Skye knew she was protecting her heart, afraid that he was too perfect. What if one day he left her? Could she take it? She had to enjoy the moment. As she watched him, there was something else reflected in his eyes. Love? She swallowed.
“Do I need to only pick one...or can I pick all three?” she asked as she dropped the tokens one by one back into the bag.
His eyes darkened. “Skye, you can have me for anything you want.” He pulled her close for another heart-stopping kiss.
Finally she said, “Let’s get through the wedding tonight and then see what we have the energy for.” She grinned.
“Sounds like a deal.”
SKYE FOLLOWED CHASEN to Chapel in the Sky and parked in the guest parking lot. As she stepped out of the car, a gust of wind blew and threatened to knock her sideways. The weather people predicted wind later, but it looked like it was already here. She watched the top of the reception tent sway as she walked toward the main house.
She was oh-too-familiar with where the bride’s dressing room was and headed down the hall. When she opened the door, the other three bridesmaids were already there, including the bride. They all stopped and turned toward her.
“Where have you been?” Phoebe screeched at her.
Skye glanced at the clock on the wall. “You told me to be here at three o’clock. It’s two-thirty. I’m early.”
“I changed the time. We were all here at one o’clock and you weren’t here to organize.” The bride narrowed her eyes.
“I...I’m sorry,” Skye stuttered. “I checked my messages before I left.” She nervously pulled her phone free and glanced at the screen for some clues. “I don’t see anything sent from you.”
Helen piped in and said to Phoebe, “You didn’t put Skye in the email you sent to all of us.”
“Whatever.” Phoebe let out a dramatic sigh. “This is why she is my wedding coordinator. You can’t expect me to do everything myself.”
Skye felt the energy in the room and knew Phoebe was close to her breaking point. She doubted she could win the argument. Skye gathered her internal strength, moved into the dressing room, and pasted on a smile. “Now that I am here, what can I do for you?”
“Go and check on Matthew. He said there might be a problem with the tuxedos.”
Skye left the girls and headed down the hallway to where the men were. She laid an ear on the door and heard crying...no, more like sobbing. Rapping her knuckles on the door she said, “Its Skye, can I come in?”
The door opened a crack and Ben, the best man, gave her a pained look as he opened the door for her to enter. He pointed to the groom who sat in a chair wearing only his boxers and crying.
“The tuxedo company messed up the tux order. My pants are three inches too short.” Matthew sniffed and rubbed at his red eyes. “I can’t wear these! I have to go for pictures in a few minutes and I’ll look stupid. Phoebe will kill me.”
Skye walked across the room. “Did you call the rental place?”
“Yes, but they said they can’t be here for hours.”
“Where are the pants?” Skye asked. When they pointed, she lifted the pair and pulled them up to expose the hem of the leg. “It looks like it’s been stitched under. I can get a few extra inches out if I let them down.”
There was a knock on the door and a woman called, “Photographer.”
“Oh...God.” Matthew put his hands over his eyes.
“Just a minute,” Skye answered. She turned and eyeballed one of the other groomsmen. “Stand up,” she told the groom. When he did, she nodded. “I want the two of you to switch pants. You are almost the same height. It will give me a few minutes to make the other pair longer. Matthew, you can go first and start with the pictures.”
She turned her back as the other groomsman took off his pants. When she turned back, Matthew was zipping up his fly. Skye let out the breath she’d been holding. “See? A perfect fit. Phoebe will never know. You go with the photographer and I’ll start hemming.”
Matthew grinned and headed out the door. Skye pulled the small kit from her purse and took out a needle and thread. She always needed to be prepared for anything at these weddings.
SKYE HEADED BACK TO find the girl’s dressing room empty. She grabbed her flowers off the table and hurried down the hall and out to the gardens. She assumed theyʼd already left to start the photos.
When she arrived at the French doors and opened them, she was greeted by a gust of strong wind and clasped her flowers tighter. Skye spotted Chasen off to the side of the lawn watching the wedding party. When he spotted her, he discreetly waved and smiled in her direction.
When she joined the others, she straightened Phoebe’s dress train and then applied a fresh coat of lipstick on her mouth. Phoebe waved a dismissive hand in her direction.
Skye moved back to the end of the bridesmaid’s line and waited for the photographer’s directions. Just then, another strong gust of wind hit. The large floral arrangement teetered and then fell forward. The girls screamed as Skye rushed to try and grab it. The flowers fell anyway scattering stems across the grass.
Chasen ran across the lawn and was instantly next to her trying to gather the flowers.
“Oh no! That’s it!” Phoebe cried. “This is my wedding day and it’s all ruined. A disaster.” She took a few steps closer and jabbed a finger in Skye’s direction when she stood. “And this is all your fault!”
Chasen stepped beside Skye. “How can this be Skye’s fault? It was wind.”
“Who are you?” Phoebe asked sharply.
“I’m driving your limousine.”
“Then why don’t you go back to your car and stay out of this.
I hired you to drive and not for your opinions.”
When he started to take a step, Skye took his arm. “It’s all right, Chasen. I can take care of myself.”
His mouth was a thin line as he touched her arm and then headed back across the lawn.
The florists had moved in and were placing the stems back in the holder. “See?” Skye said. “They are fine. The flower arrangement will be fixed in a few minutes. This is your wedding day, you need to enjoy it. This is just a little thing. Don’t worry about it.”
“Worry about it?” Phoebe hissed. “It’s all ruined. You’re the coordinator, everything was supposed to be perfect. ” She narrowed her eyes. “Do you think any of us girls will still be friends with you after this wedding? You’re a boring nobody who has never fit in. My daddy owns the company and he will hear about this.”
“But I haven’t done anything wrong,” Skye pleaded.
Phoebe crooked a finger in the direction of another girl who stood off to the side. “I want you to go and take off your bridesmaid dress and give it to Karen, my cousin.”
“You’re...what? You’re firing me as a bridesmaid in the middle of the wedding?”
“You’re damn right.” Phoebe put her hand on the beaded dress on her hip.
Skye looked from woman to woman. “I offered to help all of you with your weddings and work for free. I just wanted to help the three of you have the best wedding possible. Do you have any idea how many hours I put into planning behind the scenes and this is the thanks I get? I have no control over wind.”
“Maybe with Karen in here, things will run smoother. I have made up my mind. I want you gone!” Phoebe screeched as she pointed back toward the house. “Go, or I’ll get really angry.”
Karen followed her back inside. Skye looked at Karen when they got to the dressing room. “If I give you my dress, I don’t have anything to wear. I wore my bridesmaid dress here.”
The Professional Bridesmaid Page 5
