Last-Minute Bridesmaid Page 6

  Kate inhaled deeply then blew out and wafted her hand in front of her face.

  ‘Wow!’ She laughed and waggled her fingers at him. ‘Back off. Give a girl a minute here. I need some air if I’m going to think about it.’

  * * *

  Kate sat down heavily in her chair and dropped her head into her hands.

  Decision time.

  She could go back to her house and work on with some inventive ways to pay the rent and pretend that she did not care that Heath was one bridesmaid short of a wedding. A wedding which might direct a lot of high-spending customers to Katherine Lovat Designs. She had even printed off some extra business cards.

  Or. And she closed her eyes for a second and inhaled a breath of hot dusty air.

  Or she could agree to go with Heath to his father’s wedding, put on Olivia’s bridesmaid dress, which she already knew was a perfect fit, and new shoes and walk down the aisle behind a bride she had never even met.

  In front of Heath’s fancy Boston family and friends.

  She glanced up at Heath, who had taken out his smartphone and was already scanning his messages as he paced up and down her workspace.

  Oh, Heath Sheridan. He is your dad and you love him and want him to love you!

  If you only knew how similar we are, Heath. And how very different.

  Taking a deep breath, Kate sat back in her pedestal chair and scrubbed at her temples with the fingertips of both hands. But when she opened her eyes the first thing she saw was the overflowing box of invoices and receipts which had built up over the past few weeks—okay, months—which she had promised Saskia that she would sort out the minute the bridesmaids’ dresses were finished.

  No excuses. She had to face them. This was supposed to be her business and there was no way that she could afford an accountant, so it was her or relying on Saskia again. If only she knew...a business professional who might be willing to do her accounts for her.

  Heath’s voice echoed across from the other side of the work table. She caught the words ‘margins’ and ‘discounts’ before he turned away.

  Kate got to her feet and started pacing up and down in front of her desk, glancing at the paperwork piled inches high around the boxes and then looking up at Heath.

  Her steps slowed then speeded up again. Heath was a brilliant businessman—who was desperate for a replacement bridesmaid.

  She was a hopeless businesswoman who was fairly desperate with her accounts.

  Just looking at the boxes made her want to shove the whole lot back into the cupboard to join the others and get on with the exciting work on Leo’s ballet costumes.

  This could be the chance that she had been looking for to finally prove to her parents that she was able to make a living doing what she loved and she was not wasting her life on foolish nonsense. Taking her income to the next level would certainly come in useful too.

  But a weekend wedding with the Sheridans? Ouchy ouch ouch.

  It took five circuits before she stopped and braced her legs.

  It might just work.

  ‘Hey, handsome. Over here. I’ve had a thought.’

  ‘Shall I alert the media?’ he snorted and immediately coughed into his hand as she glared at him. ‘Sorry. Carry on. You’ve had a thought. Does that mean yes?’

  ‘Not so fast. I need to get a few things straight.’ Kate’s breath caught in her throat and she carried on pacing slowly up and down so that when she replied her words came out in one long stream.

  ‘I would just be there as a stand-in bridesmaid, right? Not a wedding date. You’ll fess up that Olivia is not simply delayed somewhere.’

  ‘Absolutely,’ Heath replied, the ice in his voice replaced by a warm edge and there was just the touch of a smile on his lips. ‘And I promise that the speeches will be short and the champagne chilled.’

  Kate relaxed her shoulders. She had done it now. Might as well go the full distance. ‘How about dancing and frolics?’ she asked.

  Heath stopped frowning and his eyebrows lifted. ‘As far as I know, there are no plans for dancing. Or frolics. This is my dad, remember. But Alice has friends in a symphony orchestra who are sending up some of the string section. It should be a very cultural event. And why are you groaning again?’

  ‘Promise me that you will never move into sales because you are doing a terrible job at selling this to me, Heath Sheridan.’ Kate jutted her chin out. ‘A cultural event? This is a wedding. You know, romance, fun, happiness.’

  Then she sniffed and gave a small shoulder shrug. ‘Is it a church or civil service or both?’

  ‘The local village church.’

  Kate nodded slowly. ‘Let me guess. The Jardines have lived in the village for generations and have their own pew in the ancient church and plaques on the wall. Am I right?’

  ‘How did you know that?’ he asked in a low voice. ‘Do you know the village?’

  ‘No. But I have been to a few like it. English tradition.’ Her gaze locked onto his totally confused and bemused face and she burst out laughing. ‘You really do not have a clue, do you? Oh dear.’

  Heath replied by stepping closer so that their bodies were almost touching. She could practically hear his heart beating under the fine weave luxury cotton shirt. But for once she held her ground and looked up into his face rather than give way.

  ‘Let me check that I understand the deal,’ she whispered. ‘One all expenses paid wedding, complete with bridesmaid duties, in exchange for two full days of your time as a business consultant. And you would be doing the actual number-crunching—not some minion. Okay?’

  Heath took her hand and pressed his long slender fingers around hers and held them tight just long enough for her to inhale his intoxicating scent. Combined with the texture of his smooth skin against hers as he slowly raised her hand to his lips and kissed the back of her knuckles, sensible thought became a tad difficult for a few seconds.

  Because the moment his lips touched her skin she was seventeen again and right back on her doorstep.

  ‘Better than okay. It’s a deal. Delighted to have you on my team—because I don’t have minions,’ he replied with a full-on, headlight-bright grin.

  ‘Team,’ she whimpered. ‘Right. Now that is settled. What time do you need me to be there on Saturday?’

  ‘Oh, didn’t I tell you? I’m going to need you there on Friday morning so you’re ready for the wedding rehearsal and dinner. I hope that isn’t a problem.’

  * * *

  ‘Think musketeers. Think swagger and swords. Think Johnny Depp.’ Saskia Elwood picked up a cake fork and pretended to have a mock sword fight with the china teapot on Kate’s kitchen table.

  ‘Okay, okay, I am thinking and drawing at the same time. Designing pirate gauntlets is not easy, you know.’

  ‘Never said it was—that was why I came to the best. You are the only girl I know who spends most of her life in a fantasy world inside her head. You are a saviour, Kate Lovat.’

  ‘Flatterer. You know my hidden weakness for pantomime,’ Kate replied with a short salute. Then she looked at Saskia over the top of her spectacles. ‘Why are you the person who always ends up running these projects when you have a business to run?’

  Saskia shrugged then chuckled. ‘I seem to have one of those faces that scream out—come and ask me to help and I will drop everything and do it for you. You would have thought that I would know by now, wouldn’t you?’

  ‘No—’ Kate laughed and patted Saskia on the arm ‘—you have always been generous with your time and your heart. That’s who you are. And I wouldn’t want you to change a bit.’ Then she gasped. ‘Wait. I have had a brilliant idea. Why don’t you go to this wedding in my place? The dress might be a tad short but you’ve got the legs to get away with it. Heath wouldn’t mind a bit.’

  �
�What? And deny you the vision of Heath Sheridan standing in a sunlit old church in his grey morning dress? All tall, dark and handsome. Oh, I couldn’t do that...not after your little teenage interlude.’

  Kate rolled her eyes and sighed in exasperation. ‘I should know better than to call you and Amber. Two hopeless romantics who are determined to overlook a few rather important facts about the brown-eyed heir to the Sheridan empire.’

  She coughed and counted them out on her fingers. ‘Let’s start with the fact that he lives in New York and works in Boston. Not London. Boston. Then move swiftly on to the fact that he thinks I am a loon. And thirdly—and most importantly—the one and only reason that he asked me to this wedding is because I fit the dress I made for the girl who dumped him over the telephone. Do you remember the last boy you dated who was on the rebound?’

  Saskia gave a dramatic shiver. ‘Hugo the horrible stalker. How could I forget—but you seem to have missed something out.’

  ‘His dress sense. All black single-breasted suits. Purrleese.’

  ‘Actually, I was referring to the fact that he is both lustalicious and you like him. You like him a lot and you always have.’

  ‘That’s two things. I liked the old Heath who I met when I was seventeen and he was young and free and his mum was still around. That was eleven years ago, Saskia. We’ve both changed more than we could ever have imagined.’

  ‘Um. Something tells me that he hasn’t changed that much—he’s still the same charmer underneath those executive suits.’

  ‘I’m not so sure,’ Kate sniffed. ‘You heard what Amber said last night. Heath has been through an awful lot in the past ten years. First his mum’s death, then his dad’s love life, not to mention taking on a complete part of the family business on his own. That’s a lot of weight for anyone to carry.’

  ‘This is a wedding, Kate, not a business conference. You’re going to have a great time.’

  Kate opened her mouth, ready to agree with what Saskia had said, but all she could see in her head was that tension behind his smile. He was hiding something.

  ‘Maybe. Maybe not. I’ll let you know more on Monday.’

  ‘Your studio. Ten a.m.—I’ll bring the chocolate cake.’

  ‘You’re on.’ Kate smiled. ‘But I really should get ready, because it has to be almost ten by now.’

  ‘Ten? Make that half ten.’

  ‘What!’ Kate replied and leapt to her feet. ‘Why didn’t you warn me? You know that my nana’s old watch runs slow. And Heath is bound to be punctual. Oh, no! I need to do something with my hair. And shoes. I need shoes. Saskia!’

  ‘Slow down. You’re all packed and lovely. I checked your case and you have clean underwear and “kiss me until I die” shoes. All ready and waiting in the hallway. You are going to have a fantastic time! Now, you go upstairs and get sorted and I’ll guard the...’

  She hadn’t even finished speaking when the front doorbell sounded and the clock in the hall chimed the half hour.

  Kate didn’t wait to reply and shot past Saskia, who was on her feet and strolling to the door. As Kate pulled on white capri trousers, a white and navy blue striped sailor top and navy lace-up shoes, she could hear Saskia chatting to someone and she peeked out of the corner of her bedroom curtains.

  Blood rushed to her head.

  A long slick black limousine was parked half on the pavement and half on the street in her narrow side road, which had been designed for the width of two horses pulling carriages.

  She couldn’t travel in a limo! And what would the neighbours think?

  Oh, no—too late. The antique dealer who had the shop next door was already outside and peering into the shaded windows. Any minute now some uniformed chauffeur with a peaked cap was going to step out from the driver’s side and wave a sub-machine gun around.

  Well, good luck with that. Because his shop was full of tat and had one customer a week. If he was lucky.

  Still. It was going to be weird having a new neighbour after twelve years.

  And he did order six pairs of cream fine suede gloves every Christmas.

  Kate sniffed. She hated change. It was so unsettling. Why couldn’t things stay the same? Steady. Calm. After the chaos of her day job, it was actually quite nice to come home to her version of stability every night.

  ‘Kate!’ Saskia hissed from over her shoulder. ‘Stop gawping out of the window and get yourself down here pronto. Otherwise Heath is going to be sitting in your parlour. There isn’t room for a hunk that size in your kitchen and I can’t leave him standing at the door much longer.’

  ‘Don’t you dare, Elwood!’ Kate cried out and jumped off the bed. ‘That parlour is my sacred space. No boys or any other type of person allowed.’

  ‘Then move.’ Saskia grinned, then started fanning herself with one hand. ‘You’re keeping the hot millionaire publisher and his limo waiting.’ Her laugh escaped with a loud snort and she ducked and grabbed Kate’s huge shoulder bag and took off down to the hallway.

  ‘Oh, thanks. That is just what I need to put me at ease,’ Kate huffed and tugged on a cut-off navy cotton jacket with gold buttons and epaulets. A navy and white silk scarf. Mother-of-pearl sarong clip to keep it all in place. One liberal spray of the old-fashioned floral vanilla fragrance that her grandmother had worn all of her life and she was good to go.

  Kate took one final glance in the dressing table mirror and turned sideways before grinning at her reflection and winking.

  She couldn’t think about Amber’s warning about Heath. She had to push down the flicker of apprehension and make the best of this wedding, one way or another, for the sake of her business.

  Limos. Manor houses. Hot millionaires. Oh, yes! Bring it on.

  FIVE

  Heath kept losing his place in the financial report he had brought to read. Or maybe he was too distracted to make the effort to find it. Every time he started to work, he was interrupted by chatter, exclamations of excitement and questions from his travelling companion. But one thing had rapidly become only too clear.

  He had never met anyone like Kate Lovat.

  It was no doubt a lady’s right to wear fragrance which filled the car with the smell of flower gardens in summer and not even the excellent air conditioning could cope with the way it seemed to linger on Kate’s jacket and hair so that every time she moved a new waft came in his direction.

  And she did move around. A lot.

  Kate Lovat was an expert in the fine art of fidgeting.

  The girl simply could not keep still.

  She had explored every inch of the car in intimate detail before they had negotiated the narrow street where she lived. The drinks cabinet and mini refrigerator had been particularly fascinating but she had soon moved on to the personal control settings and pressed every button and toggled every switch in the car like a toddler high on fizzy drinks packed full of sugar and artificial colours.

  It was a new experience for him to meet a girl who had such an open and childlike enthusiasm for the new and was not afraid to express it.

  The publishing professionals and booksellers he met in his work were focused on their careers and business plans. All working, heads down, all driven by a common passion for great books. Eyes on the prize.

  Kate was like a squirrel. Leaping around on her seat as they passed one London landmark and then another, apparently only too happy to give him the complete tourist guide to the city he rarely visited these days and, when he did, it was only for business.

  To Kate, London was a city of constant delight and amazement.

  Heath tugged hard at the cuffs of his long-sleeved Sea Island cotton shirt, which had come from his favourite London tailor. His father had been the one who had decided almost a year earlier that he would open the London office and create a new marketing unit geared towa
rds Europe and the Middle East.

  Maybe it was simply coincidence that his father had started dating Alice Jardine again about a year ago?

  Or maybe the London office was the excuse he needed to stay in England instead of working out of the Boston office where the company was based?

  The team there rarely saw him these days and, for a private company in a challenging business environment, the one thing the employees needed was to see the company owner in his office or walking in the print room, talking to them and reassuring them that they had a future.

  Not happenimg. Not yet at least.

  But once this wedding was over...then they would have the talk.

  Once the wedding was over.

  Heath abandoned his report onto his seat table. Who was he kidding? It was never going to be over. Alice would be in Boston, living in the family house where he had grown up. And his dad would be even more distracted than ever, trying to keep his new bride happy.

  The cellphone in the inside pocket of his suit jacket beeped discreetly and Heath glanced at the caller display before answering it.

  ‘Good morning, Lucas,’ he said, picking up the call and looking out of the window at the motorway verges. ‘Or should that be good afternoon in Hong Kong?’

  There was a guffaw down the phone from the jovial Canadian with a passion for books and selling them. ‘Hot and humid afternoon. How about you? All gathered for the big wedding?’

  ‘On my way now.’ Heath smiled. ‘So you would make my day if you told me that the meeting with the distributor went well yesterday.’ There was just enough of a pause for Heath to take a breath. ‘Talk to me, Lucas. What are the customers telling you?’

  ‘It’s the same story I had last week. Our competitors are stealing the market with enhanced digital versions of the printed academic textbooks. You know how students love visuals and they are so loaded up with technology these days.’ Lucas sighed down the phone. ‘I have been promising our customers some news on the new lines for over a year now, Heath, and your dad won’t budge. I know this might not be the best time to bring it up again, but seeing as he is going to be in such a good mood...it has to be worth a try.’