Real Romance (15 page)

Marie laughed loudly and sat back in her chair.

"Sit," she said, tugging warmly at Joanne's hands. "I want to hear every thrilling detail."

Chapter Fourteen

"Oh, David!" Marie said, racing into the optician's shop. "I'm so excited about the wedding I can't stand it!"

"Wedding?" David was going to get that little snitch. He'd wanted so badly for it to be a surprise, and Caroline had sworn she wouldn't say a word.

"Yes, it's so hard to believe after all this time!"

"Well," he said, looking over at a customer who was inspecting a display case of frames and trying to sound nonchalant. "You know what they say, when it's right, it's right."

Marie glanced quickly around the shop.

"Oh, my gosh, David," she said, bringing her hands to her flaming cheeks. "You're working! I'm so sorry. I'll come back later."

She spun and swirled for the exit.

David had never seen her move this fast. It was making him dizzy.

"Oh, honey," she said, gleefully passing through the door. "It's so exciting. So very exciting! I've got so much to do!"

David watched as Marie disappeared down the icy sidewalk, her coat caught up in a gust of wind.

The gentleman selected a pair of frames and set them loudly on the counter, his eyes traveling to the woman outdoors.

"My fiancée," David said with a tight smile and a shrug.

Since Caroline had taken the afternoon off to meet with a supplier, David used his lunch hour as an opportunity to lock up the shop and go hunt for Marie. He was sorely disappointed that Caroline had let the cat out of the bag. For once in his life, David had wanted to do it up right: wine, dinner, the romantic proposal.

Oh well, he thought, shaking off the chill that sliced through him with the wind, at least she was happy. Ecstatic, in fact. He'd never seen Marie so positively glowing. Well, almost never, he thought, with a lustful grin.

But just because she somehow knew, didn't mean they wouldn't have to talk about it. They'd have to set a date, make some plans, and—David acknowledged—no matter what she thought she knew—he'd still have to ask her officially. Get down on his knees and all that.

Besides, as the groom, David had certain responsibilities. It was his job to take care of certain details... plan the honeymoon, for example. It was right there on page three of the groom's checklist. He'd read it with his own eyes, at least a dozen times.

David strode purposefully into Books & Bistro and searched the aisles until he found her, systematically turning books cover out on the shelves so that their authors' names would be prominently displayed.

"I'm so glad I found you," he said, rushing over and giving her a tight hug.

She glanced down the aisle as if she hoped no one was looking. Well, he thought, so now it was her turn to be embarrassed.

"David! What a surprise!"

"Surprise, sweetheart?" he asked, grabbing for her once again, but she stepped backwards and bumped into a shelf. "Thought for sure you'd be expecting me."

"Well, I..." Marie brushed some imaginary crumbs off the front of her dress. "What are you doing here?" she asked, lowering her voice along with her glasses, peering at him.

"I came to discuss plans."

"Plans? Oh, David, how sweet. Joanne will be so touched."

"Joanne? I didn't know you two were that close."

"Oh, yes," Marie said. "She's like a mother to me."

"Well, then by all means—"

A customer walked over and interrupted Marie with a question. When she'd finished directing him to the New Parenting section, she turned back to David.

"So, anyway... Here's what I was thinking. It's too cold to have it outdoors. But the ceremony really shouldn't involve much fuss."

"No fuss?"

"Well, come on, now, David. Once you get to a certain age, white lace and frills do seem a little ridiculous."

She sounded like she was already putting them out to pasture. David didn't feel
that
old.

"Besides," she said, her lashes fluttering lightly behind her frames. "I think our focus should be on the part that come afterwards."

"Right," he said, stepping forward eagerly.

"David!" Marie said, halting his advance with a hand to his chest. "What's gotten into you? I'm talking about the reception."

David wiggled his eyebrows. "And I was talking about the honeymoon."

"Honeymoon?" Marie looked a little baffled. "Well, I don't think you and I need to worry about that!"

David cleared his throat. She might be walking all over him where the other arrangements were concerned, but she was not going to take the reins away from him on this."You just go ahead and worry about everything else. I'll take care of the honeymoon."

"You? But David, you barely even know Chad and Joanne. I mean, offering to help with the wedding is one thing—"

"Chad and Joanne?"

"Of course, Chad and Joanne. Who in the world did you think we've been talking about this whole time?"

David searched his brain for a quick answer.

"Oh, I knew who we were talking about, all right," he said with a modest laugh. "It's just that I was so surprised that old Chad hadn't planned anything, I thought I might suggest—"

"Now don't go offering unsolicited advice like Cecil," she said, squaring her shoulders and closing in. "You've already seen where that sort of thing can lead."

David stepped forward and drew his arms around her waist. "Oh, I don't think things have turned out too badly in the end."

"David!" Marie said, pounding his shoulders. "I'm working!"

"Working when it comes to me, but not when it comes to planning Joanne's wedding?"

"She's a coworker, silly! For heaven's sake, it's practically company business."

David still didn't let go.

"Wait a minute," she said, finally breaking free of his grasp, "you're not wriggling out of your offer to help, are you?"

"To help with Joanne's wedding? Of course not, I meant every word I said."

"Good, because it's going to be sort of crazy between my helping with hers, and Johnny and Meg's ceremony coming up next month."

"And when will
you
get a chance to take a break?"

"Oh, I don't know," she said, running her fingers through her hair. "Unless Fabio sneaks in and steals me away to Jamaica, I'll probably be stuck here till New Year's."

Well, he wasn't exactly Fabio, but... David smiled brightly and gave her a whopping kiss on the lips. She'd just given him the most brilliant idea.

Marie tried hard not to get too concerned that she hadn't heard from David in a couple of days. After all, he'd warned her that Caroline was planning to take inventory for the rest of the week, so he'd be working long hours.

It was probably for the best anyhow. Because, as much as David had expressed his interest in helping, Marie had her hands full planning Joanne's reception. When she thought about it, she realized he would just be in the way.

The bookstore had been incredibly busy ever since it had reopened after Thanksgiving. At peak hours, the aisles were so crammed Marie often had trouble simply maneuvering to do her regular duties. The business was good for the store, as well as its employees, who would all be getting healthy bonuses this year. But the extra paperwork high-volume sales produced made additional demands on her already limited time.

Although Johnny seemed to be heading for his upcoming nuptials with a certain degree of nonchalance, his fiancée Meg was positively frantic. With only two brothers and a misguided, twice-divorced socialite mother to help her, she'd been phoning Marie almost daily for support. With the wedding less than four weeks away, the caterer had canceled, the music director had been jailed for bootlegging CDs, and the bridesmaids' dresses—all seven of them—had arrived in the wrong color!

Marie hung up the phone and collapsed in a heap on her living room sofa. Weddings were an unbelievable amount of trouble. There was so much work involved—and planning. Just look at poor Meg. She was supposed to be preparing for the most memorable day of her life, but instead she'd been biting her fingernails to the quick in nervous anticipation of what disaster would befall her next.

Somehow it seemed to Marie that the more time and planning that went into a wedding, the greater the opportunities for things to go wrong.

When she'd been little, she'd envisioned all the same things Meg had. A candlelit ceremony, followed by a sit-down dinner and dancing in a castle courtyard to an elegant string quartet.

The main problem with that picture was that Marie wasn't a princess with a courtyard, or a fortune to afford that kind of soiree. In fact, up until very recently, she didn't really imagine she'd ever find a prince.

Her sisters Jill and Teresa had found their princes early, but instead of crumpets in the castle halls, they'd been treated to tea and cake in the big reception hall of their Methodist church. To see the smiles on their faces, though, it hadn't mattered to either, not one bit.

Marie kicked off her shoes and propped her aching feet on the coffee table. What with all the circles they had to run around in prior to the big day, it was a wonder brides could dance at their own weddings at all.

No, this was too much. Too much altogether. By the time Meg and Johnny tied the knot on December twenty-eighth, Marie would have assisted with the planning of
four
weddings—Joanne's included.

She tugged the scrunchie out of her hair and shook it out as it fell to her shoulders. Gracious, she thought, straightening her curls with her fingers, maybe she'd missed her calling as a wedding coordinator.

No, scratch that. She truly enjoyed what she did for a living. What she'd enjoy even better, Marie thought, sinking low in the sofa and burying her head in her arms, would be for someone else to do everything for her when her time finally came along.

Joanne leaned in to the mirror and pinched her cheeks.

"Well, what do you think?" she asked, turning her head coyly from side to side and studying her reflection. "Not too bad for an old bird?"

"Oh, Joanne," Marie said, hugging her shoulders. "You look marvelous. Beautiful!"

It was true. One look at the glow on her face and the shine in her eyes, and anyone would swear Joanne was twenty years younger. Her hair was done in a loose upsweep with little sprigs of flowers tucked in all around. Lilac, to match her flowing, floor-length dress.

"You were so sweet to close the store, love. All on my account."

Marie chuckled. "Well, Joanne, I think it helped that your brother-in-law-to-be owns the place! But you're welcome just the same. It does seem like the perfect place for the ceremony."

"Perfect," Joanne said, smiling back at her reflection. "The scene of the crime, as Chad calls it. You know if it hadn't been for you, young lady—"

"Oh now, Joanne," Marie said, patting her affectionately on the arm. "Don't you go giving me too much credit. To look at the two of you now, there's no doubt in my mind that you and Chad would have found each other sooner or later."

Joanne turned quickly and looked at Marie. "Well, now, who on earth are you, and what have you done with my skeptical friend?"

Marie grinned and lowered her glasses. "She fell in love."

"You?" Joanne bounced on her heels like a five-year-old. "But you never said a word... How serious is it?"

"One blushing bride at a time, please," Marie said, spinning her back toward the mirror. "Now, let's be sure all those pins are in place. You wouldn't want to prick Chad when he gives you that 'I do' kiss!"

David sat nervously on the sidelines, acutely aware of what all this meant.

The back of the bookstore had been decorated to look like a wedding chapel, complete with an improvised canopy and lots of crepe paper decorations and fresh flowers. Marie had done a good job at making things look special. But then again, everything she touched seemed to have a hint of magic in it.

David hoped he was doing the right thing, and wasn't making some big blunder. But the entire family had assured him his take on the matter was perfect.

With Marie's father being gone, Johnny had been the logical one to approach. But after speaking with him, Johnny had indicated that Mark might feel a little left out unless David also talked to him. Of course, Mark then pointed out that Jill and Teresa were Marie's sisters after all, and if—after speaking to Mark and Johnny—David somehow omitted them in the process, they'd be awfully hurt.

After all that, David had decided to sit down and have a chat with Dan and Jack as well. Oh, and he'd called Meg, in North Carolina, just to be sure his idea wouldn't upset her wedding plans in any way.

David sat at attention, as the wedding march started to play on Chad's grandson's boom box.