Catch Him If You Can

by Jennifer Shirk

  “Know what?”

  She shook her head. “Judy Tavish didn’t just tell me about your dating slum—er, uh, dating choice.”

  The uneasy fishy feeling from earlier when he’d walked into work was back in full force and creating a buzz in his head. “Oh no. Tell me she didn’t…”

  “Oh, yes she did,” she said with a laugh. “I think she even put out a message on Facebook, offering her matchmaking services for free. Unfortunately, there is a whole waiting room full of women who have the exact same idea I had when I came here.”

  Wade sank into his chair. “Why am I not surprised that Judy Tavish is responsible for all this?”

  Violet made a face. “It wasn’t just Judy. Carol from the consignment shop was in on it, too. They’re convinced you need a woman and pretty much made you out to be some kind of unicorn man.” Her gaze swept over him in an appreciating manner. “Not that they exaggerated much at all.”

  Unicorn man? What does that even mean? He shook his head, trying to clear it. “That’s impossible. Those women are just pet owners who needed the services of a vet today.”

  Violet bit her lip. “One woman out there is legit. Two, tops. Maybe.”

  “That’s ridiculous.”

  “Dr. Roberts, let’s just say I would watch out for the redhead with the black-and-white cat.” She shook her head. “She’s a force to be reckoned with. Before you got here, she’d already sent two women home in tears. Plus, I overheard her on the phone. That cat she brought in doesn’t even belong to her. It’s her nephew’s.”

  “Good Lord.” It was worse than he thought. He tilted his head and closed his eyes. The whole situation was getting way out of hand, and if he didn’t do something about it fast, he and his office were never going to get any peace. Why couldn’t Judy Tavish and her Cape Harmony cronies get it through their skulls that he liked his life just as it was? Relationship free.

  Gathering his wits, he got to his feet. “Thanks for the info, Violet. I’ll comp you that flea-and-tick collar as my appreciation. And I’ll handle the women out there and talk to Judy about her unwarranted matchmaking. This will stop today.”

  Violet picked up her puppy, giving Wade a hard, assessing look before walking to the door. “You know, she must have been pretty special,” she said after a moment.

  “Who?”

  She smiled. “The woman who apparently ruined you for everyone else.”

  Wade’s thoughts drifted to Miranda, but he quickly squelched the sorrow of losing her to brain cancer so early in life.

  “Yeah.” He let out a quiet breath as he reached to open the door for her, and added, “She was pretty special.”

  Chapter Two

  Arden Pearson slid the wedding-planning contract toward her prospective new client. “So, as you can see from what I’ve just gone over with you, Beach Brides Incorporated can not only ensure you access to a variety of wonderful vendors, but we can also give you peace of mind up to and including the day of the event.” She sat back with a confident smile.

  I’ve so got this.

  Arden was not only a pro at selling her wedding planning business to would-be brides, but the entire event planning was her forte, too. It also helped that she was 100 percent devoted to her business. It was her life.

  The woman, Daisy, bit her lip. “Everything you said sounds fantastic, but…”

  Arden frowned. “But what?”

  Daisy leaned in. “I heard about the incident,” she said, whispering the last word, “and it concerns me a little.”

  Arden pressed her lips together. It took all the strength in every fiber of her being not to show a reaction. In fact, it was taking more self-control than she thought she had not to scream like a banshee at the top of her lungs. She’d worked so hard to get her company to where it was, and it was beyond frustrating to have one black mark—if any mark at all—against it.

  The “incident” as Daisy called it could hardly be considered Arden’s or Beach Brides Inc.’s fault. At least that’s what Arden kept telling herself. How could she have predicted that the groom would get so freaked out at all the wedding-planning details that he would eventually snap, not show up the day of the wedding, quit his job, and move to the Bahamas? But the reporter hadn’t seen it that way and wrote a scathing article on her business and wedding planners in general.

  Before that, Arden’s track record had always been impeccable. Her weddings flawless. The reputation of her business spotless. And up until that fateful day three months ago, there had only been one other time she had encountered a runaway groom.

  Her own wedding.

  Arden straightened her shoulders. “Daisy, I understand how it must look to you, but—”

  “I know,” Daisy hurried to explain, “but I need some time to think. A bride really can’t be rushed into these kinds of decisions. You know, right?”

  “Um, of course. I’ve worked with many brides and do understand you want everything, including the wedding planner, to be the right fit.”

  Daisy smiled and reached across the desk to place her hand over Arden’s. “Thank you. I feel so much better knowing that I haven’t offended you.” She stood and Arden forced herself to politely follow suit. “I promise I’ll be in touch one way or another very soon.”

  Banking down her disappointment, Arden walked toward the door and pulled it open. “Bye, Daisy. I’ll have my assistant reach out to you sometime next week, okay?”

  Daisy nodded and then left, leaving Arden with a heaviness in her chest. She hated to admit it, but since word had gotten out after that stupid Atlantic City Press newspaper article about the Bahamas Bolter groom a few months ago, her business had been feeling the effect financially. It was mid-January and she only had four weddings scheduled this year, and two of them were for her friends’—Kinsley and Elena—weddings. Usually she had booked triple that amount by now.

  Maggie, her assistant, poked her braided head into the office. “Well? Did you sign the wedding?”

  Arden blew out a breath. “Unfortunately, no.”

  “Oh crap. What happened? She seemed so nice and eager to work with us.”

  That’s what I thought, too. “She heard about the incident.” When Maggie continued to stare at her blankly, Arden elaborated. “You know, the Simpkins-Pizzo incident.”

  “Oh!” Maggie snapped her fingers. “The Bahamas Bolter.”

  Arden walked to her desk and flopped down in her chair. “Please, don’t say it that way. The newspapers sensationalized it enough. I prefer to simply call it the incident.”

  “Well, whatever you want to call it, it hasn’t been good for business.”

  Tell me about it. “Don’t worry. We’ll get through this.”

  Arden ran her fingers through her hair. Money was tight right now, with the addition of an extra wedding planner and two assistants on the payroll. Her rent had gone up, too, since she’d moved to a bigger office in downtown Cape Harmony to accommodate the larger staff. Bills were rolling in. She had to figure something out to help repair her reputation. She couldn’t simply wait for people to forget.

  “Jessica just signed a bar mitzvah,” Maggie said, sitting down in the chair Daisy had vacated. “That’s something, right?”

  Jessica was the other planner she’d hired last June. She was spunky and fresh out of college and had a lot of enthusiasm for the business. Much like how Arden was when she’d first started out. “That’s good, but we really need to start signing more weddings. We’re Beach Brides Inc. Weddings are where the majority of our income is generated.”

  “I don’t know, boss. The bar mitzvah is for twins. It’s going to be huge.”

  That was something, she supposed. But she didn’t want to lose the great relationships with dressmakers, bakers, florists, caterers, and the country clubs she had worked so hard to create. She had to do something to turn this around. And fast.

  The office phone rang. Maggie was about to get up to answer it, but Arden motioned for her to stay put. �
�Beach Brides Inc.,” she answered with a chirpiness she didn’t feel. “How may I help make your event a splash?”

  “Hello, I would like to schedule an appointment with your very best wedding planner as soon as possible,” a woman on the other end responded.

  Normally, this kind of request would be music to Arden’s ears, but the woman’s tone screamed “diva,” and despite her desperate need for money, she still hesitated to take on a difficult client. “Of course. All our planners are excellent and experienced. I’m Arden Pearson, the owner, and would be happy to meet with you whenever it’s convenient.”

  “Oh wonderful,” the woman gushed. “My mother and I can be there at two this afternoon.”

  Arden sat up, quickly scanning her appointment calendar. “Uh, sure. I can do two o’clock. Will your fiancé be joining us as well?”

  “No, not yet. My mother and I are still in the preliminary phase of deciding who to sign with. And since my mother is paying, it’s really up to her, right?” the woman said with a laugh.

  Oh boy. Arden had seen this scenario hundreds of times before. Strong-willed mother. Daughter with very little say and miserable until Arden and her team intervene. But that was one of the main reasons brides hired a planner in the first place—to run damage control with friends and family.

  “Well, remember in the end, it’s your day,” Arden lightly reminded the woman. “But I’m sure your mother will want you to be happy with all the decisions.”

  The woman laughed again. “You don’t know my mother. My name is Milena Swenson. You may have heard of my father, Ted Swenson.”

  Arden squelched a gasp. Ted Swenson was the current governor and had recently thrown his hat in the ring to run for president. Milena had the potential to be a very big client with lots of press—and more importantly, just the thing to bring her business back on top.

  Arden managed to compose herself. “Uh, yes, of course. And best of luck to him in the presidential primaries.”

  “Thank you. Needless to say, it will be a hectic time for our family, with the race and my big day all happening in the same year, and I need a wedding planner who understands all that stress.”

  Arden glanced at Maggie, mouthing OMG to her. “Absolutely,” she said calmly despite her racing heart. “Do you need directions to our office?” A foot massage? Your car washed?

  “No, we’re good. We’ll see you at two.”

  “I look forward to it.” Arden hung up the phone, then pumped her fist in the air. “Yes!”

  “Who was that?” Maggie asked.

  “My two o’clock appointment who just so happens to be Governor Swenson’s daughter,” she said with a nonchalant flip of her wrist.

  “Governor Swenson? Are you kidding? That’s fantastic!” She clapped her hands.

  And with my luck, probably too good to be true. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. She hasn’t signed yet.”

  Maggie snorted. “She’d be crazy not to.”

  Arden arched an eyebrow. “Tell that to Daisy Monroe, who just left.”

  “Daisy still might call you next week. Especially after she learns you’re planning the wedding of our governor’s daughter.”

  Arden chuckled. “You are definitely getting ahead of yourself, but I like your thinking.” And it would be just the break Beach Brides Inc. needed.

  Maggie rubbed her hands together anxiously. “Let’s celebrate.”

  “How about some coffee first, and we can plan our marketing attack for this afternoon.”

  “Great.” Then Maggie’s face fell. “Uh, not great. Sorry, Arden. I forgot. No coffee today. We used the last of it Saturday and I haven’t had a chance to buy more.”

  Arden sighed. Mondays without coffee should definitely be a criminal offense. “No worries. I’ll run over to the Drip N Sip.”

  “I’ll do it. It’s my fault we ran out.”

  Arden shook her head and grabbed her purse from the bottom drawer of her desk. “Nope. I need the fresh air to clear my head anyway. Do we need cream and sugar, too?”

  Maggie nodded. “Yeah, and…” Her smile grew sheepish. “Maybe a few of those gingerbread muffins. You know, since we’re celebrating.”

  Arden banked down a grin. “You’re really pushing it with this early celebrating.”

  “I can’t help it,” Maggie said with a little shrug. “I’m an optimist. Plus, I may be slightly biased, since you pay me, but I have loved every single wedding you’ve handled. You always seem to know exactly what every bride wants.”

  She felt her cheeks grow hot. “Thanks. I try my best.”

  “It’s more than your best and you know it. All the weddings have been so special and perfect for each and every bride. You have a real gift.”

  For every bride but herself.

  Arden managed a smile, then, slinging her purse over her shoulder, she rushed out of her office and onto the sidewalk. True, Maggie was right. She always went the extra mile for each client. She and anyone else watching her work would probably assume it was because she was so devoted to her business. And a small part of them would be right. But another part of her lived a little vicariously through her clients, and that was the main reason she had made sure every wedding she managed was the absolute best day possible.

  Her own wedding day had been the worst, and she wouldn’t wish that on anyone. That day had been life altering for many reasons. Up until that point, she’d been happily working for an event planning business in Philadelphia. But after her fiancé, Colin, had stood her up at the altar, she’d decided she had two choices: 1) adopt several cats and wallow in a depressive state for the rest of her life, or 2) put on her big-girl panties and start a business—something for herself that would see her through the long term. A long term that would have included Colin, but now she was on her own.

  Her friends called her a workaholic. Employees called her career-minded. But she felt liberated. In short, she was single, hardworking, with a profitable business, and proud of it. It was so much more satisfying being in a relationship with her job than with a man. Who needed them?

  Even though, every now and again, she felt the slightest twinge of loneliness at night, she never regretted her decision. She was married to her job. Beach Brides Inc. was everything to her.

  And she’d do whatever it took to save it.

  …

  Wade stood in line at the Drip N Sip, about seven people back, mentally warming up to let good old matchmaking Judy Tavish have an earful. What a friggin’ exhausting morning he’d had at work on Saturday, combating the flirting, the date requests, and the come-ons. Becky was right. His office had served more like a singles bar than a veterinary clinic. Well, no more. He was done with that, but mostly he was done with the meddling gray-haired coffee barista, looking over at him now and shooting him that wide, cheery-assed smile of hers.

  “Oh, hello, Wade!” Judy waved, all sunny and good-natured, which ironically had the direct opposite effect on his already foul mood. He gritted his teeth and didn’t wave back.

  “And what animal peed on your parade?” a feminine voice asked beside him.

  He glanced to his right. Arden Pearson stood next to him with arms folded and an amused grin on her glistening pink-glossed lips.

  Arden was his sister’s best friend and all-around town sass-mouth—at least to him. He’d known her since high school when she had braces and blond hair down to her butt. Her mouth was still as sassy—maybe more so—but the braces were gone and her straight hair was cut shoulder length in a mature, professional style now. He’d always thought she was a cute girl back then, but as an adult, she was pretty damn stunning—when she wasn’t ribbing him. She had moved back to Cape Harmony about five years ago to open up her wedding planning business. Wade rarely ran into her in town unless she was with Kinsley, which made this day all the more agitating.

  He turned away. “Right now, I’d actually welcome being peed on,” he muttered.

  She made a tsk tsk sound. “Wow, you are havi
ng a bad day. Well, join the club.”

  “Join the club?” Wade turned back to her and blinked. Damn, she had the prettiest eyes. The most unique kind of blue he’d ever seen. He immediately looked away. “Are you being bombarded at work and at home by hordes of single marriage-minded women?”

  “Well, no— Wait.” She laughed. “Hold on. Are you?”

  “Yes. And it’s all Judy Tavish’s fault,” he said, jerking his thumb in Judy’s direction. “She’s taken it upon herself to become my own personal walking, talking Tinder account.”

  “Hmm…” Arden’s delicate brows drew together. “So, does this mean you want to book me ahead of schedule for a discount, or do you want to wait until the actual wedding proposal?” she said with a chuckle.

  “I knew you wouldn’t see the seriousness in the situation.”

  “You’re right. I don’t.” She shrugged. “I mean, so what if Judy thought you should get out and have some fun and gave your number to a few nice women. Oh, boo-hoo.”

  He looked her dead in the eye. “Twenty-six women, Arden. Twenty-six. Not including the crowd that showed up at the clinic on Saturday with their fake sick pets. And did you know that when I got home from work there were brownies and half a baked chicken left on my doorstep.”

  Arden whistled. “Damn. Remind me to use Judy when I’m looking for a date. Or need a snack.”

  “That’s the problem. I’m not looking for a date. I’m not looking for anything. Why can’t I just be left alone? My life was pretty damn good until this point.”

  Her eyes softened as she stared at him. “Was it really, Wade?” she said quietly. “Was your life really all that good?”

  He bristled at her implication but couldn’t keep her gaze. “Of course it was good. It is good.”

  Or at the very least…safe.

  He and Miranda had planned a long life together. Birthdays. Anniversaries. Children. They’d been about to buy a house. But instead, cancer stole all that from him. He’d wallowed in grief and just when he’d thought he’d recovered, his dad passed away and he went through it all over again. Wade had completely shut down after that. He didn’t even reach out to his sister, he just continued to use work and his time volunteering at the animal shelter as a shield. And now that he had carefully carved out this solitary existence, being alone was second nature. It fit.