Not What It Seems (Escape to Alaska Trilogy) (21 page)

Cassidy sat dumbstruck, her sharp tongue silenced by Sherry’s insight. As Sherry walked away, Cassidy’s eyes misted and she realized she truly should consider the points her friend made. Her whole future depended upon it.

Cassidy recalled her initial meeting with Clayton on the morning she applied for a job at Gold Diggers. It seemed ages ago when his deep masculine voice had startled her, and she’d almost jumped out of her skin. She recalled the evening, months later, when his sensual voice whispered naughty things into her ear. She smiled at the memory. If nothing else, she’d always remember their evening together. Would any other man ever measure up to Clayton in bed?

Clayton’s handsome face popped into her mind. He retained his strong six foot physique and slim waist by playing a variety of sports and working out at Phil’s Gym with Terry and a few other male friends. And he participated in his Little Brother’s hockey and baseball practices, and cross-country skied in winter, too.

No doubt Clayton was a prime male specimen, but his beautiful midnight blue eyes fascinated her the most. Those sad eyes spoke volumes: something was missing in his life. Was that something her? Was fate drawing them together? Was Clayton the right man for her? She’d thought it possible at one time, but now…

Randy was a wonderful guy, easy-going and friendly, and they’d shared a lot of fun times together. But he wasn’t the man for her. Clayton had treated her terribly, and yet, could he be Mr. Right?

Knowing Clayton’s history, Cassidy understood his reluctance to get involved with any female. Cassidy would bet a month’s pay that Clayton’s parents constantly harped at him to settle down, as insistent as her father had been with her. But did Clayton truly love her? Forever love her?

“Could it be that he loves me, the way I love him?” she whispered.

There, she’d admitted it aloud. Cassidy loved Clayton, which explained why he frustrated her so much. He’d rejected her initial advances, flat out refused to even dine with her. True, she intended an ulterior motive initially. But soon after she’d shared Clayton’s bed that night, she realized she’d fallen in love with him.

Quiet and mysterious Clayton. After the loud, flamboyant Jonathan, Clayton seemed the ideal man: warm, sincere, affectionate. Was he ever affectionate! Had Clayton called her again, repeated their evening together, vowed undying love for her, would the situation be different today? Would they have gotten past their deceptions?

“Arrived at any solutions, Cassidy?” Sherry approached from behind.

“Good grief! Sneak up like that again, and you’ll be performing CPR.” Cassidy frowned while her heartbeat returned to normal. “I’d lost myself in private thoughts; never heard you approach.”

“I’m sorry. I thought you’d had sufficient time to mull the situation over. Your plane boards in a few minutes.” Sherry stood over her.

“Was my flight announced?” Cassidy leapt to her feet.

“Not yet. Sit. Relax.” Sherry pulled her onto the adjoining seat. “Tell me what you’ve decided.”

Cassidy heard the optimism in Sherry’s voice. “There’s been no change of heart I’m afraid. Disappointed?”

“I’m ever the eternal optimist.” Sherry smiled weakly.

“I’ve considered every aspect, but I can’t alter my decision.”

“Can’t or won’t?” Sherry asked the question, and then a radiant smile appeared on her face. “Maybe you haven’t changed your mind, but I suspect someone else has.”

“What do you mean by that?” Cassidy stood when Sherry leapt to her feet.

“Good luck, my friend.” Sherry gathered her jacket and purse and then walked away. Again.

Cassidy was stunned by Sherry’s quick exit as if someone had shouted ‘FIRE’. And what did she mean by someone else’s decision? Nobody would decide any aspect of her future, but her, from now on. Wasn’t that the purpose behind moving to Anchorage in the first place?

Suddenly, a man’s hand grabbed her arm and turned her around. Cassidy startled and almost screamed. And then she found herself drowning in the beautiful blue eyes she’d been thinking about a few minutes ago.

“You nearly frightened me to death, Clayton.” Cassidy slapped his arm. “You shouldn’t sneak up behind women and grab them in an airport.”

“Sorry, I wasn’t thinking straight. Actually, I haven’t been thinking straight about a lot of things for some time now.” Clayton dragged his hand through his hair.

“I know…”

“No, please let me finish,” he interrupted. “We started off on the wrong foot from the beginning. I should have jumped at the opportunity to take you out to dinner. Randy recognized a million dollar offer when he heard it. Sorry, no pun intended there.” Clayton grimaced.

Cassidy smiled at his obvious discomfort. She’d bet apologies were a rarity for Clayton Edwards, especially apologies to a woman. “My intentions weren’t honorable, so you shouldn’t take any blame for turning me down. And Randy and I were just having fun. There was never anything serious between us.”

“Nevertheless, it wasn’t gentlemanly of me to throw your invitation back in your face, and then pout like a two-year-old when Randy dated you instead.”

“That qualified as an apology, I think.” Cassidy tilted her head. “Apology accepted.”

“Yes, and I apologize for my abominable behavior when I learned your true identity.” Clayton shifted onto his other foot. “Terry reminded me I’m no better. I’ve concealed my identity and thought nothing of it.”

“Apology accepted again. In hindsight, I should have been upfront with you. Sherry knew my true identity, but it never occurred to either of us that you owned the bar. You were entitled to the truth.” Cassidy blushed and glanced away.

Clayton reached for her hands and met her eyes. “I shouldn’t question Sherry’s judgment. But something about you didn’t ring true, and my instincts were right. I overreacted, however, and I would handle my findings differently if I could do it over.”

“I would have handled things differently, too. I shouted horrible things at you that I regret now, and I apologize for stomping out of your office. Extremely unprofessional of me. And that nasty scene at your home...”

“Apology accepted.” Clayton squeezed her hands and smiled.

Suddenly, Cassidy’s flight was announced. “That’s my flight. I’d better board now,” said Cassidy, sadly.

“No!” shouted Clayton.

“More apologies?” Cassidy smiled, prepared to delay boarding, if it meant spending more time with Clayton.

“I love you! Damn, I hadn’t intended to just blurt it out like some uneducated lovesick country bumpkin.” Clayton grimaced, red-faced. “I planned a whole spiel, really profound words working my way up to my big declaration. I’d hoped you’d consider me very clever and sophisticated, as well as being madly in love with you.”

“I love you, too,” whispered Cassidy. She uttered the admission so softly that she wasn’t certain Clayton had heard her. “Do you require an instant replay? I said ‘I love you’.”

“Do you really love me?”

“Yes, I really love you. Sherry questioned what I wanted—to be right or to have Mr. Right? I choose Mr. Right. I choose you.” Cassidy launched herself into Clayton’s arms.

“Terry criticized my paranoia, my refusal to risk a relationship even with someone as special as you, and rightly so. I’ve avoided love and commitment for so long that I didn’t recognize something real when it appeared right in front of my eyes.”

“I fought Dad tooth and nail for my independence, my own decision-making. And when the most important decision of my life presented itself...” Cassidy smiled. “I flubbed it.”

Clayton bent his head, ravaged her lips passionately.

Suddenly, he pulled back and met her eyes. “Giving myself body and soul to someone feels wonderful, especially knowing there’s no ulterior motives and I’m receiving sincere affection in return.”

Nobody kissed her as thoroughly as Clayton, she thought. She couldn’t catch her breath, and her toes actually curled.

“Finally, you two arrived at a sensible decision. Here’s your luggage, Cassidy.” Sherry pulled up beside them and parked the luggage cart. “I assume you’ll ride home with Clayton.”

Reluctantly, Clayton and Cassidy released their embrace.

“Thank you, Sherry.” Cassidy frowned. “How did you retrieve my luggage from the plane?”

“Actually, I bribed the check-in clerk—she’s a regular customer at Gold Diggers—to set it aside, hoping you’d never board.” Sherry blushed, admitting her collusion.

“She’s always been too resourceful for her own good.” Clayton gazed into Cassidy’s eyes, and then added, “Keep up the good work, Sherry.”

Clayton and Cassidy kissed each other in the middle of the terminal, oblivious to the onlookers staring at the two lovebirds.

“Keep that up and someone will organize bets on how long that kiss is going to last.” Sherry chuckled and headed toward the exit doors.

After a minute, Clayton and Cassidy reluctantly ended the kiss amid raucous applause and whistling from several onlookers.

“Will you marry me?” Clayton leaned back and met her eyes.

“You’re asking me to marry you in the middle of a busy airport?” Cassidy shook her head.

Clayton bent down on one knee and shouted, “Will…you…marry…me?”

Suddenly, she could have heard a pin drop in the previously noisy area of the concourse. Everyone stood, motionless, and probably holding their breath.

Cassidy grinned and shouted, “Yes!” And then the crowd erupted: cheering, clapping, and whistling.

Clayton grabbed the luggage cart, and they moved toward the exit doors. Cassidy couldn’t wipe the smile from her face. Wait until Dad hears about this.

Chapter 20

Clayton and Cassidy had planned a destination wedding in Hawaii: a magnificent celebration surrounded by family and friends totaling 200 guests. The Hyatt Regency Maui would provide a spectacular ocean backdrop for their nuptials, complete with lush gardens and exotic birds. And the hotel’s amenities—gym, pool, and spa—would amuse the guests during their stay.

Clayton insisted upon sharing the cost of the enormous affair with her parents, including all the suites and rooms and all the meals during everyone’s stay. He even chartered a private jet to transport the immediate family, and the entire Edwards and Donahue clan arrived two days ago.

“Please be still, Miss Donahue!”

Cassidy wiggled in the hairdresser’s chair, again, earning herself another scolding from the exasperated stylist. The two mothers and Cassidy’s attendants enjoyed full body massages, manicures and pedicures earlier this morning. Now everyone arrived for their hairstyling. Cassidy felt ready for a nap, not a hairdo. Being her wedding day, she didn’t dare voice this thought aloud, especially within her mother’s hearing.

“Sorry, Katie.” Cassidy’s nerves were frayed, and the hotel salon’s complimentary coffee she gulped down wasn’t helping matters.

In less than three hours she’d be exchanging wedding vows with Clayton.

“Cassidy, darling, do sit up straight. You’re slouching and the woman is creating a masterpiece,” admonished her mother from an adjacent chair. Cassie straightened.

“Jeannie, how are you doing?” Cassidy’s maid-of-honor occupied the salon chair to her right, but Katie blocked her line of vision. “I’m getting nervous. The reality of it all settled in a few minutes ago.”

“You’ll be fine once you say ‘I do’,” called Jeannie from her chair. “Have all the guests arrived now?”

“All of our friends and relatives, including those in the wedding party, arrived in spurts yesterday keeping the hotel shuttle bus hopping between the hotel and the airport. But everyone on the RSVP list was accounted for by nine o’clock last night.”

Katie shuffled over to Cassidy’s left side, and the bride met Jeannie’s eyes. “I slipped down to the kitchen this morning to glimpse the cake. Oh, my, God. It is absolutely stunning.” Cassidy’s heart almost stopped when she viewed the four-tier creation: vanilla cake with ocean blue and sea green icing, decorated with live white, yellow and pink plumerias and pikake blossoms. “The chef promised a superb buffet, a combination of hearty fare and rare delicacies.”

“I can’t wait.” Jeannie smiled. “And, Patricia, kindly keep all culinary criticisms to yourself. But please feel free to compliment the executive chef all you want.”

“I doubt I’ll discover much to criticize,” called Patricia from two chairs over.

Cassidy bent her head forward at Katie’s urging. “What do you wager Reggie will eat until he drops? That kid ate Clayton under the table at dinner last night.”

Clayton’s ‘little brother’ Reggie, the junior groomsman, and his mother accompanied them on the jet, and the six-year-old still hadn’t stopped talking about his first airplane ride.

“The fabulous meal and local entertainment at the surprise Luau after the wedding rehearsal last night was the perfect welcome for your guests.” Jeannie poked her head around Kim.

“Clayton and I visited with his cousins and caught up on our friends’ news. I believe everyone enjoyed the evening.” She hadn’t seen Clayton since midnight when he’d walked her to the door—she and Jeannie were sharing a suite—and informed her the next time he laid eyes on her she’d be walking toward him in her wedding dress.

“Cassidy, darling,” interjected her mother. “Help me with all the young people in your wedding party. I’m still attempting to put names to faces.”

Cassidy noticed a strange expression crossed her mother’s face. Confusion? No, almost a guilty look. But what could her mother feel guilty about. “The best man is Clayton’s brother, Hunter. And Jeannie is my maid-of-honor.”

“I’ve figured them out, dear. How about the others?”

“Terry and Randy are groomsmen. Terry is the bouncer at Gold Diggers, and Randy sings there on occasion. And remember I mentioned he works with troubled native children? Reggie is the junior groomsman, and he’ll carry the rings.”

“Sheila and Patricia are bridesmaids, but who is the young junior bridesmaid again?” asked Madeline.

“She’s Sherry’s daughter, Catherine. Sherry is serving as usher, with Clayton’s sister June. Poor Susan is eight months pregnant, and she’s so disappointed she couldn’t help out.” Cassidy turned her head, admiring Katie’s handiwork in the mirror.