Wedding Date in Hot Springs, Arkansas

by Annalisa Daughety

  Jackson Stratford: COUNT ON IT. (Text message sent November 19, 7:52 a.m.)

  Jackson pulled into the driveway of his childhood home and parked next to his sister’s van. He took a deep breath.

  “You okay?” Violet asked.

  He shook his head. “I kind of dread this.”

  “Because of your mom’s friend?”

  “I’d probably dread it anyway, just because being here without my dad is still so hard.”

  Violet reached over and took his hand. “You want your mom to be happy. Right?”

  “Of course. I just wish moving on wasn’t the only path to happiness.” He frowned. “But I know how childish that sounds.”

  “Your sister told me there’s been a marked difference in your mom since she started seeing Roger. She said it’s helped her get back to her old self.”

  Jackson frowned. “And I’m sure she told you it’s what my dad would want. Right?”

  “She may have mentioned something like that, yes.”

  “That’s the thing. People keep saying that. They keep claiming to know what my dad would say or do or want. But how do they know?”

  Violet smiled. “I didn’t even know your dad and I’m pretty sure I can answer that question. Your dad sounds like the kind of man who would’ve wanted his family to be happy. So I’d say that’s how they know. He’d want whatever it is that would give his family the most happiness.”

  Jackson sighed. “I guess you’re right.”

  “Trust me.” She smiled. “I know how hard holidays must be for you. But remember they’re hard for the whole family. And probably even Roger. I’m sure holidays only bring home the fact that he lost his wife.”

  “I guess you’re right.”

  She held up the canister of cupcakes. “Now, are you ready to go inside? They’re probably wondering why we’re sitting out here for so long.”

  Jackson laughed. “They probably think we’re out here kissing and getting that all out of our systems before we go inside.”

  A pink blush spread across her face.

  “Are you thinking about our first kiss?” he asked, grinning.

  She scowled. “No.”

  “Good. Me neither.” It wasn’t quite the truth. It was all he’d been thinking about since it had happened. But there was no reason to tell her that now. “Let’s do this.”

  Dear Mama,

  Well, Thanksgiving wasn’t as bad as I expected it to be. Maybe being apart has been good for us. Daddy and I went out to dinner one night, and I told him all about my life in Hot Springs. He is really happy that I haven’t been in any trouble at my new school. (Remember the great graffiti incident of last year?) And he’s also pretty pumped about my GPA. I’m doing really well in my classes.

  Stephanie is okay. She isn’t as cool as Violet though. But I guess I can put up with her.

  Daddy and I talked about college. He didn’t seem too surprised when I told him I was looking at schools in Arkansas. Rachel is going to Harding. I think I’ll go look at the campus this summer. Violet told me since that’s where she graduated from, she’d be happy to take me on a tour of campus.

  It isn’t set in stone yet or anything, but it’s a possibility. Daddy seemed pretty okay with it. I think he misses me, but really wants me to be happy—even if it means I’m not in Texas.

  Love,

  Shadow

  Reagan sketched out the design she was considering for an author’s website. She’d been hard pressed to find time to work on it between the madness of Thanksgiving and now trying to get Christmas shopping done. It was hard to believe it was already December.

  She held the paper up and gave it the once over. Perfect. The woman wanted something professional, yet fun and inviting, and Reagan was pretty sure she’d be pleased with this.

  The office door burst open, and her pencil went flying.

  “Why is there a strange woman downstairs playing with our children? And what is this for?” Chad put a large FedEx package on her desk. “What is Reagan McClure Designs?”

  Her heart sank. She’d planned to tell Chad everything this weekend. “The woman downstairs is Maggie Denton. She’s a nanny.”

  “Where did you meet her?”

  He would have to ask that. “Actually, I met her at the gym.”

  “The gym? Since when do you go to the gym?” Chad looked at her like she’d grown horns.

  Reagan pulled the office door closed. No sense in alarming the kids by their raised voices. “I don’t anymore. I did for a couple of months though.”

  “You never told me. How could you not tell me something like that? Who kept the kids while you were there?”

  She bristled. “Actually, the reason I chose the gym I did was because they have a wonderful daycare facility on site. Everyone is very professional, and I signed the kids in and out, so they were never in any kind of danger.” She sat down at her desk. “Maggie and I took a class together and got to be friends. The family she works for as a nanny is moving at the end of the month, and I asked her to watch the kids for a couple of hours today while I got a few things done.”

  Chad frowned. “Don’t you think you should’ve run that by me first?”

  “I never would’ve left them alone with someone without talking to you about it. But I’m right upstairs. Ava Grace has been up here a couple of times to show me the crafts she’s been working on. It’s a really nice setup.” She took a breath to calm herself down. “And I checked Maggie’s references. They’re impeccable.”

  “What are you working on? What is Reagan McClure Designs?” Chad asked angrily.

  “Just calm down. I was planning to tell you this weekend. I wanted to wait and see if it was even a possibility before I broached the subject.”

  “What?”

  “I designed the logo and did some website stuff for Violet’s bake shop, Central Avenue Cupcakes. A few people asked her for the designer, and she gave them my information.” She shrugged. “I took a couple of jobs just to see if I was interested and see if I was going to even be successful at picking up freelance work.” She grinned. “I’m confident that there’s enough work out there for me to work as much as I want.”

  “So you want to go back to work? Like full-time?” He drew his brows together.

  She shook her head. “No. But I’d like to consider working a couple of days or even just a couple of afternoons a week.” She held her breath.

  Chad frowned. “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”

  “I knew you might not be happy, so I wanted to be absolutely sure before we discussed it.”

  “I’m less happy that you hid it. What were you thinking?”

  Reagan sighed. “I was thinking it might be a big, fat failure. And if it was, I didn’t want to have bothered you with it.”

  “Since when is talking to me—your husband—about something that’s obviously important to you the same thing as bothering me?” Chad stood up and paced the room. “And the gym thing? What’s the deal?”

  Reagan’s anger flared. “In case you didn’t know it, I wasn’t exactly happy with myself a few months ago. I had to do something to get out of the funk I was in. And it was hard. My body has been through a lot over the last year. My first two pregnancies were easy. The last one was not. And then I found that the weight wasn’t coming off as fast as it had the first two times.” She shrugged. “So I decided to go to the gym. Honestly it was as much mental as it was physical. It really helped clear my head to know that a couple of times a week I was going to just be myself. No one would be crying for me or clinging for me or needing something from me. Sometimes that can be exhausting.”

  Chad sat back down. “I’m sorry you feel that way.”

  “You don’t notice me anymore.” She gestured toward herself. “I’ve lost more than ten pounds. You haven’t even said anything.”

  Chad frowned. “Are you having an affair?”

  “You have got to be kidding me. You are the one who travels with young, attractive
women. Yet you have the audacity to ask if I’m having an affair?” It was completely laughable.

  “Sorry. It’s just the secrets and the gym and the freelancing.” He shrugged. “I feel like you’ve been pulling away from me.”

  “I don’t even remember the last conversation we had that wasn’t about the kids. Do you? So do you blame me for pulling away?”

  “Date night soon? Just us? No kid talk?” he asked.

  She nodded. “And I won’t take on any more freelance work until we discuss it.”

  He leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. “I miss us. A lot.”

  Reagan did, too. Now if they could just figure out how to get back to being the couple they used to be.

  Chapter 29

  Violet Matthews: WISH ME LUCK! JACKSON AND I ARE HEADED TO THE BIG WEDDING WEEKEND. (Text message sent December 13, 4:45 p.m.)

  Reagan McClure: I HOPE EVERYTHING GOES WELL. SEND ME A PICTURE OF THE WEDDING. HOPE Y’ALL HAVE FUN. HAVE YOU DECIDED WHAT THIS “THING” WITH JACKSON IS YET?? (Text message sent December 13, 4:52 p.m.)

  Violet leaned her head against the seat of the Range Rover. “It’s hard to believe it’s already here.”

  “Yep.” Jackson looked over at her and grinned. “You ready?”

  “Ready for it all to be over.”

  He sighed. “Do you mean us or the wedding?”

  “The wedding first.” She grinned. “We still have a few more weeks before we’re over.”

  Jackson pulled into the hotel parking lot. “So what’s going on tonight?”

  “It’s kind of weird. If you ask me, it’s just my sister looking for an excuse to be the center of attention for as long as possible.” She sighed. “Tonight there is a dinner that is just for our family and a few close friends. Tomorrow there are activities planned during the day and then the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. Then Saturday is the wedding.”

  “Three days of wedding fun.”

  “Exactly.” She took a breath. “Are you ready to put on your boyfriend hat?”

  He smiled. “Always.”

  Violet waited for him to open the passenger door for her. She hated to admit it, but having him for a boyfriend, fake or not, was kind of nice. He’d turned out to be one of the biggest and best surprises of her life. “Thanks,” she said as he offered her a hand.

  “You look amazing tonight, by the way.”

  “Thanks. You’re not so bad yourself.” He wore a charcoal suit with a french blue shirt. A blue-and-gray striped tie completed the look. Very classic.”

  Jackson reached over and took her hand. “Let’s do this.”

  “Violet,” said Aunt Darlene when she met them at the hotel lobby door. “Who is this handsome man?”

  “This is Jackson Stratford,” she said.

  Jackson shook Aunt Darlene’s hand. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Your mother told me you had a new boyfriend. I hope this one’s a keeper.” Aunt Darlene patted her on the back.

  Violet leaned close to Jackson once Aunt Darlene had moved on to another guest. “It’s not too late to run to a galaxy far, far away.”

  “Is that a Star Wars reference?” he whispered.

  She cocked her head. “Maybe.”

  Jackson leaned down and planted a quick kiss on her mouth.

  She laughed as he pulled away. “Check.” She made a checkmark motion in the air with her finger. “Two down.”

  “Stop it.” He grinned. “Can’t you just humor me and act like you enjoyed that?”

  The truth of the matter was that she didn’t have to pretend. At least he’d made this one quick. She pushed the thought of their first kiss out of her mind. This was just pretend. “Of course. The next time I promise not to count down.” Because that would be at the end of their little ruse and they both knew it. By the time their third kiss happened, they’d be about to part ways.

  “Did I just see a little PDA over here?” Amber walked over with her entourage in tow. “Because I’m pretty sure the spinster sister isn’t allowed to have more fun than the bride.”

  Violet tensed. “Hi, Amber. Everything looks just beautiful.”

  “Thanks.” She eyed Jackson. “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your man? I’ve been hearing tales of him, but haven’t actually seen him with my own eyes.” She grinned at Jackson. “I was beginning to think you were just a figment of Vi’s imagination.”

  He grinned and pulled Violet closer to him. “Not at all. I’m completely real.” He held out a hand. “I’m Jackson.”

  She looked at him with narrowed eyes. “You look really familiar.”

  “He has one of those faces,” Violet said.

  Jackson chuckled. “Thanks a lot, babe.” His term of endearment might be fake, but Violet liked the way it sounded.

  Amber waved at someone across the room. “I want you to meet my maid of honor.”

  A blond girl bounded over to where they stood. “Amber, it looks so pretty in here.” Her eyes widened at the sight of Jackson. “You’re the last person I expected to see here. I didn’t think weddings were your thing.”

  Violet felt Jackson tense next to her. “Hi, Whitney. It’s been awhile,” he said finally.

  She stuck out her lower lip. “You just, like, stopped calling.”

  No way. This could not be happening. Jackson used to date Amber’s best friend.

  Jackson gripped Violet’s hand tighter. “Sorry about that. I just realized we were looking for different things.”

  “Clearly he was looking for someone older and more mature,” Amber observed. “Or maybe just older.” She laughed at her own joke. “How did y’all meet, anyway?” she asked Violet.

  “We were actually in college together,” Jackson explained. “So we’ve known each other for quite a long time.”

  Violet forced a smile. “We’d better go say hi to Mom and Dad.” She tugged on Jackson’s hand and led him away from Amber and her angry bridesmaid.

  “I’m so sorry about that,” Jackson whispered in her ear once they’d walked away. “I only went out with her a couple of times, and it was last summer. She was way too young for me, and we had absolutely zero in common. I’m sorry if that was awkward for you.”

  Violet enjoyed the way his breath felt against her ear. It sent shivers down her back. “It’s okay. It isn’t like we were in our fake relationship back then.” She smiled.

  He rolled his eyes. “True. But aren’t you a little bit jealous?” he whispered.

  “Hardly.” She grinned when he made a face. “How do you think this is going? Do you think they were suspicious?”

  He pulled her to him and gave her a big hug. “Not at all. In fact, anyone looking at us right now thinks I can’t keep my hands off you,” he whispered.

  She grinned. “Got to keep it believable, right?”

  “Right,” he whispered again, sending another wave of shivers down her spine.

  Jackson had to admit, he was having fun. Much of the time, he and Violet kept their relationship very businesslike. But when they were with family and friends and were supposed to be a real couple, he was free to treat her like a girlfriend.

  And he liked it.

  A few weeks ago when he’d kissed her for the first time, he’d been hit with the realization that his feelings for her went deeper than just someone he had a business arrangement with. And Thanksgiving with his family had shown him how it could feel to have a partner and a friend. He’d leaned on her as he’d dealt with another holiday without his dad and the pain of watching his mom move on.

  But tonight was the first time he truly felt like they were a real couple. That spark between them was unmistakable. It wasn’t the kind of thing that could be faked.

  And he was pretty sure she felt it, too. In the beginning, she’d tensed when he’d come near her. But tonight she leaned into him. She’d been the one to take his hand, and earlier when he’d whispered in her ear, he’d seen chill bumps on her arms. And he was hoping those were a good sign.
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  “So you’re sure you’re going to be okay staying here tonight?” he asked.

  She sighed. “There was no getting around it. Mom wanted me here in case I’m needed. Of course, after dinner the bachelorette party is happening.”

  “Bachelorette party, huh? You aren’t planning to cut loose are you?”

  She laughed. “I’m not going. For one thing, I wasn’t invited. For another, that’s not really my thing.”

  He was a little relieved. He didn’t like the idea of Violet going out with those girls and being hit on by a bunch of guys. Plus he knew how miserable she’d be. That definitely didn’t sound like Violet’s idea of fun. “Well if I need to come rescue you tomorrow on my lunch break, just text me.” He grinned. “Have you heard from anyone at the shop? How are they managing tonight without you?”

  “Shadow sent me a text earlier. It’s been a slow night. She and Mrs. Kemp are doing fine.” Violet grinned. “I’m a little nervous about being gone for two more days, but I think things will be okay. Sometimes I can’t believe I get paid to do what I do.”

  “And you were scared you’d fail.” Central Avenue Cupcakes had far exceeded her expectations so far, and it looked like business would only pick up as more people heard about the cupcakes and the atmosphere.

  She shrugged. “I still am sometimes. But it lessens every day.”

  “I hope I’ve helped instill some confidence in you. Always know that no matter what, I believe in you.”

  She blushed. “Are you saying that as my fake boyfriend or as yourself?” she asked softly.

  “Myself.” He brushed his lips against her forehead. “And don’t forget it.”

  “Dinner is served,” a waiter announced to the small crowd mingling in the lobby.

  Jackson took Violet’s hand and led her into the ballroom. He glanced over his shoulder. It had been a shock running into Whitney. But hopefully she’d behave herself and leave them alone.

  Because the last thing Violet needed was any kind of scene this weekend. And Jackson was going to do all he could to ensure that things went smoothly.