Always the Wedding Planner, Never the Bride Read online

  "Madeline?"

  "Oh, that's Jackson's sister. She's been coordinating all of the weddings since we opened," Emma explained. "But she's ready to get back to her life now. When Jackson said we needed someone superhuman to replace her, I thought of you right away." She turned toward Fee and grinned. "Sher is David Tutera and Colin Cowie all rolled into one. She's a phenomenon."

  Sherilyn felt her confidence shrink back a step. "I hope you didn't tell Jackson all that."

  "I did."

  "And more," Fee added.

  "Oh my."

  "She's the Queen of the Themed Wedding," Emma explained. "This one time, she—"

  "All right, all right," Sherilyn cried, poking Emma in the arm with her finger. "Cut it out."

  Emma chuckled and puckered up her lips to toss Sherilyn an animated little kiss.

  "I've got crumb coat calling my name," Fee announced. "You two enjoy your lunch. It was great to meet you, Sherilyn."

  "You too, Fee."

  Sherilyn waited for Fee to go before she turned to Emma. "Crumb coat?"

  "Oh, yeah," she said with a chuckle. "You know how, when you bake a cake, sometimes crumbs get all jumbled up in the frosting?"

  "And that's a bad thing?"

  Emma shot her a look before continuing. "When you bake something that doesn't come in a mix from Betty Crocker, and especially when you're baking it for someone else, you try to make it as pretty and tasty as possible."

  Sherilyn giggled before nodding. "Oh. I see."

  "Crumb coating is when we apply a thin layer of icing to the cake just after it's cooled to seal in the moisture."

  "Mmm. Moist cake. Got any of that here?"

  Emma chuckled as she set about the business of filling two plates with little finger sandwiches, and she added two flowershaped butter cookies from the tiered tray to Sherilyn's plate as she prodded, "Let's get back to Andy. Tell me all about him."

  "Well, he's fabulous," she replied, accepting the plate. "He's beautiful and brilliant. He loves the Falcons—

  "Of course!"

  "—and the Blackhawks—"

  Emma turned up her nose and shrugged. "Hockey? Okay. I guess."

  "—and he's an orthopedic specialist."

  "Wait! You're marrying . . . You never told me that. You're going to be Dr. and Mrs. Andy—" She paused, waiting for Sherilyn to fill in the blank.

  "Drummond."

  "Dr. and Mrs. Andy Drummond?"

  Sherilyn beamed and nodded. "Yep."

  Emma raised her hand above the center of the table, and Sherilyn clapped one time hard against it with her own.

  "And you're sure?"

  "Not a doubt in the sky."

  "After just a few weeks," Emma stated, and she shook her head. "For a planner like you, that's a little bit of a miracle."

  "Tell me about it, but no doubts at all. He's absolutely the one for me."

  "After everything you went through—"

  "No," Sherilyn snapped, holding up her hand. "No talk of the past."

  "I didn't mean anything by it. I just think it's so great, after what happened—"

  "Em, please. I don't want to talk about past relationships. In fact, I don't want to even think about anything or anyone that came before Andy."

  "Even me?"

  "You know what I mean."

  "All right," Emma said with a nod, passing her a steaming cup. "Orange pekoe. Try it with cream."

  "What about you and Jackson? How are things on that front?"

  "Smooth sailing," Emma replied, and she glanced up at Sherilyn with a timid smile. "I've never known anyone like him."

  The two of them exchanged contented grins.

  "Check us out," Emma said on a sigh. "Happy. Who knew?"

  "Hey, Susannah," Emma greeted the sixtyish woman with the salt-and-pepper bun who poured coffee into a large black mug. When she looked up at them over wire glasses, she reminded Sherilyn of a coiffed version of Mrs. Butterworth.

  "Good morning, Emma."

  "Susannah Littlefield, meet Sherilyn Caine." Turning toward Sherilyn, she added, "Susannah is Jackson's executive assistant. Translation: She runs the place."

  Susannah popped with a chuckle. "You and I both know it's Georgiann who runs this place."

  Emma laughed. "Too true."

  "Welcome to The Tanglewood, Sherilyn. Emma's been singing your praises for weeks."

  "Is Jackson in his office?" Emma asked.

  "I was just bringing him his coffee."

  Emma took the mug from Susannah's hands and gave Sherilyn a quick nod to follow her through the door into the main office.

  Jackson Drake was far more handsome in person than in his photographs. She remembered Emma relating her first impression of him the day that he walked into The Backstreet Bakery where she used to work.

  "He was wearing a fine Italian suit, polka-dotted with raindrops," she'd said, "but he still looked like he'd just stepped off the front cover of GQ."

  Minus the raindrops, Sherilyn thought he still did.

  When he spotted Emma, his smile lit up the room. She set the coffee down in front of him, and they exchanged a quick, modest brush of hands.

  "How's your day going?" she asked him.

  "Much improved right now," he replied.

  "Well, I'm about to make it even better. I want you to meet The Tanglewood's next wedding planner."

  When he stood up from his chair, he unfolded into more than six feet of handsome leanness. "You must be Sherilyn."

  "And you're Jackson," she returned, extending her hand to meet his.

  "Welcome back to Atlanta."

  Sherilyn grinned. "Thank you. It's good to be back. Your hotel is gorgeous."

  "I'm going to give her the grand tour," Emma told him.

  "You'll have your official interview with her tomorrow. I just wanted to give you a chance to say hello."

  "I'm glad you did," he said, and his dark chocolate eyes glistened.

  Emma leaned in toward him. "I've got brownies cooling downstairs. There's a couple of them with your name on them."

  "Promise?"

  "I'll bring them up after I get Sherilyn settled in her room." Jackson beamed.

  "Do you want to join us for dinner?" she asked him. "I thought I'd introduce her to the culinary artistry of Anton Morelli."

  "I've got men's group tonight with Miguel."

  Emma nodded. "I forgot. I'll see you later then."

  "With brownies."

  "With brownies."

  "Sherilyn, we're really happy to have you here," Jackson told her. "I look forward to talking to you more tomorrow."

  "Me too, Jackson. Have a good afternoon."

  They crossed through Susannah's empty office and strolled down the hall toward the elevator. Emma pressed the call button, and they both faced front, staring at the closed door until Sherilyn finally broke the silence.

  "So that's Jackson."

  "Mm-hmm."

  "Well, no wonder."

  "Yeah. I know."

  "He's—"

  "Hot, yes?"

  "Oh, yeah."

  The Wedding Planner's Ultimate Bridal Checklist

  Part I

  6-12 Months Before the Wedding:

  Bride & Groom:

  ___ Announce engagement

  ___ Select the wedding date

  ___ Hire the wedding planner

  Wedding Planner:

  ___ Scout locations for the ceremony and reception

  ___ Help establish a guest list based on venues

  ___ Develop a wedding budget

  ___ Provide the bride with a user name and password for the shared

  online calendar of appointments and events

  ___ Secure the venue(s)

  ___ Book the minister/priest/rabbi

  ___ Agree on specific color scheme, theme and degree of formality

  ___ Formalize a floral list

  ___ Begin to shop for the perfect invitations

  2

  Eac
h of my weddings and parties has a very specific theme. This one is the Renaissance wedding. It was held at a cathedral with these beautiful stained glass windows. And the reception was out on the lawn; a couple of acres of rolling green hills."

  "It's beautiful," Jackson commented, and Sherilyn clicked over to the next page.

  "All of the fabrics were silks and brocades, and we chose a palette of jewel tones."

  The next page of Sherilyn's online portfolio displayed one of her favorites. "This was my 60s-themed anniversary party for a couple who had been married for fifty years. We played classic music from the 1960s, the men wore these crazy tiedyed shirts, and the women wore maxi dresses and flowers in their hair."

  "Sounds like fun."

  "It really was," she replied as she closed the bright pink laptop. "I like to think of each of my events as a tribute to the personality of my clients. It can be as different and unique as they are."

  "Well, Emma said you were good."

  Sherilyn smiled and lowered her eyes. "Emma is a bit of a public relations representative, I'm afraid."

  "She's enthusiastic about the people and things that she loves," Jackson said with a nod. "In this case, I'm in agreement. I think what you've shown me today is a really good fit for The Tanglewood and what we strive to offer our customers."

  "I'm so happy to hear that."

  Jackson plucked a sheet of paper from the blue file balanced on his leg, and he handed it to her.

  "I've outlined an official offer for you," he said, and her heart bounced a couple of times in her chest. Thumpity-thumpitythump-thump! "Take some time to look it over. I'd like for you to start Monday, if you're available. That will give you a full three weeks with my sister Madeline. She's been doing the job since we opened, and she'll be able to walk you through her process so you can decide what seems effective, then how to make the job your own. Is Monday too soon?"

  "No," she replied. "It's perfect."

  "You're free to stay here at the hotel until you find a place. Will you be buying a house?"

  "Yes. Andy arrives tomorrow, and we'll start shopping the local housing market on Friday."

  "How about the four of us have dinner together on Friday night then?"

  Sherilyn smiled. "That would be lovely."

  "Emma says you opted for Chinese takeout last night. But you really have to experience what Anton has to offer in the restaurant downstairs."

  "So I am told."

  "Excellent. Think it over, and you can give me your answer then."

  She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she stared down at the official offer in her hand. The salary was substan

  tially higher than what she'd been making on her own, and the opportunity to work with Emma was a no-brainer.

  "I don't really have to think it over," she told him. "I'm all yours."

  "I'm happy to hear it," he replied. "And I know Emma will be thrilled that it's all come full circle and you're back together again."

  Sherilyn shot him a broad grin. "She's a nut."

  "She is indeed."

  His sly smile was endearing, and Sherilyn reached toward him and shook his hand between both of hers.

  "Thank you, Jackson. I'm really looking forward to working for you."

  She could hardly wait to get back to her hotel room and dial Andy's number. When he answered, her heart soared at the sound of his voice.

  "Andy. It's me."

  "Hey! It's so good to hear from you. I miss you."

  "I miss you, too."

  "How did the meeting go?"

  "He offered me the job!" she squealed, rummaging through the cosmetic bag hidden inside the closet.

  "That's wonderful."

  "I know it! It's just perfect. And listen, I told my new boss that we'd have dinner with him and Emma Friday night here at the hotel."

  "Sounds like a plan."

  "Do you want me to pick you up at Hartsfield?" she asked, miming her jubilation when she found her Ziploc baggie of emergency chocolates.

  "No, my flight gets in right at the peak of rush hour," he told her. "I'll take MARTA out your way and rent a car there. We have dinner at Mother's tomorrow night."

  Sherilyn gulped as she plopped down on the bed. "Okay. And we have appointments to look at houses on Friday morning with that realtor Emma knows."

  "Sherilyn?"

  "What?"

  "She's going to love you."

  She peeled back the foil and poked a chocolate candy into her mouth. The creamy texture provided the instant gratification she craved, and she sighed. "Okay."

  "I know my mother is going to love you."

  Sure she is.

  "Are you breathing?"

  "Mm-hmm."

  "Promise?"

  "Yep."

  Sherilyn opened another candy and placed it on her tongue with a sigh.

  "Don't worry."

  "Oo-kay."

  "Sherilyn."

  "Andrew."

  "I love you."

  She sighed again. Thank God!

  "I love you, too. And I'll see you tomorrow."

  Andy planned to meet Jeff at The Boundary on Division Street by eight o'clock, but he jogged through the front door at 8:45. When he reached the table, Jeff was dipping a jumbo jalapeno pretzel into a small dish of melted cheese.

  "Sorry, buddy. I got held up."

  "Yeah," Jeff managed through his full mouth. "I see how you are. Abandoning me here while you move off to Atlanta to live near your mommy, and you can't even give us the send-off dinner I deserve."

  "Looks like you started without me. Good."

  Andy shrugged out of the brown leather bomber jacket and tossed it to the empty chair beside him. The waitress appeared at their table just then, and Andy gave her a nod.

  "Another couple of those hot pretzels. And a club soda, no lime."

  "Anything else for you?" she asked Jeff. "Another Coke?"

  "Yeah. And what kind of sandwiches come on the appetizer platter of minis?"

  "You can choose between chopped pork and burgers."

  "Make it pork."

  "You got it."

  "Planning to eat your way through the night, are ya?" Andy ribbed his friend.

  "Zip it. Let's get down to business. What's it going to take to stop you from moving to Hotlanta?"

  "What, you're trying to buy me off? You think giving up true love has a price tag?"

  Jeff yanked his checkbook from the pocket of his sport coat and clicked a pen. "You bet I do. So what'll it be? How much? Twelve bucks? Fifteen? You name your price because I'm not taking no for an answer."

  "As tempting as your twelve bucks offer is, I'm afraid you're out of luck."

  The waitress set down their drinks and slid the plate of pretzels toward Andy.

  "Thanks."

  The instant she left the table, Jeff tore off a chunk of one of Andy's pretzels and stuffed it into his mouth.

  "Nice."

  "C'mon," he said as he chewed. "I'm not saying Sherilyn's not a great girl. But do you have to leave town to marry her?"

  Andy dunked a piece of the pretzel into the cheese and popped it into his mouth as he nodded. "Yep."

  "Why? She can't marry you here?"

  "I think she'd rather have married me here, if you want to know the truth. But I got this job offer that I didn't want to turn down."

  "Orchestrated by Mommy."

  "She had the connection, but I really like what they're doing in sports injuries at the Atlanta center. It's the kind of ortho I've always been interested in, you know that."

  "Yeah, but . . ." Jeff shrugged and glared down at the tabletop. "Atlanta?"

  "It's my home."

  "But it's not mine!"

  The way Jeff stared at him Andy couldn't help but laugh. "I know you're used to the world revolving around you, Durgin. But this time it's about me and Sherilyn."

  "Yeah. Whatever."

  Jeff broke off another chunk of pretzel from Andy's plate, and Andy reached acros
s the table and gave his friend's shoulder a shove.

  "I'm only gonna ask you one more time. You're sure about marrying her, right?"

  "Durgin, c'mon."

  "Well, c'mon yourself. You just met her, like, what? Twenty minutes ago?"

  "It's been a couple of months."

  "Oh! Oh, well that's another thing entirely! A couple months."

  "And it took me about three minutes to know she was it for me."

  "At least let me do a background check on her," he suggested.

  "I am not one of your law firm's ancient clients getting ready to marry a former stripper young enough to be my greatgranddaughter."

  "Hey. We have other clients too. It will take twenty-four hours, bro. Look at it as an engagement present, from me to you."

  "Only you would suggest an engagement gift of a background check on my fiancée."

  "C'mon. Andy, you hardly know a thing about her."

  "I know everything I need to know."

  The waitress delivered the platter of pork sandwiches, and Andy gave her a nod. "Thank God. My pretzels are almost gone. Who knows what he would have started gnawing on after that."

  She giggled as she turned away.

  "You want one of these?" Jeff offered.

  "Yeah. I'm still starving."

  Over the next hour of conversation, Andy found himself looking around at the place he'd come to know as a second home. From the stone fireplace, copper tiles, and bow-truss ceiling of the eighty-year-old building, a former auto shop, to the plasma televisions and shuffleboard table in the back, The Boundary had become Andy's go-to spot for watching sports and tossing back sandwiches and the occasional bottle or two of ale with his buddies. He would miss the place, and he wondered if any of the Atlanta hangouts from his younger days would still be around. Or if he'd still be interested in frequenting them now, in his thirties.

  He'd left Atlanta nearly five years ago, and not a month had passed since then that his mother hadn't issued an open invitation for his return. He supposed that her "accidental meeting" with the wife of the guy who owned the most prestigious line of sports clinics in the South had, first and foremost, been an opportunity for Vanessa Drummond to lure her son home.

  If it hadn't been for the fact that Sherilyn had such a fondness for Atlanta, he might not have even considered the move. Not that she had any family there, or anywhere else for that matter, but she did have her friend Emma, and now this new job had dropped right into her lap. Andy figured his mother might have been right when she'd declared that it was "just meant to be."