by Olivia Miles
But with Elizabeth, the tables weren’t so uneven. And when Kate had needed someone the most, it had been Elizabeth doling out the tissues.
Now it was Kate’s turn to return the favor.
“Have you broken in your shoes yet?” Kate met Elizabeth’s guilty smile across the table. “I don’t need you sitting down halfway through the reception because your feet are throbbing.”
“Don’t worry,” Elizabeth assured her. She tucked a strand of blond hair behind her ear and leaned back in her chair. “I’ll wear them around the house tomorrow. I figure it can’t be too bad of luck for the groom to see the bride’s shoes before the wedding.”
Kate wasn’t a suspicious person by nature, but when it came to weddings, she wasn’t taking any risks. “Just promise me he won’t see the dress.”
“Kate!” Elizabeth cried. “You can’t honestly tell me you believe in all that superstition.”
The conversation at the other end of the table stopped, and suddenly all eyes were on her.
Kate shrugged. “I just don’t like taking any chances. Why tempt fate when enough can go wrong anyway?”
Across the table, Bree gave Kate a pitying smile, and all at once Kate was reminded of how she must look: not like the uptight wedding planner, but like the bride who never had a chance to walk down the aisle.
She reached for her Champagne and took a long sip, but her hands were shaking slightly, and the table had gone uncomfortably silent again. She wracked her brain for a casual way to break the ice, but this time, it was impossible. She was rattled, unsure of herself, dangerously close to that bad place she had only just escaped from.
Elizabeth tutted. “I promise he will not see the dress. Or the veil. And I will hide the shoes when he’s around. Besides, with you as my wedding planner, what could go wrong?” She winked and reached for a slice of bread before hesitating and reaching for the veggies and hummus instead. “There will be plenty of time for carbs after the wedding,” she sighed.
“Well, considering the last man who took me out to dinner was my brother, I don’t mind if I do,” Bree announced as she filled her plate.
“Hey, I’ll gladly go out to dinner with your brother if you don’t want him,” Colleen joked, but Bree just shook her head firmly.
“The man is an eternal bachelor. If it weren’t for our monthly dinners, he’d exist solely on microwaveable meals and takeout and boxed macaroni and cheese. You should see the way he hovers around the stove on holidays, hoping for a doggie bag of leftovers. I don’t even think he combs his hair half the time.”
Colleen settled back in her seat, looking completely unconvinced.
Kate and Elizabeth exchanged a secret smile across the table. Poor Colleen had pined over Bree’s older brother, Matt, for years, always perking up when his name came up in conversation, even enrolling in a class at the local college that contained his name on the syllabus, only to drop out after the first lesson when she’d discovered he had a girlfriend at the time. Sure, Matt was handsome, but Bree was fair in her assessment, too, and from Kate’s personal experience, a good man was hard enough to find even when he didn’t come with a warning.
Colleen set down her glass. “What do you mean that the last man who took you out to dinner was your brother? Is everything okay with Simon?”
Bree stopped chewing for a moment. “Oh, everything with Simon is great. But you know…”
Kate’s lips thinned. Yes, she did know. She knew an undeserving man when she saw one, although admittedly, more and more they all seemed undeserving. But Simon was a special case. How many nights did Bree sit beside him on the couch while he stared at the television screen, absorbed in a video game, of all things? Or perhaps worse—cartoons. How many times had he stood her up when she thought they were supposed to be meeting for brunch?
“I wonder if the guys are having fun tonight,” Colleen mused.
“I can’t imagine anyone having fun with Alec around,” Elizabeth replied.
“Is he really that bad?” Bree asked as she refilled each of their four glasses with more pink Champagne.
“Maybe it will be better with him now that you and William are getting married,” Colleen suggested.
Elizabeth shook her head. “I don’t see him suddenly welcoming me with open arms. He didn’t even congratulate me when we got engaged. He just sat there, practically scowling. He barely spoke for the entire meal. And he didn’t even say goodbye or nice meeting you. Believe me, if it were up to him, William wouldn’t be marrying me at all.”
“He was probably just surprised,” Bree argued. “Give him another chance.”
Poor Bree, Kate thought. She really was too forgiving at times.
Still, when it came to Elizabeth’s future brother-in-law, she had to agree with her cousin on this one. “He’s here for the entire week. So maybe he’s had a change of heart.” But even as she spoke, she knew her words were unconvincing. He’d made it pretty clear to her that he was in town for business. Not that she’d be telling Elizabeth that.
She frowned as she picked up her glass. Business in Misty Point? She supposed it wasn’t entirely impossible with the summer homes owned by neighboring Boston’s elite.
“I met him today,” Kate offered, and the surprise in Elizabeth’s eyes made her wish she hadn’t brought it up. Now they’d spend the rest of the evening talking about a man the bride couldn’t stand, and this was supposed to be a happy night, one Kate had been looking forward to. A night without any men present, and the subject of men hopefully closed.
Elizabeth chewed on a carrot stick and eyed Kate carefully, gauging her reaction. “What did you guys talk about?”
Kate forced her expression to remain blank. She darted her eyes to the cheese plate to avoid Elizabeth’s heated stare. “We went over the rehearsal dinner. He…had some great suggestions.”
“And?” The word was spoken with so much intensity that Kate was forced to pull her attention back to Elizabeth’s wide, unblinking eyes.
And…and he’s totally gorgeous and reminds me entirely too much of Jake. Old Jake. The Jake I thought I was marrying, not the one who ran off with my sister.
She tried to properly consider the question, thinking back on her brief time with him. She pulled up an image of him, a tingle trickling its way down her spine at the memory of those penetrating dark eyes. “He looks a lot like William. I was surprised just how much. But you got the better brother,” she added lamely, thinking of William’s easygoing demeanor.
“You could say that,” Elizabeth snorted. She tilted her head, not yet satisfied with the answer. “But what did he seem like to you? What was his mood like?”
“Busy,” Kate said quickly, wondering why she was so compelled to protect this man. She should loathe him. She should find him detestable. And she did…sort of. “He seems distracted, I guess, and just really preoccupied with his career.”
Elizabeth’s lips thinned. “That’s him, all right. All he cares about is that company. Making money. He doesn’t care who he knocks down in his pursuit. When it comes to his work, he has no boundaries. William is so much happier running his own business.”
“I know the type.” The answer was bland, Kate knew, but it was safe. And true.
“Speaking of types,” Colleen cut in, “I agreed to be set up on a date by my mother.” She held up a hand and closed her eyes. “I know. I know. But she really sold him. Dark hair and tall and an attorney. We’re having drinks tomorrow night.”
“If it works out, you can bring him as a date to my wedding!” Elizabeth said happily, but Kate was quick to do the math, drawing up the seating arrangements she’d spent more than half a day planning. Colleen was a bridesmaid, along with Bree, but there were no extra seats at the singles table and the only open slot she had under the current setup was at the grandparents’ table, and that wouldn’t look right. She stifled a sigh, told herself to calm down, and decided to shelve this issue until tomorrow. She’d figure it out. She had to. It was Elizabeth
’s wedding, after all. And didn’t one of them deserve a perfect day?
“Well, it’s just drinks, and the referral does come from my mother, but…it seems promising.” Colleen gave a shy smile, and Kate blinked, suddenly remembering how it felt to be filled with that kind of hope.
But then she remembered how relationships ended, and that was a sobering thought.
Still, with the possibility of Colleen bringing a date and Bree still clinging to Simon, that meant that Kate was the only one of their group going stag. To her best friend’s wedding.
It wasn’t lost on her that she would technically be paired with Alec all night.
All the more reason to hurry up and find a more practical date.
Chapter Six
By nine the next morning, Kate had already clocked two hours at the office, half of which was spent working out the menu for a wedding next month, while the other half was devoted to redoing the seating arrangements for Elizabeth and William’s reception, just in case Colleen’s date went well.
She studied the guest list with a frown, noticing all the plus ones and the perfectly empty spot next to her own name. Really, she wasn’t sure why she was so caught up in this. She’d gone to weddings alone before, back before she’d met Jake, and besides, she wasn’t just the maid of honor at this weekend’s event; she was also the wedding planner, meaning she didn’t have time to attend to a date. It wouldn’t be fair. She’d be too busy running around, making sure that the cake was angled just so for the camera, that the photographers were there to capture each tender moment, that the music was loud enough, and that the centerpieces were centered. She didn’t have time for a twirl on the dance floor. She probably wouldn’t even see most of the cocktail hour. She closed her laptop firmly. That settled it. She had a valid reason not to have a date.
And really, if she had a date, how could she keep an eye on the potentially troublesome best man? He was her focus this week. Other than the bride, of course.
Grabbing her bag and lightweight cardigan, she opted to walk the short distance from her office to the Beacon Inn to meet Alec for their ten o’clock appointment at the tuxedo shop. If she was sensible, she would put the sweater on and button it to the very top, just to be clear that she was running a professional errand only, but darn it if she didn’t feel a little thrill as she walked down the street. It had been a long time since she’d been on her way to meet an attractive, single man…for any reason. It was probably the most exciting Sunday she’d had in…longer than she wanted to think about.
And that was all the more reason to keep her head on straight, she told herself firmly. All she needed was to remember the day her world had come crashing down, and all thoughts of romance scattered like sand on a sidewalk.
She was supposed to be going with Jake to the cake tasting; she’d been looking forward to it all week, imagining all the varieties they would try, how exciting it would be to settle on the perfect one. But they’d never made it to Colleen’s Cakes. They’d never even made it outside. Ten minutes was all it had taken for their relationship to end—she remembered, because he was meeting her at eleven thirty, and when he walked out the door she remembered looking at the clock on the wall of her apartment. For weeks after, she couldn’t stop thinking that it took months to build a relationship—and only a minute to destroy it.
She shook away the thoughts as she paused to stare at the window display of the Book Stall, her favorite shop in town. There was no use going down this path. As difficult as it was, she had to listen to the wise words of advice that had felt a bit callous at first: everything happens for a reason.
Maybe it did. After all, if Jake hadn’t cheated on her, she probably wouldn’t have decided to get a dog to keep her company. The strange twist of fate that led Henry into her life wasn’t lost on her. She grinned at the thought of him.
Who said you needed a man to be happy? Give a girl a dog, and she’d be loved for life.
Though it was still early, the streets of Misty Point were already filled with tourists ready to start their day. It was a warm morning, and sweet salty air filled her lungs, making it impossible not to smile a little as she walked past the shops on Harbor Street, despite the heaviness in her heart.
Kate hurried the rest of the way to the inn. The entrance from the street was long and winding, the green grass contrasting beautifully with the crisp white building and the bright blue sea behind it. It was Elizabeth’s choice to have her reception here, and Kate couldn’t have come up with a better choice for her best friend. A large tent would be set up on the lawn for the reception following the beach service, and, last she’d checked, the weather was still forecasted to be sunny all week.
Kate turned onto the brick-paved path that led to the street-side entrance of the hotel and shivered as she entered the lobby. She swept her eyes over the room as she wiggled into her cardigan, and seeing no sign of Alec, crossed to the front desk.
“Room 412,” she said, recalling the room number Alec had given the bellhop yesterday. “I’m Kate Daniels. We have an appointment.”
“Certainly.” The woman behind the counter pressed the buttons and held the receiver to her ear. Kate watched with growing impatience as she waited for Alec to answer. The tux shop was technically open until five on Sundays, but when it came to wedding parties, they had a strict policy about prescheduled appointments. Finally, the woman said, “Mr. Montgomery? Kate Daniels is in the lobby for you.” A pause. A long pause, Kate thought. And she wondered if she should be worried about that sudden pinch between the woman’s brow. “Certainly, sir. I’ll let her know.”
The woman replaced the receiver without a sound and gave her a serene smile. “He’ll be down shortly.”
Shortly? Kate checked her watch and fought the urge to ask just how shortly, but instead admitted defeat and dropped into a nearby chair.
Fourteen minutes later, and nine minutes after Kate had started wrestling with whether or not to tap that elevator button and hunt him down herself, the doors of the elevator slid open and Alec appeared, looking considerably less polished than he had last time she’d seen him. His wavy brown hair was bedraggled, and there was a strip of toilet paper on his chin where he seemed to have cut himself shaving.
“How are you this morning?” she asked, standing to greet him.
“Oh…fine. Yourself?” He looked past her distractedly, giving her no chance to respond. “I need a coffee.”
Not on her watch. “You can have coffee after the fitting.”
“That’s not until ten,” he reminded her.
Kate held up her phone and pushed a button to light up the screen. “It’s nine-forty.”
“Where is this store? Another town?”
Admittedly, it was a ten-minute walk, but that wasn’t the point. The point was that she was on a tight schedule, and as with yesterday, Alec didn’t seem to want to take that into consideration. “Get a coffee, then. But make it a quick one.”
His eyes seemed to glimmer. “Yes, ma’am.”
He took off in the direction of the hotel café, his stride long and purposeful, and Kate struggled to keep up with him in her heels. “A table by the window, please. Or one outside, if there are any free,” she heard him say.
“A table?” Oh no, no. This wouldn’t do. She looked at him sternly. “We only have twenty minutes,” she reminded him. “Ten, technically, if you factor in the walk.”
He looked at her in amusement. “Did anyone ever tell you that you worry too much?”
She pinched her lips, hitched her handbag straps a little higher on her shoulder, and, noticing his chivalrous wave in the direction of the hostess, followed the woman to the table, wondering if Alec’s eyes were on the back of her head or the back of her ass as they made their way onto the outside veranda.
Just in case, she stood a little straighter.
* * *
Alec watched as the waitress poured coffee into his mug, Kate’s eyes blazing from under the shield of the stainless steel
carafe.
He picked up the mug, trying his best to still the shaking of his hands, and drank back the full cup quickly, hoping it would dull the sharp pain that had been slicing through the space between his eyes since he’d woken to the call from the woman at the front desk just a mere twenty minutes ago.
Jesus, just how much had he had to drink last night? Too much, that was for sure. He wasn’t used to it. A beer here and there, sure. A glass of Scotch on a particularly rough day, that was a given. But a night out at a bar? Those days had ended when William left town.
“So, tell me. How was the bachelor party last night?” Kate raised one eyebrow as her mouth curved into what might pass for a smile. He supposed it was the closest thing he’d get from her this morning.
“Not much to tell,” Alec said, rubbing a hand over his forehead. A waiter passed him, carrying a tray of omelets, and Alec eyed them eagerly, wondering if he dared…and wondering what would happen if he didn’t.
His stomach felt raw and scraped out and he was shaky and out of sorts. His hair was still wet, and Kate wouldn’t stop staring at his chin.
“Do I have something on my face?” He laughed uneasily.
“You cut yourself shaving,” she said, motioning to the spot where he’d nicked himself in his rush to get downstairs.
He rubbed his chin and frowned at the discovery. Jesus. He was more out of it than he thought. “If you’ll excuse me for a minute, I’ll go to the restroom and clean up.” Pushing his chair back, he stood, feeling the blood rush to his head at once. He resisted the urge to grab the table for support, instead waiting for his vision to clear as he searched for the sign for the men’s room.
