by Debbie Mason
Logan called out to her, and she fought the urge to turn around and say, Stop it. Stop being such a nice guy and looking out for me. Stop making me smile. Stop making me laugh. Stop making me want you. Stop making Luis think there’s something going on between us, or you’ll cost me my job.
“Is that her? That’s her, isn’t it?” a dark-haired woman said, trying to duck around Jasper, who was doing his best to keep her corralled in the entryway of the manor.
Jenna had known as soon as she’d said the words that day on the sidewalk outside Tie the Knot that they’d come back to bite her, and here they were, doing just that. Luis trying to get her fired might be the least of her worries. The Gallaghers wouldn’t be happy that she was the reason for the drama unfolding in front of at least a dozen guests.
She hurried up the steps to the entryway. “It’s okay, Jasper. I’ll talk to Mrs. Wilson. I’m so sorry for—” Jasper stepped aside, and the words backed up in her throat when she got a full-on look at Ryan’s wife. She was pregnant. Serena was having an affair with a married man who was expecting a child. “Mrs. Wilson, I had no idea. I’m so sorry. We can talk in—”
“Oh, so it would’ve been all right to tell my husband he was meant to be with another woman had I not been pregnant? Is that what you’re trying to tell me? Spouting that soul-mate rubbish like you’re some kind of seer. Come on, get out your crystal ball. Show me how it works. I’d like to know why my husband of eight years thinks a woman he’s known for months is his perfect match and not me. Me, the woman he begged to marry. The one he promised to love and honor—” She sounded like she was on the verge of breaking down, her hands rising and falling, closing into fists as though resisting the urge to grab Jenna and shake her.
Jenna didn’t blame her. She wanted to shake herself. “Please, come with me, Mrs. Wilson. I promise, I’ll make it right.” How she planned to do that, she had no idea.
The other woman opened her mouth, her face twisted to no doubt deliver a more damning assessment of Jenna’s character. But she didn’t get a chance. Logan’s large, warm hands came down on Jenna’s shoulders to give her a comforting squeeze before he moved her aside.
“Give me a minute,” he said to her, and then turned to the woman. “I understand you’re upset, Mrs. Wilson. You have every right to be. But it’s not good for either you or the baby. Jasper, can you bring some tea to the study, please?” he asked, using his bird-whisperer voice as he gently guided the woman out of the entryway and down the hall.
“Why don’t you fetch the tea and biscuits, miss? It’ll give you a few minutes to decompress while Logan calms Mrs. Wilson down,” Jasper suggested to Jenna.
“Thank you, Jasper. I’m really sorry about this. I’ll—” She turned as Ryan Wilson walked into the manor in uniform.
“Officer Wilson, I suggest you give your wife a moment before speaking to her. I’ll see to the tea and biscuits, Jenna. You can see to him.” The censorious tone in Jasper’s voice made it clear what he thought of the officer.
Jenna nodded and then took Ryan by the arm, pulling him out of the entryway and down the hall. “What were you thinking? Why would you tell your wife that I said Serena was your one and only?”
He dragged his hand through his hair. “I don’t know. She’d just found out about me and Serena, and she was upset, and she’s pregnant. So I thought it would help her understand. I didn’t want to hurt her. I did love her. Maybe I still do, and now with the baby…I wanted her to understand that I couldn’t help it. You can’t fight destiny, right?”
“You’re blaming the fact you cheated on your wife on destiny? Give me a break. You were having an affair with Serena long before I said the two of you were a perfect match.”
“No, that’s not true. I was trying to get in her—”
Jenna gasped and shoved him with both hands. “You’re a pig, and match or no match, Serena is better off without you, and so is your wife.”
He grabbed her wrists and snarled, “I’m warning you. Don’t try to get between me and your sister or my wife.”
She wrenched her hands away, rubbing her wrists. “You’re unbelievable. You really think now that this is out in the open you can have your cake and eat it too?”
“I don’t think it. I know it.” He straightened his uniform shirt and adjusted his holster. “Just remember what I said and you won’t get hurt. Now, where’s my wife?”
Jenna closed her eyes at the sound of the study door banging open. In her need for privacy, she’d dragged him within a foot of the study. Whatever magic Logan had worked ended the moment Mrs. Wilson spotted her husband in the hall. Logan didn’t look any happier to see Ryan than Ryan was to see him. This could go downhill fast, and she didn’t want Logan to get into any more trouble on her account.
She was trying to figure out how to get rid of him when Jasper’s voice came from behind them. “Master Logan, the security officers manning the front gates need a word.”
“Tell them I’ll be with them in—”
“No, it’s fine, Logan. Please, I’ve got this. You need to do your job.”
He looked from her to Ryan, who was trying to placate his now-crying wife, and then back to Jenna. “You’re sure?”
“Positive.”
He nodded, gave Ryan a hard stare as he walked by, and then said something to Jasper before heading out the door.
“You’re all right, miss?”
“I’m good, Jasper. Thank you,” she said as the couple continued their quiet conversation. Ryan stroked his wife’s hair, kissing her on the forehead as he begged her forgiveness. Jenna felt like throwing up, and that feeling only intensified when she saw the pink light dancing between the couple and murmured without thinking, “You’re a match.”
Mrs. Wilson’s head lifted from her husband’s shoulder. “What did you just say?”
“Nothing. I didn’t say anything.” She wanted to save the woman from her husband, not deliver her into his greedy, adulterous hands.
Ryan’s wife stepped away from him to advance on Jenna. “Yes, you did. I heard you. You said we’re a match, didn’t you? Tell me. Tell me the truth.”
“Yes, you are. You two are the perfect match.”
“Did you hear that, Ryan? We’re a match, not you and that other woman. We are, you and me.”
“What did I tell you this morning, babe? There’s only you for me. You and the baby. Now you got confirmation, we’re good, eh?”
“Yes, of course.” She rose onto her toes to kiss his cheek and then looked at Jenna. “You should be more careful what you tell people. You nearly wrecked our family.”
“She made it right, babe. We’re all good now. No hard feelings.” As he walked his wife toward the entryway, he looked back at Jenna as if she were lucky she’d seen it his way.
As soon as they left, she went in search of Jasper. She found him dusting the shelves in the library. She wasn’t surprised he’d stayed close by. “I can’t get through to Tie the Knot, and I need to check on one of the orders,” she told the older man, who’d proved to be as wonderful an ally as Logan. Logan, she had to stop thinking about him.
“You’re certain you’ve recovered from your altercation with the Wilsons, miss? I don’t mind going to Tie the Knot and checking on the order for you.”
“Thank you. That’s very kind of you, Jasper, but I’m fine. I thought I’d pick up mini cakes for Princess Isabella to taste while I’m downtown. She can sample them while they’re at Tie the Knot for their fittings. She didn’t get the opportunity to earlier.”
“Ah, yes, I seem to recall hearing Luis complaining about it. Don’t you worry, miss. Master Logan shut him down rather adroitly. And while I appreciate your conscientiousness, I believe you should take his side in this. He was making a point that I believe the princess would do well to heed. If she is truly planning to live her life with him as a commoner, it’s best she learns what that entails. Master Logan wouldn’t be happy that the woman he’s chosen to wed isn’t consider
ate or kind to others.” He raised both eyebrows and dipped his chin. “Perhaps you should spend more time with the princess, miss. You’re exactly the type of woman he’d wish Isabella to emulate.”
“If you give her a chance, I think you’ll quite like her, Jasper.”
“I’m impressed. I pride myself on keeping my feelings from others. You’re not only highly sensitive though, are you? From what Mrs. Wilson said, I deduced you see auras. Is that correct?”
“Yes. It’s why my matchmaking company did so well.”
“Ah, and Master Logan and Princess Isabella, are they a match?”
“Until half an hour ago, I would’ve said no. But I’m beginning to think that maybe people can become a perfect match after they’ve been together for a while.” Either that or people can have more than one soul mate, as she’d seen with her own eyes.
“Let’s pray that is so. Master Logan is one of the best men I know. I wouldn’t like to think of him in a loveless marriage.”
Her hand automatically went to her chest. Her heart hurt thinking of Logan trapped in a loveless marriage. He struck her as the type of man who would continue trying to make a marriage work rather than get out of it. “We won’t let that happen, Jasper.”
His lips twitched. “No, we most definitely will not, miss.”
“I’ll be back in time to organize tonight’s dinner,” she said with a wave, and headed for the door, looking back as she pulled it open. “Jasper, in case you’re wondering, you and Kitty are the perfect match.”
He beamed. “Thank you, miss.”
Jenna smiled. When love was meant to be, it was a beautiful thing.
Chapter Nineteen
The manor’s front door had just closed behind Jenna when she realized she had no way to get to Tie the Knot. Hitching a ride with the royals and Logan was out. The less time they spent together at this point the better. She wanted to beat both them and Ryan to her sisters’ shop. It looked like calling a cab was her only shot until she spotted her best friend striding up the front walkway.
Shay did everything with purpose and style. It might be seventy-eight degrees in the shade, but the woman still managed to look cool in her motorcycle boots, jeans, and a tank top. “Hey, just the person I was looking for. Where are you off to?” Shay asked.
“You don’t want to know.” She gave her friend a hug. “We missed you at the party last night.”
“Yeah, I heard I missed some excitement. Logan’s got the place locked up tight,” she said, turning to look at the guards manning the gate.
“Tighter after last night. There’s two checkpoints to get on the grounds,” Jenna said.
“Tell me about it. It took me ten minutes to get through security.”
“You should’ve just flashed your I’m-almost-a-Gallagher badge. Which, by the way, we need to discuss.”
“Don’t you have enough on your plate with the royal wedding?” An older couple walked toward them along the path, and Shay nudged her head toward the other side of the manor.
Jenna followed her to a bench. “It hasn’t been as difficult as you might think.”
“No, because you basically handed them the wedding you’ve been planning since you were ten. I couldn’t believe it when Michael told me. Why would you do something like that?”
“It made it easier to plan, for one. And it’s not as if I’ll ever be getting married. At least this way I’ll get to see my ideas come to fruition. You have to admit it’s perfect for a royal wedding.”
“Are you sure it’s been easier? I would’ve thought it’d be tough to plan a wedding for a man you slept with, especially a man like Logan Gallagher.”
“I should’ve known Michael would out me.”
“He’s worried about you. He’s afraid you have feelings for Logan.”
“Why would he think that?”
She gave her a look. “You’re an open book, Jenna. Besides that, I know you, and I saw you and Logan together that night. Still, it would’ve been obvious to anyone at the bar that you guys had that indefinable it. You clicked. Michael saw it, and so did Cherry.”
“It’s all Cherry’s fault. She’s the one who put the idea in my head.”
“So you do have feelings for him?”
“Yes, but it’s one-sided. I clicked, and he didn’t. If he did, he wouldn’t be marrying Isabella.”
“Things may not be as they seem. Logan…” She gave her head a slight shake. “Never mind.”
“You can’t just say something like that and not follow through.”
“Yeah, I can, and I just did.”
She took Shay’s hand and rubbed it on her arm.
“What are you doing?”
“Rubbing some of your cool and kiss-my-butt attitude onto me. Do you think it’ll stick? I need it to last at least an hour.”
Shay shook her head with a laugh. “You’re nuts. What are you doing that requires attitude?”
“Telling Serena that she has to dump Ryan Wilson even if he is her one and only. I think the guy is sleazier than Lorenzo.”
“Lorenzo might be worse than you know,” Shay said.
She shifted on the bench to face her friend. “That’s why you couldn’t make it last night. You were in Charleston investigating Lorenzo for Connor, weren’t you?”
“I would’ve been investigating him even if Connor hadn’t hired me.”
“Aww, I love you, Shaybae.” She hugged her best friend.
“I love you too. But call me Shaybae again and you’re not allowed to hang out with Cherry anymore.”
“Okay. But feel free to call me Jellilicious anytime.”
Shay laughed. “A bunch of old-timers asked Charlie the other day when Jellilicious was making another appearance. He had no idea what they were talking about. It’s a good thing Cherry didn’t hear about it or she’d be booking you on weekends.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Jenna looked over to see Mateo waving at the limo driver, who was having a cigarette near the front gates. “I have to get to Tie the Knot. Hey, would you mind giving me a ride?”
“Sure. If you can give me at least an hour,” Shay said as she stood up. “Aidan rounded up everyone who was working the party last night for me to interview. It’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about. Your engagement ring, it was a family heirloom, an incredibly valuable family heirloom, but it wasn’t Lorenzo’s or his family’s.”
“Whose was it?”
“It belongs to the Bianchis. A powerful family in Florence, Italy. Lorenzo was engaged to one of the daughters until her family had him investigated. He escaped with the ring and little else. I guess he decided he’d be out of their reach in the States,” Shay said.
“Let me guess, he’s not a count.”
“No, but she’s a countess. And while I know there’s no love lost between you and Gwyneth these days, I think Lorenzo’s behind everything, including forging the will and stealing Southern Belle from you. He’ll be desperate now that he knows the ring is missing. My gut is he’ll be showing up in Harmony Harbor any day now.
“The guy who was here with him last week isn’t his uncle, Jenna. He’s a PI hired by the Bianchis. Lorenzo paid him off and bought himself some time.”
“With the money I saved for our wedding.”
“’Fraid so. Connor’s trying to get a court order to freeze all of Gwyneth’s assets. It’s a long shot, but at this point, it’s about all we can do. My advice would be to try to talk to Gwyneth.”
“I can try, but I guarantee she’s as stupid about him as I was. I just wish I’d seen through him before it was too late. You did.”
“It’s my job. And I should’ve warned you, but I was afraid I might be wrong. I’m not exactly the most trusting of people. Michael says I think everyone’s guilty of something. Don’t beat yourself up though. You’re one of at least twenty women the man used and took to the cleaners. He’s had lots of practice.”
“Misery loves company. And speaking of misery, I have to g
o and impart some on my sister.” Jenna glanced at the Harley in the parking lot. “Exactly how guilty do you feel about not sharing your concerns about Lorenzo and saving me from a broken heart and—”
“No, you’re not taking my bike. Last time you tried riding it, you drove it into the dumpster at the back of the pub.”
“Nope, that was the second-to-last time. The last time, I rode it up and down Main Street—”
Shay crossed her arms. “Is that right? And when exactly was this?”
Busted. “The long weekend in May. You were away with Michael. Cherry dared me. Please, I need some of your attitude to get me through the day, and there’s nothing like a hog between your legs—”
“Promise never to say that again and you can take it.” Shay dug her keys from her jeans and tossed them at Jenna. “You might want to change before you go.”
“I don’t have time. I’ll be fine. I’ll wear your leather jacket, and my pants are just a tiny bit above my ankle.”
“Yeah, that’s not why I suggested you change. You’re wearing red sandals with light purple pants and an orange blouse with bright yellow and green flowers. I thought your stuff is coordinated for you.”
“It was, but whoever broke into my room tossed my closet. I’ll just leave your leather jacket on. I’ll look like a badass babe.”
“You better get going if you want to beat the royals ’cause it sounds like they’re coming this way, badass.”
Five minutes later, Jenna wasn’t feeling so badass when she found herself boxed in at the stoplight by two real-life biker dudes on their Harleys. As evidenced by the tattoos on their bulging biceps and the patches on their black leather vests, they were the real deal.