Destination Wedding (Crimson Romance) (12 page)

He turned. “So I was thinking … why don’t we check in and have some dinner? We can eat at the bar if you’d like. I know it’s been a long day for you.”

He was so incredibly attentive. Luke was just like Drew. She corrected herself. Just like the Drew she met on the plane. Island Drew was kind of self-absorbed.

She bit her lip. Was it a good idea to have dinner with Luke? Maybe she should retire early. Then again, she did need to eat, and at the moment, she was starving.

Luke must have picked up on her hesitation. “Unless, you’d like to have dinner in your room.”

“Yes, I mean no. I’d love to have you.” Her cheeks warmed. “I … um … mean have dinner … with you … of course.”
Just shut up, Kate.

“Great.” He smiled. She could see his eyes dancing with amusement. No doubt he found her stammering funny. “We can meet in the bar.” He pointed towards the beach. “It’s outside on the other side of the courtyard. Let’s meet there in an hour.”

They checked in and Kate headed to her room. Thankfully their rooms were on different floors. She needed a break from Cannon testosterone.

Arriving at her room, she opened the door to her suite. The room was furnished with beautiful contemporary furniture, including the plushest blue sofa she’d ever laid eyes on. The marble desk would be perfect for working.

Her queen-size bed, with its beautifully inviting gold duvet, called her name. The hotel staff had laid a beautiful red orchid on her pillow. She picked it up and lay down.

Closing her eyes, she smiled. She was relieved that the last two hours with Drew’s brother hadn’t been awkward at all. Far from it, and he was nice, to boot. The way he went out of his way during the flight to make her feel at ease this afternoon. She knew the only reason he asked her all those questions about herself was to get her mind off being twenty thousand feet in the air.

He probably wasn’t really interested in hearing why she became a wedding planner or that she read Nancy Drew novels as a kid. Honestly, what guy did? Still, his questions had worked. She couldn’t remember ever being so relaxed on a plane. “I can’t believe I admitted to him I wanted to be a detective.” She laughed.

Speaking of being a detective … She sat up, remembering there was still some sleuthing she needed to do as far as her mom’s mysterious lover was concerned. Reaching in her purse for her phone, she checked the clock on the nightstand. It was nearly seven
P.M.
That would make it after midnight in New York City. Probably too late to call her. She’d wait till morning.

She walked over to a desk next to the TV and scribbled:
Call Mom in AM.
Perhaps her mom would change her mind once she learned the wedding would now be in Maui. Her mom had always said she’d like to explore this island.

It would be great to have her mom here. She was fun and vibrant, always the life of the party. Plus, her mother loved Miles. Maybe Kate could put her on the payroll for the next two weeks to keep Miles and Lauren in line. “Yeah, right.” She laughed. Her mom would have been right there joining them this afternoon if given the chance.

Kate was the more reserved of the two. She’d been there for her mom through a series of failed attempts at finding love. Maybe her mother would get her happily-ever-after with this Jack character. She hoped so — that is if he isn’t in the mafia or an ax murder. The verdict was still out.

She powered on her laptop and checked her e-mails. Janet had indeed come through. A close friend of Janet’s, Annie Lawson, would be meeting Kate tomorrow and accompanying her to check out the private cove two miles from the hotel. She had sent directions with instructions for Kate to meet her at the cove in the morning.

Kate spent the next several minutes opening links Janet had sent of past wedding photos that had taken place in the cove. With each breathtaking ocean snapshot, she grew more and more excited. No high-rise hotel chains in these photos. She had a good feeling about this. Lauren would no doubt be happy with this secluded piece of paradise. Once this wedding went off without a hitch, how could Janet not make her full partner?

One last urgent reply confirming Lauren’s final fitting for a week from today, and she was ready to call it a night. She glanced down at the time at the bottom of her computer screen. “Shoot.” It was after eight
P.M.
Luke had been waiting for her for almost an hour. She sprung up and reached for her phone, but realized he’d never given her his number. “Damn it.” How could she have gotten so caught up in e-mails? He was going to think she was completely rude.

She pulled her lip gloss out of her purse and reapplied, using the closet mirror. There was no time to change out of her dress and heels for something a little more comfortable. Giving her hair a quick tousle, she grabbed her phone and purse and headed out the door.

She punched in Miles’ number while walking down the hallway. The call immediately went to his voicemail. “Hey, Miles. It’s Kate. Just wanted to check in and see how you’re feeling. No need to call me back. I’ll call you in the morning.”

Once in the lobby, the concierge pointed her in the direction of the outside bar. She hurried through the courtyard, passing by an exquisite water fountain with a statue of a goddess figure in the middle. She wondered what her story was. No time to stop for a history lesson.

Her heels clicked on the cement as she followed soft white and blue tiki lights that paved the way to the bar. Apparently, it was the place to be as several hotel stayers congregated around its square island.

As she got closer, her heels begin to sink. She looked down to see soft white sand. The bar was literally on the beach. She should have grabbed her flats. There was no way she was going to take her heels off and risk stepping on something sharp. Waddling up to the bar, she scanned the crowd.

She didn’t see Luke right away. Perhaps he had given up and gone to his room. Could she blame him?

“Kate. Over here.” She glanced over to see Luke sitting on the other side. How could she have missed him? He looked incredibly handsome in a dark blue button-down shirt.

She waved and made her way over. When he rose to greet her, she saw he was wearing his same dark jeans from earlier. He filled them out well.

She caught her breath for a second. His blue eyes were warm and inviting. He was looking at her the way Drew had before they kissed.

“Hi.” She slid into an empty stool next to him, tucking her purse beside her.

“Hi.” He smiled. “You’re — ”

“Late. I’m so sorry, Luke. I got caught up on e-mails and didn’t realize the time.”

“I was going to say stunning.”

Her cheeks warmed, and she smoothed her dress. “You already told me I looked nice earlier, remember?”

He grinned. “It bears repeating.”

And now her cheeks had reached fire level.
Oh, boy. She was in trouble.

After a few minutes of chitchat, they decided to share a selection of appetizers. Kate marveled how easy the conversation flowed between them. Over the next two hours, they compared living in Los Angeles to New York, talked about their favorite vacation spots and their beloved sports teams. It was as if they had known each other forever. Luke was incredibly funny; Kate couldn’t remember the last time she laughed so much.

Luke dipped a coconut shrimp into its accompanying pineapple-cilantro dip and handed it to her. “Last one.”

“Are you sure?” She loved the sauce and had eaten more than her share of the shrimp.

“Positive.”

She took it and popped it into her mouth. “Okay, it’s my turn to ask a question.” She dabbed her mouth with her napkin. “So if you were stranded on a deserted island and could only have three things what would they be?”

“That’s easy. I’d never allow myself to be stranded in the first place. Next question.”

She smirked. He’s probably right. He seemed to be the type that wouldn’t let himself get into any unplanned situation. “Not so fast. Say your boat capsized and you only had time to grab three things before it sunk.”

“Oh, well, in that likely scenario … ” He grinned. “Let me think.”

“I know what I would take.”

“What?”

“My cats, Sydney and Carly.”

“That’s only two.”

“Maybe Miles. I’m sure he could do wonders with coconuts and bananas. He makes these really great juices for the office.”

He laughed. “So you would take two cats and your gay assistant. Hmmm.”

She nodded. “Yep, exactly those three.” Although, she was tempted to chuck Miles off the boat and replace him with her current companion. It was too early to tell Luke that.

“Sounds like you’ll have fun.”

“Come on, Luke. Stop avoiding the question. What can’t you absolutely live without?”

His eyes locked with hers and then he looked away.

Oh, no.
She’d done it again. He had that uncomfortable look on his face. The same expression he gave at lunch when Drew had suggested that they hang out together. She followed his gaze toward the ocean. It was too dark to see the water, but the lights from the hotel created a silhouette on the sand. “I bet it’s beautiful out there.”

“I bet you’re right.” Luke pushed off his stool. “Care to join me for a walk?”

“Now?”

He shrugged. “Sure.”

“But it’s dark.”

He offered his hand. “Where’s your sense of adventure, Kate Ashby?”

She glanced down at his nonverbal invitation. “Apparently out there with you.” She slipped her hand in his and he helped her up.

They ordered two coconut rum drinks to go and began to walk. The waves were gently crashing into the beach, making a rhythmic, soothing sound. They walked in silence, coming up on a couple snuggling next to a fire.

The man called out. “Hey, do you guys want to hang here?”

Luke put his hand on Kate’s back. “No, we’re good.” He ushered her past them.

“Are you sure? My wife’s not feeling well. I’d hate for it to go to waste. We just built it.”

Luke looked at Kate. “Care to rest?”

“Okay.” She sipped her drink, wishing his hand was still on her back. What were the odds that they’d stumble onto a beach fire pit? Did they just step into a scene in a romance novel?

The couple thanked them and left. Luke sat down and began to pick the fire with a stick.

Kate plopped down beside him, bringing her knees underneath her. The hot flames felt nice against the ocean breeze. She giggled.

“What?”

“Nothing.” She laughed again.

“Okay, spit it out.”

There was no way she was going to share that she felt they had stepped into a romantic story. “Nothing.” She rubbed her hand along the sand. “Can we stay here forever?”

“Just the two of us?”

“Sure.” She could feel her cheeks warm again and couldn’t completely attribute it to the fire. “And Miles. He goes where I go, remember?”

“Oh, well forget it then.” He laughed but then grew serious. “Kate, I’m really glad you’re planning my brother’s wedding.”

“Me, too,” she said softly. Maybe it was the flames bouncing off his face, but Luke was incredibly sexy. She knew he was a spitting image of Drew, but there was something about him that was different than his brother. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it but there was something about Luke that drew her to him. She was feeling like the winged insect in this moth-to-flame scenario.

Did she really just refer to herself as an insect?
This subject needed to be changed and fast. “You know, at first, I thought it was somewhat ridiculous how Lauren and Drew met.”

“On spring break?”

“Yeah.”

He nodded. “It does sound kind of silly, doesn’t it? But you know, Lauren’s been with my brother through thick and thin. The Lauren you saw this afternoon, that’s not who she really is.”

“I know. She was just having a good time.”

“The Kincaids have been really good to Drew. They’ve helped our family.”

“That’s what Drew said,” Kate agreed.

“He did? When?”

“Earlier today. On our way to the airport to pick you up. He told me that it was Lauren’s mom who helped your dad realize he needed to stop grieving over your mom and start living his life.”

Luke straightened and silently grabbed a handful of sand, letting it sift through his fingers.

Oh, Kate. Why can’t you keep your mouth shut?
She had clearly said the wrong thing. How many times was that? Two? Three? She had lost count. “I’m sorry, Luke.
I didn’t mean to bring up your mother again.”

“It’s okay.”

She shook her head. “No, it’s terribly insensitive of me.”

“Kate.” He reached over and touched her hand, letting it linger for a few seconds. She could feel tiny sand grains still on his fingers. “It’s fine.”

“I really have a chronic condition of foot in mouth disease.”

“No. Drew’s absolutely right. Aubrey did help my dad release years of sadness he had bottled up inside. He’s a different person now. She had a lot to do with it.” He paused and retracted his hand. “Anyways … what were we talking about?”

Kate studied him. This man in front of her clearly still hurt, too. She sensed much more sadness coming from Luke when talking about his mom and dad than Drew had shown earlier. She suspected Luke held his own bottle of grief tightly close to him. Perhaps Drew was able to deal with their loss better because of his relationship with Lauren. Who did Luke have?

She swung her legs from underneath her, bringing them toward her chest. It was time to lighten the mood or at least try to. Grabbing a twig, she tossed it into the fire and watched it ignite. “So how exactly did Drew propose to Lauren?”

Luke chuckled. “You don’t want to know.” He slid back and propped himself up on his elbows.

“Sure I do.” She laughed, digging her toes into the cold sand. “Trust me. It helps my job if I know where the bride and groom started on their road to wedding bliss.”

“Well in that case, Drew proposed — ”

“Wait!” Kate pushed her hand in front of him. “Stop. Let me guess. He did something cliché, like used the Jumbotron at a Lakers game during half-time?”

“Close. Airplane banner over Santa Monica Beach.”