Page 25 of Kiss the Bride

Jenny’s head bobbed as if the brief explanation answered all her questions. “Come with me.”

“I can’t. I have to—”

A hand grabbed her elbow in a steely grip. “Come. With. Me,” the wedding planner said in a tone that made it useless to argue.

Left with no choice, she let herself be guided into a small office two doors down from Alicia’s. She’d barely crossed the threshold when Jenny rounded on her, eyes blazing.

“You realize you’ve thrown the entire household into a tizzy, don’t you?”

“I’m sorry. But the dining room was a mess. The Green Room was—”

“—lovely,” Jenny cut in. “What’s that you’re always saying—if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it? There’s nothing to fix here. The staff is well aware of how important it is for us to win over the Wedding-in-a-Week couple. They have everything under control. Trust them.”

“But they’re halfway through setting up the Green Room,” she objected. “I wanted Brianna and Daniel to see how spacious it is.”

“They will.” Jenny’s exasperated sigh filled the air. “We have twenty weddings scheduled in the Cottage this week. The Harper affair is tomorrow night in the Green Room. This is the best time to set up for it. If we don’t do it now, it’ll set off a chain of dominoes, and we’ll be playing catch-up through the weekend. You know how nervous Alicia gets when that happens. Neither of us wants that.”

She shifted her weight from one foot to the other while she tried not to squirm beneath Jenny’s pointed gaze. She couldn’t argue. Her friend had a valid point, but the assistant planner hadn’t been where she’d been. “You didn’t see Harbor View,” she pointed out. “It’s … impressive. Soaring glass windows. Stunning views. The place is so beautiful, I wouldn’t mind getting married there.”

“Whooooo,” Jenny breathed. “That’s saying something.”

“So you understand why everything here has to be picture-perfect. If it isn’t, Brianna and Daniel will choose Harbor View over the Cottage.”

“They’re going to love it here.” Despite her insistence, questions filled Jenny’s eyes. “Unless there’s something else I need to know?”

She inhaled. “I wish I had your confidence. Jason’s counting on me to run things while he’s gone, and so far, I’m afraid I’m not doing a very good job.”

“Nonsense. The most important thing you can do right now is relax. Focus on the Cottage’s history, its beauty, the things we offer that no other venue in Heart’s Landing can. Brianna and Daniel will love it here because you do.”

Maybe Jenny was right. Maybe not. Either way, she had more riding on the Wedding-in-a-Week contest than her friend and co-worker realized. No one else had been on the phone with Jason and Tara last night. No one else knew they were nudging her aside. Or how much it hurt. True, she’d been thinking it might be time to move on, but she’d always expected to make that decision on her own. Not have it made for her. But Jenny was right about one thing—she had upset the entire household. Her tendency to speak first and think later had caused problems again. Her cheeks heated. She studied the floor. “I owe everyone a huge apology, don’t I?”

“That’d be a good place to start. I’m just not sure it’s enough.”

Misery swam through her tummy. What had she been thinking? The Captain’s Cottage employed only the best, people who worked hard to give each bride a perfect wedding. She snapped her fingers. “I’ll stop in at I Do Cakes while I’m out and put in a special order for Nick’s salted caramel cupcakes.” The decadent treat was the bakery’s Tuesday special. They were so popular throughout Heart’s Landing, they usually sold out before lunch. “I’ll leave them in the break room first thing tomorrow.”

At the mention of her husband’s name, stars danced in Jenny’s eyes. “Nick will appreciate the extra business, and the staff will be thrilled.” She nodded her approval. “You still have fifteen minutes before Brianna and Daniel get here. You could spend the time smoothing the feathers you ruffled.”

She closed her eyes. Apologies weren’t her strong suit, but she’d follow Jenny’s advice. The staff deserved her praise, not her criticism. She set off down the hall, doling out heartfelt “I’m sorry’s” to those she’d barked at moments earlier. Finishing just in time, she arrived in the foyer as a Town Car pulled under the porte cochere. Daniel took Brianna’s hand as she stepped out of the car. She gestured excitedly toward the house while Curtis snapped pictures.

Evelyn wasn’t close enough to make out the words, but whatever the young woman was saying, it had to be good. Brianna was practically dancing on air. The expression on Daniel’s face announced to the world that he’d give his bride-to-be anything she wanted.

Including a wedding at the Captain’s Cottage.

A heavy weight dropped from her shoulders. Pulling herself upright, she swung the door wide to greet her home’s newest guests. “Brianna, Daniel. Welcome to the Captain’s Cottage.”

After a brief exchange—they had, after all, only left each other a half-hour earlier—she gave them a moment to absorb the impressive foyer before gesturing to her great-great-great-grandfather’s painting. “I’d like you to meet Captain Thaddeus Heart, the original builder of the Captain’s Cottage. Thaddeus made his fortune sailing the high seas between London and New York in his ship, the S.S. Mary Shelby, which he named after his wife. The intrepid captain battled hurricanes and pirates, raging winds and dead calm. It was a dangerous life, a hard life, and many didn’t survive it. But Captain Thaddeus promised his bride he’d always make it home in time for her birthday, and his wife, Mary, never lost faith. Theirs was such an enduring love, it gave rise to the term, ‘A Heart’s Landing love for the ages.’”

A beat later, she looked directly at Brianna when she added, “We here at the Captain’s Cottage would like nothing more than to host your wedding and help you and Daniel launch your own love for the ages. If you’ll let us.”

The introduction was the same every prospective bride and groom heard before they agreed to hold their wedding at the Captain’s Cottage. Some might call it so much patter, but the Captain’s love for his wife permeated every inch of the sprawling estate. Her family had always felt it was important to provide their guests with a little bit of insight into what made the Cottage so special, why it was more than just a beautiful place to get married.

She stole a quick look at Daniel and Brianna. If the stars that twinkled in Brianna’s eyes were any indication, the bride-to-be had committed every word of Thaddeus and Mary’s love story to heart. Her focus shifted to Daniel. The young groom had been so enamored of Harbor View that she’d considered him the hardest to win over, but the young man stared intently at the image of Captain Thaddeus. His faraway look told her he was imagining his own life on the high seas. She crossed her fingers behind her back.

Next, she led the small entourage to one of her favorite rooms in the entire estate. “As we go through the house, you’ll see we offer several options, depending on the number of your guests and the size of your wedding party. The Conservatory is perfect for smaller parties of up to twenty.” She slid open the doors to a room where the sun streamed through mullioned windows to create a checkerboard pattern on the hardwood floors. Cream-colored walls and wide crown molding lent the room a spaciousness far greater than its size. A grand piano in one corner contributed to the illusion. She crossed to the instrument and plinked out the first few bars of the Wedding March.

“Imagine a harpist and a pianist playing softly in the background when you walk down the aisle.”

Daniel canted his head. “That has a nice sound for something so old.”

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