Authors: Mariah Stewart
“I’ll see you later, then.”
“Call me if you find yourself with some free time,” he said as she started to walk away.
“If I have any free time at all, you are the only person I’d call.”
She walked to the front of the coffee shop, where she was greeted warmly by the ladies there. Clay watched her until Wade came back and sat in the chair he’d claimed earlier.
“You’re right in my line of vision, you know,” Clay told him.
Wade looked over his shoulder, saw Lucy six tables directly behind him, and turned back to Clay.
“Got it bad, don’t you, sport?”
When Clay didn’t respond, Wade said, “You want to know something I learned about women?”
“Not really.”
“I’m going to tell you, anyway.” Wade took a sip of coffee and added half a raw sugar to the cup. “Accept no substitutions.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means that when you find the right one, you pull out all the stops.” Wade peeled the paper from the cupcake he’d brought back with him. “No more good muffins. I had to settle for a chocolate orange cupcake.”
He took a bite. “Of course, stalking is out. I mean, sometimes a guy might think she’s the one, but if she doesn’t agree, he has to back away. However, if she’s interested—and it’s pretty clear that Miss Lucy is—then you have to go for it.”
“I have all intentions of going for it,” Clay told him.
“Make the most of your time, then, since I hear she’s only here for a couple of weeks.”
“She’ll be home for the summer,” Clay said. “Well, for much of it, anyway.”
“Hey, that’s good, right?” Wade took another bite. “Your sister can really bake. I don’t know why you don’t weigh eight hundred pounds.”
“I could say the same to you. Your wife makes the best ice cream in the state.”
“She does her best work at Scoop. Sometimes she does bring home a new flavor for testing, though.”
Clay watched Lucy head to the door, then turn to wave at him before she left. He waved back.
Wade looked amused.
“What?” Clay asked.
“Nothing.”
“What was that look for?”
“You smile every time you look at her, you know that?”
“So?” Clay shrugged. She did make him smile. No big secret there. “She’s beautiful.”
“So I guess that makes my next bit of advice irrelevant.”
“What bit of advice was that?”
“That maybe you should play it just a little cool. But it’s obviously too late for that.”
“That was going to be your advice? To play it cool?” Clay smirked. “How cool did you play it with Steffie?”
Wade shook his head. “I’d known her for too long. She wouldn’t have bought it.”
“Lucy and I have known each other since we were five years old, Wade.”
“Oh, well, then.” Wade took a sip of coffee. “How ’bout this, then? Just tell her how you feel.”
“I can’t believe I’m getting tips about my love life from Wade MacGregor.” Clay looked to the ceiling. “What is wrong with this picture?”
“Hey, am I not married to one of the hottest women in town?” Now Wade looked amused and smug.
“I can’t argue that,” Clay conceded. “Though how you pulled that off is still a mystery to me.”
“Yeah, well, it is to me sometimes, too.” Wade dropped his “Dr. Love” persona. “The thing is this: Steffie is sheer magic. She’s brought magic into my life. And that’s the bottom line: when it’s right, it’s magic. So if the magic’s there, go for it.”
“Slow down, I’m taking notes.” Clay tried to brush off Wade’s comments, but in his heart, he knew his friend spoke the truth about the right person bringing magic into your life.
Lucy was magic, pure and simple. Clay had already figured out that he would do whatever it took to keep that magic in his life.
“I met briefly with the floral designer this morning,” Lucy told Susanna when they settled into the library and both had spread their notes out in front of them. “I showed her the photographs you’d sent me and she agreed that the garden-rose—hydrangea—gerber-daisy arrangement would be spectacular as centerpieces with some more organic touches like lamb’s ear and English ivy, dusty miller and hosta leaves.”
Susanna nodded enthusiastically. “That was actually the arrangement I liked the best. It just looked so … friendly. Beautiful and sophisticated in a country sort of way. But what kind of container? I’m not wild about baskets.”
“Olivia agreed. She suggests that we use silver pots and bowls and pitchers—she happens to have a lovely collection that she showed me. Different sizes, different heights.”
“I love that.” Susanna frowned slightly. “Although I was hoping for peonies.…”
“I mentioned that. Late June is, well, late for that flower, but she said she’ll exhaust every possible resource. If there are any available, she will find them.”
“Fabulous.” Susanna smiled. “Now, about my bouquet—I’m liking that look of just roses in cream and white and shades of pink.”
“Love it. I’m sure that won’t be a problem.” Lucy paused. “So, would you like to nail down Petals and Posies as your florist?”
“Absolutely. Can you take care of that contract?”
“Of course. I’ll have it drawn up and I’ll email it to you for your approval of the numbers.” Lucy nodded. “Now, for your attendants …”
“Just two friends from the Foundation. Mallory Russo and Emme Caldwell. They’ll be wearing navy. And Emme’s daughter, Chloe, will be the flower girl—she’s wearing shell pink. Rob’s son, Ian, will be the ring bearer. That’s pretty much it.” Susanna had counted off the names on the fingers of one hand. “Oh, and of course Rob, and his best man. Mallory’s fiancé, Charlie, will be an usher.”
“Small wedding party,” Lucy murmured.
“Just the people who matter most. Except, of course, for Trula, who will take the place usually reserved for the grandmother of the groom. Rob’s cousin, Father Kevin, will perform the ceremony. That’s it. That’s our inner circle. It isn’t wide, but it’s strong.”
“That’s all you need, then.” Lucy placed the magazine photo of the arrangement Susanna had decided on in a file and made a note to tell Olivia that she’d been approved and that Lucy would be getting together with her to obtain a number for the contract.
“Next, music. Have you and Rob made a decision …?”
Over the next two hours, Lucy and Susanna crossed off a number of open items on the to-do list. The band was selected, the options for photographer—Susanna wanted Karyn Park, the former model turned celebrity photographer—and Susanna had given Lucy a list of the meals for which she’d like to see menus, including the rehearsal, a brunch for the guests on the day of the wedding, the reception itself, and brunch the following day before the guests departed.
“Gavin said he’d be available for us whenever we’re ready,” Lucy told Susanna. “Why don’t we go into the dining room, have lunch, and we can go over everything that you want with the chef at the same time?”
“Sounds perfect. Two birds, one stone.” Susanna picked up her bag and stood. “Which way?”
“Follow me …”
Lunch and the meeting with the inn’s chef took almost another two hours, but by the time they were finished, Gavin had a good idea of what he’d need to prepare and serve the couple’s guests during the last week of June.
“I hope I haven’t overwhelmed you,” Susanna said when Gavin was gathering up all his notes along with the lists Susanna had made up for him.
“Not at all,” he assured her. “I like that you know what you want, that you want to mix in some casual dining with some gourmet meals. And I like that you’ve thought ahead for the children. Our young guests should be as well fed as their parents. I especially like that you are concerned with local sourcing.
We pride ourselves here at the inn on using local produce, seafood, and meats when it’s possible. It’s going to be a pleasure to serve you.”
“I’m looking forward to the tasting.”
“So am I.”
Susanna was duly charmed, and Gavin was whistling as he made his way back to the kitchen. Happy customer, happy chef. Happy Lucy.
Having two big items—the flowers and the music—crossed off the list gave Lucy a boost. She waved good-bye to Susanna feeling as if she’d gained control over this upcoming event. The food was a huge item, of course, but Gavin was on the case now and she’d meet with him during the coming week, start narrowing down selections for the various meals, and get a date for the bride and groom to come for a tasting. She could tell that he understood that this wedding could well secure his reputation as a chef, and she knew that no detail would go unnoticed.
She went into her office and pulled up the wedding file on her laptop, then proceeded to type in her notes from today’s meeting. She called Olivia, gave her the green light, and arranged to meet with her first thing on Monday morning.
Lucy reached for her phone to call Bonnie, then checked first the time, then the company’s schedule of events for the day. A luncheon was being handled by Ava, so Bonnie should be in her office. Lucy dialed her partner’s private line but had to leave voice mail for Bonnie to call her back. The sooner they discussed her dilemma—the proposed events for July and September—the better.
It was late in the afternoon when Bonnie returned Lucy’s call.
“I’m sorry.” She sounded a little breathless. “I’m on my way to the airport. I hadn’t planned on visiting Bob this weekend, but he had an accident this morning and just called from the emergency room.”
“What happened?” Lucy asked. “Is he all right?”
“He was riding this morning, something spooked his horse, and he fell. He broke one of his legs in three places and has a concussion. I’m at my apartment packing some things for a few days. Thank God we staffed up a few months ago. With you there for a week and me up north for who knows how long—”
“I might be a little more than a week,” Lucy told her. “And there’s something else …”
Lucy told her about the two events for which Lucy had been requested as the planner.
“Wow. A senator’s daughter. Good for you. Good for us.”
“Between the anniversary party and the wedding, I’m going to be in St. Dennis for a good part of the summer. We need to go over our schedule of contracted events to see how we’re going to handle this.”
There was a long pause on the line before Bonnie said, “I agree we need to rethink a few things, but we can talk about that at another time. Right now I have to get to the airport. I promised I’d be there as soon as possible.”
“Let’s plan to get together as soon as I get back to the coast,” Lucy suggested. “Tell Bob I’m sorry to hear about his accident and I hope he mends quickly.”
“Will do.”
The call ended and Lucy sat at her desk, the phone
still in her hand. With Bonnie distracted and leaving town for a few days, she was going to have to take it upon herself to work out a schedule for the next week that would keep all the bases covered and ensure that none of their clients were shortchanged. She pulled up the list of June events and began to scrutinize each one to see what remained to be done for each, and which tasks she could do by phone and email from St. Dennis. Next she called the office and spoke with Corrine about taking a more active role in several of the up-and-coming commitments. It was a lot to put on their newest employee, but what better way to determine if she was as good as she said she was?
By the time Lucy was finished sending that day’s emails, she was stiff from sitting and had the makings of a headache. She stood and stretched and downed a few Advil from the bottle in her purse. She closed her eyes and proceeded to meditate for a moment, thinking that this might be a good time to start going to yoga again.
It might also be a good time to call Clay and see if he had dinner plans. In one of his emails, he mentioned that on Friday nights, there was live music at Captain Walt’s. It was country music, but still. Things had been heading in a definite direction last night before Brooke and Logan popped in. Lucy had known exactly what Brooke had been up to, and had to admit she might feel the same way if she thought either of her brothers might be in a position to have his heart broken.
Breaking Clay’s heart was the furthest thing from Lucy’s mind.
It had seemed so natural to meet him for coffee and
a little early morning conversation after her run. She’d been pretty sure she’d find him at Cuppachino, and hadn’t been able to resist spending a few minutes with him. The brief interlude had been just enough to set her day in the right direction. She was hoping to make a morning run part of her daily routine while she was in St. Dennis, and with any luck, coffee with Clay afterward would become a regular part of her morning, too.
“There you are.” Grace poked her head into the office.
“Mom.” Lucy got up and gave her mother a hug. “So how was your trip? Did you take lots of pictures? Did you have a great time? I want to hear all about it.”
“And you will, dear. The trip was great fun and I took a ton of pictures on that digital camera you and Daniel gave me for Christmas. I can’t wait to share them with my Facebook friends.”
“I can’t believe you have a Facebook page.”
“Why not? It’s a grand way to keep in touch with old friends.” Grace leaned on the back of a chair and, to Lucy’s eyes, suddenly looked very tired.
“You look as if you could use a nap, Mom.”
“I surely could, but I’m afraid I’m not going to get one.” Grace sighed. “Andrew just called in sick, so I’m going to have to play hostess in the dining room tonight.” She turned her wrist to look at her watch. “Which gives me all of forty minutes to rest up.”
“Don’t be silly,” Lucy told her. “You go upstairs and get some sleep. I’ll cover the hostess duties.”
“Are you sure, Lucy?” Grace looked torn between relief and mounting a protest.
“I’m positive. Go. You look exhausted.”
“It’s been a long time since you worked the dining room,” Grace reminded her.
“Nothing to it,” Lucy assured her.
“Thank you. I won’t even try to talk you out of it.” Grace smiled. “It’s so nice to have you home, to have you part of the inn again. I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am that you’re here and that you’re staying for more than a day or two.”