Waterfront Weddings (4 page)

His cell phone vibrated. He pulled the phone from its holster and glanced at the screen.

Rose.

Luke shoved the phone back in the holster. His sister had left two voice mails in the last week, but he hadn’t listened to either of them yet. As long as he didn’t know what she wanted, he wouldn’t feel any obligation toward her.

“Can you tell me how many cannons were here during the battle?” A man asked, startling Luke.

“Sure.” Luke went into his canned speech, thankful for the distraction.

A
shley clicked S
END
on an e-mail. From the amount of inquiries they’d had lately from people wanting to hold their weddings in Charleston, it looked like they were in for a busy year.
All the more reason for me to be a real business partner
. She glanced at the clock. Summer must be running late.

Again.

She wished there were someone to share her concerns with. But as far as she knew, Summer didn’t have much of a relationship with her family. She’d heard her mention a couple of friends, but even they didn’t seem that close. In the years she’d known Summer, it had always been obvious that Luke was her best friend.

And Ashley was pretty sure he was part of the problem in the first place, so talking to him wouldn’t help.

Lord, help me figure out how to help her
.

The door swung open and Summer walked inside, Milo padding along beside her. She unhooked his leash, and the dog went straight to his familiar spot in front of the large window.

“Sorry I’m late,” Summer said. “I didn’t sleep well, and then this morning I felt like I was moving in slow motion.”

“No problem.” Ashley rose from her desk and knelt down to scratch Milo behind the ear. She watched as Summer thumbed through papers on her desk. Despite her lack of sleep, Summer still managed to look put together. Ashley had always been intimidated by women like that. Women who just seemed to know what went well together and how to pull off accessories without looking like they were trying too hard. Or maybe it was the fact that money wasn’t an issue for Summer—Ashley didn’t know. She only knew that for Summer, looking classy seemed effortless. The tailored pink jacket and slim-cut black pants showed off her trim figure. Ashley knew there were some days that Summer didn’t even stop to eat lunch, and if the weight loss she’d experienced in recent months was any indicator, maybe that was true for supper, too.

“Anything big going on?” Summer asked.

Ashley sat down at the computer. “There was a message on the machine for you.” She glanced up at Summer. “It was Rose Drummond. She wanted you to call her back.” Ashley shook her head. “She must be a new client, because she’s not on our list.”

Summer drew her brows together. “Rose is Luke’s sister.” She shook her head. “I haven’t talked to her in a long time.” She looked at Ashley. “Anything else?”

Ashley nodded. “I just e-mailed an info packet to a couple from Georgia. They’re looking at a destination wedding sometime in August or September and wanted to talk about available dates.”

“August or September?” Summer shook her head. “That’s not very far off. Why don’t people plan in advance these days?”

Ashley didn’t mind quick turnarounds, but if it were up to Summer, every couple would spend at least a year planning for their big day. “You know how it is. They’re so excited they just can’t wait that long.” She chuckled at the grimace on Summer’s face. “Surely you remember that feeling.”

Summer tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear. “Not really. I mean, I knew I was going to marry Luke by the time he brought me home on our first real date.” She gave a tiny smile. “But we didn’t actually get married for several years after that.”

Ashley furrowed her brow. She’d never heard the story of Summer and Luke’s engagement and wedding. “Why did you wait so long?”

Summer sighed. “I had to finish college. It was part of the agreement with my parents. They would pay for everything, but I had to live in the dorm and all that.” She grimaced. “Honestly, I think if it had been anyone but Luke, they would’ve relented.”

“They didn’t care for him?”

“It was complicated. I guess you could say that Luke wasn’t exactly who they had in mind for me. Adjusting to the idea of him was difficult for them.” She chewed on her lip. “And at that time, his only dream was to be in the music industry. So waiting to get married worked out. He went to Nashville for a few years.”

“Wow. I had no idea.” Ashley had assumed Luke’s band was just a hobby. She’d never imagined that he’d actually pursued music.

“It didn’t pan out. So he came back and started going to school at night. He worked odd jobs during the day.” Summer shrugged. “We got married as soon as I finished my master’s.”

“I’ll bet your wedding was beautiful.” Summer’s parents would’ve undoubtedly spared no expense for their oldest daughter’s wedding.

Summer laughed. “If you think city hall is beautiful, then yes.”

“You
didn’t have a traditional Charleston wedding?” Ashley couldn’t hide her shock. Her own wedding back home in Alabama had been full of all the bells and whistles. She’d felt like a princess as she’d floated down the aisle on her daddy’s arm. Except that she’d turned out to be a princess without a happily ever after. So maybe a city hall wedding wasn’t such a bad idea.

“Nope. Too much trouble. Luke’s family was kind of scattered, and mine wasn’t very supportive. Except for Gram. She’d been a fan of Luke’s from the beginning. But I didn’t even tell her.”

Ashley sat, stunned. “Were they mad?”

“Let’s just say we had some tense holidays after that. But everyone came around.” She tapped her fingers on the desk. “Enough about that though. I’m meeting with Sarah Gentry at noon to go over the details for her flowers. We need to let the florist know soon.”

Back to business. Summer had been that way since they’d met. It was almost as if she were two people. As soon as she let down her guard and let Ashley in on anything personal, she’d raise the walls back up and flip into business mode. “Okay.” Ashley nodded. “And don’t forget that I’m getting some quotes for a new web design. I have the components ready, but now I need to find a designer who can put it all together.” She grinned. “I can’t wait until the site is ready to launch.” Ashley took a great deal of pride in the web project. She’d handled it almost single-handedly.

“Awesome. Thanks for your work on that.” Summer looked up from her computer screen. “And I don’t remember if I mentioned that Luke has a friend who is a web designer. You don’t have to use him, but at least add him to the list of people to get a quote from.” She leaned back in her chair. “I can’t wait to see how the new site impacts business. I think it will make things so much easier, particularly for people from out of state.” At least half of their business came from couples who came to Charleston for a destination wedding.

Ashley nodded. Once the site was live, clients would be able to log on and choose from a variety of options to build their own dream wedding. The whole thing would be interactive, so they’d be able to read reviews of venues, watch videos of potential bands, and even see a variety of cakes to choose from. It would be so helpful for brides who wanted a destination wedding in Charleston but were unable to visit ahead of time. “I’m really excited about it.” Now would be the perfect time to talk about a promotion. But as usual, the words caught in Ashley’s throat.

Would she ever find the courage to speak up for herself?

History and a failed marriage said no.

But Ashley would keep trying to build her confidence. Until then, she’d just keep quiet.

Summer added a few tasks to the to-do list in her planner. Some people preferred to keep track of things on their iPhones or BlackBerries. But she liked the feel of a paper planner. She liked to write down lists and check things off. Planning her days, weeks, and months gave her such satisfaction. Luke accused her of being a control freak. Even when they traveled, she always had a map printed out with the route highlighted. And if he ever tried to go off that highlighted path, as he often did, it filled her with tension.

The unknown scared Summer. Change was not her friend. And time passed so quickly, sometimes she found herself paralyzed with fear that she wouldn’t get to accomplish all she planned. Because when it came right down to it, life was short.

She flipped to the monthly calendar where she’d carefully recorded all of her business meetings and civic obligations. If there was a committee, she was on it. She glanced at today’s block. The client meeting at noon and then Luke’s band tonight at eight were the only things penciled in. “Are you still able to go with me to Folly Beach?” she asked.

Ashley glanced up from her computer. “Sure. I’m looking forward to it.” She sighed. “My social life isn’t exactly on fire these days.”

Summer considered Ashley to be a pretty good friend. But she’d never pried into her personal life. She figured if there were things Ashley wanted to share, she would. She’d hate for anyone to think she was nosy. But she was a little curious. She knew Ashley had been married, but that was about it. “I thought you weren’t interested in dating.”

Ashley shrugged. “It’s not like I’m out perusing the grocery stores or coffee shops for available men. But if I happened to meet a nice one, I wouldn’t complain.” She shook her head. “You have no idea how hard it is to meet someone once you’re a certain age.”

Summer rolled her eyes. “You aren’t old.”

Ashley stood and came over to lean against Summer’s filing cabinet. “Okay, fine. Thirty-six might not be over the hill, but I also know I’m not a spring chicken anymore.” She giggled as Summer made a face. “What? At least I’m a realist.”

Summer twirled her pen between her fingers. “I’m only two years younger, and I’d bet money that everyone who sees us together thinks you’re younger.” She gave Ashley the once-over. “You dress a lot cuter than I do.”

Ashley laughed. “Translation: sometimes I dress too young for my age.” She smoothed her green sundress that was almost the same color as her eyes. “I should probably send half of my wardrobe to my cousin’s daughter in Birmingham. And she’s sixteen.”

“Whatever. You look amazing.” With her long, dark blond hair and porcelain skin, Ashley could easily pass for someone in her late twenties.

“Thanks.” Ashley looked pleased. “Speaking of clothes, what are you wearing tonight?”

Summer glanced down at her outfit. “This, I guess.” She thumbed the jacket collar. “I thought I could take the jacket off and wear the cream-colored shell that’s underneath.”

Ashley raised her eyebrows and took in Summer’s outfit. “Oh. Don’t you think that’s kind of …” She trailed off.

“Uptight?” Summer finished for her. Even when she was a teenager, she’d never been one to follow trends. Her sister, Chloe, had accused her of dressing like Gram on more than one occasion, never meaning it as a compliment. Summer’s wardrobe was stylish, but in a classic, refined way. Not trendy and current like Chloe’s or Ashley’s.

“Actually I was thinking it’s kind of businessy. You look more like you’re ready for a boardroom than a beachfront restaurant with outdoor seating and a band.”

Summer nodded. “I guess.” She leaned back in her seat. “Except that my closet is full of stuff like this. I do have a couple of sundresses that I bought last year.” She sighed. “I hate shopping. You know that.”

Ashley laughed. “Oh, I know. Which is kind of a mystery to me. I adore it.”

“Believe me, if you had my mother and sister, you would’ve grown to hate it, too. It’s like their national pastime.”

Summer did most of her clothes shopping online now. In fact, she hardly went to the store at all except for groceries. And considering that she’d forgotten to get bread on the last run, maybe she should start doing that online, too. Surely there was some kind of grocery delivery system.

“I was actually going to hit a couple of stores on my lunch break. We could go before your meeting. It’ll be fun.” Ashley raised her eyebrows in question.

Summer groaned. She’d rather get her teeth cleaned. “I don’t want to be late to meet a client.”

Ashley chuckled. “Okay, it’s not like I’m driving across the country. I’m just going to walk over to King Street.”

Summer Weddings was a couple of blocks away from King Street, one of the main shopping districts in downtown Charleston. There were stores for every budget, from discount shops to Louis Vuitton and everything in between. “How about if I give you some cash and you pick me up a new top?” Summer reached for her purse. “Or is that too much of a copout?”

“Hey, it’s a start.” Ashley shook her head. “You own a pair of dark jeans, right? And strappy heels?”

Summer nodded. “I sure do.”

“Okay, I can work with that. Just think of me as your stylist for the night.”

“But nothing too flashy. Or revealing.” Summer narrowed her eyes. “And no spaghetti straps. Or anything with animal print.”

“Is that all?” Ashley smirked.

“Also nothing that looks like something a Kardashian would wear.” She smiled. “Other than that, feel free to choose whatever you think is best. But I still have veto power if it doesn’t look right on me, so save the receipt.”