by Hope Ramsay
Dad sat there blinking at Mom as if he were seeing her for the first time in years. “Is that why you left me?”
Laurie waited for the moment when Mom trotted out the usual accusations of Dad having an affair with his secretary. But they didn’t come. Instead, Mom’s eyes teared up. “I followed you because I loved you, Noah. But it’s hard to love someone who tells you you’re not worth anything. After a while, you start believing it.” She pushed up from the table. “Excuse me. I need to powder my nose.” She fled.
And to Laurie’s utter surprise, Dad stood up and ran after Mom, leaving Laurie alone. Again.
Andrew joined Brandon for a couple of beers at the Jay Bird Café on Saturday night but he left early in the evening, after assigning the groom’s care and feeding to Matt. No doubt Brandon would show up tomorrow morning hungover, but Andrew refused to feel sorry for the guy.
Instead he went home to his father’s house. It was after 10:00 p.m., but Dad was still in his office peering into his computer screen through a pair of half-moon glasses. Andrew knocked on the door frame of the open door and said, “Hey.”
Dad looked away from the computer. “Hi. You’re home early.” He pushed his glasses up onto his forehead, where they rested against his eyebrows. He looked a little comical.
Andrew strolled into the room and collapsed into the big leather chair by Dad’s desk.
“What’s the matter?” Dad asked, as if he could sense Andrew’s deep disquiet.
Andrew drew in a breath and let it out slowly. “I need your advice.”
Dad leaned back in his chair, a smile curving his lips. “That’s music to every father’s ear.”
“What would you say if I told you I was thinking about calling Uncle Charles and asking for a job in the Virginia office of LL&K?”
Dad huffed out a breath. “Son, I’m pretty sure that Noah Wilson would take you back if you asked him.”
“What makes you say that? I said some pretty over-the-top things to him when I quit.”
“Because I happen to know that he has very high regard for you.”
“Well, maybe not anymore. Besides, Wilson Kavanaugh is in financial distress. So it might be better for me to look for something else. Like, for instance, that open associate position at Lyndon, Lyndon & Kopp.”
“So you don’t want to be a mediator anymore?” Dad leaned back in his swivel seat and took off his eyeglasses.
“I do. But I feel as if I’ve broken the basic tenet of mediation. I allowed myself to get involved in a dispute where I was not impartial. And I did it for wholly selfish reasons.”
Dad didn’t say anything for a very long moment while he played with his glasses. His mouth curved downward in a thoughtful frown. “This wouldn’t happen to have something to do with Brandon and Laurie, would it?” he finally asked.
“It might have something to do with that.”
“Might? Son, you stepped in to save the bride the instant Brandon abandoned her. But, of course, she is your boss’s daughter, after all. So maybe I’m wrong about you. Maybe all that kindness you showed to Laurie on her first wedding day was just your way of sucking up to Noah.”
“No,” he said. “That was before—” He bit off the rest of his sentence.
“Before what?”
He let go of a long sigh. “Before Noah asked me to do whatever I could to get Laurie and Brandon back together.”
“And this was a problem because…?”
Andrew leaned forward in his chair and braced his elbows on his knees and studied the carpet. “Dad,” he said, “if some guy left Amy at the altar, would you be all hell-bent to get her back together with the bastard?”
Dad chuckled, and Andrew looked up. “Okay, I see what you mean. I have to admit, if any guy dumped Amy at the altar, I would probably go after him with a baseball bat. But then keep in mind that I’m not a fount of wisdom when it comes to stuff like this. After all, I tried to break up Amy and Dusty, and I also tried to manipulate her into marrying that Carson jerk.”
“Okay, I can almost understand that, Dad. I mean, you tried to keep Amy safe when she got involved with Dusty because you didn’t think Dusty was right for her. But Noah wanted Laurie married to Brandon even after Brandon dumped her and humiliated her.”
Dad squinted at him. “Are you entirely sure that’s what Noah wanted? I mean, on the day of the wedding, Noah didn’t have a baseball bat but he went after Brandon with his fists. Uncle Mark and I intervened.”
“So I heard.”
Dad leaned forward on his desk. “Okay, so where did you get the idea that Noah wanted Laurie and Brandon to reconcile?”
Andrew thought back to that day when Noah first broached the subject. “He told me that he wanted Laurie to get out and date people. I remember he asked me to set her up on dates with my friends. But he also said he thought it might make Brandon realize the error in his thinking. Noah really seemed to believe that Brandon’s cold feet stemmed from the stress of planning a wedding, not because Brandon had fallen out of love with Laurie.”
Dad stood up. “I think we need a drink,” he said, getting out of his chair and crossing the carpet to the small bar hidden away in his bookshelf. “Bourbon?”
“Sure.”
Dad poured the drinks and crossed the room, sitting in the second chair. “I think I can provide a little bit of clarity for you.”
“About what?”
“About the situation you find yourself in.” Dad leaned back in his chair. “First of all, let me assure you that Noah’s only objective has been to see his daughter happy. But I’m afraid things got a bit muddled when your aunt Pam interjected herself into things.”
Andrew sat up straight. “What?”
“Come on, Andrew, surely you realized that Aunt Pam has been skulking around creating chaos behind the scenes.”
Andrew frowned. He did know this, but he’d discounted it. Pam had certainly suggested that Laurie go out with Danny. And on two separate occasions, Noah had mentioned speaking with Pam. Damn. Why hadn’t he connected the dots?
Dad chuckled. “I know. It’s so easy to ignore her. But you do that at your peril. The truth is, after the wedding debacle, Pam happily volunteered to take charge of Laurie and find her a suitable husband.”
“Okay. That sounds exactly like her.”
“Well, of course your uncle Mark wasn’t about to let Pam do that. So he suggested that Laurie didn’t need a husband; she just needed to go out on a few dates. He’s the one who suggested that Noah rely on you to find dates for Laurie. His theory was that you would make sure Laurie remained safe at all times because that’s the kind of man you are.” Dad gave him a proud smile.
“Uncle Mark set me up?”
“Yes, I’m afraid so. But his motives were pure.”
At a loss for words, Andrew drained his drink.
“Good thinking. Let’s have another.” Dad headed to the bar and returned with the bottle of bourbon.
He refreshed their drinks and then said, “I’m afraid it gets worse.”
“Worse? How long have you know about this?”
Dad’s face reddened. “I’m afraid I’ve known for quite some time. But it seemed like the plan was working. Laurie was getting out and having some fun, and Brandon was losing his mind. But then everything changed. I should have put a stop to it then, but…” He let go of a long sigh.
“How did it change?”
“When Matt saw you dancing with Laurie, Pam started to wonder if you and Laurie were becoming more than friends. And then I gather she ran into Laurie at the coffee shop one day and became convinced that you and Laurie were falling in love because Laurie insisted that you were just friends.” Dad rolled his eyes. “I’m sorry. Sometimes your aunt makes no sense at all. It seems to me if a person says she’s just friends with someone, it ought to be taken at face value.” Dad finished his drink.
“Wait,” Andrew said. “If Pam thought I had a thing for Laurie, why did she set me up with Lindsay?”
“That, my dear boy, was part of what became known as Plan B.”
“Plan B?” Andrew poured himself another glass of bourbon. Something told him that he didn’t want to remain sober.
“Plan B began with an effort to ascertain if you and Laurie were more than merely friends,” Dad said. “When neither Noah nor Pam were able to determine this, they decided to see how you’d react if each of you were set up with someone else.”
“Tobin Grant,” Andrew said, his face growing warm.
“Exactly. Noah sent Laurie on a date with Tobin because Tobin is your rival. He expected you to react. But you didn’t.”
“And then Pam set me up with Lindsay.”
“Yes. But Laurie showed up to the ball with that Marine. It became obvious that Plan B was a figment of your aunt’s imagination. This should have surprised no one, given Pam’s matchmaking track record.”
“Right.” Andrew poured another drink and downed it. He was starting to feel numb, which, all things considered, wasn’t a bad way to feel.
“Laurie really surprised us all the night of the ball showing up with that Marine. I’m sure that was entirely for Brandon’s benefit. But, wow, she looked quite beautiful that night, didn’t she?”
“Yes, she did.”
“So you see, there wasn’t any reason for you to resign from Wilson Kavanaugh. And it’s no wonder that Noah finally lost his temper on the day he fired you, if you accused him of manipulating his daughter. But I’m sure you and Noah can mediate this dispute if you go to him and tell him the mistake you made.”
“What mistake?”
“Andrew, you assumed that Noah wanted you to manipulate Laurie into taking Brandon back because of a law firm merger. Charles told me about that one. Honestly, Andrew, you need to take a vacation or something.”
“But Noah did have conversations with August about a merger.”
“So what? He wasn’t using his daughter as a bargaining chip. But in any event, everything worked out just fine, despite Pam’s silly Plan B, and your mistaken assumptions about Noah’s motives. Brandon and Laurie managed to reconcile without anyone’s help. And now everything will be back the way it’s supposed to be.”
“You think so?”
“Of course. Brandon and Laurie are getting married tomorrow. The only loose end is what happens to you.”
“I’m not a loose end.” Andrew stood up, taking the bottle with him as he left the room.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Courtney had seen a lot of crap in the two years she’d been managing events and weddings at Eagle Hill Manor. But this was the first time the parents of the bride had gone missing. Noah Wilson and his estranged wife had been seen last at the Red Fern Inn, where they had apparently quarreled and left Laurie alone to pick up the bill.
“I don’t know where they could be,” the bride said as she paced the little room just off the Laurel Chapel’s vestibule. “I’m really worried. They haven’t responded to any text messages.”
Laurie wore her wedding dress, which fit a little too snugly around her boobs. She’d definitely put on a little weight since the first wedding day. And the skin around her eyes looked puffy, as if she might have cried herself to sleep last night. She’d tried to cover up the damage with concealer, but all that had done was give her a reverse raccoon look.
In short, Laurie was a mess.
Courtney wrapped her arm around the bride. “Relax. Take a few deep breaths.”
“I can’t. The dress is too tight. I knew I shouldn’t have binged on ice cream and pizza.”
“Yeah, well, it’s all going to be okay. I’ve called Ryan, and he’s done me a favor and put out a BOLO on your parents. The SFPD is searching for them right now. Normally they’d have to be missing longer than overnight for a search like that.”
“Thanks,” Laurie said with a shaky breath.
Her phone buzzed. “Oh, thank God,” she said, snatching it from her purse. “Damn, it’s not Mom. It’s Roxy.”
Courtney watched as Laurie answered the phone. She couldn’t hear what Roxy was saying but the look that marched across Laurie’s features was practically heartbreaking. Courtney had to hand it to her though; Laurie didn’t cry. A lot of other brides would be sobbing by now.
“What is it?” Courtney asked when Laurie ended the call.
“It’s Roxy. She’s been in an accident.”
“Oh my God, is she all right?”
“She’s fine, but her car has been totaled. She’s going to be at least an hour late.”
“Damn. We can’t wait.”
“Why?”
“The JP is booked solid today. She squeezed you guys in as a favor. She doesn’t have an hour to wait around.”
“But I need a bridesmaid.”
“I’ll do it. Or you could ask Amy. I’m sure she’d stand up for you.”
“No, it’s okay. I think I’d rather have you.”
“Okay. I’ve got to go check on some things, and I’ll be right back. Do you want me to send Amy in to sit with you?”
Laurie shook her head. “No. I’m fine.”
Courtney left the bride’s waiting area and headed to the little room behind the altar where the groom and best man were staged. Unlike Laurie, Brandon had plenty of friends supporting him in his last hours as a single man. It looked as if the entire Lyndon clan had come out for the occasion.
“Okay, guys, are you ready?”
They turned as one. “No,” Brandon said. “Andrew’s not here.”
Courtney scanned the group. Brandon was right. Andrew was conspicuously missing. “Well, where the hell is he?” she asked.
“We don’t know. He’s not answering his texts or phone calls. The last time I saw him was last night at the Jay Bird around nine,” Matt said.
“What the…” She refrained from saying the f-word out loud. “We don’t have a father of the bride, or a bridesmaid, or a best man. This is great.”
“What do you mean? Where’s Roxy?” Brandon asked.
“She got into an accident. Don’t worry, she’s fine, but she’s not going to make it in time.”
Brandon started pacing. “I can get married without my sister, but not without Andrew.”
“Well, you’re going to have to, if you want to get married today,” Courtney said. “The JP has to leave in the next thirty minutes.”
“I knew we should have eloped to Vegas,” Brandon said.
“It’s too late for that now. You don’t get to call off a wedding twice.”
“Don’t get snarky, Courtney,” Matt said.
Courtney zeroed in on the man she’d been fantasizing about. He looked as gorgeous as ever in a gray business suit with his dark hair curling over his forehead. She was every kind of idiot for not availing herself of all that male goodness when she’d had the chance. Chalk one up for stupidity. “Hey, you,” she said, grabbing Matt by the worsted of his suit sleeve. “You’re nominated to be the best man.”
Matt pulled his arm out of Courtney’s grasp. “You know I really don’t feel comfortable—”
“Shut up,” Courtney said. “This is your penance for luring Brandon on a trip to Bermuda to pick up women, not to mention the fact that you took Lindsay to a no-tell motel.”
“You are a man-hater, aren’t you?”
“Yup. That’s me. Okay, does someone here have the rings?”
“I’ve got them,” Brandon said. “Good thing I didn’t give them to Andrew last night.” He handed the rings to Matt.
“Okay, you guys, it’s show time. Get your butts out there. Right now.” She literally pushed Matt and Brandon out the door into the sanctuary, following after them. She cued the organist and then hurried to the back of the church.
As she opened the door to the bride’s waiting room, panic spiraled through her. Laurie looked like a zombie going through the motions. She was as white as her dress, with two ugly splotches of color on her cheeks. The universe had spent all morning throwing impediments at this
wedding. Why the hell had Courtney been working so hard to make it happen?
Laurie studied herself in the full-length mirror. The cleaner had done an amazing job on her wedding dress. No one would ever know that she’d thrown up on it. The Alençon lace still dripped from the gown’s bodice, and the Swarovski crystals still sent colorful sparks of light up the walls and ceilings. The tulle skirt still puffed out in true princess fashion.
But she didn’t want to be a princess anymore. And really, the woman staring back at her didn’t look like a princess.
The door opened, and Courtney stepped inside. “We can’t wait for your parents anymore. The JP is already getting antsy. You’ll have to give yourself away.”
“Okay,” she said in a small voice.
“And there’s one other snafu.”
“Oh?”
“The best man is missing too. Matt’s standing in.”
“Andrew’s not here?” Laurie didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She’d lost a lot of sleep last night wondering how it would feel to walk down the aisle and have to see Andrew standing there while she married Brandon. So maybe it was a good thing.
Or maybe he’d had an accident too. “Do we know where he is?” she asked.
“Apparently not. Honestly, I’m starting to think that Shenandoah Falls has been invaded by body snatchers or aliens or something.”
“I’m kind of worried about him. And Mom and Dad. At least we know where Roxy is.”
“Look, we’ve now got fifteen minutes to make this happen before the JP turns into a pumpkin. So are you ready to rock and roll? Are you sure you want to go through with this?”
“Yes,” Laurie said, squaring her shoulders. “I just want to get this over with. I just want to be married and settled, you know?”
Courtney shook her head. “No, I don’t, really. But okay, whatever you say. Let me give the JP the high sign and cue the processional music.”