by Karen King
He got up and picked up the rubbish, then buzzed Hannah, the receptionist, to bring him a coffee. He had an hour before his next client, an hour he had intended to spend going through paperwork, but now he had better use to get his head straight.
‘Is everything all right, Jared?’ Hannah asked as she put the coffee on his desk. ‘Miss Tyler left in rather a hurry and she didn’t seem quite herself.’
He shrugged. ‘Pre-wedding nerves. You know what these brides are like. That’s the reason I prefer to take shots of animals.’
‘Daniel said you’ll be going off on a shoot soon, to the Arctic.’ Hannah’s big blue eyes were fixed on his face and her voice was soft, seductive. Hell, was she trying to hit on him? That’s the last thing he needed – his life was getting complicated enough. ‘It must be a fascinating job.’
‘Yes, it is. Thanks for the coffee, Hannah. I appreciate it.’ He flicked open his notebook, hoping she’d take the hint that he was busy. He could feel her waiting and looked up, a fixed smile on his face. ‘Was there anything else?’
She looked flustered. ‘Er, no. I’ll come back later for the cup. I can see that you’re busy.’
‘Thank you.’
As soon as she’d gone, he got up and walked over to the window. He had to phone Cassie. Apologise to her. Her mobile number would be in her records. He took out the file and was just looking through it when the intercom buzzed.
He pressed the button to answer.
‘J.M., Mr Campbell is here,’ Hannah informed him. ‘Do you have time to see him?’
Damn! Had Cassie told him already? Was he coming to punch him? Not that it worried him: he was more than a match for Timothy Campbell, but it wouldn’t go down well with Imogen and Daniel. They would be furious if he upset one of their clients. He shook his head. Violence wasn’t Campbell’s style, he was sure of it. He’d met men like him before. They liked control. He’d tell Jared exactly what he thought of him, then set out to destroy him professionally.
Well, he wasn’t going to let him. He’d spent too long building up his career to stand by and let someone destroy it over a stupid kiss. He’d have to keep his head together, act like nothing happened. It was a minor incident. Acting innocent and tackling it full-on was his best course of action.
‘Mr Campbell.’ Jared smiled welcomingly and strode towards Timothy as he stepped in. He held out his hand. ‘Good to see you again. What can I do for you? Were you meant to be meeting your fiancée here? I’m afraid she’s just left.’
‘Yes, I know. I telephoned to make sure she’d left before I came. I want this to be a surprise.’
So Timothy had spoken to Cassie. And she obviously hadn’t said anything or he’d be fuming, not planning surprises.
Jared indicated the chair Cassie had been sitting on less half an hour ago. ‘Take a seat and tell me what you have in mind.’
Timothy pulled out the chair and sat down. ‘I’d like to book you for some honeymoon photographs, but I don’t want Cassandra to know. The whole honeymoon is a surprise for her. She knows we’re going on one, of course, but she doesn’t know where.’
‘And where are you going?’
Timothy named a very exclusive hotel in the Maldives, and paused to make sure this had the necessary effect. Jared assumed a suitably impressed expression on his face. ‘We’ll be staying for two weeks, and I’d like you to join us for three days at the tail end. I’d like some photos of us walking barefoot along the sand, having a romantic meal on the beach, you know, the sort of thing.’
Jared nodded. A week before he left for the Arctic. The timing couldn’t be better – he would need to get away after spending three days taking photos of Cassie and Timothy on their honeymoon. He listened intently and made notes as Timothy ran through the arrangements, telling him the dates he wanted him there. ‘I’ll leave you to book your own flight and accommodation, and add it to the bill,’ he said.
‘No problem,’ Jared agreed. I.D. would cover any financial outlay until Timothy paid the bill, which he knew had to be settled before the wedding.
‘Well, thank you. As I said, this is confidential, so not a word to Cassandra. The only other person who knows is my mother, so if you need to ask anything and can’t get hold of me, then contact her.’ Timothy handed him a business card. ‘Here’s my number. I believe you already have my mother’s number?’
‘Thanks. Yes I do.’ Jared slipped the card into Campbell’s file. ‘I’ll be in touch when I’ve made my booking.’
He sat stunned for a while after Timothy had left, two thoughts fighting for first place in his mind: Cassie hadn’t told Timothy about the kiss, so did that mean she felt the same as him? And how the hell was he going to handle photographing them on their honeymoon now that he realised he still loved Cassie?
Fifteen
‘Earth to Cassie,’ Craig said, teasing.
‘What? Oh, sorry, Craig,’ Cassie said, flustered. ‘I was miles away.’
‘So I see. Daydreaming about your wedding, are you? I know what you women are like when you’re planning a wedding. It takes over your life.’
No, she’d been daydreaming about Jared’s kiss; replaying it time and time again in her mind. But she couldn’t tell Craig that. ‘There’s so much to do. Timothy reminded me last night that we’ve only got five weekends left.’
‘And one of them you’re away in France. Lucky bugger. You sure you want the job? There’ll be no shortage of takers if it’s too much for you.’
‘It’s fine, one weekend won’t make much difference,’ she said. It would do her good to get away, get her mind straight. Since meeting Jared again she’d been in turmoil. She had to get him out of her system. She’d be Timothy’s wife soon.
‘What were you saying to me, anyway?’ she asked.
‘I was reminding you that we’re covering the Antique Toy Fair this afternoon. Have you seen the brochure? Is there anything in particular you think we should look at?’
Cassie picked up the brochure and turned her attention to the job in hand. She had to banish Jared from her thoughts once and for all. ‘I love the Victorian dolls and the wooden toys,’ she said. ‘There’s so much detail in them.’ She was pleased to see that there were some listed in the brochure.
The Toy Fair was really interesting. Cassie found it fascinating looking at all the children’s toys from years gone by, lead soldiers, teddies, Victorian dolls, spinning tops. She could spend hours here wandering around. Craig photographed quite a lot of the toys and they interviewed a few of the stall holders. Owen only wanted half a page, but Cassie made plenty of notes thinking that she might be able to sell a few features to magazines. It was a practice Owen frowned on, but didn’t actually ban, so provided she kept it low-key he wouldn’t complain.
She’d arranged to meet Sam for coffee after work. It was Sam’s idea. She’d demanded to meet Cassie as soon as she knew she had met Jared again yesterday, and she obviously wanted all the news. Sam was already waiting at the table when Cassie walked in, and waved her over. ‘I’ve just got here and it was so full I thought I’d nab a table first. You sit down and I’ll get the drinks. You look bushed.’
‘I am,’ Cassie told her. ‘I’d better have a black coffee, Sam. I don’t want to risk having to have my wedding dress altered.’
‘You sure? A skinny latté won’t hurt and you look like you need a pick me up.’
Cassie hesitated. She was tempted, but this wedding was turning into enough of a disaster without her being too fat to fit into her wedding dress.
‘Positive.’
‘It’s your call.’
What am I going to do? Cassie thought as Sam joined the queue for the coffees. It can’t be possible that I still love Jared. Why do I keep responding to him like this? It’s insane. I’ve got to get it under control before I ruin everything.
Timothy was a nice guy. Solid, dependable, kind. She would be stupid to throw that away for a fling with Jared. Not that he’d asked her to. But he wanted her,
she could sense that. He wanted her as much as she wanted him. And it would be so easy to give in.
‘OK, spill,’ Sam said putting the coffees down on the table.
‘Sorry?’ Cassie feigned ignorance.
‘Something’s obviously bothering you, and I’m guessing it’s Jared, as you had a meeting with him this morning.’ She put sugar in her cup and whirled it around in the caramel liquid. Cassie was almost drooling as she watched her. Then Sam frowned and leant forward. ‘Please don’t tell me he kissed you again.’
Cassie flushed.
‘OMG, he has!’ Sam put down the spoon and stared at her, aghast. ‘Tell me it was on the cheek again.’
Wordlessly, Cassie shook her head.
‘You’re not telling me he kissed you on the lips?’
Cassie nodded. ‘Sam … I kissed him back.’
Sam looked at her in horror. ‘I knew it! I knew you still have feelings for him. And it sounds like he still loves you too.’
‘Of course he doesn’t. And I don’t love him either. I guess we’re still attracted to each other but that’s only natural, isn’t it? They say you never completely forget your first love, and we went out for so long.’
‘Cassie, you can’t marry Timothy if you and Jared still have the hots for each other.’
‘I don’t. We don’t. It was just one of those things. It just happened.’ She pushed her hand through her hair. ‘It won’t happen again. It can’t.’
Sam leant forward, fixed her gaze on her. ‘Look, I haven’t liked to say anything before because, well, it’s none of my business … but do you think you and Timothy are really suited? He’s so …’
Cassie stared at her. ‘So what?’
She could see that Sam was choosing her words carefully. ‘So … formal. You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him laugh. Even when he smiles it’s like a polite, staged smile. Does he ever kick off his shoes, let his guard down, or have a joke with you?’
Cassie was taken aback. She had no idea that Sam felt like this about Timothy. She’d never given any sign that she didn’t like him. Timothy was great with people, he knew how to put them at ease, and he oozed confidence. He was cordial, reassuring, and impeccably mannered. Everyone liked him.
But she had a point. He never kicked off his shoes and had a joke with her. He never let his guard down. Even in their most intimate moments he was always in control. She had never seen him do anything remotely silly. He always behaved in an exemplary way.
Well, there was nothing wrong with that, was there? Timothy was a lawyer. He took his position seriously. He took life seriously. Look how he tolerated his interfering mother. And he was kind to Cassie: he never raised his voice or said angry, hurtful words to her.
He didn’t need to. A look from him was enough. Sometimes, when she’d done something she knew he didn’t particularly like, the disappointment in his eyes or disapproval in his tone made her feel really bad.
‘Timothy’s a practical person, but there’s nothing wrong with that. He’s loyal, trustworthy, and responsible.’
‘And won’t ditch you to travel the world chasing his dream, like Jared did.’
‘No, he won’t. But that’s not why I’m marrying him. I love him,’ she said hotly.
‘Do you?’ Sam asked softly. ‘Does your heart quicken when you see him or hear his voice? Does your skin tingle when he touches you? Because if it does, I don’t think you’d be kissing Jared.’
‘I told you that was a mistake …’
‘Look, I’m not getting at you or running Timothy down. I’m just trying to point out that you’re getting married in four weeks’ time, promising to love Timothy forever and you’re still attracted to Jared. Admit it.’
Cassie swallowed. Sam was right: she was still attracted to Jared. She couldn’t deny it. But that didn’t mean she didn’t love Timothy.
‘I don’t want to be attracted to him,’ she snapped. ‘I love Timothy and I want to marry him. I don’t want Jared. I wish he wasn’t my photographer. I wish I’d never seen him again.’ Until Jared had turned up everything was fine. He had no right coming back into her life, stirring up old feelings and unsettling her like this.
‘I’m going to make sure I’m never alone with him again,’ she said determinedly. ‘He doesn’t want a relationship with me, he’s off to the Arctic soon to take photographs of polar bears. And I don’t want a relationship with him. Definitely not. I’m not going to let our past sabotage my future with Timothy.’
‘Are you certain? You can’t marry Timothy if you have any doubts at all, or it won’t work.’
‘I’m positive. Now can we just forget it?’ She glared at Sam. ‘You’re supposed to be my best friend, my maid of honour, supporting me, not trying to make me cancel the wedding.’
‘It’s because I’m your best friend and support you that I’m talking to you like this,’ Sam said. She shrugged. ‘Well, if you’re sure, let’s get on with the wedding plans. Are we shopping again this weekend? Have you sorted out flowers and a cake yet?’
Cassie groaned. ‘No, I haven’t had time. It’s hectic at work. And I’m away in a couple of weeks. I’m on a press trip to France.’
Sam whistled. ‘Lucky you! How’s Timothy feel about that?’
‘He doesn’t mind: he’s due to work on a high-profile case soon, so will probably be working all over that weekend anyway. That’s one of the nice things about being with Timothy. He never minds the hours I work. He’s so busy with his own life.’
‘Well, it sounds fab, tell me all about it,’ Sam said.
The mood lightened as Cassie told her about going to the Discover France show, and how one of the companies had followed up her visit by asking her if the paper would do a feature on châteaux for hire for weddings and functions. ‘It’s all expenses paid, staying at three different hotels. And Owen’s agreed that I can use some of the info for my column. Isn’t that brilliant?’
Sam agreed that it was indeed brilliant. ‘I’m soo jealous. It’s been ages since Paul and I went away.’
‘I know. I can’t wait. It’ll be good to get away from everything and do something completely different.’ And to be miles away from Jared.
Sixteen
Sylvia didn’t share Sam’s opinion when she came around that evening to bring some samples of floral arrangements and see how preparations were getting on.
‘You’re going away two weeks before the wedding?’ she repeated incredulously, staring at Cassie in undisguised dismay. ‘Can’t you get out of it? We still have so much to do.’
‘My editor has asked me to go. It’s my job.’ There was no need to point out that if she said she couldn’t go, then there would be plenty of others happy to step in and take her place. She needed this break.
‘What do you think of this, Timothy?’ Sylvia demanded.
Timothy handed her a glass of wine. ‘As Cassie said, it’s her job. I do agree, though, that there is still a lot to do for the wedding, so maybe we should tackle as much as we can before you go away, Cassie.’ He handed a glass of wine to her. ‘We can look through these floral arrangements for a start. And we still have to arrange the food and book the evening entertainment.’
‘Would you like me to do that for you?’ Sylvia asked. ‘I seem to be the only one to have time to spare. And before you say it, I really don’t mind.’
No, she doesn’t mind, she loves it, wading in and taking over, showing Cassie how incompetent she was, Cassie thought resentfully. Her first instinct was to refuse and say she could manage everything, but she hesitated. It would make life so much easier to hand it all over to Sylvia. She knew that then they would have the perfect wedding, because Sylvia would make sure that nothing went wrong. She was pretty sure that if she did that, though, she would regret it later. This was her wedding, hers and Timothy’s. Sylvia had already chosen the venue, the date, the photographer, and had a say in the guest list. She couldn’t let her take over any more. Perhaps this is why she felt such a la
ck of enthusiasm, because none of it felt like her choice.
She had chosen the wedding and bridesmaids’ dresses, the tiaras, and shoes, she reminded herself.
‘What do you think, Cassie? It would make life easier for you, wouldn’t it?’ Timothy asked.
He was giving her the choice but Cassie sensed that he would like his mum to take over, too. He didn’t trust Cassie to make the right decisions, to plan the perfect wedding for them. Well, what was there left to plan? The cake, flowers, entertainment, table setting, favours. That was it. They were all her chance to stamp a bit of Cassie on to the wedding day, to take control of at least some of her day. If it wasn’t for Sylvia interfering and booking I.D. Images for the photography, she wouldn’t be in this mess now.
‘It would and I do appreciate the offer …’
Sylvia’s face broke into a huge smile. ‘Not at all.’
‘But I’d like to do the rest myself. There isn’t really a lot to do now and I want to contribute a little to the plans for my …’ she looked at Timothy and smiled, ‘our special day.’
Sylvia could barely mask her disappointment. ‘If you’re sure that’s what you want, dear?’
‘It is, but thank you again. I appreciate what you’ve done so far.’
‘It’s lovely that you want to take over the rest of the wedding preparations, Cassie sweetheart,’ Timothy said, kissing her lightly on the forehead. ‘If you do feel that you need some help later on then I’m sure Mother will be only too happy to come on board, so don’t feel that you can’t ask. Now, I think we should have a quick look at the floral arrangement brochures Mother’s brought, seeing as she’s gone to so much trouble.’
He sat down on the sofa by Sylvia, took one of the brochures off her lap, and flicked it open. ‘These look nice.’
I’m not going to be sweet-talked into letting her choose the flowers, Cassie thought stubbornly, as she took the brochure from Timothy’s outstretched hand.