The Chesapeake Diaries Series 7-Book Bundle: Coming HOme, Home Again, Almost Home, Hometown Girl, Home for the Summer, The Long Way Home, At the River's Edge

by Stewart, Mariah

  “I thought Olivia did those earlier,” Lucy said.

  “She wanted to hold off as long as possible so that the roses stayed fresh for the ceremony.”

  “Doesn’t she have them in water?” Lucy frowned.

  “She has each stem in its own little vial of water. But she said the direct sun wouldn’t be good for them, so to hold off.” Madeline looked up. “In another half hour, the sun will be behind those trees, so the flowers will hold up for the afternoon.”

  “Why are you doing them? And where is Olivia?”

  “She’s in the tents finishing up the flower garlands for around the tent poles. They proved to be a little more complicated than originally thought, so I offered to do this.”

  “And the trees with the white lights?”

  “Already set up and turned on.”

  “Great.” Lucy made her way to the inn and checked in with Gavin.

  “Are we good to go for the cocktail hour?” she asked.

  “Good as gold,” he told her. “Did you eat anything today?”

  “I had coffee.”

  Gavin signaled for one of the line cooks to bring him a plate of some of the pasta he made that morning.

  “Pear-and-goat-cheese agnolotti. Take this into the dining room, sit, and eat before you pass out.” He carried the plate for her and ushered her to a quiet table. “Rocco, bring Miss Sinclair a glass of iced tea, please.”

  “Are you going to sit here and watch me eat?” Lucy asked.

  “Of course not. I have work to do and you’re far too smart to let yourself run down when you have a very long day ahead of you.”

  “Thanks, Gavin.”

  The pasta was perfection, the cream sauce delectable, and for almost ten minutes, Lucy permitted herself to relax. Then it was back to work, her iPhone with its checklist in hand.

  “What else?” Daniel asked her when she walked into the reception tent.

  Lucy shook her head. “Nothing. Thank God, I think we’ve got it together after all.” She looked around. “Is Clay still here?”

  “He said something about helping Wade deliver some beer,” he replied.

  “So they did it? They made beer just for today?” Her eyes lit up. “That stinker didn’t even mention it.”

  “He wanted to surprise you.”

  “So did he say what’s in it? What makes it special?”

  “You’ll have to ask him. He said it would be here in time for the reception.”

  “Before we can have the reception, we have to get them married.” Lucy glanced around and saw that a few people had started to gather behind the chairs. “Oh, damn. I forgot the programs. Have you seen Madeline?”

  “She was headed back to the inn, last I saw her.”

  Lucy pulled her phone from her pocket and dialed Madeline’s phone. “The programs for the ceremony—”

  “—are in my hands and I’m on my way outside.”

  Lucy looked toward the inn and saw Madeline walking across the lawn.

  “You’re good,” Lucy told her in passing. “I’m going to go check on the bride. I think we’re okay out here now.”

  “Everything is under control here. The groom and his guys should be here in”—Madeline checked her watch—“less than thirty minutes now.”

  “You know what to tell them when they get here,” Lucy said. “I’m going to check up on the bride. I’ll call you if it looks as if there will be a delay.”

  She passed Daniel on the way to the inn and said, “Don’t forget, Susanna wanted flutes of champagne served while their guests are waiting for the ceremony to begin.”

  “Isn’t she worried that some people might overindulge?”

  “Apparently not, but I think someone should be vigilant if it appears anyone is asking for too many refills before the wedding.”

  More guests were beginning to flow from the inn to the lawn, and Lucy hurried up to the second floor. Everyone was dressed, hair and makeup applied, and the photographer, Karyn Park, had already been shooting for an hour.

  “Susanna, you make a stunning bride,” Lucy told her.

  “Thank you. I tried on a dozen dresses, but the second I saw this one, I knew it was mine.” Susanna turned slightly so that Lucy could get the full effect of the gown. It was a slim column of white silk, with a halter neckline and a wide belt of chiffon flowers.

  “Gorgeous.”

  Susanna beamed and turned her head so that Lucy could see the orchids that were wound into hair.

  “Like I said, gorgeous.”

  “Thanks, Lucy.” Susanna turned to her two attendants, who wore strapless dresses in navy silk with obi sashes in navy, pink, and orange. “Ladies, are we ready?”

  “We are so ready,” Mallory replied.

  “I’m ready.” Chloe jumped up.

  “Get your little basket of flowers,” Emme told her daughter.

  “Susanna, are you ready to walk down the aisle?” Lucy asked as they filed out of the room.

  “I am.” She took Lucy’s arm as they approached the steps.

  The musicians were ready, the guests were in place, the groom waited patiently and calmly for the appearance of his bride. One last check to make certain that all was as it was supposed to be, and Lucy gave the musicians the nod. Clarke’s “Trumpet Voluntary” began to play as Mallory and Emme began their walk through the rose petals to the gazebo. Next came Chloe, who seemed confused to find that there were already rose petals on the ground, but she tossed hers anyway, and Ian, who carried the rings tied to the satin pillow, which was just as well since he bounced the pillow all the way up the aisle.

  And then it was Susanna’s turn. To the strains of Pachelbel’s Canon in D, she walked unassisted to her groom, who met her halfway up the aisle to take her hand.

  The ceremony was beautiful, filled with personal stories about the bride and the groom delivered by Father Kevin with great humor and warmth, the vows lovingly exchanged. Lucy looked around the crowd for her mother, and found her seated in the first row next to Trula, who looked elegant in a silk dress the color of a creamy latte. She tried to recall if she’d ever seen Trula dressed up before, and came to the conclusion that she probably hadn’t.

  The strings began to play the recessional—Vivaldi’s “Spring”—the newly married couple made their way back down the aisle, and Lucy breathed a sigh of relief. The ceremony was over, the Magellans were married, and now, all she had to do was get everyone happily through the afternoon and evening.

  Clay watched from the second-floor balcony as Lucy orchestrated the events of the afternoon and the evening. It was the second time he’d seen her at work—he’d been a guest at Dallas MacGregor’s wedding—and had to give the woman credit for knowing her stuff. The entire affair flowed seamlessly from ceremony to cocktail party to dinner and dancing. Even to his eye—which admittedly wasn’t experienced when it came to evaluating social events like this one—it looked like one hell of a party.

  One-third of Lucy’s reason for being here was over, though, and that was a problem. She’d as much as said she wouldn’t be needed on-site very much for the July event, which meant she probably wouldn’t be around much until August. From the way things looked now, she might be here for a week or so in July, but it wasn’t what he wanted. He’d counted on her being home for the entire summer.

  He almost laughed at himself. Who was he kidding? As if Lucy spending the summer in St. Dennis would be enough to make him happy. Oh, sure, that would make him happier than home for a few weeks here and there, but still. If she was only around for a day here and a day there, she’d be working and there wouldn’t be time to do any of the things he’d planned on doing with her.

  Clay leaned on the railing and looked down to the lawn, where Lucy was hustling from one tent to the other then back to the inn. She was working her butt off for this wedding but looked totally happy doing it. He could relate. Was it a whole lot different from spending a day up on the old John Deere plowing up a chunk of acres? Didn’t t
hat give him the same satisfied smile he saw on her face?

  Wade came to the door and said, “Magellan beer is ready to make its debut, if you’re ready.”

  Clay nodded. “I’m ready.”

  He turned from the scene below and followed his partner downstairs. The problem wasn’t going to be solved today, and since she was leaving early on Monday to go back to the coast, it wasn’t likely to be solved anytime soon. But they had today, and tonight, and tomorrow, and he planned on savoring every minute.

  Chapter 23

  As Lucy had predicted, photos of the Magellans were everywhere the week following the wedding, many of them given freely by Karyn Park at Susanna’s request, so that most of the unauthorized photos taken found no paid home. Lucy had to admit to a twinge of pride when she passed by the newsstand in the airport on her way back to Los Angeles on Monday and saw a big photo of the inn on the cover of one of the weekly magazines. Everyone at Shaefer & Sinclair congratulated her on another job well done, and most importantly, well publicized.

  She spent a good portion of the flight back looking over the calendar for the next six weeks, and found one brief window of time—three days—that she could spend in St. Dennis. It just wasn’t enough. She’d been counting on at least the week before the anniversary party in St. Dennis, but with Bonnie basically out of the picture for who knew how long, Lucy was needed at the office. The plans for the anniversary party were, for the most part, finalized, and though Lucy’s presence at the actual event had been part of the deal, Madeline could do much of the legwork between now and the end of July. Unless, of course, Bob made a miraculous recovery and Bonnie came back to Los Angeles and stayed.

  “Not counting on that,” Lucy muttered.

  “Excuse me?” the woman seated next to her asked.

  “Oh, sorry. I was thinking out loud.” Lucy smiled apologetically, then closed her eyes and pretended to sleep.

  She was tired to the bone and wished she could sleep, but there was too much buzzing around in her head. She was still worn out from the wedding on Saturday and all the end-of-the-week festivities, the brunch, and the last of the afternoon teas yesterday afternoon for the few guests who remained and apparently thought that afternoon tea was an everyday occurrence. Though it probably should be, Lucy thought. It had been a lovely way to spend an hour.

  She couldn’t blame her fatigue completely on the wedding, after having spent both Saturday and Sunday nights with Clay. When she left St. Dennis that morning, it was with the growing realization that somehow, while she hadn’t been paying attention, she’d fallen in love with him. It hadn’t been planned, but there it was, and truth be told, she hadn’t fought very hard against it. Loving him had seemed the most natural thing in the world. It had hurt her heart to leave his bed and get on the plane. She went because she knew she had to, but it had taken all of her willpower, because she hadn’t wanted to go.

  Of course, now she’d have work to divert her attention from the pain of missing him, but she knew it wouldn’t be enough. Something would have to be done, and that something was going to have to start with Bonnie. If she couldn’t come to L.A. to talk about the situation, Lucy would go to Sacramento. One way or another, they both would have to face the fact that while their business was booming, both of their personal lives were suffering.

  Madeline is worth her weight in gold, Lucy was thinking as she hung up the phone. Besides having straightened out a small glitch in the menu for the anniversary party, Madeline had quietly taken care of a very important personal matter for her.

  Tomorrow Lucy would make the requisite appearance at the party and would stay until the last guest departed. Today—and tonight—she had other plans.

  She’d picked up the rental car and driven straight to the inn from the airport. She’d called Clay to let him know what time she’d be arriving, and suggested that he meet her at the inn.

  “We’ll have dinner,” she told him. “And then, well, who knows what the evening will bring.”

  He’d sounded a little down, but she hoped that was due to the work schedule he’d set for himself. It seemed he was always busy, always too much on his plate. Always crossing something off the list and moving on to the next.

  Much like myself, she thought drily.

  She visited with her mother and Dan for a few minutes, then begged off. Once in her office, she made a phone call, then sat at her desk feeling not a little smug. She spent the next half hour reading a contract that had just come in from her and Bonnie’s lawyer on the coast and making notes about two points she wanted to discuss.

  When she looked up and saw Clay standing in the doorway, she smiled and asked, “How long have you been there?”

  “Just a few minutes.”

  “Are you going to come in?” She got up from her chair and walked around the desk. She wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed him. For a moment, she thought he’d hesitated, and it caused a whisper of concern.

  “Is everything all right?” she asked.

  Clay leaned back against the desk and seemed to be studying her face. Finally he shook his head. “No. Everything’s not all right.”

  She started to ask, but before she could get words out, he said, “I thought I could do this. I thought it would be easier than it is. I thought if I worked myself into a stupor during the day, I wouldn’t miss you so much at night. I was hoping that once you went back to California, you’d find out that you couldn’t live without me any more than I can live without you. But that apparently hasn’t happened. I don’t think I can spend the rest of my life like this, LuLu, and I don’t know what to do about it.”

  Lucy thought about all the things she could say to reassure him, but decided that at this moment, showing might be better than telling.

  “Come with me,” she said. When he started to protest, she repeated, “Just … come with me.”

  She took him by the hand and they left the inn. When they got outside she told him, “I’ll drive.” They got into the rental car without discussion, and she drove into the shopping district. When she parked in front of his sister’s shop, he raised an eyebrow.

  “Cupcakes, Lucy? I’ve poured my heart out to you, and you want a cupcake?”

  “Trust me.” She got out of the car, and he followed her into the shop.

  “I guess you know what I came for,” Lucy said when Brooke came out of the back room.

  Brooke reached into her pocket and pulled out a key, which she handed to Lucy.

  “Thanks, Brooke.”

  “My pleasure.” Brooke smiled.

  “What’s going on, you two?” Clay regarded them both with suspicion. “What are you up to?”

  “Follow me.” Lucy reached for his hand. “And all will be revealed.…”

  She led him out of the shop and stopped in front of the door at the side of the building. She unlocked it with the key Brooke had given her, and together they went up the steps.

  At the top of the stairs they entered one large room.

  “I figured I could get Cam to divide this space for me. You know, a small reception area, an office for me, and one for an assistant. Then upstairs we’ll have a conference room and storage and a place for me to keep my props.” She paused and added, “I have a lot of props. We spent a fortune on those trees with the white lights that I used at Dallas’s reception and I can use them again.”

  Clay looked confused.

  “I’m not sure I’m following this,” he said.

  “Bonnie and I had a come-to-Jesus while I was in California, and we both agreed that in consideration of the fact that she wanted to stay in Sacramento, and I wanted to stay in St. Dennis, and neither of us was happy being tied to L.A., some decisions had to be made.” She leaned against the wall and watched his face. She knew the second the light dawned and he got what she was telling him. “So in view of the success we’ve had, we decided to open two other offices and leave the L.A. office in Ava and Corrine’s capable hands. It was time. Actually, it’s past
time that we expanded the business, but we were both too busy to give it as much thought as we should have. We both met with Ava and Corrine last week and agreed that in five years, they would become equal partners as long as the L.A. office continues to make money.”

  “Now, when you say you’re opening two other offices …” he said tentatively, “you mean …” His hand gestured around the room they were standing in.

  “Right. Here and Sacramento.” She grinned. “So, what do you think?”

  “Is that a trick question?” He scooped her up in his arms and swung her around. “When did you decide to do this?”

  “After the Magellan wedding. I went back that Monday and I was miserable. Everything made me cranky. The traffic, the people, the weather, the view from my balcony, and the guy who delivered the Chinese takeout. Nothing made me happy. And then I realized that the traffic was the same as it always was. The people hadn’t changed. The weather hardly ever changes. God knows, the view is always the same, and the poor delivery guy, he never did have much to say. The only thing that had changed was me. I didn’t want to be there anymore. I wanted to be here, with you. I wanted to wake up early in your bed at the farm and meet you for coffee after my morning run. I wanted to have lunch with my mom and see my friends in the afternoon for ice cream or a cupcake if the mood struck. But most of all, I wanted you.”

  “You’re serious? You’re moving your business here.…”

  “Right where you’re standing.”

  “Because you want to be with me?”

  “Every day of my life.”

  “I never would have asked you to do that. I wanted to, but I wouldn’t have.”

  “I know that. I know it had to be my decision. But once I realized how much I love you, there really wasn’t any decision at all. Except about the business, of course, and since everyone else agreed, everything fell into place.”

  “Say that part again, about how much you—”

  “Love you? I do.”

  “I love you, too. I always have.” Holding her, he swayed gently from side to side.

  “I wish I’d understood that, back when … when I was going through so much alone.”