“That doesn’t surprise me.”
This was hard. Much harder than he thought it would be. Will tugged on his now-too-tight collar. “My mother was the one coordinating and making all the plans.”
“Then you don’t need me. Starr’s amazing. She could plan any event with her eyes closed.”
Kelsey was right on the mark about his mother. Starr Addison could do anything she put her mind to, except the one thing that had become her all-consuming goal: marrying off her youngest daughter.
“That was before,” he forced the words out.
“Before what?”
“My mother had a stroke, and she…” Swallowing hard, he pulled himself together. “She said the only one she trusted to pull off the wedding she’d planned for Faith is you.”
CHAPTER THREE
Starr? A stroke?
It wasn’t possible. But the gravity in Will’s gaze told Kelsey it was true. Tears stung her eyes, and she blinked them away. She might not be a fan of the daughter, but Starr was an amazing mother and person. The woman was thoughtful and generous, too. Kelsey had enjoyed working with her each time Faith planned a wedding.
“How is she doing?”
He shrugged, his features tight. “Things are progressing…slowly.”
A stroke. Kelsey didn’t know what to say. She remembered the helpless feeling that had engulfed her and her entire family when her grandmother Waters had suffered a stroke. The long days and endless nights until Grandmother had had another stroke and died. Kelsey fought the urge to offer comfort. He had a wife to do that.
“I’m so sorry. I truly am.”
“Thanks.” His voice was deeper than she’d heard before, and he glanced at the ceiling. “It’s been a…difficult time for all of us. Faith wanted to postpone the wedding, but my mother insisted it go on as planned. Mom tried to continue doing all the work herself, but it was too much for her.”
Too much for Starr Addison?
Kelsey tried to imagine Starr as anything other than her vibrant and energetic self, a woman who’d even tried snowboarding last year to see what it was like. A strong, confident woman who still had an Achilles’ heel—her daughter Faith.
Each time Faith decided at the eleventh hour to cancel her wedding, Starr would break the news to Kelsey and hand her a generous check for the work she’d done as if money could wipe the slate clean. Starr apologized for the inconvenience, but not once had she apologized for her daughter’s actions. Neither had Faith, for that matter. Kelsey chalked it up to family loyalty. Still, a simple “I’m sorry” would have made such a difference, but none had come.
She’d kept waiting and hoping. Of course, she’d only contributed to the situation by continuing to plan Faith’s weddings, mostly because Kelsey enjoyed working with Starr, but she wasn’t going to give in and do it again.
Kelsey really wanted—no, sheneededto take a vacation. Just her reaction to Will suggested she needed to get away from her daily routine. Designing wedding after wedding without time for herself or a little male diversion had taken a toll. A couple of weeks on the island paradise of San Montico with her cousin Christina was exactly what Kelsey needed. A little rest and relaxation. She thought about what Jane had texted her about Prince Richard’s royal advisor, Didier Alois. Maybe he’d forgiven her for turning down his marriage proposal, and they could spend some time together. If he hadn’t, making up would be a nice challenge. She enjoyed his company, even if he’d gone a bit far by proposing after only knowing her for one week. A casual flirtation would be fun.
Yes, this vacation was what she needed, craved, deserved.
“I’m really sorry, Will, but I have a plane to catch.”
“My mother’s only wish is to see Faith married. It’s more important to her than her own recovery.” He gazed straight at Kelsey, making her feel as if she needed to take a step—make that ten steps—back. “And you’re the one she wants to help her.”
An invisible noose tightened around Kelsey’s neck, but she needed to resist caving in. The last thing in the world she wanted to do was to plan a fifth wedding for Faith. Kelsey had promised herself not to allow Starr to sweet-talk her into doing another wedding for her daughter. Now, it wasn’t only Starr asking, but Will, too.
“What do you say?” He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Will you help my mother make her dream come true?”
A grapefruit-size lump of guilt lodged in Kelsey’s throat. Closing her eyes, she thought about her grandmother and how important dreams had been to her. Dreams she'd had for each of her grandchildren and shared with them before her stroke. But the stroke had taken away those dreams, taken away everything. There had been little time to do anything but say goodbye. Kelsey had wanted to do more, so much more. She’d missed that chance. Maybe helping Starr would ease some of Kelsey’s regrets.
The ding of a bell announced the arrival of the elevator, and the doors opened.
“Your staff is on vacation, but I’ll help you.” Will smiled. “Tell me what you need done, and it’ll be done. I don’t know much about weddings, but I’m a fast learner.”
Her eyes sprang open, and her heart leaped with pleasure at the thought of being near Will. The feeling was totally illogical, downright ridiculous. Forget about not wanting to work on Faith’s wedding. The last thing in the world Kelsey wanted to do was to spend two weeks working with Will Addison. “Faith will want to work on her own wedding.”
“She’s on location and won’t be flying in until the day before the wedding. She made me promise to oversee things until she arrived.”
