Wedding Bell Blues

by Heather Graham Pozzessere

  “Good, because you’re going to. I don’t want you to have any champagne excuses.”

  “Champagne—”

  “You see, Kaitlin, I did play hardball against you once. When I realized that you had come to see me just because you wanted me to participate in a lie—”

  “Brendan, it would have been for both of us!”

  He let out an expletive that told her precisely what he thought of that, then continued heatedly. “Listen, we played this badly once. I seduced you because you wanted something. Then you tried to seduce me because I was the only one in the house—”

  “What a horrible thing to say!” she interrupted furiously.

  Suddenly he didn’t seem angry anymore. He laughed, his hold on her hands loosening, and his eyes were bright. “Okay, does that mean you tried to seduce me because I was me?”

  She groaned softly, trying to pull away from his touch. “Brendan, please!”

  “All right, it doesn’t matter for the moment. What I’m trying to explain is why I held back last night when you were doing your best to be a nearly irresistible temptation. When we make love, I want it to be for the right reasons. I don’t want you even slightly inebriated. And I don’t want you thinking that you can bargain anything from me.”

  “I never did!” she flared.

  He shrugged. “All right. But you never came back.”

  “You made a fool out of me—and then left.”

  “We both did some pretty sad things to one another over the years. But, Kaitlin, I still want you. More than ever. But if I’m going to have you, I want you to want me with your eyes wide open.”

  “Brendan, I told you that it can’t—”

  “Can’t ever happen again. But it can, Kaitlin.” He stood, grinning. “And I’m willing to bet that it will.”

  Her eyes flashed sharply. “You’re not allowed to seduce me, remember.”

  “I remember. But I’m willing to bet that you decide to seduce me again—stone cold sober.”

  “Not a chance,” she said sweetly.

  “We’ll see,” he told her. “It really was one hell of a night. I could have told you more, but…”

  “You told me quite enough!”

  He laughed and headed toward the door. “See you Wednesday night, Kaitlin. At eight.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Be ready,” he warned. He allowed the door to slam shut behind him.

  The sound caused her ragged nerves to snap, and she jumped, then smacked a hand on the table. “Damn him!” she swore aloud. But swearing gave her a headache all over again. She leaned her face flat on the table and savored the coolness of the wood.

  Well, at least they hadn’t made love.

  Did that really make it any better? After everything she had done?

  She lifted her head. Damn him. She wasn’t sure whether she was relieved or insulted that he had managed to refuse her invitation.

  She hadn’t been able to refuse him….

  But he thought that she would issue him another invitation. Well, that would be a cold day in hell, she swore to herself silently. Never. Never! Too many things lay between them, things that could not be forgotten.

  Then she trembled suddenly, remembering his words. He had said that he wanted her, that he wanted her more now than he ever had.

  She wanted him, too. She always had.

  And she was afraid that she always would.

  “Ah, Kaitlin, me girl, we canna always have what we want!” she told herself aloud, mimicking Gram. “What we want, love, isna always so good for us, eh?”

  Brendan was definitely not good for her.

  And still…

  She groaned and rose. Brendan made good coffee, and there was almost a whole pot of it left in the kitchen. No sense in letting good coffee go to waste.

  By Sunday she felt like living again. Barbara called and asked her to come over. She was about to say yes, then hesitated.

  “Barbara, is Brendan going to be there?”

  Barbara hesitated, and Kaitlin knew that he was. “He and Joe will be watching the football game. We can ignore them and look through the bridal magazines out by the pool.”

  She was about to say no, but then Barbara began to plead. “Kaitlin, please! Help me get things going!”

  “All right. But I can’t stay late.”

  Later on, she prided herself on that Sunday. Everything went very much as she planned.

  Joe and Brendan did stay in the den, watching the football game. And she and Barbara stretched out by the pool and leafed through magazines, then looked through the menu for the hall that they had booked.

  At six, the men and women joined one another at the kitchen counter for hot dogs and chili and beer.

  At least, the others had beer. Kaitlin had a ginger ale. And she noticed that Brendan’s inky lashes covered his eyes when he watched her now and then with amusement, and that his mouth curved with humor. But he didn’t say anything. And neither did she.

  They were polite to one another. Painfully polite. And she was very careful to keep a wide distance between them.

  She had walked over, and she was determined to walk home. When she started off, she turned and looked back, certain that Brendan would be following her.

  He wasn’t.

  She started walking again, then started violently when a hand fell on her shoulder. She swung around. Brendan smiled.

  “Sorry, I—”

  “Brendan, I’ve got an early morning tomorrow.”

  “So have I, Kaitlin. I just wanted to let you know that I booked Donna’s favorite country club for the Saturday after your grandmother’s wedding.”

  “What?”

  “I managed to get a booking for a mixed shower. The Saturday following your grandmother’s wedding. Is that all right? Can you manage it?”

  “I—yes, I think so.”

  “Good. We can go over details at dinner.”

  “Fine.”

  “I’ll let Donna know. It’s what she and Bill wanted, a party with all their friends. Male and female.”

  She had always known that if and when Donna planned a wedding, she would want something with everyone together, rather than a shower with just the women. Kaitlin should have thought of it herself. She really couldn’t complain that Brendan had done so.

  He was staring at her, waiting. “Was there something else?” she asked defensively.

  He shook his head. “No, nothing. As long as we’re in agreement.”

  “We are.”

  “Good.” He turned and left her. She watched him, resenting the feeling of disappointment that rose within her. He could seem so close….

  And then so damn distant. He could demand, then walk away so quickly.

  She had an awful night. And she did have a very early morning.

  She had a number of print ads to place, and she had to deal with the various stations to get the Seashell Sunblock commercial on the air. Her morning was busy enough to allow her to forget for long moments her mortification of Friday night.

  But around lunchtime Janis came in and hopped up on her desk, swinging her feet. “I took a few personal messages for you from Sam when you were on the phone with the networks.”

  “Great, thanks. Shoot.”

  “Your mother. She really wants you to call her.”

  Kaitlin winced. “I will.”

  “And Donna called from Massachusetts. She said that she knew you were really busy, so she went ahead and made travel arrangements for you. She knows that you hate to fly unless it’s a life-and-death situation, so you’re on the morning train next Tuesday. A messenger will drop the ticket here. You’ve got a sleeper to New York, then—”

  “Then I have to change trains. I know. Thanks, go on.” She winced again. Donna was going to be a bride. She was supposed to be helping Donna. Donna shouldn’t be having to make arrangements for her just to make sure she showed up.

  “Barbara wanted you to remember that you’re looking for gowns with her on
Thursday night.”

  “Right.”

  “Your grandmother wanted you to remember that her wedding is this Saturday.”

  “I remember,” Kaitlin said wryly.

  “And…”

  “And?”

  “Your ex called.”

  “Brendan?”

  “Do you have another ex?” Janis asked with a definite hint of mischief.

  “No, I do not. What did he want?”

  Janis sighed. “Whatever he wanted from me, I’d be sure to give him. Kaitlin, that is one gorgeous man. Arriving out of your past! It’s so wonderful.”

  “It isn’t wonderful at all.”

  Janis wasn’t listening to her. She sighed again. “You know, when men appear from my past, I’m always left wondering what I was ever doing with them in the first place! They all have these huge pot bellies and have to comb their hair from one side of their heads to the other to cover up the bald spots. They never, never look like your ex-husband.”

  Kaitlin smiled with an effort. “He is a nice looking man,” she said casually.

  “Nice looking!”

  “Janis…”

  “All right, all right. It’s just that I understand now why you don’t date.”

  “I do date!”

  “Once a year.”

  “That’s ridiculous.”

  “Never mind. If you’re accustomed to prime rib, it’s hard as heck to settle for ground chuck.”

  “I’m not accustomed to anything.”

  “See there—you don’t date!” Janis said triumphantly.

  Kaitlin groaned. “I am not getting anywhere with this conversation. Janis, listen closely. What did Brendan want when he called?”

  “Oh—just to remind you that you’ve having dinner on Wednesday night.”

  “Right.”

  “Dinner, Kaitlin. You’re dating him again! It’s so romantic!”

  “It’s not romantic! It’s—it’s dinner.”

  Janis nodded knowingly. “Prime rib,” she agreed.

  “Janis!”

  Janis leaped off her desk. “I’m going. If you need me, just holler.”

  “I’ll holler, all right,” Kaitlin promised. Janis grinned and disappeared.

  The remainder of the day passed in a rush of work. She was glad of it, glad of the layouts she had to approve, glad of all the arrangements and haggling and scheduling she had to deal with. It was nearly seven when she finished, and everyone in the office had gone home except for Janis, who had waited for her.

  They decided to have pizza together before going home. When Kaitlin reached her house, she showered and fell into bed, then enjoyed a completely dreamless night.

  Tuesday passed quickly, too. There was still so much she had to attend to. And she made a point of calling Donna and her mother, which took a chunk out of the day, as well.

  Tuesday night she had dinner with Netty Green and Garrett Harley. It was a wretched occasion with Netty endlessly praising the commercial. Kaitlin knew she should have enjoyed it. If only Netty hadn’t been quite so gung-ho on Brendan.

  By Wednesday she was still knee deep in reworking some of her local print ads. At five she glanced at her watch and decided that she had time left. She called Danny in and started reworking the ad for a local clothing store. She soon lost all track of time.

  Then there was a tap on her office door, and she looked up. Janis quickly swept in, leaning dramatically against the desk.

  “What is it?” Kaitlin asked her.

  Janis grimaced. “Kaitlin, it’s late.”

  “Yes?”

  “Dinner, Kaitlin! Prime rib, remember? Well, Prime Rib is here, and he doesn’t seem at all pleased that you forgot all about him!”

  “Oh!” Kaitlin murmured.

  The door opened again, and Brendan was there, darkly handsome in a suit, his eyes flashing, his jaw set.

  “Excuse me, Ms. O’Herlihy. We did have an agreement, didn’t we?”

  She was a mess. Her hair was disheveled, her linen suit wrinkled, and she was certain that she had ink-stains on her hands. How could she have forgotten?

  And what did she care?

  “Well?”

  Danny and Janis were both staring at her, seemingly enjoying her predicament. She tried to smile.

  “I’m sorry, Brendan, I really did lose track of time.”

  He didn’t say a word. She picked up her handbag and told Danny, “We’ll finish in the morning, all right?”

  “Sure,” he said agreeably. He walked over and shook Brendan’s hand. “Hi. I’m Dan Clover. It’s nice to meet you, Mr. O’Herlihy.”

  Brendan nodded cordially. His mouth was still tight.

  Kaitlin ignored his look and sailed out of the office. Brendan said good night to Danny and Janis, then followed her. Suddenly he paused, frowning.

  “What’s the matter?” Kaitlin asked him.

  “Your friend is saying something to you,” he told her.

  Kaitlin walked back to the door.

  “Prime Rib!” Janis whispered.

  “Prime!” Danny laughed.

  Kaitlin slammed the office door on both of them, irritated to discover that she was moving as quickly as she could.

  Prime Rib had a temper.

  Chapter 6

  They were out of the office and on the street before Kaitlin paused. Then she spun around with vehemence. “Don’t come into my office like that again, Brendan O’Herlihy.”

  “Don’t stand me up again.”

  “I wasn’t standing you up. I was just—”

  “You were just biding your time, right?”

  “I was busy.”

  “Well, Ms. O’Herlihy, I have a schedule of my own, but I do keep appointments.”

  Appointments! Their dinner was an appointment?

  She turned, heading down the street toward her car. He came up quickly behind her, catching her arm. “I’ll drive.”

  She jerked free from his hold. “You’ll drive? I need my car. We don’t live in the same place, remember?”

  He released her arm suddenly. She realized then that his hair was still damp from a recent shower, his cologne was light and enticing, and he looked wonderful in a navy suit with a peach shirt beneath, emphasizing the bronzed coloring of his rugged features. She was instantly sorry, although she wasn’t at all sure why. It was his fault.

  “I don’t think we ever did live together,” he said softly and turned, then started walking away.

  Good. She needed him out of her life. And he’d had no right to swing his temper around in her office. She hadn’t been trying to ignore him or back out of anything.

  Yes, she was in the right….

  But she didn’t want him to leave. She bit her lip, swallowed her pride and strode after him.

  Damn him. His legs were long, and she had to run. Her temper started soaring again when she realized that she was running after him. She was thirty—and she was still running after Brendan O’Herlihy.

  “Brendan!” Enough was enough. She stopped dead and called his name.

  He stopped, too, and turned to her. So, it seemed, did half the people on the street.

  “I’m sorry I was late. I really didn’t do it on purpose. It’s going to be difficult for me to take time off next week, and I got involved in things.”

  He stared at her for a long moment.

  She ground her teeth together, about to turn and walk off.

  Of course, his strides were longer. If he chose to catch up with her, he wouldn’t have to run.

  He always had the advantage, or so it seemed.

  But she didn’t have to turn away. He was striding toward her. “Let’s just take my car for now,” he told her. “I’ll bring you back for yours later, and follow you home.”

  She mused over his suggestion. “All right,” she consented at last.

  He took her arm, and they started down the street. She didn’t know what kind of car they were heading for, but it didn’t surprise her when they reached a
sleek black Mercedes sedan with a tan interior. It was a small car, comfortable, subtly elegant inside.

  “Piracy must pay very well,” she murmured, sinking into her seat.

  He met her gaze in the mirror. “Piracy has always been a high-paying profession,” he replied casually.

  She fell silent as he turned the key in the ignition and drove into the traffic. He didn’t speak, either, as they drove. Eventually she realized that they were heading toward her house. “You’re just taking me home? I should have brought my own car.”

  Not until they reached her place and he had turned off the car did he lean back and look at her. “I’m sorry,” he said. “And I didn’t think about your car. I just thought you might want to shower and change. We can get the car later, I promise.”

  She smiled. “It’s all right. But you know, you still have one awful temper.”

  “Blame it on the Irish,” he murmured.

  “Well, we’re in the same boat there, aren’t we?” she teased.

  But he was studying her seriously. “You said something like that the other night,” he murmured.

  “Like what?”

  He wasn’t looking at her anymore. He was staring at the deserted street. “That we had so much in common. Ancestry, religion, ideals…you…you see so many people combat different cultures and faiths, and they make it. We had everything going for us.”

  “Maybe there just wasn’t enough love,” she said softly.

  He swung around on her, his eyes very green and intense. “I don’t believe that, Kaitlin. I don’t believe it for a minute.”

  She felt suddenly trapped, as if she needed air, needed to escape. “I don’t know, Brendan,” she said lightly. “All I knew then was that you withdrew from me.”

  “I never really left you.”

  “You might as well have,” she said softly, and before he could respond, she had opened the car door and was heading toward the house. She was suddenly very afraid of the conversation going any deeper. She didn’t want him to pursue it.

  Tears were stinging her eyes, and she didn’t know why. It hadn’t been for lack of love! she thought. Not on her part!

  He followed her more slowly. She couldn’t quite seem to get her key to fit properly in the lock. It finally gave just as he came up behind her. She felt his hands on her waist, his breath against her ear.