Talia’s dove gray suit hung perfectly, every line immaculate. Every strand of wheat blonde hair remained in place in an elegant twist on the back of her head.
It was only when she looked in Talia’s wide turquoise eyes that Kate saw panic.
Shit, this was bad.
Forcing down her own fear that wanted to eat her alive, Kate ran for the door.
“Where’s Annabelle?”
“With Maggie trying to keep her calm.”
“How bad is it?”
Talia’s lips flattened until they almost disappeared and Kate’s stomach flipped.
“That bad.”
“Bad enough.” Talia took a deep breath and Kate found herself following suit as they hurried down a long hall. Kate tried not to let images of a torn bodice cloud her mind.
She had to keep her head, no matter what.
But by the time she walked into the room where the bride sat in a mound of tulle and satin, she could barely breathe.
Annabelle stood beside her, hand on Maggie’s shoulder, her expression almost apologetic.
Wow. Really not good.
The bride’s mother stood on the other side of the room, wringing her hands while talking to someone in clerical robes.
Hope he isn’t here to do last rites on the dress.
Maggie’s head had popped up as soon as she and Talia walked through the door and Kate saw such utter despair on the other girl’s face, she almost thought someone had died.
And that was enough to snap her out of her funk.
Straightening her back, Kate stopped in front of the bride, propped her hands on her hips, and stared down at the girl. “Alright. No more of that. It’s not the end of the world. Let’s see what’s wrong.”
Kate thought she heard Talia literally sigh in relief. But Maggie’s lower lip continued to wobble.
“The dog . . .”
Then she stood and Kate’s gaze immediately went to the form-fitting satin bodice covered in hand-sewn crystals.
Oh, God, please not the bodice.
She saw nothing on the bodice . . . until Maggie turned to the side.
Kate’s breath caught in her throat, and when she tried to breathe past it, she almost choked.
Something—a dog’s claw, she guessed—had ripped through the bodice and torn the fragile material, leaving a gash at least three inches long.
Her lungs tightened to the point where she thought she might actually suffocate.
She’d never understood the term blind panic until that moment.
She couldn’t fix this.
A smack on her back made her suck in air and got her heart started again.
“Kate.” Annabelle’s voice snapped her back into the moment. “I brought everything I thought you’d need. I also grabbed a few more things you probably don’t but I guess they can’t hurt.”
Kate turned toward Annabelle, her hair pulled back in a makeshift bun with curls escaping all over the place. Annabelle stared back with total confidence.
Okay, she could do this. Taking a deep breath, Kate nodded. “Thank you.”
Annabelle’s answering smile bolstered confidence further. “Do you need me to stay and help?”
Kate hugged her. “No offense, but I’d be afraid you’d sew your fingers into the dress. No, but thank you for bringing my stuff. I really appreciate it.”
“What are friends for?” Then Annabelle whispered into her ear. “But I have a price. I want to know all about your night. I’ll talk to you soon.”
Annabelle left on that note, and Kate turned to the trembling bride-to-be.
“Alright, Maggie, take off the dress. When I’m done, you won’t be able to remember where it was ripped.”
She could do this.
Just like last night with Tyler, she only had to take the first step and the rest would follow.
“So. How was your night?”
Tyler turned at the sound of his brother’s voice. Kate had disappeared into a room down the hall and he’d stopped just inside the door.
Jed wore a bland expression but the gleam in his eyes didn’t bode well for Tyler’s piece of mind.
“My night was fine. Where’s Nana?”
“Probably still sleeping. We got her a room at the B&B up the street from the shop. Belle introduced us to the owners at the party and they hit it off with Nana right away. I’ll make sure she gets home.”
“And you and Belle? Everything okay?”
“Yes. So what hap—”
“I don’t know when I’ll be back to the hotel today,” Tyler cut in, not wanting to go there with his brother. Not now. “I need to make a few calls, let Betsy and Mark know I won’t be back today.”
“So you’re—”
“When do you think you’ll be going back?”
He stared back at his brother with a look Jed should know and understand.
Then again, his brother typically never listened to him.
“So I guess that means you’re staying with Kate.”
When he didn’t respond, Jed grinned.
Tyler gritted his teeth and his damn brother started to laugh.
“No need to break your jaw. Lighten up, big brother. The hotel will survive without you for a few days and—”
“I’ll be back tonight. I don’t want to leave Kate here without a ride home.”
“Uh-huh.” Jed lost his smile and moved closer. “You know it’s okay to move on, right? It’s been almost two years.”
He didn’t pretend to misunderstand what Jed was talking about. “Are you saying I haven’t?”
Jed shook his head. “Nope. Not buying your denial. You’re so damn good at deflection. You should’ve been a lawyer, you know that, right?”
They’d had this talk before and Tyler had his response down pat. “Then who would manage all that money you like to think you make on your own?”
Jed raised one hand in surrender. “Alright. Fine. We won’t talk about it.”
Because there was nothing to talk about. Mia was gone. He wasn’t.
And one night with a woman—even one as exciting as Kate—did not make a relationship.
“We need to decide on a contractor and— Why are you laughing?”
After Jed calmed down enough to speak, his brother sighed and got out his cell. “I’ve got the list right here. Why don’t we go over a few of the possibilities now?”
Yeah, that should take his mind off last night. Right.
Thirty minutes later, Jed and Annabelle left, but only after Tyler assured Annabelle he’d stay until the bitter end and make sure Kate ate something. And that he’d get Kate home safely. And make sure she didn’t obsess over what she couldn’t fix. And that he didn’t let her get depressed or drink too much at the reception.
That last one caught him off guard.
Kate hadn’t said anything about being invited to the wedding. And she definitely hadn’t said anything about attending the wedding.
He’d assumed she wasn’t going.
He’d also assumed she’d want to spend more time with him. Tonight. Maybe Sunday night as well.
Then again, maybe she’d thought last night had been once and done.
Just thinking about that made him tense.
When Kate walked through the door a minute later, he had himself back under control. Or so he thought.
When he saw how tired she looked, he wanted to grab her, put her in his car, and take her back to the hotel. He’d feed her, put her to bed and, when she woke, he’d show her why she should let him take care of her.
Luckily, he had enough sense to realize that was probably a bad idea.
Instead, he met her halfway and waited for her to make a move. She stopped only inches away but didn’t reach for him.
She smiled up at him. At least, he thought she was trying to smile. “Thank you for waiting. You didn’t have to, but I appreciate it.”