“Time well spent,” she murmured as she dried off.
Slipping on her robe, she walked out to her bedroom and contemplated her next move – call Julianne or call for Chinese takeout? The Chinese restaurant down the block delivered, but she had a feeling she’d need at least an hour to talk to Jules and see how the week was.
“Friends then food,” she said, going out to the living room to grab her phone. She pulled up Julianne’s number as she got comfortable on the couch and decided that blow-drying one’s hair for a night alone at home was pointless.
“One less thing to do!” she said happily as she listened to the phone ring on the other end.
“You’re back!” Julianne said as she answered the phone.
“Yup, I’m home!”
“How was it? Was it good? Did you take lots of pictures?” They both started to laugh because this had become a routine for them – Kayla would go away on an assignment and her first call to Julianne always consisted of those first three questions as a way of kicking off the conversation.
“It was good,” Kayla began. “Better than I thought it would be. The weather was great, I took way more pictures than I needed and even have some banked for the future.”
“That’s awesome! Yay, you! Do we need to go out and celebrate?”
Kayla told her what she had planned for the night. “My flight home wasn’t direct so I’ve been up and traveling since about five this morning. Maybe we can grab an early dinner before class on Tuesday? What do you think?”
“Hmm…normally I’d say yes but I want to be able to hang out with no time limits. It’s been a…well…it’s been a weird and somewhat rough week.”
“Uh-oh…what happened? Was it wedding stuff?”
Julianne told her about the multiple TMI moments from Natalie first.
“Oh my God! I can’t believe I missed that! Do you think she’ll share them with me on Tuesday? I really hope she does! Damn!” She laughed at the thought of it. “Little Miss Uptight got down and dirty with her husband and shared the details! I love it!”
Julianne laughed with her. “It was interesting. She completely threw us for a loop with how bold she was about talking about it.”
“I’ll bet!”
“Then I was getting a weird vibe from Brady.”
“Kickboxing Brady?”
“Yup.”
“Weird how?”
“I thought he was hitting on me and I freaked out and made sure the girls were going to come with me after Zumba on Tuesday to go kickbox.”
“O-kay…”
“And it turns out he wasn’t hitting on me,” Julianne said with a hint of disappointment.
“That’s a good thing, Jules, isn’t it?”
“It is. I know it is. But I have to admit, it kind of made me feel…good. Not that I would have acted on it, but it’s nice to know that someone other than Gavin finds me attractive.”
“Oh, sweetie, everyone finds you attractive,” Kayla said reassuringly. “You’re the hot one in our little squad.”
“Stop,” Julianne argued with a small laugh. “That’s not true.”
“It’s totally true,” Kayla responded. “You’re the hot one, Natalie’s the uptight one, Harper’s the practical one and I’m the bitch.”
Julianne burst out laughing. When she finally stopped, she yelled at Kayla. “Where do you get this stuff? That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard!”
“No, it’s accurate. Think about it. You, my friend, are tall, blonde and thin. We all hate you because of it. Mainly because we can’t borrow any of your fabulous clothes.”
She was still laughing. “Stop…”
“Harper is older than us and she’s just practical. She’s got a good head on her shoulders and has a way of keeping us all in line.”
“Okay, I’ll agree with you on that one,” Julianne said. “My big sister rocks.”
“And come on, Natalie is so totally uptight,” she said with a laugh of her own. “But maybe Jayce banged that out of her on the kitchen counter!”
“Kayla!” Julianne cried out, but laughed at the same time.
“What? It’s completely possible that she has chilled out now! Only time will tell…”
“Fine. I can see your point there.” She paused. “Oh! You’re not going to believe this…so my mom came to Zumba Tuesday night.”
“No!”
“Uh-huh! And as usual, she upset Harper – twice – and after the second incident, I started to yell at her about the whole thing. Of course, she pretended like she didn’t know what I was talking about and I got frustrated. But then Natalie jumped in and let my mom have it!”
“Shut the front door!” Kayla cried, sitting up straight. “Why does all the good shit happen while I’m out of town?”
“Girl, it was amazing! She laid into my mom and told her she was mean and how she should be ashamed of herself!”
“I cannot imagine your mother taking that lightly.”
“Oh, she didn’t. She left with a reminder that when we’re ready to apologize, we know where to find her.”
“Man, I can’t believe I missed that. It must have made dress shopping on Saturday pretty awkward, huh?”
“She canceled the appointment,” Julianne said.
“No way! So now what?”
“Well, she texted me on Thursday to cancel and all I responded with was ‘okay.’ Then I waited until Saturday to call her.”
“And did you apologize?”
“No I did not, and it was painful. You know I usually cave in situations like that. But I held my ground and told her that she needed to call Enchanted Bridal and reschedule and that Harper and I would go with her. She resisted and played it cool for a little while, but she eventually caved. Now we’re going this Saturday.”
“I am so proud of you.”
“I know, right? I feel like a big girl now.”
“And you should. That’s awesome. Do you think she’ll behave at the bridal shop? Is it just the three of you going?”
“It is just the three of us, unfortunately. Although, I have to admit, Hailey has been really great. The day we were there for my gowns, she talked to me a lot while helping me try them on. She told me how it’s not unusual for the mother of the bride to be a handful and that she and the girls were kind of pros with dealing with them.”
“Well that’s good. Would she consider moving in with your mom until the wedding?” Kayla joked.
“I already asked and she said no,” Julianne deadpanned. “I was highly disappointed.”
“Can you imagine the things they must see? I mean, you’re seeing now how stressful planning a wedding can be. They see dozens, if not hundreds, of brides. I’m sure they’ve seen fights and people freaking out and bridal parties that don’t get along…”
“I’m sure. But they seem to handle it all okay. Apparently Hailey’s mom started the business and recently retired, but Hailey’s been helping out all her life. Hailey and her partners, Angie, Becca and Ella, all used to model in their weekly fashion shows!”
“Wait, they do weekly fashion shows? Why didn’t we go to one of them? That could have been fun and then we could have skipped trying on fifty different dresses!”
“But that was so much fun!” Julianne said happily. “I loved seeing all of you in the different dresses! I think it worked better than watching models walk around in them. Now you guys know how they all feel and you were able to make an informed decision.”
“Yes, but we could have gone in there with a narrowed-down list,” Kayla countered.
“Too late. You did it and you survived.”
“True. But now you get to go back and do it all again with your mom.” The evil laugh she let out conveyed her feelings on it. “Good luck with that!”
“Okay, now see…this is how you labeling yourself as the bitch of the group makes total sense!” Julianne teased.
“I told you!”
“Stop, you know I love you and…” She p
aused. “Shit. Kay, I gotta go. Gavin’s beeping in and he’s supposed to be on his way home. I’ll see you for Zumba on Tuesday, right?”
“Definitely!”
She hung up and immediately called Oriental Jade to place her dinner order. With the promise of her food being delivered in thirty minutes, Kayla got up and decided to start organizing her work. Grabbing her camera’s memory card from its holder, she booted up her computer and waited anxiously for it to start up so she could get her first look at her pictures.
Five minutes later, she sat back in her chair with a satisfied grin. “Damn, I’m good,” she murmured. With the first twenty pictures or so being of the desert at sunset, she began tweaking things – cropping and playing around with different finishes for a more dramatic look. Of course, the raw, untouched picture was almost always her favorite, but sometimes Mother Nature needed a little Photoshop to make her look more spectacular.
Kayla decided to stop playing around and simply look at the shots, so she leaned toward her thirty-four-inch monitor and studied the pictures. One after another played as a slide show and with each one, she felt a sense of satisfaction – even the less-than-stellar ones still made her smile.
The knock on the door startled her because she had lost track of time – something that often happened while she was working. Jumping up, she cursed because her hair was damp and she was still in her robe.
“Just a minute!” she called out. Running around, she grabbed her wallet and figured she could just hide behind the door a bit to conceal her appearance. The thought of throwing on any clothes made her angry when she was so comfortable.
Another knock.
“I’ll be right there!” she yelled out as she went to the door and pulled it open. “Sorry, I…”
“Hey, Kayla.”
It was Adam.
Holding her bag of Chinese food.
“Adam!” she said with a slight gasp. “What…what are you doing here?” And stupidly, she pulled her robe closed a little tighter.
“Can I come in?”
“Um…”
“I have your food,” he teased, waving the bag at her. “And I’m not opposed to holding it hostage.”
That broke some of the tension. Opening the door a little more, she motioned for him to come in. “If I weren’t so tired and hungry, I would have put up more of a fight.”
“I know you would have,” he said as he stepped inside. And like he was entitled, he walked right to the kitchen and pulled down plates, grabbed silverware and then put it all on the coffee table because he knew she usually ate all her meals there. Then he went back and grabbed two cans of soda for them before sitting down on the couch.
All Kayla could do was stare.
“Food’s getting cold,” he said with a lopsided grin.
Damn him.
A million thoughts played in her mind – mainly, why was he torturing her like this? But then her stomach growled loudly and she forced herself to sit down. She went to protest when he made himself a plate, but she had ordered extra so…
“I heard the meteor shower was spectacular,” he said after taking his first bite of the crispy duck. “From what I saw on the news, it seemed like there were a ton of people out viewing it.”
They ate and talked about how her week went, just like they used to do. This was part of their routine, who they were. The only difference was that Adam used to come and pick her up from the airport and they’d grab food on their way home.
Only…they never ate right away. There was always a frantic race to the bedroom and then they would eat, sometimes while they were still naked and in bed.
“Have you looked at any of the pictures yet?” he asked.
“I was just starting to go through them,” she said. “The slide show’s up on the computer if you want to look.”
Putting his plate down, Adam got up and went to the computer and Kayla’s stomach knotted up. She knew they were good photos, but it was always a little nerve-racking when someone else looked at them. He went through all of them, all two hundred of them–, silently. When he was done, he turned and leaned on the desk as he looked at her.
“They’re amazing, Kayla. Truly amazing.”
Relief washed over her and she felt like she could finally breathe. “Thanks. I haven’t studied them all, but I’m very pleased with the shots I got.”
“And you should be,” he said with a small smile. Then he stepped away from the desk and rejoined her on the couch. When he picked up his plate, he hesitated. “It felt weird to know you were back from a trip and…and I wasn’t there to pick you up.”
“Yeah,” she said quietly. “For me too.”
Leaning forward, Adam put his plate back down on the coffee table and faced her. “I don’t know what to do with this, Kayla,” he said slowly. “I mean, I know what I want, but…I also know it’s impossible to have.”
“You took me by surprise the other day,” she said honestly, putting her own plate down. “We never talked about the future and then you throw that at me and…and I didn’t have any time to think about it.”
“I didn’t want you to have time to think about it. I wanted to know how you honestly felt. And I think…that’s exactly what you did,” he said sadly. He took one of her hands in his and gently caressed it. “You can’t change who you are any more than I can. I thought that this – what we have or had – was enough. But it’s not anymore.”
She refused to cry. Refused to. But the lump in her throat needed a minute to dissipate before she could speak.
“Then what are you doing here?” she asked quietly.
His gaze held hers and she could feel the change in the air, in them.
“I couldn’t stay away,” he admitted.
In that moment, Kayla knew if she asked him to leave, he would. And if they were over – really over – that’s what she needed to do.
But it wasn’t what she wanted. At all. She knew what she wanted and she was willing to take the risk and ask for it.
Standing up, her hand still in his, she said, “I didn’t want you to stay away.”
Then she slowly pulled him to his feet and led him to the bedroom.
****
Hailey looked up at the sound of someone knocking on her office door. “Hey, Penny! Come on in!”
“I’m sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if you had a minute.”
“Absolutely. Have a seat,” she said with a smile. “What’s up?” Penny sat with a bakery box in her lap and folded her hands delicately on top of it. Hailey could tell she was nervous. “Everything okay?”
Nodding, Penny gave her a small smile. “I’ve been going to the gym,” she stated.
“O-kay…” Once again, she looked at the bakery box and then up at Penny.
“Fitness Frenzy – the one where Julianne Burke teaches Zumba,” Penny added for clarification.
“Oh…good for you! Are you having fun with it?”
She nodded. “I am but…okay, here’s the thing – it’s kind of addictive and so I’ve been going almost every day. Julianne’s a great instructor and the classes are so much fun and they make me feel great and energized!”
Hailey studied her for a moment. “And…were you thinking of adding this to what we offer here at Enchanted? I don’t know that we have the space…”
“Oh! No,” Penny quickly interrupted. “That’s not what I meant at all. Sorry. Um…because I’ve been going so much, I’ve gotten to know Julianne a bit and Harper and Kayla were at two of the classes I went to so I got to talk to them too.”
“Well…that’s a good thing. It’s always nice when we build relationships with our clients…”
“I saw on the schedule that Julianne and Harper are coming in with their mother today,” Penny said cautiously.
And then it all became clear – Penny had some information but didn’t want to gossip. Hailey relaxed a bit. “And you know something that you think will help us out to make it all go smoothly.”
“Yes!” Penny said with a happy sigh. “Exactly.”
“Okay, let’s hear it,” Hailey prompted. “How can we be better prepared for today’s appointment?”
“Julianne shared with me about how her mother and sister aren’t really getting along and the reason they canceled last week was because of a big fight. I’m guessing their outing today is going to be the first time they’re all getting together since then.”
“So what do you suggest?” Hailey asked, genuinely curious to see how her new protégé would handle the situation.
Penny considered the question for a moment. “Mrs. Burke loves the mimosas, but she prefers scones over muffins,” she began. “Julianne mentioned cranberry scones in particular so maybe we can start by having those out as part of their refreshment tray.” Then she held up the bakery box. “I know they’re not from Becca but I know she usually doesn’t have scones and I have a great bakery by my house that makes them so…I hope it’s okay that I picked some up.”
Hailey began to smile. “I think it’s a great idea, Penny. Really. Go on…”
“I believe Mrs. Burke was also going to email you about a dress she was interested in – something about diamond spaghetti straps?”
Hailey nodded. “I got her email and I’ve found something similar for her. The one she was asking about was part of a line that was out three years ago.”
“Okay, good. She seems to be really excited about that one. However…,” Penny began and then paused and bit her lip. “Um…maybe we shouldn’t encourage that one.”
Color her surprised! “Tell me why…”
“Well, it was kind of mentioned how this particular dress was one that Mrs. Burke fell in love with and planned on wearing for one of Harper’s weddings. And considering how that topic is a source of contention, maybe her wearing it wouldn’t be the best thing. It’s going to remind Harper of an unfortunate time in her past and it’s going to take away from the originality of Julianne’s big day. Does that make sense? Am I thinking too much about this?”
Leaning back in her chair, Hailey smiled proudly. “It makes perfect sense and I have to say that I am thoroughly impressed with the thought and consideration you put into it.”
The Bridal Squad Page 15
