No Groom Like Him

Still, Rosie managed to keep everyone close with her nurturing kindnesses. A thousand kindnesses.

Max didn’t know what he would have done without her through Madeleine’s recovery during the long months after the accident. And he didn’t understand how Lily Susan could have spent so much time away from this warm and gregarious group.

“Close your eyes, honey-bunch,” Joe commanded Lily Susan in his booming voice. “Jake, make sure she doesn’t peek.”

Jake, who had claimed the spot to his aunt’s right, crawled to his knees in the chair, stretching his hands over her face. She laughed good-naturedly, and Joe made a production of going to the refrigerator then returning to the table. He plunked down a glass jar in the middle of her plate.

“Good job, kiddo. Let her look.”

Jake sprang back, and Lily Susan glanced down. Her lush lips parted then broke into a smile. A real smile. Not the kind she’d been giving Max. Instead of warm and happy, she gave him cool and professional. He wondered why he noticed that she seemed to save her warmth for children and preserved vegetables.

“Aunt Nellie’s pickled beets?” She laughed. “Daddy, you remembered.”

“Of course I remembered. They’re your favorite.” Joe handed her a fork. “You don’t even have to share.”

There was no missing how his expression blurred around the edges when he dropped a kiss onto the top of his youngest daughter’s head. Lily Susan’s eyes fluttered shut for the briefest moment, a rare sign of emotion for a woman so skilled at keeping up appearances.

Taking his seat at the head of the table, Joe said, “Let’s eat.”

The meal began with a blessing then conversations erupted randomly as kids vied with adults to steal Lily Susan’s attention with stories of what was happening in Pleasant Valley. There was a lot to relate. Phone calls could never take the place of Sunday dinners for filling in the details.

Lily Susan fostered the conversations with her questions, asking far more than she shared. But there was one subject that was noticeably avoided by everyone: her broken engagement.

No one asked, and she didn’t offer. Not a word about how she was doing although every adult asked leading questions. Lily Susan skillfully deflected them all. So he wasn’t the only one who got the professional treatment. She was closed with the people who cared so much about her.

And why did that thought make him feel better?

Why was he so aware of her?

She was a beautiful woman, no question. Photos of her crossed his desk all the time, but Max had to admit that no photo came close to doing justice to the real woman. She was a media darling for good reason with a sweet, heart-shaped face. Her Italian heritage lent her an interesting blend of earthiness and wholesomeness with her light olive skin, whiskey-gold hair and caramel-colored eyes.

And that mouth of hers played so well to the camera, whether she was talking, laughing, smiling, kissing…

He remembered one photo in particular. The paparazzi had snapped the shot after she’d announced her engagement. She and her fiancé had been celebrating with friends on a yacht in the French Riviera, their heads close as they kissed.

Max wasn’t sure why he remembered. Maybe because they had seemed so different from the Angelica family he knew. They seemed matched to each other. Both ambitious. Both part of the jet set. Both tanned in their Mediterranean near-nudity, sipping champagne on a yacht, creating the illusion of fantasy romance.

The picture had looked perfect. Apparently the perfection had been an illusion since the ex-fiancé had proven himself a world-class deadbeat. The man hadn’t troubled himself to come here to meet his fiancée’s family—Joe and Rosie had been forced to travel into the city. That said something. As far as Max was concerned that something wasn’t good breeding.

To this day, Joey had never met him.

“A matter of principle,” he’d told Max. “If the guy wants the family seal of approval, he’ll have to make an effort. Not that family seems important to my sister anymore.”

Max understood how Joey felt. But now, watching Lily Susan, he had to wonder why she hadn’t brought the man home.

“How will Raymond’s wedding impact your plans?” Joey asked her. “Are you going to stay in town or commute from the city?”

Lily Susan shot Max a look that seared a path across the table, but she answered her brother diplomatically. “We haven’t quite gotten there yet. Max’s inquiry arrived in my office yesterday and I haven’t had a chance to figure things out.”

“What’s to figure?” Joe asked. “You’re in town.”

“Daddy, my calendar’s booked. We schedule a year to eighteen months in advance.”

“You’ve got a lot of offices, honey-bunch. You can’t rearrange a few things and make some room? Max needs your help.”

That was that as far as Joe was concerned.

The entire table quieted to listen to the exchange, and Lily Susan was suddenly on the spot. Max dodged another glare and leaned back to enjoy the show.

“I understand,” she said in a conciliatory tone. “But I’m afraid it’s not so simple. A lot of offices means I’ve got people in four countries at different stages of event planning.”

Max recognized the it’s-out-of-my-hands approach and knew she intended to turn him down. He wished her luck with that.

“You’ve been planning weddings since before you could walk.” Joey didn’t even bother with an attempt at humor. “I thought you were supposed to be good. One little wedding shouldn’t be that big a deal.”

“In case it slipped your notice, Joey, I’m already planning one little wedding. That’s the reason I’m here.”

“How in hell could I not notice?” he scoffed. “Weddings and funerals. You don’t bother coming home for anything else.”

There was a collective gasp, and Joe growled at his oldest son. Lily Susan didn’t visibly react—she was too skilled to let emotion bleed through her lovely veneer—but Rosie stepped into the breach with evasive maneuvers as she returned from the kitchen, where she’d been refilling a gravy boat with sauce for the manicotti.

“Lily Susan, if you help Max with the wedding, you’ll have all of us to assist. I’m sure everyone would look forward to spending some time with you. Isn’t that right?”

Nods and enthusiastic consents all around.

“I appreciate that, but everyone has a life. And the time constraints will make the planning a challenge, not to mention that the couple isn’t here. That’s going to complicate things further. There’ll be a zillion decisions and interviews and fittings—”

“I thought you specialized in destination weddings.” Joey wasn’t helping the cause with his hostility. “At least that’s what your website says.”

Lily Susan frowned. “Destination for the wedding, Joey. I consult with the couple in person.”

He apparently didn’t have an answer for that, and Sarah, who was positively scowling, must have kicked him because he winced then glared at her.

Lily Susan seized her chance with both hands. “Please let me explain. There will be decisions that need to be made about every tiny detail before I can arrange anything. If the bride and groom aren’t available, then I have nothing to work with.”

“You’ve got Max.” Joe waved a hand Max’s way. “Raymond and his fiancée asked him to take care of those sorts of things. Isn’t that right?”

“It is.”

Lily Susan fixed her gaze on him, an eyebrow arched. “Jamilyn asked you to try on her wedding dress so the seamstress can fit it, did she?”

At the mention of Max trying on a wedding dress, Jake howled with laughter and got the older cousins going.

“I want to see that,” Caroline’s son Brian said. “Bring a camera.”

“Make it your profile pic on Facebook,” Joey’s daughter suggested.

“Daddy lets me polish his nails,” Madeleine informed the table proudly.

“Pop Scott, you going to let Camille paint your nails?” Jake snickered. “That’s what good stepdads do.”

“Oh, yeah,” Camille chimed in. “Luscious lilac will go perfect with your dress uniform.”

Riley rolled her eyes, but Scott shot a look at his soon-to-be stepchildren and said, “Thank you, Max.”

“No problem.” He ruffled Madeleine’s silky hair.

Lily Susan grinned at her niece. “Camille, we’ll discuss Pop Scott’s polish color once he decides whether he’s wearing his dress blues or a tux. Or his chaps and cowboy hat. I don’t have a clue. Yet.” She spread her hand in entreaty, her expression transforming as she shot Max another glare. “This is exactly what I’m talking about. More decisions come up with the fittings and menu tastings and everything else that makes up the sort of high-profile event Max wants. We’re talking about a wedding at Overlook.”

Rosie set the gravy boat in front of her daughter. “You’ve always wanted to set a real wedding there, ever since you were a little girl. This sounds like the opportunity of a lifetime.”

“That’s true, but not if I have to divert my attention from Riley and Scott. I won’t sacrifice their special day.”

Lily Susan thought fast on her feet. She kept her cool, sounded completely reasonable with her arguments. Max also noticed that she hadn’t yet mentioned her vacation or her need to rest. In a way, he almost wished he could give her the time she wanted. Then he’d have time to figure out why he was suddenly thinking of ways he might help her relax.

But his interests weren’t the issue here. His brother-in-law needed a wedding and Lily Susan was the perfect person to plan one. Not only did she have expertise, but she’d also guarantee press—an essential element to launch a political campaign.

Joe shot Max a commiserating look. They’d known this wasn’t going to be an easy sell. “Of course you can’t sacrifice Riley and Scott’s wedding, honey-bunch. But you’ve got nearly four weeks to plan theirs and you seem okay with that. Why can’t you hang around a few extra weeks to plan Raymond’s?”

Lily Susan finally put two and two together. She’d been set up and knew it.

“Okay, people. Listen to me.” Her tone was all about corralling crowds to get things done. “I get that I haven’t been home in a while. I’m sorry. I won’t make excuses, but I will promise to make more time from now on. I hope you’ll take me at my word. I want to help out Max. Truly, I do. But you’re asking the impossible. The difference in work between planning an intimate family wedding for sixty guests and a high-profile, five-hundred-plus guest list is staggering. I won’t take on an event I can’t do well. And when I offered to look into my local office, Max didn’t like my suggestion.”

Max shook his head. “I want the Wedding Angel.”

He didn’t say another word because he recognized a few things at that moment. First was that Lily Susan didn’t like her family pressuring her on his behalf. She also didn’t have a clue about how worried they all were about her. About why she was distancing herself. About how she was handling a very public breakup a mere month before she would have tied the knot.

Max also didn’t think she realized how determined her family was. Now that they’d gotten her home, they intended to do whatever it took to keep her here for as long as possible.

“Max, this wedding needs professional and careful attention. Not a rush job.” She eyed him stoically. “You need to trust me on this. The press will be all over it.”

“That’s exactly why we need you.”

She made a frustrated noise. “What happened to visiting, as in spending my time catching up and not working?” She dropped her face into her hands.

No one said a word.

Lily Susan didn’t look up.

The silence lengthened.

Jake was the first to give in. He rubbed the back of her neck consolingly. “It’s okay, Aunt Lily Susan.”

Joe caved next. “Honey-bunch, will you promise to give it some thought before you say no? This is important. And if you stay longer, we’ll have time for that visiting you’re wanting.”

She lifted her head and ruffled her nephew’s hair, her poise firmly in place. “If I promise to think about it, you’ve got to promise to accept my answer whether you like it or not.”

“Deal.” Joe must have decided he’d pushed enough. For now.

They’d reached a truce. Max noticed how relieved she looked—it wasn’t obvious but it was there if he looked closely. And he didn’t mind looking.

Rosie jumped in to salvage the meal. “I’m sure Lily Susan will do whatever she can to help. Now she just got here, so let’s give her a chance to settle in.”

“Well, let’s say you decide to stay.” Joe speared another sausage on the end of his fork. “Hypothetically, of course—”

“Daddy!”

“Old man!”

Caroline switched into protective big-sister mode and elbowed Joe. “Come on, Daddy. Cut Lily Susan a break. She’s the baby, remember. She’s not used to getting pushed around the way you push around the rest of us.” She winked at her sister. “And now that you’re finally here, you can’t stay with Mom and Dad the whole time. You’ve got to spend time with me. When was the last time we had a girls’ night?”

“Or a slumber party,” Riley added. “The kids can stay up late and we can watch Disney movies and eat popcorn—”

“And drink cocoa!” Jake added. “With the big marshmallows.”

“It’ll be like playing musical Aunt Lily Susan,” Camille chimed in, and Riley laughed.

Max grinned, too. He hoped they all had lots of extra space for all her suitcases. Lily Susan didn’t travel light.

Suddenly Madeleine was pulling on his sleeve. “Daddy, I want to play musical Madame Lily Susan, too. She can sleep with me in my princess castle.”

And the conversation split off into smaller ones again.

Lily Susan exhaled a dramatic sigh but kept her mouth shut, clearly refusing to add any fuel to the fire since she was off the hook for the moment. But Max watched her, marveling at how effectively she was able to maintain her poise and reserve. Every one of the Angelicas was grounded and down-to-earth in their own unique way, and all of them were so very open. Not Lily Susan.

His cell phone vibrated at his waist. He reached for it, hoping there wasn’t some emergency at the office that would drag him away, but Madeleine got there ahead of him, her tiny fingers slipping the phone from its case easily.

She glanced at the display. “It’s Goddess.”

“Hop up and take the call into the kitchen.”

Madeleine slid from the chair, whispering into the receiver so loudly the entire table could hear, “Hi, Goddess. It’s me. I have to whisper till I get away from the dinner table.”

“Goddess?” Lily Susan glanced his way, amusement transforming her expression, making her seem relaxed and beautiful. “Your mother?”

Who else’s mother refused to let her granddaughter call her by any name that made her sound old? “She’s probably checking to see if you made it in safely.”

“She knew you were coming to get me?”

He nodded, not wanting to go into the details about how much he’d actually told his mother…and then it hit him. Max suddenly knew exactly what it was about Lily Susan that always took him off guard.

She reminded him more of his family than her own.

CHAPTER FIVE

“MADAME LILY SUSAN,” Madeleine said. “Goddess wants to talk to you.”

“Merci.” Smiling at the little girl, Lily grabbed the phone and dashed to the back porch for privacy.

“Thank you, Ginger,” she whispered into the receiver.

Max’s mother certainly knew how to make an entrance, even on a telephone. Not a surprise. Her last name was Downey. Came with the territory. Even Max, who enjoyed hanging out with Joey with a cold beer after a day bow hunting, was nothing if not socially adept. And always had been. She could remember when Joey had first brought Max home after a baseball game. He’d walked into the kitchen, handsome in his dirty uniform, thrust out his hand to Joe and introduced himself.

“Nice to meet you, sir,” he’d said. “I’m Max Downey.”

He’d seemed the epitome of everything a charming boy should be—everything her big brother wasn’t—and Lily had formed her opinion of what her perfect groom would look like in that instant.

She’d grown up since then, regardless of the way her pulse raced when Max looked at her now.

Slipping through the door, Lily closed it behind her, the chatter of dinner-table conversation muted enough so she could hear. Taking a deep breath, Lily let the calm overtake her. She loved her family, but it didn’t take long for them to make her vibrate with the noise and the demands.

Ginger’s timing was impeccable because Lily could use a few minutes to catch her breath and regroup. Although she should have known Ginger wouldn’t wait until Lily visited their office tomorrow. No, she would want top billing now that her long-time business partner had returned.

“Welcome home, my dear,” said the cultured voice on the other end of the line. “The natives restless?”

“Please remind me never again to let so much time pass between visits.”

“It has been a while.”

“I know.” Lily stopped in front of the picture window and stared out at the yard. The old swing was still there, hanging from a sturdy branch of the oak tree. Her dad had carved and hinged that swing himself. He’d varnished the wood with some cutting-edge product he’d gotten in the hardware store so it would last forever.

Lily remembered swinging on it, faster and higher, as if she could launch herself over the treetops and out of her little world into the great wide somewhere else.

“I have no excuse,” she admitted. “Except there’s been so much going on with work.”

“And your fiancé. Let’s not forget him. No matter what poor choices he made at the end of your relationship, you’ve been involved in a sweeping romance for quite some time.”

Thank you for the reminder, Ginger!

But even Lucas had been about work in a lot of ways. Lily sometimes thought they wouldn’t have been together so long if not for the way their business interests meshed. The wedding world had given them so much common ground. Same crazy schedules. Same business acquaintances. Same friends. They supported each other, liked each other, loved each other even. It had been so easy to be together.

But she couldn’t deny that their relationship had been centered more on business than romance no matter what the press made of it. They’d been comfortable, but lacking in some areas. “I really can’t believe how much time has passed.”

“You’re a busy woman with lots of irons in the fire.”

“True. But no one’s cutting me any slack.”

“Well, try to sympathize with where they’re coming from, my dear. I can’t imagine how I’d feel if one of the boys stayed away so long. At least when they were off at college, they showed up around the holidays for gifts.”

Ginger’s boys were now all grown men. Max was her eldest, the heir to the Downey dynasty, so to speak. Her middle son was engaged to a perfectly suitable girl, although no wedding date had been set as of yet. And the youngest who was Ginger’s favorite—although she would never admit that aloud—was also following his own life path.

“If Mara wasn’t so capable, I’d have to visit our office more often,” Lily said to move the conversation along.

“I’m sure she’ll be relieved to hear it. But she has a lot of help, you know. Some very exceptional help, I might add.”

“I’ve heard. So why have you been spending so much time in the office?”

“When I saw the numbers on your renovation budget, I shivered to think about the damage Mara could do with such an obscene amount of money to spend. I felt the renovation budget needed competent supervision.”

Mara would have been quite capable of handling the renovations, Lily had no doubt, but Ginger had wanted to be involved. And whenever Ginger became involved, she wound up in charge. “I had no choice, Ginger. You know that. Not after the historical society got ahold of the area.”

“I do. But I also know you wouldn’t make the time to involve yourself, and Mara needed some guidance.” She gave a teasing laugh to take the edge from a statement that sounded more like an accusation. “You’ll be amazed when you see the place. Photos simply don’t do it justice.”

It seemed Lily could add another name to the list of people who were feeling ignored.

She could hear laughter through the doors—her family having a good time while she was working.

What else was new?

“Are you still coming into the office tomorrow?” Ginger asked. “I want to be there. I know you’ll want to get moving on Raymond’s wedding, and Mara’s in the middle of the Eversham/Raichle event. Good thing I’ve been hanging around so much. You’re going to need my help.”

Lily blinked. “Max told you I’m definitely planning Raymond’s wedding?”

“Of course, dear. Why do you sound so surprised? I wasn’t. I knew the second he told me about launching Raymond’s political career that you’d come up with something brilliant so you could get new photos to add to your website.”

She referred, of course, to Worldwide Weddings Unlimited’s website. Lily’s public relations firm had come up with the idea. They’d taken copies of the childhood photos of Lily with her fairy-inspired woodland weddings, windswept nautical nuptials beside the river and historically themed bridal parties in the church hall to brand the business. Living proof that Lily was the one and only Wedding Angel and always had been.

“I have to tell you, Ginger, I’m concerned that now isn’t the best time to attempt a breakneck wedding.” Lily planted the seed, hoping beyond hope it would take root. “The press I’ve been generating lately might not be the best way to launch anyone’s career.”

There was a beat of silence. Enough time to allow Lily to hope that she might finally get someone in her corner.

“Don’t worry too much about your detractors,” Ginger said. “That’s the nature of the beast. You know that. And you’re used to receiving glowing reviews. You’ve been fortunate. Consider this a challenge to be brilliant and prove them all wrong. Besides, who else would you let plan a wedding at Overlook?”

Every fiber of Lily’s being rebelled at being pushed. She needed a rest. Her creativity was suffering. Her mental health, too. She already wanted to escape her family, and now felt the same about Ginger, which told her how close to the edge she was. She needed this vacation like she needed to breathe clean air, like she needed to find her footing again.

But this was Ginger.

Ginger, who had supported Lily when no one else in the world believed in her, let alone been willing to plunk down good money to let a young girl barely out of high school start a business. Max’s father ran the bank where she’d applied for the personal loan to get started. He’d called her into his office, praised her aspirations then turned her down cold.

Ginger had reveled in the chance to work in business as a shareholder, to prove to her family she could do something more than charity work. Not only had she provided the starter cash for Worldwide Weddings Unlimited, but she’d also gone head-to-head with Lily’s parents, who had been afraid this business would distract Lily from finishing college.

How could she possibly deny Ginger an opportunity to assist planning a family wedding at Overlook?

And Max had known. Stupid man.

No smart man. He’d loaded the bases against her.

Staring into the backyard, Lily wondered if the frayed rope swing was strong enough to bear her weight now. “I would never let anyone else plan a wedding at Overlook.”

She was exhausted already. She couldn’t possibly get any more tired, could she?

CHAPTER SIX

All About Angel—October 5

The Luck of the Devil

Did the Wedding Angel sell her soul to the devil? Or is she so desperate to get a few nondisastrous events under her belt that she’s calling in favors to contract new business?

That’s the question readers are asking today.