by Pamela Yaye
“So he was tall and good-looking. And he owns an investments company.”
“And he’s not The One,” Teddy said, intent on ending the conversation. “Not even close.”
“All right, I get it.” Diana raised her hands in defeat. “Conversation over. But I have hope for you. You’ll stop playing the field and find the right man one day.” Diana gathered her cup and smiled. “Just like I did.”
Diana headed for her office, and when Diana could no longer see her, Teddy repeated, “Not even close.”
Chapter 2
Soft music played in the massive cathedral in New York. Saint Patrick’s had sat on Fifth Avenue since 1858. Teddy wondered how many weddings had taken place there as she looked over the assembly of friends and relatives invited to the fourth marriage of Jessica Halston. Teddy didn’t want to think about the number of favors she’d called in to make this ceremony happen. A three-time divorced non-Catholic being married at Saint Pat’s. Even Cardinal Richelieu was probably turning over in his seventeenth-century grave. It was truly a miracle.
Teddy glanced around. People seated in pews spoke in low tones, but the sound rising to the high arches made even a whisper loud. Along the sides Teddy saw someone she thought she knew. She blinked. She had to be mistaken. What would Adam Sullivan be doing here? The man moved behind one of the huge columns that supported the massive structure. She waited, watching for him to reappear. Before that happened, she heard a voice through her earbud.
“The bride needs you.” Renee, one of her consultants and Teddy’s right hand, spoke in her ear. She pressed the earpiece closer and lowered her head to hear over the noise made by the many tourists admiring the massive building. “Where is she?”
“Dressing room.”
Teddy was already moving, forgetting the man she was following. “Is she all right?” Many brides got cold feet even this close to saying “I do.” It didn’t matter if the bride had already been to the altar three times, she could still be plagued by reservations.
“She needs a little encouragement.”
That could mean anything from a full-blown refusal to leave the dressing room, to a broken nail. Teddy moved down the stairs to the dressing room, going as fast as she could. She knocked quietly and entered. Jessica stood in the middle of the room—alone. For a fourth wedding, she looked as fresh and bright as she had at her first. Teddy had been present for all three of them.
“You look great,” Teddy said. It was always good to let the bride know that her appearance was perfect. “When Donald sees you, he’ll be bowled over.” Teddy moved closer to her. “Would you like me to get the veil?”
“Is everything ready?” Jessica asked.
Teddy recognized the unspoken question. Most brides had the same fear. They were afraid of being left standing at the altar. Even making the trip down the aisle for the fourth time, the fear was still there. Teddy understood how to answer her, so Jessica could conceal her fear and save face.
“Everything is ready. The bridesmaids are all here, dressed and looking like a picture. The best man and groom are in the vestibule. He’s got cold hands by the way.”
Jessica laughed. “Cold hands, warm feet.”
Teddy felt her relax. Some of the tension left her body. Teddy lifted her veil and brought it to her. “The church is packed. Everyone is in place. All we need is you.” She gave Jessica a reassuring smile. “Ready?”
“Ready.”
* * *
Saint Patrick’s Cathedral did not stop the tourists from walking around while services were in progress. When the strangers realized there was a wedding, they lowered their voices but did not leave the building as good manners dictated. Teddy, sitting on the last pew next to Renee, had long since relegated them to an inconsequential nuisance.
She surveyed the party in the front of the church, smiling at the perfect photo they made. Teddy’s mind, however, was on the minister. Not a priest, but the result of calling in another favor. No matter how many times she heard the wedding vows, they still commanded her attention. From the corner of her eye, she saw several people moving along the outside aisle that led to the exit. A man stepped into the pew she and the three junior consultants sat on, but she wasn’t looking at him. Her attention was on the bride and groom, and she thought he was being courteous to other visitors coming in the building. But when he stopped directly next to her, she turned to glance at him.
“Adam?” she whispered. “What are you doing here?”
Stunned, Teddy was so focused on Adam’s unexpected appearance that she missed the last words of the ceremony and the kiss. The sudden sound of organ music snapped her out of her trance. She had to move. Adam didn’t have a chance to answer her question before she was needed to take care of more details. The three consultants were all on their feet and moving outside. The bride and groom were on their way up the long aisle preceded by a photographer and a videographer. Teddy lost sight of Adam as she followed them, all the while speaking into the headset she wore.
Bright sunlight blinded her. Using one hand to shade her eyes, Teddy directed the security staff she’d hired. They were already in place controlling the crowd of well-wishers and onlookers. Teddy and her assistants helped to place the wedding party for the photographs. Adam Sullivan came into view and the two shared a moment of staring at each other before she turned back to her charges.
It wasn’t like they found each other across a crowded room, she told herself. And what was he doing here, anyway? She’d seen the guest list. He wasn’t on it. She had a job to do and she didn’t need him here as a distraction. Jessica wanted everything to go smoothly and Teddy prided herself on giving the bride her due. One of the security guards tapped Adam on the shoulder and he moved to the back of the crowd.
For forty minutes the photographers took pictures. Teddy held flowers, smoothed hair away from a face, pushed a bridesmaid’s errant bra strap into place and even stood completely concealed behind a bridesmaid as she held the woman’s dress in place for a better fit. As she did this, Teddy searched the faces on the sidelines for Adam’s.
When they moved inside, Teddy stayed with the bridal party while the others headed for the reception at the Waldorf Astoria. The photographer had things under control and one of his assistants had put the items not needed on a pew. He was likely to be another forty-five minutes before finishing his capture of this moment in time. Teddy took the moment to look around for Adam.
He stood along the rear wall. She headed for him. “Your presence here can’t be a coincidence,” Teddy said when she was close enough to him that no one else would hear her.
“Apparently, I’m here for you.”
“Me?” She frowned, her hand going to her breasts. “Why? I’m in the middle of a wedding and I didn’t...I mean, we didn’t agree to meet again.”
“It’s out of our hands.”
“I don’t understand,” Teddy said.
“You have to pick up something this afternoon before you go back to New Jersey.”
“A painting,” she said. “My moth—” Teddy suddenly stopped. She fully understood. Her mother had called Adam and told him she was going to the gallery today to pick up a painting and bring it back to Princeton. When she went home in a few weeks, she’d take it with her.
“Another setup, I see,” Adam said.
“You don’t have to do this,” Teddy protested. “I’m sure you’re busy. It’s a small canvas and I can carry it on the train.”
“I’m here now. I don’t mind driving you since we will be heading in the same direction.”
“You drove?”
He nodded.
“Teddy?”
She looked back at the photographer and waved at him to indicate she’d be a moment.
“I have to go now. The reception is at the Waldorf. When I leave there I’
m going—”
“I know,” he interrupted. “I have all the details.”
“Of course you do.” Teddy knew her mother was nothing if not thorough.
“I’ll see you at the reception.”
Teddy nodded and rushed to the front of the church. As she went to work on the necessary details that needed attention, she couldn’t help but look over her shoulder to see if Adam was still standing there.
He wasn’t.
* * *
Two hours later Adam caught up with Teddy just inside the main ballroom. “Would you like to dance?” he asked.
“I’m not a guest here,” she told him. “And neither are you.”
“Your duties are over. You were invited to the reception, so you’re free now.” He took her hand and pulled her close. “Would you like to dance?”
He didn’t give her time to answer. And he didn’t put her hand on his waist. Her hand rested below his belt on the strong haunches of his lower back. She didn’t move it—not away at least. He felt her hesitation and she pushed it down an inch. Heat rushed through his clothes, up his back and into his neck. Adam felt the scorching flame beneath her skin.
His eyes were staring at her. He had to move, snap out of the paralytic state he was in. Moving his feet, he circled her onto the floor and she fell in step with him. He knew she wouldn’t fight him. That would cause a scene, and at a wedding this important or even one that wasn’t, Teddy wouldn’t ruin the day for the newly married couple. He’d garnered that from talking to her during their blind date.
She danced well. She was light in his arms as he led her from one step to another. She followed him as if they’d practiced for hours. Adam enjoyed it. He didn’t dance much, but in his youth he’d been known to command the floor.
When the music stopped, they headed toward the staff table. Adam grabbed two bottles of water and they both drank thirstily.
“You two looked great out there.” Renee smiled as she joined them. She was shorter than Teddy with light brown eyes and hair the same color that was pulled back, exposing her entire oval-shaped face.
“Adam, this is Renee Hart. She’s a fantastic assistant.”
Renee blushed as the two shook hands and exchanged the customary greeting. The assistant began clearing away the few things on the table that he assumed would go back to the office. Turning to Teddy, she said, “Your bag is over there.” She pointed toward the wall behind the table. Adam saw a small canvas bag lying there. “We’re all packed and about to head back.”
“All right,” Teddy said. “I’ll see you on Monday.”
Renee said goodbye, leaving the two of them alone.
Teddy turned back to him. “I’m finished now. I guess we should go get the painting, unless you want to dance again.”
* * *
Adam drove the SUV expertly through the crowded Manhattan streets. Yellow cabs, buses and New York drivers proved no match for his skill.
“How was the wedding?” he asked.
“Do you really want to know?” Teddy remembered his comment on weddings in general. “I thought you didn’t go in for the happily ever after.”
“I don’t. I was only making conversation.”
It was a long ride back to Princeton. It would be even longer if they didn’t talk. “The wedding was beautiful. The bride was beautiful. Several of her bridesmaids cried. You saw the church.”
“How long does it take to plan a wedding?”
“I thought you were married before. How long did yours take?”
“We didn’t have all the bells and whistles. We went to the justice of the peace and got married,” Adam said.
Teddy was surprised. “Your wife didn’t want a big wedding?”
“She did, but we couldn’t afford it. So we decided to use the money we had for the honeymoon.”
“Maybe next time,” Teddy said, forgetting his beliefs.
“There will be no next time,” he said. His voice was final.
“Then you better stop your mother from setting up blind dates for you.”
“Oh, it’s on the top of my list of things to do.”
Teddy laughed. “If you find a solution to that, please send me an email and share it so I can stop my mother.”
Teddy reached down and opened the small package she’d brought with her. Inside was a pair of shoes, which she traded for the ones she was wearing.
Adam glanced at her.
“Different muscles,” she explained.
“What does that mean?”
“After a wedding or a long day on my feet, changing my shoes means I use different muscles in my legs and they don’t get as tired.”
“From the way you were all over the place, you must be tired of running.”
Teddy sighed. “This one wasn’t that bad. The cathedral was huge, but everything ran rather smoothly. Jessica will be pleased.”
“Jessica is the bride, I take it?”
Teddy nodded. “For the fourth time.”
“Four husbands?” he said.
“She keeps us in business.”
He must have mulled that over. Adam lapsed into silence while he maneuvered through the traffic. Teddy realized she’d given him more ammunition to support his impression about weddings and marriage. Thankfully, traffic was clogging and Adam kept his attention on the road.
Finally they reached the gallery. Adam pulled into a space someone vacated and the two of them went inside. The place was bright with light. Huge windows covered the entire first story. Interior lights were placed strategically toward paintings to give them the best appearance.
A man came from the back of the small building. He was about six feet tall with gray hair, a potbelly and a welcoming smile. “Ms. Granville?”
Teddy nodded.
“I’m Gene Restonson, the gallery owner.”
“I’m Theresa Granville, Gemma Granville’s daughter, here to pick up a painting you’re holding for her.” Teddy introduced Adam. Gene shook hands with them both.
“We were just finishing packing it up. Give me a moment,” he said with a smile that took in both her and Adam. “Excuse me.”
Teddy nodded and he left them to go to the back.
The huge windows looked out on the afternoon traffic. Teddy moved away from them, going to a painting on a back wall. It was a landscape of the sea and sky. Adam came up behind her. “You know what they’re doing, right?”
She turned to him. “‘They’?”
“Our mothers.”
“What?”
“They’re going to keep throwing us together in hopes that we finally decide to date.”
“I’m sure I can handle that,” Teddy told him.
“I can, too. We’re both very busy, but I think there’s another option that will satisfy us all.”
Teddy was intrigued. “What is that? You’re not going to propose?” She held her breath. It wasn’t possible, but she was unsure of what he might do. He’d appeared out of the blue today and after their conversation on weddings at dinner, he could be setting her up for anything.
He shook his head. “No, that’s not it.”
“You have my attention. What do you think we should do?”
“I think we should give them what they want.”
“I thought you weren’t going to propose.” Teddy had no idea where this was going. “They want us to fall in love and get married.”
“So we pretend to fall in love,” Adam said.
“What?”
“It’s not so strange.”
“Pretend lovers. Those plots don’t work in books, let alone with two people who don’t know each other.”
“That’s what makes it perfect. We can spend the time getting to know each other. At leas
t, that’s what we’ll tell them.”
“And how do we get out of this, when my mother starts making appointments for the church, the cake and asking me for the wedding gown design?”
“It won’t go that far. We’ll keep it up until Christmas. Then we’ll tell them it didn’t work out and we’ll be free of each other.”
Teddy stared at him. “Free of each other,” she repeated.
“I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. We’ll have satisfied our parents for the time being. Mine will usually not bother me for a year after a breakup.”
“And with the new year,” Teddy said. “They’ll be too busy to bother us for several more months. By then, maybe we can convince them that their meddling produced disastrous results and we’re in command of our own love lives.”
“Giving each of us time to find our own partners, if that’s our intention.”
Teddy shook her head, indicating that was not her intention.
“We’ll call it the Marriage Pact,” Adam suggested.
Teddy glanced up at him skeptically. “You know, you’re way too into this.”
He smiled, showing his even, white teeth.
“Shouldn’t it be the Pretend We’re Falling in Love Pact? After all there will be no wedding planning.”
“Too many words.” He frowned as if he was seriously considering it. “Are you in?”
“I’m not sure...” She hesitated. “I hate to deceive my mother.” She paused a moment. “Although...”
“Although what?”
“Although she’d deceived me a number of times.” Teddy remembered when her mother threatened to send out wedding invitations with “Groom: TBA” on them if Teddy didn’t find her own date.
“Well?” he prompted.
“I think we should think this through more. For example, we don’t know much about each other.”
“We’ll go on a few dates and come up with our story.”
“How are we going to handle the holidays? You said this would be over by Christmas. A lot of planning goes into the family holidays.”
“We’ll have everything in order,” he told her.
