“No way! I guess it was meant to be.”
“The bouquet was this obnoxious thing two feet in diameter filled with every color flower of the rainbow. Sally was dressed like a flower child from the sixties. They got married up in the mountains, and there was dancing under the moon. With music on an iPod. I’ve never eaten a potluck meal before. It was quaint. Very different and so unorthodox but quite fun in the end. Especially when Mark kissed me during the last dance.”
Chloe raised her eyebrows. “Ooh la la, he moves fast.”
Mercedes lowered her voice, her eyes softening like a woman in love. “He showed up at my next three estate sales and flirted outrageously, finally convincing me to go out to dinner. Oh, there were fireworks, Chloe. I knew at that moment that I was going to marry him.”
“How lovely and romantic.” A vision of her own fireworks with Liam at Quantico training crossed Chloe’s mind, but she shoved it aside, stuck the memory in a box, locked it, filled it with weight, and then let it sink to the bottom of the ocean.
Liam Esposito turned out to be the worst human being on the planet when the drug raid went south and bedlam ensued, including the bomb that went off to trap and kill the FBI officers.
“Don’t doubt yourself so much, Chloe,” Mercedes said now. The words were unexpected, and Chloe mentally staggered backward. “I can tell what you’re thinking, but love and hate are close. Too close sometimes. Your first instincts were probably right.”
“Don’t play matchmaker, okay? It’s done and over, and I can hardly bear the sight of the man. In fact, there was nothing there to begin with.”
Chloe was lying, of course, not only to Mercedes, but to herself. She’d been denying the attraction for so long now, what was the point of admitting it? The fact didn’t change anything. It certainly couldn’t bring Jenna back.
“You two didn’t date a couple of years ago?”
“No!” Chloe wanted to explode. “We were part of a team—which means hands off—until we weren’t any longer. Our mothers talk too much.”
Mercedes laughed. “You’re so funny and endearing, Chloe. I’ll get out of your way and let you unpack. We have three glorious days ahead of us.”
“Glorious for you,” Chloe said darkly, but she smiled. “Actually, I’m very happy for you, Mercedes.”
“The next few days could change your life, too,” Mercedes said with a wink. “Your groomsman is Brett Sorenson, Mark’s cousin. Best man officially. You’ll adore him, we all do. He’s movie-star handsome, terribly sweet, and best of all, he loves strong women. Like you.”
“I’m a professional bridesmaid, for heaven’s sake. Nothing more girly than that.”
“You used to be FBI. I’ll bet that’s a turn-on for lots of men.”
“Not necessarily. A couple of times I told a date I went through FBI training and never heard from them again. Strong women can also be threatening.”
Mercedes waved a hand. “Only for the insecure ones. I’m getting married and beyond happy, so I’m dying to match you up with the love of your life. I have this great feeling about you and Brett. This could be your weekend.”
“I’m only here to help you.” Chloe paused, lowering her voice and checking that the bedroom door was firmly closed. “By the way, does Katey know that I’m also here to keep an eye on the diamonds?”
“Not a thing. The only people who know are you, me, and our fathers.”
“We need to keep it that way.”
Mercedes nodded just as her cell phone rang. “Its Mark!” she squealed, sliding off the bed. Within two seconds she’d disappeared out the door, and Chloe could hear her chattering while she went down the hall.
Chloe was positive she had never seen Mercedes squeal over a member of the male species. She and Mark must be meant to be.
The only problem was that Mark Westerfield was the FBI’s number one suspect in a heist they were 99% positive was going to happen this weekend.
It was also now apparent that Mercedes had no idea about Chloe’s full mission—or the suspicions on the man she was going to marry on Saturday.
Chloe intended to keep it that way, but she was mighty curious about Mercedes’s fiancé. The most eligible bachelor in Washington and one of the richest. Why would a guy like that need to steal jewels?
These were unnecessary questions, and Chloe knew it. All sorts of people committed crimes that made no sense. Was Mark Westerfield a thrill-seeker, or was he hiding a personal financial meltdown and the Romanos renting the wedding jewelry gave him an idea for a method to stay solvent? He had access, that was for sure.
But did the man have the motive, too?
While Chloe unpacked her clothes, placing dresses and sweaters on hangers and sliding lingerie into the bureau drawers, she was still annoyed that Mercedes was trying to throw men at her like Brett Sorenson—and Liam Esposito.
Which reminded her. As if she needed reminding. Chloe pulled out her phone and sent a text to Liam, informing him that she had arrived and was on the premises of the Romano mansion.
Good, Liam texted back. Call me later.
Chloe: Why? I only need to inform you when the diamonds arrive tomorrow.
Liam: I want to hear your voice.
Chloe: Believe me, you’re better off not. Especially if you want to keep your eardrums intact.
Liam: I always loved a good spar with you. Remember that time we partnered on the boxing mat and you caught me unawares and took me down to my knees?
Chloe: Go wash your mouth out with soap. Or your mind.
Liam: I’m not insinuating anything. I’m a gentleman.
Chloe: Tell that to Jenna when you forgot her in the exploding house.
There was no response for several long moments as Chloe fumed a little while she finished unpacking. When her cell phone rang, she picked it up reluctantly, but curious as to how Liam would respond.
“Wow, Chloe,” he said in a low voice. “You may not believe it, but that night haunts me. It will forever. You’ve never given me a chance to tell you the truth about what happened. I kept waiting to hear from you after you turned in your resignation letter.”
“Why would I contact you? I know what I saw. There is no forgiveness, which means there’s nothing to talk about.”
“That’s not fair.” Liam paused, and his voice was rough when he spoke again. “I know what we felt for each other, despite the rules and protocol. We both danced around the subject every single day while we worked together. Talked about it without talking about it. I’ll never forget our night under the stars.”
“Please don’t, Liam.” Chloe quickly closed the call and tossed her phone across the bed and stared at it, trying not to break down. She needed her wits and a clear head this weekend. Her emotions went crazy whenever Liam was around.
Clenching her fists and gritting her teeth, Chloe finally turned on the shower to dress for dinner. She’d been up since five a.m. lugging suitcases through a hot airport terminal.
Unfortunately, she feared that she’d never be able to get Liam Esposito out of her mind. He was like a thorn tearing at her heart. Why did the man she’d been convinced was her soul mate turn out to be exactly the opposite of the man she’d always dreamed of?
Chapter 9
Dinner was lovely, and it gave Chloe a chance to meet all the players in this strange wedding game.
Aunt Aurelia still smelled like the jasmine she grew around the house. A memory that surprised Chloe when her aunt embraced her.
“Oh, Chloe, we’re so pleased you’re going to be Mercedes’s bridesmaid. The perfect choice! It was so difficult to think about having twelve attendants when the perfect one was staring us in the face.”
“I know! I was just staring at y’all all the way from South Carolina!” Chloe said, amused.
Aunt Aurelia laughed at herself, and her laughter was a sound Chloe had always loved. She made every family reunion enjoyable with stories of her escapades living abroad before she met Uncle Max at a hostel in
Spain when they were both broke and used to go skinny-dipping at midnight in the Mediterranean.
“It works out perfectly,” Aurelia went on. “Especially when Mark’s brother Gary is already married to Debi. They have twin daughters, too, you know. Their single cousin is the perfect candidate for best man. You two will make a nice pair walking down the aisle together.”
Aunt Aurelia lifted both eyebrows at Chloe, the hint as big as Mount Everest.
“As long as he’s devastatingly handsome and clever,” Chloe joked.
“He is,” her aunt said, taking the comment seriously. “You will have a difficult time not succumbing to his charms.”
Across the dinner table, Mercedes caught Chloe’s eye. “Wouldn’t it be amazing if we also became sisters-in-law by marrying two brothers? No, not sisters-in-law—cousins-in-law. Oh, you know what I mean!”
Aunt Aurelia clapped her hands in delight. “What a perfect idea. Do fall in love, Chloe. We need another wedding in the family. Don’t put it off too long. The years are whizzing past much too quickly.”
Chloe took a sip from her water goblet. The chicken cordon bleu was suddenly very dry. She patted her mouth with her napkin while Mr. Vincent, the man Uncle Max employed as butler/server, began whisking away the dinner plates to serve a strawberry and peach trifle loaded with whipped cream on fine china plates.
Uncle Max cleared his throat from the end of the table. He was a distinguished man, older brother to Chloe’s father, broad-shouldered and trim with an impressive mustache that was the same salt-and-pepper color as his hair. “Let Chloe enjoy her dinner, please.”
Chloe smiled at him and he winked in return. She’d always liked Uncle Max. He was easygoing and always welcoming, despite his frequent scarcity due to work travel.
“Mark’s nieces will be the flower girls,” Aunt Aurelia went on. “Beautiful children, they’ll look so lovely in the photos. Oh, that reminds me. Will you please check with the wedding planner about the photographer, Chloe? I think we need her to arrive a little sooner tomorrow for the rehearsal dinner. She could take family group pictures.”
Chloe whipped out the small notebook she kept tucked into the pocket of her skirt and jotted a note.
“Dinner was splendid,” Uncle Max said to Mr. Vincent after eating every morsel of his dessert and leaving the plate practically spotless. “I’m going to have to walk two hours to burn up all these calories. When I look around the dining room, I get nostalgic thinking that this is the last meal we will have as a family before you are married, Mercedes.”
“I was just thinking the same thing, Daddy.”
“Oh, Max, you sentimental old thing,” Aurelia told him, patting his hand. “Tomorrow’s rehearsal dinner will be with the new in-laws, and it will never be like this again.”
“Families that grow bigger with each new generation stay alive with love,” Chloe told her aunt. “You’re gaining a son.”
“You’re so wise, sweetheart,” Aunt Aurelia said, smiling through watery eyes.
A sick feeling swept through Chloe. She hoped this jewelry stakeout and her undercover job would end up for naught. She hated to think that Mark Westerfield was really up to his eyeballs in a scheme to steal his bride’s jewelry.
“Did Celine change her mind about attending the wedding?” Chloe asked. “I hope so.”
“Actually, she did,” Mercedes answered. “She called late last night. She said that despite her protests over our family’s brazen display of wealth, she couldn’t miss her own sister’s wedding. She arrives sometime later tonight.”
“I don’t think I’ve seen her in years. She was in India, wasn’t she, when Grandpa Tony passed away? And she missed the last couple of family vacations. I’m not sure I’d even recognize her,” Chloe joked.
“You wouldn’t,” her aunt replied in a sideways hush. “My youngest daughter is an anomaly. I don’t understand her. She went to school clear across the country at Berkeley and hasn’t been the same since. She’s a …” Chloe’s aunt paused and glanced about the dining room with its gold-papered walls and flower-filled alabaster urns. “An activist protestor.”
“What Mother means is that my sister is an environmentalist and likes to march for lots of causes. She saves the whales, hugs trees, spends weeks in remote jungles to help orphan children learn how to read, and organizes rallies to protect impoverished children.”
“She and my mother have similar passions,” Chloe said. “She’s very active in adoption programs and helping with the Catholic orphanage charities. Last week it was the Presbyterians who are doing a joint project with several churches, including the Baptists and Mormons. She’s really quite something. Manages to bring people from all sorts of backgrounds to rally together for the sake of children who need foster parents.”
“Aunt Diana and Celine will have a lot to talk about,” Mercedes said. “We’ll have to seat them next to each other at the rehearsal dinner.”
“Seat me next to who?” a voice said from the doorway. Celine Romano sauntered into the dining room and glanced around. “Did you save me any food, Mom?”
“Of course, darling. Mr. Vincent, will you bring a fresh plate for Celine?” Aurelia asked the man who was hovering near the door.
There were moments Chloe thought she was living with royalty. It was disconcerting, despite the fact that her own father had a secretary assistant in Mr. Smith and a full-time staff as governor. But that was temporary, he only had two years left of the second term. After that, her parents would return to “civilian” life in their old house across town.
“Did your flight get in early, Celine?” her mother asked, rising to embrace her youngest daughter.
“Yes, I caught a cab. Thanks for the travel dough, Dad.”
Uncle Max rose from the end of the table, giving Celine a quick kiss and holding her by the shoulders for a moment to gaze into her face. “I didn’t want you missing your sister’s wedding because you’re unemployed or some such.”
Celine winced and gave Chloe a grimace from across the room.
“I must attend to some phone calls before the night is over,” he added. “I will see you beautiful ladies in the morning.”
He winked around the room before swinging through the outer door back to the foyer. His footsteps on the black marble floor faded quickly.
Chloe jumped out of her chair to hug Celine. “It’s great to see you. Gosh, it’s been a long time.”
“So I heard.” Celine’s eyes were filled with mischief.
“You’ve been eavesdropping, haven’t you?” her mother accused. “You have never outgrown that naughty habit, my girl.”
Celine flounced around the room in shorts and a T-shirt, plopping herself down at an empty plate. She filled a water goblet and drank it down in three gulps. “But it’s the only way to learn such interesting things. I think the last time I hugged a tree was when we built that tree house.”
“I was merely speaking in metaphors,” Aunt Aurelia said.
“Is the tree house still there?” Chloe asked.
Celine gave a sigh. “A couple of holes where the wood rotted away, but we’ll have to check it out tomorrow when its daylight. If you can spare five minutes away from the wedding of the century.”
“Oh, stop it,” Mercedes told her. “It’s my wedding. I want it to be perfect, and special. Something I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”
“And you will,” Aunt Aurelia reassured her.
“It’s going to be a lovely day,” Chloe added. “No nerves, no jitters, no worries. We’re under control. You just focus on getting enough rest so you don’t have bags under your eyes—and loving on Mark.”
“That’s the easy part,” Mercedes said slyly. “Speaking of dark circles under the eyes, I have a professional coming to the house to do facials tomorrow, Chloe. Cucumbers and everything.”
“Alrighty.” Chloe clicked her ballpoint pen and made a quick note. The schedule for Friday was heating up. She tried to remember when her p
arents’ flight came in, but couldn’t recall. She sent a quick text message to her mother under the tablecloth.
Five minutes later, Celine had wolfed down her dinner, but only ate the salad and veggies. “Vegetarian,” she told Chloe.
Chloe smiled. “I figured. You look wonderful, Celine. Very fit and healthy. I want to know more about your overseas adventures and humanitarian projects.”
“We can grab a hammer and some nails and do some repairs while catching up in the tree house,” Celine replied. “Perhaps after the wedding is over.”
“We can figure it out after Saturday night. I left my return ticket open-ended. Sunday should be quiet, and we can all catch up on our sleep before flying back home.”
But only if the more than half million dollar diamonds made it safely back to the bank.
“In forty-eight hours, I’ll be Mrs. Mark Westerfield,” Mercedes said. “I want to show you my wedding dress, Celine and Chloe. Come upstairs.”
Mr. Vincent entered the room just as they were all rising from the table. “Excuse me, ma’am,” he said to Mrs. Romano. “Mr. Mark Westerfield has just arrived. I put him in the front drawing room.”
“He’s here,” squealed Mercedes, then quickly composed herself. “You could have just brought him into the dining room, Mr. Vincent. There’s piles of fruit trifle left, and I know how much he loves it.”
The butler smiled. “I’ll have Mrs. Benson fix him a dish to take home.”
“Perfect.” Mercedes grabbed Chloe’s hand and tugged her out of the room.
This Mercedes was unlike the lifelong Mercedes that Chloe had always known. The proper, cultured girl who liked to put on airs, pretend she was a princess, and speak in accents when they were growing up, was excited and in love. It was nice to see, but the sight only made Chloe’s stomach ache. Please be wrong, Liam Esposito, she thought. Darn you, anyway! I banished you from my life once already.
Eager to meet the mysterious Mark Westerfield, Chloe allowed herself to be yanked from the dining room. They crossed the foyer and walked down a short hallway to a sitting room decorated in white couches and silver trimmings.
The Undercover Bridesmaid Page 6
