“Great,” Colin said, taking the card from her and setting it on the table. He watched as the caterer shot a pointed look at Natalie on the couch beside him.
“And if you don’t mind, since Natalie is here with you, I’m going to go clean up in the kitchen. I’ve got another cake to finish piping tonight.”
Colin nodded. He was fine being alone with Natalie. That left the door open for her little games anyway. “That’s fine. I’m sure you’ve got plenty to do. Thanks for fitting me in on such short notice.”
“Thanks, Amelia,” Natalie said. “If we have any questions about the cake, I’ll come get you.”
Amelia nodded and slipped out of the room. Colin watched her go, then turned back to the platter in front of them. “Where should we start?”
Natalie picked up the card from the table. “I’d go with Amelia’s suggestions. She knows her cake.”
“Great. What’s first?”
“White almond sour cream cake with lemon curd.”
They both selected small squares of cake from the plate, smearing them with a touch of the filling using a small silver butter knife. Colin wasn’t a big fan of lemon, but even he had to admit this was one of the best bites of cake he’d ever had.
And it was just the beginning. They tried them all, mixing chocolate cake with chocolate chip mousse, lemon pound cake with raspberry buttercream and red velvet with whipped cream cheese. There were a million different combinations to choose from. He was glad he’d eaten a light lunch because by the time they finished, all the cake was gone and his suit pants were a bit tighter than they’d been when he sat down.
“I don’t know how we’re going to choose,” he said at last. “It was all great. I don’t think there was a single thing I didn’t like.”
“I told you she did great work.”
Colin turned to look at Natalie, noticing she had a bit of buttercream icing in the corner of her mouth. “Uh-oh.”
“What?” Natalie asked with concern lining her brow.
“You’ve got a little...” his voice trailed off as he reached out and wiped the icing away with the pad of his thumb. “...frosting. I got it,” he said with a smile.
Natalie looked at the icing on the tip of his thumb. She surprised him by grasping his wrist to keep him from pulling away. With her eyes pinned on his, she leaned in and gently placed his thumb in her mouth. She sucked off the icing, gliding her tongue over his skin. Colin’s groin tightened and blood started pumping hard through his veins.
She finally let go, a sweet smile on her face that didn’t quite match her bold actions. “I didn’t want any to go to waste.”
For once in his life, Colin acted without thinking. He lunged for her, capturing her lips with his and clutching at her shoulders. He waited for Natalie to stiffen or struggle away from him, but she didn’t. Instead, she brought up her hands to hold his face close to her, as though she was afraid he might pull away too soon.
Her lips were soft and tasted like sweet vanilla buttercream. He’d had plenty of cake today, but he couldn’t get enough of her mouth. There was no hesitation in her touch, her tongue gliding along his just as she’d tortured him with his thumb a moment ago.
Finally, he pulled away. It took all his willpower to do it, but he knew he needed to. This was a wedding chapel, not a hotel room. He didn’t move far, though. His hand was still resting on Natalie’s upper arm, his face mere inches from hers. She was breathing hard, her cheeks flushed as her hands fell into her lap.
He could tell that he’d caught her off guard at first with that kiss, but he didn’t care. She’d brought that on herself with her distracting games. If her body was any indicator, she hadn’t minded. She’d clung to him, met him measure for measure. For someone who thought they were unsuitable for each other, she’d certainly participated in that kiss.
He just wished he knew that she wanted to, and she wasn’t just doing it as a distraction to help her win the bet. There was one way to find out. She wasn’t good at hiding her initial emotional responses, so he decided to push a few buttons. “So, what do you think?” he asked.
Natalie looked at him with glassy, wide eyes. “About what?”
“About the cake. I’m thinking definitely the white cake with the lemon, but I’m on the fence about the second choice.”
Natalie stiffened, the hazy bliss vanishing in an instant. He could tell that cake was not what she’d had on her mind in that moment. She’d let her little game go too far. He was glad he wasn’t the only one affected by it.
“Red velvet,” she said. She sniffed delicately and sat back, pulling away from him. Instantly, she’d transformed back into the uptight, efficient wedding planner. “It’s a universal flavor. I’m told it’s a Christmas classic, so it suits the theme. It’s also one of my favorites, so admittedly I’m partial.”
“Okay. The choices are made. Thanks for being so...helpful.”
Natalie looked at him with a narrowed gaze that softened as the coy smile from earlier returned. “My pleasure.”
Five
Monday afternoon, Colin made a stop by Frankie’s motorcycle store on his way home from his latest work site.
When he’d first found out that his sister was dating a guy who looked more like a biker than a businessman, he’d been hesitant. Meeting Frankie and visiting his custom bike shop downtown had changed things. Yes, he had more tattoos than Colin could count and several piercings, but he was a talented artisan of his craft. The motorcycles he designed and built were metal masterpieces that earned a high price. Over the past year, Frankie’s business had really started to take off. It looked like he and Lily would have a promising future together.
Slipping into the shop, Colin walked past displays of parts, gear and accessories to the counter at the back. Lily was sitting at the counter. Frankie had hired her to run the register, making the business a family affair. Living upstairs from the shop had made it convenient, but he couldn’t imagine they had enough space to raise a family there or even stretch their legs.
“Hey, brother of mine,” Lily called from the counter. “Can I interest you in a chopper?”
“Very funny.” Colin laughed.
Lily came out from behind the counter to give him a hug. “If not for a bike, to what do I owe this visit?”
“Well, I thought you might want to know about some of the wedding plans Natalie and I have put together.” Colin had a copy of the design portfolio to show her. He hoped that by showing her the designs, she would start getting more excited about the wedding.
Lily shrugged and drifted back to her post behind the counter. “I’m sure whatever you’ve chosen will be great.”
“At least look at it,” Colin said, opening the folder on the counter. “Natalie and her partners have worked really hard on putting together a beautiful wedding for you. We went with the winter wonderland theme you and Natalie discussed. For the cake, we chose alternating tiers of white almond sour cream cake with lemon curd filling and red velvet with cream cheese. Natalie said those were two of their most popular flavors, and they were both really tasty.”
“Sounds great,” Lily said, sitting back onto her stool. “I have no doubt that it will come together beautifully. As long as I have someone to marry us, it’s fine by me. The rest of this is just a bonus.”
“Have you ordered a dress yet?”
His sister shook her head. “No.”
Colin frowned. “Lily, you don’t have a dress?”
“I was just going to pull something from my closet. I have that white dress from my sorority induction ceremony.”
“Are you serious? You’ve got to go get a wedding dress, Lily.”
His sister shrugged again, sending Colin’s blood pressure higher. He couldn’t fathom how she didn’t care about any of this. Pam hadn’t been very interes
ted in planning their wedding either. Since they were in a hurry, they’d ended up with a courthouse visit without frills. It was a little anticlimactic. He didn’t want that for Lily, but she seemed indifferent about the whole thing.
“I’ve got a job, Colin. Frankie and I work at the shop six days a week. I can’t go running around trying on fluffy Cinderella dresses. If you are so concerned with what I’m wearing, you can pick it out. I wear a size six. Natalie and I used to be able to share clothes when we were teenagers. At the engagement party she looked like she might still wear the same size as I do. I’m sure you two can work it out without me.”
Colin fought the urge to drop his face into his hands in dismay. “Will you at least go to a dress fitting?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“Okay. So we’ll get a dress.” He pulled out his phone to call Natalie and let her know the bad news. He knew she had been busy over the weekend with a wedding, so he hadn’t bothered her with wedding or holiday details. He couldn’t wait any longer, though. He was certain this was an important detail and could be the very thing that pushed his cool, calm and collected wedding planner over the edge.
She didn’t answer, so he left a quick message on her phone. When he slipped his phone back into his pocket, he noticed Lily watching him. “What?”
“Your voice changed when you left her a message.”
“I was trying to soften the blow,” he insisted.
Lily shook her head. “I don’t know. That voice sounded like the same voice I remember from when you would tie up the house phone talking to girls in high school. What’s going on between you two?”
“Going on?” Colin tried to find the best way to word it. “I don’t know. We’ve spent a lot of time together planning the wedding. Things have been...interesting.”
“Are you dating?”
“No,” Colin said more confidently. He was determined not to wade into that territory with Natalie. She was beautiful and smart and alluring, but she also had it in her to crush him. “Natalie and I have very different ideas on what constitutes a relationship.”
Lily nodded. “Natalie has never been the princess waiting for her prince to save her. She always kept it casual with guys. I take it you’re not interested in a booty call. You should consider it. Going from serious relationship to serious relationship isn’t working for you either.”
Colin did not want to have this conversation with his little sister. Instead, he ignored the kernel of truth in her words. “I am not going to discuss booty calls with you. I can’t believe I even said that phrase out loud.”
“Have you kissed her?”
He didn’t answer right away.
“Colin?”
“Yes, I kissed her.”
Lily made a thoughtful clicking sound with her tongue. “Interesting,” she said slowly, her hands planted on her hips. “What exactly do you—?”
Colin’s phone started to ring at his hip, interrupting her query. He’d never been so relieved to get a call. “I’ve got to take this,” he said, answering the phone and moving to the front of the shop. “Hello?”
“There’s no dress?” It was Natalie, her displeasure evident by the flat tone of her query.
“That is correct,” he said with a heavy sigh. “And like everything else, she says to just pick something. Lily says she’s a size six and that you used to share clothes, so fake it.”
“Fake it?” Natalie shrieked into his ear.
“Yep.” He didn’t know what else to say.
Natalie sat silent on the other end of the line for a moment. “I need to make a few calls. Can you meet me at a bridal salon tonight?”
Colin looked down at his watch. It was already after five. Did they have enough time? “Sure.”
“Okay. I’ll call you back and let you know where to meet me.”
Colin hung up, turning to see a smug look on his sister’s face.
“I told you she could handle it.”
“That well may be, but she wasn’t happy about it.” At this point, they’d probably be lucky if Lily didn’t go down the aisle in a white trash bag. They had about two weeks to pick the dress, order it, have it come in and do any alterations. He wasn’t much of a wedding expert, but he got the feeling it would be a rough road. “What about Frankie? Do I need to dress him, too?”
Lily shook her head and Colin felt a wave of relief wash over him. “He’s good. He’s got a white suit and picked out a silver bowtie and suspenders to go with the theme.”
He should’ve known a bit of hipster style would make its way into this wedding. Whatever. It was one less person he had to dress.
Returning to the counter, he closed the wedding portfolio. He was anxious to get out of here before Lily started up the conversation about Natalie again. “Okay, well, I’m off to meet Natalie at some bridal salon. Any other surprises you’re waiting to tell me until an inopportune time?”
The slight twist of Lily’s lips was proof that there was. “Well...” she hesitated. “I kind of forgot about this before, but it should be fine.”
Somehow, he doubted that. “What, Lily?”
“Next week, Frankie and I are flying to Las Vegas for a motorcycle convention.”
“Next week? Lily, the wedding is next week.”
“The wedding isn’t until Saturday. We’re flying back Friday. No problem.”
Colin dropped his forehead into his hand and squeezed at his temples. “What time on Friday? You’ve got the rehearsal that afternoon and the rehearsal dinner after that.”
“Hmm...” she said thoughtfully, reaching for her phone. She flipped through the screens to pull up her calendar. “Our flight is scheduled to arrive in Nashville at one. That should be plenty of time, right?”
“Right.” He didn’t bother to point out that it was winter and weather delays were a very real concern this time of year. With his luck, she was connecting in Chicago or Detroit. “When do you leave?”
“Monday.”
Colin nodded. Well, at the very least, he knew he could work on the house without worrying about her stopping by and ruining the surprise.
A chime on his phone announced a text. Natalie had sent him the name and address of the bridal shop where they were meeting.
“Anything else I need to know, Lil?”
She smiled innocently, reminding him of the sweet girl with pigtails he remembered growing up. “Nope. That’s it.”
“Okay,” he said, slipping his phone back into his pocket. “I’m off to buy you a wedding dress.”
“Good luck,” she called to him as he slipped out of the store.
He’d need it.
* * *
Natalie swallowed her apprehension as she went into the bridal shop. Not because she had to get Lily a dress at the last minute—that didn’t surprise her at all. They were close enough to sample size to buy something out of the shop and alter it.
Really, she was more concerned about trying on wedding dresses. It wasn’t for her, she understood that, but it still felt odd. She’d never tried on a wedding dress before, not even for fun. Her mother had sold her wedding dress when her parents divorced.
She knew it was just a dress, but there was something transformative about it. She didn’t want to feel that feeling. That was worse than Christmas spirit.
She’d avoided the bulk of Colin’s holiday bet by staying busy with a wedding all weekend. But now it was the start of a new week and she had no doubt he would find some way to slip a little Christmas into each day.
In addition to the wreath and the peppermint bark, she’d also received a Christmas card that played carols when she opened it. A local bakery had delivered a fruitcake to the office on Friday, and a florist had brought a poinsettia on Saturday morning.
What he didn’t know was that
she’d received plenty of well-meaning holiday gifts throughout the years. That wasn’t going to crack her. It just gave her a plant to water every other day.
As she entered the waiting room of the salon, she found Colin and the storekeeper, Ruby, searching through the tall racks of gowns. Ruby looked up as she heard Natalie approach.
“Miss Sharpe! There you are. Mr. Russell and I were looking through a few gowns while we waited.”
“Not a problem. Thanks for scheduling us with such late notice.”
“This is the bridal business,” Ruby said with a dismissive chuckle. “You never know what you’ll get. For every girl that orders her gown a year in advance, I get one pregnant and in-a-hurry bride that needs a gown right away. After being in this industry for twenty years, I’ve learned to keep a good stock of dresses on hand for times like this.”
Ruby was good at what she did. Natalie referred a lot of brides to her salon because of it. “Did Colin fill you in on what we need?”
“Yes. He said you need something in a street size six that will fit a winter wonderland theme. He also said the bride won’t be here to try them on.”
“That’s correct. We wear the same size, so I’ll try on the dresses in her place.”
“Okay. I’d recommend something with a corset back. You don’t have a lot of time for alterations and with a corset bodice, you can tighten or loosen it to account for any adjustments in your sizes.”
Brilliant. She’d have to remember this in the future for quick-turnaround brides. “Perfect.”
“Great. If you’d like to take a seat, Mr. Russell, I’ll take Miss Sharpe to the dressing room to try on a few gowns to see what you like.”
“Have fun,” Colin said, waving casually at her as she was ushered into the back.
A White Wedding Christmas Page 6