Saved by the Bride (15 page)

Nicole turned on her notebook computer. “Thanks. To help you
juggle the jobs, I’ve sent the schedule to your email with all the appointment
times.”

She blinked. Appointments? “You mean there’s more than just
today?”

Nicole laughed. “We’ve got the two brides today and then
another one wants to come on Friday if she can get her fiancé to take the day
off work.”

While Annika was trying to get her head around that bit of
news, Melissa rushed in breathless and carrying three enormous white dress
bags.

“Look what’s just arrived in time. Sample dresses.” She sank
onto the chairs, almost smothered by the bags and bubbling with excitement. “I
spoke to one of the brides the other morning about what she was looking for.
When I hung up the phone I thought what if she could try a dress on? Then she’d
feel like a bride and that feeling might just extend to her choosing
Whitetail.”

“That’s a great idea, Melissa.” Nicole squeezed her on the
shoulder and then turned to Annika. “Anni, put your invitation folder down on
the table next to my brochure on hair and makeup.” Her phone buzzed with a text
message. “Oh, the brides have just left Hanson’s corner. How long do you think
it takes a horse and carriage to get here?”

Annika was having trouble keeping up. “Why are they coming by
horse and carriage?”

Nicole beamed. “We’re giving them the full experience of what
Whitetail can offer so we’ve combined the horse and carriage ride with a tour of
wedding service venues. They’re riding down Main Street then past the churches,
the gazebo in the park and Mrs. Norell’s garden. Just like you said, warehouses
don’t exactly say ‘bridal’ from the outside, but coming up through the grove of
trees on a sunny day will soften it all. Plus, Al gave them both a glass of
champagne when he assisted them into the carriage.”

Annika sat down hard on the chair Melissa had just vacated,
stunned and impressed at how comprehensively they’d thought things through.
Dazed, she arranged her sample invitations, fanning them out on the table.

Nicole chewed her thumb. “Of course they might not decide to
get married here but at least we’ve done a dry run and we’ll be all set for
Bridey Callahan. Has she shown any interest yet?”

Annika told the truth. “I haven’t really seen her to talk to
her about it.”

Melissa turned from hanging the dresses up on a portable rack
next to a screen. “But you will, right?”

Annika didn’t want to encourage something she thought was only
going to lead to a dead end, especially when her focus was on the bigger
picture, but she didn’t want to rain on their parade, especially after all the
effort they’d put in. “If the opportunity presents itself, I’ll say something.
But please—”

“They’re here!” Melissa cut her off with a shout and raced to
the kitchen to get the coffee tray.

“Okay, girls, let’s do our best!” Nicole smoothed down her
dress and opened the door.

Within a quarter of an hour, Melissa had both brides wearing a
bridal gown. As the two brides-to-be sat and each talked about their vision for
their ideal wedding, Nicole, Melissa and Annika listened carefully and offered
up suggestions. Annika outlined her thoughts for the invitations and
save-the-date cards, tailoring her ideas to suit one bride’s desire for a
vintage wedding theme and the other bride’s more modern style.

“What about the thank-you cards? Can you supply them on the
same stationery with our initials entwined?” Jessie, the bride who wanted the
vintage theme, fingered the most expensive paper in the portfolio.

Annika had never done that before as most Whitetail brides
bought some pretty cards at the drugstore. “If you wanted me to, then I could
certainly do that. You might want to consider having me calligraphy your
initials into a monogram and use that on your invitations too.”

“That’s such an awesome idea. Oh, could you do napkins?”

Annika glanced at Nicole who was nodding furiously. She guessed
she’d worry about the logistics of printing later. “Sure. If that’s what you’d
like. You might also want to consider having some extra cards printed with the
monogram for use in the future.” Annika heard the entrepreneurial words pour out
of her mouth and for a moment wondered who was talking. “What’s your fiancé’s
name?”

“Daniel Roberts.”

“Are you keeping your name?”

Jessica shook her head. “No. All my life I’ve had to spell out
my surname so I’m grabbing Roberts with both hands and holding fast.”

Annika smiled. “One idea for the monogram would be to combine
the
J
of Jessica with the
D
from Daniel and tie it all together with the
R
for Roberts.”

Jessica’s eyes misted over. “I love it!”

Now on a roll, Annika continued. “As you’re going with a
vintage theme, then I’d suggest ivory or wedding white and triple crown quality
paper.”

For the first time, the bride hesitated. “It’s going to be a
big wedding so I’m not sure I can afford every single invitation to be
handwritten.”

Annika knew about budgets. “There are processes that print from
an original handwritten invitation and avoid the cost of an engraving
plate.”

“But then my invitations are just like everyone else’s.”

Annika countered gently, “No, they’re not. For example, I could
use thermography to raise the monogram and make it any color that you like. Gold
on ivory would be stunning. You could also consider wax or gold filigree seals
on the envelopes.”

Ashley, the other bride, sipped her champagne. “Do you
calligraphy the envelopes?”

Annika’s hand cramped at the thought. “I’m sorry, I don’t do
that because of time and it would seriously add to your cost.”

Ashley pouted. “Oh, but I’d want everything to match.”

“I can use a calligraphy computer font and print your envelopes
so it looks more like they’re handwritten.” She dug into the back of the
portfolio and found her envelope from Jennifer’s wedding, which was the first
time she’d ever used a fancy computer font. “Like this.”

“That’s gorgeous.” Ashley picked up the heavy and tissue-lined
envelope. “Feel the weight. It says ‘special occasion’ before you even open
it.”

An hour and a half later, Whitetail—Weddings That WOW had just
taken two bookings with the first wedding in midautumn, and Annika had orders
for not just two weddings but urgent save-the-date cards for Ashley that needed
to be sent out by the end of the week.

Suddenly she had more calligraphy work than she’d ever had in
one time frame. An edge of panic scuttled through her. She’d only ever done
handwritten invitations for small weddings, and now she had two big weddings.
Jessica’s invitations would need a thermography machine and she’d have to go to
Duluth for that, which would take a full day. How was she going to balance that
against being Finn’s P.A as well as working on her business hunt for
Whitetail?

There’s
also
that
painting
to
finish
.

And
sex
with
Finn
.

But neither of those two things belonged on her ever-increasing
to-do list.

* * *

Finn hung up his phone, ending a long conference call
with Hank and the German engineer. They were close to testing the new machine
and hopefully Jazz Juice boxes would be back in production by Monday. All week
he’d been listening to clients vent and then reassuring them that the impact on
them was minor. Some of the old-timers wanted Sean but he’d got around that and,
fingers crossed, no one would walk. He couldn’t lose an account—not on his
watch. Not when companies were folding around him. The business world was full
of stories of big-brand companies considered part of the fabric of American
society and now they were closing their doors.

One
generation
to
lose
. He would not be that one.

He quickly checked his messages but miraculously there were
none. His stomach gurgled and he looked at the clock. With a jolt, he realized
it was one o’clock and Annika still wasn’t back from her meeting.

The office had seemed almost dead without her constant activity
and as shallow as it made him, he cheerfully admitted to having missed watching
the way her rainbow skirt moved across her tight behind and outlined her legs
when she bent down. Not to mention the occasional glimpse of a brightly colored
bra when she leaned forward. He had plans to see a lot more than a glimpse of
that bra. He picked up his phone to call her, only to put it straight down
again. Damn, she didn’t have a functioning phone service.

You
don’t
have
any
work
for
her
so
it’s
not
like
you
really
need
to
talk
to
her
.

Who was he kidding? Work or no work, he just wanted to be able
to pick up the phone and hear her smart mouth and sexy voice.

He thought of how he’d woken up to the luxurious feel of her
smooth, long legs wrapped around his and he smiled. Annika had turned into an
amazing surprise package in his summer from hell. A saving grace in fact. They
could have a lot of fun together and he planned to make sure they did, starting
with getting naked as soon as possible.

Decision made, he quickly put in a call and express-ordered a
smartphone, and then rose to his feet. He’d go into town and have lunch with her
there. He picked up the sports car’s keyless remote and suddenly pictured the
scene on Main Street—a circle of curious people admiring the car. Some things in
life needed to be done inconspicuously. He dropped the remote back into the
small bowl and ran downstairs where he grabbed a cap off the hat stand and a
large key from the rack. He’d travel into Whitetail the way his grandfather
always had—by boat—and he’d halve the traveling time.

Finn had recently had his grandfather’s classic wooden
powerboat restored but he hadn’t yet taken it out for a big run. He loved being
in the boat and a zip of anticipation shot through him at the thought of the
wind whipping his body as the hull sliced smoothly through the water. As he cut
across the lawn, he heard his name being called and turned to see Sean walking
toward him holding a fishing pole in one hand and a tackle box in the other.

“How are things, Finnegan?”

His father never used the contracted version of his name and
when Finn had been a teenager, he’d hated that. Ironically, now they worked
together, the more formal use of his name epitomized their relationship
perfectly. “Testing for number four starts tomorrow afternoon at the latest and
I’ve got everything else under control.”

“I don’t doubt it.”

Finn examined Sean’s words, unsure if they were a compliment or
a criticism.

His father smiled and held up the tackle box. “Logan and I are
going fishing with strict instructions from Dana to catch supper. Why don’t you
come with us?”

The invitation almost shocked him to silence as it was wrong on
so many levels—the first one being that Sean was going fishing. He couldn’t
remember his father having ever done that before. Finn might have wanted to fish
with him at ten but by fifteen and after constant disappointments, he’d accepted
that fishing was yet another thing he did with Grandpa. Now the thought of
sitting on the dock or in a boat with Sean and his little half brother came as
close to his idea of purgatory as it got. “No, thanks. I’m working.”

Sean’s keen gaze took in his boat shoes, knee-length shorts,
polo shirt, cap, sunglasses and the boat’s distinctive wooden carved key ring
that he held in his hand. “You don’t look too busy to fish.”

He was thirty-three years old and long past being grilled as if
he was a thirteen-year-old. Especially by a man who hadn’t been around much when
he’d actually been that age. “I’m collecting Annika.”

Surprise flashed across Sean’s face. “I thought she’d taken the
truck.”

How
the
hell
did
he
know
that
? He didn’t want anyone in the family noticing
what Annika was doing because that would lead straight back to him. It was time
to throw out a red herring. “Dad, if your days have become so dull that you’re
reduced to finding interest in who took what vehicle, then perhaps you need to
come back to work.”

Sean’s brows rose but he spoke mildly. “That would mean you
giving up your opportunity to run AKP and I can’t imagine that’s what you want.
For now I’ll stick to fishing and car watching.”

Logan ran up clutching a small cooler. “I’ve got the bait and
drinks, Dad.”

“Good man.” Sean slung his arm around his younger son’s
shoulder and spoke to Finn. “If you change your mind on the fishing, Logan and I
will be over by the point.”

Yep
,
not
gonna
happen
. Finn watched them walk along the path toward
their destination. At least Logan was benefitting from Sean’s midlife crisis or
whatever the hell it was and he was getting to spend time with his father. The
weight of the heavy key in Finn’s hand reminded him of where he was headed and
he spun on his heels. He’d taken two steps when the sound of Sean’s mellow
chuckle at something Logan must have said hit him like a short, sharp slap.

His breath caught.
What
the
hell
? He hated the feeling that filled him, taking
him back to when he was twelve. Damn it, but he was an adult and he’d got over
not going fishing with Sean years ago. Yet, despite knowing that, the stinging
feeling lingered and he wanted it gone.