The Marriage Match (Entangled Bliss) (Suddenly Smitten)

by Tracy March

  The weather had shown up beautiful for the garden party, and Cyn was grateful for that. She squinted against the gauzy morning sunlight. Please let everything else go well today. She’d worked so hard to plan a fun and memorable party—she’d even helped with the baking. Cyn and Paige had worked late into the night at Sweet Bee’s, preparing all the pastries fresh for the party—a boatload of petit fours, mini-cupcakes, and three kinds of pie, just like Paige had said.

  Later in the morning, as Cyn gazed across the gathered crowd in the gardens at Hawthorne Manor, she guessed that every one of those pastries would get eaten. This was definitely the largest crowd to attend one of the Queen’s garden parties, just as she had hoped.

  Chamber music from the string quartet complemented the birdsong lilting from every part of the garden. Lane would take over in a couple of hours and play classical guitar. Cyn milled around the gardens, chatting with friends, acquaintances, and strangers, smiling despite her heavy heart.

  “Lovely hat,” she said to Mrs. Barnes, an active retiree who wore a wide-brimmed white hat with blue tulle ribbon, a miniature bird’s nest nestled in the bow. She and her friends had commandeered one of the croquet courses. Other partygoers enjoyed badminton, horseshoes, and bocce ball. Cyn grinned, remembering the appalled look on the Queen’s face when she’d suggested having cornhole. To her surprise, the Queen had eventually approved. Young people gathered around the boards where competitors threw beanbags, each toss met with a cheer or a groan.

  Several children darted into the boxwood maze. Cyn’s heart sank. She’d think of Trent every time she saw or smelled a boxwood, from now until forever. But there was no time to dwell on her memories—she had a hundred more things to tend to today, like the catering.

  Eager to check out Paige’s display of their tasty handiwork, Cyn crossed the grounds to the dessert tent where Paige and Lane stood talking to a big, buff blond guy and a beautiful redhead…Cole and Liza? Cyn’s mood brightened and she hurried over.

  “You guys,” she said to Cole and Liza, “thanks for coming. I had no idea you were going to be here.” There were hugs all around, then Cole and Liza went back together like magnets, his arm clutching her waist, their heads tipped toward each other.

  “We heard there’d be pie.” Cole winked.

  “Don’t you have a game tonight?” Cyn asked him.

  “We’ll head down to DC in an hour or so. I’ll be later than usual getting to the yard, but I’ll try to make up for it at the plate tonight.” He flashed his all-star smile.

  “Great season so far,” Lane said. “But those games can be rough on the blood pressure.”

  “Guess you have the Nationals to thank for your job security,” Paige teased Lane. She clutched his hand, brought it to her mouth, and planted a kiss on it.

  Cyn blinked back her envy. Would she ever have a love of her own like Cole and Liza’s, like Lane and Paige’s?

  “Everything looks delicious,” Cyn said to Paige. “The display is so pretty.”

  Lane reached over and pulled a petit four off of one of the neatly arranged tiered serving trays. He popped it in his mouth, chewed, and nodded. “Definitely delicious,” he murmured between clenched teeth, his mouth still full. He grinned, flashing his sexy dimples.

  “The bakery was highly recommended.” Cyn bumped her shoulder against Paige’s. “I wish I could stick around, but I’ve got to get things ready for the Queen’s speech.”

  Liza scrunched her nose. “Always the highlight of the party.”

  Everyone laughed.

  Cyn hurried over to the stage where the chamber quartet played, and where the Queen would give her annual speech about giving back to the community and the importance of the garden club. This year people might pay more attention, considering she was giving away the trip to Adormecio immediately afterward. The Queen had insisted that they set up a big screen on the stage where they’d run video of the resort. Cyn wondered if she’d even be able to watch.

  Once at the stage, she rechecked the power to all the electronics and braced herself to face the Queen. She’d been lucky that the Queen had been away all week. Never good at hiding things, Cyn would’ve struggled to keep her role in the marketing campaign a secret. How was that going to work out now that the Queen had returned? Cyn tugged in a deep breath and straightened her sheer floral blouse. The party might be going well, but her insides were in knots.

  “Cyn?” a voice said from behind her.

  Trent? Her heart tumbled. Hadn’t he gone back to the islands after his week of meetings? She turned to see him standing there looking casually sexy in khaki pants and a bright blue oxford, sleeves rolled up.

  “Hi,” she said, racing to think of what else to say. “What a surprise.” Had that sounded breezy enough? “I thought you’d headed back to—”

  “I came to show you something.”

  “All the way here?”

  He nodded. “I need to steal you away for a second. Your place is close, so I thought we’d go there.”

  Cyn scanned the area as everyone continued on with the party, no one seeming to notice her and Trent. “But your grandmother will be making her speech in just a few minutes.”

  He leveled a serious gaze on her. “She can wait.”

  Cyn lowered her eyebrows and nodded, worried about leaving the party, but eager to find out why he was here.

  He led her out of the gardens and to her cottage. “You couldn’t have asked for better weather.”

  Surely he hadn’t come here to talk about that. She led him inside, feeling a little shaky with nerves. How could things have gone from intimate to awkward so quickly?

  “Have a seat.” Trent gestured toward the couch, then pulled a DVD from his back pocket and put it in the player. He grabbed the remote, turned on the TV, sat next to her, and pressed play.

  Cyn sat there stunned as she appeared on the screen along with the vivid Jamaican scenery. “Oh my God,” she said as Trent joined her in the video and their so-called love story played out onscreen. It brought back every emotion she’d experienced during the special moments Gordon had captured between her and Trent. His talent was exceptional—making everything seem so real, when none of it really was. The video ended with Trent and Cyn kissing in the sunset on the cliffs in Negril, Cyn’s colorful caftan catching the breeze. She swallowed back tears, remembering how things had been between them—at least for a couple of days, and one unforgettable night.

  Trent paused the video on a screenshot of the two of them kissing on the cliffs. “I wanted to show this to you before Gran plays it on the big screen outside.”

  Cyn’s stomach jumped into her throat. “She’s going to show it? At the party?”

  Trent nodded. “I thought you should see it first.”

  “So you and Mrs. Hawthorne are happy with how it turned out?”

  “It’s impressive, don’t you think?”

  “Gordon’s a genius. How did Mrs. Hawthorne take the surprise?” Cyn could hardly bear to hear his answer.

  “To quote her, she thinks the campaign is unquestionably brilliant.”

  At least there was that. Cyn exhaled and then struggled to tug in a breath. Trent’s piercing gaze bored into her and she dared not look him in the eyes. He reached over, smoothed his fingers along her jawline, and turned her head to face him. She tensed at his touch, knowing it would only make her long for more.

  “People fall in love all the time at Hawthorne Resorts,” he said, sitting tall and straight, confidence in his tone. “Maybe it’s the first time, maybe it’s all over again. I expect to see it happen, day after day.” He hesitated and cleared his throat. “But this time it happened to me.”

  Cyn’s eyes went wide as he took her trembling hand and laced his fingers between hers.

  “To everyone else, that will be just another advertisement.” He tipped his head toward the TV. “But I’m hoping it was more than that.”

  Cyn’s heart hammered.

  “You stepped into my lif
e unexpectedly. Caring and kind, flirty and funny, smart and sexy. Every moment I spend with you makes me excited for the next.”

  Cyn sank her teeth into her bottom lip, trying to calm herself.

  Trent gazed into her eyes. “I know we have our differences, but I think Gordon caught a real-life love story on camera,” he said huskily. “I just need to make sure you think so, too.”

  Cyn worried that her heart might burst. She held his gaze for a long moment, her thoughts racing with questions. “But—”

  Trent pressed his fingers to her lips. “I know about the bonus Gran was going to pay you, and how you needed it to save your parents’ house for them. Please tell me that’s why things went down the way they did in Jamaica.”

  She nodded. “I’m sorry, I just—”

  “It’s okay, I understand. And I want you to feel a hundred percent free to fall for me—hopefully as hard as I’ve fallen for you.” He gently swept a lock of hair away from her face. “So I made a special appointment at the bank today, and arranged to get your parents’ house out of foreclosure.”

  Cyn covered her mouth with her hand, the tears she’d swallowed back welling in her eyes. “No way,” she said, her words muffled behind her hand. “You did that for me?”

  “I did it for us.” He pulled her hand away from her mouth, gathered her into his arms, and tenderly pressed his lips to hers. Cyn melted into his kiss, finally certain that the feelings behind it were real.

  He pulled away and pressed his forehead to hers, his sultry gaze on hers. “I love you,” he whispered. “I know you’re worried about your job, and especially about what Gran will think—”

  Cyn glanced back at the television, caught sight of the time on the DVR, and leaped to her feet. “Oh no. Your grandmother’s speech.”

  She took off out the door with Trent close behind. They made it back to the party just as the quartet took a break and Mayor Quinn stepped onstage. Thank goodness things had kept running on autopilot. Cyn couldn’t say the same for her heart, which hadn’t stopped flying loops since Trent had said he loved her.

  Seeming unaware that Cyn had been missing, the Queen stood nearby looking relaxed and talking to a group of Red Hat ladies. She’d dressed festively in a lime-green linen pantsuit and a yellow blouse, a corsage of irises pinned to her lapel.

  Onstage, Mayor Quinn, who looked like a dead ringer for Alex Trebek, picked up the microphone. “Ladies and gentlemen, friends and neighbors, welcome to the annual garden party at Hawthorne Manor.”

  People gathered around, leaving behind their croquet mallets, bocce balls, and beanbags. “As always, I want to thank Fairleigh Hawthorne for her extraordinary generosity and her uncommon knack for choosing sunny spring days for this exciting event.”

  The crowd chuckled and applauded.

  Mayor Quinn nodded. “And now for a word from our delightful hostess.”

  The Queen joined Mayor Quinn onstage, hugged him, and took the microphone. “It’s always my pleasure to host you here in the gardens at Hawthorne Manor,” she said proudly. “Thank you for coming. Let’s have a round of applause for my hardworking staff and volunteers.”

  Cyn stood near the stage in a patch of shade, facing the crowd while Trent chatted nearby with a guy from high school. She scanned the happy faces of the townspeople, who clapped and cheered and whistled. Cole and Liza stood off to the side, next to Paige and Lane. Paige caught Cyn’s gaze, rolled her eyes, and smiled. They’d both heard enough of the Queen’s speeches, known to go on forever, and she always said the same thing. Cyn grinned at Paige, dying to tell her what had just happened back at her cottage.

  “This isn’t going to be my traditional speech,” the Queen said. “Because you all know how I feel about giving back to the community and the importance of the garden club.”

  Cyn bugged her eyes at the same time as Paige, and she tried not to laugh.

  “We should get right to the excitement,” the Queen said. “Let’s fall in love with Hawthorne Resorts.”

  The crowd cheered as she pulled a remote control from her pocket. With the press of a button, vibrant music began to play and a video lit up the screen. Cyn tensed as the beach in Jamaica appeared, the shimmering sea and brilliant sky…and herself, larger than life. Her stomach tightened.

  “That’s Cyn!” someone in the crowd called.

  “She looks so pretty,” another said. “And Trent!”

  Someone whistled.

  Trent stepped over and wrapped his arm tightly around Cyn. “Best movie I’ve ever seen,” he said.

  Cyn’s heart fluttered as she looked into the crowd and caught sight of Gordon, Jamie, and Stuart. Gordon lifted his glass to them, and Cyn smiled bashfully. Her gaze shifted to people in back and fell upon a middle-aged couple standing to the side.

  “My mom and dad?” she mouthed to Trent, wide-eyed.

  He nodded and smiled. “We’ll work on them together.”

  Cyn had envisioned the garden party being a success, but never one of this magnitude, with so much happiness in bloom.

  But there was still the issue of the Queen.

  The video ended with Cyn and Trent’s kiss, and the crowd applauded and whistled.

  “What you just saw was one of the new advertisements for Hawthorne Resorts,” the Queen said. “Most of you know Trent and Cynthia, who did a brilliant job in their parts. At first, I made the mistake of thinking that their love story wasn’t real, that they were only acting.”

  Cyn’s heart clamored as a wave of murmurs passed through the crowd. Trent pulled her close, his arm securely around her waist. Cyn felt the weight of people’s stares, but her gaze stayed riveted on the Queen.

  “But those two aren’t actors.” The Queen gestured toward Cyn and Trent. “They’re real people, with tender hearts and sincere feelings.” She looked Cyn in the eyes. “And if what appeared real on that screen is true off the screen, then I give it my stamp of approval witnessed by everyone here today.”

  The crowd cheered. Cyn barely had a moment to be stunned by the Queen’s declaration before Trent took her hand and led her onstage. Each of them hugged the Queen, and Trent took the microphone.

  “Just in case it wasn’t obvious to you in the video,” he said as he squeezed Cyn’s hand, “I love this girl. And I’m dying to know if she loves me.” He set his vulnerable gaze on Cyn.

  She struggled to tug in a breath. “I do,” she said softly.

  Trent beamed. “Two words I hope to hear again from you someday soon.”

  The crowd went wild as Trent took her in his arms and kissed her.

  “I love you, too,” she said shyly, the moment his lips left hers.

  “That’s my girl,” he said, and this time it was true.

  Trent held her close and handed the microphone to the Queen. Cyn stood there amazed that she was here with him, in love.

  “Now that you’ve seen what it’s like to fall in love at Hawthorne Resorts,” the Queen said, “I know you’re eager to win the all-expenses-paid trip we’re giving away to Adormecio, our gorgeous getaway on Andros Island in the Bahamas.”

  People clapped, looking hopeful.

  “Get your tickets ready,” the Queen said as Mayor Quinn brought over the big tin watering can filled with ticket stubs and handed it to her. “Mayor Quinn,” she said, “pick a winner.”

  Mayor Quinn pulled out a ticket and read the number, “Zero, zero, one, zero, three, eight, six.”

  “Oh my gosh, that’s me,” Lane’s nurse Alice called from near the front of the crowd.

  Everyone cheered for her, especially Cyn. She remembered the conversation she’d had with Paige’s dad, who’d really wanted to win the trip and take Alice. In essence, he’d won, too. Cyn caught his sparkly gaze and gave him the thumbs-up.

  …

  Cyn barely had time to change into her jeans and a sweatshirt before the knock came on the door of her cottage. The sun had set a couple hours ago, but everything was cleaned up from the garden party, the renta
l equipment ready for pickup on Monday.

  She flung the door open. “What a day,” she said to Trent, who swept her into his arms and kissed her.

  “You threw an awesome party,” Trent said. He came inside and closed the door. “You ready?”

  Cyn glanced down at her outfit and looked at him for approval. “Is this what you had in mind?”

  “I had that blue bikini from Jamaica in mind.” He raised his eyebrows, flirting. “But what you have on is perfect for where we’re going.”

  Cyn smiled, pleased that he liked it. “And where’s that?”

  “Someplace you’ve never been before.”

  Cyn widened her eyes. “To your man-suite on the second floor of Hawthorne Manor?”

  Trent grinned. “All in due time.” He rubbed his hands together. “But not tonight.” He clutched her hand, led her outside, and headed toward the pond.

  “I’m still stunned that your grandmother’s okay with…us.” Cyn could hardly believe she was part of an ‘us.’ With Trent! “What changed for her, you think?”

  “She just needed a little history lesson,” he said, and squeezed her hand.

  Someday Cyn would find out what had really happened, or maybe not. What mattered was that she and Trent were even more connected than they’d been in the video. In her cottage in Jamaica. In the petal-strewn bed—falling for each other and sincerely smitten.

  They reached the other side of the lake and Trent pulled a flashlight from one of the cargo pockets on his pants. He shone the beam along the tree line of the thick woods, and set it on an opening between the trees.

  “I’ve never even noticed that path before,” she said.

  “See? I’m here to take you all kinds of places you’ve never been.”

  “You already have.”

  Trent stopped, pulled her close, and kissed her tenderly. “You wait, babe. We’re just getting started.”

  Babe? Cyn’s heart took off sprinting. A teeth-clenching grin spread across her face.

  They ducked into the woods and onto a path too narrow for both of them.

  “Follow me closely,” Trent said. “And watch out for roots.”