“Your budget will go fast when you’re planning a wedding,” TJ said, pulling Dean’s attention back.
“I know. I thought of that.”
“Obviously she gets the Stag for free, lucky for her because we aren’t cheap. Also bar drinks at cost, but everything else is going to be expensive. Matter of fact, these caterers here right now?” TJ nodded to the uniform-clad servers shuffling from table to table setting up water glasses. “Forty dollars a head.”
“Are you kidding me?” Dean muttered. “Well, I’m just going to have to do some research. Go through Tara’s desk and hope she has resources.”
“She does. And I’ll do what I can for you, but with the other weddings, and the uncasking party to think about … it’s gonna be tough. Helping a bride plan a wedding is one thing. She makes the decisions based on what she likes. She keeps track of a lot of things on her own. What you’re doing changes the game. You’re going to have to think like a bride.”
Dean glared at his friend, who was trying not to laugh.
“One suggestion I can make without question is that you should ask Charlotte Linley to be the photographer. She’s good and she likes us. Might be willing to work something out for you on such short notice if she has the date you need open.”
“Good idea.” Dean’s insides warmed at the thought of Charlotte. He liked her, that was for sure, and although he wasn’t the most confident guy, he knew she liked him. The thing he couldn’t figure out was why. He was much older than she was, part of the reason he’d never taken things further in the past three years. God, he’d wanted to. How many times had she found him at the end of the evening just to say good-bye? It was always so tempting to ask her to stay or invite her to come back when the building was empty. He never had because Dean was a realist, and reality told him Charlotte was not for him.
In addition, hooking up with a vendor could be bad for business. Actually, sleeping with women you worked with in any capacity was never a good idea. Even if you went into it with an understanding, things were always awkward afterward.
“Sorry I’m late, bossholes,” a snarky female voice said behind Dean and TJ.
Speaking of awkward.
Jen was a cool girl, but once upon a time they had taken things a little too far and had both regretted it. Once and once only. Dean had been lonely, and she’d been … available. All it had taken was a few shots after work. It was something neither of them ever spoke about, and Dean hoped it would always stay that way. Especially considering he was pretty damn sure TJ was infatuated with her. His friend would never admit it, but Dean knew him well enough to know the guy had a hard-on for her. But he was sure Jen was completely oblivious to that fact. Or maybe she just didn’t feel the same way.
“Your mom this time?” TJ asked, concern showing on his face. Jen’s mother, Diane, had cancer and was currently going through chemo and having a rough time of it. “She doing okay?”
“Oh, my mom’s great today.” Jen shoved her purse under the bar and gave them a naughty grin. Today her nearly black hair was in a high ponytail and her top was a little on the tight side. “I’m just late because I was lucky enough to score some afternoon delight.”
Dean’s eyes immediately cut to TJ, who looked stricken. Damn. Poor guy. Jen was a little on the wild side. He figured it was partly her way of dealing with her mother’s health problems. Regardless, Dean knew it drove his buddy crazy. Jen laughed at the look on TJ’s face.
“News to TJ: Women can like casual sex, too, you know,” Jen prodded.
“Thank you for assuming I know nothing about women. I’m outta here,” TJ said, his eyes darkening. “You guys have fun tonight.”
They watched him walk through the giant room, hands shoved into his pockets as he dodged tables and scurrying catering staff on his way toward the back stairs.
“You should tone it down with the sexcapade talk,” Dean said.
“Oh please. Not my fault if TJ’s a prude.” Jen waved a hand in the air and then began to stack glasses, prepping for the night to come. What was left of the job anyway. “Sorry if I find it amusing to make him uncomfortable.”
Her nonchalance pissed Dean off. He also didn’t really buy it. “He’s not a prude. And it’s not funny. Or appropriate at work, so cut it out.”
Jen looked up, surprised at Dean’s tone. And that look on her face … that was why you never slept with your co-workers. Especially ones who worked for you. When you had to truly act on the role of authority, things got weird. Then he recalled her statement from the other night in front of Charlotte.
“And speaking of inappropriate, what did you mean the other night when you called me the most inappropriate person here? That was such bullshit.”
Jen just stared at him for a moment, a look of full-on female angst and annoyance. Men usually did everything in their power to avoid that look from a woman. He held his ground, knowing that he was in the right. “What is your problem these days?” she said at last. “I find it funny that you have no idea how inappropriate you are, Mister Undresses the Photographer with His Eyes.”
“Seriously, Jen?” Okay, so much for holding his ground. And was he really that obvious around Charlotte?
“Whatever.” She put up a hand, her fingernails painted black. “I’ll tone it down. I was just trying to lighten things up around here. TJ’s so uptight all the time. Did you know freshman year of high school he wore a belt every day? Who does that?”
Okay, he had to admit the belt thing was a little out there, but Dean was tempted to point out that she’d obviously noticed TJ every single day. He didn’t, knowing she wouldn’t appreciate it. Dean wanted to just yell out the fact that the guy was half in love with her, but that wasn’t his place, and talk about inappropriate. “He is not uptight. He just takes this business very seriously and he works his ass off. And I’ll be honest, coming in thirty minutes late and blaming it on a nooner is not cool, Jen. Not cool at all.”
“Fine! I get it, okay? Consider me reprimanded. But I’ll remember this moment the next time you pretend to give a shit about what’s going on behind this bar just so you can stalk poor Charlotte from the shadows like the Phantom.” Jen raised her eyebrows, daring him to argue with her.
Dean glared at her. “The Phantom?”
She gave a long-suffering sigh. “Of the Opera? Good gracious, you need some culture in your life.”
He should have known. Jen was always singing show tunes, and he recalled TJ mentioning she’d been really into theater in high school. Made Dean wonder how long his friend had been harboring his crush. Right now, he could only focus on the fact that his lusting after Charlotte was way more obvious than he ever imagined. He’d have to be more aware of that.
“Who are tonight’s vendors?” Jen asked, then quietly started humming to herself.
Dean welcomed the subject change and glanced down at the clipboard on the bar. “Delicious 2 Go is doing dinner.”
“Meh,” Jen said, wiping down the stainless sink. “Last time they did a pasta bar and I wasn’t a fan.”
“Divine Desserts made the cake,” Dean said.
“Hm, haven’t heard of them, but I doubt they top Jill’s. Did you taste last week’s? It was chocolate with a chocolate ganache filling.”
“Didn’t try it, but it looked good.”
“Did you know she built a special kitchen on the backside of her house just for cakes? Has been making them for forty years.”
“Huh, I didn’t know that.” Dean flipped to another page on his clipboard and made a star next to Jill’s name on his list. That was two recommendations for her.
He let his eyes wander back down the list of vendors tonight’s bride had chosen, and Christ, there were probably twenty companies named. Was that really how many people it took to make a wedding day happen? Were they really all necessary?
“DJ or band?” Jen asked.
“Uhhh, looks like a friend of the groom is doing it.”
“Oh gosh. That should be
interesting. The voice of the evening’s entertainment is not where you want to cut corners. Don’t people realize a good band or DJ can make or break the mood?”
Dean raised an eyebrow and made a quick note. Get a good DJ. He needed to start a master list of notes obviously. Suddenly the task seemed so daunting. How could he have agreed to such a thing? And yet … how could he not have? This was for Alexis.
“Who’s the photographer?” Jen asked. He didn’t miss the chiding in her tone.
“Charlotte,” Dean said, feigning indifference. He wasn’t in the mood to give in to Jen’s teasing.
“Lucky you,” she crooned. “I should have known that’s why you’re here two weeks in a row. Try to keep your creeping to a minimum. I hope she has some new sexy man photos for me.”
And just like that Dean’s mood plummeted. He knew his jealousy in regard to Charlotte was ridiculous and ill founded. He couldn’t help it. She was gorgeous, with big trusting eyes and shiny blond hair. Guys constantly flirted with her while she worked. He watched it every time she shot here. Last week it had been the best man and it had taken everything in Dean not to confront the punk. Eventually he’d had to leave the room because he couldn’t stand it any longer.
The half-naked-man photo shoots had been the ultimate kicker. Several times over the past week the photo of that buff young asshole had come to Dean’s mind and pissed him off. How often did she photograph men like that? Sounded like it happened with frequency. Did she ever hook up with them? She didn’t seem like the type, but damn, if he was forced to stare at a nearly naked woman giving him bedroom eyes for any extended period of time it would affect him.
And jealousy hadn’t been the only thing that had been bothering him. Her reaction to the idea of shooting him had been quite a blow to his already fragile ego. Sorry, Dean. I know this isn’t really your style. What the hell had she meant by that? It wasn’t his style because he was old? Or because he couldn’t pull off hot even if he tried? He took good care of himself, hit the gym with regularity, and tried to eat healthy. Not that he wanted to try. But spending alone time with Charlotte … that didn’t sound bad at all.
“Did you know Charlotte told me she shoots about thirty weddings a year?” Jen interrupted his thoughts. “I can’t even imagine all of the insane stuff she witnesses. She’s like the master of great wedding stories.”
“Huh, I bet.” Charlotte would be a good reference for wedding info. He remembered last week, how much she’d known about every vendor. Maybe he could talk with her. It would be no hardship to spend a little time with Charlotte in order to seek her advice. He would just have to keep things professional.
Dean glanced at Jen as she continued to ready the bar for the cocktail hour, which would begin in about … twenty minutes, he realized with a quick gaze at his watch. The creak of the metal elevator caught his attention and he turned to see Lauren, Charlotte’s second shooter, step out of the lift holding a tripod and a giant black bag. That meant guests would arrive anytime. Lauren waved hello, and he waved back, but she was not the photographer he was anticipating. Just knowing Charlotte would be here soon had him thinking thoughts he’d be better off avoiding.
She was a colleague and a friend. No more. She was also too young for him. Yep, he’d just keep pushing his thoughts of anything happening between them way to the back of his mind.
Four
The DJ at this wedding had not gotten the memo that playing “Single Ladies” for the bouquet toss was the ultimate cliché and so overdone. Charlotte met Lauren’s eyes across the dance floor. Her friend wrinkled her nose just slightly enough that no one but Charlotte would catch it. She smiled in return, giving her agreement to Lauren’s feelings. Shooting together for many years, they’d acquired their own sort of facial sign language in order to communicate across the room during loud receptions and silent church sanctuaries alike. It was wedding photographer 101 that you try to never draw attention to yourself.
Except of course when your crush was in the room. Then you definitely wanted to be noticed. But as the bride’s friend ran to retrieve the toss bouquet, Charlotte quietly watched Dean speak with one of the wedding guests. A woman. A rather attractive woman who looked to be somewhere in her mid-to-late forties. She’d almost bet money Dean wasn’t the type to fraternize with guests, but one couldn’t deny that receptions made hookups ripe for the picking. It was Charlotte’s experience that attending weddings sometimes had the power to make the single guests behave in interesting ways. Almost out of panic and desperation. She’d witnessed hookups a million times.
The lady in question wore a tight black dress, her hair pulled off her neck and pinned in a loose chignon. Charlotte’s stomach tied in knots as she watched the woman laugh and then touch Dean’s arm. As they often were, his hands were in his pockets, his entire hot body evoking a look of ease and confidence. He hadn’t taken his eyes off the woman’s face. Until he did, and he looked straight at Charlotte, as if he’d known exactly where she was in the room the whole time.
Based on his expression, he didn’t seem surprised to find her watching him, and he winked at her before giving the guest his attention once again. It was almost imperceptible, like an eye twitch—or would be to anyone else. But to Charlotte, who was fluent in subtle facial expressions, it was unmistakable.
Biting her bottom lip, and trying not to overanalyze what the wink had meant, Charlotte turned back to the bride who now had her bouquet in hand, ready to toss to her only mildly eager single maidens. Silly girls. They should run as far as they could from the offending bunch of flowers.
Charlotte glanced over at Lauren to make sure she was ready with the flash, only to catch Lauren giving her a slight eyebrow raise and a small head tilt toward the door.
Damn, Lauren was also fluent and had obviously witnessed the exchange between Charlotte and Dean. Oh well, they’d discuss it later. Right now she had a job to do.
Lifting her camera to her eye she focused on the bride and shot a few of her with the flowers held over her head, ready to aim and fire.
“One, two, three, go!” Charlotte called. The bouquet shot into the air as the front bridesmaid soared into a jump that would make a basketball star envious. All the while Charlotte’s shutter rapidly took frame after frame. As the bridesmaid landed, stems in hand, someone else’s arm flung into her face, effectively startling her and sending the flowers to the floor. A third woman—somewhat older—surprised all the bystanders by quickly swiping it off the floor.
Charlotte laughed as she took a shot with the bride and the gloating bouquet winner, and then immediately got back into position as the DJ started up “Another One Bites the Dust” for the garter removal. She inwardly groaned. This guy needed some new material.
When the groom was done sticking his head under the bride’s skirt and making a spectacle of himself, he lined up, ready to send the little scrap of lace and elastic into the—somewhat small—mass of young men.
“You ever notice how the guys always look as if they’re participating under duress?” a deep familiar voice said close to Charlotte’s ear. Goose bumps rose on her neck and arms.
She grinned but didn’t lower the camera from her eye. The music and conversation in the room were loud enough that she knew they wouldn’t be heard. “Can’t say that I blame them.”
The words had come out without any thought and Charlotte really wished she could see Dean’s reaction to them, but the groom released the garter right at that moment. The male recipients were nowhere as enthusiastic as the ladies had been, but one guy did reach out and snag it, almost as a reflexive action.
Yep, the shocked look on his face said that’s exactly what it had been, and he glanced around like he wanted someone to throw it at.
Charlotte laughed and looked at Dean. “He looks like he’s wishing he’d sat this one out right about now.”
“Yes he does.” Dean crossed his arms and smirked as Charlotte stepped forward to set up the customary shot of the groom and th
e reluctant garter catcher.
She was happy to find that Dean was still waiting for her on the edge of the dance floor when she was finished.
“I’ve missed talking to you tonight,” she said.
One corner of his lips quirked up. “You have?” His tone was all teasing, but she could have sworn there was a hint of uncertainty. Surely he knew she was into him.
“Of course. I would assume it was because you were busy, but you had time to talk with black dress lady for a long time.”
“Charlotte,” he whispered, shaking his head. One of his go-to body movements when they spoke. He huffed out an embarrassed laugh. “What am I gonna do with you?”
“Well, you can start by not making me so jealous.”
His eyes flicked to hers, his lips parting. She could tell he wanted to respond, that her words had taken him by surprise. She continued to watch him as the music filled in the silence between them. It was hard to believe she’d let the teasing between them just go where it had, but she didn’t really regret it. She liked this man, and she’d done everything she could to tell him that except physically coming on to him. Was that what she needed to do? Finally, he appeared to mentally shake off her comment, his lips pursing as he inhaled a deep breath. Damn.
“How much longer are you here?” he asked.
She pulled out her phone and grimaced at the time. “Over an hour.”
He nodded. “Can you spare me a minute? I wanted to talk to you about something.”
Oh God. He was going to finally make a move. She could feel it. Her brazen comment about jealousy had worked.
Or maybe he was going to finally let her down easy. Shit.
She swallowed. “Of course. I’d love that.”
Following him toward the bar, Charlotte caught Lauren’s attention and sent her an I’ll-be-right-back look. Lauren nodded but Charlotte could see the curiosity written all over her friend’s face.
Maybe I Do Page 4