CHAPTER ONE
Watching two of her best friends, Jessica and Maggie, try on their wedding dresses didn't just bring a tear to Kate Marlow's eye, it also brought home a fairly harsh realization. Once Jessica and Maggie tied the knots at their double wedding in five weeks, she would officially be the last single girl standing—or at least the last single woman in her tight group of college friends, who had made falling in love look remarkably easy the last few years.
"What do you think?" Jessica asked, as she spun around on the dressing room pedestal, looking very much like a princess in the silk and lace dress that was a perfect backdrop for her dark hair and brown eyes. "Is it too much?"
"I was wondering if mine was too much, too," Maggie added, giving her a similarly anxious look, even though the slim-fitting, off-the-shoulders gown, was perfect for her strawberry blonde hair and bright-blue eyes. "I feel like the dress has more lace than I remember."
"And I keep thinking that I already had a first wedding, and maybe I should have gone with something simple," Jessica added.
She smiled at their sudden insecurities. "You are both crazy. Jessica, you look amazing, and your first wedding was at a courthouse in a dress you borrowed from Maggie. You deserve this. And you, Maggie, look like a princess, and what's wrong with that? I like that both dresses are different, unique, perfect for each of you. So, aside from making a few tailoring tweaks, I think we're set, which is good, because the wedding is coming up fast."
She'd never planned a double wedding before, and it was definitely a challenge, especially since the two women were her very close friends. She didn't want to let either of them down or make one feel like she was less important than the other. Their wedding was also taking place on Valentine's Day, which added to the pressure. The most romantic day of the year was busy, and she had to make sure no balls got dropped with the venue, the caterers, the flowers, the band, and all the rest.
"Okay, then," Maggie said, giving her an apologetic smile. "I guess I just need to take the hem up a bit and I'm good to go."
Kate motioned for the seamstress to take that measurement, while Jessica stepped down from her pedestal and walked over to her.
"Sorry for the momentary freak-out," Jessica said, apology in her eyes. "I'm not really the princess bride type."
"Reid is going to lose his mind when he sees you. And you deserve this."
"Thanks for being my cheerleader, as always. Maggie and I really appreciate everything you're doing, Kate. I know we all thought it would be simple and fun to have a double wedding, but I'm beginning to realize we gave you double the work, and it's a busy time of the year. What were we thinking to pick Valentine's Day?"
"You were thinking that it's the most romantic day of the year. You don't need to worry about me. I am loving every minute of this."
"Are you sure?" Jessica gave her a thoughtful look. "You look tired, Kate."
"It's Friday, and it has been a long few weeks. I had two weddings over the New Year's weekend that I'm still recovering from."
"Are you sure that's all it is? I thought I saw some tears in your eyes a minute ago."
"Happy tears. Seeing you both in your bridal gowns made me think about how far we've come from meeting each other our freshman year in the dorms. It's difficult to believe we're all hitting thirty next year. Andrea and Liz both have babies now. Julie is pregnant. And I suspect there will be more children to come. I'm glad we're all still close to each other."
"We made a promise to stand up at each other's weddings a very long time ago. It's your turn to fall in love, Kate."
"I'm too busy to fall in love."
Jessica gave her a knowing smile. "I used to think that, too. I was a single mom with a little boy, a demanding job, difficult parents and an unhelpful ex-husband, and then Reid appeared. He not only rescued me from a doghouse, but from the life I thought I was meant to live. Things can change in an instant—when you meet the right man."
"I know. I'm not worried. My business is booming, and I love what I'm doing. It's all good."
"I'm glad."
Maybe she did get a bit wistful now and then when she saw brides and grooms exchange intimate, tender smiles, but she wasn't going to tell Jessica that. Glancing at her watch, she realized the afternoon had flown by. "Speaking of business, I should get back to the office. Your dress looks perfect, so I don't think you need any alterations."
"I don't. Go, Kate. Maggie and I can finish up on our own. We'll talk next week."
"Perfect." She waved goodbye to Maggie and then headed out the door.
As she left the building, a chilling gust of wind hit her in the face, and she paused on the sidewalk to zip up her coat. This part of San Francisco could suffer some brutal wind coming off the bay, especially in the late afternoon. Thankfully, she didn't have far to go. The bridal boutique was located in the Marina, as was her office, just at the other end of Union Street, about eight blocks away.
As she walked down the popular and busy street filled with boutiques, cafes, bars, and art galleries, she felt incredibly lucky to be living in her favorite city and doing her dream job. Yes, it was crazy, and some of the brides could be very challenging, but it was also fun and exciting and rewarding. She was part of someone's special day and, hopefully, she made their day even more memorable.
Her office was located on the second floor of an old Victorian house that had been converted into two office suites several decades earlier. Charming and romantic, it was the perfect setting for Romantic Affairs, her specialized wedding planning service.
Throwing open the door to her building, she jogged up the steep flight of stairs. There were four rooms on the second floor of the converted Victorian: a reception area in the front, her office, a conference room and a small kitchenette off the back hallway. As she entered the suite, she said, "I know I'm late, but it wasn't my fault."
Shari Jamison calmly raised one eyebrow as Kate hung her coat over a hook on the antique coatrack. Shari was a pretty redhead with green eyes and a very fair complexion. She'd actually been the second bride Kate had ever worked with, and six months after that wedding, Shari had quit her job as a concierge at a downtown hotel and had become Kate's right-hand woman.
"What happened this time—traffic jam, flood or an act of God?" Shari asked dryly, knowing that Kate had a penchant for running late.
"We had to wait for the seamstress to arrive at the boutique and she got stuck behind a broken-down bus and a double-parked truck. Is Melanie here yet?"
"No. She isn't coming. She has a cocktail party to go to tonight, and she decided she didn't have time to squeeze us in. She's going to call and reschedule tomorrow."
She sighed. "This is the third meeting she's canceled. I wonder if she's interviewing other planners."
"Possibly, or she could just be a flake, which seems the most probable explanation."
She pulled the band out of her hair and shook out her long waves, rolling her neck around on her shoulders. "Well, it's fine. I have the Hunts' dinner party to get to tonight. I could use a little break before I put on my happy wedding planner face and try to convince Olivia Hunt to hire us for her daughter's wedding."
"I'm sure you'll be very persuasive."
"Any other calls I should know about?"
"Yes. I spoke to our landlord, or at least a woman calling on behalf of Fox Management, and she said that the downstairs office will be leased starting Monday. We need to move the life-size cupids we accidentally ordered for Davina Smythe's wedding somewhere else before then."
"What?" she asked in dismay. "That's impossible. We'd have to find a storage unit and hire someone to move the dozen six-foot-tall statues. How are we going to do that before Monday?"
"Beats me. She just called. I haven't had a chance to get on the phone and find a solution." Shari gave her a wry smile. "That's a mistake that just keeps on getting worse."
"Tell me about it," she muttered, thinking about the enormous statues that were supposed to have been cute six-inch cupids to go with a floral centerpiece. "I guess we need to figure something out."
"And fast."
A loud crash reverberated through the building. She and Shari both jumped to their feet in alarm. As the sound of swearing drifted up the stairs and through the open door, a terrible thought occurred to her.
"You don't think—" she whispered as the phone rang.
"I think you better go find out. I'll get this."
She hurried into the hall, her mouth dropping open at the whirlwind of dusty plaster fragments blowing out of the downstairs office. She ran down the stairs, peering nervously into the darkened room for one second before hitting the switch and flooding the room with light.
"What the hell is this? And who the hell are you?" an angry voice demanded.
A very tall, good-looking man stood in the middle of the room, holding a Cupid's arrow in one hand, a layer of white dust covering his obviously expensive suit. "What's going on here?" he added furiously, running one hand through his dark, wavy hair, unaware that he had just streaked it with more dirt.
As he stared dumbly at the Cupid's arrow in his hand, her lips began to twitch at the absurdity of the situation.
"You just got hit by cupid's arrow. You never know when he'll strike," she said lightly.
He stared at her as if she were crazy, and she took an instinctive step backward as he put down the arrow and walked over to her. Wishing she could add a few more inches to her five-foot-three-inch frame, she squared her shoulders and tried not to look intimidated.
"What did you say?" he asked.
"Never mind. I'm sorry. You just looked funny standing there, holding Cupid's arrow." Her voice drifted away. "Can I help you in some way?"
"Yes. You can tell me what the hell these—things—are doing in my office?" He waved one hand around the chaotic room.
Her mouth dropped open in surprise. "Your office? You're the new tenant?"
"I'm not only the new tenant, I'm also the owner of this building." His voice was clipped and to the point as he began to brush the dust off his sleeves. His Armani suit was completely ruined, she thought in dismay.
"I'm Kate Marlow," she said, her humor fading at his words. The last thing she wanted to do was offend the owner of her building. "I own the Romantic Affairs Wedding Agency upstairs, and these cupids are part of a wedding celebration."
"I wasn't aware that you had permission to use this office space."
"Well, not officially, but since the room was empty, the building superintendent said he didn't think anyone would mind."
"He was wrong. And I expect this mess to be cleared out by nine o'clock Monday morning."
"Your office just called a few minutes ago. We'll need a little more time than that. It's already past five now. And it's the weekend."
"That's your problem, Miss Marlow. I have an interior decorator and a contractor meeting me here first thing Monday morning to prepare the office. I don't think I have to remind you that you are not paying rent for this space and are therefore not entitled to its use."
"But what am I going to do with all this?"
"A dumpster would be a good choice."
She flipped her hair back over her shoulder in irritation. "You don't need to be rude, Mr.—"
"Fox—Barrett Fox."
"Right," she muttered. "I'll have these items removed by Monday." She spun around on one high heel and walked hastily out of the room.
"What happened?" Shari asked as she returned to their suite. "I was just about to come down and rescue you."
"The new downstairs tenant just had a run-in with our cupids, and I do mean run-in. He knocked one or two of them over, and they broke apart, and he ended up covered in dust, holding Cupid's arrow. In fact, it was pointed straight at his heart." She smiled at the memory. "It was kind of funny. Not that he thought so. I'm sure his designer suit will need to be cleaned. We'll probably end up with the bill."
"Probably. So, why are you smiling?" Shari asked with a confused look on her face.
"I don't know. He was just…quite a sight. Oh, and the tenant is also our landlord."
Shari's gaze narrowed. "But this building is owned by Fox Management. They have offices downtown in the Transamerica building."
"That's what I thought, but he said his name is Barrett Fox, and he's the owner."
"Why is he working here?"
"I didn't ask. He wasn't in a chatty mood."
"So, what do you want to do about the statues? I'm heading to Lake Tahoe with Todd tonight."
"I'll make some calls tomorrow. You go to Tahoe and enjoy yourself."
"I hate to leave you with such a big problem."
"Luckily, I don’t have a wedding this weekend, so it will be fine. I'm sure I can get them moved into a storage unit. I'll figure it out."
"Then I'm going to head out," Shari said, as she got up and grabbed her purse out of the credenza behind her desk. "Have fun at the party tonight. The Hunts' daughter's wedding could be the wedding of the year, and if we get it, the company bank account will be very happy."
"I'll give it my best shot."
Shari paused at the door. "It sounds quiet downstairs now."
"I'm sure he's gone home to change into another beautiful suit."
"What did you say he looked like?"
"I don't think I said. But aside from the layer of dust, he was tall, dark, and handsome."
"Really? Now I'm intrigued."
"Don't be. He might be attractive, but his personality left a lot to be desired. He was arrogant and demanding and could not for a second see the humor in the situation. I suspect he takes himself very seriously."
"Well, maybe that will change now," Shari said with a sparkle in her eyes.
"Why would that be?"
"Because he got hit by Cupid's arrow. There's a good chance, if that old story is true, that he's going to fall in love with the first woman he saw, and that would be you."
"I'm the last person he would want to fall in love with," she returned, an odd feeling running through her. "And you don't believe in fairy tales, remember?"
"I don't. But you do," Shari said pointedly.
"Well, you don't have to worry. I doubt that arrow came anywhere close to piercing that man's heart…if he even has one."
