They settled into her office and Natalie pulled out the trifold portfolio she used for these meetings. She unfolded it, showing all the images and options for their wedding. Focusing on work was her best strategy for dealing with her attraction to Colin.
“Let’s start with the menu,” she began. “Amelia, our caterer, would normally do up to three entrees for a wedding this size, but with such short notice, we really don’t have time for attendees to select their meals. Instead, she put together a surf and turf option that should make everyone happy. Option one pairs her very popular beef tenderloin with a crab cake. You also have the choice of doing a bourbon-glazed salmon, or a chicken option instead if you think fish might be a problem for your guests.”
She watched Colin look over the options thoughtfully. She liked the way his brow drew together as he thought. Staring down at the portfolio, she could see how long and thick his eyelashes were. Most women would kill for lashes like those.
“What would you choose?” he asked, unaware of her intense study of his face.
“The crab cake,” Natalie said without hesitation. “They’re almost all crab, with a crisp outside and a spicy remoulade. They’re amazing.”
“Okay, that sounds great. Let’s go with that.”
Natalie checked off his selection. “For the cake, she put together three concept designs.” She went into detail on each, explaining the decorations and how it fit with the theme.
When she was finally done, he asked again, “Which one of these cakes would you choose?”
Natalie wasn’t used to this. Most brides knew exactly what they wanted. Looking down at the three concept sketches for the cake, she pointed out the second option. “I’d choose this one. It will be all white with an iridescent shimmer to the fondant. Amelia will make silver gum paste snowflakes and when they wrap around the cake it will be really enchanting.”
“Let’s go with that one. What about cake flavors?”
“You won’t make that decision today. If you can come Thursday, Amelia will set up a tasting session. She’s doing a couple other appointments that day, so that would work best. Do you think Lily would be interested in coming to that?”
“I can work that out. I doubt Lily will join me, but I’ll ask. I’m sure cake is cake in her eyes.”
Natalie just didn’t understand her friend at all. Natalie had no interest in marriage, therefore no interest in a wedding. But Lily should at least have the party she wanted and enjoy it. It didn’t make sense to hand that over to someone else. Her inner control freak couldn’t imagine someone else planning her wedding. If by some twist of fate, she was lobotomized and agreed to marry someone, she would control every last detail.
“Okay.” Natalie noted the appointment in her tablet so Amelia could follow up with him on a time for Thursday. From there, they looked at some floral concepts and bouquet options. With each of them, he asked Natalie’s opinion and went with that. Sitting across from her was a sexy, intelligent, wealthy, thoughtful and agreeable man. If she was the kind to marry, she’d crawl into his lap right now. Whoever did land Colin would be very lucky. At least for a while.
Everything flowed easily from there. Without much debate, they’d settled on assorted tall and low arrangements with a mix of white flowers including rose, ranunculus, stephanotis and hydrangea. It was everything she would’ve chosen and probably as close as she’d get to having a wedding without having to get married.
“Now that we’ve handled all that, the last thing I want to do is to take you to the table setup Gretchen put together.”
They left her office and walked down to the storage room. She kept waiting for him to touch her again, but she was disappointed this time. Opening the doors, she let him inside ahead of her and followed him in. In their storage room, amongst the shelves of glassware, plates, silver vases and cake stands, they had one round dinner table set up. There, Gretchen put together mock-ups of the reception tables for brides to better visualize them and make changes.
“Gretchen has selected a soft white tablecloth with a delicate silver overlay of tiny beaded snowflakes. We’d carry the white and silver into the dishes with the silver chargers, silver-rimmed white china, and then use silver-and-glass centerpieces in a variety of heights. We’ll bring in tasteful touches of sparkle with some crystals on white manzanita branches and lots of candles.”
Colin ran the tip of his finger over a silver snowflake and nodded. “It all looks great to me. Very pretty. Gretchen has done a very nice job with it.”
Natalie made a note in her tablet and shook her head with amazement. “You’re the easiest client I’ve ever had. I refuse to believe it’s really that easy. What are you hiding from me?”
Colin looked at her with a confused expression. “I’m not hiding anything. I know it isn’t what you’re used to, but really, I’m putting this wedding in your capable hands.”
He placed his hand on her shoulder as he spoke. She could feel the heat radiating through the thin fabric of her cashmere sweater, making her want to pull at the collar as her internal temperature started to climb.
“You knew my parents. You know Lily. You’ve got the experience and the eye for this kind of thing. Aside from the discussion about flowers, I’ve had no clue what you were talking about most of the time. I just trust you to do a great job and I’ll write the check.”
Natalie tried not to frown. Her heated blood wasn’t enough for her to ignore his words. He was counting on her. That was a lot of pressure. She knew she could pull it off beautifully, but he had an awful lot of confidence in her for a girl he hadn’t seen since she wore a retainer to bed. “So would you rather just skip the cake tasting?”
“Oh no,” he said with a smile that made her knees soften beneath her. “I have a massive sweet tooth, so I’m doing that for sure.”
Natalie wasn’t sure how much her body could take of being in close proximity to Colin as friends. She wanted to run her hand up his tanned, muscular forearm and rub against him like a cat. While she enjoyed indulging her sexuality from time to time, she didn’t have a reaction like this to just any guy. It was unnerving and so inappropriate. This wedding couldn’t come fast enough.
* * *
“Thank you for all your help with this,” Colin said as Natalie closed up and they walked toward the door.
“That’s what I do,” she said with the same polite smile that was starting to make him crazy. He missed her real one. He remembered her carefree smile from her younger days and her seductive smile from the engagement party. This polite, blank smile meant nothing to him.
“No, really. You and your business partners are going out of your way to make this wedding happen. I don’t know how to thank you.”
Natalie pressed the alarm code and they stepped outside where she locked the door. “You and Lily are like family to me. Of course we’d do everything we could. Anyway, it’s not like we’re doing it for free. You’re paying us for our time, so no worries.”
Their cars were the only two in the parking lot, so he walked her over to the cherry-red two-seat Miata convertible. Had there been another car in the lot, he never would’ve guessed this belonged to Natalie. It had a hint of wild abandon that didn’t seem to align with the precise and businesslike Natalie he knew. It convinced him more than ever that there was another side to her that he desperately wanted to see.
“Let me take you to dinner tonight,” he said, nearly surprising himself with the suddenness of it.
Natalie’s dark brown eyes widened. “I really can’t, Colin, but I appreciate the offer.”
Two up at bats, two strikeouts. “Even just as friends?”
Her gaze flicked over his face and she shook her head. “You and I both know it wouldn’t be as friends.” Turning away, Natalie unlocked her car and opened the door to toss her bag inside.
“I think that
’s unfair.”
“Not really. Listen, Colin, I’m sorry about the other night at the party. I’d been hit by a big dose of nostalgia and too much wine and thought that indulging those old teenage fantasies was a good idea. But by the light of day, I know it was silly of me. So thank you for having some sense and keeping me from doing something that would’ve made this whole planning process that much more awkward.”
“Don’t thank me,” Colin argued. “I’ve regretted that decision every night since it happened.”
Natalie’s mouth fell agape, her dark eyes searching his face for something. “Don’t,” she said at last. “It was the right choice.”
“It was at the time, but only because it had to be. Natalie, I—”
“Don’t,” Natalie insisted. “There’s no reason to explain yourself. You made the decision you needed to make and it was the right one. No big deal. I’d like to just put that whole exchange behind us. The truth is that I’m really not the right kind of woman for you.”
Colin wasn’t sure if she truly meant what she said or if she was just angry with him, but he was curious what she meant by that. He was bad enough at choosing women. Maybe she knew something he didn’t. “What kind of woman is that?”
“The kind that’s going to have any sort of future with you. At the party, I was just after a night of fun, nothing serious. You’re a serious kind of guy. Since you were a teenager, you were on the express train to marriage and kids. I’m on a completely different track.”
They hadn’t really been around each other long enough for Colin to think much past the ache of desire she seemed to constantly rouse in him. But if what she said was true, she was right. He wanted all those things. If she didn’t, there wasn’t much point in pursuing her. His groin felt otherwise, but it would get on board eventually.
“Well, I appreciate you laying that out for me. Not all women are as forthcoming.” Pam had been, but for some reason he’d refused to listen. This time he knew better than to try to twist a woman’s will. It didn’t work. “Just friends, then,” he said.
Natalie smiled with more warmth than before, and she seemed to relax for the first time since he’d arrived. “Friends is great.”
“All right,” he said. “Good night.” Colin leaned in to give Natalie a quick hug goodbye. At least that was the idea.
Once he had his arms wrapped around her and her cheek pressed to his, it was harder to let go than he expected. Finally, he forced himself back, dropping his hands at his sides and breaking the connection he’d quickly come to crave. And yet, he couldn’t get himself to say good-night and go back to his truck. “Listen, before you go can I ask you about something?”
“Sure,” she said, although there was a hesitation in her voice that made him think she’d much rather flee than continue talking to him in the cold. She must not think he’d taken the hint.
“I’m thinking about giving Lily and Frankie the old house as a wedding present.”
“The house you and Lily grew up in?” she asked with raised brows.
“Yes. It’s been sitting mostly empty the last few years. Lily has been living with Frankie in the little apartment over his motorcycle shop. They seem to think that’s great, but they’re going to need more space if they want to start a family.”
“That’s a pretty amazing wedding present. Not many people register for a house.”
Colin shrugged. “I don’t need it. I have my place. It’s paid for, so all they’d have to worry about are taxes and insurance. The only problem is that it needs to be cleaned out. I never had the heart to go through all of Mom’s and Dad’s things. I want to clear all that out and get it ready for the newlyweds to make a fresh start there.”
Natalie nodded as he explained. “That sounds like a good plan. What does it have to do with me?”
“Well,” Colin said with an uncharacteristically sheepish smile, “I was wondering if you would be interested in helping me.”
She flinched at first, covering her reaction by shuffling her feet in the cold. “I don’t know that I’ll be much help to you, Colin. For one thing, I’m a wedding planner, not an interior decorator. And for another thing, I work most of the weekends with weddings. I don’t have a lot of free time.”
“I know,” he said, “and I’m not expecting any heavy lifting on your part. I was thinking more of your organizational skills and keen aesthetic eye. It seems to me like you could spot a quality piece of furniture or artwork that’s worth keeping amongst the piles of eighties-style recliners.”
There was a light of amusement in her eyes as she listened to him speak. “You’re completely in over your head with this one, aren’t you?”
“You have no idea. My business is landscaping, and that’s the one thing at the house that doesn’t need any work. I overhauled it a few years ago and I’ve had it maintained, so the outside is fine. It’s just the inside. I also thought it would be nice to decorate the house for Christmas since they get back from their honeymoon on Christmas Eve. That way it will be ready to go for the holidays.”
The twinkle in her eye faded. “I’m no good with Christmas, Colin. I might be able to help you with some of the furniture and keepsakes, but you’re on your own when it comes to the holidays.”
That made Colin frown. Most people enjoyed decorating for Christmas. Why was she so opposed to it? In his eyes it wasn’t much different from decorating for a wedding. He wasn’t about to push that point, however. “Fair enough. I’m sure I can handle that part on my own. Do you have plans tonight?”
Natalie sighed and shook her head. “I’m not going out with you, Colin.”
He held up his hands in surrender. “I didn’t ask you out. I asked if you were busy. I thought if you weren’t busy, I’d take you by the old house tonight. I know you don’t have a lot of free time, so if you could just take a walk through with me this evening and give me some ideas, I could get started on it.”
“Oh,” she said, looking sheepish.
“I mean, I could just pay a crew to come and clean out the house and put everything in storage, but I hate to do that. Some things are more important than others, and I’ll want to keep some of it. Putting everything in storage just delays the inevitable. I could use your help, even if for just tonight.”
Natalie sighed and eventually nodded. “Sure. I have some time tonight.”
“Great. We’ll take my car and I’ll bring you back when we’re done,” Colin said.
He got the distinct impression that if he let Natalie get in her car, she’d end up driving somewhere other than their old neighborhood, or make some excuse for a quick getaway. He supposed that most men agreed to just being friends, but secretly hoped for more. Colin meant what he’d said and since she’d agreed, there was no need to slink away with his tail between his legs.
Holding out his arm, he ushered her reluctantly over to his Russell Landscaping truck. The Platinum series F-250 wasn’t a work truck, it was more for advertising, although he did get it dirty from time to time. It was dark green, like their shirts, with the company logo and information emblazoned on the side.
He held the passenger door open for her, a step automatically unfolding along the side of the truck. Colin held her hand as she climbed inside, then slammed the door shut.
“Do you mind if we listen to some music on the way?” she asked.
Colin figured that she wanted music to avoid idle conversation, but he didn’t mind. “Sure.” He turned on the radio, which started playing music from the holiday station he’d had on last.
“Can I change it to the country channel?”
“I don’t care, although you don’t strike me as a country girl,” he noted.
“I was born and raised in Nashville, you know. When I was a kid, my dad would take me to see performances at the Grand Ole Opry. It’s always stuck with me.” She c
hanged the station and the new Blake Wright song came on. “Ooh. I love this song. He’s going to be doing a show at the Opry in two weeks. It’s sold out, though.”
Colin noted that information and put it in his back pocket. From there, it wasn’t a long drive to the old neighborhood, just a few miles on the highway. Blake had just finished singing when they arrived.
They had grown up in a nice area—big homes on big lots designed for middle-class families. His parents honestly couldn’t really afford their house when they had first bought it, but his father had insisted that they get the home they wanted to have forever. His parents had wanted a place to both raise their children and entertain potential clients, and appearances counted. If that meant a few lean years while the landscaping business built up, so be it.
The neighborhood was still nice and the homes had retained an excellent property value. It wasn’t as flashy or trendy with the Nashville wealthy like Colin’s current neighborhood, but it was a home most people would be happy to have.
As they pulled into the driveway, Natalie leaned forward and eyed the house through the windshield with a soft smile. “I’ve always loved this house,” she admitted. “I can’t believe how big the magnolia trees have gotten.”
Colin’s father had planted crepe myrtles lining the front walkway and magnolia trees flanking the yard. When he was a kid they were barely big enough to provide enough shade to play beneath them. Now the magnolias were as tall as the two-story roofline. “I’ve maintained the yard over the years,” he said proudly. “I knew how important that was for Dad.”
It was too dark to really get a good look at the outside, even with the lights on, so he opened the garage door and opted to take her in through there. His father’s tool bench and chest still sat along the rear wall. A shed in the back housed all the gardening supplies and equipment. He hadn’t had the heart to move any of that stuff before, but like the rest of it, he knew it was time.
A White Wedding Christmas Page 3