Page 56 of Fall for Me

Chelsea

Oh God. This was absolutely a terrible idea. My heart beat hard, my pulse throbbing in my throat.

Joyce pointed to the flowers.

“Look at what Ms. Kelly brought us! Aren’t they gorgeous?”

Seamus frowned, never taking his eyes off me. Was he confused about why I was here? Maybe he’d brushed aside the whole incident. Or maybe—somehow—I’d built it up to something it wasn’t? Maybe, I thought wildly, he’d just been trying to comfort me, give me a hug. Maybe he’d just breathed on my neck and I’d stupidly assumed it was something more.

Jude thrust his hand out toward Seamus. “Hey dude!”

Seamus looked down at Jude’s hand, confused. The two of them knew each other—Jude used to tag along with him and Eli when he was a little kid, always wanting to hang out with the older boys. I remembered a moment now with sudden clarity, me at the kitchen table drawing, Seamus at the door to get Eli. Seamus looking at my drawings and then at me. Jude coming out behind Eli, asking if he could go too.

Seamus giving me a kind smile, while my brothers only hollered and elbowed.

“Thanks for helping Chels again,” Jude said.

Seamus glanced at me once again and I had to fight not to suck in a breath. Something hot and quiet passed between us. Any lingering doubts that I’d made up the shift that had happened between us the other day—that I was reading into things more than I should be—vanished. I could see in his eyes that he was thinking about exactly what had happened between us. That even though he had helped me—saved me—it was negated by what he thought he’d done in that back room.

With the intensity of his gaze, all the feelings of that moment came flooding to me, fast this time.

Along with the truth: I’d wanted every second of what happened between us.

I wanted so much more.

I had to tear my eyes away, biting my cheek to force myself to focus. This wasn’t part of the plan. How could I get my life together if I’d suddenly caught feelings for Eli’s best friend? Moving forward meant figuring me out. Not me and someone else.

Seamus nodded at Jude. “Of course.”

Had an eternity passed? Or only a second?

“I’m so sorry Jamie isn’t here. He’d love to see these. He’s dealing with a venue problem for our party coming up soon, and won’t let me help.” She tsked.

Venue problem—those were words I was familiar with. I clung to the turn in conversation. “What’s the issue?” This was something I could grasp hold of and maybe actually be useful about. Something that took the spotlight off this crackling tension I was sure the others could sense, if not see, somehow.

“He’d booked the Elk’s club, but last night they had some kind of flooding damage. They think they might have to tear down the hall!”

Joyce was shaking her head woefully.

“Oh shit,” Jude said, indelicately. “What’s the party?”

Joyce explained how it was a celebration of them being in business for 30 years. “And I’ve been here since the very start,” Joyce said, with no small bit of pride. “Through every up and down.”

“30 years, shit. Why don’t they have it at the resort?” Jude glanced at me. “Chels is the event planner.”

“Not right now,” I said. “I’m not back until mid-November. But I can definitely ask if it’s available,” I offered. “And pull strings if it’s not. It’s the least I could do.” I could also insist we could comp the use of our facility for the Reillys.

But Seamus shook his head. “Thank you. But Dad was clear he wanted this to be reflective of the business—a more intimate family type gathering and not a…” He hesitated.

“A fancy resort,” I supplied.

He nodded, looking relieved I wasn’t insulted. “Yeah.”

I understood. Seamus’s dad wanted people to feel comfortable, and not like they needed to be in black tie. All their trades and subcontractors would be there. My mind was already running with the possibilities, and I realized I missed this part of the event job.

As Jude launched into a story about the most lavish party he’d been to when he was in Paris, I thought once again about my old job when I lived in Martha’s Vineyard. We’d planned parties all over the place, so there was a ton of variety. Weddings, which I loved doing, had been everywhere, from farmhouses to the beach. We did small birthdays and giant corporate celebrations. Working for my family’s resort was great. I had the stability of location, in-house catering, and I was the boss. But it had been stressful too, and I’d burned off steam by going out and losing myself after hours.

“I’d be happy to help,” I said, cutting into Jude’s story. He’d go on all day if I let him. “Just ask him to call me.”

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