by Melissa West
I stood up and went to work making my bed so I could sit on it without it driving me crazy, something I no doubt picked up from my OCD mother. “Who?”
“Kathy, my wedding planner? She said she couldn’t work in such a hostile environment. Am I hostile?”
“No, not at all.” But your mother might be.
“I didn’t think so. I think it’s because she just picked up some celebrity wedding and she wants to put all her attention there. Why help plan some small Alabama wedding when you can work for a celebrity? And now I have no one, and the wedding is like a week away, and what if nothing is really booked and we have to postpone and—”
“Okay, deep breath. You aren’t postponing.”
I could hear her voice shaking, and I wished I was with her so I could reach for her hand, reassure her the way she’d reassured me after I lost my job at the Met. “But I can’t find a new wedding planner on this short of notice.”
“Sure you can. Me. I’ll talk to Annalise, get some of her input, and then we’ll help you pull this together.”
“Oh my God, are you serious?”
“Absolutely.”
She sniffled, and I knew these were happy tears. “You’re the best friend in the world, you know that?”
I smiled. “Just don’t tell Lauren that.”
She laughed, and I knew the scare was over. “Right, we’ll make that our little secret.” She giggled again, likely picturing Lauren’s reaction to her comment, then stopped abruptly. “But wait, you’re supposed to be in the wedding. You can’t coordinate it and be in it.”
“So I won’t be in it.”
“Grace…”
“It’s fine. I can step in for pictures, but otherwise, I’ll be behind the scenes making sure everything goes flawlessly for you.”
“I can’t let you do that.”
I swallowed and walked back to the window, watching as the Open sign popped on at Hunter’s Place. “You can and you will. This is your day. And I’ll still be there. Let me do this for you.”
“I love you, you know that?”
“I love you, too. Just send me a list of your vendors, and I’ll double-check that everything is booked, okay?”
“Okay.”
Silence found us as relief settled over my friend, and I walked over to the desk, opened the long center drawer, and peered inside, curiosity forever my greatest sin.
“Okay, now that my freak-out is over, tell me about being in Cricket Creek. Is that really the town’s name?”
I laughed. “Shockingly, yes.”
“I mean, I know the South has weird town names, but that’s a new one. I wonder if there’s tons of crickets there or something.”
“God, I hope not.”
Silence again, and then, “Have you seen Hunter yet?”
Instantly, a part of me regretted telling her about Noah, but I had been so angry and nervous when I realized that I might see him again that I knew I needed to get the whole thing off my chest. Even Lauren was quiet when I told them the messed up story of my one-night stand and my new job and how the two had mixed, because apparently fate had a wicked sense of humor.
I closed my eyes, and all the emotions I’d tried to bury since I first saw him bubbled up, my defenses falling away inside the safety of a conversation with my friend. “Oh, I’ve seen him. The wedding is being held in a gazebo behind his family’s bar.”
“Whoa, wait, did you just say the wedding is at a bar?”
“No, behind it, on the lake. Apparently, there’s a dock and a gazebo back there. That’s where the groom proposed.”
“Aw, that’s kind of romantic.”
I edged back to the window and peered beyond Hunter’s Place to the gazebo in question. It really was pretty. “It is.”
“Well, what did he say when you saw him?”
I recounted everything to her, complete with my epic fall and him walking me to the bed and breakfast, only to say the night of all nights for me had meant nothing to him.
“Did he say it first? Or did he just agree with you that it meant nothing?”
I replayed the conversation in my mind. “I think I said it first.”
She huffed. “You’re so stupid! He just said it to save face. He totally wants you. Why else would he walk you to the bed and breakfast?”
“Um, first, thanks. And second, I don’t think so. He would have said something. He walked me because he felt bad for leaving like he did, nothing more.”
“Did he act like he wanted to say something? Was there a connection?”
I thought of this morning, his eyes trained in this direction, mine unable to look away. “I wish there wasn’t.”
“So you felt something?”
“Ugh, yes, but don’t you think that’ll go away? I mean, surely there’s some medication I can take to make me not feel this way, right? Like a hate drug or something?”
Silence.
“Are you there?”
“Yes.”
“You went quiet.”
“Yes.”
“What’s with all the yesing?”
“I’ve just never heard you talk about a guy like this. Are you sure you want to ignore it?”
Noah stepped outside again and sat on the front steps, his head turned to the right, before pivoting back toward the bed and breakfast. Then he slowly stood and took a step forward, and I knew he could see me now, too.
“What choice do I have? He said he didn’t want me.”
“That’s not what he said, and I’m pretty sure that agreement was really just code for ‘I love you and want to take you back to my house so I can do naughty things to you.’”
I smiled despite myself and turned away from the window and Noah’s magnetic pull. “New romance novel?”
“That obvious, huh?”
We laughed together and then said good-bye.
Time to face the day. Hopefully without embarrassing myself in front of Annalise. Or worse…running into Noah again.
…
“You are a rock star. A smart, driven, amazing woman, and you are going to kick some serious ass.” I stared at my reflection in the bathroom mirror, smiled wide, then relaxed it a little to a more natural grin. “There, perfect. Now go rock this wedding stuff.”
“Ahem.”
I jumped and spun around, my heart in my throat as I took in the petite older woman before me.
“I’m sorry to scare you, honey. I’m the maid and your neighbor to the right is complaining about the music.”
“Oops.” I reached for my iPod and clicked it off, ending Lorde mid-song. “Sorry about that. In New York I don’t have neighbors close enough to hear my music and…” I trailed off at the flicker of resentment in her eyes.
“Well, honey, you aren’t in New York any longer, now are you? And we prefer to keep things peaceful around here, else you are free to take your Yank—”
“Wilma!” Another woman rushed into my room, the door wide open for any and all to enter. Clearly, a locked door meant nothing in Cricket Creek.
The woman shot Wilma a look that said she could leave, then she threaded her fingers together and plastered on a bright smile. Wilma grumbled the entire way out the door, glared at me one last time, then disappeared out of sight. “I’m sorry about that. Unfortunately, some people in the Creek still aren’t too fond of Northerners.” She placed a finger on her lips in thought. “Come to think on it, most of the South takes issue with the North, now don’t they?”
“Sure…I guess so.” I ran a hand over my skirt to smooth it for no other reason than to have something to do.
“Oh! I’m Penny, owner of the B&B. I’m not sure if we were formally introduced yesterday, but I hope you enjoyed your stay last night.” Her eyes did this slant thing that said I’d better say yes and thank you or I may have another encounter with Wilma tomorrow morning.
“Yes, I slept very well, thank you. The room is very…” I glanced around at the space. “Charming.”
She stare
d at me, and I thought I might be under the most intense scrutiny of my life. But then she relaxed and waved a hand. “I’m sure it’s nothing compared to some of the places you’ve stayed, but we like it. It’s home, you know?”
No, I didn’t, but I knew better than to suggest as much. “Of course. It’s really special. I’ll be sure to suggest it to my folks if they’re ever in this area.”
And that did it. Her face lit like I’d promised her the world. “That would be amazing. Absolutely amazing. I’ll just let you get back to whatever you were doing. We have homemade breakfast downstairs waiting for you. I believe Annalise and Mary Beth are already there.”
“Wait, what? I thought we were meeting at nine?” I leaned around Penny to take a peek at the clock beside the bed. Eight-thirty. I released a breath. They must have arrived early.
“Heavens, child, that’s not a real clock. It’s for decoration.”
Oh no.
“Did you say decoration?” Why weren’t my lungs working?
“You know, for looks. Fake?”
Okay, stay calm. This was no big deal.
“So what time is it then?”
Penny peered down at her watch. “Nine-twenty.”
“Holy shit!”
Penny gasped as I raced around her, grabbed my new Tory Burch sandals, hopped as I fixed one, then the other into place, and reached for my cell, which I’d stupidly left on the bed after my call with Cameron. Sure enough, it was now officially nine twenty-one, and I was officially getting fired.
Yep, day one I fall on my ass in front of my new client, and day two I show up to our first real meeting half an hour late. This had to go down in the record books as the worst start to a job ever.
I didn’t bother closing my room’s door, because honestly, what was the point anyway, and ran with all my might down the stairs, around the front desk, and stopped cold outside the dining room doorway. Drawing a breath, I told myself to settle down, remember who I was, what I was capable of. This wasn’t the time for a freak-out, this was time to rally and prove that I, Grace Soaring, was the best wedding planner on the planet.
“Hi there. You must be Grace.”
I turned, my eyes wide as I took in the blonde before me. “Yes. I am. And you are…?”
“Brighton Caulder.”
“Oh…right.” Where had I heard that name? Come on, brain, work.
A smile curved her lips. “I’m the maid of honor.”
And just like that, I planted myself right back at the top of the I SUCK list.
“Right. I’m sorry, I knew that.” I felt sure I’d seen the name on the wedding party list, but how was I supposed to recognize her? Surely they didn’t expect that kind of thing on the first day, right?
Dear God.
“Lindy’s almost here. Shall we join the others?” Brighton pointed inside to a table where Mary Beth and Annalise were already seated, talking away.
“Of course.” I flashed a smile that didn’t quite work right and followed her over, hoping beyond hope that they had ramp up periods in this business, otherwise Annalise might send me back home. Fired from two jobs in so many weeks. The shame!
No, I’m not getting fired. This is fine. I’m fine.
“Grace? Are you feeling better?”
I stared blankly at Mary Beth. “Um…”
“Your headache?” Annalise added with a wink, and I released the breath held captive in my lungs.
“Right. Much better, thank you.”
“Wonderful,” Mary Beth said with a smile. “Have a seat now. I actually had the pleasure of meeting your mother a few months ago. Lovely lady.”
I took the seat beside Mary Beth, and Annalise smiled encouragingly at me. “She is. I’ll be sure to tell her you said so.”
“Please do. Perhaps the three of us could have lunch the next time I’m in the city.”
“That sounds great.”
Lindy appeared then, but it was quickly apparent that all was not well in Lindy-land.
“What happened, sweetie?” Mary Beth asked, her face moved so quickly from happiness to concern that I found myself watching her, curious if that’s what all mothers looked like when they were worried over their children. It wasn’t an expression I’d ever seen on my own mother’s face.
“Dane won’t come with me to choose the cake. He has a tee time today, so he said I should choose whatever I want. Whatever I want, like it’s my thing and not our thing. How are we supposed to start our lives together if I’m the one to plan everything and he does nothing and—” Her voice broke, and I quickly stood and helped her into my chair.
“Take a breath and a sip of water.” I urged her, handing over one of the small bottles of water on the table. “This isn’t a big deal, okay?”
“The cake? Are you crazy?”
“Not the cake. The argument. You’ll have things in your life worth getting upset over, things that demand that you and Dane compromise. I’m not sure this is one of them. Tell me, has he been to the other things?”
“The other things?”
“Choosing the venue, the reception site, the food? Flowers?”
She nodded. “Yes, he’s been to everything.”
“And does he like cake?”
At that, her chin dropped, and she toyed with a loose thread on her dress. “He hates it.”
I leaned in closer. “You’re stressed, and you feel like a lot of it is on you. I get that. I do. But if you love him, and I believe you do, you have to respect him and his wishes as much as you expect him to respect yours.”
I felt a hand squeeze my arm and looked over to see Annalise grinning wide at me. “Why don’t you go with Lindy to the tasting?”
Lindy’s head lifted. “Would you? That would be amazing.”
I eyed Lindy. “I mean, sure, I can. If you wouldn’t rather someone else…” I glanced at Brighton, but both women shook their heads.
“I’m diabetic,” Brighton said. “So no cake for me.”
“You’ll come, then, won’t you?” Lindy pleaded.
“Of course.” I grabbed my purse and stood, and just like that, I felt the tide turning a tiny little bit in my favor. Maybe I wouldn’t ruin this after all.
It took us exactly four seconds of being outside, before Lindy turned on me, not a hint of sadness on her face now. “Okay, I’m sorry, but I’ve waited long enough.”
I glanced around. “I’m…sorry?”
“Noah.”
I almost fell over as I spun around in search of him. “Where? Is he everywhere here? Can’t a girl get a break?”
“No, he’s not here. But goodness, you should have seen your face. What exactly happened between you and our most eligible bachelor?”
Using the new scenery as a distraction, I took in the clean sidewalks that ran along the shops, the few cars, the number of people walking around, yet not rushing. It was refreshing.
“Grace, you know you’re not getting out of this, right? You have to tell me more about how you met Noah Hunter. You said it was at an event?”
I thought of the gala, him drinking a beer like he could do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. It had been infuriating—and hot. I never would have guessed at that point that he would end up back at my apartment, that we’d open up to each other that night like old friends, and then reach for each other again and again like old lovers.
“A gala.”
“A gala? Noah?”
I laughed at that, picturing him there, so out of place. “Yeah, he was filling in for a cousin.”
“Which cousin?”
“Oh, I don’t actually know. Does he have that many?”
It was Lindy’s turn to laugh. “More than any sane person should have to deal with. His family is huge.” She stopped outside a shop with cakes in the window and a blue and silver sign boasting Cakes & Confections.
“So what’s Noah’s story? Obviously, his family owns the bar, but I haven’t seen them. Does he run it for his parents or something?” Even a
s the questions left my lips, I wished I could pull them back. I didn’t need to know anything more about him.
Lindy’s gaze slid slowly up to mine. “He didn’t tell you? No, of course he wouldn’t.”
“Tell me what?”
“His parents died years ago. He runs the bar now.”
“No, he didn’t tell me that.” I thought of all the things we’d talked about in bed that night and realized that his family never once came up—or mine. We talked about our interests, our wants in life. I knew he loved to fish, that his photo had been in some local paper for killing a giant deer, that he loved football and baseball. But I had no idea that his parents had died.
“Yeah, he doesn’t like to talk about it. The whole thing was…well, it’s not really my story to tell.”
I glanced at Lindy, hoping she’d go on and give me a bit more insight into this guy who had affected me so completely yet I knew so little about. But she didn’t, and I got the impression she felt guilty for telling me as much as she had.
“But all that drama aside, I’ve never seen him react that way to another person. Come to think of it, Noah doesn’t really show emotions about anything at all. Well, anything other than Jonah.”
I opened my mouth to ask her who Jonah was, when Lindy opened the door to the bakery, releasing a smell so divine my stomach immediately rumbled. “Wow,” I said, just as a woman appeared behind the counter, her hair black, her cheeks rosy, her brown eyes bright and excited. “Do I ever have some fun for you!”
The woman reached for Lindy’s hand, and Lindy giggled. “Grace, this is Shirley, local baker extraordinaire. Everyone who is anyone gets their cakes and desserts from Shirley.”
Shirley waved her on. “Hush now, child. You’ll make me blush.”
“It’s true. Just wait until you try her cake.”
Shirley winked at me. “Just promise me if you like them, you’ll hire me for your own wedding.”
I grinned. “Consider it done.”
Shirley led us to the back room where she had three platters lined up side-by-side on a table, a dozen tiny cake samples on each. I’d been to plenty of events, assisted in planning a few weddings, but never had I seen so many cake options. Mint chocolate. Red velvet. White chocolate raspberry. The list went on and on, from ordinary vanilla to pink champagne, each one more delicious than the last.
