Here Comes the Bride (Chapel of Love Book 3)

by Hope Ramsay

  “I admit that I’m a little surprised you went out with Andrew,” Pam said. “Were you just trying to annoy Brandon? That’s what Matt seemed to think.”

  “Matt? What does he have to do with it?”

  “Oh, he’s the one who saw you and Andrew. He said you looked like you were enjoying yourself. I know Andrew is reserved, but he can also be fun.”

  Laurie’s face felt like a three-alarm fire. “Uh, well, I think you have the wrong idea. I wasn’t out with Andrew last night. I had a blind date with someone else. It didn’t go well, I’m afraid. But I ran into Andrew, and we hung out for a little while.”

  “Ah, so Andrew came to your rescue. How romantic.” Pam smiled, and her blue eyes lit up. This was bad. Very, very bad.

  Thank God for Roxy, who changed the subject by asking, “Who was your blind date?”

  “His name was Connor Strickland.”

  “Oh my God, the guy who was profiled in Washingtonian magazine a couple of months back?” Roxy asked.

  “The very same. I thought it might be fun to go out with a millionaire, but he turned out to be a jerk.”

  “How did you get a date with him?” Roxy asked.

  Damn. She’d been cornered. At moments like this, the truth was always best. Besides, she was a terrible liar. “Well, as a matter of fact, he’s an old friend of Andrew’s.”

  Pam and Roxy exchanged glances. “So,” Roxy said, “Andrew is setting up dates for you and going along as your wingman?”

  “I guess so,” she reluctantly admitted, looking down at her coffee. This is what happened when one goes out drinking, wakes up with a hangover, and tries to have a conversation before a caffeine infusion.

  “So tell me, Laurie, what do you really think of Andrew?” Pam asked.

  Damn. Mrs. Lyndon had a truly avid look in her eye. Laurie had been warned that Pam fancied herself a matchmaker. Of course, in a way, Laurie wouldn’t mind being matched up with Andrew.

  But it was impossible. Everyone, with the exception of Pam Lyndon, would be horrified if she went out with Andrew. So she drew herself up straight and said, “He’s a good friend.”

  Pam nodded and smiled. “Ah, just so,” she said with an eager smile. “I’m so glad you appreciate Andrew. So many people don’t understand him. But, darlin’, I’m a bit surprised that you and Daniel didn’t hit it off. You two have so much in common.”

  Roxy’s face paled as Pam spoke, and her eyes flicked around the coffee shop as if she were searching for an avenue of escape. Good thing Laurie could put Brandon’s sister at ease. “You can relax, Rox. I don’t plan on going out with Daniel ever again.”

  “No?” Roxy sounded so hopeful.

  “Why not?” Pam asked.

  Laurie glanced at Pam and then back at Roxy. “Daniel isn’t interested in me. And I’m not interested in him. The truth is, he’s already in love with someone else.”

  Pam straightened her shoulders. “What? Who? Don’t tell me he’s heartbroken about that woman who left him at the altar. We were all glad to see her go.”

  “No, not Mia,” Laurie said, and then turned back toward Roxy. “I’m sorry I haven’t called you, especially after my date with Daniel. Andrew told me I should stay out of it, but you know, the truth is, Daniel spent the entire dinner date talking about you.”

  “Me?”

  “Roxy?” Pam asked, as if this was something she hadn’t thought about. “Roxy and Daniel are like oil and water, Laurie. They have never gotten along.”

  Roxy looked down at the table, hiding the smallest of smiles.

  Laurie ignored Pam and spoke only to Brandon’s sister. “Daniel said that he was grateful about the way you helped him with his custody battle. He was blown away by the way you stood with him. But he seems to think that a woman like you isn’t ready to be saddled with a two-year-old, probably because Mia wasn’t ready and he’s projecting his fears. Bottom line, Rox, you were the main subject of our conversation.”

  “Really?” Roxy looked up, a sheen in her dark eyes.

  “Yeah. And honestly, you’d be a fool if you let your pride get in the way. I know he went ghost on you last summer, but I think it’s because he’s afraid of being hurt again. So you probably need to make the first move. And I can attest to the fact that being left at the altar plays with a person’s self-esteem.”

  “The hurt can go both ways,” Roxy said.

  “Yeah, it can. But don’t you think Daniel is worth a try? I mean, if he says no to you, or runs away, you haven’t really lost anything, right?”

  “Except my heart. And maybe my pride for the second or third time.”

  Pam reached across the table and touched Roxy’s hand. “Darlin’, why didn’t you tell me?”

  Roxy’s face reddened. “I have. A dozen times. And you keep telling me that Danny hates me.”

  “‘Hate’ is a strong word. But you and Danny have never gotten along.”

  Roxy nodded. “Pam is kind of right about that. I mean, as kids we fought all the time. And last summer we had our moments. So…”

  “Well, at least you know the truth about my plans. Daniel and I went out once but nothing clicked.” She picked up her latte and stood. “It’s been nice catching up with you, but I have a dozen errands to run.”

  “Laurie.” Roxy stood up too.

  “What?”

  “I just wanted to say I’m sorry. You know, about Brandon. And about not calling you these last few weeks. I didn’t want to…” Her voice faded off.

  “It’s okay, Roxy. I understand. The truth is, I’ve gotten plenty of pity calls, and after a while they just get old. I don’t want anyone’s pity.”

  Roxy leaned in and spoke in a low tone that Pam couldn’t hear. “Good for you. But listen. As you can see, Pam wants to match you up with one of her nephews, but be careful. Not everyone likes that idea. The Lyndon boys are closing ranks around Brandon, and you being seen with Danny and Andrew has ticked everyone off. They think you’re stirring the pot. Are you?”

  Roxy had just called her out. She had gone out with Danny and Connor to annoy Brandon. But something else had happened last night with Andrew. Something she hadn’t been looking for. The irony was that she’d known from the start that Andrew was in a precarious situation. Kissing him in public wouldn’t make his life any easier. No doubt that’s why he’d put a stop to it.

  “No, I’m not stirring the pot. I’m just going out on dates. And for the record, Andrew is a friend. Just a friend, that’s all.”

  Chapter Ten

  On Monday just before noon, Brandon Kopp dropped by the Wilson Kavanaugh offices unannounced, stalked into Andrew’s office, and slammed the door behind him. “What the hell’s going on?” he said in a flat, angry tone as he crossed the carpet and leaned over Andrew’s desk.

  “So I see you got my e-mail about Laurie’s finances.”

  “What?”

  “You didn’t see my e-mail?”

  “I’ve been busy this morning. What about her finances?”

  “She asked me to talk to you about the mortgage. I gather she doesn’t have the money to make the payment. And she’d like to be reimbursed for the Bermuda trip. I sent you the details.”

  “She asked you to talk to me about our finances?”

  “Look, she’s upset and—”

  “Don’t BS me, Andrew. Matt was at The Park on Saturday. He saw you dancing with Laurie.”

  Andrew stood up to meet Brandon’s angry stare and tried to decide if this was a good or a bad development. The ambiguity of his feelings was enough to trigger a boatload of guilt. He’d kissed Laurie on Saturday, and even though he’d told her no and sent her home, he couldn’t get her out of his mind.

  “It’s not what you think,” he said.

  “No? Then you haven’t decided to gang up on me?”

  “Gang up on—no. I told Laurie I’d try to mediate your financial issues. She deserves to be paid back, Brandon. As for the nightclub, I ran into her on Saturday, and we hung o
ut for a little while.”

  “Oh my God, you are so naive. Don’t you see what she’s doing? I mean, first she goes on a date with Danny, and then she’s seen dancing with you, and apparently she also throws herself on your good nature and tells you all kinds of lies about our financial situation. Honestly, how did you fall into her trap? She’s purposefully creating a shit storm for me. For our friends. For our families. And you’re helping her.”

  “Brandon, please, lower your voice.” Beyond his glass wall, everyone in the bullpen was watching him. They’d been watching him for a while, ever since Noah had taken him off the AVIEN negotiations and given him no other visible assignment.

  “No, I won’t be quiet,” Brandon said in a belligerent tone. “Don’t you see? Laurie’s being totally vindictive and manipulative.”

  “Come on. Laurie’s not like that.”

  “No? Then what’s she up to? Look, I don’t want you hanging out with her or being her friend or advocate. So if you run into her again, you need to steer clear, understand? When you hang out with her, you’re just helping her create chaos. Honestly, I’m furious that you believed her when she told you I hadn’t paid the mortgage. I made the September payment before the wedding since I knew we’d be on our honeymoon. I hope you know me better than that. Dammit. She’s manipulating the crap out of everyone.”

  Wow. Brandon was behaving exactly like an angry litigant in a messy divorce. Andrew cast about for something calming to say but he didn’t get the chance because Noah strode through the door without knocking and said, “Hello, Brandon.”

  Brandon turned and physically wilted under Noah’s blue-eyed stare. Andrew knew the feeling. Noah could be incredibly intimidating when he wanted to be. “Hello, Noah,” Brandon said in a milder tone.

  The two men faced off awkwardly for a moment before Noah asked, “What’s the problem?”

  Andrew jumped on the question before Brandon said something that created more drama than was necessary. Besides, Andrew had nothing to hide. He’d done the right thing by protecting Laurie on Saturday, helping her sober up, and sending her home…alone. “Brandon is upset because my cousin Matt saw Laurie and me on Saturday night at The Park nightclub.”

  “You went out with Laurie?” A dangerous spark ignited in Noah’s bright blue eyes.

  “No,” Andrew said calmly, “it wasn’t a date. She was at the club, and I ran into her. We hung out for a while.”

  “Come on, Andrew, why on earth would Laurie ever go to a place like The Park? She hates hip-hop music,” Brandon said, folding his arms. His best friend was well and truly ticked off. That was kind of surprising.

  Noah said nothing, but his brow lowered.

  “I don’t know,” Andrew said in his coolest voice. “Maybe she had a date.”

  “No way she had a date,” Brandon said.

  “Why not?” Andrew countered. “She went out with Daniel.”

  Brandon scowled and shifted his gaze toward Noah and back again. “Andrew, don’t be stupid. Her date with Daniel was just a ploy to annoy me. And running into you wasn’t an accident. Val used to talk about salsa dancing at The Park all the time. I’m sure Laurie went there hoping to find you. She’s using you to get at me.”

  “Well,” Noah said, folding his arms across his chest, mirroring Brandon’s stance, “I don’t think you have any right to be upset about Laurie going out to a nightclub for any reason. I distinctly heard you tell my daughter that she needed to get out of the house and have some fun.”

  Brandon ignored Noah and continued to scowl at Andrew. “Look, don’t you see what she’s doing? We’ve argued about nightclubs so she decides to go there. We’ve argued about the Union Jack restaurant so she goes there. She gets on my case about how much time I spend with the guys, and she goes out on dates with my friends. She’s being a b—” He bit off the word.

  Noah cleared his throat and, in his usual cool voice, said, “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear you almost call my daughter something nasty and uncharitable, considering the fact that you left her at the altar. If she’s angry with you, she has good cause.

  “Also I will point out that Andrew isn’t required to avoid Laurie if he runs into her, whether it’s a club or some other place. What’s the matter? Are you jealous? Do you regret what you said on your wedding day?”

  Brandon’s posture changed. He glowered at Noah, his hands forming fists at his side. Noah stood his ground, and in his best, calm mediator voice, he said, “Perhaps the time has come for you and Laurie to sit down and try to work things out between you. I’m happy to give Laurie a call right now and—”

  “No.” Brandon took several steps toward the door. “I don’t have any problem with Laurie dating people. I really mean that. But right now she’s playing a game. She should be going out with someone new. Someone I don’t know. Until that happens, all this is just her trying to make me feel bad about what happened.”

  Brandon marched through the door and slammed it behind him. Not too surprisingly, everyone in the bullpen looked up over their cubby dividers as he stalked from the office.

  Noah’s mouth actually lifted at the corners. “Excellent job, Andrew. And here I thought you were hiding out in here brushing up your résumé. I have to say I’m surprised that you allowed yourself to be seen with Laurie. But then I suppose there’s nothing that gets to a man more than the idea of his best friend dating his ex-girlfriend.”

  Andrew said nothing while his guilty conscience tweaked.

  “Did she have a good time?” Noah asked, utterly flooring Andrew.

  “Uh, well, um. We danced.” His face grew warm, and he was sure that Noah noticed. His boss had taught Andrew everything he knew about reading body language, and Noah had just caught Andrew in a lie. He sat down behind his desk and waited for Noah to pounce.

  But he didn’t. Instead Noah said, “Salsa dancing sounds like fun. But Laurie isn’t much of a dancer. So I’ll ask my question again, did she have a good time?” He sat down in the side chair and stared at Andrew as if he could see right through him.

  “I taught her salsa dancing.” His voice cracked. Damn.

  Noah’s eyebrows reached for his hairline, and he gave the appearance of being utterly surprised. “Really? You and Latin dancing are two things that don’t exactly go together in my mind.”

  Andrew shrugged. “I used to date a Latina.”

  “And where is this Latina now?”

  “We broke up some time ago.”

  “Ah.” Noah leaned back in the chair and stroked his chin as if deeply in thought.

  Andrew kept his mouth shut. If Noah figured out how his feelings for Laurie had changed, Andrew would be in a mess of trouble.

  “You know,” Noah finally said, “Brandon has a point. We don’t want him thinking that Laurie is using you to exact revenge. I think it’s time to stop listening to your aunt Pam’s advice.”

  “What?” Andrew was gobsmacked. Had Noah been talking to Pam? Oh no, this was bad.

  Noah chuckled. “Yes, I have talked to your aunt. And I know she’s the one who suggested that Laurie go out with Daniel. She also told me that she thought Laurie ought to go out with you. I told her I thought that was a bad idea.”

  “Good thinking,” Andrew muttered.

  Noah nodded and continued to stroke his chin. “I think we need to change directions, set Laurie up on a date with someone your aunt doesn’t know. Someone handsome and well read,” he said. “Someone Brandon might regard as a threat or rival.” He paused for a moment and then snapped his fingers. “I’ve got it. Let’s send her on a date with Tobin.”

  Before Andrew could say a word, his boss got up and left, striding in the direction of Tobin’s office, three doors down. “Tobin,” he said in a voice loud enough to be heard by everyone in the bullpen, “I want you to go on a date with my daughter.”

  On Monday afternoon, Michael Altimari stopped by Laurie’s minuscule office to let her know that Winchester University had decided not to apply fo
r this year’s Walter Jephson Foundation grant. The Departmental Executive Committee, composed entirely of tenured professors, had decided at its meeting last Friday that her research proposal needed more work before it was ready to be submitted. Michael recommended waiting a year, working on the premise with him directly, and resubmitting.

  When she asked Michael to be specific about the proposal’s deficiencies, he gave her a lot of gobbledygook that added up to only one thing: Michael wanted credit for her research, and if she didn’t allow him in as a co-author, he would sabotage her career. Of course, he hadn’t said as much, but his offer to “work with her to strengthen the premise” was a flashing red light.

  She’d have to think about allowing him to co-opt her work. Going against him would make her life miserable, but giving him credit was a nonstarter. It completely chapped her backside when Michael finished delivering his news with a smile and then praised her for being an outstanding teacher. Michael Altimari was an ogler with passive-aggressive tendencies.

  So, she was in a black mood when her cell phone buzzed and the caller ID said it was Andrew on the line. Should she answer it?

  She considered for a moment, weighing the pros and cons. She definitely wanted to talk with him. Hell, she wanted to corner him in a dark, deserted room and kiss him until they were both senseless. But of course, he’d made it clear that he didn’t want to be cornered. And Roxy Kopp had warned her that pursuing Andrew would cause no end of trouble.

  Maybe it would be best to let the call go to voice mail. She let it ring three times and then couldn’t stop herself from pressing the connect button.

  “Hi,” she said, trying to sound cool and uninterested while her heart jumped around her chest. She felt like a teenager talking to a boy for the first time.

  “Hi,” he said, and then paused for a long time, as if he was trying to think of what to say. Maybe he was interested.

  And maybe she was an idiot.

  “What is it, Andrew? Spit it out,” she said.