by Olivia Miles
“And it will probably be the most relaxed you’ll be until Sunday morning,” Kate said, knowing from professional experience only just how anxious her brides became as the ceremony grew closer. That was when the phone calls usually poured in. Everything was second-guessed—the dress, the venue, the flowers. Sometimes the groom. More than once an inebriated bride had called Kate on the eve of her wedding, saying she had spent the last forty minutes Facebook-stalking her ex and wondering why she ever ended it…But then, the next morning, all was right again. Smiles returned. Dreams came true. Everything proceeded as planned.
It was only in the rarest of cases that cold feet led to a cancelation.
In Misty Point, there had only been one reported case, actually. And she’d had a front-row seat.
Kate sank into the reclining chair beside Elizabeth. Even though all the women in the bridal party were having their hair, makeup, and nails done the morning of the wedding, it had been Kate’s suggestion weeks ago that she and Elizabeth steal a little time for themselves in preparation for the lawn party tonight and the rehearsal dinner tomorrow.
For the wedding, the girls would all be wearing pale pink polish, and Elizabeth was going with the same, but for the next two days, Kate had a sudden urge to break with tradition. She selected a pretty lavender color for her toes and a paler version of the shade for her fingers.
“Thought I’d go a little wild.” She winked at Elizabeth as she dipped her feet into the tub, sighing as the hot water eased her muscles.
“I needed this,” she admitted. She made a mental note to treat herself a little more often. It was something her therapist had suggested, back when she’d first gone to see her, when she’d finally admitted to herself that she wasn’t holding herself together as much as she wanted. “Do something nice for yourself at least once a day,” Wendy had encouraged. And at first she had. But once she was back at work, it was too difficult to find the time, and eventually the habit faded away.
“Bad day?”
“Meredith sent me to Bluestone Manor.” Kate met her friend’s knowing eyes.
“That bitch,” Elizabeth said, sparking a laugh from Kate. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“Yes. No.” She didn’t know, really. “It was strange,” she said. “Being there. It stirred things up.”
“Of course. These types of things aren’t easy to get over.”
Kate nodded. Elizabeth was so understanding. Others were impatient, eager to just see her happy and settled. But what no one seemed to understand was that it wasn’t just about Jake. Or finding a replacement.
It was about Charlotte.
“I saw Jake last night,” she blurted, even though she hadn’t been sure she would mention it.
Elizabeth’s eyes popped. “He’s back in town?”
“It appears so.” Kate shook her head. “I guess it was bound to happen. It’s summer after all. You know how much time he spends here in the summer.” It was where they’d met, after all. The summer was full of memories of sitting on his boat, watching him at the helm, the wind in her hair, a glass of wine in her hand, and not a care in the world weighing on her shoulders. Eating lobster rolls on the beach, her toes in the sand, Jake laughing at something she’d said. His skin tanned, his eyes so green.
Well. No use harping on that. She wiggled her toes in the warm water, fixating on the rose petals.
“Did he say anything to you?”
Kate shook her head. “I don’t even know if he saw me.”
“Was he…alone?” Elizabeth’s eyes were wide.
“When I saw him, yes.” Kate shifted slightly in her seat so she could give her friend her full attention. “Tell me the truth. Is my sister back in town?”
“God, I hope not!” Elizabeth said, then clamped a hand to her mouth. “I’m sorry. She’s your sister. It’s just, well, you know I haven’t forgiven her.”
“And neither have I,” Kate said, relaxing back into her chair. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. Tried to shut out the world for just one moment. It was no use.
“But if she is town, you’re bound to run into her.”
Kate’s stomach turned a little queasy. “I know.”
They fell silent for a moment. The only sound that could be heard was the flicking of Elizabeth’s magazine, which seemed to grow angrier with each turn of the page.
“You know, what I find the most unforgiveable is that she never even tried to talk to you about it. She never even tried to make it right. She just let Jake end things and then off they both went to Boston a few weeks later!”
Kate gave her a rueful look. “Well. What was she supposed to say?”
“True.” Elizabeth huffed out a breath and closed the magazine. Clearly even celebrity gossip couldn’t distract them right now. “I have to say that even though Charlotte was always a little wild, this was pushing it, even for her. Her own sister!”
Her own sister, Kate thought bitterly.
“Well,” Elizabeth said. “Maybe they’ve broken up. If you only saw Jake, he could be in town alone.” She gave a smile of encouragement, but oddly, the thought didn’t please Kate.
Where was Charlotte, and why was she calling? She could find out today, maybe even right now, if she’d call back.
Yeah. No thanks.
“Was this right after I left you?” Elizabeth asked after a long pause.
Kate winced as the woman doing her nails brought a pumice stone to the bottom of her foot. She’s always been too ticklish, and now the woman frowned in disapproval as Kate curled her toes. She laughed, grateful for the diversion. “I’m sorry,” she said, “it’s just…”
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “She’s too ticklish,” she told the woman, who only raised an eyebrow and scrubbed a little harder.
Kate squirmed in the chair, trying to keep her mind off the sensation of her feet. At least it took her mind away from Jake and Charlotte. “It was right when we got to the restaurant.”
“You and Alec,” Elizabeth clarified.
Kate chewed her lip, suddenly feeling the need to slow down this conversation. “Yes, I had just met Alec. We were standing outside the restaurant when I saw him.”
“And what did you do?”
Something completely crazy, she thought.
“I left,” Kate said. After I all but grabbed the best man’s lapel and brought his mouth to mine. Her stomach flipped at the memory of his lips on hers. Smooth but firm and oh…She set a hand to her belly.
“You just left?”
Eventually. “I didn’t want to see Charlotte. I’m just not ready. I’ve gotten comfortable with not having her around.”
That wasn’t true, though, and from the look on Elizabeth’s face, she knew it, too. Charlotte’s absence was obvious. If it wasn’t, she wouldn’t be giving her so much thought.
Elizabeth laughed. “I can’t imagine that went over well with Alec. I doubt he’s used to anyone running off on him like that.”
“Probably not.” Kate eased her foot back into the water, trading it for the next one, bracing herself as the woman lifted the pumice stone. Alec hadn’t called, and she hadn’t, either. She supposed an apology was in order, or at least an explanation, but what was she to even say? She’d humiliated herself, soliciting a kiss like that, and worse was that she enjoyed it.
“So you didn’t get to see his best man speech then,” Elizabeth said.
Kate felt a flicker of panic. “I’ll handle it,” she assured her friend. And she would.
“So anything else eventful happen last night that I should know about?” Elizabeth winked. She always had a way of easing away from tense topics, but this time, she’d touched on something.
“Nothing at all,” Kate replied, but she was wrestling with the secret she was keeping, the knowledge that something quite eventful had happened last night.
There was no sense in mentioning that kiss. Or even thinking about it.
And there definitely wasn’t any sense in wishing it
might happen again.
* * *
Alec was still trying to clear that kiss from his mind when he joined William for a late lunch at a dockside café. The smell of salt air and the breeze from the ocean gave a relaxed feeling to the casual place, but Alec still felt tense and restless. He shifted in the wicker chair, unable to find a comfortable position. He skimmed the menu with forced concentration, determined to pull his mind from the taste of Kate’s lips…and the way she’d run off after their kiss.
“I can’t believe it’s already Thursday.” William stirred some milk into his coffee. “This wedding preparation stuff has been more work than I expected.”
A week ago Alec wanted one thing and one thing only: to have his brother back in Boston, rebuilding the Montgomery Group together. Now…He opened the menu and stared hard at it. Now he almost dreaded the thought of going back to Boston at all.
“All ready for Saturday?” he asked, wondering if any jitters had set in.
“I think at this point all I have to do is show up,” William said with a shrug. “Elizabeth’s got this whole thing pretty much planned. And Kate’s amazing.”
That she is. Alec drew a slow breath and leaned back into his chair, resting his elbows on the armrests.
“Elizabeth mentioned you were having dinner with Kate last night,” William said. His eyes glinted with mischief. “Was that about the rehearsal dinner or just…fun?”
“We had a change of plans,” Alec said, not wanting to give anything away. “She had to leave before we could sit down.”
“Oh?” William chided.
“Come on, William,” Alec said through a faint smile. “I told you—”
William held up his palms. “I know, I know. The great Alec Montgomery has no room in his life for love.”
“There are only so many hours in a day.” Even to his own ears, the excuse felt lame. Sure, if he’d spotted Kate across a crowded room he’d want to go over and say hello, maybe buy her a glass of wine. Maybe even take her home for a night. But then he’d spent some time with her, and he realized he wanted to do a lot more things than just chat her up over an evening cocktail. A lot more things, indeed.
“She’ll be at the party tonight.”
Alec frowned in confusion. “The party?”
“Elizabeth and I are having the wedding party out to our place for a barbecue tonight. Something a little more casual than the rehearsal dinner tomorrow.” William paused. “You didn’t know?”
He supposed it was on the itinerary Kate had given him. The one he’d never looked at. He mentally ran through the many envelopes and invitations related to the wedding that he had received in recent months. Something about a lawn party came to mind…“Is this the lawn party?”
William shook his head. “Some fancy way of wording a barbecue.”
“Let me guess. Kate’s idea?” He could see her typing up the invitation now. He couldn’t help but smile.
“None other. She and Elizabeth have been in cahoots about this for a while.” William rolled his eyes, but Alec could tell he was secretly pleased. “Seems you and Kate are really hitting it off.”
Alec shot him a warning look. “Come on, Will.”
“What?” William’s grin broadened and all at once, there it was. His little brother. That annoying, punk kid, goading him.
Alec frowned. God, he’d missed him.
“Kate and I spent some time together going over plans for the rehearsal dinner,” he explained. His gut twisted with dread when he thought of the dinner he was technically supposed to be hosting. A dinner he might not even be in attendance for.
He looked out across the water to a boat slicing through the choppy waves. He should tell him now about the meeting with Mason. It was the perfect opportunity. He’d make him understand. And it might be the perfect way to explain how tough business had been all these months.
“In case I haven’t mentioned it, thanks for planning that dinner.” A frown creased William’s brow. “God knows Dad couldn’t be bothered.”
“Sure,” Alec said, looking back down at the menu.
The meeting was twenty-four hours away, and instead of feeling excited or relieved about its possibilities, he felt inexplicably empty. Deciding on a lobster roll he was no longer hungry for, he closed the menu and looked out onto the water, watching the boats in the distance bob on the waves.
If things went well with Mason tomorrow, that meeting could last hours. There was no predicting the time it could take. Was he really ready to risk upsetting his brother like this?
And Kate.
He highly doubted that Kate, as the wedding planner, would have anything nice to say over a missing best man at the rehearsal dinner. Especially if it seemed her job was dependent on the wedding being catastrophe-free.
She’d done nothing to deserve this.
And neither, he thought, looking at his brother, had William.
“I can see why you like it here,” he suddenly said, almost wishing he hadn’t opened the door to the conversation. But he had, and a part of him wanted to share it, to bond with his brother in a way they hadn’t in all their time together back in that office. “It reminds me of our summers when we were kids.”
William looked out onto the water. “I think about Mom sometimes.”
“I’ve thought about her more here, too,” Alec admitted.
The brothers locked eyes for a beat, before William turned away. “Do you remember that time we stole that canoe from the dock and took it out onto the water when all the adults were having cocktails on the porch?”
“We were lucky we didn’t get too far. We didn’t even have the sense to put on life vests.” Alec chuckled. “Those were good times.”
“They were,” William said pensively. “I hope to give my own kids the same types of memories someday. Minus the boat stealing, of course.” He grinned.
Alec frowned as reality bore down on him once more. His brother was serious. About the marriage, about a cozy domestic future. All things that didn’t fit in with his city lifestyle.
“You nervous at all?” Alec asked, cringing at the lilt of hope in his tone.
“Not really.” William shrugged. “But ask me again on Saturday when I’m hyperventilating. And don’t you dare try and hold it against me,” he said with a wag of his finger.
Alec watched him with a steady eye across the table. There was still a chance. Still a chance that his brother would come to his senses and walk away from all of this. But the more he thought about it, the more slim it felt.
William was in love with Elizabeth. He was in love with the life she gave him. A life that Alec was starting to realize was a hell of a lot better than the one William had had in Boston.
His phone vibrated against the tabletop.
“Probably Dad. You should take it,” William said.
Begrudgingly, Alec tapped his password into his phone and scanned the newest text message from his assistant. Mason Lambert had confirmed the meeting for three o’clock tomorrow. He stared at the phone for a long moment. Three o’clock. He knew from experience that a meeting like this could go on for hours, often extending into dinner or drinks.
Another text popped up before he had a chance to push the phone into his pocket, out of sight for a while. It was his assistant again, informing him that if things went well, Mason would like Alec and his father to join him for a meeting on Saturday afternoon with his son. To make things official.
He blinked at the screen, contemplating his decision as his pulse drummed steadily. Friday was one thing, but Saturday? Mason Lambert was too big of an opportunity to pass up. But Mason knew William was getting married that day.
“William—” Alec halted. If he opened his mouth now, he would spoil the moment.
“Yeah?” William said casually, unsuspecting.
Alec hesitated. “Nothing. Just wondering…what time’s the party again?”
“Six,” William said. “It will mean a lot to have you there.”
&nb
sp; “Wouldn’t miss it,” he said as he shoved the phone into his pocket without replying to his assistant. He couldn’t think about this today. Today he just wanted to enjoy talking with his brother again. Like old times.
Chapter Eighteen
Bree was already unloading the flowers when Kate approached Elizabeth’s house a few hours later. She stopped at the car’s open trunk and reached for a box of centerpieces—a vibrant mix built around sunflowers.
“Thanks for the help!” Bree expertly maneuvered the box she was holding to one hand so she could slam the door closed.
Kate contemplated what she might say as she followed her cousin up the stone pathway and through the open fence gate. The tables had been delivered earlier and were neatly stacked against the back deck. The girls deposited the boxes of flowers onto the patio table and began dragging the folding tables across the lawn, deciding that it would be best to break things into stations for dessert, drinks, and food. The rest of the yard would be filled with the smaller bistro tables.
“Is Simon coming tonight?” Kate asked, as they unfolded the linens she’d brought to cover the tables.
“Oh…I’m not sure. I’m waiting to hear back on my latest text.”
It wasn’t the first time Bree was waiting to hear back on a text from Simon. Perhaps reading her thoughts, Bree added, “He might have to work late. He has an important job, you know.”
Of course. Simon was an attorney. A quality that Bree often brought up when she was feeling defensive of him.
“So…” Kate smoothed down one of her favorite tablecloths with her palm. It was French country, vintage, and something she’d picked up at an antique sale two summers ago. As soon as Charlotte had seen it, she’d asked if she could borrow it sometime. Kate thinned her lips, feeling oddly possessive of the object. “Jake’s back in town.”
She looked up, searching her cousin’s expression for something that might tell her that her cousin knew more, but Bree cringed instead. “So he came back this summer then? Here I thought he might stay in Boston. Forever, if possible.”
