Sweet Troublemaker

by Jean Oram

“Why?”

  “So I’d have a sense of what might cause a meltdown on her wedding day.”

  Nick chuckled. “What turned you into a bridezilla?”

  “Me?” Polly seemed to go pale. She shook her head. “Nothing. I mean, I was stressed out, of course.”

  “Why?”

  Her chin puckered as she gave an exaggerated frown. “Oh, you know.” She shrugged.

  “What?”

  “I was just doing it all myself, and there were all these unspoken expectations.” She glanced down, working at the chipped polish on her left thumb.

  “Your ex didn’t help?”

  “He had ideas.”

  “Bad ones?”

  She smiled weakly. “Mostly he just wanted to change things at the last minute.”

  Nick took her hand, giving it a supportive squeeze. “That must have been frustrating.”

  “Yeah.”

  He pointed toward a sign about a block up. “Let’s try that restaurant.”

  “I’m stuffed.” Polly slouched dramatically, hands splayed over her stomach.

  “For the wedding.” He clapped and made a clucking sound with his tongue, as though coaxing a horse into a trailer. “Come on. We’re not off the clock. Things to do. Weddings to save!”

  Polly got a strange look on her face. She leaned forward, almost squinting at a group walking down the sidewalk. “Is that… It is! That’s Steven Gherring.” Her face flushed instantly. “He’s one of the top ten bachelors in the US. He’s a billionaire.”

  “And?” Nick asked. What did she need a handsome, rich bachelor for when she had him?

  She added, “He and Chuck bid against each other on a real estate deal. We had dinner once—in a big group. He’s really nice.”

  “Should we say hi?”

  “No.” Polly shook her head furiously. “I don’t want him seeing me like this.”

  “Like what?” She looked fine.

  “Just…you know. Casual.” She grabbed his hand, quickly leading him away.

  Moments later, as they entered a dimly lit romantic restaurant just off the beach, Nick was still confused over why she’d gotten so flustered over the man.

  Focusing on the task instead of Polly’s behavior, he pushed back his shoulders on an inhale, taking in the restaurant’s atmosphere. “Yup. This is the place. I can feel it,” he said.

  He was wrong. The owner, Hardwin, and manager, Lalita—two very nice people—had listened to their plea, giving him hope, before delivering the word Polly and he had heard so often today.

  “Are you sure we can’t convince you to feed eighty people Saturday night?” Nick asked, giving Lalita a big smile. She’d tucked her dark locks behind her ear and was darting bold smiles his way. He wasn’t afraid to engage in some meaningless flirting to get what they needed.

  “We don’t do catering,” Hardwin said sympathetically, cutting in front of his manager. “And we don’t accept reservations of that size.”

  “Is there anyone you would recommend?” Polly asked, casting Nick a chiding look for trying to charm Lalita.

  The restaurateur shook his head.

  Lalita took a glance at Zoe’s list. “I don’t know who you’re going to find, unless you want to drive for hours or kick it down to something a lot more casual.”

  “Don’t say food truck,” Polly muttered. She was dejectedly staring at the sample menu Sophia and Roy had sent along, and Nick absently massaged her shoulder.

  “Maybe we can cook something up on the grill,” he suggested. “We could rent a commercial barbecue and hit up a wholesale store.” A regular tailgate wedding. He kind of liked the idea of that. Simple. It would be Roy’s speed and fairly easy to pull off, as pretty much every male on the guest list would want a turn at a big grill, especially one loaded up with some nice slabs of steak or ribs.

  “It’s okay, we’ll figure something out,” Polly said, an edge to her voice.

  “What? You don’t like cookouts?” Nick asked.

  “I do, but…” She waved Sophia’s menu.

  Nick wanted to snatch it and rip it up. Sophia wasn’t here. She wasn’t dealing with any of this, but had offloaded it to poor Polly, who was supposed to be on vacation. Polly hadn’t even met the woman!

  “Sophia will be happy with whatever we manage to pull together. Ribs and steaks is very Texan.”

  Polly gave him a look, shoulders slumping. “She requested dreamy beach theme.”

  “Then we have it on the beach. Problem solved.”

  She rewarded him with a small smile, but he could tell she wasn’t entirely convinced. She was trying to keep him on track so he didn’t give up and take the easy route. Yet if they did, he might have time to take her out to test their sure-to-be-rusty surfing skills. As teens he’d talked her into pilfering Dallas’s boards for a fun few days, to teach themselves how to ride the surf before an upcoming storm. He’d seen the terror in her eyes at the prospect of standing on the board, but had known instinctively that it was something she could push past. And she had.

  She’d always been stronger than she believed she was.

  “No?” he asked, as her expression continued to convey doubt.

  “Maybe I’m turning into a stubborn bridezilla,” Polly said with a frown of displeasure.

  He rubbed her arm. “No, you just want to do this right. I can respect that.”

  She stepped closer, seeking comfort from the growing stress, and he rested his thumb on her chin as he whispered, “Kiss me.”

  A smile grew, her eyes closing as she placed her lips to his.

  “Isn’t that better now?” he asked.

  The restaurateur cleared his throat and Nick glanced over, having forgotten they weren’t alone.

  “I really wish there was something I could do,” the man said.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Nick told him.

  “You could try Katie’s Kitchen over on Bayview,” Lalita suggested. “It’s a bit casual, but…”

  Nick shook his head. They’d already picked up a no from the place with the Caribbean décor. They’d even, in an act of desperation, stopped into The Mansion B&B just a few blocks over to see if they’d be able to cater a light meal. The woman in charge, Sonja, had been sweet, but hadn’t been able to help, either.

  “How long have you two been a couple?” Lalita asked, as Hardwin ushered them toward the door.

  Nick looked at Polly. “Not counting our teenage relationship eons ago?” A rogue wave of emotion not unlike the saltwater one that had caused them to shut down their budding surfing hobby all those years ago washed over him. He felt like he’d been waiting for Polly ever since the day she’d left for home. “Almost two days.”

  “And you’re getting married?” Lalita almost choked.

  “No, not us!” Polly shook her head so emphatically that Nick felt slightly offended. “No. We’re not…”

  He could hear the unspoken words: “…in love.”

  He’d thought she’d been joking about the whole not-believing-in-love anymore, but maybe there had been a little truth in her comment about black hearts for decorations. If so, he’d have to change that.

  “Well,” said Hardwin, “you two seem as though you’ve been together a lot longer than two days.”

  “I’m glad you’re not rushing in,” Lalita said meaningfully, getting a shake of the head from her boss, who obviously knew where her thoughts were heading and wanted to shut her down.

  She ignored him and stepped closer, saying in a confiding tone, “There was this couple last year who made great demands for their wedding, from rearranging our interior, to decorations, to the menu. They rented the entire restaurant for a Saturday. We ordered in things we normally don’t serve…” She paused dramatically, then stated, “They’d only been together for three weeks.”

  Hardwin threw his hands in the air, dropped them against his thighs with a slap, then retreated a few steps.

  “Four hours before the meal was to hit the table, and two d
ays into the food prep, they broke up,” Lalita declared. She gave a wry smile. “The local in-need population had a very lovely meal that night.”

  “So you rent out your restaurant…” Nick began.

  “So we no longer rent our place for weddings,” Hardwin interrupted firmly. “I’d rather fill our reservation book two years out for people wanting to celebrate their hundredth birthday than do another wedding.”

  “That’s saying something,” Nick muttered. He thanked them for their time and escorted Polly through the doorway and out into the bright sun, his hand on her lower back. She slowed her pace as though enjoying the pressure of his touch. She smelled like sunscreen and ice cream, taking his mind back to the freedom of their teenage days.

  “And remember, don’t be crazy and rush into marriage!” Lalita called.

  “Will do,” Nick said, tipping his hat.

  As far as he was concerned, he and Polly didn’t have to worry about rushing in, because the two of them, despite spending years apart, had known each other during their formative years. Those were the ones that counted the most. As long as Polly recognized that, they were all set.

  As the day cooled off, Polly sat on a bench with Nick under a grove of palms on the Indigo Bay boardwalk, calling a list of local food trucks they’d found online. So far they were striking out, as all the truck owners had contracts for various weekend events in the area.

  Polly wasn’t quite done phoning her half of the list, but she needed a moment to think.

  “Don’t rush into marriage!” Lalita had called out to them, the words continuing to ring in Polly’s head like an endless echo. It made it impossible to continue to ignore the way Nick acted so confident in their relationship. She was just testing things, but it felt as though he was taking it all very seriously.

  She loved that he was waiting to see how things went with them before accepting Alexa’s job offer, but it was kind of a big deal to put a job on hold when they were still so incredibly new.

  She reminded herself that he was just keeping his options open. He wasn’t trying to determine her future for her, or lining anything up without talking to her first.

  She glanced at him as he chatted on his phone, and he smiled and put his arm around her, drawing her closer.

  Don’t rush into marriage!

  It could be so easy to do that with him if she wasn’t careful. She was falling into the vacation-romance dream. She wanted to believe that the feelings she had today would be strong enough to keep them together, and would continue to grow over the years.

  But what if she was only signing up for the same old problems she and Chuck had experienced? They’d fallen for that dreamy vacation-romance feeling and the belief that they could give each other what they needed in life.

  How was it that a part of her already couldn’t imagine returning to Canada without Nick?

  She blinked back emotion. The idea of parting left such a sad feeling inside it made her want to cry.

  And it was so soon! She was being ridiculous! It was just that new-romance feeling taking over.

  “What’s wrong?” Nick asked, after ending his call.

  Polly turned to face him. “Alexa offered you a job?”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you going to take it?”

  “We’re going to talk about the details at the wedding.”

  They watched each other in silence, eyes questioning. Nick pushed his knee against hers. “Are you worried I’m not taking us seriously, or that I’m taking us too seriously?”

  She nodded, then shook her head, unsure. No. She knew. And she needed to speak up now. Not wait. Not let it all get too big to tackle. “Too seriously. This is a vacation romance. We’re building a relationship based on our teenage one, back when life was much easier.”

  He took her hand. “True. But if after this week we decide to stick together and test things, we’re going to need options. A place to live. A job.”

  “Don’t I get a say?” What would she do on a ranch out in Texas? She was not doing the kept-woman thing again.

  “That’s why I didn’t commit to anything.” He rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. “But if you and I stay together, and would like to move to Texas, we have this as a possibility. We don’t have to take it. We don’t have to do anything. I just…” His gaze met hers, his eyes so steady and kind. “All I know is that I want to keep this going. I don’t want to part ways on Sunday.”

  Polly bit her bottom lip and glanced up at the palm fronds rustling in the slight ocean breeze. She felt the same way. If Nick had any fears about them, he wasn’t allowing them to take hold like she was. He was planning. He was building a nest.

  It was scary. Exciting.

  So crazy.

  Chuck had plunged ahead, planning, too. Planning and moving until she was no longer part of the process. She’d become someone to notify after the fact. New house? Oh, look what I bought for us, honey. Go pack your things. Here’s a new car. I didn’t like your old one.

  “You get a say in this,” Nick said gently.

  “I do,” she stated firmly.

  But really, what did he know about her fears, anyway? He hadn’t had his heart broken before, his trust betrayed, his life upturned.

  He didn’t get it.

  Part of her loved him for that, wanted to cling to the pure innocence and hope, reclaim some of it for herself. But another part worried that they were only kidding themselves that a vacation romance could last.

  Fears rose up inside her, even though she knew he wasn’t anything like her ex. She and Nick were already a team in ways she and Chuck never had been after years of marriage. Chuck hadn’t lifted one finger to help plan their wedding, and here was Nick right in it, doing all he could. And the way he was looking at her, with that liquid warmth in his eyes, she knew he wasn’t building an escape hatch in Texas. Nick Wylder was building something for them.

  But new relationships could quickly capsize.

  And this was rushing things.

  He thought he knew what he wanted, but he didn’t really know her. She didn’t even know herself.

  To him, the question was simple: did she want him and did she want Texas? Or did she want somewhere else?

  “It’s so soon,” she whispered.

  “I know.” His expression was solemn as he stared at a gull hopping along the boardwalk, eyeing them with its head tipped to the side.

  Nick looked so forlorn, so torn, suddenly, that she knew even though this was absurdly way too soon to commit, he needed to know she took him seriously. The truth was she wanted Nick no matter where that took them. But talking about moving to be closer to each other? That seemed overwhelming.

  “We need to move slower,” she said. “It’s too soon to line up jobs and a joint location.”

  “I don’t like long-distance relationships. The woman never writes or calls like she says she will.” He dropped the joking tone. “I’m not willing to wait another twenty years for our paths to cross again, Polly. When it comes to making a genuine effort to give this—us—a try, it’s now or never. For me, Sunday is do or die. We stick together and commit to this, or we go our separate ways.”

  His words made her catch her breath. But he was right. They needed a plan and he had one. They needed to spend time together to know if this was viable, and she didn’t want to go home and try and figure out how to be a couple from thousands of miles away.

  Oh, he was such trouble, wasn’t he?

  The hardest part was that it felt like he was the one she’d always been holding out hope for in the back of her heart, her mind, her soul.

  So maybe she was off base, too, because she wanted to say yes. Yes to everything Nick-related, even if it was too soon and way too crazy and likely to crush what was left of her still-mending heart.

  But it was now or never, because if they each went home alone, she knew they’d be making a choice and this would be over once again.

  “You know,” she said, her heart poundi
ng so loudly she could barely hear her own words, “I’ve always liked horses and cowboys.”

  She quickly held up a hand. “But I’m going to need a lot more time before I jump all the way in, Nick Wylder. A lot more.”

  “How much is a lot more time?” Nick asked calmly. He’d finally hit that wall he knew existed. Polly was freaking out. She was trying not to run, trying not to hide. But she’d been dragging her feet, playing it safe, holding a piece of herself back instead of looking at the bigger picture. Which was that if they left town without each other, they’d never manage to make this work.

  Why couldn’t she just trust what they both felt and let the rest figure itself out?

  “I don’t know,” she said, her hand shaking as she brushed her bangs off her forehead. “We’ve only been dating a few days.”

  “I’ve known you my whole life.”

  “It doesn’t mean you know me,” she replied, her tone slightly less patient.

  “I know who you are in here.” He leaned over and gently tapped the spot above her heart. He knew what mattered. He knew who she was underneath the fears.

  She leaped to her feet, her eyes narrowed in fury. “How can you? I don’t even know who I am.”

  “Then hang out with me. I know who Polly Morgan is, and I can reacquaint the two of you. She’s a wonderful, fun-loving, smart woman. She cares deeply and is protective of her friendships, as well as her heart. I understand that you’ve been through things.” Her bottom lip started shaking like her hands, and he lowered his tone, saying gently, “I’m sorry if I’m moving too fast. I just feel like I’ve been waiting for you my whole life.”

  Polly sat on the bench again and covered her face with her hands. He wasn’t sure if that was good or not.

  “I can give you more space,” he promised, vowing that he’d do his best so he wouldn’t lose her.

  “I don’t want space.” She nearly spit out the word. “I just want…”

  He waited for words that didn’t come.

  She sat up, giving him a look that was both pathetic and bemused. “You didn’t decide it was time to go to town and find yourself a wife, and I’m the first woman you came across?” She narrowed her eyes, and he knew she was working past her fears, trying valiantly not to ruin things, but charming him with humor.