One-Off

by Lynn Galli

  “Skye!” Ainsley’s shout almost jerked me out of the daze. Her arms came around me and held me in place then scooted me over to the bench against the wall. I felt my bottom hit the hard surface, still not fully aware of what was happening. “What’s going on?”

  I shook my heavy head and went to cradle it, but my arms felt too sore to lift. “Is there any water nearby?”

  She nodded but wouldn’t loosen her grip on me. “Did you have anything to drink at all since nearly getting heat stroke while taking pictures?”

  I couldn’t think. My body ached too much to think and my heart wouldn’t stop skipping erratically. Ainsley was talking but not to me. At least I didn’t think she was. “Water?”

  “We’re getting it, darling,” Ainsley said softly. Her hand slid over my forehead as the other ran down my arm. “How could you not drink anything? You’ve been running like a top today. You have to take care of yourself.”

  “I’ll be fine. I just forgot to drink some water before I came out here.” My head stopped feeling so heavy and dizzy and sitting seemed to slow my heart rate a touch.

  “Dammit, Skye, heat stroke is serious.”

  “I’m a little dehydrated.”

  “Your arms are on fire.” Her hands skimmed up and down my bare arms.

  A water bottle appeared over Ainsley’s shoulder. She twisted off the cap and shoved it to my lips. I took it from her and drank some of the liquid down. Instantly I felt better. She was right. I hadn’t taken care of myself tonight. Foolish of me.

  “You’ve got some color back. Are you feeling better? Should I ring 999?”

  “No,” I said firmly and felt a laugh bubble up. I wondered how many dial attempts it would take her before she remembered that it was 911 here. “I’m fine. This is good. I didn’t get much sleep and I probably stayed out here too long.”

  “Skye!” Dallas’s voice called out from the doorway. She rushed forward, coming to a stop beside Ainsley. “What happened? Are you okay?”

  “She didn’t have anything to eat or drink tonight, and she’s practically running this wedding.” Ainsley didn’t bother to hide her censure.

  “Skye,” Dallas said again. Her hand came out to run across my forehead and gripped my chin. “You crazy wonderful woman. I could wring your freckled neck. Don’t you dare scare us like this again. You’re not doing anything else tonight. Let Gary earn his fee.” She sat next to me and tipped the bottle I had in my hand to encourage me to take more.

  “I’m okay. I just got caught up in everything. Go back to your party. I’ll be down in a minute.”

  “I’m not going anywhere until you have something to eat, finish this bottle of water, and start bossing me around like you mean it.”

  Mia appeared from behind Ainsley with several hors d’oeuvres on a plate and one of those scones I’d been eyeing since this morning. I felt really stupid sitting here after almost fainting from being a wimp. Now my best friend was worried about me on her wedding day and the woman who used to think me the most annoying human on earth but had recently started to rethink that impression to the point that she might actually like me was staring at me, perturbed that I’d let myself get dehydrated.

  “I’ll finish this and meet you both in there.”

  “You’re out of your mind if you think I’m leaving after you practically collapsed from dehydration and exhaustion.”

  I laughed at Ainsley’s exaggeration. “I’ll be fine.”

  “I’m not leaving,” she repeated.

  “Me, neither. Eat up.”

  Most of the time I could order Dallas around and she would just follow along. That was our working relationship and it followed us into friendship. She didn’t look like she was budging on this one. I started eating the bite sized treats. Ainsley and Dallas exchanged a look that seemed both relieved and satisfied.

  “Please, Dallas, go back to your party. We can be gone and no one will notice, but the bride can’t disappear. I’ll be down in a minute.”

  Her eyes squinted as they searched mine. “You take all the time you need and finish that. I swear it, Skye, if I see you do anything else for Gary tonight, I’ll have Colin tackle you.”

  “I’m done. I’ll relax.”

  “Have fun, that’s an order.” She brushed her lips against my cheek. “You’re my best friend and I love you, Skye. Please stop trying to take care of things for me and take care of yourself.”

  Tears pricked my eyes. “Love you, too.”

  She stood and walked back inside with Mia fussing over the wrinkles in her dress that sitting on the bench had caused. I tried not to snort while I was eating, but watching someone try to smooth out the dress covering another woman’s backside was pretty funny.

  “I see it now.” Ainsley drew my attention back.

  “What?”

  “Why she’s your best friend. Other brides wouldn’t even have taken notice much less come to check on you.”

  I smiled fondly. “Yeah, she’s a…what did you call it? Someone unique, special, dear. The kind of person you were looking for. A one-off, right?”

  She pulled back, her expression closing. “She’s not.”

  I blinked at her immediate denial. I wasn’t suggesting she had a thing for Dallas, but she had admitted to the type of woman she’d fall for. She’d have to be unique. “She’s pretty rare.”

  “She may be, but she’s not a one-off. Not the kind I talk about anyway.” Her look softened. “But it was surprising and very considerate that she left the folks expecting her to throw a bouquet.”

  “Oh, no. I forgot you came up here to tell me that. Let’s go in.”

  “You heard her. Finish that and take your time. It’s not like you wanted to catch the bouquet, did you?”

  “God, no,” I practically shouted.

  Her eyes studied me for a long moment. Emotions I couldn’t decipher churned through the blue. “Still don’t believe in weddings?”

  “You know how much time and money they’ve wasted on this day. Don’t tell me you’d do something like this?”

  “Not like this, no. Not anything like this, but I fancy a wedding.”

  “Your dad wants one for you, too.”

  She brightened. “He said?”

  “He can’t wait to dance with you at your wedding.”

  “I have the best dad.”

  “You do.” I offered her the other half of my scone. She waved it off. “Did you get one?”

  “You brought some this morning or are you still too delirious to remember that?”

  I wanted to wipe the smirk off her face, but I liked it better than when she was yelling at me. “Was that this morning? Everything’s so hazy. You were saying something about me being brilliant and wonderful and—”

  “Beautiful,” she said then her smile turned sly. “You’re definitely still delirious.”

  Not too delirious to remember that she’d been tender and kind and bordering on seductive.

  Thirty-Five

  Nothing beat a good night’s sleep after such a grueling day and night before. I hadn’t set my alarm, which I couldn’t remember doing in years. Even on a Sunday. I lounged in bed for ten minutes and would have stayed longer if my doorbell didn’t sound.

  It could be my neighbor telling me she was off on another business trip and asking me to water her yard while she was gone. She could ask her boyfriend to do it instead, or better yet, get a timed sprinkler system like I had. The doorbell rang again. It must be someone I know to be that insistent. The neighbor usually only gave a halfhearted effort.

  I got up and threw on my robe over my tank top and undies. As I walked downstairs I tied a scarf around my head, helping to hold down the wild bedhead. I looked through the peephole and stepped back in surprise. My pulse started racing. Of course, the one time I sleep in, I get caught. I tightened the tie on my robe, sucked in a breath, and opened the door.

  “Good morning, love,” Elspeth greeted. “Oh dear, did we wake you?” She held out a bakery
box as I stepped back to let her and her daughter inside.

  “I was just about to get into the shower.” I glanced at Ainsley and looked away. She looked good in a cap sleeve shirt and crop pants, her mother was in a light summer dress, and I’d barely made it into a robe and was sporting scary bedhead.

  “Don’t let us stop you,” Elspeth said. “We’ll just set out your breakfast while you’re rinsing off.”

  I blinked in confusion. “Did I forget we were having breakfast this morning?”

  Elspeth smiled and squeezed my cheek. “We’re making sure you eat this morning.”

  I shot accusatory eyes at Ainsley. She’d told on me to her mother. That was so not right. “Thank you, Elspeth, but you don’t need to worry.”

  “We found ourselves with nothing to do this morning now that the wedding’s over.” Her eyes took in the layout of my living room as she shrugged and smiled. “We went for a walk to that bakery and you came to mind.”

  “That was nice of you.” It was. I just wish I’d known they were coming so I could look less like a sleepy troll and more like the lively beauties they were.

  “Go on with your shower now,” Elspeth encouraged. She started for the kitchen, not waiting for my sure protest.

  I shot another look at Ainsley. So far she hadn’t said anything. She’d used Elspeth as a human shield and it worked. My only choice was to shower and sit down for breakfast. “Make yourselves at home.”

  Ten minutes later, I was dressed and running a hairdryer over my hair. I couldn’t stand that I was fixing it. If I wasn’t working on a Sunday, which I hadn’t planned to do today, I would normally just throw a hat on after a shower. I should do that today. Instead I was taking the time to fix my hair because, dammit, a woman whose opinion I shouldn’t care about was sitting in my kitchen uninvited but, if the butterflies in my stomach had anything to say about it, very much welcome.

  At the top of the stairs, I heard the sounds of two happy people coming from my kitchen. My initial reaction was to sit on the top step and just listen. I couldn’t remember the last time I had more than one person in my house and certainly never a twosome whose singsong accents brought a smile to my whole being.

  “Good morning.” I practically sailed into the kitchen. “Look at all this.”

  “Just returning the favor.” Ainsley indicated the coffee cake and breakfast sandwiches she and her mum were placing on plates they’d found.

  “I thought you’d have the same espresso machine here.” Elspeth gestured to my single serve coffeemaker.

  “I prefer coffee to expresso, but I can run and get you one at the corner shop if you want.”

  “Isn’t she a darling?” Elspeth asked her daughter.

  Ainsley gave me a long look that made my stomach somersault. “She is.”

  “We’ve made tea but if you show me how this coffeemaker works, I can make you a coffee.”

  “Tea is fine. I’m so glad you stopped by. Is Alastair taking it easy today?”

  “Off golfing with Conrad,” Elspeth reported. “Rochelle went shopping.”

  I caught Ainsley rolling her eyes and wanted to ask about the no doubt interesting conversation that took place at Colin’s loft this morning, but my phone rang before I could ask. I looked at the display and smiled.

  “It’s Dallas. Do you mind?” They both waved me on. “How’s married life?” I said into the phone.

  “I love it. Best day and night of my life.”

  “I’m glad.”

  “Just wanted to check in on you. Are you feeling better?”

  “Everything’s fine. Go back to your honeymoon.” I shouldn’t have to give that order, but Dallas always played to her own tune. “Are you sure you don’t want me to drive you to the airport later?”

  “We’ve got a hired car. You should know, you arranged it.”

  “Then get off the phone and go back to wedded bliss.”

  She laughed. “You don’t even believe there is such a thing.”

  “There seems to be for you, but not if you stay on the phone the morning after your wedding night. Where’s the hubby?”

  “In the shower. I wanted to make sure you’re okay, and to thank you again for making my wedding possible. Thank Ainsley for me when you see her.”

  My eyes found Ainsley. She took a bite of the coffeecake and closed her eyes, that sensual look of delight overtaking her expression again. My own eyes closed envisioning that look in another setting. “She and her mum are in my kitchen right now.”

  “What? You holding out on me?” Dallas inhaled sharply. “Did something happen between you two last night?”

  “Go back to your husband and tell him his family says hello.”

  She laughed at my bark of a reply. “I can pull him out of the shower.”

  “I’m sure they’ll manage to get through their day without you needing to interrupt his shower.”

  “I’m glad I snuck in a call.” She made it sound like she’d gotten away from a bank job cleanly.

  “Make it your last one. Start your honeymoon for real. No more work or worrying or anything, you hear?”

  “I hear. Thanks, Skye, see you in a month.” She signed off and I turned back to Ainsley and Elspeth.

  “She called you on her honeymoon?” Ainsley asked in amazement. “That’s definitely a best friend.”

  “She’s a lovely girl,” Elspeth said putting a forkful of coffeecake into her mouth.

  “I’m happy you like her. That will mean the world to Colin.” I took a forkful of the coffeecake myself. Exactly what I needed this morning. Coffeecake and company.

  “You always say the nicest things, doesn’t she, Ainsley?”

  Ainsley kept being pressed into giving me compliments by her mother. She shook her head and let out a breathy chuckle. “She does, Mum.”

  “Would you want to go with us to the botanic gardens today, Skye? We decided on a museum a day until I leave. A Sunday walk through the garden today.”

  “Sounds fun, Elspeth. You steer the course and we’ll follow.”

  “You lassies are gems.”

  I caught Ainsley’s eye and smiled. Last night I wasn’t sure how many times I’d see her before she left. Now that we didn’t have the wedding to plan anymore, there was no need to get together. I wasn’t even sure how long she was staying in town, or in the country for that matter, and I thought it was rude to ask. To find her on my doorstep this morning and know I’d be spending the day with her and her amazing mother was probably one of the more pleasant surprises I’d had since this whole ordeal began.

  Thirty-Six

  Without calling first, I came through Morgan’s shop door. She looked up from the arrangement she was putting together and smiled. “What’s up? Is someone else retiring?”

  “If I said me, would you be shocked?” I groused, coming to a stop at her front counter. My elbows dropped to the surface as I leaned forward and sniffed the colorful arrangement she was putting together.

  “I’d probably drop dead of a heart attack.” She pushed my nose out of the way so she could finish adding the last two sunflowers. “Hard day?”

  “Sucky.”

  “Let me flip the sign and we can get an early lunch.”

  I checked my watch. It would be early, but hadn’t I left the office for just this reason? If Dallas were back to work I’d be holed up in her office. A half hour hiding away in the newsroom rather than up on the executive level would have been enough. Without Dallas around, I had to get out. I could have called Elspeth and Ainsley for a distraction, but they were going through the Library of Congress and the Folger Library today. By the time I got over there, I’d have fifteen minutes to look around and enjoy their company before I’d have to make my way back to the office.

  I made a halfhearted effort at denying Morgan’s offer to close her shop for an unplanned lunch. She saw right through it but took advantage of my grateful attitude and steered me to the Vietnamese place that she liked at the end of the block.
It wasn’t my favorite, but whatever she wanted if it meant I got to avoid work for a half hour.

  “What did those corporate suit assholes do this time?” Morgan asked when we took a seat.

  Her tone suggested that I complained about the corporate suit assholes a lot. “Have I become one of those drags that only complains about work?”

  “You used to love it. Then you got your promotion. You don’t love it so much anymore.”

  “Was this the kind of crap that made you give up the cubicle labyrinths and open your own shop?”

  “That and I love flowers.”

  I should find something simple that I love, too. Something that didn’t involve conservative older men who will never, ever change. “You made the right decision.”

  “There are months when I’m not sure. The cyclical revenue can be trying.”

  My brow knitted in concern. “I’ll suggest Dallas run a story on the prep you have to do for Valentine’s Day or something. People love flowers.”

  “You are something.” She gave my forearm a squeeze. “Tell me what they did this time.”

  “They postponed my approved vacation time.”

  “Can they do that? They approved it already.”

  “I didn’t know they could, but apparently if the president, COO, and CFO all want to take vacation at the same time, any other executive is out of luck.”

  “Weren’t you going out of town? With Ainsley?” Her eyebrows fluttered.

  “And her mother. Don’t get the wrong idea. Her mom wanted to see New York again.”

  “What would be the wrong idea?”

  “Anyway,” I heaved a sigh. “I’ll figure it out. The execs will get back and I can take my vacation then.”

  “But Ainsley will be gone, won’t she?”

  “It was a trip with Elspeth mainly. We wanted to go to some of the places we saw together years ago.”

  “Right,” she dragged it out. “You were going to ignore Ainsley altogether.”

  “Did you talk to Dallas about this?” I accused. This would be something the two of them could easily agree on and plot to give me a hard time about.

  “Anyone can see the attraction between you two.”