A Deal With the Devil (24 page)

A tall glamorous redhead approached and glanced from one to the other as she said, “I’m Gigi Malone. Which one of you is Amanda?”

Amanda extended her hand. “Amanda Wilson. It’s nice to meet you Gigi. This is my maid of honor, Kate Connelly.”

They shook hands and then the girls followed Gigi through her posh showroom toward a seating area in the back.

“Who did your décor? It’s amazing,” Kate said.

“I did.” Gigi smiled and gestured to the beige-and-chocolate striped sofa. “That means a lot, coming from you. I’m a huge fan. I’m hoping to work with you on my new condo.” She winked. “We’ll talk.”

Kate beamed and pinched Amanda’s arm when Gigi wasn’t looking.

An assistant appeared and handed them each a bottle of sparkling water while Gigi perched gracefully on a zebra striped chair across from them. She looked up expectantly and said, “So the wedding is in the next few months.”

“Yes. No date yet. We definitely want a small, intimate ceremony.”

“But
super
elegant,” Kate added.

Be quiet, Amanda mouthed, as Gigi bent her head to scribble some things on her pad.

“Are you using the Barrington estate,” Gigi asked.

“I, uh…we’re not sure yet.”

“The ballroom is lovely. That might be the perfect setting,” Gigi said.

“It is beautiful, but I’m not sure Jake will want to hold the event there,” Amanda said. “If we don’t choose the house, will it be hard to find another place in such a tight timeframe?”

“There are hundreds of possibilities in this city. It won’t be hard to find a venue exactly suited to your preferences.” She picked up a notebook and pen, flipped it open and looked up. “Let’s talk style and theme. We need some design inspiration so we know where to start with the dress and flowers. We won’t worry about a theme yet. First I want to hone in on your personal style.” Gigi’s green eyes scanned Amanda from head to toe. “Given your look, I would guess classic with a contemporary twist?”

Both girls nodded in unison.

Gigi stood. “I brought in some items from a bridal boutique down the street. Let me go and get those and we’ll take a look.”

“We need a bridesmaid dress to hide this.” Kate rubbed her ever-expanding baby bump.

Gigi laughed. “Don’t worry, we’ll find the perfect dress. We can tackle your dress in our next session.” Gigi disappeared through the chocolate-colored silk curtain that led to the back room.

“Don’t you just
love
her? She’d be perfect for Sam’s brother. I even love her name.”

Obviously, Kate had developed a girl crush. “Which brother?”

“Who cares,” Kate said. “They’re both adorable. I’d
love
her as a sister-in-law.”

“She is fabulous,” Amanda agreed. “But I’m sure she already has a boyfriend.”

Kate waved a hand dismissively. “Most fabulous girls are single because men are either intimidated or mistakenly convinced they already have a boyfriend,” Kate said. “Besides, I didn’t see a ring, which makes her fair game.”

It was impossible to repress Kate’s matrimonial instincts once she’d set her sights on a fix-up, so Amanda didn’t even try. “One of Sam’s brothers would be good,” she agreed. “Just make sure you don’t start picking up stray guys at the grocery store. That wasn’t your shining hour and I’m sure she’d be less tolerant of your experiments in matchmaking than I.”

Kate ran a hand over the lush fabric of the sofa. “This fabric is
uh-mazing.
Planning this wedding is going to be so much fun. She has impeccable taste.”

“This isn’t a real wedding, remember? Actually, it’s a little depressing.”

Kate gazed around. “Depressing? This is a dream come true.”

“A dream come true.” Amanda glared at her. “How would you have liked to plan a fake wedding to Sam?”

“I wouldn’t have because
I
wouldn’t sit around waiting for Sam to figure out he can’t live without me. I’d make sure he knew that and therefore, it wouldn’t be a fake wedding.”

“So you think I’m just sitting around waiting for Jake to figure out he can’t live without me.”

Kate’s arched brow and tilted head said it all. “After what happened between you two yesterday, it wouldn’t have to be a fake wedding.” She shot Amanda a pointed look. “
If
you played your cards right, that is, which you probably won’t.”

“What cards?”

Kate rolled her eyes. “If I have to explain it, then you’re a lost cause.”

“No, I just mean, we have a business deal, that’s all. I have the signed contract to prove it. Yesterday changes nothing. Except now, if I let it continue which I probably won’t, we would be business partners with benefits.”

“There’s more to what happened yesterday than that. I’m sure of it. But you’ll have to give him some time. He just got home from Iraq a week ago.”

“Please. He’s had two years. We dated for a year and have been broken up almost a year. In that time I didn’t hear a peep out of him, which proves how much he cares. How much more time could he possibly need?”

Kate glanced sideways through her curtain of blonde hair. “You can’t rush him. Some men need space.”

“
Clearly,
” Amanda said. “All I’m saying is you can’t put too much emphasis on yesterday. Granted, it happened. But it’s not like he declared his undying love afterward.”

“What
did
he do?” Kate’s eyes searched her face. “Did you talk or . . . anything?”

“Afterward he just kissed me on the forehead and then bolted. I told you; hit and run.” Amanda picked a piece of lint off the couch.

Kate groaned. “He didn’t. Not the forehead kiss.”

“Oh yes. The kind you give your kid sister.”

Kate pursed her lips, looking decidedly displeased. “Well, he didn’t waste any time proposing the second he got back in town. That has to mean something. If I’d agreed to fake marry the man of my dreams, I’d just go for it.”

“Define
go for it.
”

“Make him fall in love with you again,” she said. “Seriously, when did you become so clueless about men? This is not the time to go with the flow. It’s time to go for what you want.”

“What do I want?”

“Jake.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” Amanda said. “I mean, I’d never be able to trust him not to bolt. He’d probably leave me standing at the altar if it were a real wedding.” Yesterday afternoon had scared the crap out of her and had hurt far more than she cared to admit. “I mean, sure, I still have feelings for him, but yesterday raised more questions than it answered. Maybe I just need closure.”

“Or maybe you really
do
want to marry him,” Kate said.

“I don’t know.” Amanda bit her lip. The only thing she knew for sure was she didn’t want to get hurt.

“You want Jake, trust me. You’re just scared and I don’t blame you. But you have to push through the fear in order to get what you want. Those were your words to me when Sam and I were going through all our pre-wedding drama, remember?”

“Yes, well, Sam never ran away from you. You actually ran away from him because you didn’t know if you should buck your parent’s wishes and your loser of a fiancé, so you could marry the man of your dreams. That’s very different.”

Kate reached over and squeezed Amanda’s arm. “Hon let
go
. Let yourself believe. Sometimes dreams really do come true.”

“Kate—” Amanda stopped short as she heard the tip tap of designer stilettos which signaled Gigi’s approach.

The glamorous redhead popped through the curtain, pulling a rack of bridal gowns behind her.

“I love it!” Kate clapped, chortling with glee. “This reminds me of my pageant days.”

Gigi laughed, while Amanda shook her head ruefully.

The trio spent the next hour immersed in bridal gowns, flower arrangements and invitations. For a long while, Amanda managed to stay above the excitement. But by the time Kate zipped her into the third gown—a Vera Wang and by far her favorite—the internal warnings and cautionary voices had gone silent. She gazed into the mirror, seduced by the fantasy she saw reflected there. On some level, she knew it was dangerous. She realized that if she let herself believe she could have a happily-ever-after with Jake, her already chaotic world could come crashing down around her in a spectacularly horrific way. But as she gazed at the beautiful, form-fitting designer creation which just happened to be featured on this month’s issue of Elegant Bride, she gave in to the fantasy and let go.

Kate was right. She needed to let herself dream. After all, they actually came true for some people. Why not for her?

Chapter Fourteen

manda shrugged off her coat and laid her gloves and purse on a chair in the foyer. Then she strolled into Jake’s office. “Hey.” Still on her wedding planning high, she perched on the edge of his desk and watched him type.

He stopped and peered at the computer screen. Then he looked down and began typing again, using an awkward hunt and peck method. After he finished his note, he pushed away from the computer and looked up at her with a grin. “How’d it go?”

“Awesome. I’ll fill you in later.” She twisted around to peer at the screen. “What are you working on?”

“My presentation,” he said. “I’m trying to get it ready for you to work your brand voodoo on it.”

She smiled. “Brand voodoo. I like it.” Her stomach emitted a loud, prolonged grumble.

Jake’s brows shot up and his grin split his face ear to ear. “Hungry much?”

She giggled. “Sorry. I haven’t eaten since breakfast and I’m starved.”

Jake checked his watch. “What about Luigi’s? It’s early so we shouldn’t need reservations. Not that you’d ever need them.”

She tilted her head. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Seeing you always sent Luigi into a frenzy of activity. He’d cook a special entree; send over champagne, trip all over oozing compliments.” Jake laughed and shook his head. “I figured eventually I’d have to challenge him to a dual at dawn or risk him wooing you away.”

“Please. He’s old enough to be my father.”

“Don’t be fooled by his age. He’s a smoothie,” Jake said. “Besides, given the way he can cook, that’s one dude I wouldn’t even try to compete with.”

“I’d
love
to go to Luigi’s. Let’s go.”

They strolled down the tree-lined streets of Jake’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. It oozed a warm, cozy charm and ranked among her favorite neighborhoods in Chicago—consisting of a mix of young, urban professionals and families. And with Sam and Kate’s place just a few blocks away, the location seemed even more perfect. The girls had dreamed of mornings at the yoga studio or Starbucks and future afternoon kids play dates in the park. Several times a month, the foursome had met at Luigi’s. The corners of her lips curved up as memories of long, laughter-filled dinners drifted back and her smile blossomed into a full-blown grin when she glimpsed the familiar red and green restaurant sign.

Jake held open the door and then followed her inside. They checked their coats at the front and headed toward the hostess stand. The touch of Jake’s hand at the small of her back brought a sense of comfort, reminding her of how much she’d missed his touch, his strength.