by Larkin Rose
Tessa felt the quickening in her gut with Wendy’s confession.
To sign her divorce papers.
She’d found the courage. For that, Tessa was proud. She deserved the freedom to move on. Even if the steps only took her to the privacy of an office or a cabin where she couldn’t be bothered by human contact.
“Please don’t be sorry. None of this is your fault. Just be glad you don’t have a slut for a sister.” Tessa added a laugh, but it didn’t reach her heart long enough to give off a joking feeling.
Screw Marci. Just fucking screw her.
She was a coward and Tessa didn’t have any more time to devote to cowards.
“I’m actually glad you stopped by. I was going to come talk to you.” Tessa could hear the quiver in her voice.
“Don’t you dare say it, Tessa.”
Tessa watched as Gary wheeled the last heater to the opposite side of the altar. “You know I can’t work here if I win this thing. And I have every intention of being the winner.”
Wendy didn’t respond and the silence grew, but Tessa refused to look over at her. She didn’t want to see pity or sorrow or even anger in Wendy’s eyes. Her best friend was part of that decision. That had to make Wendy feel partially responsible. And Tessa couldn’t blame her. She would do the same thing. Had done the same thing. And she would do it all over again.
She just wanted to move on. This win would surely bring more offers than this amazing resort. Even if this resort was the only place Tessa wanted to be. Where she envisioned working for the rest of her life.
“We have another resort in the Bahamas. I’ll be more than happy to ship Marci there so I can keep you here with me.”
Tessa finally turned to look at her. Wendy’s brow was arched in a serious yet playful expression. Tessa laughed. Soon, Wendy was laughing with her.
It lifted the burden off her shoulders for some reason, and Tessa knew no matter what, everything was going to be okay.
So what if Monty was a player? She was single and could do anything she damn well pleased.
It was the married women in this world who needed to get their acts together and remember why they got married in the first place. They were the ones who needed to be loyal.
“What are you two cackling about over here?” Monty walked around the front of them and gave Wendy a flirty smile. The one that normally had women flocking to her side. Then again, most of them flocked long before she had a chance to notice them.
It was gross and Tessa resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
Monty was always going to be Monty, and one day someone was going to stop her in her tracks. Then and only then would she change her playing ways.
She couldn’t wait for that day to come.
And with the way these two were staring at each other, like the rest of the world had just gone up in a puff of smoke, she wasn’t too sure Monty wasn’t already meeting her match.
“Hello, Monty,” Wendy purred and turned to Tessa, back in boss mode, dismissing Monty entirely. Tessa had the impulse to hug the hell out of her. “As for your decision, we never had this conversation. I don’t want you to make a rash decision. Sleep on it. And depending on tonight’s outcome, we can talk more about it. Okay?”
“Deal.”
Wendy glanced back to Monty and let her gaze flick down her body. “Good-bye, Monty.”
She turned and walked away while Monty watched her retreating steps.
“I’m going to marry that woman,” Monty whispered.
“In your dreams.” Tessa grabbed her arm and turned her in a circle. “Now get your ass back to work. We have a contest to win.”
Monty started walking. “And you’re going to be our wedding planner.”
“Shut up, twerp.”
Monty tossed her a snarl over her shoulder before she headed to the altar to join Seth and Danny.
The mocking nickname made her think of Marci again.
She was ending her marriage while Tessa created one for someone else.
The fact was sad as much as it made her happy.
She prayed Marci found the closure she had no idea she hadn’t found yet.
Maybe the next person in line would get the real Marci. The Marci she was sure still existed somewhere. Her heart tugged a little with the thought. She hadn’t been the one Marci needed to tear down her walls. She hadn’t been the person to turn Marci’s world bright once again.
And that was okay. One day, someone special would come along for Marci, and then all of the pieces would fall back into place.
And it was okay that Tessa wasn’t that person.
So she lifted her chin and dove back into work.
Soon, a bride was going to walk down this aisle. Down her beach on this mountain.
Because Tessa was awesome like that.
And soon, she was going to get to share that awesomeness with the whole world.
Chapter Sixteen
Marci snuck into Wendy’s office and dropped into the chair across from her desk.
Wendy looked from the computer to Marci and arched a brow. “What the hell are you doing here? You said you were staying in Arizona another night.”
“Hi, Marci. How was your flight? Did the weather suck? Did you sign those damn divorce papers? Did you kill that bitch?”
Wendy’s expression softened. “Sorry. I’m…” She waved her hand. “Tell me! Tell me everything. It’s done, right? Like, signed on the dotted line and that bitch is history, done?”
Marci gave a firm nod. “Yes. It’s done. She is history.”
Wendy jiggled in her chair. “It’s not normal to be this happy, is it?”
“Probably not.”
“I’m going straight to hell and I think I’m okay with it.”
Marci chuckled.
Wendy composed herself. “So how are you with everything?”
Marci considered her next words. To be honest, she hadn’t expected to feel so good about an ending. But she did. She felt great. “I’m fantastic, actually. It was the best feeling in the world to cut her cheating ass loose.”
Wendy snagged her reading glasses off the tip of her nose and pushed her hands toward the ceiling. “A-to-the-hell-to-the-men! Hallelujah! Praise God. Hail Mary. Head, heart, shoulder, shoulder. All that holy good shit. I’m so freaking happy right now I could scream!”
Marci chuckled. “Don’t go overboard. Your computer might self-destruct or something.”
Wendy looked back at Marci and lowered her hands to her lap. “I think I see my best friend in those eyes again.”
“I think I can feel your best friend in here again.” Marci shrugged. “That happens when you give someone five minutes to explain why they stabbed you in the back.”
“You did not!” Wendy snapped her glasses against the desktop. “You know she’s a lying sleaze. You can’t trust a damn thing that comes out of her mouth.”
“I needed to hear her answer.”
“What the hell for? So she can blame you? Isn’t that what cheaters always do? Turn into victims when they get caught?”
That’s exactly what Ashley had done. She’d blamed Marci. Blamed her for starting a new career and leaving her dreams in the snow. Blamed Marci for trying to make a great life for them no matter how hard she’d tried to keep their romance alive with surprises and gifts. She’d blamed everyone but herself.
Exactly what Marci had done.
Marci let Tessa’s face bloom in her mind. She’d asked that question for Tessa. Because Tessa promised she would find her closure.
Damn, had she ever found it. Ashley had called her dream stupid. Blamed Wendy for getting in her head. Ashley had deflected the question in every way possible.
Every door had slammed shut with every word that spilled off her lips and then the revelation, the ties that had bound her, had begun to unravel. She’d seen Ashley for exactly the person Wendy had seen all along. Seen her crystal clear.
And even though she didn’t hate Ashley, she didn’t like
her at all. Not anymore.
“Closure.”
“Um-hmm. And did you find it?”
“Absolutely.”
“Oh my God. You’re actually smiling. I haven’t seen that particular facial expression in years.”
“Don’t exaggerate. It hasn’t been years.”
Wendy dismissed her with a wave of her glasses. “Whatever you say, buttercup.”
Was Wendy right? Had it been that long since she was actually happy? Yes. Maybe it had been. Obviously she’d been blind this whole time. Obviously only the outside world could see that she was drowning in her own hell.
And that world, and that hell, was over now. That place and time was in her past. In her rearview mirror. Exactly where it belonged.
As immature as it was to wish for such a thing, she hoped karma found Ashley one day. She hoped someone Ashley loved with everything she had inside her, broke her heart in the exact same way. Then and only then would she understand the magnitude of her actions.
But at the same time, Marci felt free. Light. Reborn.
Instead of being petty, she should be thankful.
Maybe one day she would be.
For now, that door was closed. That past gone. And she was so ready to move on with the next step. Ready to make sure she lived every day making sure that the piece that Ashley got, the piece Marci thought she broke, wasn’t the best piece she had to offer.
Thanks to Tessa, she knew there was life on the other side.
“What time is the wedding?” Marci couldn’t wait to talk to Tessa.
Only a few more hours, and she could face her again. Ask for her forgiveness. Ask her if they could start new. Have a redo. And then see where this thing, this incredible, fun thing, could go.
She’d felt it all along. That grip of need. That seed of want. That thing inside every person that let them know they’d met someone special. That they didn’t want to be without them.
Tessa had made her feel that thing again and she didn’t want to lose her hold on it.
“Three hours. I’ve visited both sites and I must say, this is going to be one hell of a finale.” Wendy perched the glasses on her head. “But what Tessa did still blows my mind. Her imagination is priceless. She brought the damn beach to the mountain.”
“The beach?”
“Yes. The beach. The bride wanted a beach wedding. The groom wanted a mountain wedding. So Tessa called every landscape company within a hundred-mile radius until she found someone willing to haul the sand to her.”
“Impressive. Doesn’t surprise me though. She’s not a take no for an answer kind of girl.”
“Impressive isn’t the half of it. She turned the whole space into a tropical forest with heaters and beautiful decorations. Every species of succulent plant is on the mountaintop right now. It’s the most beautiful, thoughtful wedding I’ve ever seen anyone plan.”
“She’s a pretty thoughtful person,” Marci admitted. And sexy. And demanding. And sexy when she was being demanding.
What would it hurt to go find her now? To hell with waiting until after the contest was over. She wanted to see her now. Wanted to kiss her now. Wanted to drop to her knees and earn forgiveness. Right now.
It was insane how crazy she was about that feisty little fireball. How ridiculous she’d been all along. From the very beginning. If only she hadn’t been closed to the subject. Closed off to finding love again. To commitment. If only she hadn’t blamed Tessa’s sister for Ashley’s wrongdoings. If only she hadn’t been such an asshole.
“Very thoughtful. But I need to tell you something,” Wendy said.
Marci felt the punch coming but couldn’t prepare herself for it. Not today. Not when so much weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Not when she had a mission of making her wrongs right again.
“Good or bad? Please don’t tell me anything bad today. I’m happy and I even smiled for you.”
“She’s decided not to accept the position at the resort, even if she wins.”
“Damn, Wendy. All you had to say was it’s very bad.” Marci raked her fingers through her hair and sighed. “Fuck. It’s because of me.”
“No doubt. Can you blame her? You were a complete jerk.”
“Let me go talk to her. I can change her mind.”
Wendy shook her head. “Not a chance in hell. You stay away from her until all of this is over. If she wins, you can work your magic and talk her into staying. Or at least try. I’m actually super bummed about it. But what she doesn’t know, she has emails already pouring in. I have at least twenty-three solid offers from very reputable venues and resorts asking for her. I may have screwed up by doing the weekly televised interviews and pasting pictures into the blog and website. Maybe I should have kept this little contest all to myself instead of looking out for some of the losing teams. I don’t want to lose her to any of them.”
“Tonight. I’ll talk to her tonight. I’ll change her mind.” Marci hoped.
Wendy was right. No good would come of her getting in the middle of a wedding that Tessa and her crew had worked hard on this week. Her final round in this competition. She didn’t need any added stress to an already heated competition.
With a sigh, Wendy leaned against the desk. “Now that you’re back to the old Marci, have you taken a good look around? Notice anything? Recognize anything?”
“Notice what? Just spit it out. You keep hinting, and obviously I’m missing something super important.”
Wendy watched her for several seconds, those eyes drilling into Marci, then she put her glasses back in place and turned her attention back to the computer. “Just let me know when you do. In the meantime, you need to go grab an empty room and get cleaned up. You look like shit. And stay the hell away from Tessa until this thing is all over. I mean that.”
Marci wanted to push her on the mystery, on what she was missing, but Wendy wouldn’t budge. She knew Wendy well enough to know that. She would hold out until Marci saw it for herself. Which sucked because obviously Marci was missing something pivotal.
“So cheerful you are.” Marci pushed out of the chair. “How did I ever survive without your whip?”
“You didn’t. That’s why you dragged your ass back up the mountain.”
“Smartass.”
“And don’t you forget it.”
* * *
Tessa and Danny stood at the back of the rows of chairs, opposite of Seth and Sally, watching in fascination as their bride, Harley, stepped through the curtain and took in her surroundings for the very first time.
Her expressions transformed from curiosity to complete shock to utter amazement. Tears welled in her eyes and her hand flew to her mouth.
That look, that stunned expression of adoration, was the only thing Tessa needed to see to know that she’d done the right thing. She’d gone outside the box and made the unthinkable a reality for that very expression. She didn’t need to win to know she’d just made Harley the happiest girl on earth. She’d given her a dream wedding. That was priceless.
Harley took her daddy’s arm and started down the aisle. The smile on her face was contagious, and the love on Robert’s face at the end of the aisle was adorable.
They were so in love, and every person witnessing such a precious union was blessed to be in their presence. And they all knew they were blessed.
Tessa didn’t know what it felt like to be a mother, wasn’t sure she ever wanted to know, but she had a sneaky suspicion it was something super close to the warm and fuzzy emotion snaking all through her body right now. She’d never been more proud of planning a wedding than she did for these two.
They were perfect and their love was like a beacon of hope.
It truly existed. This can’t live without you love.
Tessa could barely contain her gushing delight. This wedding was her baby. Their baby. That was their bride. Their groom. From the sand that the landscape companies swore couldn’t be delivered, to the tropical oasis even her crew thought was questio
nable, this was their seed finally blooming into a magnificent flower.
Harley spotted Tessa and mouthed, “Thank you.”
Tessa gave her a quick wink while she fought back the tears.
Danny wrapped his arm around Tessa’s shoulders and drew her close. “You just became her hero,” he whispered.
Tessa let her head fall to his shoulders and nodded, too choked up to respond, and watched Harley continue walking toward her beaming groom.
Everything was so beautiful. Not just the surroundings. Not that she had given them both exactly what they had wanted. Not that she had gone far outside the comfort zone of safe. But that she’d done it for two people who truly deserved it. For two people who were so in love everyone around them felt it too.
They reached the end of the aisle, and her daddy bent down and placed a kiss against her cheek then moved to sit besides his wife, Harley’s mother.
Harley turned to Robert, a look of pure adoration on her face, and joined him in front of the archway.
She looked stunning in her sleeveless off-white Bohemian style gown that ended just below her knees. The tattered edges drifted around her legs with the light breeze tricking every eye around them into believing they were on a beach somewhere, that the heat around them was from a sun beaming down on them. Her head was adorned with a flower crown with trails of ribbon dangling down her back. And her feet were entwined with crocheted toe sandals that wrapped around her ankles.
Tessa thought of her own life. Would she ever fall in love? Would she ever get a wedding? Did she even want one or would she be content without all the fuss? If she ever fell hard for someone, would they love her with every ounce of their being?
Thoughts of Marci bled into her mind. She’d struggled over the past few days to keep her out. Demanded she stay out. She wanted Marci gone. For good and forever. She didn’t want to think about her. Didn’t want to want her. And she sure as hell didn’t want to miss her.
But she did. Dammit. She missed her. Missed the easy way they had connected. And the makeup sex. She very much missed that.