His One And Only Bride. Tara Randel
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on the marble floor leading to the assigned banquet room. As she entered, voices carried over the soft music flowing from hidden speakers. Waiters moved about the room with trays of hors d’oeuvres and flutes of champagne. The yummy aroma of a loaded baked potato made her stomach growl. She took a small plate and helped herself to the potato and a BLT on a cracker. She’d forgotten to eat lunch in her rush to get ready and had to stop herself from swallowing the comfort food too quickly. Taking a bite of the potato, she closed her eyes and savored the gooey melted cheese spiced with bits of bacon.
“Whoever came up with these hors d’oeuvres is a genius,” a familiar voice said beside her.
Zoe’s eyes flew open. “Bethany. I missed you at the rehearsal party last night.”
“My flight got delayed. I came in too late.”
“I knew you wouldn’t miss the wedding.”
“After hearing all your stories about Lilli making Max crazy by dragging out the wedding plans, I had to see the ceremony with my own eyes.”
Depositing her plate on the tray of a passing waiter, Zoe threw her arms around her best friend and squeezed. “I’m glad you’re here.”
Bethany squeezed back. “Me, too.”
Zoe pulled away to scrutinize her friend. Bethany’s shoulder-length brunette hair gleamed under the subtle banquet room lighting and her mocha eyes sparkled. “I see the road agrees with you.”
“What can I say? I love my job. Even if it does keep me away from Cypress Pointe.”
Zoe hugged her again. “Which is more often than I like. But now you’re here. That’s all that matters.”
“Just for the weekend. I fly out Sunday.”
Tomorrow? Pushing away the pinch of dejection, Zoe smiled. “Great. We can catch up. Leo would love to see his godmother.”
“And I’m dying to see him. Half of my suitcase is filled with toys and adorable little outfits I couldn’t resist buying.”
Bethany might be busy, but she always had time to dote on Leo.
“Stop by in the morning.”
“I will.” She sized up Zoe. “You okay with all this lovey-dovey, happy couple stuff?”
Zoe laughed. Bethany was not a believer in happily-ever-after.
“I’m fine.”
“You’re sure? I thought I saw you tear up during the ceremony.”
Good grief. “Did everyone notice?”
“I suppose only people paying attention. I’d say the majority were focused on the bride and groom.”
Which, hopefully, meant only Bethany and Tim saw the moment of weakness.
“No matter. I’m good. Better than good.” She scanned the room. “I even have a date roaming around here somewhere.”
“So you’ve stuck to your moving-on plan?”
“Absolutely.”
“I guess Tim is a good choice...” Bethany’s voice trailed off.
“But?”
“He’s a firefighter. Why do you pick guys who run to danger?”
Why, indeed?
“Forget I said anything. If you like him, that’s good enough for me.”
“I do,” Zoe insisted. “He’s a nice guy.”
“But he doesn’t get your pulse racing?”
“Been there. Had the broken marriage to prove it. Next time, I’m going for solid and steady.”
Bethany snorted. “Good luck with that.”
Yeah, Zoe had a thing for thrill-seekers. Could it be because she lived vicariously through them? How’s that working out for you?
Not well.
Bethany frowned. “My folks are sending me the stink eye. Gotta run.”
It took everything in Zoe not to turn toward Mr. and Mrs. Donahue. Since the ill-fated robbery when Zoe and Bethany were young teens, they hadn’t wanted much to do with her. Unconsciously, she rubbed her arm, her fingers brushing over the raised scar.
Growing up, she’d based the idea of what a family should look like by the Donahues’ example. Bethany’s parents had normal jobs, normal hours and normal relationships, while Zoe had cooked her own meals and basically ran her mother’s life. Even today, she missed the security of their home, the comfort of their friendship, a life she’d been a part of for too short a period of time.
A waiter passed by again. The zesty scent of mac and cheese, served in little porcelain ramekin bowls, drew her from her thoughts. She wandered around the room, admiring the wildflower theme carried over from the wedding. Each table resembled a picnic table with yellow gingham cloths covered with burlap and lace runners. The centerpiece consisted of a small galvanized bucket with overflowing greens and wildflowers, surrounded by candles flickering in mason jars. Fat water goblets and white plates with yellow napkins circled by a wooden holder adorned each place setting. Simple and inviting. Very Lilli.
A riser had been assembled at the far end of the room for Luke Hastings’s band to set up their instruments to play after dinner. The opposite wall boasted a large window overlooking the hotel pool. From there, the hotel lawn swept down to the beach. There was a wooden outdoor deck on the far side of the building with an amazing view of the sand and water beyond. Truth be told, the private deck was her favorite place at the hotel. With today’s temperate weather, Zoe imagined the party would eventually spill outside.
“There you are.” Tim came up beside her, handing her a glass. She took a sip of the sparkling wine, suddenly at a loss for conversation.
Guilt itched over her. She shouldn’t be thinking about the past when she was on a date. “Sorry about before.”
“No need to explain.”
There was, but she kept quiet.
“Pretty room,” Tim said.
“Yes. Nealy did a stellar job as usual. Between her event planning company and her boyfriend owning this hotel, they’re a real power couple.”
Silence fell between them and she took another sip.
“When do you think the wedding party will get here?”
“Soon, I would imagine.”
Tim shook his head, gazing around the room.
Yeah, this had turned awkward.
“The only thing that would top this day is if I get called out to a fire. A real date-killer.”
Zoe laughed. She knew Tim wasn’t on duty, but appreciated his attempt at levity. If he could try, she would, too.
“Or I could get called into an impromptu late Saturday afternoon town council meeting, because we all know council people have nothing better to do than call weekend meetings.”
He chuckled and sent her a warm smile.
Should she take his hand in hers to reassure him they were fine, or was that rushing things? It had been so long since she’d dated; she was definitely rusty. Just take the plunge. She could do this.
“Ah, the life we live as public servants,” he said.
Actually, a public life hadn’t turned out all that bad. She gave to the town and her work brought a sense of satisfaction. She was keeping Cypress Pointe a good place to live, work and raise a family, ensuring that nothing threatened this quiet community she treasured. She didn’t imagine her motivation would ever be swayed.
As she looked around for a place to set down her glass, deciding to