by Remy, Cate
Her grandmother took the mug of tea over to the table to let it finish steeping. “It’s not myself I’m worried about.”
Angie’s shoulders felt like they supported a pile of bricks. How cagey could she be to her own family? She kept the full story of her engagement from her grandmother. She lost respect from her closest living older relative. She never felt so ashamed and cheap in her life, even if she wore a pricey sparkler on her hand.
* * *
Max blew out a breath as he finally had a seat at his desk. It was his first full day in the office after being in Harper all weekend. All Tuesday morning he spoke at meetings. He missed lunch. If he could catch a break for ten minutes, he’d be ready for the next round this afternoon.
“Mr. Kelly?” His office assistant chimed in on the desk phone. “I have Trina Kelly on the line.”
He sat up straight. Why was his sister calling? It had to be nighttime where she and his mother were staying in Europe. “Thanks. I’ll take her call.” He pressed the blinking red button to talk to his sister. “Trina, hey. What’s going on?”
“That’s what I’d like to know.” His sister’s voice punched through the line into his ear. He pulled away from the receiver. He heard people speaking Italian in the background. “What’s this about you being engaged?”
“I guess you heard the news.”
“Yes, from my store associates after they saw you and Angela Franklin picking out dresses yesterday.”
“Sis, you know I’m not old-fashioned like that. Angie chose the dress all by herself.”
“You think this is funny?” Trina shouted through the phone again. “Mom and I had to hear the news from someone else. When were you going to say anything to us?”
He opened his desk drawer for the bottle of ibuprofen. “Trina, calm down. Things have been moving fast here, but you’re right. I should’ve called you and Mom earlier to tell you. How is she, by the way?”
“Tense. She’s getting a hot stone massage. We’re at a hotel spa in Florence.”
“Ask her to call me when she’s done.”
“Max, why are you marrying a girl who went to our old high school?”
Her tone and the way she shouted into the phone began to grate on him. “Angie isn’t a girl anymore, Trina. She’s a grown woman with a son. She and I reconnected when I was in Harper and took things from there.”
Max heard his sister mumble in Italian to someone at the spa before she spoke to him again. “Grazie…Max, I don’t know about Angela. What do you and she have in common?”
He thought fast. “Cars, Harper, and Hamilton.”
“Who?”
“Sis, if you want to know what I see in Angie, the best thing for you to do is spend time with us one day. I have to head into my next meeting. You and Mom enjoy your spa time.” He ended the call and stood up to button his jacket. The next meeting began five minutes ago.
On his way to the meeting room, his sister’s words hung over him. She was upset about not knowing about the engagement first, but she didn’t have to take an attitude about Angie. She didn’t even know her growing up.
Was he any different? Max paused in the hall of the twenty-story building and gazed out the window of his office suite. Rain clouds gathered in the distance. He messed things up for Angie lately. First, he made a not-so-great impression with her grandmother. Then his failure to tell Trina about the engagement put her in a bad mood. She saw Angie in a negative light as a result. He intended to make this situation a win-win for him and Angie, not give her more to worry about.
What else could he do to help her while she played his fiancée?
* * *
A week and a half passed since Angie had seen Max. Their engagement photo shoot was scheduled to take place in three days. Fancy shoot or not, she still had regular errands to run. On Saturday afternoon, she gathered her wallet, phone, and grocery list. While Grandma and Raymond were binge-watching Star Trek, she could finish her errands in time for dinner.
Somebody knocked on the door and rang the bell twice. She opened it to find a slim, brunette woman in a chic black dress and matching jacket. The woman carried a box in one hand and a garment bag from Trina’s in the other. “Hi. Are you from Trina’s?”
“I am Trina.” She stepped into the house without waiting to be invited. “I have your outfit and accessories for the engagement photo shoot. Where do you want to try on the dress?”
Surprised, Angie studied Max’s sister. Didn’t he say she was in Europe? “I’m on my way to the grocery store. I can take them from you.” She reached for the items.
Trina checked out her engagement ring. “You need to try the dress on in case more alterations need to be made. Your photo shoot is in a couple days.”
“Max told you.”
“My employees did first.” She turned on one well-heeled foot towards the living room.
“My son and grandmother are watching TV in there. We can go into my room.” Angie set her wallet and phone on the console table and showed Trina the stairs. Trina’s heels appeared sharp enough to cut the rug. She took the garment bag from her so Max’s sister could use her hand to grab the rail on the way up.
“You lived here since high school?” Trina viewed the old carpet and worn spots on the wooden banister at the top of the stairs.
“It’s been my home since I was a baby.”
“I see.” Trina passed Angie’s baby picture hanging on the wall in the upstairs hallway.
“How have you been all these years, Trina?”
“Fine.”
Okie dokie. Maybe Trina was in a hurry and had other customers to visit. Why didn’t she just have one of her sales associates deliver the dress if it was such a hassle? Angie opened the door to her bedroom. “I have a dresser mirror we can use.”
Trina walked into the room and assessed the mirror. She smoothed her low ponytail. “It’ll do, I guess.”
“Well, you could’ve called me and I would’ve come to your store.” Trina may be Max’s sister, but Angie wasn’t going to let her prance into her grandmother’s house and put on airs.
The right corner of Trina’s left eye ticked. “I wanted to talk to you in private.”
Here we go, the real reason for the visit. Angie took the garment bag and went to change behind the closet door. “About?”
“How long have you and Max been dating?”
“Not long.” She unzipped the bag.
“Did he even talk to you in high school? I think I may have heard him say your name once or twice when he was a senior.”
What was her point, that she didn’t exist in Max’s universe when they were teenagers? Angie already knew that. “He was two grades ahead of me. We didn’t talk much then.” She slipped the dress on over her head.
“Why is he engaged to you?”
Wow, and Angie considered herself to be a direct person. “You know how it is, Trina. You see someone you knew from a long time ago and reconnect. Sometimes you click.”
“That sounds like what he said.”
Great. She got it right and didn’t say anything to contradict his story. Angie came from around the closet door. Trina checked the dress hem. Satisfied, she opened the box to present to Angie. “You didn’t pick accessories, but I thought these would go well with the dress.”
Angie lifted out a bracelet and a pair of ballet flats. “Max told you my shoe size?”
“No, my associates peeked at yours while you were in the fitting room.”
She put the shoes on. “They’re cute and don’t pinch my feet. Thanks.”
“If you don’t have any concerns or questions, I’ll leave everything with you.” Trina’s heels left tiny circles in the carpet where she stepped. “I’ll talk to you again, Angela. Before the wedding.”
Angie heard her go down the steps -peck, peck, peck- across the floor and out the door. Max’s sister had a tense energy around her, and Angie felt the lingering traces of it like a heavy blanket on her shoulders.
&nbs
p; Chapter Eight
The day of the engagement photo shoot arrived. Angie was running behind schedule. She took a shower that afternoon and still had her bathrobe on when Raymond called to her from downstairs. “Mom, Max is here.”
Adrenaline boosted in her system. She cracked open her bedroom door and replied, “Thanks. I’ll be down in fifteen minutes.” Yikes, time to get in gear.
She fanned her hands, waiting for the fast-dry nail polish to hurry up and do what it falsely advertised. She planned to get a manicure yesterday for the engagement photos, but inadvertently scheduled it during Parent-Teacher Conference night.
She got into her dress. She left it unzipped in the back while she did light makeup and fluffed out the curls of her hair. Ten minutes went by. Nails finally dry, she zipped her dress and carried her ballet flats down the stairs.
She didn’t see Max or Raymond by the front door. Grandma was at the kitchen window, staring out into the backyard. “Where did Raymond go?”
“He’s outside. Your fiancé wanted to toss a football with him.”
Angie came to the window to look for herself. Sure enough, her little boy was running in the grass, laughing, as he waited for Max to throw the football. Max, in dress shirt and suit pants, tossed the ball to him. Raymond caught it, fumbled a little, but recovered.
Angie caught herself smiling at the scene. She looked to her grandmother. “I’m taking Raymond over to his friend’s house to play. You should go to dinner with your friends.”
Grandma scoffed. “What if I want to stay in and be a homebody?”
“Then call them over and order takeout. You deserve it after watching Raymond for me while I get ready.”
The humor faded from her grandmother’s eyes. She appeared to notice Angie’s dress for the first time. “I’ll be here when you get back.” She reached for a mug of tea and sat at the kitchen table with a book.
Angie gave an inward sigh. Her grandmother still wasn’t keen on her engagement to Max. She couldn’t blame her. If the roles were reversed, she’d feel blindsided by the news, too.
She put her shoes on to go outside. Raymond and Max came to the front yard. Her son had the ball this time. He launched it at Max.
“Good pass, Raymond. Next time we’re in the backyard, we’ll practice going long.” He raised his head and saw Angie. His eyes roved over her dress. “Hey.”
“Sorry for running late. Looks like Ray kept you busy while you waited.”
“We had fun, didn’t we?” He handed the football to Raymond.
“Yep.”
Angie patted her son’s head of soft brown curls. “What do you say to Max for playing catch with you?”
“Thank you.”
She led Raymond off the lawn. “We need to go across the street so you can play with your friend.”
“Can I bring my new football? Max gave it to me.”
Angie met Max’s gaze. He smiled and shrugged. “I didn’t know if he had one.”
She nodded to Raymond. “Sure.”
Max proceeded to go to his car. “I’ll crank up the air conditioning in the car for you.”
“You sure it’s not for yourself?”
“What are you saying?” He pretended to be offended. “You think I’m out of shape?”
Of all the things she could think about Max, being out of shape wasn’t one of them. Still, she wasn’t about to let him know it. She smiled slyly in answer before taking her son across the street to his friend’s house. After talking for a few minutes with the friend’s mother and father, she retraced her steps and got into Max’s car. The top was up today.
“I truly am doing this for you,” he said, referring to the convertible top and the AC on blast. “I know how finicky ladies get with the wind mussing their hair and wardrobe before an important event.”
“Sure you are. Is that a little sweat I see along the edges of your forehead?”
He checked it in the rearview mirror. “Don’t be silly. It’s not sweat. It’s hair gel.”
“Whatever you say.” Angie buckled her seatbelt. The conversation was a little goofy, but she kind of liked teasing him. It was…different. “Where’s this photo shoot, anyway?”
“At the Cedar Pavilion in Harper Park. The spring flowers are out. I thought they’d look nice in the pictures.”
“I used to go for walks there. It’s pretty.”
“You’re pretty today. Not that you don’t look good on other days, of course,” he quickly added. “That color looks good on you.”
“Thank you.” Angie folded her hands in her lap. Max was being flirty today. Was it because he wanted her to be all smiles for the camera? Whatever his reason, it was kind of fun. And two could play that game. “You cleaned up good today, too.”
At the park, a photographer and his assistant were waiting for them by the pavilion. The camera equipment was already set up.
“Didn’t mean to keep you guys waiting.” Max breezed over to them, taking Angie with him. “We’re ready for our close-ups.”
The photographer directed them through a series of poses. Some had Max holding her around the waist. Others had them holding hands so Angie’s ring could take the spotlight. Angie got a little more nervous each time she was asked to do a different pose.
“Can you two hug or embrace each other like you’re about to kiss?” The photographer motioned a hug by crossing his arms.
Max pulled Angie in close. He was solid and warm. She smelled his scent, a mix of clean, woodsy notes.
“Now gaze into each other’s eyes.”
She peered into his baby blues. Her eyes started blinking rapidly. She had to stop, else there would be nothing but pictures of her looking like she was half asleep.
“Actually, Max, can you go ahead and kiss her for this photo?”
Max gave her a small smile before he kissed her in front of their little audience. His lips were warm like his hands.
“Good. Hold it for one more second…got it.”
Max ended the kiss. After a couple more snapshots, the photo shoot was a wrap. The photographer showed them a few samples of what he captured on camera.
“These photos are going to look great. I’ll send you the proofs to choose from, Max.”
“Good deal. Thanks for taking our pictures.”
Angie was glad to be done with the engagement photo shoot. She relished the cold AC in Max’s car. “That deserves a cold soda.”
“We can stop at the convenience store up the road.” Max drove under a canopy of pine trees. “Those pictures do look good, by the way.”
She agreed. She never had a professional photo taken outside of high school graduation. “I like them.”
“You and your dress make the photos look good. Did the store clerks bring it by your house?”
She played with an earring. “Your sister delivered the dress.”
He turned his head. “She did? Trina didn’t tell me she came home from Italy.”
Angie was surprised Max didn’t know his own sister was back in Georgia. “She added the accessories and shoes. I like her choices.”
“Angie, was Trina nice to you when she came by with the dress?”
She hoped he wouldn’t ask. “We talked for a bit. Things are cool between us.”
“Please be honest. My sister can go outside of bounds sometimes and I’d like to know if she said anything to upset you.”
She didn’t want to come off as petty or trying to start drama with his family, especially when Trina likely wondered how her brother went from being single one day to engaged the next. “Trina asked if we knew each other in high school, and why we were engaged.”
Max grumbled. “I know all about her brand of questions. I’ll speak to her. Don’t sweat it.”
“People have legitimate questions about us being together. It’s hard to keep lying to them.”
“You agreed to this, Angie. You could’ve said no.”
“Then why did you act like you had to have a fiancée from Harpe
r?”
“Preston, Landers, and now, the town council, like the idea of us together. We have a better chance at tugging their hearts better than me and my ex-fiancée.”
Angie looked his way. “You were engaged before?”
His jaw formed a rigid line. “It’s all water under the bridge now.” He drove up to the convenience store, parked, and got out to get their sodas.
She studied his back as he distanced himself. No matter how flirtatious she and Max acted before, no matter the couple times they kissed, none of it was real. He was still superficial and distant. He saw people as chess pieces to manipulate. That was the truth, the real Max Kelly. Nothing changed about him. He only cared about himself.
Why did she like him so much in high school?
* * *
Max traveled to his high-rise penthouse in Atlanta again after driving Angie home. She had very few words for him before he left Harper. All he wanted to do for the rest of the evening was relax and gather his thoughts.
The housekeeper came by while he was gone. She left fresh sprigs of lavender in a vase in the kitchen. It reminded him of Angie’s scent when he leaned in close to kiss her today at the photo shoot. He had to admit, he liked when the photographer suggested he lock lips with her for the pictures.
Too bad he had to go and spoil a good day by mentioning his ex-fiancée, Bella, a woman he hadn’t spoken to in over a year. He bet it made Angie think he still had feelings for her when he didn’t.
He got a text on his cell from his sister, asking how the photo shoot went. This was as good a time as ever to give her a call.
“Hello.” Trina answered on the second ring.
“The photo shoot went well. The pictures are going to look great when they come out.”
“Good.” Her voice contained an artificial note, as though she were making an effort to be nice. “You could’ve just texted me back.”
“I called you, Trina, because when you went to Angie’s house to give her the dress, you were rude. Those weren’t her words. They’re mine.”
