AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“If you hadn’t noticed, my wedding is almost here, and I’m running out of options. What do you have in mind?”
Clara took a deep, steadying breath. “What if we got a white pair of high-tops and dyed them to match your petticoat?”
Silence filled the room. Clara glanced at Liza for some direction, but all she did was shrug her shoulders. They both turned back to Tula, who was once again staring in the mirror. The expression on her face was unreadable.
Clara mentally kicked herself. The woman had asked her for traditional, and so far she’d given her a non-traditional dress and now an even less traditional pair of shoes. What if her groom had a meltdown? It’d be all her fault.
“I love it. You’re wonderful!” Tula rushed over and gave her a brief hug. “Thanks to you, I realize that I just need to be myself and this wedding will be a success.”
She’d done all of that? “Um, you’re welcome. I really think Hugh will approve, especially if he sees you happy and relaxed.”
“I hope so.”
As Tula slipped out of her dress, Clara’s phone buzzed. She grabbed it and checked the caller ID. It was Brooke. Her assistant knew she had a meeting with Tula, and she wasn’t to be disturbed unless it was a dire emergency.Please don’t let it be anything catastrophic.
Clara slipped into the hallway, not wanting to be overheard. “Brooke, what is it?”
“It’s Mr. Smith, um, Mr. Cross. He called and asked to speak with you. I told him you weren’t available. He wasn’t happy.”
Clara suppressed a sigh. “What did he want?”
“He wouldn’t say. He said he’d catch up with you later. I’m sorry. I didn’t know what else to tell him.”
“You don’t have to worry.” Remembering her conversation with Tula, she realized this was the perfect opportunity to tell Brooke about taking over the bachelor party plans. “I’m sorry I assigned his party to you. I shouldn’t have done it. Andrew is very particular about everything since this is his brother’s wedding. And”—she almost mentioned that the two men had been estranged most of their lives—“he’s nervous about making everything perfect.”
“I understand. Is there anything special you want me to do?”
Clara went on to accept her assistant’s timely offer. Clara handed off all of her current wedding/party clients, giving her the next couple of weeks to concentrate on the Fox wedding and everything it entailed. When she’d taken on this celebrity wedding, she’d known it would be involved, but she never thought it’d take over her life.
Or reunite her with Andrew.
CHAPTER FIVE
Hewasn’tabouttogive up so easily.
After having no luck tracking Clara down at her office, Andrew recalled his conversation with his brother that morning where Hugh had mentioned Tula was off doing something for the wedding, which meant Clara would be involved. Andrew took a chance that Clara would be at the chapel.
He wheeled his rented black sedan into the massive parking area. He pulled into an empty spot and turned off the engine. Off to the side, he spotted Clara’s metallic-pink convertible and a couple of other cars. If he knew his cars—and he did; he loved cars, the faster, the better—he was certain her car was an older model. That, combined with the secondhand furnishings at Clara’s office, told him things weren’t all roses for Clara—no matter what she wanted him to believe.
She had always promised that someday she’d get a pink sports car. He’d asked her once why she was waiting. After all, her family was flush with old family money. It’d taken a bit of coaxing, but she’d finally opened up and admitted that her father had cut her off.
How could a parent be so demanding, so expectant of his child? And cold enough to turn his back on her because she didn’t want to follow in his footsteps? Andrew swore long ago that if he was ever blessed with children, he’d accept them for whom they were and always be there to support them. He just always thought when that day came that he’d have those children with Clara.
It bothered him even more to know his presence in Clara’s life had put a further strain on her relationship with her father. Though her mother and brother had been nothing but kind to him, her father had been a completely different story. Clara had never said anything, but Andrew knew he never measured up to her father’s vision of a suitable son-in-law. His background was so much less than stellar, what with his mother running off and his father working at a convenience store. And if that wasn’t bad enough, their take on politics conflicted. Even their favorite football teams were at odds. There’d been no winning with her father.
Through it all, Clara had never once been swayed by her father’s objections. Andrew had never known anyone more loyal in his life. Clara was most definitely one of a kind.
How could he have let her slip through his fingers? His hands balled up as frustration coursed through his body. If only he could go back in time…
After the breakup, he’d comforted himself with the thought that Clara would be happily reunited with her family. The fact that it didn’t appear to happen saddened him. This was all the more reason for him to help Clara now. He owed her that much…and more.
As he made his way up the walk to the steps of the chapel, he barely noticed the well-kept flower gardens. He could only think about Clara. He recalled the heart pendant she’d been wearing. It was most likely from her significant other. He hoped it was someone deserving of Clara’s love, someone to help fill the gap her family had left in her life.
The chapel was quiet except for the lulling rush of the ocean on the beach. He tried the front door and found it unlocked. Inside, he was amazed at how bright and sunny it was. This place was quite spectacular.
Just then Tula stepped into the foyer. He still wasn’t sure what to make of her. She was certainly a knockout, not only on-screen but also in person. He could see why his brother had fallen for her, but if their initial eight-week marriage hadn’t worked, why did Hugh think a second go-around would have better results? But it wasn’t his problem, so he kept his thoughts to himself.
“I didn’t expect to see you here.” As usual, Tula got straight to the point.
