Black Tie Optional (Wild Wedding Series Book 1)

by Ann Marie Walker

  He glanced back and forth between Olivia and Cole. “Sorry, we haven’t met. I’m Derek Hunt, an old friend of Olivia’s.”

  Cole gave him a tight nod. “Coleman Grant.” He forced a smile as he shook the doc’s extended hand. “Olivia’s husband.”

  Derek’s gaze shot to Olivia. “Your husband?” The good doctor looked as though he might need a doctor.

  “It’s a long story,” she said.

  And that was Cole’s cue to leave. While he was enjoying this little reunion about as much as a root canal, listening to Olivia explain how she’d only married him as part of a ridiculous deal hatched in a Vegas hotel room was actually more than Cole thought he could handle. At least not without a drink, and stomaching that conversation would take a hell of a lot more than a girly beer.

  “You two probably have a lot to catch up on.” He looked at Olivia. “Shall I just meet you back at the penthouse?”

  “Sure,” she agreed. “Oh wait, my car.”

  “I’ll put it in the garage and grab a taxi. Text Jonathan when you’re ready, and he’ll pick you up.”

  “Okay, thanks.” She held the door open as Derek and Cole traded places.

  “No problem,” Cole said. For a moment, he was tempted to plant a big old kiss right on his wife’s lips but in the end decided that might be taking things too far given the fact that at this point he couldn’t say with all certainty whether she would kiss him back or slap him across the face. So instead he simply winked at her as he pulled the door closed behind him. The last thing he saw was her mouth pop open in surprise. It wasn’t much, but he knew it at least gave her something to think about while she was knee deep in explanations.

  “I had no idea,” Derek said from behind the door. Cole heard him just as clearly as when he’d been in the room. The flimsy door that had initially been a cause for concern was now a godsend. Still, it was wrong to eavesdrop. He needed to keep walking. And he would have, if Derek hadn’t dropped the mother of all bombshells.

  “That’s quite a ring,” he said as Cole turned to leave. “Makes the one I gave you look pretty shabby, huh?”

  Hold the fucking phone. The ring he gave her? They’d been engaged? No way in hell Cole was leaving now. Not when there was game-changing information unfolding on the other side of the door. He settled against the wall, straining to hear Olivia’s softly spoken reply.

  “You know I don’t care about rings or bank accounts.”

  There was nothing but a long, uncomfortable silence. When Derek finally spoke, his voice was almost as quiet as Olivia’s had been. “I shouldn’t have left, Livvy.”

  “It’s been two years of nothing, Derek. No calls, no letters, not even a damn text message.”

  “I thought it would be easier to make a clean break.”

  Cole nodded to himself. Classic male response. One he knew from experience never worked. He leaned closer so as not to miss it when Olivia lowered the boom. But instead she asked if he wanted to go for a walk. What the actual fuck? Cole pushed away from the wall just as the doorknob clicked. Shit. He hauled ass to the elevator, ducking inside just before they stepped into the hall. Olivia was so busy locking the door, she didn’t notice Cole watching them as the elevator doors slid closed. It was only a glimpse, but it was enough for him to see the tears that filled Olivia’s eyes.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  The waiter set two glasses of water on the table.

  “On second thought,” Olivia said just before he turned away, “could I have a glass of Merlot?” Originally, she’d decided against having wine with lunch, but recounting the details of the previous night was turning out to be more of a day-drinking event than she’d expected.

  “Of course,” the tuxedo clad waiter said. “Would you like to see the wine list.”

  Olivia shook her head. “You can pick.” The last thing she needed was to be faced with one more decision. As it was she’d opted for the tasting menu just not to have to decide which entrée to order.

  Cassie waited until they were alone before continuing with her barrage of questions. “So he just showed up?” It was the third time she’d asked that one. Seemed Olivia wasn’t the only one shocked by the recent turn of events.

  “Yep.”

  “Without so much as a phone call?”

  “Yep.”

  “After two solid years of nothing?”

  “Yep.”

  “Are you going to say anything other than ‘yep’?”

  Olivia sighed. “Sorry. I just can’t believe that after all this time he thought he could just waltz back into my life like nothing happened.”

  The waiter returned with her glass of wine and a plate of what looked to be a combination of artichokes, goat cheese, and tomatoes. Whatever it was smelled delicious, but at the moment Olivia didn’t have much of an appetite.

  “Aren’t you going to try any?” Cassie asked around a healthy bite. Judging by the little foodgasm she’d had over the first taste, the meal was already exceeding her expectations. Still, the way Olivia’s stomach had been twisting and turning, chowing down would be way too risky.

  “Not sure my stomach can handle it right now.” She reached for her glass of wine and sank back into buttery leather. The booths at Spiaggia were nicer than most furniture, at least any she’d ever owned. Maybe that was the answer to her problems. Maybe she should just camp out there for a few days. It wasn’t like there was much in her life she was anxious to get back to at the moment. Between the soothing ambience and what was apparently to-die-for food, the five-star restaurant would be the perfect place to lie low.

  “Well, you need something in there,” Cassie said. “Here.” She passed Olivia a silver bowl filled with warm bread. “Carb load. It always makes me feel better.”

  Olivia grabbed a hunk of a baguette and tore it apart with more force than was really necessary. How the hell had her life become such a clusterfuck? Coleman Grant, that’s how. Before he came into her life, everything was simple. But now everything was in a state of total confusion. She was in a marriage that while it started out as one thing, seemed to be almost morphing into another; she was living in a castle in the sky, albeit in one of her husband’s many guest rooms, although for a few minutes last night that seemed to be in question as well. And if that wasn’t enough turmoil, her ex-fiancé decided to surface.

  It had been nearly two years since she’d filed Derek away in the dark corners of her mind, burying the good memories along with the pain. But when she’d opened the door yesterday, all those emotions came flooding back in a giant tidal wave. And the timing couldn’t have been worse. She was married for God’s sake. Of course, according to their agreement, that should have been nothing more than a technicality, a piece of paper that only meant she was off the market for a few months. But from the way Cole was acting at her apartment—all nervous and fidgety as he offered her a dresser drawer—it seemed like maybe he wanted more. They didn’t get a chance to finish that conversation but if Olivia was honest with herself, she was just as interested to hear what Cole had to say about their living arrangements as she was Derek’s defense of his two-year absence.

  Cassie poured a bit of seasoned olive oil onto Olivia’s bread plate then added a heaping teaspoon of grated parmesan cheese. “Maybe try eating it instead of just ripping it apart?” Her words were laced with laughter, but there was genuine concern in Cassie’s eyes. She’d had a front row seat for the fall-out after Derek left town. He’d been a near constant in Olivia’s life for as long as she could remember. Even though he was two years older, they’d been thick as thieves growing up. In high school, they’d been the couple most likely to couple, and by the time she graduated from college they’d planned their future out right down to the white picket fence.

  But all that changed when Derek finished his residency and decided to work abroad instead of accepting the position he’d been offered at one of Chicago’s top hospitals. Olivia had been devastated and after countless nights spent crying on Ca
ssie’s shoulder, vowed from that day forward to keep her options open and her commitments to a minimum. That plan had been going just fine until one too many tequilas in a Vegas nightclub.

  “You’re not wearing your engagement ring,” Cassie said. There was no way she’d only just now noticed. That rock was hard to miss.

  “Sort of strange to call it that, don’t you think? I mean, considering I wasn’t ever engaged?”

  “Well, you were, but only for a few hours.”

  “Still, it’s a prop, not a promise.” Cole hadn’t given her that ring as a sign of his commitment. He’d given it to her for appearances.

  Cassie took a sip of water, and Olivia could almost see the wheels turning. Now that the initial shock had worn off, she was actually starting to process everything she’d just been told. “Have you considered the fact that there might be a reason you didn’t wear it? You know, subconsciously?”

  Olivia frowned at her friend.

  “Don’t shoot the messenger. All I’m saying is it’s a conclusion some might reach.”

  Olivia drained the rest of her wine. “Well, after careful consideration, the only conclusion I’ve come to is that my life is a total mess.” She forced a smile as she set the empty glass on the linen covered table. “And with that decided, we should change topics before I ruin your appetite as well.”

  “I don’t think that would be possible here. Besides, you know I’m a stress eater.”

  As if on cue, the waiter served the main course, a platter laden with small portions of various pastas and seafood.

  “On the bright side,” Cassie said, helping herself to a scoop of campanelle, “Our lunch destinations have taken a definite turn for the better.” She popped a rogue pea into her mouth. “No offense to Portillo’s.”

  “Cole said I needed to start hanging out at places,” Olivia dropped her voice to mimic his “more befitting a Grant.” She rolled her eyes. “Guess he thinks it will look suspicious if I keep brown-bagging my lunch.”

  Cassie laughed. “Then lucky for me I’m your best friend. I’ve wanted to check this place out since the Obamas ate here but . . .” She glanced around to make sure no one was in earshot, then whispered, “Did you get a look at the prices?”

  “Crazy, right? But it was on the list his assistant emailed. None of the names meant anything to me. I’ll send it to you, and you can decide where we go next.”

  Cassie’s face lit up. She looked like a kid on Christmas morning, and if Olivia had to bet, her feet were dancing a little jig beneath the table. But the distraction was only temporary, and when she calmed down she went straight from one hot-button topic to another.

  “With all this stuff about Derek, we haven’t even had a chance to talk about your trip home,” Cassie said. “How did it go?”

  “Fine.” Olivia picked at a piece of arugula. “Bucky loved him, so he’s got the canine blessing.”

  “Whoa, really? How about your parents?”

  “My dad played it cool the first night, even brought up Derek, but he seemed to warm up to Cole the next day.” She smiled. “You should have seen his face when Cole fell in the pig trough.”

  Cassie paused with a ravioli perched at the end of her fork. “No way.”

  “Oh yes, full plunge.” She wrinkled her nose. “It was disgusting.”

  “How about your mom?”

  “She liked him well enough, went all out with the food and stuff. But she’s totally onto the arranged marriage thing.”

  “I’m not surprised. Not much gets past your mother, and if she wasn’t hearing the bed rocking in the honeymoon suite . . .” Cassie stopped talking about the same time Olivia felt the heat rise in her cheeks. “Holy crap, you slept with him again!”

  “A little louder, Cassie, I don’t think the maître d’ heard you.”

  Cassie leaned in and lowered her voice. “Are you two like an official couple now?”

  “Yes, he met me behind the bleachers and we went to second base.”

  Cassie rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean. Are you more than . . .” She paused as if searching for the right word.

  “Frenemies?” Olivia offered.

  “Well?”

  Olivia rubbed her temples. If things didn’t settle down soon, she was going to have to seriously consider acupuncture. “I don’t know,” she said. “But the number of times I’ve sworn off having sex with that man is getting ridiculous.”

  “So stop swearing and start fucking.”

  “Why Cassandra Miller, is that crude language I hear coming out of your mouth?”

  Cassie shrugged. “What’s wrong with taking advantage of what’s right under your roof. Literally. You’re both adults, you’re married, and if you don’t mind me saying, good lord that man of yours is hot. And I don’t mean ‘looks good in pictures’ hot. I mean ‘looks like he knows how to make you come all night’ hot.”

  “Cassie!”

  “Don’t act so shocked. And I know I’m right. Something’s kept you coming back for more.” She giggled. “No pun intended.” She forked a piece of salmon. “Plus, you look guilty as hell.”

  More like heaven. There was no denying Cole knew his way around a bedroom. But that wasn’t the basis of a relationship, let alone a marriage.

  The waiter approached with a tray filled with miniature versions of classic Italian desserts. Truth be told, the tiramisu was almost enough to coax Olivia’s appetite out of retirement, but Cassie had barely made a dent in the entrées. More than that, neither of them had ordered a third course. Olivia was about to tell him there must have been a mistake when he said the four words she least expected to hear.

  “Compliments of Mrs. Grant.” He nodded over his shoulder, and Olivia followed his gaze to the far side of the restaurant. There, in a circular booth overlooking the entire room, sat Meredith Vanderholden Grant. She had a china tea cup in her hand and a phony smile on her lips.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Olivia mumbled under her breath. Just when she thought her day couldn’t get any worse.

  Cassie’s head whipped around, causing her auburn curls to sway from side to side. “Where . . .” she began to ask. But then the shrew lifted her cup in a toast leaving Cassie to mouth a barely audible, “Oooooh.”

  “She would like you to join her for coffee after your meal.”

  “You can tell Mrs. Grant that I’m having lunch with a friend and—”

  Cassie kicked her under the table.

  “Tell Mrs. Grant that Olivia would be happy to join her.” The sweet smile on Cassie’s face was a direct contrast to the lump forming on Olivia’s shin.

  The waiter gave a tight nod before backing away from the table.

  “What was that for?” Olivia asked. She reached below the table to rub her leg.

  “Sorry, didn’t mean to kick you so hard. But I had to stop you.”

  “From what, telling the old bat to shove her desserts where the sun don’t shine?”

  “The prevention of possible pastry abuse aside,” Cassie smiled. “Accepting that invitation is what any normal newlywed would do. Isn’t that exactly why Cole went home with you this weekend?” Cassie dipped a finger into the end of one of the cannoli. “And from what you’ve told me, you can’t afford to make an enemy of this woman.”

  As usual, Cassie was right. They needed Cole’s grandmother to believe their marriage was the real thing. If that meant sipping coffee with the devil, then so be it.

  “It’s annoying when you’re so calm and level headed.”

  “Part of my charm.” Cassie sat up straighter in her seat.

  “Now, go so I don’t have to share any of these.”

  Olivia slid out of the booth and made her way to Meredith’s table. While she knew a sit down with her new grandmother-in-law was inevitable, she certainly never imagined it would happen so soon. Or without warning. Or before they’d even met. As she grew closer, she found herself wishing they’d at least had the opportunity to be introduced at the chari
ty gala. Not that it would have made this any less awkward, but at least they could have skipped the pleasantries.

  Meredith didn’t bother to get up. Instead she simply offered her hand. “Good afternoon, Olivia.” No “thank you for coming over” or “nice to meet you.” So much for pleasantries. Then again, from everything she knew of Meredith Grant, warm and fuzzy wasn’t in her repertoire.

  “Mrs. Grant,” Olivia replied with the same formality. She shook the woman’s hand. It was thin and frail looking, but her grip was like steel. Something told her that analogy would apply to the rest of Meredith as well.

  “Have a seat,” she said, nodding to the far side of the circular booth.

  Olivia sat, and a waiter immediately set a perfectly frothed cappuccino in front of her. The foam was swirled into an intricate leaf design, and judging by the delicious aroma, included a smattering of cinnamon. It was Olivia’s favorite post-meal indulgence, although not one she treated herself to often. For a moment, she wondered if that was merely a coincidence, but then she thought better of it. The woman had found her ex-fiancé and offered him a job. Uncovering Olivia’s favorite espresso drink was child’s play compared to that.

  “What can I do for you, Mrs. Grant?”

  “I thought we should get to know each other better.” Meredith lifted her tea to her lips and took a small sip. “I tried calling Coleman’s office to arrange dinner for the three of us, but it seems he was out of town for the weekend.”

  “He went home with me to meet my parents.” Judging by the total lack of reaction on Meredith’s part, this was not news to her.

  Her lips curved in a half-hearted smile. “I’m sure they were thrilled to see you’d married so well.”

  Olivia dug her nails into the palm of her hand. “We had a great time,” she said, shifting the focus in an attempt to take the high road. “Cole, especially.”

  Meredith studied her with a skeptical eye. “Is that so?”

  “Mmm-hmm.” Olivia took a sip of her cappuccino, using the time to collect her thoughts. She had to play it cool. They were newlyweds who’d gotten away for a little R&R, something she should be happy to share with his grandmother. “He works so hard all week,” she said. “I knew the fresh air and down time would do him a world of good, but I was surprised by how much he seemed to enjoy farm life. Even made friends with some of the livestock.”