And if it got to be too much, the messy bun would be a quick and easy fix.
Turning on some soft music, she walked into the bathroom and put on her makeup before starting on her hair. It took a bit longer than she anticipated, but once it was done and she gave it a final fluff, she couldn’t help but smile at her reflection.
Okay, now to just get dressed and I’ll be good to go.
At least…she hoped she would. There were still some lingering doubts about this deal with Brody and she swore to herself that if–at the end of the night–he told her thanks but no thanks for the rest of the weekend, she wouldn’t take it personally. She knew who she was and thanks to Skye’s little pep talk, she knew that there wasn’t anything wrong with her. So if he didn’t appreciate her, then it was his problem and not hers.
And as she slid on her brand-new undies and stepped into her dress, she silently prayed she wasn’t going to have to test that theory any time soon.
Brody was trying not to stare, but…he was totally staring.
Leanna was walking beside him across the massive foyer and he still couldn’t believe how different she looked. The messy bun was gone and in its place was long wavy dark blonde hair. Her lips were a glossy shade of deep pink and her dress showed off some amazing curves.
And she smelled as sweet as her desserts.
It wasn’t like him to be so enamored with the way a woman smelled but…he was having some seriously dirty thoughts about how much he wanted to taste her.
“Is there something on my face?” she snapped as she stopped in her tracks.
“What?”
“My face,” she repeated. “Is there something on it?”
“Uh…no,” he stammered. “Why would you even ask that?”
“Because you’ve been staring at me this entire time and giving me a complex. I was sure there had to be something wrong for you to keep looking at me like that.”
How could he possibly explain that he couldn’t take his eyes off of her without freaking her out or offending her? Most women would appreciate the compliment, but he had a feeling Leanna wouldn’t.
Call it a hunch, but…
Clearing his throat, he said, “I was just thinking how lovely you looked. I didn’t realize your hair was this long.”
He inwardly groaned because that was quite possibly the lamest compliment he’d ever given.
Her hand smoothed over her hair and she blushed slightly. “Oh, um…thanks.”
They were right by the opened front door and there were two valets standing there. Brody motioned for her to walk out ahead of him and once they were outside, he greeted the two men.
“Good evening, Mr. King,” one of the men greeted. “Would you like a ride over to the party?”
He glanced at Leanna to see what she wanted to do. “What do you think? Would you like to walk or would you prefer a ride?”
“A ride? It’s not that far, right?”
“We have several luxury golf carts for the guests,” the second valet offered. “It’s not that the party is so far away, but not everyone wants to walk it.”
Placing his hand on her lower back, Brody asked for a cart to be brought around for them. When Leanna looked at him as if he were crazy, he said, “You’ve been on your feet all day. It might be nice not to have to walk all the way over.”
She blushed again and he thought it was adorable. “Thanks,” she whispered and before he knew it, a four-seater cart was brought around. “Oh, my goodness. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many golf carts used for an event. And such fancy ones.”
Brody helped her get seated before he climbed in beside her. “We’re good,” he told the driver and then they pulled away from the house. He slid his arm along the back of the seat behind her. “We deal with this particular manufacturer for a lot of our convention centers and they’re always happy to supply us with extras for personal events.”
Nodding, she smiled at the passing scenery. “It certainly has made things easier all around. Even though I wasn’t comfortable driving the utility one earlier, I can’t deny its usefulness.”
It was easy conversation, but he did have something specific he wanted to ask her.
“Okay,” he began softly, “this party. Will your parents be here?”
She shook her head. “No. They’re not coming until tomorrow night. Why?”
“I was just curious if there was anyone you needed to visit with or if you and I were going to be spending all our time together.”
Reaching out, she gently patted his knee. “Don’t worry. You won’t be stuck with me all night. I certainly don’t need to be entertained. I’m perfectly capable of mingling on my own.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Then what…?”
“I meant I was looking forward to us spending time together, Leanna. And I’m glad to have tonight sort of to ourselves.”
Her eyes went wide, but before she could say anything, they were pulling up to the entrance to the party tent.
Brody climbed out first and held out his hand to Leanna to help her out. Once her hand slid into his, it was a long time before he let her go.
Together they walked into the party tent and greeted his parents. Lea chatted with them about the desserts and he walked over to the display so she could make sure everything looked okay. After that, they walked hand-in-hand to greet Travis and Charlene.
“Oh, my goodness! Look at the two of you!” Charlene cried before letting out a happy little scream and hugging Leanna.
Brody shook hands with his brother who was grinning at him. “What? What are you smiling about?”
“You mean other than the fact that it’s my engagement party and you’re here being pleasant and…with a date?”
Fighting the urge to roll his eyes, he did notice that Lea was still holding his hand even though she was chatting with her cousin.
Interesting.
“I ran into Lea this morning–literally–and we spent some time getting to know each other and she’s in the suite next to mine. So…”
“Well that’s certainly convenient,” his brother quipped and Brody almost lost his temper.
“It’s not like that,” he said, his voice low and slightly menacing. “Don’t even go there.”
Travis simply held up his hands, his smile never faltering. “Whatever. As long as you’re pleasant to everyone this weekend, I’m happy.”
“Then plan on being happy,” Brody told him, forcing a smile. “What time does everything start tomorrow?”
“Nothing is formally scheduled until the evening. Although, you are coming golfing with us, right?”
Damn. He had forgotten about that.
By the time he got his morning run in and used the home gym, he’d have to get ready to go and stroll around a golf course.
It was beyond unappealing, but…
“Of course. Meeting in the foyer at ten?”
“That’s the plan. There’s about a dozen of us going so we’re taking several cars. We’ll do lunch at the country club and then come back here to relax before getting ready for dinner. It’s going to be great!”
Nodding, he gave Leanna’s hand a gentle squeeze and fortunately, she understood that he was hoping for them to move on.
“And don’t worry, Char, all those little Tiffany boxes are going to look amazing! My staff was working on them all afternoon and they’re perfect!”
Charlene hugged her again. “That’s why I only wanted you to do the desserts, Lea. You’re the best!”
As they walked away, he could have sworn he heard Leanna mutter something under her breath, but he waited until they were in the far corner of the tent getting drinks at the bar before he asked.
“Everything okay?”
She nodded. “Sure. Why?”
He accepted his glass of champagne and smiled when she accepted hers and thanked the bartender. Guiding her away from the bar, he said, “It’s just that when we started to walk away from the happy co
uple, I could have sworn you mumbled something.”
“Oh. Heard that, did you?” she murmured.
“Well, I heard something. I can’t really say what.”
With a throaty chuckle, she grinned at him. “Let’s just say that my cousin is all happy and loving me now, but when she came for her initial consultation about the desserts, she was a bit of a nightmare. At one point she told me if I couldn’t do what she was asking, there were dozens of other bakers who could.” She shook her head. “Now I’m the best, so…”
“Ah…gotcha.” Taking a sip of his champagne, he felt a little bad for her. Like she was clearly here at the engagement party under duress already and he was adding to it with this whole plus-one thing. His only option was to make sure she enjoyed herself.
“As long as everything continues to go smoothly, Charlene will love me. If I mess up…”
“Believe me, I know the feeling. That’s why we’re here together,” he admitted. “And now that I know what you’re dealing with, I feel like a jerk.”
“Don’t worry about it. If I weren’t here with you, I’d still be here at the party and I’d probably be lingering by the dessert table to make sure nothing got ruined and I wouldn’t relax at all. Then I’d sneak out and go over to my trailer and work after putting in an appearance here.”
“What could you possibly have to work on? Last I saw, all of the cupcakes for tomorrow were done and so was the cake.”
She took another sip of her champagne before answering. “Next is more baking. That’s what we’ll be doing all day tomorrow. We’ve easily got another couple of hundred cupcakes to bake and decorate and we have to do some extra layers for Saturday’s cake. And because I know my cousin, I’m making sure I have extra of everything just in case.”
“Seems like you’re putting a lot of extra pressure on yourself.”
She shrugged. “That’s kind of my thing. At least it is where baking is concerned. My parents will tell you how the rest of my life is a mess or out of control, but I can control everything in the kitchen.”
It was all said casually, but he had a feeling there was a lot more to that simple statement.
“So why is the rest of your life a mess?”
She laughed softly. “Hmm…let’s see, I’m single and my older sister is happily married with two beautiful children. She’s a stay-at-home mom and her husband is a partner at a prestigious law firm. They have a vacation home up in Asheville and one in Myrtle Beach and they are the poster children for the country club sect.” She sighed. “Then there’s me. I wake up and go to work while it’s still dark, I have a tendency to look a bit like a hot mess while I’m working, there’s usually flour in my hair or on my clothes, I live in a one-bedroom apartment, and I drive an older sedan. And when I’m not driving that, I’m driving around in a white refrigerator van that my sister likens to a predator’s van.”
“Yikes,” he said, unable to hide his amusement.
“But what no one acknowledges is that I am a partner in a very successful event planning business. We built it up from nothing and we are the number one event planners in the Triangle.” She took another sip of champagne before continuing. “And while I’m not driving a Mercedes or vacationing at the beach, I am being very smart with my money. I have a healthy retirement fund and saving account. In another two years, the predator van will be paid off and then I can look into getting myself a new car. It may not look as glamorous as my perfect sister’s life, but I’m totally happy!”
It would be wrong to point out how her tone of voice said otherwise, so he kept that to himself.
“It sounds like you’ve got a good head on your shoulders, Leanna,” he said, hoping to make her feel better. “You’re not living beyond your means and making smart decisions with your finances. Good for you.”
“Yeah, great. Hard to believe men aren’t lining up to date me, huh?” She looked away as she said it, but now he knew there was more to all of this. Unfortunately, it was none of his business and this wasn’t the time or the place for them to get into it.
Off in the distance, some sort of obnoxious bell rang and Brody paused to look around. “What in the world is that?”
Beside him, Lea laughed. “It’s a dinner bell. I guess they thought it would be fun to use one.”
“Maybe if we were at a hoedown…”
“Oh, stop. Don’t be such a snob,” she chastised. “C’mon. Let’s go get in line for something to eat.”
Again, Brody inwardly groaned. This was so not the kind of party he enjoyed. Standing in line to get his food seemed ridiculous, but…here they were.
But to his surprise, Leanna must have sensed his displeasure because she managed to not only distract him, but regale him with conversation about the different kinds of events Meet Me at the Altar had planned and the varying menus she’d seen. By the time they were sitting down to eat, they were laughing and he started telling her about some of the places he’d traveled to and the different cuisines he’d tried.
Once dinner was through, they joined everyone on the dance floor for several songs. Dancing was never his thing, but Lea’s laugh and enthusiasm kept him going. They got through dessert–he opted for the fresh fruit and not a cupcake–and an endless round of toasts from everyone in the bridal party before he noticed that she was yawning beside him.
“Tired?” he asked.
“It’s been a long day and I have to get up early tomorrow. If I were at home, I’d be in bed already,” she said with a small laugh.
“Well then, let’s get you back to the house,” he said as he came to his feet. Once again, he held his hand out to her and continued to hold it as they made their rounds to say goodnight and on the ride back to the house.
“I really want to feel bad about using the golf cart to get back and forth, but my feet are very thankful for it.”
At the house, they walked inside and instead of taking the stairs, Brody led her around to the elevator. “No point in trudging up the stairs and exhausting you even more,” he teased.
“My hero.” Nudging his shoulder, she laughed. “You’re totally spoiling me. At this rate, I won’t be able to go to events where there aren’t as many perks.”
They stepped into the elevator and Brody hit the button for the third floor. “I guess that means tomorrow we’ll have to ease up on golf carts and elevators,” he said with a dramatic sigh. “And I’ll alert the staff to only bring in a sub-par lunch.”
“Damn. And I figured I would request champagne and caviar while getting my feet massaged.” She wilted against the elevator wall, hand on her forehead. “How will I ever make it through the day?”
The doors opened and they stepped out, laughing. Leanna looked around to get her bearings and then began to walk toward her door. It would have been easy to simply wish her a good night and head in the opposite direction to his own room, but…technically this was like a date so he supposed it was normal to walk her to her room.
At her door, she stopped and turned to him. “Thanks for seeing me home safely,” she said softly with just a hint of a smile. In the dim lighting of the hallway, he could still make out the slight blush.
“Thanks for helping me out with my family tonight,” he replied, sliding his hands into his trouser pockets. “Believe it or not, if you weren’t with me, I would have gotten into at least three arguments and then I probably would have been escorted out of the party tent. And off the property.”
Her eyes went a little wide. “That seems a bit excessive.”
“Which part?” he asked with a laugh.
“All of it.” She paused. “You know, my family gives me grief, but we’re not mean about it. And for the record, it’s okay for you to disagree with your family, Brody. Just maybe…learn to pick your battles.”
He wasn’t quite sure what to say to that.
“And admit it, you had a good time tonight–circus atmosphere and all.” Again, she nudged him playfully.
“That was only because I h
ad the loveliest date with me,” he replied, but it came out a bit gruffer than he intended.
Her blush deepened. “Brody, I…”
It really had been a good night and he didn’t want her to give him any platitudes or any reason to think otherwise.
Instead, he leaned in and cupped her cheek and gently placed his lips on hers. Leanna stiffened for a moment before she sighed and melted against him.
That was…surprising.
Stepping in closer, he wrapped one arm around her waist to hold her to him as he deepened the kiss. Maybe it was crazy to be doing this after knowing each other less than twenty-four hours, but…it didn’t feel that way.
It actually felt pretty damn spectacular and when her tongue touched his, Brody was unable to stop the low growl of appreciation. One kiss led to another and all he could think of was how all they needed to do was open the door to her bedroom and…
“Brody,” she whispered, breaking the kiss. She was a little breathless and looked up at him with dazed eyes.
Resting his forehead against hers, he gently cleared his throat. “That was…unexpected.”
Nodding, she agreed. “I had a really great time tonight, but…I need to go. My alarm is set to go off at four, so…” She stepped out of his arms and gave him a lazy smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow, I guess.”
His head was spinning and it surprised him how much he already missed the feel of her. “Um…yeah. Would it be okay if I met you here again tomorrow at five?”
Leanna bit her bottom lip as she nodded. “Goodnight.” She turned and opened the door and smiled at him again before she closed it.
And like some sort of lovesick fool, he stood there and stared at it for a solid minute before he turned and walked away.
Chapter 5
The best things in life are sweet.
“Oh, my goodness! He kissed you?”
With This Cake: A Meet Me At The Altar Novel Page 6