“Got any luggage in the trunk?”
She nodded and pressed the button on the key fob. The trunk opened with a click, and when he went to retrieve her luggage she reached inside the car for her purse, her traitorous phone and a cabin bag on the back seat. She closed the door, locking it out of habit even though she doubted anyone would be able to steal it unless they pushed it. When she turned, she nearly choked on her tongue as her eyes settled on Kean pulling her two huge suitcases and her canvas travel bag out of the trunk as if they weighed nothing.
Yeah, the man definitely has muscles.
She resisted the urge to fan her face. She really didn’t need to make a fool of herself any more than she already had, thank you very much. And she was done with men for a long, long time. Maybe even forever.
“Guess you don’t like traveling light, huh?”
If he only knew why she’d stowed her whole life into the trunk of her VW, he wouldn’t be wearing that smirk. That quite annoying smirk, to be precise. No need to pull out her attitude just yet, though. She needed his help, and once she was at Ellie’s she could leave him, and this whole day, behind.
“I’m supposed to stay until after the wedding, and I’m a woman. I need stuff.” She lifted her chin, showing him she wasn’t afraid of what he thought. “But what would you know? You’re a man.”
“A man who’s just saved you from spending your night in your car and freezing to death,” he muttered under his breath but purposely loud enough for her to hear.
“Yeah, thanks for that.” She’d had an awful day but it hadn’t been his fault, after all. Her parents had taught her manners, and she considered herself a reasonable, level-headed person—despite the recent events.
He lifted his chin, motioning for her to go ahead, toward his pickup. “Get in. We’ll be in Spring in less than twenty minutes.”
* * *
Ellie came running out the door as soon as Kean stopped his truck in front of his brother’s house. Charli got out and met her halfway, hugging her back as soon as Ellie’s arms went around her.
“Oh my God, are you okay? Were you in an accident? Did you get hurt?” Ellie pulled back and gave her a once-over, then wrapped her arms around her friend again and let out an audible sigh. “I was so worried. What happened?”
“A branch fell off a tree and I stomped on the brake. Then my car refused to start again. Oh, and my cell died.” Charli pulled back and shrugged. “Not one of my best days. I probably should’ve checked the horoscope before getting in the car.”
Kean gave an inward eye-roll. Great, she was also one of those horoscope freaks on top of being annoying as hell.
“You’re lucky Kean was passing by. Who knows when we would’ve found you otherwise.” Ellie squeezed her arm around Charli’s shoulder.
Charli narrowed her hazel brown eyes as she stared at him over Ellie’s shoulder. She couldn’t still think he was a serial killer, could she? He’d saved her, tolerated her crazy behavior and even managed to entertain a polite conversation during the twenty-minute ride in his truck, even though her replies mainly consisted of monosyllables and even a couple of grunts.
“I would’ve made it through, somehow.”
“Bet you would,” he mumbled under his breath. She whipped her head up and glared at him.
Infuriating. That was the first word that came to mind. She was absolutely the most infuriating person he’d met in a long time—if ever. If he hadn’t stopped to help her, she’d still be there, waiting for someone to rescue her. Not many people took that road in and out of town, unless they weren’t in a hurry and wanted to enjoy the scenic route. She could’ve spent the night there, freezing to death in her car. That was what he got for playing gentleman. He should’ve just driven by and let her be.
“Excuse me? What’s your problem?” She folded her arms across her chest and tilted her head to the side, in an intimidating stance. Ellie frowned as she looked from her friend to him.
“What’s my problem? Ha. That’s rich.” He mimicked her stance, just to show her she wasn’t the least bit intimidating. Her glare turned deadly as her eyes narrowed to slits. “If I hadn’t stopped the second time, you’d still be there, freezing to death in your fancy car.”
“Someone else would’ve stopped, or I could have walked. I didn’t ask you to stop the first time, and definitely not the second time.”
“Wait. What do you mean, the second time?” Ellie looked at Charli, her frown deepening as she no doubt tried to make sense of the dynamics.
“The first time I stopped, she chased me away, so I left. But when I came back from my errands, she was still there, so I went to check if she wanted my help this time.”
“You left her there, stranded and alone?” Ellie’s eyebrows shot up and her jaw dropped.
Kean raised his hands in exasperation. “She had a .45 caliber aimed at my face and threatened to shoot me!”
“Actually, it’s a .38, and I never would’ve shot you.” Her tone sounded like the one an adult would use with a kid. She pulled the handgun out of her purse and Ellie let out a gasp.
“You have a gun?” Ellie’s eyes widened.
“Who’s got a gun?” Adam’s voice carried from the inside of the house before he appeared at the door. “No guns allowed in my house. I don’t care if she’s your friend, Ellie—the gun’s got to go.”
Charli rolled her eyes. “It’s a toy,” she said, waving it in front of their faces. When she pulled the trigger, a low click was all that came out of the dark gray weapon she had threatened Kean with. He felt like an idiot now, as humiliation burned his guts. This woman meant trouble—he’d been right from the start.
“You threatened to kill me with a toy gun? What would’ve happened if I were really a serial killer like you thought I was?”
Charli shrugged. “I don’t like weapons, but my boyfriend was adamant I keep a gun in my purse for self-defense, so I bought this in a toy shop and told him it was real. He was never the wiser.”
Adam let out a chuckle that he promptly turned into a cough when Kean scowled at him. No doubt this would be the joke of the day for the next week or so. He knew Adam was only waiting for his chance to get back at Kean for all the silly pranks he’d played on his little brother over the years—and most recently, after Adam had fallen for his pretty neighbor. He’d never waste an opportunity like this.
“Although, with hindsight, I wish I’d bought a real one so I could’ve shot him in the bal—” She stopped mid-word when Adam winced. Her eyes widened as she brought a hand to her mouth. “Oh. Ooh, I didn’t… I didn’t mean your brother. I meant my boyfriend. I would’ve shot my boyfriend.”
“You know I’m a cop, right?” Adam tilted his head to the side and crossed his arms over his chest, a smile playing on his lips. “I shouldn’t be hearing talk about shooting people, don’t you think?”
“Oops. Yeah, um… absolutely. I was kidding, of course. I wouldn’t shoot anyone.”
Adam smiled. “Okay, well, in that case, you can keep the gun locked in your suitcase. But don’t let Sophie play with it. I don’t want her to think firearms are toys.”
“Sure. I’ll keep my very fake, very harmless gun inside my suitcase.” She put the gun back into her purse and patted it, glancing at Kean with a smug smile as he scowled at her. He’d been played all right and, apparently, she’d enjoyed it very much—most of all now that his family knew it, too.
“Well, I’d better get going now,” he said, forcing himself to keep the annoyance out of his tone. “I’ve got stuff I need to do before dinner, and I’m already behind schedule.”
“Aww, I’m so sorry I’ve delayed you. Please accept my most sincere apologies.”
Charli’s tone dripped sarcasm with every syllable, as she brought a hand to her heart. He ground his teeth and held back the words that wanted out. She was the best friend of his future sister-in-law, as well as her wedding planner. If he did anything to spoil the wedding, Adam would cut his head off—a
nd probably some other parts too.
“Thank you for rescuing me,” she added, then gave him an ear-to-ear smile that was as fake as her tone, mischief sparkling in her eyes.
He gave her a fake smile in return, and bowed his head in an old-fashioned way, tipping the brim of his baseball cap. “Always happy to rescue a damsel in distress, ma’am.”
He caught her eye-roll before he turned away and went back into his truck. He had a feeling this woman was going to be a pain in his ass, but he knew she’d be leaving after the wedding. He only had to hold on for the sake of his brother’s happiness. He sighed as he pulled away and headed back toward town. The wedding couldn’t come fast enough.
Chapter 4
“What happened with Donnie?” Ellie asked as Charli followed her inside the small cottage.
Charli froze. “Huh?”
“You said you wanted to shoot him, so I guess something’s wrong?”
Deep breaths, play it cool. You can pull this off, Charli.
“Uh, nothing. We… we sort of had a fight before I left. He was, uh… upset that I’d be leaving him alone to deal with a big event we were planning but, hey, your wedding has top priority.”
The smile she gave Ellie must have worked because the frown on her face eased and she got that silly, annoying look all brides-to-be sported. That slightly dreamy expression, with stars in their eyes and little blue birds singing on their shoulders, while others placed flower crowns on their heads. Charli blinked. Going from gory crime scenes to fairy-tale images was a little unusual, even for her. Had that guy at the gas station she’d stopped at spiked her coffee? Or was Ellie’s bridal dreaminess rubbing off on her and giving her visions?
“I can call him and ask him to forgive you for leaving him—”
“No!” Charli gave her another silly smile when Ellie winced at her abrupt response. “I mean, no, don’t worry. We’re fine. He’s not really mad at me. He loves being in charge of big events, proving his worth.” She gritted her teeth, imagining the sleaze banging his head in frustration when he couldn’t find her bible—the notebook where she kept all her contacts and the most important information about old and prospective clients, as well as the most reliable suppliers. The thick notebook that was currently safe in her suitcase. “He hates it when I coordinate stuff and he has to follow my orders.” The way he’s been doing for the better part of a year.
Things were starting to make sense now. He’d pestered her for weeks after they’d met at that conference in Los Angeles, and he hadn’t stopped until she’d organized him an interview with Penelope. Then, once he’d started working at Golden Gate Events, things had changed. Working side by side, sometimes late into the night, had brought them closer—or so she’d thought. Perhaps it had all been a cunning ploy so that he could sneak into Charli’s life, pretending he liked her, just so that she’d lower her guard and stop bossing him, and give him a little more slack so he could prove he knew how to do his job. He’d fooled her just to get into Penelope’s company and steal Charli’s hard-earned position from under her nose. Well, he could go and hang himself with that slack now.
“I guess you’ll just have to kiss and make up the old-fashioned way when you go back to San Francisco, then.” Ellie waggled her eyebrows suggestively. Acid filled Charli’s mouth as it crawled up from her stomach. Right now, the mere thought of getting close to him, or any other man, made her want to throw up.
Ellie laughed, totally oblivious to her reaction to the comment. “Now, about the gun… well, wow. I knew you were a badass, but I never would’ve expected you to be that bad-ass. Even if it’s fake, it still makes you look scary.”
“Donnie insisted, and I gave in just for the sake of peace. You haven’t been around long enough to see his bossy side.” She hadn’t meant for the hurt she still felt because of Ellie’s move to drip into her tone, but it had been a long day—make that a long few weeks—and she just wanted to stand under a hot shower until she got pruney, put on her loose yoga pants and her brother’s huge sweatshirt, and sleep until next month. Next year would be even better.
“You know I couldn’t stay in San Francisco, not after what happened with Spencer.” Ellie let out a sigh and her shoulders drooped. Charli knew her friend was right. The cheating idiot had used Ellie as an escape from his boring marriage only a few months before, ruining Ellie’s career and life when she’d called him out on his lies and threatened to inform his wife who, apparently, wasn’t the ex he’d told Ellie she was. “My career was doomed, and I couldn’t stand the looks I didn’t deserve. This move saved my life. And it also helped me restore my faith in men and get engaged to the most loving guy in the world.”
“And handsome, too. Is that why you didn’t want to send me pictures of your beau? Because you thought I’d try to steal him away?”
Ellie giggled and her eyes lit with something Charli had only ever seen in women who were hopelessly in love. Dealing with tons of blissful brides-to-be, she knew that look very well. She’d never seen it in her friend’s eyes, though, and after the number Spencer had played on her, Charli had thought she’d never get to see it. Yes, moving to Spring Harbor, as much as it had hurt Charli, had worked miracles on Ellie. It had been a while since she’d seen her friend so happy and carefree. The worry lines that had often marred Ellie’s soft features after her mother’s suicide were nowhere to be found now. Only love and happiness shone on her face.
“He’s so much more than just a pretty face, but… yeah, let’s say that I’m a lucky girl to have all that handsomeness for myself.”
“Miss Ellie, Miss Ellie!”
A little girl barreling toward them prevented Charli from making a naughty comment that would have probably made Ellie blush. Her blonde curls bounced around her cherubic face, and her blue eyes were round with wonder as they settled on Charli. Cold sweat pearled on her back. Kids gave her the creeps.
“Ooh, your hair is beautiful. Can I bwaid it? Miss Ellie teached me to bwaid Elsa’s hair but it will be more fun to bwaid your hair. Can I bwaid it, Miss Ellie? Please?”
Ellie chuckled and put a protective hand on the girl’s head. “Why don’t you start by saying hello and introducing yourself to Auntie Charli?”
The appellative sounded weird next to her name. None of her brothers had any kids yet, although she’d heard that Enrique’s wife was expecting their first child.
“Hi, Auntie Charli. I’m Sophie.” She smiled, and a cute dimple appeared on her right cheek. Charli felt uneasy around kids, but this one was a pretty little thing. She would actually look great in one of those catalogs for flower girls’ dresses. She made a mental note to talk to Ellie about that, before she left the town. “Can I bwaid your hair now?” Sophie asked.
Ellie chuckled again and looked at Charli. “Sorry. She’s a little obsessed with braids at the moment.” She brushed the girl’s curls and Sophie wrapped her arm around Ellie’s leg. Her friend had always been great with kids, and Charli had never had a doubt that she’d be a great mother too one day. Judging by the adoring look on the girl’s face, she was doing a great job as a stepmother to Adam’s daughter. “Auntie Charli had a long trip. She needs to rest now. Maybe we can braid her hair tomorrow, what do you say?”
“Okay. Can I play with Meatball now?”
Ellie nodded, while Charli frowned. Maybe this was a new game kids did, something like making mud balls or something. Ellie wouldn’t let the little girl play with real meatballs, would she? Just as Sophie spun around, yapping sounds carried down the hall, and Charli froze in place, shrinking back against the wall.
“You have a dog?” Her tone came out squeaky and high-pitched. She looked at the door behind her, calculating how long it would take her to run to it, open it, get out and close it before the dog came at her.
“Meatball is my best fwiend.” Sophie nodded happily, squatting with her arms open as a golden-furred dog trotted toward them. Charli tried to take another step back, but she was already pressed against the wall. E
llie looked at her, and her eyes widened.
“Oh, gosh. I’m sorry,” she said, waving her hands in front of her as if they were on fire. “I’d forgotten you’re scared of dogs.” She promptly put herself between Charli and Sophie, and bent to be at the girl’s level. With a hand on Sophie’s head, she asked her to take the dog upstairs, so that she wouldn’t scare Auntie Charli. Sophie looked up at Charli with a frown that seemed to say, “Are you serious?”, as if she couldn’t believe that someone could be scared of her friend.
“I… um… I had a fright when I was little. A bad dog chased after me and nearly bit me.”
“But Meatball is a good dog, she won’t bite. She plays wif me and she also plays wif Bobcat. They never fight.”
“Bobcat is my tabby,” Ellie clarified when Charli’s worried frown gave her thoughts away. “Don’t worry, we don’t keep wild animals in the cottage.”
“Yeah, um… I’m sure she’s a good dog but… eek!”
The dog escaped Sophie’s grip and launched herself at Charli. Ellie grabbed her collar just in time and pulled her back.
“Sweetie, take Meatball upstairs now. I think your daddy could use a bit of company while he’s fixing the wardrobe door.”
Sophie nodded and pulled the dog by the collar toward the stairs. Once they’d both disappeared from sight, Charli relaxed and let out the breath she’d been holding. Ellie chuckled.
“Sorry. I thought I’d mentioned Sophie’s dog.” She reached for one of Charli’s suitcases and pulled up the handle. “Why don’t we go to my cottage so I can show you your room and you can make yourself comfortable?”
Charli nodded. “I think that’s a good idea. I’m dying for a hot shower right now. Is it always so cold around here?”
“The weather’s not usually much colder than San Francisco. But this week’s been particularly cold. I hope it gets a bit warmer in time for the wedding.” She shrugged. “I know we won’t be able to have a beach wedding, but a couple of degrees warmer would be nice.”
Unplanned Love Page 3
