Tempting Kate

by Jennifer Snow

  Kate gazed longingly at the bride’s barely touched sample pieces. The moist, decadent cake covered in a thin, not-too-sweet vanilla fondant made her mouth water. “No, you have to decide. This is your big day.” Kate had already decided on her own a year and a half ago, only to have the honey-lemon cake go untasted. Her gut twisted at the thought of seeing Cooper earlier today. Unlike weeks before, the sight of him in his police uniform had done nothing for her. And the jealousy he’d displayed over Scott hadn’t made her feel good. She’d simply realized how pathetic he was.

  Knowing Cooper wanted her back had been confusing and a source of conflict for her. But now she was finding it less so.

  She wondered how much of her new sense of power came from this thing with Scott.

  Not that there was a thing with Scott.

  Next to her, Liz was still hesitating, staring at the cakes. “You know what, I think we’re safe to stick to chocolate... Everyone loves chocolate.”

  “Not Scott,” she said, the words slipping past her lips before she could stop them. He’d revealed his allergy to the heavenly sweet earlier that day when the waiter had brought the dessert menus.

  Liz sent her a quizzical look. “How do you know that?”

  Kate nearly choked on her response. “He must have mentioned it...when we were discussing the rehearsal dinner menu...”

  “Odd thing to mention,” Liz said, sounding curt.

  Kate could barely breathe. “You know, he told me what happened between you two,” she said. Deflect. That was only way to get out of this one.

  Liz stared at her manicured hands. “It just happened.”

  Kate hesitated. If Liz told Derek the truth, would he still go through with the wedding? She hadn’t thought so before, when she hadn’t known the details surrounding the affair, but now... “I think Derek would understand that. It was a terrifying, life-changing moment. You were in shock and you’d both been through something traumatic together,” she continued, fighting an odd sense of jealousy over that fact. And fearing that her honesty might be putting this whole thing at risk.

  Where was her razor-sharp focus on making sure this wedding happened at all costs?

  Luckily, Liz shook her head. “Maybe if it was a stranger, Derek might understand why I did what I did. But not his own brother. And despite the fact that I didn’t know Scott was his brother, I’m at fault here. Scott had no idea I was involved with Derek. The relationship was new—I’d never even met his family.” She sighed, looking conflicted. “No. I can’t tell him. And Scott came to my office today...”

  Crap! She’d thought she’d delayed him long enough.

  “He said if I don’t tell Derek, he will.” She sighed, tears in her eyes. “I made a stupid mistake and I really can’t lose Derek over it.”

  This situation just kept getting worse. Seeing everyone’s side should be making it easier to stay neutral, let them all sort it out, and keep her eye on what mattered to her—the wedding being a success and generating more interest in her and her company’s services. Unfortunately, getting involved deeper and deeper with Scott made it impossible not to be emotionally invested, as well. She didn’t want to see his family hurt by the deception, but telling Derek the truth could ruin not only the wedding, but this bride’s future happiness as well...

  Damn!

  She was feeling more like an unwilling, unqualified relationship counselor than a wedding planner. She took a deep breath. “I won’t let that happen,” she said, praying she could deliver on the promise.

  Liz dabbed her eyes with a napkin and sent her a grateful look. “You can’t let him ruin my wedding, Kate.”

  She swallowed hard and forced a light air as she said, “Do you know what will ruin a wedding? No cake. Decide,” she said, lining up the three options in front of the bride-to-be.

  Liz nodded, squaring her shoulders. “If Scott hates chocolate, then definitely the chocolate.”

  8

  FOR THE NEXT WEEK, time seemed to speed up.

  Wedding details were being checked off her long to-do list, but others came out of nowhere. Like this one she’d just received from the vocalist Liz had decided on for the wedding. Tasha was a famous singer whose website had been designed by HighRes Media the year before. Liz had fallen in love with the woman’s style and voice.

  Kate wasn’t sure the hefty sum the young woman was asking for to perform would even be worth paying to secure Kanye for the entertainment, but this was Liz’s wedding and Liz’s money.

  She just hoped this diva wasn’t harder to deal with than the bride on the big day.

  Opening her email, she searched for Scott’s contact info. Right, the personal email address.

  Just the sight of his name made her stomach flutter. The week before in her condo had been the best lunch date she’d had in forever, and despite knowing it was stupid, she couldn’t help but wish the wedding planning required her to be more hands-on, on-site.

  She hadn’t heard from him and there’d been no more unexpected visits, which made her wonder if he was seeing the errors of their ways or if he was looking forward to their next run-in as much as she was.

  She squared her shoulders. Right now, she needed to deal with this request from Tasha.

  Dear Mr. Dillon,

  The entertainment for the wedding, Ms. Tasha, has several requests that she’d like to confirm. She will require a full suite on the first floor of the hotel, as she is afraid of heights, and she has a very restrictive gluten-free, sugar-free, lactose-free diet that needs to be accommodated. And lastly, for the preservation of her vocal cords, she cannot have her water too cold.

  Kate Hartley

  She rolled her eyes, wishing she could see and hear Scott’s reaction to this.

  She didn’t have to wait long for a reply.

  Ms. Hartley,

  The dining room has confirmed that they can provide a plate of heated ice cubes daily to accommodate the dietary restrictions for Ms. Tasha. Unfortunately, as per her accommodation request, the only suite on the first floor is my home. So unless she’d like to bunk with me, she will have to settle for a suite higher off the ground.

  Scott Dillon

  Kate laughed out loud, once again wishing she were delivering these requests in person just to see Scott’s brow furrow and the gorgeous look of exasperation she seemed to warrant most of the time. Driving him crazy was fun. A lot of fun.

  Perhaps you’d be so accommodating as to give up your suite for the evening and find lodging elsewhere, she responded.

  Are you offering your room as an alternative? was his immediate reply.

  Her pulse raced at the question. So he did want to see her as much as she’d been wanting to see him. The idea of spending the night together after the wedding had crossed her mind. More than once. But only if there was a wedding.

  That will ultimately depend on the turn of events that day, won’t it?

  She checked her watch, and seeing that it was after one, she shut her laptop without waiting for his reply.

  Leaving her office, she headed south an hour down the coast toward Costa Mesa. The Thompkin Cellars winery produced small batches of some of the finest wines in California, and while it wasn’t the Napa Valley winery they’d first discussed for the wedding, it was the only place in SoCal that Kate trusted for the table wine for the wedding.

  The price tags matched the quality of the product, and therefore a tasting was always required. One of the perks of the job, she thought with a smile as she pulled the Escalade into the winery. Liz, being a non–wine drinker, had left it to Kate to decide on the red and white for the event.

  Next month, once this Big Bear wedding was a success, she would plan a girls’ road trip to visit the winery so she and Hayley could decide on wines for Hayley and Chase’s big day.

 
Wine tasting was her favorite part of her job these days.

  An hour later, she’d decided on a dry pinot grigio and a sweet shiraz and happily accepted the complimentary sample bottles from the owner as a thank-you for the six-thousand-dollar order.

  As she drove back to the office, her cell phone rang, and she saw on the display on her dash that it was FineLight Photography calling.

  “Kate Hartley,” she said, turning onto the I-405 heading north.

  “Hi, Kate. This is Isaiah from FineLight.”

  Her pulse raced. Please do not let there be a scheduling conflict for the event. Choosing the perfect photographer had been one of Liz’s biggest challenges. Three days ago they’d spent hours flipping through sample photography books in Kate’s office until well past midnight. Liz wanted a photographer who could not only take beautiful posed shots of the event but who was also keen enough to capture those little moments between bride and groom that no one else saw. She’d finally decided on FineLight, and Kate had left three messages for the company, hoping they could accommodate the last-minute request.

  “Hi, Isaiah. Sorry to leave so many messages—this wedding is just a little rushed,” she said.

  “I understand. I would have returned the call sooner, but we were in Napa on a job. That place is a photographer’s dream.”

  Kate sighed. It was a wedding planner’s dream as well. “No problem. Are you available those dates I mentioned?” She held her breath.

  “It’s going to be tight, but I think we can do it.”

  She released a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Isaiah. Just let me know what you need for a deposit and I can sign the contract this afternoon. I’m heading back to my office now.”

  “Great. The standard rate along with travel costs applies, and the only other thing I’d love to get are some photos of the venue. As soon as possible, inside and out...the ballroom, guest rooms where the couples will be getting ready, that sort of thing. I won’t have time to get to the location myself to put a shooting plan in place in advance, so those will be helpful to get an idea of what we have for photo ops,” he said.

  “No problem. I’ll get those to you this afternoon, as well,” she said.

  “Then we are all set,” he said.

  Disconnecting the call, she mentally checked another item off the list and smiled. This thing just might come together after all.

  * * *

  DECORATORS HAD TAKEN over his resort.

  Scott opened the Woodland Ballroom doors just long enough to know he didn’t want to go anywhere near the space. Inside, Kate’s decorators from LA had already started to transform the room. White lights were being hung from the ceiling, and rented tables and chairs were being set up at the far end of the room that would later be used as the dance floor. Twenty people buzzed about, assembling and decorating at a frantic pace, as if the event was that day.

  So much work for a wedding he was still determined to stop.

  Liz still hadn’t told Derek the truth. And he still hadn’t summoned the balls to talk to his brother himself. Liz was the one who’d cheated, but if it came down to the wire, could he watch his brother say his vows?

  That answer used to be so simple.

  Running a hand through his hair, Scott walked to his office.

  Other than a few work-related emails regarding the wedding details, he hadn’t heard from Kate since their afternoon in her apartment two weeks before.

  And he wasn’t sure if he was relieved or annoyed.

  They were keeping things casual. That was good. That was what he wanted, as well. No complications. No talk about feelings or the possibility of a relationship or any of that bullshit.

  She was planning a wedding at his resort. He was planning on stopping it if the bride didn’t fess up.

  Stalemate.

  How could it be that nothing more than casual sex was starting to feel anything but casual?

  Yet he found himself wishing she’d have more asinine requests just to give him a reason to communicate with her. The last email asking for pictures of the resort for the photographer had been a great opportunity to play with her a bit. As well as taking the shots she’d asked for, he’d also taken selfie shots in the hot tub, lying on his bed in his room and a few other inappropriate ones he hadn’t been able to resist.

  Once he’d hit Send, he’d waited anxiously for her reply.

  Which was:

  The photographer really enjoyed the dick pic but suggests you could have chosen more flattering lighting.

  Leaning back in his chair, he laughed again thinking about her response, resisting the urge to call her.

  He had no reason to. They’d arranged everything for the venue and now she’d be dealing with details that he wasn’t a part of. All he could do was sit and wait.

  Then he heard her voice down the hall. She was here? He hadn’t realized she was on-site. Though a woman as dedicated to her career as Kate Hartley wouldn’t leave any of the last-minute details in someone else’s hands. Or maybe she would. Could she be there as an excuse to see him? Either way, his anticipation had his heart thundering in his chest, and he commanded it to stop. He refused to fall for her. Falling for women wasn’t something he did. Falling for women only led to heartache. While it might not be fair to judge every woman by his failed relationship with Amy, so far it had served him well in avoiding another stay at the Heartbreak Motel.

  Right?

  He sat straighter and reached for the phone as he heard her voice draw nearer.

  Look busy. Look calm. Look... Damn it, she wasn’t alone. As she stopped at his open office door, his worst nightmare was realized. The woman he was currently having an inappropriate fling with was standing there beside the woman he regretted having one with...along with his mother.

  The terrible trio sprang to mind as the perfect nickname. Any one of them alone could make him miserable—in different ways, of course—and if they were working together, he might as well just climb beneath the desk and hide.

  They were silent as they continued to wait in the doorway, and remembering his fake phone call, he cleared his throat. “I’ll have to call you back,” he said, replacing the receiver. “Hello. Do you three need something?” Keeping his voice void of irritation and stress was near impossible.

  His mother entered the room, came around the side of the desk and kissed his head.

  He saw Kate’s amused expression at the exchange, and his ears burned. Thanks, Mom.

  “The resort looks amazing. I haven’t been here since the last of the renovations were completed,” she said. “And the decorating crew is transforming that ballroom into a magical place for the wedding.”

  Fantastic. “Great. So what do you need?” he asked again, glancing between his mother and Kate, avoiding Liz’s gaze. Wasn’t hard when she was staring everywhere but at him. And from his peripheral vision, he could tell she felt as awkward as he did, reaching into her purse for her phone and pretending to study something on the screen.

  “We needed to find out where we might set up the projector and display screen in the ballroom, and also where the best place for internet streaming might be,” Kate said, her tone cool and professional. Not a trace of what was happening between them even hinted at.

  God, she was sexy. Wait. What? “Internet streaming?”

  She nodded. “Derek and Liz have a lot of guests who already had Memorial Day plans, so they want to stream the wedding live.”

  Wow. “Isn’t that what a wedding video is for?”

  “Wedding videos are old-school, Scott,” his mother said, rolling her eyes.

  He saw Kate hide a smile behind her hand.

  Damn, he wanted nothing more than to grab her and kiss her...remove that jacket and slide his hands inside the lace-trimmed tank top peeking out from beneath. If only the
y were alone.

  But they weren’t. And all three sets of eyes were now staring at him, still waiting for a response.

  He cleared his throat. “Okay...well, I’ll have to check the room,” he said. Truth was, they had yet to hold an event in the ballroom, and he certainly hadn’t had any need to set up any equipment. Maybe Cameron could help.

  They waited.

  “You need this done now?”

  “If you’re not busy,” Kate said.

  He’d like to be busy undressing her and kissing every square inch of the body he’d been craving for two weeks. “I am busy. Very busy.” He also wasn’t eager to get involved in this wedding.

  His mother shot him a look, Liz muttered something under her breath and Kate’s expression held a silent promise if he cooperated—or was it a warning if he didn’t?

  Yep. Terrible trio.

  “Fine. I can do it now,” he said, standing and stalking out of the office, past the three of them.

  They followed.

  He stopped. “I said I’ll take care of it. Where are you three going?”

  “To help,” his mother said.

  “To make sure you do it,” Kate said.

  The latter was the truth. Placing his hands on his hips, he shook his head. “No. I don’t need supervision, especially from you three. Look, just tell me what kind of equipment I need to make this work, and I’ll have it all set up today.”

  His mother and Kate turned to Liz. “This is your world,” Kate said.

  Shit. Working with the three of them was bad enough. Having to communicate with Liz over these details would be awkward. He turned his attention to her, ignoring the kick in his gut at the sight of her uncomfortable expression. “So?” he asked when she was silent.

  “We need cameras set up in all four corners of the room that are connected to a central streaming site. We can use a laptop,” she said.

  “Four cameras?” Did they think he just had this stuff lying around? “Where are we getting four cameras?”

  Kate looked antsy as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “Most venues that host these kinds of events have equipment on-site to accommodate wedding recordings...”