Wedding Date for Hire (14 page)

“What do you mean by someone like Trent?”

“You know, football-Adonis-extraordinaire playboy who has more women throwing themselves at him than Tom Brady.”

“Sounds like
you
still see Trent as he was in high school.”

She lifted her head. “You think that’s what I’m doing?”

“I do. Give Trent a chance. It’s about time you gave any man the opportunity.”

Maddie’s heart lifted a fraction. “Maybe you’re right.”

“Of course I am. I’m smarter than the average friend,” she said with a grin. “But sometimes it takes an outside perspective to see things the clearest. You were able to give me good feedback about all my problems with Jack. And everything turned out great in the end.” She paused and smiled. “Eventually.”

“I’ll try to keep the eventually part in mind.”

Sabrina laughed. “Good. So, let’s see,” she said, cocking her head in thought, “if I have the story straight. You hired Trent as your wedding date, but he eventually turned out to be a real date?”

“Pretty much.”

“That’s certainly a story for the grandkids.”

Maddie raised her wine in salute. “From your mouth to Trent’s ears.”

“Yes, but let’s not tempt fate,” Sabrina said, crossing her fingers, “and hope he has hairy ears. After all, there just has to be something more between you two.”

Maddie stopped mid sip. “There has to be?”

“Of course. No one is
that
good of an actor.”

Right. And she could tell acting. Trent was attentive and affectionate. He laughed with her and made her laugh. Besides, no one could charm her and her family so well without at least a little bit of truth behind those actions. Unless…of course…

It happened to be his job.

T
rent knocked on the bathroom door for the third time. “Maddie, Louise called.
Again.
She said the hairdresser is at the main house waiting for you. If you don’t get over there soon, I can’t be held responsible for any course of action your sister may take.”

After a few beats, the door swung wide, and Maddie appeared. He opened his mouth but all he could think was
mine
and how she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. She wore a strapless dark gray gown that accentuated creamy white shoulders that made a man itch to trace the curves. As she teetered in the doorway on three-inch heels, he didn’t think she could have ever taken his breath away more than she already did. But he stood corrected.

He knew she was waiting for him to say something. But there were no words good enough. “You’re lovely.”

She smiled shyly. “Just wait until I get my hair and makeup done.”

“You look perfect as you are,” he said, wrapping her in his arms.

Maddie slid her arms around his neck, then tilted her head to the left.

“What are you doing,” he asked, pulling back. “Were you checking out my ears?”

She quickly straightened, looking guilty and completely adorable. “Huh? No.” She gave a weak cough. “Why would I ever do that?”

His lips twitched. “I’m afraid to find out.”

“Well, you can relax. You’re perfect. And hairless,” she muttered.

“Is that bad?”

Before she could answer, there was a pounding at the door. “Maddie, if you don’t come out of this room in two seconds, I will kick open the door and drag you out by your pearl earrings myself.”

Maddie gave a weak smile. “It’s the wedding. Louise isn’t herself.”

“You think?” He turned, wasting no time in answering the door.

Louise’s hands were fisted on her hips and, although she was in running shorts and an old T-shirt, her hair was dramatically swept up high on her head with little white flowers around her ears traveling all along the back of her head like a debutante.

“Oh, hello, Trent,” she said coolly. “I didn’t realize you were still here. You should be grabbing brunch on the patio.”

“I would have but I wanted to stick around in case Maddie needed help getting dressed.”

Louise dropped her arms and marched in. “Well, that’s very kind but your services are no longer required. I can take care of my sister’s needs now.”

Trent raised his brows.
My services are no longer required?
What had gotten into her? Under normal circumstances, they would be cracking jokes with each other already. Louise definitely had a prickly stick up her butt this morning, but he decided to let it pass, since he assumed it was a wedding-day-Bridezilla thing she had going on.

Trent glanced at Maddie, who seemed stiff as well.
Everybody
was acting weird. He knew there was more than one reason he didn’t like weddings.

“Seeing that I’m no longer needed…”
Or wanted.
Or barely tolerated
. “I’ll go grab something to eat. Do you want me to bring you anything, Maddie?”

“I—”

“My mom has some snacks waiting for her already. You can go,” Louise said, giving him an impatient wave.

Trent blew out a breath. “I guess I’ll see you both at the church then.” He wanted to kiss Maddie good-bye, but Louise planted herself in front of her sister like an impenetrable wall. “Good luck, Louise.”

“Thanks.”

Trent’s gaze wandered one more time to Maddie, who only shrugged at Louise’s attitude, then he closed the door behind him and left.

M
addie turned to her sister. “That was rude.”

“Sorry. It’s stress. But it’s not like you guys are a real couple.”

Maddie looked at her nails, unable to meet Louise’s gaze. She hated keeping things from her sister. She already told Sabrina. She might as well just tell Louise, too, now that things were in fact becoming real with her and Trent, since it was highly unlikely that information would affect the wedding. “Um, actually, Louise—”

“Plus, I’m kind of mad at him.”

Maddie closed her mouth and blinked. “You’re mad at Michael?”

“No,
Trent
.”

“Why are you mad at Trent?”

Louise walked over to the mirror and began fussing with her already perfect hair. “Last night I found one of his stupid business cards for Match Made Easy in Michael’s sport coat.”

“So? Maybe he just wanted to give Michael his contact number.”

Louise looked at her. “Normally I would have thought that, too, but I asked Michael about it, and he said Trent gave it to him because he wanted to drum up some advertising venues for Match Made Easy. If that’s the case, Trent has definitely been working overtime. Maybe he gets a commission out of it.”

Maddie suddenly felt ill and sat down on the bed.

“I suppose it’s his job,” Louise went on, “but could you please tell him to tone it down at the reception? I don’t want him thinking he can work the room like a used car salesman. What if people put two and two together and figure out you used Match Made Easy? Although it looks as if Veronica might need those services soon, too. I think she and her boyfriend are on the outs. All she did was complain about him this morning as she was getting her hair done.” She checked her watch. “And speaking of hair done, we need to get yours done now.”

Maddie sat frozen, afraid to move or else she’d throw up. Trent sure found time to promote his services. He was still a player. A very convincing player. She was obviously just a job to him. Nothing more.

Why had she expected anything different?

Louise laid a hand on her shoulder and gently squeezed. “Hey, it’s not that big a deal. Put it behind you, use Trent for everything you paid him for, and have a great time tonight at the reception.” When Maddie remained silent, Louise happily added, “And look on the bright side, come tomorrow, you’ll never have to see him again.”

Never see him again.
The story of her life. She’d gone through this scenario of never being good enough for a man to love so many times she could write the playbook. But this time it was different. This time her heart was china, thrown to the ground and shattered by the hands of a man she thought was different.

Never see him again.

Maddie glanced up at her sister’s reassuring face and solemnly nodded.

Chapter Twelve

M
addie had summoned an inner Herculean strength to get through the morning without falling apart. But she was determined for Louise’s wedding day to be perfect. Even if her insides felt as crumbly as a cookie.

She stood behind her sister at the altar. Louise and Michael held hands, grinning and staring into each other’s eyes like they were the only ones in the world. Maddie held in a sigh.
This is what true love looks like
, she thought. True happiness for all the world to see. Not secret agendas and misery weighing her down like a steel barbell.

She gazed out into the church and found Trent sitting just a few rows back. Sun streamed in through the stained glass, highlighting the reddish tones in his dark hair. He was—in a word—gorgeous with those firm features and confident set of his shoulders. He flashed his muscle-melting smile, and her cynical self couldn’t help but believe it was just part of his job.

Closing her eyes, she cursed her own stupidity for ever thinking Trent could be different. He was just as self-centered as he’d been in high school.

“You may now kiss the bride,” the priest announced.

As Louise and Michael kissed, the crowd clapped with approval. The organ music began, and the wedding party made their descent down the aisle. The photographer’s camera snapped away, and as Maddie felt Trent’s steady gaze on her, she struggled to keep her smile pleasant and in place.

Once the church had emptied out and the last group shot had been taken, Maddie finally found the courage to approach Trent waiting for her.

“You’re dazzling,” he said, offering her his arm.

The natural pull to go to him was strong. She wanted so badly to take his arm and lean in, but she kept her hands at her side. “Thank you. But you should probably save that kind of talk for when people are around.”

He dropped his arm and studied her a moment. “I didn’t say it for other people to hear. I said it because it’s the truth.”

“Is it? Because if so, I believe it’s the first time you’ve told me the truth since I hired you.”

He went speechless as a dawning look of realization hit his face. “I didn’t want you to find out this way. I was going to tell you that Kennedy was my cousin after the wedding,” he explained.

Her laugh was strained. “Funny enough,
that
I didn’t know. But it does explain a few things. And at least I can say you’re being honest with me now.”

“Maddie,” he said, reaching for her.

She slapped his hand away. “Don’t Maddie me. Louise told me you gave your business card to Michael. You’ve been busy. Well, I can tell you, we both don’t appreciate you trying to drum up more business for yourself, especially on my time.”

“It’s not like that, Maddie. Nobody knows I work for them. I was just trying to get some advertising for Match Made Easy. That’s all and— Wait. Louise knows you hired me?”

She nodded. “I told her yesterday. Sabrina knows, too.”

His brows lifted. “Why did you tell anyone? You said you didn’t want Louise worrying about you. I thought the whole point was for people to stop thinking you’re cursed and to have them stop feeling sorry for you.”

“That was before. Now I want the game to end. In case you need it spelled out, you’re fired.”

He threw up his hands in frustration. “Well, that’s just great. You’re firing me. I don’t even really work for Match Made Easy. I was just doing my cousin a favor.”

Oh, lordy.
She leaned on the end of a pew. Her instincts were dead-on about him. What other “truths” had he neglected to tell her?

“Look, you don’t understand. Kennedy needed me. She was hoping that if I could pose as your wedding date and try to work in some advertising spots with Michael, it would really help her business. So I agreed to do it. But I wasn’t trying to use you, Maddie.”

She wiped at her tears, furious with herself for allowing them to form, let alone fall. “Right. And I should believe you now
because
…?”

“Because if you stop and really listen to what I’m saying, you’ll know it’s true. I loved spending this week with you. And not because I was hired to do it.”

Her heat shifted rhythm. The words were what she wanted to hear, but she couldn’t find it in herself to believe them. “This isn’t working for me anymore. I think it’s best if we end this agreement now. I can make up some excuse as to why you’re not at the reception.”

“Maddie, you’re doing it again.” His tone was low and urgent.

“What am I doing?”

“Pushing men away. Pushing
me
away.”

“That’s ridiculous. Don’t try and go Dr. Phil on me. You were hired for a job and that’s it. The wedding is over, and the job is done. There’s nothing between us to push away.” She hiked up her dress and whirled around, her breaths coming out in short heavy pants. She made it halfway down the aisle before Trent grabbed her wrist, stopping her.

“You know, when I first heard all the stories about your men issues and how the family thought you were cursed, I actually felt sorry for you,” he told her.

She snorted. He felt sorry for her.
Join the club.

“But I now know you created those problems yourself.”

Her chin shot up, and she glowered at him. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t you? You create your own problems and concerns because you’re afraid. Afraid you’ll become attached to someone. So you don’t ever try. Because you know as soon as that happens, you’ll have to trust him. So you fall back on the tired excuse of this curse and push men away before they can leave you. That way you’ll never get hurt.”

She gasped. “That’s a horrible thing to say.”

“Only a man who wants to get closer to you and cares would dare to say it. Don’t throw away what we could have because it’s easier and safer. Take a chance for once. I’m willing to take a chance on you.” Imploring her with his gray-green eyes, he held out his hand. And waited.

She studied it, trying to gain the courage and believe his words. She wanted to. She was tempted to trust, but in the end old fears wrapped around her like a straightjacket, and she kept her arms at her sides.

He heaved a frustrated sigh. “So that’s it then?”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

For a long moment their eyes met. Then he leaned in and kissed her on her cheek, his lips lingering painfully longer than she could bear before he pulled back. “I’m sorry, too.”

B
ottoms up.

Maddie tossed down another tequila shot then wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. The bartender winced when she slammed the glass a little too hard on the bar.

“You’re flagged,” he told her with a explicit look.

“Party pooper.” She only had two shots, but she’d always been a bit of a lightweight. She swiveled around on the stool.

Her blurred gaze traveled over the crowd of guests at the reception. Michael and Louise were in each other’s arms slow dancing to their wedding song, “Our Love is Here to Stay.” One of the singers then announced for the rest of the wedding party to join them in their dance.

Great.
The worst part of the maid of honor’s duty.

Before she could even stand, Ryan was at her side. “I believe that means maid of honor and best man share a dance,” he said with a glint in his eyes.

She shrugged. “Sure. Let’s do this,” she said. The tequila was finally having the effect she wanted, and walking became a bit of an effort. Ryan seemed unfazed by her condition and simply held her arm as he led her to the dance floor.

She linked her hands behind Ryan’s neck and swayed with him to the music. She hoped he wouldn’t get chatty all of a sudden. The lyrics of the song were pretty, and she wanted to listen to them. Her head was nice and fuzzy, and she was even starting to forget all about Trent.

“So where’s your boyfriend?” Ryan asked.

Almost
starting to forget about Trent.

“Gone,” she murmured, hoping there’d be no follow-up questions.

“Ah. Another one bites the dust?” Amusement edged his tone.

Her gaze cut to him, sharp and direct. “What does
that
mean?”

“Nothing. I didn’t think that guy would last. Although I thought he would stay at least until dinner was served,” he said with a wry smile.

“Yes, well, we had different views on what we both expect out of relationships.” Like honesty and commitment. “It was for the best that I end it before there were any real hurt feelings.”

“I have to give him points for lasting as long as he did. You were always kind of hard to get close to.”

She tripped on his foot, fell into his chest, then righted herself. “What did you say?”

Before he could answer, the song ended, and the band began to play a more upbeat tune. More people started funneling in around them.

“Let’s go grab a drink,” he suggested.

“The bartender won’t serve me,” she shouted over the music. “And you didn’t answer my question. Are you saying I’m difficult to be with?”

He shook his head. “Not at all, Maddie. I’m sorry I said anything.” Then he gave her one last pitying look and walked away.

Good riddance.
She didn’t want to hear Ryan’s opinion anyway. What did he know? Maddie made her way through the crowd and back to the bar. She didn’t want to feel anymore, just wanted to blend in and forget. She flopped down on a stool and hoped she could get a drink. But the bartender saw it was her and immediately placed a club soda in front of her.

Everyone was against her tonight.

She made a face. “Thank you.”

“You will be thanking me,” he said with a smirk before waiting on a couple at the other end.

“Doubt that,” she muttered, scowling at the fizzing glass.

“What do you doubt, dear?” her mother said, sitting down next to her.

Everything. But mostly myself.
“I doubt I’ll ever be as lucky as Louise,” she answered instead.

Her gaze wandered to her sister. Louise and Michael were talking to Aunt Marie. They were both nodding and laughing, enjoying the celebration. Just the way Maddie had hoped the night would turn out for her sister.

Her mom wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “I haven’t seen Trent since the ceremony,” she said gently. “Is he feeling okay?”

Maddie swallowed. This was her chance to continue the lie. To save face. Her mother had practically dropped the excuse right in her lap. She could tell everyone that Trent had become ill and had to go back to the house. Easy peasy and no one would be the wiser.

“Yes, Trent wasn’t feeling…” She gulped hard. “His complexion was really…” She could feel her throat closing up. She looked up at her mom as a hot tear slipped down her cheek.

“Oh, honey, what is it?”

“Mom, I got scared. And now Trent’s gone. Just like Dad.”

Her mom ran a hand down her arm. “Honey, you can’t compare the two.”

“Then why isn’t Dad here on Louise’s big day? She told me she invited him to the wedding. Does he really want so little to do with us? I don’t understand what we did to drive him away.”

“You didn’t do anything.”

“Then why did he leave us? The curse?”

Her mom
pfffd
, flopping her wrist in the air. “He didn’t leave because of any curse. He left because I told him to leave.”

“What?”

“I’m sorry. I suppose you girls were old enough to hear the truth years ago, but I wanted to give your father a chance to become sober.”

Maddie took a steadying breath. Almost couldn’t say the words. “Dad is an alcoholic?”

“I’m afraid so. When you girls were little, he was more of a binge drinker. I thought he had some sort of control over it. But then it got away from him, and he started drinking even on the days he had to work.
When
he made it to work.”

“Oh, gosh, I never noticed anything out of the ordinary.”

“You weren’t supposed to. I was careful to shield those things from you and Louise. Made sure you had playdates away from the house when he had a particularly bad bout. Even made sure he stayed overnight in a motel if he’d been drinking and needed to dry out. Needless to say, it was exhausting and getting harder and harder to hide, so I finally had to give him an ultimatum. Us or the alcohol.”

“And he didn’t choose us,” she said softly.

Her mom shook her head. “I was afraid he’d lose his job if they found out, so I just let people think he left us for other reasons. He wanted to be here today, though. Although he’s been in and out of rehab, he still can’t seem to stay sober for too long after. I know he’s embarrassed.”

“Oh, Mom. All this time. I thought maybe it had been me. That stupid curse.”

“Never, honey. It was him. But don’t doubt that he loved you. Love
all
of us.”

The truth settled in, and she let it churn in her mind. It looked like Trent had a point, after all. Had she lived her life hiding behind the excuse of that curse? She threw it in Trent’s face enough times. Well, maybe it was time for her to stop hiding.

From everyone.

“Mom, I have a confession to make.”

“What is it?”

A loud amplified whistle cut through the air. “Ladies and gentlemen, may I please have your attention?” Maddie looked at the far end of the room and saw one of the band members beckoning her to come to the stage. Ryan was there waiting with a note card in his hand ready to give his best-man speech.

Maddie hugged her mom. “Never mind. It’ll come out soon enough.”

The band leader smiled at her as she approached. “Let’s give it up for the maid of honor, Maddie McCarthy, folks!” Applause and hoots erupted from the crowd.

Maddie cleared her throat and took the microphone. “Good evening, everyone. I had something prepared but sometimes you have to go with the moment, so humor me. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Louise’s older sister. And for those of you who
do
know me, you’re probably wondering how I ever got this job.” Laughter punctuated the comment, which she nodded to recognize. “Yes, I’m hardly the love expert in the family, but that doesn’t mean a person has to give up hope of finding that special someone. Someone you take a leap of faith with and trust with all your heart. My sister didn’t give up, and I’m thrilled she found a man who complements her so perfectly. My relationship with Louise is very special to me, so I would never give her up to anyone who I didn’t think was worthy of her love and worthy of her trust. I look forward to the future for these two. Louise and Michael seem to have that certain something about them. I didn’t fully understand until I experienced a taste of that feeling myself. But now I know that theirs truly will be a match made in heaven. So ladies and gentlemen, can I ask that you join me in toasting the bride and groom by raising your glasses. To Michael and Louise, all the happiness in the world.”