Best Laid Plans (Dearly Beloved) (6 page)
Panicked, she ran for the main staircase and managed, in her rush, to get to the first floor without falling. One of the catering staff paused when he saw her.
“Oh! Ms. Vitale. There you are. Mr. Grant is looking for you. He’s in the…parlor?”
Relief washed through her. Of course. The parlor. That’s where they’d decided Laurel and her wedding party would gather and dress. Nick must be in there with them for pictures. “Thanks!” she called over her shoulder as she headed toward the west wing.
Breathless, she knocked once before opening the door—to a room empty but for Nick. She stared at him. Stared around the room. “Where’s Laurel?”
“Gone.”
She shook her head, worried she hadn’t heard him correctly. “Well…where’s Justin?”
“He’s gone, too.”
“Gone? They… Wait. What do you mean Laurel and Justin are gone?” Had they taken her suggestion seriously? Surely they hadn’t actually eloped. “Gone?”
Nick nodded and she forced air into her lungs. Three hundred people were waiting out in the garden for a fairy tale bride and her groom. How could Nick look so perfectly calm when she wanted to hyperventilate?
“Where are they?”
He shrugged and looked nonchalant.
She forced air into her lungs again. “You don’t know?”
“Not exactly.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means they’re on their way to Bali but I don’t currently know their exact location.”
“Bali?” Her voice squeaked. “Why are they going to Bali?”
Nick chuckled. “To get married.”
“But…but…” She snapped her mouth shut to keep from babbling. “The people. Out there. What are we going to do?”
He smiled. “As I see it,
we
have two options.”
Claire nodded and felt hopeful. This is what Nick did—swooped in, like a white knight on a charger, to take command.
“I can walk out there, announce that Laurel and Justin have eloped, and dinner is served. Or…”
She waited, her eyes widening as she held her breath.
“Or we can give them a wedding. Albeit not the one they are anticipating.”
Claire laughed. Hysterically. “A wedding? Do you just happen to have a bride and groom hiding in the closet?”
“Well, not exactly in the closet.”
She gasped as he took her hand and dropped to one knee. “Claire, you taught me there is more to life than corporate mergers. And you reminded me that enjoying good food, indulging in decadent desserts, and smelling the roses are something to be done every day. But most importantly, you taught me how to love a woman as funny and warm, as intelligent and wonderful as you are. Will you marry me?”
Claire stared at him, speechless, shocked—wondering if she’d heard him right. The huge, sparkly diamond ring he held up toward her
looked
real. She shook her head to clear the fog and stopped just short of pinching herself. This had to be a dream. Nick Grant was not a man who got down on one knee.
He smiled that charming I-know-what’s-best smile of his. “I hope that headshake isn’t your answer.”
Nick squeezed her hand, his fingers warm and gentle where they wrapped around hers. “Say yes, Claire. Say yes and we’ll walk down the aisle together, say our vows, and celebrate with three hundred people, most of whom we barely know.”
A giggle burbled out before she could catch it. His smile broadened and he rose in one athletic motion. “I will take that as a yes.”
She nodded until she got dizzy before melting against him.
He cupped her cheeks in his hands to still her head.
“Yes,” she whispered. “I love you but I never thought—”
“You never thought I’d love you?” He finished her sentence. Only this time she didn’t mind. “I absolutely do, Claire. And I was worried you could never love a curmudgeon like me.”
She laughed. “Curmudgeon? Really? You might be a square, but I would never call you a curmudgeon.”
She sobered as the weight of what he’d asked—and she’d agreed to—settled on her shoulders. “Marriage? Are you sure, Nick?”
She glanced down. Her wedding planner power suit was acceptable attire for behind the scenes, but totally unacceptable for a wedding—especially her own.
As if reading her mind, Nick pointed to a large white ribbon-tied silver box on the chaise lounge. She’d thought it a late wedding gift. “For you. Laurel helped me pick it out.”
Curious, she opened the box and was left speechless for the second or third or tenth time that day. Nestled under crisp tissue paper was the very wedding dress Laurel had teased and cajoled Claire into trying on at her own final fitting. She sniffled and blinked hard to keep the tears pooling in her eyes from spilling over and ruining her makeup.
“Will you wear it? For me?” Nick stepped up behind her and placed his hands on her sides as she shook out the dress. “This may not be
your
dream wedding, and I’m no prince—but that dress is definitely something out of a fairy tale.”
She tilted her head up and turned to look at him. “I think it’s absolutely perfect. Give me five minutes.”
“I’m giving you the rest of my life, sweetheart.” He bent to kiss her and retreated as Heidi swept in.
“We’ll need fifteen minutes. Now get out so the lady can dress.” She bullied Nick into the hall and shut the door in his face.
Exactly fifteen minutes later, Heidi opened the door. “You’re not supposed to see her until she walks down the aisle. Get out there and tell everyone there’s been a change in plans.” She shooed him off with a flapping hand motion. “And wait up there with the minister, like a proper groom.”
Heidi remained guarding the doorway until he disappeared. Once he was gone, she swung the door wide open and smiled. “It’s show time.”
****
Claire squeezed the bouquet so hard her hands cramped. White, star-shaped stephanotis entwined with pink rosebuds and ivy leaves, their sweet fragrances wafting around her. Instead of bringing her peace, they evoked panic. She had to be crazy.
She’d only known Nick for a few months. Granted, she’d spent part of almost every day with him. Granted, he made her heart glad. Granted, he made her insides zing.
She stared at the bouquet and suddenly realized it wasn’t the one she’d ordered for Laurel. Stephanotis for happiness in marriage. Pink rosebuds—love, gratitude, joy. And the ivy for friendship and wedded love, for fidelity and affection. Yes. This bouquet represented all her feelings. And Nick had picked it out. For her.
At Heidi’s signal, the string quartet began to play Vivaldi’s “Spring.” Everyone turned to stare at Claire. But she had eyes for only one person. Nick. He smiled and all her doubts melted like shadows banished by the afternoon sun. She stepped onto the white aisle runner, confident and smiling.
Nick took her hand as she reached his side and raised it to his lips for a kiss while the minister addressed the guests.
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the marriage…”
Marriage. To Nick. He squeezed her hand and smiled down at her. He mouthed the words, “I love you.”
Yes. This was what she wanted. This felt right. And for once, the best laid plans had not gone awry. Nick’s plans promised a very happy ever after with the man Claire loved.
A word about the author...
With a rampant imagination aided and abetted by a Muse who runs with scissors, Silver James loves to share the stories created in that vast cosmic void pretending to be her mind.
Over the course of her lifetime, she’s been a military officer’s wife, mother, state appellate court marshal, airport rescue firefighter and forensic fire photographer, crime analyst, technical crime scene investigator, and writer of magic and mystery. Retired from the “real world” now, she lives in Oklahoma and spends her days at the computer with her two Newfoundland dogs, the cat who rules them all, and myriad characters all clamoring for attention.
To find out more about Silver, visit her at www.silverjames.com
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