by Katie Reus
“Did you just quote Will Ferrell?”
She laughed and laid her head back against the headrest. “I can quote most of his movies. And I’m not even embarrassed.”
If it was possible, he adored her even more now. She wasn’t from Redemption Harbor originally, not like him. But she’d been basically recruited by Skye so he had no doubt that she could be trusted. What he’d learned over the past couple months was that she used to be an analyst for the CIA—which was how she’d met Skye and Colt, two of the other founders of Redemption Harbor Consulting. She’d hated her job and had quickly found work in the private sector instead. But after a bad experience with her former boss, she’d quickly jumped at the opportunity of a new job and a new city. And it seemed as if she’d settled in very quickly, already making new friends. She was outgoing and friendly, whereas he was not. Another reminder that even if she was interested in him, they were too different.
“If you ever want to do a movie marathon at Brooks’s place, he’s got that movie theater room.”
“Yeah I heard about that from Valencia. She thinks it’s the coolest thing ever.” Valencia, Olivia’s six-year-old daughter, had quickly stolen everyone’s hearts, including Nova’s. “And speaking of, did you know that Skye was teaching her to pick locks? Or more importantly, does Olivia know?”
He glanced over at her as he pulled up to a red light. “I did not know. And I’m not going to be the one to tell Olivia.”
Nova laughed again, the sound music to his ears. She was way out of his league, and even if they didn’t work together, he wouldn’t ask her out. He was just glad that she didn’t have a boyfriend or someone he had to see her with. He actually didn’t even want to think about how that would feel because sooner or later someone would scoop her up. They would be stupid not to.
When his phone buzzed on the center console, indicating an incoming text, he nodded at it. “Will you check that text?” he asked before giving her the code. Normally he only received texts this late if it was work—and an emergency.
“Ooh, giving me your cell phone code was very brave.” She picked it up and swiped her fingers across the screen. “It’s Brooks, and it’s a group text. He apologized for leaving the party so abruptly. He just wanted to let everyone know that he’s okay.”
“Thanks.”
“So…what happened? Why did he leave?”
“I’m not sure.” But Gage had a pretty good idea it had to do with a woman named Darcy. A woman’s name that he’d only very recently learned by being in the same room as Brooks and his dad during a very awkward conversation. He’d wanted to ask Brooks about her, but had decided not to push.
“You’re totally holding back.”
He glanced at her as he turned down her street. She lived in a fairly new subdivision that consisted of houses and townhomes.
“Oh, the GPS is weird here. Turn left at this street and we’ll get there quicker.”
Gage didn’t necessarily want to get to her house quicker, but did as she said. “I’m not holding anything back.”
“You’re such a liar.”
He glanced at her. “Why are you so sure?”
“Your face does this weird thing when you’re lying.”
“I’m not technically lying, but okay, I have an idea why Brooks left the party abruptly.” And he wouldn’t be sharing it with Nova or anyone.
“Well duh, it’s because of a woman.”
He glanced at her again.
“What?” she asked.
“How did you come to that conclusion?”
She shrugged and his gaze automatically flicked to the smooth, creamy expanse of her arm and shoulder. Seriously, her shoulder turned him on. He had issues. “He’s been kind of distracted ever since I started working for you guys. And…”
“What?”
“I don’t want to say. Because it will sound like I was snooping or eavesdropping, but I wasn’t,” she tacked on.
“Come on.”
“Fine. But you have to promise not to say anything to anyone. I don’t consider this gossip since it’s you.”
He wasn’t sure how to respond to that. “Okay.”
“Say you promise,” she said as he steered into her driveway.
He bit back a laugh. “Yes, I promise I won’t say anything.”
“I stopped by his office a month ago to bring him something, I can’t even remember what, and heard him ordering flowers. Who does that over the phone anyway? I’m surprised he didn’t just do it online, but yeah, I heard him ordering flowers for a woman. And when he started to give the text for the card, it was an apology. I hurried away before I could hear too much, but he was clearly sending flowers to a woman and apologizing for something. I can’t even imagine Brooks doing something wrong. He’s all cowboy charm and niceness.”
Gage felt a strange pang inside him at the way she talked about Brooks. It wasn’t romantic, but all the same it still bothered him. “So what’s this thing I do with my face?” He didn’t want to talk about Brooks anymore.
She snorted. “I’m not telling you because then you’ll stop doing it.” Then she glanced in the back seat and sighed. “Jen is probably going to have a hangover tomorrow morning. And I’m going to be the lucky one who gets to drive her back to the country club to search for her purse.”
“You’re a good friend.”
“She is too,” Nova said. “Tonight was just a bad night for her.”
“Come on, I’ll help you get her inside.” Gage helped Jennifer out of the back seat and thankfully the woman seemed more sleepy than anything else because she was able to walk on her own—for the most part. She used Gage’s forearm to steady herself as they headed up the front steps to Nova’s place.
Her townhome was two stories and not actually connected by walls to her neighbors, but there was no yard space. He laughed when he saw the little welcome flag at the bottom of the steps. It said “Welcome to the Nut House.”
As he followed Nova inside, he frowned when he didn’t hear the telltale sound of a security system beeping. Shutting the door behind them, he said, “Did you forget to set your alarm system?”
She flipped on the light in the foyer. “I don’t actually have one yet. I keep putting it off.”
He didn’t like the thought of that at all, even if this was a safe area. It wasn’t like he had a say in the matter, but he still didn’t like it. “Do you need help with anything else?”
“Nah, but thank you again for picking us up.”
“Yes, thank you,” her friend slurred. “Normally I don’t drink so much and I’m sorry your first impression of me is this.” Or he was pretty sure that was what she said. Then Jennifer continued, “Now I’m going to go throw up and go to bed.”
Nova just shook her head as her friend stumbled down a short hallway.
“I’m going to ask you something and if you say no, it’s okay,” Gage said.
Nova straightened, her expression shifting slightly. “Okay.” She looked almost wary.
“Since you don’t have a security system, I want to do a sweep of your house before I leave. Which, yes, I know you probably think is insane. But with what we do, I’m not going to be able to sleep tonight without checking out your place. So it’s actually a selfish request.”
Her body language completely changed, her mouth falling open slightly. “Are you serious right now?”
“Yes. And…I’m going to insist you get a security system installed. The company will pay for it. It’s standard for new employees.” Okay, that was total bullshit since she was the only new employee other than the founders. They weren’t even a year old. And they operated in shades of gray. Their consulting company was more or less a cover. They helped people who needed it and couldn’t afford to go to the police or law enforcement. It was actually how Savage had met Olivia in the first place. She’d come to Skye, her college best friend, because she’d been threatened and blackmailed. And there was no way she could go to the cops.
; For a moment, he thought he’d pissed Nova off. But then she let out a light laugh and held out her arm like Vanna White. “Go knock yourself out. But stay out of my underwear drawer.”
He snorted and headed toward the nearby stairs. “No promises.”
“We’re going to talk about that whole security system thing later,” she called after him.
She could talk about it all she wanted, but it was happening. He had the most intense urge to protect her. He wasn’t stupid—he knew nothing would ever happen between them. But that didn’t matter. He was still going to look out for her.
Chapter 4
—Why does life have to be so complicated?—
Two days later
Darcy stepped out of her office as she heard the telltale jingle of the front door of her shop being opened. She had an appointment scheduled early in the morning with a couple. Potential new clients who wanted to get married very soon. They’d just gotten engaged and were looking to fast-track something.
Which was something she could definitely do.
She smiled at the man and woman as she covered the distance of her shop to greet them. Her place was basically a display of wedding dresses from designers and boutiques she worked exclusively with, examples of cakes and pastries from the bakery she worked with, and she had an entire wall of display boards featuring weddings she’d planned. “Hi, I’m Darcy Cooper. You guys must be Olivia and Zac?”
The petite Asian woman smiled easily and nodded. Her fiancé nodded briefly, and while his expression wasn’t unfriendly, it also wasn’t approachable. He had more of a neutral expression as he glanced around her place. His stance was similar to one Brooks took whenever entering a new place— Damn it. No thinking about him today.
“Thank you so much for meeting with us on such short notice,” Olivia said. “I’m in the process of moving to Redemption Harbor with my daughter so we’ll be planning a wedding and finding a place to live at the same time.” She shot the tall man next to her a sideways glance and said, “Unless we decide to move our wedding date to the end of the year?”
The man just softly snorted and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. “Nope. You’re going to be my wife as soon as possible.” He leaned down and murmured something to Olivia that Darcy couldn’t hear. Whatever it was, it made the other woman smile.
Darcy’s heart melted a little. “I’m going to go ahead and lock the front door,” she said. “I don’t normally get much foot traffic this early, but just in case, I don’t want any interruptions of our meeting.” She wouldn’t even be open officially for another few hours, which was why she normally scheduled meetings with potential new clients early. No interruptions. “Can I get you guys something to drink? Sparkling water, regular water, coffee, cappuccino or latte?” she asked as she moved to the front door.
“Coffee would be great,” Olivia said.
“Coffee,” Zac murmured as well.
“Great, just give me a few minutes, then. Feel free to look around or make yourself comfortable in the seating area.” She motioned with her arm to the three couches in one corner of the shop. She’d chosen the furniture specifically, the navy blue tufted couches feminine but comfortable enough to fit anyone. There were also ivory throw pillows, shimmery blankets, and a crystal chandelier overhead, giving the area a whimsical feel. It had been made for function and comfort. She wanted people feeling good enough to talk about everything they wanted, and a stuffy, conference room-type setting would have been too boring for people planning such a big life event.
A few minutes later she carried in a tray with a fresh coffee carafe, complete with cream, sugar and three mugs—and of course pastries. When meeting with new clients, she always had samples from the bakery she used for weddings. If a client had already decided on a bakery, then she did what the client wanted, but for the most part, ninety percent of the couples she’d worked with had used Cora’s Cakes.
As Zac began pouring coffee for the three of them before she could even try, she sat down across from the couple. “So you’re moving to Redemption Harbor?”
“Yes, it’s something we’re really excited about,” Olivia answered. “Zac is actually from here so I’m the one moving.”
“It’s a wonderful place.” Darcy had moved here with her mom and sister when she’d just been ten and she loved it. Never wanted to move anywhere else, if possible. They made small talk for a few more minutes before Darcy said, “Since your wedding will be taking place so quickly, finding a dress and a venue will be very important.”
“Oh, we actually have a venue,” Olivia said.
“That’s great. Where?” She hoped it was a place she’d already worked with before. That would make things a lot easier for her, but at the same time, she was always open to making new contacts and expanding her business.
Zac cleared his throat. “Some friends of ours were married at the Alexander Ranch. And I’m friends with the owner. We’d like to get married there. It’s open any time in the next couple months.”
It took Darcy a few seconds to understand what he meant. “The Alexander Ranch? As in, the estate owned by Brooks Alexander?” What the heck?
“Yes. He actually recommended you to us. Said you were the best. Since we’re business partners, I trust him.”
Olivia elbowed her fiancé playfully. “They’re more than just business partners. They’ve been best friends since they were teenagers.”
Zac Savage. Darcy hadn’t even put the two together when she’d first read Olivia’s email. But she recognized the name. Brooks had talked about him often when Darcy and Brooks had been together, usually just calling him Savage. Which was why she hadn’t made the connection. He’d been overseas doing…something. She wasn’t sure what, as Brooks had been vague about the man’s job. Something to do with the government.
Even though she felt beyond awkward that this man was best friends with her ex, she wasn’t going to turn down work because of something personal. Especially since it wouldn’t interfere with her job. Sure, she might have to see Brooks a couple times if he was in the wedding, but their contact would be limited. And, okay, being able to add a wedding at the Alexander Ranch to her portfolio was incredible. As far as she knew, they’d never done any weddings out there. Well, obviously they’d done one, if Olivia and Zac’s friends had gotten married there, but it definitely wasn’t open to the public. This could be huge for her business, to be able to add that to her portfolio.
She smiled warmly, not having to fake it. These two seemed nice and, well, she’d just have to deal with Brooks’s involvement. “Well that’s great, then. That’s a huge thing off your list. Next, we’ll talk about wedding dresses…”
She spent the next hour with the couple and could clearly see the love between the two of them. And even though Zac seemed intimidating, it was obvious how much he loved the woman next to him—and her daughter, Valencia, who would be the flower girl. Whenever he talked about her, his entire countenance changed and he actually looked nice. Maybe not teddy bear soft, but definitely approachable.
By the time they’d finished going over everything, she knew she was officially hired before they’d even said it. Sure, she might have been recommended by Brooks, but she could tell enough about these two that they hadn’t been completely decided until now. Which was smart. They would be working with her and needed to like and trust her.
“You’ve given us a lot of information but I feel a lot saner now. The thought of planning a wedding and finding a house at the same time was daunting, but not so much anymore.” Olivia stood as she spoke, Zac standing with her.
Darcy followed suit and smiled at the two of them. “My job is to make sure this is a fairly painless process for you. Please take your time deciding if you’d like to work with me—”
“We would,” Olivia said even as Zac nodded. “And given our time frame, it sounds as if I need to start looking at dresses and figure out who we’ll use as a caterer.”
“You’re in
luck, I have a couple tastings already set up next week. I can add you to one of them.”
“Perfect. I’ll get in touch with you later about the exact dates and our schedule.”
She started to respond but stopped as she heard a little knock. Turning around, she saw her sister standing behind the glass door, holding her own fiancé’s hand. Emma waved at her, smiling and shivering a little. Her sister had a key, but had probably left it at home. Darcy waved back then turned to face the couple. “That’s my sister. I’ll introduce you guys to her and her fiancé. They’re actually scheduled to get married in less than a week.”
“Maybe she can give me some advice,” Olivia said, laughing lightly.
Darcy opened the door and let the other couple in. And though it was probably her imagination, as she made introductions, Zac looked at Peter as if he knew him. But Peter didn’t give any indication that they’d ever met. Darcy was probably imagining it anyway; she didn’t know Zac and the man was difficult to read, regardless.
The two couples made small talk for a few minutes before Olivia and Zac left. Once they were gone, Darcy left the door unlocked. Technically she didn’t open until a little later, but she wouldn’t say no to any foot traffic today.
“They seem nice,” Emma said as Peter headed to the back, no doubt to get coffee for the two of them. “New clients?”
“Yes.” She glanced over her shoulder before turning back to her sister. Darcy figured that Emma would tell Peter anyway, but she liked the illusion of privacy right now. “Brooks recommended me to them. Apparently Zac works with him.”
Her sister’s eyes widened. “Are you serious? That’s crazy, especially after all the horrible things he said to you.”
Darcy bit her bottom lip. She still hadn’t told her sister about what had happened the other night. Mainly because she hadn’t wanted to talk about the almost mugging. Her sister had enough on her plate right now. But she rarely kept secrets from her sister and she wasn’t going to start now. “I sort of ran into him on New Year’s Eve.”