Destination Wedding (Crimson Romance) (8 page)

She’d have to think of something. Maybe they could find an isolated part of the beach to have the ceremony. She pressed on. “Now, talk to me about your dress. How does it feel on you?”

“Amazing.” Lauren’s eyes remained closed. “It’s elegant but simple. Sheer.” She moved her hand to her shoulder. Almost flowery up top. My arms are sleeveless.” She opened her eyes. “Oh, this is ridiculous. I should just wear a white sack and staple flowers onto it.”

Kate cupped Lauren’s face with her hands. “You’ve told me all I need to know.” She crossed the room to the nearby dress racks. “I’m thinking you need something flowery, romantic, and whimsical. It has to be sexy though, to show off those tanned arms.” She maneuvered through the first rack, touching each dress. “Hmm … something you can easily glide in.”

Lauren sighed. “Does such a dress exist?”

Miles returned with a plate of tiny sandwiches and offered them to Lauren and Aubrey. “It does, and Kate will find it. Sit back and watch her do her magic.”

Kate disappeared deep into the racks. There was nothing she enjoyed more than the challenge of finding her client the perfect wedding dress. A few minutes later, she emerged, cradling a dress in her hands. “Found it!”

Lauren looked up. Her tear-stained eyes widened. “Oh my goodness. It’s … it’s beautiful.”

“I know, right?” Kate ran her hands across the sheer fabric. “I bet it’s going to look simply gorgeous on you. Let’s go try it on.”

Miles helped Lauren up and she waddled back into the fitting room. Aubrey went in with her daughter to help.

“Nice job. You saved the day, per usual.” Miles laughed. “Here, have a sandwich for your hard work.”

Kate picked up one of the mini ham and cream cheese sandwiches and took a bite. “Yum.” She shoved the rest in her mouth and grabbed another. She didn’t realize how hungry she was. “You would have done the same thing. Cross your fingers she likes it and it won’t need too many alterations.”

After what seemed like an eternity, Aubrey pulled back the curtain.

Lauren emerged and floated over to the three-way mirror. A big smile brightened her face. She motioned for Kate. “Can you help me? Mom was having trouble with this zipper.”

“Of course.” Kate approached. The one-shoulder gown was simply made for Lauren’s body, accentuating both of her long, toned arms.

Kate paused, remembering Drew’s offer to help her with her own zipper.

“Everything okay?” Lauren looked behind her shoulder.

“Super-duper,” Kate replied and tugged the zipper up.

Lauren swirled her train. The soft white dress was breathtaking in its simplicity. The sheer organza petals along her hips were exquisite. The gown’s train flowed from her waist. It was the perfect length to glide across sand.

Miles was the first to speak. “Lauren, you look stunning.”

“It’s absolutely what I envisioned.” She grinned from ear to ear. “Kate, how did you know?”

She chuckled. “I’ve been at this for a while.”

Lauren twirled in her dress. “Well, you certainly earned every penny of your commission today. Thank you.”

“Oh, dear, you look so beautiful.” Aubrey choked back tears.

Miles sprung immediately to the rescue, handing her a tissue. Kate knew he had a load of them in his pocket precisely for this expected outcome. He handed one to Kate as well.

As mother and daughter admired the details of the dress, Kate went over to the couch and fetched her bag. It had to be time to meet Drew. A glance at her phone confirmed that she had fifteen minutes to get back to the Aolani. She’d need to leave now.

While she wasn’t looking forward to being alone with him, there was something regarding the wedding that they needed to discuss privately.

“Ladies, I have to run back to the hotel for a meeting. Miles will arrange for any alterations.” She glanced at Lauren one last time. “I doubt they’ll need to do many.”

“What meeting do you have?” Miles asked. “I didn’t book anything for noon.”

Kate stammered. “I’m … um … meeting the hotel staff. Nothing major. Wanted to give them a little background on the expected guests.”

“Do you need me to go with you?” Miles reached for his briefcase.

“No!” She composed herself. “I mean, it would be great if you could wrap up here. Tell you what. Since we finished much earlier than we planned, why don’t you three enjoy some sun? That dress is going to require a nice dark tan.”

Lauren clapped her hands. “Oh, goodie! I was hoping we’d have some time for the beach. Is that okay with you, Mom?”

Aubrey shook her head. “I’m going to meet your father for lunch. You and Miles go have some fun. I’ll meet you later and maybe bring your dad.”

Kate smiled. “Good, that settles it. You two go worship the Sun God. Miles, I’ll call you when I’m done.” She leaned in so only he could hear. “Only give her SPF Four and please make sure she pulls down her straps. Tan lines won’t work with that dress.”

“Ladies, chop, chop.” Miles clapped. “Lauren, our toes are going to be in the sand in one hour!”

Kate left the boutique and hailed a taxi for the quick trip back to the hotel. Wedding dress selected. Check. Happy bride and mother-of-the-bride. Double check. Things were going so smoothly. Her clients didn’t really need a full year to plan their wedding, not with her around. That promotion to partner was as good as hers.

Once in the cab, she reached for her compact and blotted her face with the tinted sponge. Her matte mauve lipstick was still on and gave some color to her silky beige slacks and white top.

She had purposely dressed in pants to cover her legs and selected a conservative top with no zippers. There would be no awkward encounters with Drew that involved her clothing if she could help it. Leaning her head back, she closed her eyes. Now, if she could just stop thinking about the kiss.

• • •

Kate squared her shoulders and moved through the revolving door. Her taxi had gotten stuck in traffic, causing her to be fifteen minutes late.

She spotted Drew immediately reading
The Wall Street Journal
. The same paper he’d been reading when they first met.

“I do, I do.” She whispered. Everything was going to be fine. It was a short car ride to and from the airport. This should only take an hour, tops. Hopefully his brother’s flight was on time.

Drew looked up. “Hi, Kate.”

“Hi. I’m sorry I’m late.”

“No problem. You ready?” He folded his paper and stood, tucking it under his arm. He looked incredibly handsome in a casual red polo and khaki shorts.

She flashed her brightest smile. “Ready to get this over.”

He frowned. “My car should be out front. I asked the valet to bring it around a few minutes ago.”

“Great. Let’s go.” She followed him outside where a white BMW convertible waited for them. The valet greeted Kate and handed Drew his keys.

“Figures,” she muttered.

Drew opened the door for her. “Did you say something?”

“No.” She got in and ran her fingers through her hair, watching as Drew moved to the driver’s side. He was checking his phone.

“If you’re checking on Lauren, she’s fine. She’s with Miles.”

“I wasn’t.” He set his phone down in the middle console. “I’ve been waiting for a text all morning. Some instructions.”

Kate fetched an elastic band from her purse and pulled her hair back in a long ponytail.
Perhaps instructions on how to be a decent fiancé.
“Well, in case you’re wondering, she looked amazing in her dress.”

“So she found one?”

Kate nodded. “It’s gorgeous.”

Drew hit the gas and headed away from the hotel. “I don’t doubt it. She’d be stunning in a white sack.”

“With flowers stapled onto it.” She laughed sarcastically. “I’m sure she would.”

“Sorry?”

“Nothing. Just something she said earlier.”

They sat for a few minutes in silence. Drew turned on the radio. “You’ll like my brother, he’s a great guy.”

Kate smirked. “I’m sure he is.”

“No, really he is.”

Kate turned away and played with her ponytail. Conversing with her grooms had never been this hard. But she’d also never kissed any of them before. After a few more minutes of awkward silence, she decided to bring up their conversation from last night. “So why don’t we talk about these surprises you have in mind for the wedding?”

“Surprises?” He glanced over at her. “What do you mean?”

“Last night at the bar. You said you had some special surprises in store for Lauren to make your wedding day memorable. What are they? I need to know exactly what you’ve got in mind so we can coordinate.”

“Right. Right. I did say that.” He fidgeted with the buttons for the radio, landing on a country station. She didn’t figure Drew for a Rascal Flats kind of guy.

She studied him. Why did he now seem reluctant to talk about his surprise plans for Lauren? Had this been a trick of his to get her alone with him?

“I guess I’d like to … um … well.” His words stumbled over each other. “It would be kinda cool if I — ”

“You aren’t planning anything, are you?” She threw her hands up in the air.
This was a trick.

He shook his head. “No, but it’s a good idea.” He paused. “I had a lot to drink last night.”

“So you don’t remember our conversation?” She turned her body to face him. This game stopped now. “Listen; let’s get everything out in the open, okay?”

“Okay.” His grip tightened on the steering wheel.

“I think what you did to Lauren was awful. I mean, kissing me was seriously despicable.”
Wow. Never did she think she’d say that sentence.

“Kate, I’m a jerk.”

“Yes, that’s one name for you.” She continued, “Like I said yesterday, I’m going to pretend that it never happened. Your wedding is too important to my career.” She took a deep breath. “I’m willing to let it go. We can start over, and put this behind us. Agreed?”

Drew relaxed his grip. “Agreed.”

“Now what I’d love to talk to you about is your wedding location.”

“What about it?” He turned onto the ramp for the H1 Highway.

“Your fiancée desperately wants to get married in Maui.”

“What? She told you that? I thought the ceremony was going to be here, on the beach.”

“Well, I think she’s under the impression that you wanted to get married in Waikiki where you first met, but she’s mentioned Maui twice to me in the last twenty-four hours. I think we need to explore it as an option. Is that something that you would be willing to do?”

Drew smiled. “Whatever Lauren wants we’ll do. Waikiki, Maui. I’d marry her on this freeway if that’s what she wanted.”

Kate wiggled her nose. “That won’t be happening.” There was no way she’d ever agree to plan a wedding on black asphalt.

“Will it be hard to find a location that can do it in three weeks?”

Kate thought about it. Janet could probably pull some strings. With thirty years of weddings under her belt, her boss surely knew people in Maui. “Well, Miles and I would have to spend a day or two there doing site visits to see if we can secure a nice location. This is my first trip to Hawaii. I don’t know the islands very well.”

“You could take the Kincaid jet,” he offered. “Aubrey and Phillip are here until Tuesday. I’m sure they would let you take the bird. They won’t be using it.”

Kate thought for a second. His idea was actually a good one. “Do you think you could arrange it with Mr. Kincaid?”

“Done!” He turned down the radio and reached for his phone. Within minutes, the trip was planned. Kate and Miles would leave tonight and spend Friday and Saturday in Maui. Then, they would return the following week with Lauren.

Mr. Kincaid had also offered to make arrangements for them to stay at a resort the family always enjoyed when they were in Maui. Drew agreed it was a lovely hotel that Luke and he had also stayed at once. The trip was planned in less than five minutes. The rich seriously knew how to get things done.

She couldn’t wait to tell Miles. He was always bugging Kate about the lack of adventure in her life. He’d approve of their spontaneous island hop, even if they were on the clock.

“That was easy.” Drew turned the radio back up. “Thank you, Kate. Lauren will be thrilled.”

“I didn’t do anything. It’s my job to listen to the brides.”

“Well, you do it well.”

“You wouldn’t believe some of the things brides will keep to themselves until the eleventh hour.” She laughed. “I once had a bride who had a fear of churches, but she didn’t tell us. She went into a full on panic attack as soon as she started walking down the aisle. Something about crosses freaked her out.”

“That must have been a sight.” Drew laughed with her. “Didn’t she lose it during the rehearsal?”

“That’s just it. We didn’t have one. The bride didn’t want it. We had no idea at the time she was deathly afraid to enter the church.”

“So what did you do?”

“We blindfolded her.”

“You blindfolded her?” he repeated. “Seriously?”

“I know, right? Silly, but it was the only thing we could think of. We cut some fabric from underneath her dress and made a blindfold. Her dad escorted her slowly down the aisle and then once she got to the altar, her groom held her hands. She married him with her eyes covered.”

“Wow, that’s quite a story for their children. The pictures must have been something.”

“They were. You should have seen the video.” She laughed. “It certainly was one of the strangest weddings I’ve done. The good news is they are still together and had their second child. I got a Christmas card from them last year.”

“Wow. Well, I’m happy you’re planning our wedding, Kate. I promise we won’t spring on you any surprises like that.” He chuckled. “Lauren did tell you she’s afraid to share our vows in front of a crowd?”

“Yeah, right.” She knew he was joking. From what she could tell, his fiancée would have no problems reciting her vows and would probably request a megaphone to make sure everyone heard them.

He grew serious. “Lauren means the world to me. She helped me when I was in a very dark place.”

Kate raised an eyebrow. “Really? How dark?”

“My dad was an absolute prick to Luke and me growing up.” He quickly added, “He’s not anymore. He’s completely changed. We’re all very close now, but it took a long time to get to a place where we’re actually a family.”