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She’d even gone one step further and given Brooke instructions not to give out her location to anyone, especially Andrew. She couldn’t see him again—not yet. Not until she trusted herself around him. She needed some time to sort out what had compelled her to kiss him.
Whatever had come over her couldn’t happen again. She didn’t trust him with her heart.
He needed to speak with Clara.
Andrew entered the office suite of the Perky Pink Wedding Company. The walls were white. He was certain if he were to ask, the paint color wouldn’t be a generic white. If he knew Clara—and he did, quite well—the paint would be called fluffy cloud or marshmallow.
The décor was dotted with pink accents here and there. The room wasn’t overdone, but rather tastefully decorated. On the far wall of the reception area were two illuminated glass cases displaying invitations, champagne flutes, table settings, and more. Clara had definitely put a lot of thought into the image she wanted to project.
Brooke smiled. “Hi.”
“Good morning. I’d like to see Clara, um, Ms. Harrington.”
“I’m sorry, but Ms. Harrington isn’t available now, but I can set you up with an appointment.”
“Thanks. But this really can’t wait.” The prior evening had been awkward after the kiss, and the conversation, what little of it there was, had been stilted.
“I can pass along the message as soon as I talk to her.”
Andrew didn’t have time to waste. The bachelor party was coming up fast, and he wanted things with Clara to be straightened out before he returned to the East Coast the morning after the wedding.
His gaze moved to Clara’s closed office door. Could it really be that easy? He knew he shouldn’t, that it wasn’t right to just barge in on her, but if he didn’t square things away soon, he worried he’d lose his nerve.
He glanced down, remembering the two coffees he’d brought at Java ’N Tea. He extended one. “Can I bribe you with a coffee?”
Brooke’s face lit up with a smile. Andrew’s chest filled with hope. She eyed up the tall cup with desire, but then she shook her head. “Sorry. I can’t.”
“Are you sure? It’s caramel macchiato.” He couldn’t believe he’d been reduced to this level. What was happening to him?
“Thanks, but no. I can’t break Clara’s trust. Not even for that coffee, which smells delightful.”
He was impressed by Brooke’s loyalty. He set one coffee on the desk. “I understand.”
A look of relief swept over her face. “Not everyone does.”
“I’m sure.” His gaze strayed back to the closed office door.
Without giving the thought its due diligence, he moved to the door and swung it open.
“Hey! Wait!” The rapid succession of Brooke’s heels clicked across the tiled floor, alerting him to her pursuit. “You can’t go in there.”
He frowned at the empty office space, but then he noticed the homey details. A collection of framed photographs of her family rested on the credenza, and on the handle of her closet was an assortment of dry cleaning. Colorful coffee mugs sat atop her desk. There were even more on the file cabinet as well as a pink and white ceramic cookie jar. He smiled, knowing without looking that it was filled with chocolate chip cookies.
He thought for sure that Clara would be there. He was determined to catch up with her to… What? Apologize? To promise it wouldn’t happen again? Or to follow up that steamy kiss with another one?
The last thought was definitely tempting. He glanced down, catching sight of his injured leg. Every doctor had told him it would never work quite right. He would never be the man Clara deserved. How long would it take him to make peace with that fact?
He recalled how Clara used to daydream about their children. One boy and one girl. If he were to have kids now, he could never play with them like he wanted to. He’d never be able to toss a football in the backyard or play tag or take them swimming or make them laugh as he chased them around the house.
The last thought jarred him back to reality. He turned around to find Brooke glaring at him as she crossed her arms.
He ducked his head, knowing he was in trouble. “Sorry. I just had to know if she was in here.”
“I told you she wasn’t.”
He took comfort in knowing that someone had Clara’s back since he couldn’t do it himself. He followed Brooke to the outer office. “I just really need to talk to Clara. It’s important.”
“When I talk to her, I’ll tell her you stopped by. I’m sure she’ll call you back as soon as she has a free moment.”
