Bride & Seek

by Samantha Chase

  “The smile he gave you said something completely different. I think he’s into you.”

  Her blush deepened. “Can I let you in on a little secret?”

  Leanna nodded.

  “I’m into him too.” She giggled. “We’re kind of dating and I really like that he’s looking out for me.” She never got to say more about it because once they walked through the doors to the kitchen, there was a bustle of activity that they needed to navigate their way around.

  “Oh, my God! This has to be the best dip I’ve ever had!” Angie said later on when they were all in Hailey’s suite. “Do you think the chef would give me the recipe?”

  Cammie laughed. If there was cheese involved, Angie loved it. And the dip she was currently raving about was their lobster queso dip. “I can certainly ask!”

  “You’re the best, Cam!”

  There were multiple conversations going on all around her, and as much as she hated to miss a night out with Cade, it felt good to be out with the girls.

  As if reading her mind, Hailey came over and put her arm around Cammie’s shoulder. “So tell me how you’re doing,” she prompted, leading them over to the sofa to sit. “You look fantastic, everything for the expo seems to be running smoothly, and you’re smiling. It seems that moving home agrees with you.”

  Shrugging, Cammie smiled. “It’s been a bit of a roller coaster ride.” She told Hailey about Preston and Whitney, her game of hide and seek, and finally, about Cade.

  “Wow! You’ve been busy!”

  “It does seem that way…”

  Before she could say more, everyone else moved over to their side of the suite and sat down. She knew there’s be plenty of time to sit and catch up with Hailey, so she embraced the group chat.

  “Is everyone all set for tomorrow?” she asked. “Anything else you need?”

  “No work talk tonight,” Angie said, balancing her plate on her lap. “Girls' night out is all about relaxing. And from the way you were running around today, Cams, you need to relax.”

  With a laugh, she said, “I’m not going to argue with that!”

  Josie handed her a glass of wine. “So you used to live here, then in Raleigh, and now you’re back here in the mountains. Do you think you’ll ever move back to Raleigh?”

  “Honestly? I’m not sure. I had forgotten how much I loved living in the mountains. But I loved so many things about Raleigh, so…I guess we’ll have to see how the job works out for me. The move was mostly because I needed a change of scenery after the breakup. Little did I know…”

  “That the scenery was going to follow you?” Josie asked with a small laugh. “I hope they don’t stop at our booth tomorrow because I cannot guarantee that I’ll be nice.”

  “You’re rarely nice,” Leanna said and then gasped. “I mean…”

  “Oh, stop. I know what you meant, and you’re not wrong.” Josie smiled at Cammie. “Leanna’s the sweet one, Skylar’s the logical one, and I’m the blunt one in the group. And if my mouth doesn’t say it, my face certainly does.”

  “True story,” Skylar said with a wink.

  “You guys sound just like us!” Angie cried. “Except, I’m the loud one, Hailey’s the sensible one, Becca’s the shy one, and Ella’s the sweet one. Every group needs to be labeled like that. It’s like balance or something.”

  “Well…not every group can be as neatly compartmentalized like ours,” Hailey commented. “Or theirs. It’s just nice when it works out that way.”

  “It definitely balances things out,” Skylar said. “It’s certainly helped out a lot in dealing with clients. We each know our strengths and use them as needed.”

  Everyone nodded.

  “So how are Becca and Ella doing?” Cammie asked. “I kind of hoped they were going to be with you.”

  “Becca’s eight months pregnant and just got put on bedrest so…we’re a little shorthanded,” Angie explained. “And Ella’s holding down the fort at the shop.”

  “It’s another perk to having four owners,” Hailey added. “We know there’s always someone in charge.”

  “I agree,” Josie said. “I know our businesses aren’t exactly the same, I know for us, it’s nice that we can take on multiple events in a single weekend and manage to have at least one of us at each of them.”

  “It takes a lot of pressure off, that’s for sure,” Skylar said.

  They were all quiet for a moment–eating and drinking–before Cammie spoke up. “Can I ask you guys something?”

  “Sure!”

  “Of course!”

  “Lay it on us,” Josie said.

  “It sounds like you all stay very busy. How do you balance it all–the job and a personal life?” Cammie asked after taking a bite of one of the cupcakes Leanna brought and moaning with delight. “I keep telling myself that I’m thankful that I’m single because the pace around here is exhausting.”

  Everyone looked at one another and chuckled. “I know we can’t speak for Angie and Hailey, but the three of us have no personal lives,” Josie said. “Seriously, I can’t even remember the last time I went out with a guy.”

  “Me either,” Leanna murmured.

  And Skylar rounded them out as she shook her head. “Other than hanging out once in a while with Josie’s brother and his friends, I don’t think any of us have had a real date or serious relationship since we started Meet Me at the Altar.”

  “Wow.” That was mildly depressing, Cammie thought.

  With a shrug, Josie reached into the cake box and pulled out a cupcake for herself. “You get used to it.”

  “We didn’t start Enchanted,” Hailey chimed in, “but when we took over, we were all in fairly new relationships. Except for Ella.”

  “Yeah, Dylan and Ella had been together since the sixth grade,” Angie added.

  “Anyway, there were times when it was rough,” Hailey went on. “If it had just been the bridal shop and the fashion shows, I think it would have been a breeze–almost too easy. But we immediately started expanding the business and building the complex we have now so it was probably two years of constant stress. Sometimes it felt like a week would go by between times Jack and I would see each other. It was awful.”

  “My husband was the one heading up all the construction, so we saw one another all the time. The only problem was that we had a new baby and we were either talking baby stuff or Enchanted stuff. It took a while for us to remember to talk about…you know…us!”

  “I always thought I’d be married by now,” Leanna said quietly. “That was my plan–to be married and have kids by the time I was twenty-five.”

  “You just turned twenty-seven a few months ago,” Josie reminded her.

  “And yet I haven’t had a serious date or a relationship in far too long,” she replied miserably. Then she looked over at Cammie. “Don’t take the sexy bouncer for granted. Make sure you find time for the two of you to get together. No job is worth your personal happiness.”

  “Sexy bouncer?” Angie asked, perking up again. “Who’s the sexy bouncer?”

  Rolling her eyes even as she laughed, Cammie told the whole group about Cade–just like she had told Hailey earlier. “So basically, he’s the only one who keeps finding me!”

  “That’s a good thing!” Hailey said, smiling. “Better him than Preston and Whitney!”

  “Very true,” she said with a happy sigh. “I’m just worried about the expo tomorrow. They’re obviously here and I have no idea how to avoid them. I know I’ll be busy, but…”

  Everyone started talking at once and Cammie had no idea where to look or listen first.

  It wasn’t until Hailey let out a very loud whistle that the room went quiet.

  “Okay,” she said, smiling at Cammie. “You’re going to do your job. That is the most important thing. Angie and I both know what Preston looks like, so we’ll be on the lookout, and so do Josie, Skye, and Leanna. We’re each at opposite sides of the room, so you know you have two booths to hide in. Personally,
I wouldn’t even think about them. There are far too many things that require your attention so, put them out of your mind and if need be, we’ve all got your back.”

  “And so does the sexy bouncer,” Leanna said with a wink.

  Cammie felt tears sting her eyes and for the first time in a long time, she felt like maybe she was the one winning and not Preston.

  10

  The expo had been a massive success! Vendors had already started asking about when she would do this again, and the response from attendees had been fantastic. And the best part? She had managed to evade Preston and Whitney the entire day! She hadn’t seen it for herself, but she had heard that there had been an ‘unfortunate’ incident where someone had spilled punch on Whitney and she had to leave.

  Angie swears it wasn’t her, but…

  Riding the high of a successful event, things eventually calmed down and evened out. Cammie was feeling positively giddy about her life. She and Cade had been together for over a month, there hadn’t been any sightings of Preston and Whitney–who seemed content to simply stay in contact by phone–and all seemed right with the world. There was a perpetual smile on her face and it felt so damn good!

  It was a Friday morning, and for the first time since she started working at the resort, they only had one event scheduled for the weekend. They were all excited about it because it meant they’d each get at least one day off this weekend.

  Sitting at her desk, Cammie was looking over the layout for the new brochures she was working on when Dixie came rushing through the door. “Emergency meeting. My office!” Jumping up, Cammie was on her feet and following her and Anna May.

  “What’s going on?” Anna May asked, her voice laced with concern.

  Dixie looked directly at Cammie and her heart sank.

  They were back.

  She sat up straight in her seat and looked at both women. “I’m done hiding. Let them come in here. Let them see me and let them do whatever it is or say whatever it is they feel the need to do and say. I’m done hiding.” She paused and felt…confident. “I really shouldn’t have been hiding at all from the get-go. I didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “We know,” Anna May said softly. “But…we totally understand if you’d rather just…you know…stay out of sight. We’ll deal with them.” Then she looked over at Dixie. “Why are they even here? Were we expecting them?”

  “They booked another weekend trip. Last minute, they claimed when I saw them out in the lobby.” Dixie rolled her eyes. “We’ve had some overbearing clients over the years, but these two are really taking the cake.”

  “What else did they say?” Anna May asked. “The last I spoke with Whitney, we were set with just about everything. There wasn’t going to be any reason for her to be here until the week of the wedding, which is still…six weeks out.”

  “They claim they just love it here and they’re looking at more ideas for the wedding. So they want a meeting with us. Today. I explained I had to check our schedules–since they didn’t give us any advance notice and…”

  They all turned at the sound of voices in the outer office.

  Anna May cursed under her breath.

  With a sigh of resignation, Cammie stood. “I’ll go and…”

  “No,” Dixie said firmly. “We are very accommodating to all of our clients, but we do expect a certain amount of common courtesy from them as well.” She stood and smoothed down her skirt and ran a hand over her hair. “And personally, I don’t appreciate someone not respecting our time or that of our other clients. This has gone on long enough. We’ll handle it.”

  “But…” Cammie began.

  “I think I saw Cade heading back toward his office,” Dixie said, her voice soft and her eyes sympathetic. “Go take a little break and maybe have a drink with your man.”

  Cammie wanted to argue–she really did–but it appeared her boss was pulling rank and doing it graciously. With a small smile, she waited until they all walked out to the reception area and then made her way out the back door.

  Out in the sunshine, she sighed. This wasn’t how she wanted to spend her day–not that she minded going and having a little time alone with Cade–but this whole situation put a damper on her good mood, and that really pissed her off.

  As she made her way along the path that would lead her to Cade’s office, she tried to calm down–to find the happy feeling she had just thirty minutes ago. When his office came into sight, she forced a smile on her face and reminded herself that all was okay. This was just another minor bump in the road. This was…

  “They’re back,” Cade said as he opened his door for her.

  Cammie stopped short. “How did you know?”

  “I was mowing by the valet and saw them get out.” He shook his head and stepped aside so she could get out of the heat. “Did they have an appointment or…”

  “Another spur-of-the-moment getaway,” she interrupted. “I told the girls I was done hiding. I’m done playing this childish game of hide-and-seek. It’s not who I am and I’m not going to do it anymore!” Her voice rose with each word, and she almost jumped when Cade’s hands gently grasped her shoulders.

  “And yet…here you are.”

  Dammit. She sagged a little. “Not by choice. They pulled rank on me.”

  He chuckled and pulled her into his embrace. “So what do you want to do?”

  “I want to be able to do my job and come and go around this whole place as I please. That’s not asking too much, right?”

  Taking a step back, he studied her face. “Okay, then. Let’s do it.”

  “Do what?” she asked, looking at him as if he were crazy.

  “Let’s go take a walk.”

  Take a…was he serious? “They’re in with Dixie now, and she knows I’m here with you, so…”

  He shrugged. “So? We’ll just go and walk around and head down by the lake and just…be seen.”

  If she wasn’t already falling in love–hard–with this man, this would have done it for sure. Unable to help herself, she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him. “How did I get so lucky?” she murmured against his shoulder.

  “You didn’t seem like you were feeling so lucky a minute ago,” he teased.

  “Yeah, well…then I realized what an amazing man you are and it snapped me out of my pity party.”

  He hugged her tightly right before letting her go. Without a word, he walked over and grabbed a bottle of water for each of them and handed one to her.

  “You sure you want to do this?”

  “I’m game if you are,” he said, smiling.

  It was one thing to say she was ready to confront them, but it was quite another to actually do it. But when she looked at Cade’s face, she knew that no matter what she decided to do, he would support her. And really, it was the only boost she needed.

  “Let’s go.” Cade took her hand as Cammie took a steadying breath. “Ready or not…”

  She was tense. Cade could feel it radiating off of her as they walked. Maybe he was wrong to push her to do this. Maybe he should have waited until it was Cammie’s idea and not his. But…hell. Enough was enough. Not that he blamed Cammie for feeling the way she did–it had to be rough having your ex continually pop up unannounced and ready to flaunt his wedding to the woman he cheated on you with.

  If it were him dealing with a situation like this, he would have punched someone in the face already and moved on. Then he almost chuckled at the image of Cammie punching good ol’ Preston in the face. The guy totally deserved it. But Cade would love to be the one to do it–mainly because of all the hell the guy had put her through. And that image really made him grin.

  “What are you smiling about?” she asked quietly as they walked along the path toward the main building.

  “Just thinking about the look on Preston’s face if you hit him. Or I did,” he replied, still grinning.

  She shook her head but did laugh. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”

  They took
the path to the right that would lead them down to the beach. Cammie stopped and kicked off her sandals and held them in her hand before they continued on. Cade wasn’t sure what to say. This should be nothing–it was just the two of them out for a walk–so why did it feel so…weird?

  “So you’ll have off on Sunday, right?” he asked after a few minutes of complete silence. They were on the sand and walking toward a row of cabanas.

  “It’s a light weekend. The girls told me most weekends are booked, but we’ll have a slow one once in a while. I’m kind of looking forward to it.”

  “Me too,” he said as he looked out at the lake. “I was thinking…I normally go up to Asheville and have dinner with my family on Sundays. I mean, not every Sunday but…a couple of Sundays a month.” He paused and felt like a babbling idiot. “Anyway, I’m supposed to go there this weekend and was wondering if you’d like to go with me.”

  He didn’t look at her as he asked, and they kept walking at a leisurely pace. He was a grown man, for crying out loud. Why did it feel so weird to ask her to go to dinner with him?

  Because it’s to meet your family, he chided himself. Big step. Meeting the family is always a big step. And even though she hadn’t asked him to meet hers yet…

  “I’d like that,” she said after a moment.

  A curt nod was his immediate response. “Good.”

  There were people scattered around on the beach, and a few of the cabanas were in use, and Cade suddenly felt as if a great weight had been lifted, like they’d made a big step here. Now if they could get rid of this whole Preston and Whitney issue, he felt like everything would be just right. Sure, they wouldn’t have any reason to play around and hide and find themselves in confined spaces–something he really enjoyed–but it would be worth it. Besides, if they really wanted to, they could. It just wouldn’t be out of necessity. And he was going to miss that bit of silliness for them.

  Glancing to his right, he spotted an empty cabana and quickly pulled her inside, wrapped her in his arms, and kissed her. He kissed her until she completely relaxed in his arms. Her sandals fell to the sand along with her water bottle. When he lifted his head, her eyes were glazed and her lips were wet and a little swollen.