Through all their teenage years they had worked to cover rent and food They might bicker, but they were there for each other. If Renee could have helped Jenna when her shop burnt down she would have, but her boyfriend had stepped in and that had been that.
It would have been nice to have her sister here today. People were looking at her, probably trying to work out where this stranger fitted in. The answer would be nowhere. If it wasn’t for the dress, shoes and hair, she would stand out like a sore thumb.
A middle-aged woman in a suit crossed over to her.
“Hello, I’m Cherry Mateo, the wedding planner. Are you a member of the family?” she asked.
“I’m Ben’s date.”
“Oh. I guess that’s close enough. I wonder if you could help me with the groom’s family. They want to talk to Eloise, or anyone really, but the family is not available. At least that’s what the housekeeper keeps telling me.”
“I know that they are terribly busy just now.”
“Of course, but the wedding is just over an hour away and people are arriving. It would be nice if they could be greeted by someone. Mr. Knight had told me he would be available.”
Jenna looked around. She’d helped put out the tables and chairs for the reception, so she knew that there would be a lot of people here, but with an hour to go there was already a stream of people coming into the courtyard.
“Point me in the direction of the groom’s family, then I’ll come find you and help with the greeting until Ben or someone else turns up.”
The woman heaved a sigh, and beamed at her. “You’re a lifesaver. Come this way.”
A couple stood together, the wife looked miserable and the husband more than a little nervous.
“Mr. and Mrs. Dench, this is . . .” She looked mortified.
“Good morning. Welcome. I’m Jenna Molloy, Ben’s partner.” In her head, it had sounded better than his date, as it might seem like she had more authority than she did. Saying it out loud felt very wrong.
“Good morning Jenna. We haven’t met before, have we?”
“No. How is everyone? Looking forward to the big day?”
Mr. Dench’s face paled. “Yes. Well we will do once it begins.”
“Marcus will be here. He promised.” Mrs. Dench blurted.
Her husband glared at her. “There’s no question of anything else, Rachel.”
His poor wife looked down at her hands which were wrestling with a crinkled handkerchief.
“Well, I need to help welcome people, but if you need anything, just ask myself or Cherry, the wedding planner.”
“Thank you,” Mr. Dench nodded, his attention wandering to the path from where people were still coming in dibs and drabs, his eyes scanning every new arrival.
Jenna followed Cherry to the opening between the driveway and the courtyard and between them they welcomed the last of the guests, who had apparently been given a deadline.
“Do you think he’ll show?”
“Who?”
“The groom?”
“I’d say there’s a good chance. Benjamin’s got the delay in hand.”
For the first time her smile was genuine. “Oh, thank goodness. It’s never happened to me this way. It’s always been the bride who’s late or having second thoughts, and that seems to be the norm and totally acceptable.”
“Really?” Cherry clearly wanted more of a conversation about errant grooms, but Jenna wasn’t going there. “Would you mind if I went now? I have one or two things to take care of.”
“You go, and thanks for your help. It helps when people see someone they know.”
Jenna had to walk away as fast as she dared without running, before the laughter burst from her. “She didn’t know anyone here, although some of them must be San Francisco’s important people, and, they had no clue who she was. As in business, a smiling face worked wonders.
She left the alcove that had given her time to compose herself and wandered into the reception tent, which glittered with the silver decorations. Jenna gave herself a mental pat on the back for her work on her part in it.
Two tables adjacent to bridal table on the back wall groaned with presents, which amused Jenna. What on earth could a couple like Sarah and Marcus possibly need?
Then she noticed the flowers. In Jenna’s experience, all brides picked their flowers and most decided on the arrangements and positioning. If that had happened then Sarah had a very strange take on what would work. If not then the wedding planner should be shot.
With a quick look to see if any of the family were around, Jenna began to do her magic. She’d had a booming business before the shop burnt down and her mortgage would have been paid off in another year or two if things had continued in the same way.
She loved it. The creativity. The beauty. It was relaxing and exciting at the same time. To see the gorgeous end product filled her with pride, and that made all the bad things that had happened to her family pale.
If only Renee were happier. Naturally that thought led her back to her own idiotic lesson in love. How had two sisters chosen so badly? At least she was free from her mistake. Renee couldn’t seem to see hers, and didn’t take kindly to any of Jenna’s remarks on the subject.
She bent some ivy a little hard, and it snapped off in her hand. “Ooops. That’s what you get when you have dark thoughts.”
A waiter came by will a full tray of drinks and, since she was talking to herself, he gave her a curious look. Working by herself had led to this habit, but it definitely made others twitchy. She tucked the broken stem in behind the main arrangement and moved on to another.
Chapter Eight
Andy was waiting for him, up in his apartment. He was dressed in the same type of suit as Ben, but nothing could disguise the fact that he was a detective. Or that he needed more space than the average man.
"Hey, Ben. You look rough. Another late night?"
"I could say the same for you, and I wish mine was due to overindulging. Marcus is AWOL. I want him found ASAP."
Andy's famous Texan grin slipped. "You're kidding me?"
"I wish I were. This wedding has caused me more grief than it would have if it were my own."
Andy laughed, slapping the Stetson that he was hardly ever without against his thigh. "Like that could ever happen."
"True, but can we move on? This is important. Sarah is not happy in the extreme."
Andy instantly sobered. Having spent a lot of his time around the Knight family since he and Ben had started middle school together when his family moved here from Austin, Texas, he loved Sarah like a sister.
"Tell me you have a plan."
"Marcus’s mother and father should be around here somewhere, and maybe a few of his crowd that didn't get invited, or couldn't go to Vegas. One of them must have had contact with him in the last few hours."
"How come you didn't go to the bachelor party?"
"The guy's a douchebag."
Andy grinned. "I agree, but you're the brother of the bride. How did Sarah let you get out of it?"
"I was busy with work stuff."
"For a change? That must have gone down well."
"Like a lead balloon. I can't even remember what I actually said, I just knew I couldn't go."
"Sounds scary."
"Yeah. I might have punched the guy. Then I would have been persona non grata around here for sure."
"What you're trying to say was that you did the right thing?" Andy stated, tongue in cheek.
Ben nodded. "Of course I did. Now I need you to find him, regardless of how the rest of us feel."
"I feel your pain. Sarah doesn’t deserve to be treated like this."
Andy had looked out the window while he spoke, and pointed to Marcus’s family. Everyone looked happy. Except for the father. He was studying his phone and wiping his brow at the same time. Andy was a great detective, and was already making a call as they watched the father pace the garden.
Rather than stand idly by while Andy did
his best, Ben tried to call Marcus. The call didn't go through. Marcus must know how panicked they’d be. He was incommunicado on purpose, and clearly the father knew something was up. This wedding was a fiasco; from no date to no groom, it just kept getting more unreal.
Jenna. That hair was like a beacon, even constricted in the elaborate hairdo. He could see her fussing with the flower arrangements through the door of the main tent. Some date he’d turned out to be. He'd left her to fend for herself, and regardless that he was paying her, he couldn't ignore her. If that were at all possible.
Andy gave him a thumbs up, and mouthed that Marcus had been found and was en route. Ben raced down the stairs, crossed the garden with the barest of glares toward Marcus’s father, and went into the tent.
“What are you doing? And why are you doing it?”
"There you are. I was wondering if you were ever coming back. I'm just fixing these. I don't know what you paid, but this florist didn’t do you any favors."
“I'm not sure there's much point in worrying about it."
Jenna's hand paused, mid-arrangement. "You think you won't find the groom?"
"He’s been found. Whether he still marries Sarah, I just don’t know."
"What a schmuck."
He laughed, despite the seriousness of the situation. It drew several interested looks from wait staff and guests alike. "You know him?"
"I wouldn't know him if I fell over him, but he sounds like a schmuck. Your sister is gorgeous. What's she doing with someone who would do this to her?"
"My thoughts exactly, but if she loves him . . . ?"
"Do you think she does?"
"I've never thought much about it."
Jenna looked shocked. "But she's your sister."
"True, but Sarah is rather tenacious, like my mother."
"Which means?"
"You don't question either of them about anything unless you've got a damn good reason to."
"Ruining your life sounds like a good reason to me."
"I agree with you, dear. I don't agree with my son. Something that happens more often than I’d like."
They turned as one, guiltily, to face his mother. "Mom, I was just . . ."
"You were telling this lovely woman how you feel about your family. Namely, Sarah and me."
Ben knew the family mantra, one he usually adhered to, was to keep all family matters to themselves. Their father had been a stickler for keeping all dirty laundry from the public eye. It had worked more often than not.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Knight. I was there when Sarah spoke to Ben and I made a judgmental call without knowing all the facts."
His mother studied Jenna with interest. "Call me Eloise. You have an honesty that is refreshing, and you're certainly entitled to your opinion. Unfortunately, Marcus has not given any of us reason to think highly of him today. I will remind you both that his parents are here, as well as other members of his family. Any of them could have heard your discussion, as I did."
"I won't let it happen again," Ben promised.
His mother nodded. "Let me know when you hear anything."
"I will."
Ben could see that Jenna was as shamefaced as he was, and they watched as his mother began to explain to the family that there might be a delay.
He was about to do the same to the guests when he saw Andy thumping down the stairs. As big as he was, he blocked the sun for a moment as he ran across to them. "Can we have a word?" he asked Ben, while still managing to give Jenna a smoldering look.
Ben had to bite back the words that would have Andy back off. Like he would if they were both interested in the same girl, which had happened a few times. But he had no right to say who Jenna hooked up with. At least he shouldn't have anything to say. Apart from it couldn't be today.
"Andy, let’s go back upstairs."
Jenna put a hand on his arm, causing a heat to travel through his body.
"Where would you like me to wait?"
A picture of her in his bed sprang to mind, and his voice came out harsher than he’d meant it to. "Could you get the wedding planner to organize more drinks, and get some nibbles out to the guests. I’d hate for everyone to get pickled before the wedding, but we can’t just leave them to their own devices. I’ll come find you as soon as I can."
She raised an elegant eyebrow, but shrugged. "Perfect. I was feeling a bit lost, and I'm starving. I'll be ready when you need me, Boss."
So, now he was the schmuck. Well, he couldn’t do much about that. Not when he had to sort out this mess. He was about to say something to Andy when he noticed that his friend was watching Jenna as closely as Ben was. It was very annoying.
He managed to get Andy to move farther away from the guests before he asked, "What did you find out?"
"What? Oh. Yeah. Marcus did catch a later flight. He'll be landing in ten minutes. I'll go meet him and get him here, but you'll need to postpone the wedding for at least another hour."
"Get going, then."
Andy gave him a salute of sorts, and ran across the garden and through the house.
If anyone could do it, he knew Andy would. Almost a brother in the truest sense of the word, Andy was his lifelong friend and nothing so far had done anything to alter that bond.
Chapter Nine
Jenna had helped the wedding planner to organize the wait staff, and the chef’s in the incredibly well-appointed kitchen marquee. Using her suggestion, the canapes that were to go out after the wedding, and prior to the reception, were quickly readied. More wine was uncorked and sent out.
She’d managed to eat a plate of delicate things, too pretty to be food, yet tasting divine. She’d also talked to some of the guests about the lovely setting, the weather, the food and the decorations. She was good at small-talk with strangers, but this was getting ridiculous.
"Hello, pretty lady."
She looked around a tall vase and blinked a few times. She'd only had non-alcoholic punch, so why on earth was she seeing double? One of her visions gave her a familiar grin.
"I'm Evan and this is Matthew. Who are you here with? Hopefully you aren’t family?”
"She’s not family and she’s here with me."
The identical young men spun around, surprised to see it was Ben, who was laying claim to her. That connotation gave her a weird feeling.
"No way," Evan stated.
"Way."
"Seriously?" Matthew looked disappointed.
"Yes, Matt. Seriously. This is Jenna."
"Hey Jenna. Is he paying you to be his date?"
Jenna coughed. "You want to take that?" she asked Ben.
In answer Ben grabbed what could only be his brother, and put him in a strangle hold. "Don't be rude, Matt. Sorry, Jenna, these brats are my baby brothers."
"I figured. You all look a lot alike."
Matt and Evan grinned at each other, so identical they had to be twins, while Ben scowled. He let Matt go and surveyed the marquee.
"Hey, big brother, what's all the drama about? We heard that Sarah’s been crying, and Andy rushed out the drive in his Hummer, with Caris."
Ben looked unsure, then motioned for them to follow him outside to a secluded corner of the garden. Jenna followed, since no one told her not to, and she listened to the story once more. This time she got the bigger picture, and she marveled at Ben's way of telling it. He didn't belabor the errant groom’s behavior, and he didn't downplay the urgency of finding him.
"Wow, no wonder Sarah's been like a bear with a sore head all day."
"Quit it, Evan. Your sister’s wedding isn't a laughing matter."
"I'm not laughing. I’m just saying, we've had to hide out in the games room all day."
Jenna couldn't help snorting. "I bet that was a terrible trial for the two of you."
Matt managed a deadpan look. "It was tough. Say, if the wedding's delayed, how about you come play with us?"
"Did you hear me? Jenna is not playing anything with either of you. If you’re not going to
help look after the guests, then get your lazy butts out of here." Ben gave Matt a small shove.
"We'll go, but if you change your mind, Jenna, take the door by the main staircase."
They jostled their way to the house, and Jenna wasn't able to pick who was who. Dressed in the same suit as Ben, they might looked alike, but she was relieved that Ben wasn't a triplet.
"What are you smiling at?" he asked.
"I was thinking that they must have given their teachers a hard time."
"Teachers? Yes. Family, even more so. They were terrible, and they haven't changed too much."
“I dare say they keep you smiling.”
“Among other things.”
“Who’s Caris?”
“She’s the real baby of the family, but she acts less like it than those two.” He pointed in the direction the twins had headed.
“Another sibling? Are there any more?”
Ben grinned. “No. Five of us is way too many as it is.”
Jenna smiled, unable to imagine it, since there was just her and Renee. They got on well enough, but they had a lot of difference of opinions. More siblings had to equal more angst. Surely?
“It looks to me that you all care very much about each other.”
That made him laugh, which made Jenna even more aware of his incredible good looks.
“Good, it’s working. We have to pretend, otherwise our mother will do us grievous bodily harm.”
Jenna laughed. “Whatever.”
He nudged her, and her body tingled. Their smiles faded and if the desire in his eyes matched her own, they were in deep trouble.
“What should we do now?” she asked, her voice husky.
“If that question had been phrased ‘what would I like to do?’ I could offer you a much different answer.”
Now she was really hot and bothered. There was little use pretending there wasn’t something going on here, but it sure defied logic. This was purely lust, and it was a terrible blow to her ability to remain outwardly calm.
Ben tucked a stray curl behind her ear. “I’d like to stay here with you, I really would, but I need to tell everyone about the delay. It’ll be another hour, according to Andy, and he’s rarely wrong. I don’t honestly know what’s going to happen after that. Hopefully it results in a wedding. It would be a shame to waste that dress.”
Ruthless Billionaire (Billionaire Knights Book 2) Page 4