She stiffened as footsteps sounded on hardwood floors in the hallway. Voices rose above the comforting noise of the TV. Seconds later, she laughed at herself. Did she honestly think a band of pirates had invaded the Captain’s Cottage? That might have happened in Thaddeus’s day, but not now. Most likely, it was just another bridal party gathering for their wedding.
Except, Karolyn had rented the entire mansion for the weekend, so why were throngs of people roaming the halls?
At a knock at the door, her heart rate doubled. She brandished a wine bottle like a club. “Who is it?”
Rather than replying, the new arrivals took their lives in their hands. The door sprang open.
When a familiar face filled the gap, Jenny lowered her would-be weapon, but she didn’t try to hide her confusion. “Mildred? What are you doing here?”
Lines around the florist’s eyes crinkled. “I—we—heard you had quite the project on your hands and could use some help. I brought extra scissors.” She stepped into the room.
“We brought wine.” Ashley crossed the threshold on Mildred’s heels.
“And glasses.” Brandishing a stack of paper cups, Alexis joined her sister.
“I brought my curling scissors—they make great bows.” Cheri edged past the twins.
“Janet sends her regards.” JoJo aimed an ever-present camera at the stacks of supplies. The shutter clicked. “She wanted to come, too, but she’s up to her eyeballs in prep for tomorrow’s festivities.”
“I brought my boss.” Alicia crowded into the room that had rapidly filled with people. “He’s pretty good at lifting and toting. If you need anything moved, he’s your man.”
“I’m Jason,” said a tall, dark-haired stranger who bore a striking resemblance to framed portraits of Captain Thaddeus Heart. “Just point me in the right direction.”
“Nice to meet you.” She would have said more, but her mouth stalled as Nick joined the throng.
“Sustenance.” He lowered a brownie-laden tray to one of the empty tables.
Heartache, fresh and bright, stabbed Jenny’s chest. She drew a ragged breath and turned to the people who’d opened their hearts to her while she’d been in Heart’s Landing. “What are you doing here?”
“Everyone in town knew you’d planned on having your wedding party put together the favors for your guests tonight,” JoJo explained as she lined up for her next shot. “When we heard their flight was delayed, well, we couldn’t let you handle all this by yourself.”
Touched, Jenny pressed one hand over the place where her shattered heart thudded. She could hardly believe these people—people she hadn’t even known four weeks ago—would rush to help her. “You’re doing this for me?”
Jason’s head bobbed. “We always go the extra mile for a true Heart’s Landing bride.”
“All our brides,” Alicia corrected. She aimed a stern look at her boss.
Jenny barely had time to wonder what Jason meant before Nick clapped his hands together.
“These bags aren’t going to stuff themselves, folks. Let’s get started.” He shot her a pointed glance. “Jenny, what’s first?”
She swept the crowded room. As many changes as she’d thrown at them over the past few weeks, no one in this room owed her a thing. Yet, they’d given up a big part of their day to help her out of a jam. And she had no doubt that Nick had arranged the whole thing. She shot a grateful smile at the man who’d broken her heart. Warmth spread through her when his lips curled up in return. Glad that they were at least on speaking terms, she fought back the sting of tears as she addressed the group. “You don’t know how much I appreciate you being here tonight,” she began. “I never thought—”
“Hush now,” Mildred interrupted. “We’re just helping out a friend. You’d do the same for any one of us.”
“I would.” Jenny blotted her eyes. Karolyn and Chad had found better things to do on the eve of their own wedding, but she could count on the friends she’d made in Heart’s Landing. And they could count on her.
“Too much talking!” Ashley declared. “Let’s get to work before everyone breaks out their hankies.”
“I’ll drink to that.” Alexis pulled the cork from a wine bottle and poured cabernet into paper cups.
Within minutes, the group formed an assembly line of sorts. The room filled with the sounds of crinkling paper, the snip of scissors, and the lively chatter of friends, old and new. Deciding she couldn’t let their sacrifice go unrewarded, Jenny found an excuse to slip away long enough to place a discreet call to Bow Tie Pasta. Pleased to free up more tables on a busy weekend night, the maitre d’ agreed to deliver half the food Jenny had ordered for the rehearsal dinner to the Captain’s Cottage and send the rest to a local soup kitchen.
By the time she returned to the conference room, the evening news had ended. On the TV, the hosts of an entertainment show expressed shock and horror at the breakup of one of Hollywood’s longest romances.
“Sources tell us he’s been seen around town with his latest co-star.” A photograph of the aging movie star flashed on the screen. He stood with one arm draped over the shoulder of a beautiful young woman.
“Jenny, you’re from L.A. Is any of this stuff true?” Ashley glanced up from the bow she was tying.
“Not as much as they want you to believe.” The pose in question was from a script Karolyn had read before she’d turned down the part. Jenny pointed to the TV. “That picture was taken on set. He has his arm around her because that’s what the role called for, not because he’s in love with her. A lot of those reports are pretty exaggerated.”
Another two hours passed before Mildred layered tissue into the last of the gift bags and passed it to Alexis, who carefully placed the final wine bottle inside. Ashley added the remaining box of candy. Cheri tied the final bow, and a collective cheer rose throughout the room. Meanwhile, Jason flattened the last of the empty boxes for recycling while Alicia patrolled the area, picking up scraps of paper and ribbon.
After Nick placed the finished bag on the reception room table with the others, the waiters and waitresses from Bow Tie Pasta arrived. Bearing trays of lasagna, salad, and several pasta dishes, they streamed into the room. As wonderful odors drifted in the air, Jenny overrode a few half-hearted protests and ordered everyone, including the wait staff, to help themselves. Soon, laughter and conversation flowed along as people fixed plates and pulled up chairs around the tables.
Watching them while she waited her turn at the back of the line, Jenny drank in the scene. Warmth blossomed in the center of her chest and spread outward. She’d come to Heart’s Landing to arrange her cousin’s wedding. In the process, she’d made so many good friends, she never wanted to leave. Especially now that she and Nick had apparently declared a truce.
She eyed the tall baker, who chatted with Cheri as they filled their plates. Her heart was still broken, but maybe she and Nick could be friends. She could live with that. She’d have to if she accepted Alicia’s offer to come and work for her here at the Captain’s Cottage.
But.
The whole time she’d been here, she’d kept a secret from her new friends. They’d shared their pasts, their hopes for the future with her. In return, she hadn’t been honest with them. She hadn’t trusted them with her own truth. It was time to change that. If she wanted to be a part of this community, to live the rest of her life here in Heart’s Landing, she needed to reveal the real reason she’d come here in the first place. And she needed to do it now.
A restless excitement rippled through her. From Alicia to her newest acquaintance, Jason, everyone in the room would be thrilled when they learned it was Karolyn Karter, not her, who’d walk down the aisle tomorrow. She eyed her wine glass. She needed to get everyone’s attention, but tapping her knife on a paper cup wouldn’t do the trick. Pushing away from the wall, she cleared her throat. “If I may, I’d like to say
a few words.”
Throughout the room, conversations and laughter faded until the only sound came from the television.
“Could someone mute that?” she asked.
Heads swiveled as people searched for the remote. Before anyone found it, an excited host on the entertainment show blurted, “This just in, folks—Karolyn Karter wed Chad Grant tonight in a Las Vegas wedding that took even Hollywood insiders by surprise!”
What?
That had to be a mistake, another example of reporters running with a story before they had all the facts. Karolyn would never…
Or would she?
The faces staring up at her from chairs and tables receded into the distance. Drawn to the television, Jenny stared over their heads at the screen mounted on the far wall.
“All of Hollywood has been following the romance that blossomed on the set of Two Hearts on the Run this summer. That love story culminated in the engagement of Karolyn Karter to her co-star Chad Grant six weeks ago. Since then, we’ve been chasing down rumors of a summer wedding, and tonight, our investigation paid off when we followed the two lovebirds to the Little Elvis Chapel in Las Vegas.”
Karolyn wouldn’t. She couldn’t.
Jenny drew in a breath and got nothing. Her heart pounded. On the screen, the scene cut to flashing neon lights above a white clapboard church. Another talking head spoke into a microphone.
“The bride wore a stunning strapless gown by Sophie Olsen, while the groom dressed in traditional dark gray tux-and-tails for the intimate ceremony that took place only hours ago. A waiting limo whisked the happy couple off to the airport, presumably where they’ll leave on their honeymoon, but not before the bride gave me this exclusive interview.”
No! It couldn’t be true. The story had to be a lie, didn’t it?
The sides of the paper cup bent inward in Jenny’s grip. Just like she’d been telling the others earlier, these reporters had aired a story before they had the facts. Although, she had to admit, the dress they’d described matched Karolyn’s to a T.
Maybe her cousin had pulled off a publicity stunt designed to draw the paparazzi away from the real wedding. Yeah, that had to be it. Any second now, her phone would buzz, and Karolyn’s laughter would fill her ear. Her cousin would no doubt brag about how she’d pulled one over on the reporters and the media types who dogged her every footstep.
Jenny reached for her phone, but the device’s screen remained dark. On the television, a smiling Karolyn and Chad stepped forward to join the reporter. With the bright lights of Las Vegas twinkling in the distance, the camera zoomed in on the beaming bride.
“We couldn’t wait another second to get married!” Kay squealed while the camera zoomed in for a close-up of the couple, surrounded by an entourage of giddy friends. Jenny swallowed hard as she spotted the familiar members of her cousin’s wedding party. “I’m so happy to share this moment with our friends and fans on Tonight’s Entertainment TV.”
With that, Chad whisked his new bride into a waiting limo that merged quickly into the traffic on busy Las Vegas Boulevard.
Jenny’s breath caught and her legs wobbled. Her teeth chattered. Much as she didn’t want to believe it, she couldn’t deny the picture of Chad and Karolyn decked out in their wedding finery. She stared at the screen, unable to breathe, unable to move. Tears rolled silently down her cheeks. This was no hoax. No publicity stunt. After the hoops she’d jumped through on Kay’s behalf, after the upset and consternation she’d caused throughout Heart’s Landing, her cousin and Chad had eloped.
“Well, there you have it.” The reporter held a mic to his mouth. “Mr. and Mrs. Chad Grant have tied the knot Las Vegas-style.”
Spots danced before Jenny’s eyes. An urge to throw something swept her, but her hands shook so badly that she could barely hang on to the cup of wine she’d raised in a toast to her friends. Liquid sloshed over the edges. Her fingers lost their grip. The cup slipped from her grasp. It landed on the floor with a loud pop.
“Jenny?”
“Are you all right?”
“What’s wrong?”
The concerned chorus rose from across the room. Jenny’s shoulders slumped. The oddest sensation that someone had just pulled the rug out from under her left her unsteady on her feet. Her gaze dropped from the television to the troubled faces before her. From opposite ends of the room, Mildred and Alicia started toward her. Her movements stilted, she waved them back to their seats.
What was she supposed to say? How was she going to stand here and tell everyone that they’d wasted their time? That the wedding they’d worked so hard to pull off was nothing more than a farce? Pain stabbed her chest. It stole her breath.
She couldn’t tell them. She couldn’t explain something she hadn’t even begun to understand herself. “I—I need a minute.”
Clamping her hand over her mouth, she raced for the door. A sob escaped from between her fingers as she dashed down the hall to the ladies room. Once safely out of sight, she propped her hands on the cold porcelain. Her shoulders hunched. Tears streamed down her cheeks. They ran down her chin and splashed into the empty sink.
Had Kay intended to get married in Vegas from the beginning? Had the effort she’d poured into the wedding, the adjustments she’d made whenever Kay had changed her mind, the phone calls and the weeks of worrying over every detail been a ploy? Another part of an elaborate ruse her cousin had come up with to keep the paparazzi at bay? The idea was too painful to contemplate, and she hiccupped, unable to catch her breath.
She could hardly believe Kay had sent her here on what had amounted to a wild goose chase. It seemed ludicrous to think her cousin had spent thousands of dollars on a pretend wedding. But what else was she supposed to believe?
Why didn’t I see this coming?
But she had, hadn’t she?
She had to admit, right from the beginning, she’d had her doubts about Kay’s decision to get married in Heart’s Landing. Yet, she’d gone along with the plan. Had she really been surprised when her cousin’s wedding had morphed from a small, plain wedding into an elaborate extravaganza? Slowly, she shook her head. She should have known better. Worse, she’d drawn everyone else in town into Karolyn’s scheme. Now, they’d have nothing to show for their hard work. They’d never forgive her for her role in this fiasco.
Who was she kidding? She’d never forgive herself. She pounded her fist on the counter. Metal clinked. She wrenched the fake engagement ring from her finger and stuffed it in a pocket.
No more.
Before she’d come to Heart’s Landing, she’d had a life. Sure, it hadn’t been as thrilling as her cousin’s. Maybe she hadn’t felt completely fulfilled, but she’d chosen to put her family first. She’d had a job she was good at, a roof over her head. She hadn’t had someone special to love, but she’d had hope, hope that one day she’d find her Prince Charming.
Then, Kay had sent her to America’s top wedding destination, and she’d lost everything.
From the minute she’d set foot in the town where romance coated the buildings and dripped from the eaves, she’d felt like she’d finally found her place. She’d pictured the reactions of Mildred and the twins when Kay stepped out of her limo and thanked them personally for helping to plan her wedding. They’d have been thrilled. She’d seen herself working beside Alicia at the Captain’s Cottage, helping other brides have their special day. She’d imagined what it’d be like to buy a quaint little house of her own, to build her future in Heart’s Landing. She’d fallen in love with Nick.
But then, her dreams, like her heart, had shattered. Because, despite everything—the promises, the planning, the hours people had poured into her wedding, the expense—Kay had done the unthinkable. She’d betrayed them all.
Me, most of all.
She’d never be able to go back to L.A., never be able to work for her cousin again. Not afte
r this. As for her dream of putting down roots in the town she’d come to think of as home, that had been crushed, too. Once her new friends realized they’d wasted weeks preparing for a wedding that wasn’t going to take place—and that she’d been lying to them from the moment they’d met—they’d never forgive her. Alicia would withdraw her job offer.
As for Nick…she might as well face it. She’d given her heart to a man who didn’t love her in return. Whatever small hope she had of rekindling their friendship, it had died the instant Karolyn and Chad had said, “I do.”
And worst of all, she had no one to blame for her crumbling hopes but herself. It was all her fault. She’d known from the beginning that Karolyn’s plans for a simple wedding were doomed to failure. Yet, she’d gone along, rolled with every change, kept her cousin’s huge secret the entire time. In the end, she’d ruined everything and lost her one chance for friendship. For happiness. For love.
She closed her eyes. Her legs buckled, and she collapsed to the floor. More tears seeped through her lids and slid down her cheeks.
Nick was on his feet before Jenny made it to the door. “I have no idea what’s wrong,” he said, answering the unspoken question that circulated throughout the room. “But I’ll find out. Trust me.”
Questions, each more troubling than the last, raced through his mind as he hustled down the hall in search of the woman who’d handed him his walking papers. Had she suddenly fallen ill? Had something on the evening news upset her? Had her fiancé called off the wedding?
He gave himself a swift chewing out for the thrill of hope that passed through him at that last one. He was resigned to the fact that they could never be more than friends. But what kind of friend wished her fiancé had practically left her at the altar? Not a good one, he admitted.
Besides, it hadn’t happened. He might have pitched in like everyone else who’d rushed to Jenny’s aid this evening, but he hadn’t been able to stop himself from watching her every move. She hadn’t received a single call, hadn’t received any startling messages. There’d been nothing of note on the television other than the announcement that some celebrity had gotten married. No big deal.
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