Destination Wedding (Crimson Romance) (11 page)

“How is she?” Kate was the first to speak as the elevator stopped on the fourth floor.

“How is who?” He turned to look at her.

“Lauren.” She stepped closer to him, making room for a family of four. Her arm brushed against his. It sent a shock of excitement through him. If this feeling were from the simple touch of her arm, what would other parts of her body do to him?

“Oh, right. She’s sleeping. Drew gave her an ibuprofen.”

“Good. That will help.”

“Have you talked to Miles?” Luke asked.

“No. I tried calling, but he didn’t pick up. He’s probably sleeping, too. I asked the hotel staff to check on him in an hour just to be safe. They’re going to bring him up some dinner.”

“Good idea. You’re a great boss.”

“Yeah.” A quick sarcastic laugh escaped her lips in time for him to catch it. “If I was so great, he would have known better than to get tanked with a client. He’s never done that before. I don’t know what he was thinking.”

“Well, in his defense, Lauren can be very persuasive. Trust me. I’ve known her for almost ten years and have seen how she twists men around her little finger. Miles didn’t stand a chance.”

“Maybe so.” Luke could tell she was still irritated. He’d have to help her let it go. It would surely make their time together more pleasant.

They stepped off the elevator and headed outside. The valet assisted with a taxi, and in no time, their yellow cab pulled up to the executive landing area at the airport restricted for private planes.

A young woman in a black flight attendant suit waited on the curb. Her red hair was pulled back in a tight bun.

Luke got out and met the taxi driver at the trunk. Pulling his and Kate’s luggage out, he set them on the curb.

“I can take that.” Kate reached for her handle.

“You must be Ms. Ashby,” the flight attendant said with a warm smile. “I’m, Jackie, your flight attendant. I will be accompanying you on your flight to Maui.” She turned to Luke. “I didn’t realize you would be joining us, too, Mr. Cannon?”

Since he had never met the flight attendant, Luke suspected that she thought he was his brother. He was done pretending he was Drew in the company of Kate. “Hi, I’m actually Drew’s twin brother, Luke. Yes, I’ll be joining Ms. Ashby.”

“I’m so sorry.” She studied Luke. “Wow, you two are identical.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Well, it’s nice to meet you both. Follow me.” They followed the woman onto the airport tarmac to the Kincaid Learjet. It was one of ten parked in the private jet area. The pilot and co-pilot were already in their seats. “You can set your bags down. We’ll take them for you.”

Luke waved to the pilots. “Looks like this bird’s ready to fly. Here, after you.” He nodded for Kate to go ahead of him up the stairs.

She took three steps and turned around. Luke felt her hands press hard on his chest, nearly knocking him off balance. If there had been a bed underneath him, he wouldn’t have minded and would have gladly taken her along with him. “Everything okay?”

“I’m sorry. I can’t do this.” Her wide eyes showed full on panic.

“Can’t do what, Kate?” He already knew the answer.

She hesitated. “Fly.”

“Why don’t we let the pilots do that then? From what I’ve experienced, they’re pretty good at it.”

She nodded but didn’t take her hands off of him. Any lower and she might feel the pounding that was going on in his chest. “I’ve never been on a plane this small. I don’t think I can do it.”

“Sure you can.” Luke put his hands over hers and brought them down. “I’ll help you.” Still holding on to one hand, he went ahead and guided her up the stairs and into the aircraft. Inside, he brought her over to a beige leather sofa, deciding that might be more comfortable than the two chairs across from it. “Here, why don’t you get comfortable, while I help the flight attendant with our bags.”

Luke rushed back to assist the flight attendant. “She’s a little nervous.”

“I’ve got it covered. I’ll open some wine.”

“That would be great, thanks.” He helped the flight attendant stow their luggage.

“Red or white?”

Luke thought for a minute. Given Kate’s tendency to wear whatever she was drinking, he chose white. It might be easier to get out in the likely event she had an accident. He took a seat on the sofa next to her.

Her face was pressed to the window. “Luke, how long until we land?”

“Well, first we need to take off.”

“I know that.” Kate turned her head. “You don’t understand. I have an intense fear of flying.”

Oh, he understood perfectly.
He reached over and pulled down the window screen. “Why don’t we keep this shut?”

“That’s probably a good idea.” She reached over and pulled the seatbelt buckle around her lap and fastened it.

“You know, I completely understand how you feel? I’ve never been a big fan of flying.”

The plane started to back up. She clutched her seatbelt. “I do. I do,” she muttered.

“Do what?” Luke stared at her wondering if this panic attack would be worse than the last. Could her eyes shut any tighter?

“Nothing. Ignore me.” She continued to chant.

“I promise you, this is a quick thirty-minute trip. We’ll be up and down before you know it.”

Once airborne, the flight attendant emerged from a curtain and brought in two wine glasses. “Would you like some wine?”

Kate opened her eyes and took her glass. “Thank you.”

The flight attendant gave Luke a quick wink before disappearing behind the curtain. Kate had stopped chanting but was still looking down at her seatbelt. They sat for a few minutes in silence, and he pretended to check his phone.

How could he help Kate relax until the wine kicked in? Kissing her was out of the question. Or was it? He could lean in and caress her soft lips …

He stirred in his seat. Not yet. He needed to be patient. The time would come to kiss her soon enough. At least he hoped. With any luck, he’d be doing it several times over the next twenty-four hours.

“So, Kate.” He leaned back and draped his arm over the couch, nearly touching her shoulder. “How long have you been a wedding planner?”

“Nine years.” She took a sip of her wine and followed it with a much longer one. “And four months.”

“Wow, that long. You must have started right out of college?”

She nodded. “I did. I was an apprentice and then a junior planner and now a senior planner. I’ve been with Tie Your Knot all this time.”

“That’s awesome.” He’d only been with one company, too. They had that in common. “Did you always want to plan weddings?”

She crossed her legs and leaned back. He could tell she was starting to relax, or at least she was no longer gripping her seatbelt for dear life.

“Well, when I was a little girl, what I really wanted to be … ” she paused. “Oh, never mind.”

“What?”

“It’s silly.”

“I love silly. It’s the only way to be. Let me guess. Circus clown?”

“No.” She chuckled. “Although, I’m so clumsy, I’d make a funny one.”

He couldn’t argue with her there. Her knack for spilling drinks was quite impressive, although so far, so good with her current glass. “Tell me what you wanted to be. I promise I won’t laugh.”

“Okay.” She paused. “Detective. I wanted to be a detective.”

“No way! Like Sherlock Holmes? One of Charlie’s Angels?”

She shook her head. “No. More like Nancy Drew. My mother loved reading those novels when she was a little girl. She bought me all the books. I guess they had been rereleased.” She paused, “Actually, she got the first one from your toy store in Manhattan. We were vacationing there one Christmas when I was eight. She read it to me every single night.”

He brightened at the thought of her in his toy store, even if she had only been eight. “So you gave up your dream of solving the old clock mystery with Ned to plan weddings?”

And there it was. His Nancy Drew reference got a big smile. Finally.

“She doesn’t meet Ned until later in the series.”

“I stand corrected. I was more into
Choose Your Own Adventure
books.” His thoughts drifted. The toy store had a large area on the second floor devoted to children’s and young adult books. It had always been his favorite section, that is, before his mother died. She would often take Drew and him for Saturday hot chocolate excursions that always ended with the three of them snuggled on a sofa in that area of the store reading books. The section was now dedicated to her. To this day, it was hard for Luke to walk by the place that held so many memories of his mom. He always took the long way to his office to avoid it. The pain of losing her still hurt.

“Did I say something wrong?”

Luke shook his head. “No, I’m sorry.” He smiled. “I loved reading as a kid, too. Go on.”

“When I was in college, I had a part-time catering gig on weekends. The first wedding that I worked was absolutely amazing.”

“How so?”

“Oh my gosh. It was this beautiful mansion in Los Angeles.” She paused, and brought up her fingers and made quotes. “Not ‘Hollywood mansion’. No this was a beautiful Victorian treasure to be inside. It looked like a setting from a Jane Austen novel. The interior was just exquisite with rich burgundy tapestry and these gorgeous gold and crystal chandeliers.”

“Sounds beautiful.” And a little like the chandeliers hanging in the penthouse he grew up in.

“It was. The bride wore the most stunning wedding dress I had ever seen and the groom seemed so head over heels in love. He even serenaded her at the reception.”

“Let me guess. Marvin Gaye or Barry White?”

“No. Bon Jovi, actually.” She giggled. “They were big fans. Everyone was so happy. I knew then and there that I wanted to have a job that would bring so much joy.” She finished her wine. “At least for one day.”

“That’s awesome. It’s great that you discovered your passion so early on. You know, some people never do.”

“I know. I’m lucky.” She shifted her body toward him, loosening her grip on her seatbelt.

“Would you like another glass?” he asked.

She put her hand up. “No. I’m good. So did you always know you’d go into the toy business?”

Luke nodded. “I think so. I grew up among toys.” He chuckled. “Lots of them. I guess it’s in my blood.”

“I would imagine that it’s an exciting business, especially around the holidays?”

“It sure is. There’s nothing like launching a new toy that you know every child is going to want. We’re working on something big right now that is going to revolutionize Black Friday. It’s never going to be the same.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Oh, really? Do tell?”

“Why, Kate. I could, but then I’d have to toss you off this plane.”

She clutched her seatbelt with her free hand, and he realized immediately what an awful thing that was to say.
Nice going, Luke.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean that.”

“It’s fine.”

“Are you sure?”

She nodded. “Go on. What’s it like working with Drew?”

“It’s a blast. We learned the business together. When he left to head up Far West operations two years ago, it was hard to see him go. Until then, we always lived near each other. Even in college, we were only two hours apart.”

“You two are close, aren’t you?”

“Very. He’s my best friend. Although we look alike, we’re complete opposites, as you probably gathered.” He waited for a reaction showing that she agreed with that statement. He didn’t get it.

“Drew told me a little bit about your father.”

“He did?” Luke was taken aback. Why on earth would Drew talk to Kate about their dad? “What did he tell you?”

“Only that your dad threw himself into the business after your mother — ” She stopped. “I’m sorry. He shared with me that your mother had passed away when you were younger and that it was tough on your family.”

Luke looked down at his glass. It still hurt to talk about the loss of his mom and the impact it had on his dad. So painful, he rarely did. “It was a rough time.” He glanced up. “We’re both very close with our father now.”

“That’s what Drew said.”

The flight attendant moved the front curtain, interrupting their conversation. “The captain asked me to prepare the cabin for landing.” She approached and took the glasses from them. “I hope you enjoyed your flight.”

“Thanks, we did,” Luke said, taking Kate’s glass. He touched her arm. “See, up and down.”

“It was pretty quick. I’ll give you that.” She turned and flipped open the tiny screen. He watched as she gazed out the window. “Wow. The view is beautiful from up here.”

Luke stared at the back of her blue dress, his gaze sliding down her long, smooth legs. It certainly was.

“Wow.” Kate rubbed her eyes. They couldn’t seriously be staying here, could they?

After arriving safely in Maui, Luke had driven them in their rental car to the hotel they would be staying at, the Grande Apolima Resort. In front of them, a tropical splendor of wild orchid and coconut trees led up to a three-story golden palace shaped as a circle. Inside the circle, Kate could make out an extravagant foundation and courtyard. She couldn’t wait to explore.

Luke approached with their luggage in both hands. “Everything okay?”

“Can you pinch me?”

He laughed. “If you insist.” He set his suitcase down and gently tugged the skin on her arm.

She smiled widely. “It is real. I wonder what Apolima stands for?”

“It means bracelet.”

“Oh, that makes total sense. It’s shaped in a circle. It’s so incredibly beautiful.” She smirked. “Luke, how did you know what it meant?”

“Why, Kate. I am a man of many talents. Speaking Hawaiian is only one of them.”

“
You
know Hawaiian?”

He smiled. “Nah, my brother and I have stayed here before.”

“That’s right. He mentioned that. Well, apparently they have a private cove about two miles from here that we’ll be checking out tomorrow for the ceremony.”

“Can’t wait.”

Kate smiled. Was she imagining it or was there a hint of flirtation in Luke’s words. She cocked her head and watched him as he carried their bags into the hotel lobby. The view of his backside was as nice as the front. She straightened. Of course it was. He looked like Drew.