by Codi Gary
“Hey Mom, can I call you back?”
“I just wanted to let you know that we booked your ticket for Leah and Tim’s vow renewal in three weeks.”
Chris wrapped a sweatshirt he had in his car around the flowers to keep them from moving, then realized who his mom was talking about. “Kelly’s parents?”
“Yes. Now, they’re doing it in Hawaii, and I’ve already talked to your receptionist about clearing your schedule, so you’re all set.”
Except that things were incredibly confusing and tense right now, but his mother didn’t need to know that. “I need to talk to Kelly first, before I confirm—”
“Kelly’s fine with it, I already spoke to Leah this morning. It’s all taken care of and non-refundable, so I don’t want to hear anything about you being too busy. Like you always say when I ask you to come to dinner.”
Forty-five seconds in before the guilt trip. Must be a new record. “Mom, please don’t start. You know I’ve been trying to get new clients, and things are crazy right now.”
“Fine, I will let it go for now. But, we will see you in Hawaii if not before. And tell Kelly she is welcome to come with you to dinner anytime. We miss her!”
Chris climbed into the driver seat and started the car. “Thanks, I will. And thanks for letting me know.”
“All right, bye. Come to dinner soon, or I’ll make your father call.”
That was all he needed. An awkward conversation with his dad about why he was disappointing his mother.
“Okay, I will, Mom. Love you. Bye.”
Chris headed for Something Borrowed’s office, holding onto the flowers with one hand and the steering wheel with the other. He parked right next to Kelly’s car and jumped out of his truck, whistling the whole way up to the front door.
He smiled at the receptionist as he came through, and stopped in front of Maggie St. Clair’s desk. “Hey, is Kelly in?”
Maggie’s frizzy brown air swung around her head, her brown eyes wide. “She is, but Mr. Ryan, she’s in crisis mode.”
“She’s always in crisis mode.”
“Mr. Ryan, I’m serious!” Maggie cried, but he ignored her.
Chris headed down the hallway and opened Kelly’s office door. Inside, Kelly, Veronica, and Rylie were watching the tablet in Veronica’s hand in horror.
Kelly looked up and met his gaze. Her face was deathly pale, and the bottom of his stomach dropped out.
“What happened?” he asked
“Several media outlets scooped the Valdez wedding,” Rylie answered.
Chris knew how important discretion was to Kelly, but this wasn’t the first time some friend of a friend had blabbed to the press. Chris came around the desk and set the vase of flowers on the flat, mahogany surface. “I’m sorry, Kel, but this has happened before. We’ll just hire more security for the actual event.”
“You don’t understand. They said their source is someone inside Something Borrowed Wedding Solutions. Our whole reputation is built on our confidentiality and someone has trashed it.”
Kelly looked so lost as she spoke, and all he wanted to do was pull her against him and hold her.
“Veronica, can you and Rylie clear the room while I talk to Kelly?”
Once the door was shut behind them, he came around the desk and did just that. Their conversation about love could wait; she needed her friend and partner right now.
“I am going to fix this.” He ran his hand over her hair and down her back. “You understand? That is what I am here for.”
Her arms tightened around his waist and he pushed aside the flash of awareness at the press of her breasts. “I’m scared, Chris. Everything I have worked for, my whole life…I could lose everything.”
“No, you won’t. I won’t let that happen.” He pulled away from Kelly and stroked her cheek. “And you’ll always have me.”
“Thank you.” She wiped at her eyes, and sniffed, reaching around him for a box of tissues on her desk. “What is the first step?”
“I’ll hire a guy I know to find out who really dropped a dime to the press. Just give me a few days to handle this, all right? Don’t do anything. Be vague, damage control only. Just tell people that call you are looking into the allegations, but to rest assured that Something Borrowed holds its clients’ privacy in the highest regard.”
Kelly snorted. “If they’ll believe me.”
“It doesn’t matter if they do or don’t. You do that, and I’ll handle the rest.”
“I know.” She patted his chest with a smile. “That’s what I pay you the big bucks for, right?”
“Yep. So, try not to stress. I’ll get this handled in no time.”
“I am really glad I have you in my corner, Chris. I am honestly freaking out.”
He ran his hand up her arm and squeezed her shoulder. “It will be okay.”
“What are the flowers for?” she asked abruptly.
All right, I guess we are going to talk about it. “I bought them for you. You said something really important and I screwed up.”
“What are you talking about?” she asked.
Now, his heart fluttered nervously. “You said you loved me, and I didn’t realize it wasn’t our usual banter.”
She seemed confused. “Yes, it was.”
“It was?”
“Uh huh. Did you think I was serious?”
“Yeah. I was afraid I’d messed up again. I mean, you took off before I woke up and I thought maybe you were pissed at me.”
“No, we’re good. I swear. Just find out who did this.”
Chris wasn’t sure what to say. He’d been so sure that she’d meant it.
“Okay, I’ll go make some calls. Just don’t stress. Everything is going to be all right.”
Chapter 28
Everything was not all right.
It was Monday morning, and Kelly and the rest of the Something Borrowed staff had been fielding phone calls all weekend, including a very angry one from Teresa Valdez on Friday night.
“I came to you because I was told you could be trusted and then someone in your company sold me out!”
Kelly had tried to be calm and reassuring, but the truth was, she was a nervous wreck. She had no proof that someone outside had done this and without it, she couldn’t argue or protest convincingly.
Still, she’d tried.
“It wasn’t anyone at Something Borrowed, Ms. Valdez, I can promise you that.”
“Well, someone told them, and they knew intimate details about everything, including the song for my first dance! Things only Veronica and you knew. So, either it was one of you, or someone else inside your establishment went through my file. Either way, I want a full refund and I’ll be postponing my wedding. It doesn’t matter now that my family isn’t even speaking to me!”
Kelly was heartbroken for her, and tried to convey as such.
“I am so very sorry for everything you are going through. Rest assured, I’ve hired a private investigator to find out who it was and my lawyer, Mr. Ryan, is personally looking into everything.”
Teresa had hung up on her, and Kelly couldn’t really blame her. She’d built this company on the understanding that all private details about clients’ lives and weddings would stay that way. The fact that someone had violated that agreement had brought the entire company under scrutiny.
They’d come in this morning to ten cancellation messages on the machine, with the threat that Something Borrowed would soon be contacted by their lawyers. By ten in the morning, a headache had formed in her forehead and she was ready to go home, turn off her cell, and go back to bed.
The intercom buzzed.
“Ms. Barrow, Hank Townsend is here to see you.”
Kelly sank into her chair with a groan. If Hank thought that there was a leak at Something Borrowed, he’d pull his check
advance and find someone else to handle his sister’s wedding. It was their biggest account this season next to the Valdez wedding. She really couldn’t afford to lose it.
There was a knock on her door and she called out, “Come in.”
Hank smiled as he poked his head in. “Good morning. Seems you’re having a busy Monday.”
Had he really not heard what happened? He seemed completely at ease in his black T-shirt and distressed jeans, and his expression was his usual friendly façade.
“Yeah, you can call it that.” She got up and came around the edge of the desk. “Hank, I just want to assure you that no one at Something Borrowed leaked details about the Valdez wedding. I have no idea what happened, but someone is ripping my company’s reputation to shreds and the media thinks we sold out a client. That isn’t the case and we are trying to fix it—”
He held up his hand, stopping any further defense from her. “Kelly, I know that your company is on the up and up or I never would have trusted you to handle my sister’s wedding. I came by today to see if I can help in any way. I’ve already sent out a tweet that the allegations against you were complete shit.”
Kelly sighed with relief and was tempted to hug the man, but she was trying to hold it together. If he patted her back or tried to comfort her, she would break down. “Thank you for that. Chris hired a private investigator to find out who really leaked the info, so we’re just waiting on proof from him.”
Hank sank into the chair in front of her desk. “Ah, Chris. He seems like a man who will save the day, I have no doubt. In the meantime, if you need anything, a hand to hold or a shoulder to cry on, I’m here for you.”
Kelly laughed weakly. “I appreciate it.”
“Good.” He clapped his hands together with a Cheshire cat smile. “Now, should we get down to business? Just another month until the wedding and lots left to do.”
“That would be great. And thank you, Hank, for your faith in me.”
Hank’s usual playful manner evaporated, and he cleared his throat. “I wanted you to know that I really was interested in getting to know you as more than my sister’s wedding planner. I think you’re a very special woman and Chris is a lucky man.”
His sincere tone struck a chord in Kelly, and she was embarrassed now that she’d dragged him into her drama.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “I’m also sorry for pulling you into my personal issues. It was very unprofessional.”
“Kelly, I had already crossed that line the first time we met by flirting with you. I like to think we’ve become friends these last few weeks, and friends help each other out.” He stood up once more and chucked her under the chin. “And now that we’ve made this fantastically awkward, I have in this folder Julie’s choice of bridesmaid’s dresses. She wanted to convey that she would love to have you as part of her bridal party, but having seen the dresses, I must advise that you run.”
Kelly chuckled and reached for the folder. She had stopped being a part of weddings years ago, but with her company hanging on a tight rope, she couldn’t afford to alienate the few friends she had left.
“Tell Julie I would love to be in her wedding.”
“You better look at the dress before you agree. It’s hashtag hideous, as the kids are saying these days.”
Kelly opened the folder, her eyes traveling over the very orange ruffled dress and laughed.
“I’m in. Maybe I can convince her to go with something in periwinkle.”
“That’s blue, right?” Hank asked.
“Yes.”
“I like blue better than orange, but we’ll come back to that. Check out these flower bouquets she sent me.”
Kelly stood up and glanced down at the photographs he laid out of bouquets, center pieces, and boutonnieres. All of them had painted roses in an array of colors that would have made a rainbow jealous.
“Your sister’s a bit of a unicorn, isn’t she?”
“You mean she likes bright colors and is unique? Yes, she is.”
As they smiled at each other, Kelly covered his hand with hers. “Thank you for being my friend, Hank.”
Hank stayed for an hour, going through the rest of the binder until they had a plan. After he left, Kelly sat down at her desk and let the dam of tears loose. She needed the release and let herself go for several moments until they began to slow.
Calm once more, she wiped at her eyes with Kleenex. When her vision was clear, she spotted the flowers Chris had brought her. His apology flowers.
She hadn’t meant to lie about her I love you, but on top of everything else, she hadn’t wanted to scare him away with unnecessary pressure. She needed him right now. Not just professionally, but as her friend and her lover.
Chris had stayed with her over the weekend until Saturday night, bringing little Fungi, who was completely cured and starting to grow his hair back. When his guy from LA had called, Chris had asked her to watch his kitten while he went to help his PI. Kelly had been on pins and needles waiting on a phone call or text from him, giving her any kind of update. Besides the check-ins and I miss you texts, though, she had heard very little from him.
Which made her think that things were not going well.
Her cell phone rang, and she came around the desk to answer. The screen flashed with Chris’s smiling face holding Fungi, and she hurried to slide her thumb across the screen.
“Hey.”
“Hey, sweetheart.”
“How are you? Did you find out anything?”
“Yeah, we did.”
Knee weakening relief rushed through her and she sank into her office chair. “You have no idea how good that is to hear. Are you going to tell me who it was?”
“Not yet. I need you to do me a favor first.”
“Anything.”
“Call Teresa Valdez and her fiancée and ask them to come down to your office tomorrow afternoon.”
Kelly worried her bottom lip. “What if I can’t get them here? As far as I know, they left town. They aren’t even talking to Veronica.”
“Tell them it’s important. That you have the truth about who really sold the details about their wedding. That will strike their interest.”
“And do we know who did it?”
“Yeah we do. You’re going to be so glad to see me after you hear what I found out.”
Her heart fluttered as she admitted, “I’ll be glad to see you just because.”
“That’s really good to hear.”
“Can’t you tell me now, though?” She heard him chuckled and continued, “I have been a wreck for days and something concrete to tell clients would really make me feel better.”
“Nope. The shock value will be better if you hear it when everyone else does.”
“You’re torturing me.”
“I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”
“All right.” She couldn’t force him to tell her and as impatient as she was, she trusted Chris when it came to business. “When are you coming home?”
“I’m on my way to the airport now. I’ll text you when I get into Sacramento.”
“Be safe.” I love you.
“I miss you, Kel.”
“I miss you, too.”
“See you tonight.”
The call ended and Kelly set it down on the desk. Chris wouldn’t ask her to reach out to Teresa if he didn’t have proof Something Borrowed wasn’t involved, so that took a little of the stress off her shoulders.
But there was the matter of waiting on Chris’s feelings to catch up to hers.
Relax. One problem at a time. After tomorrow, I can go back to worrying about whether Chris will ever love me the way I love him.
Chapter 29
Chris pulled into Kelly’s driveway seven hours later. He’d spent the whole time at the airport and on the plane completely wrung out
and barely able to keep his eyes open. Yet the moment he got in his car and knew that he was only an hour away from being with Kelly, he’d been reenergized.
He grabbed his carry-on from the back seat and when his foot touched the first step of the porch, the door opened, and Kelly flew outside. Her hair was thrown up in a messy bun and she wore a pair of yoga pants and a tank top, and she brought a whole new meaning to sight for sore eyes.
He barely had time to drop the bag before she threw herself into his arms.
“I have been a complete wreck without you.”
Although he hated that she’d been so stressed out, it was good to hear that she needed him.
“I’m sorry, but I had to go. And now, we have everything we need to clear up Something Borrowed’s reputation.”
She pulled back and grabbed his hand. “Come inside and tell me everything about your trip.”
Chris tugged her back to him and kissed her, adrenaline shooting through him. They hadn’t kissed since before this whole mess, but he couldn’t stop himself. Being away from her had been hard, especially since he knew she was struggling with worry over losing everything she’d worked for.
She sank against him, and they stood together, losing their stress and worry in the taste and feel of the other. Watching Kelly try to be strong as her life fell apart had made him furious, and he’d wanted to punish the bastard who had hurt her. It had been a gut-wrenching reaction and then when he’d had to leave her…
The only thing good about his time away from her is that he’d thought about what he needed to do to. He loved Kelly, and she deserved everything he had to give. Even if things didn’t work out, if it all got messy, he wasn’t going to play it scared anymore.
Kelly broke the kiss, pulling away with a smile.
“Well that was wonderfully unexpected.”
“Why?”
“Because you haven’t kissed me since before this all happened.”
“I figured you had enough going on without me mauling you.”
