by Debbie Mason
“Good. I’m happy to hear that. You’re a nice young woman, and I didn’t want to hurt your feelings. I should’ve realized given your previous profession that you already would’ve concluded you’re not Logan’s type. A dozen years before, maybe. From what he told us about his fiancée, Noreen, she was sweet and quiet, a little mousy like you. Sadly, she died only weeks after they were engaged. But I honestly doubt they would’ve lasted more than a year. Logan needs a strong woman. And that’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about. I want to get this right, and I don’t have time to waste.”
If Jenna weren’t stunned by the direction the conversation had taken, she would’ve pointed out that Maura might have more time than she knew, and this was exactly the reason why she had to see another doctor. But all she could do was stare at Logan’s mother while digesting the news that she thought Jenna was quiet and mousy and totally not right for her son.
Maura leaned forward to place the teacup on the tray and then bent to pick up her bag from the floor. She opened her purse and removed two files. “I’m leaning toward Delaney Davis, the communication officer for the mayor. Physically, she’s my son’s ideal woman. Absolutely stunning, she’s tall and blond. She’s also smart and driven, a very strong woman who knows what she wants and goes after it. I really like that about her, and so will Logan. Her family isn’t exactly on par with ours socially, which I feel is important, but they’re politically active and have well-placed connections.” She handed Jenna Delaney’s file and then the one beneath it. “Victoria is my best friend Gloria’s daughter. Again, beautiful and blond, though not as driven as Delaney, but socially, she’s a far better match. She’s a veterinarian and heiress to a dog food fortune.”
And gay. Which Jenna knew because Shay had told her. Victoria had been Maura’s top pick for Michael too. Jenna pretended to give each woman’s file careful consideration before handing them back to Maura. “I think Delaney is a better match for Logan than Victoria, but I’m not completely sure she’s the one either.” You’re not sure because you think you are. Jenna’s eyes went wide. Where had that even come from? She told the voice in her head to be quiet.
“Really? I was so sure Delaney was perfect for him. But I trust you. I’ve read your reviews, and you come highly recommended. Some of the women go so far as to say you have an actual gift.” She tucked the files in her purse. “There’s something else I wanted to ask you, but I need your promise you won’t say anything to anyone, especially my sons.”
“Of course. Whatever you tell me is confidential, Maura.”
“Before I met my husband, I dated his brother Daniel, and I’d like to know if he’s my one.”
Oh no, she couldn’t be asking what Jenna thought she was. “Your husband or his brother?”
“His brother. It won’t be difficult for you to observe Daniel, or the two of us together for that matter. Like you, we’re staying at the manor.”
Jenna had been over the moon that free room and board were part of her compensation package. Now, not so much. The last thing she wanted to do was observe Maura with Daniel Gallagher. Logan wouldn’t forgive her if she ended up being the reason his mother split up with his father for good. She didn’t think she could feel much worse until Maura left and Jenna retrieved her phone from the desk. Logan had once again made sure she was taken care of, giving her detailed instructions for which swatch went with which wedding theme.
* * *
Colleen took her place on the window seat next to Simon. The study had certainly been the place to be this morning. She was hoping for more of the same this afternoon. “What did I miss?” she asked Simon as Kitty left the study. Her daughter-in-law was walking away with a sheaf of computer printouts in her hand. Colleen imagined that, like Maura, Kitty had been seeking Jenna’s matchmaking advice. Lord knew she could use it.
If the cat had eyebrows, they’d reach his ears.
“All right, you don’t have to get snooty about it. I haven’t lost my marbles. I know you can’t speak, but sometimes I get tired of talking to myself and pretend that you can. Besides, you know what I’m saying. Of that I’m certain.” He was a canny cat, but she shouldn’t be complimenting him. He was liable to get a swelled head, and he was difficult enough to deal with on a good day.
Colleen had been trailing Maura, prepared to do what she could to stave off an assignation between her and Daniel. She’d also been trying to gain Jasper’s attention. She needed to get a peek at her book to get the full story about the Daniel, Maura, and Sean love triangle. Imagine Maura thinking Daniel was her match and not her husband of forty years. Colleen prayed there was not an ounce of truth to it.
She glanced at Jenna and blinked. “What in all that is holy has the girl got on her face?” Simon gave her the look again. Colleen waved him off. “Don’t be so literal.”
She was just about to walk over and see what Jenna was up to when there was a knock on the study door. Jenna looked up from the book she’d been perusing, the overlarge sunglasses with the pink lenses practically swallowing her face. “Come in.”
“Hey…Ah, wow, interesting-looking shades.” Connor glanced around the room. “Do you want me to lower the blinds?”
“No, it’s okay.” Looking embarrassed, Jenna removed her glasses. “I’m color-blind. Logan bought these for me so I could do my job without bothering him every ten minutes. This falls under lawyer-client confidentiality, doesn’t it?”
“Sure, if that’s what you want. But it’s not really a big deal that you’re color-blind, is it? If you ask me, the glasses are a bigger deal. You’re lucky you can pull them off, Jenna,” Connor said, flashing a brilliant smile. He was a charmer, that one. Just like his uncle Daniel.
Colleen stared at the lad. He couldn’t be Daniel’s, could he? No, she would’ve remembered something like that.
“I don’t think your family would’ve hired me had they known I was color-blind. It’s kind of important for a wedding planner. And I need the job. Thank you for agreeing to meet me here, by the way.”
“No problem. I wanted to talk to my mom anyway.”
Jenna looked like she wanted to ask him if Maura had agreed to get a second opinion. She wouldn’t though. And the lads would have no idea they had Jenna to thank if their mother agreed to further testing.
Colleen gave Jenna a fond smile. “You did good, my girl.” Maura didn’t know Logan as well as she thought if she was matching him with a woman like Delaney Davis. Jenna was the one for the lad, whether he’d admit it or not. He needed someone like Jenna with her quiet strength and resilience.
“I’m sorry I had to cancel last week. Arianna wanted to…” Jenna cleared her throat. “So, can I get you a coffee or tea?”
“Don’t try to protect my feelings, Jenna. I know your sister hates me,” Connor said.
“Stepsister. If she were here, she’d correct you. And you’re not the only one she hates; she hates me too. Probably more than she hates you.”
“I doubt it,” he said dryly, and leaned forward to pour himself a coffee. He held up the carafe, offering Jenna some.
“No, thank you. If I drink any more, I’ll float away.”
He grinned into his mug. “So tell me, what did you do to make Arianna hate you? I find it hard to believe that anyone could hate you, Jenna.”
“Trust me, several people do.” She filled him in on everything she’d done over the past two weeks that had earned her sister’s wrath. “Why does Arianna hate you? Serena said it’s because you broke her heart when you were young, but that seems an awfully long time to hold a grudge.”
“It is, but as you know, Arianna is very good at holding a grudge. And I honestly never knew why we broke up, but I do know why she has a problem with me now. I represented her ex in their divorce. Initially I refused—I’m a corporate attorney—but old man Summers went to the partners at my firm and asked for me personally. The Summers own half of Boston and are one of my firm’s top clients. Not exactly someone you turn down if
you have ambitions to make partner one day.”
Colleen sighed. “Funny, and not in a ha-ha sort of way, but I can’t recall any of this. And to think all those years ago I was sure Arianna and Connor were a match made in heaven. It looks like I’ve got some work to do to get to the bottom of all of this, Simon. We have a long night ahead of us. Jasper has become quite adept at ignoring us when Kitty’s around.”
She returned her attention to Jenna and Connor when Jenna said, “You’re right. She probably hates you more than she hates me.”
“Thanks. And now that we’ve got that settled, we should talk about your ex and your stepmother. Who, by the way, I’m more than happy to wipe the courtroom floor with. Lorenzo dropped the charges against Logan and insists that, in doing so, he’s entitled to his ring back. If Wilson hadn’t called Logan’s boss or been pushing so hard to get my brother put behind bars, Lorenzo withdrawing the charges might’ve helped a bit, but as things stand, it barely moved the needle.
“So until he returns your car and the money from your savings account, I’ve refused to return the ring on your behalf. And that earned me an interesting call from his irate uncle, who now says he’s countersuing because Lorenzo had no right to give you the ring. But don’t worry. I’ve put my best investigator on the case and expect to have something to work with soon.”
“Your best investigator is Shay, isn’t it?” Jenna said.
Well, that was good news, at least, Colleen decided. Shay would get to the bottom of this. “Too bad she can’t see me. I could use her help,” she murmured, thinking of all she had to look in to, including this Officer Wilson. Now, why did that name seem familiar?
“Yep, so you know you’re in good hands. Now, I—” Connor turned when Jasper came into the room.
Colleen straightened, not liking the tense look on her old friend’s face.
“I’m sorry for the interruption, but we’ve just received word that Master Logan has been involved in a motor vehicle accident and has been taken to the hospital.”
Chapter Fifteen
Jenna ducked behind the fireplace in the lobby in order to escape the notice of the members of the Widows Club as they flooded the entrance of the manor. She counted at least seven of the older women. Two of whom were carrying ominous-looking binders. They were going to pick her brain again about matches for Logan. They’d been driving her crazy for the past two days, and with no word from Logan, she was already frazzled.
She hadn’t realized until then how deeply he’d woven himself into the fabric of her daily life. She missed texting with him and talking to him on the phone, which she found herself checking incessantly. It was getting a little embarrassing, but she couldn’t bring herself to stop or to call.
His mother, father, and brothers had dropped everything to rush to DC as soon as they’d gotten word about the accident. Shay had been keeping Jenna up to date. Other than a concussion and some stitches, Logan was apparently all right. So were the princess and her entourage. Best as anyone could figure out, a blown tire was responsible for the SUV going off the road. But because of the previous kidnapping attempt, they weren’t taken any chances, and the vehicle was undergoing testing at Quantico.
“Is everything all right, miss?” Jenna jumped at the sound of Jasper’s voice behind her, bumping her nose on the fireplace.
It felt like she was bleeding. Pressing her fingertips to her nose, she turned and forced a smile. “I just wanted to get a closer look at the color of the stone for the MacGregors’ Christmas Eve wedding. We’re having the reception in the lobby, and I want to be sure the decorations don’t clash.” She cringed. She’d never been very good at lying, and Jasper seemed to be a man adept at sniffing them out.
“Quite,” he said, his lips twitching as though holding back a smile.
Jenna hadn’t had much to do with the older man, but she liked him. By no means did he give off the warm and fuzzies. His accent and manner were stiff and proper, but there was no doubt he loved the Gallaghers, especially the great-grandsons. If Jenna hadn’t been in a state of panicked shock when he delivered the news about Logan’s accident the other day, she would’ve gone to the older man and given him a hug. It’d been clear he was as worried as the other members of the Gallagher family. She wondered what that must be like for him, being part of the family but not really. A little like she had been with the Bells. Never quite one of them, always on the outside looking in. The thought made her feel a sense of camaraderie with the older man.
“Jasper, dar…Oh, Jenna, I didn’t see you there. I see Jasper’s delivered the news.” Kitty gave her arm an excited squeeze. “It’s incredible, isn’t it? I still can’t believe it myself. Oh my, they’re here. Jasper, come with me. I don’t want to make a fool of myself. Do you think we should have a red carpet? What about trumpets? Do we need trumpets to announce their arrival?”
“No, but we do need to clear the entrance of the Widows Club. Ladies,” Jasper called out as he strode across the lobby with Kitty hurrying after him, leaving Jenna to wonder what on earth was going on.
She checked to be sure her nose wasn’t bleeding and then set off after the older couple. As she got closer to the crowd gathered in the entryway, she heard the whispers. “Royalty? Here in Harmony Harbor? Staying at the manor?”
By the time Jenna reached the crowd gathered around the castle door, Kitty and Jasper had disappeared outside and the Widows Club were beside themselves with excitement. “Jenna, you’re going to be planning the wedding of the century. Isn’t it romantic? Meghan Markle became an American princess in May, and now we’ll have our very own American prince in June.”
Jenna had to stop herself from doing a happy dance in the middle of the entryway of Greystone Manor. Her prayers had been answered. The wedding of the century would more than make up for the financial loss Tie the Knot had sustained thanks to Jenna losing Faith Fourburger’s business.
“I always said Logan was a prince among men,” a member of the Widows Club said.
“Logan?” Jenna’s voice cracked, and she cleared her throat before trying again. “What about Logan?”
Several of the women turned to look at her. “Logan’s the American prince. He’s marrying Princess Isabella of Merradien.”
* * *
Under the steady, pale green gaze of the manor’s wedding planner, Logan shifted in the wingback chair across from the desk in the study. He felt like he’d just been called to the principal’s office and was about to get expelled. With her big, innocent eyes and cupid’s bow mouth, the woman shouldn’t be able to pull off intimidating, but she managed just fine. He didn’t know what he’d done to tick her off, but obviously he’d done something because every time their paths crossed since their arrival yesterday morning, she looked like she was imagining sixty-eight ways to kill him.
He considered himself a decent, laid-back guy. People generally liked him. But he had a heavy foot, so maybe he’d cut her off at a stop sign? Or maybe she’d tried to strike up a conversation at a bar and he hadn’t noticed her? She was a pretty woman, but she seemed quiet, and she was tiny, easily overlooked.
It was time to get to the bottom of this. “Have we met before?”
Oh crap. She shot him a duck-and-cover glare. He should’ve kept his mouth shut. Now what was he supposed to say? “Was that a yes or a no?”
“Are you seriously going to pretend that you don’t know me?”
“So we do know each other, then?”
“You’re all the same,” she muttered, and slid on a pair of glasses and then picked up a swatch of fabrics of varying blue hues.
Okay, so he’d apologize for whatever he’d supposedly done, and that should take care of it. After all, he had to work with her for the next couple of weeks while she planned his wedding—his wedding to a woman he was supposedly in love with but barely knew. As much as the wedding planner’s attitude stumped him, so did the fact he was getting married in two weeks. He might’ve lost a small chunk of memory in the acciden
t, but not enough of it to forget that a month before he’d been more than happy to remain a bachelor for the rest of his life.
“Jenna, is it?”
She lifted her head and stared at him through the pink lenses of a pair of oversized glasses that were so big they practically ate her face. His mouth twitched, and he did his best to swallow his laughter, but he lost the battle when she said in the voice of a third-grade teacher, “What exactly do you find so amusing?”
“I’m sorry, but you need to have those things sized to your face. You look like a cartoon character.”
“I suppose it’s not surprising I look like an idiot since you’re the one who bought them for me and you seem intent on making a fool of me today.”
“No, the last thing I want to do is…Wait. Are you saying I bought the glasses for you?”
“Have you lost your hearing as well as your memory?” She rolled her eyes like she didn’t believe either, and then he thought he heard her say, “If I didn’t need this job and this wedding, I’d be outta here. Even Charleston would be better than this.” She flicked the swatch of fabric in a dismissive gesture and returned to studying it.
He got up and moved around the desk, placing his hand on the armrest to turn her to face him. He crouched in front of her chair. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have laughed. And I’m really sorry I don’t recognize you, because, clearly, I should. And it’s not because you’re unmemorable, Jenna. It’s because I took a hit to my head in the accident and I’ve lost a few weeks of my memory.”
“No one said anything about memory loss. They said you had a concussion and a bad cut on your hand that had to be stitched.” She glanced at his hand on the armrest before she brought her gaze back to his, searching his face. Like he’d lied to her and she wasn’t sure she could trust him. He didn’t know why, but all of a sudden it felt important to him that she did.