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A bride? Kelsey touched the top of her head. Great, she still had the headpiece on. She could only imagine how ridiculous she looked in the getup. The least he could have done was mention it earlier so she didn’t look like such a fool. Kelsey removed the wreath and veil and set them on a nearby table. “I’m not getting married. Just trying them on. I like to keep certain one-of-a-kind items in stock for my clients.”
“Whatever bride wears that veil will be one lucky lady.”
The compliment warmed her cheeks. What was happening to her? She wasn’t the blushing type.
“What can I do for you?” The words came out sounding husky, a way she hadn’t meant them to sound.
“My sister’s getting married and wants you to coordinate her wedding.”
His sister. Kelsey’s pulse picked up speed, racing faster than a car chase on the 101. The knowledge that Will Addison wasn’t the groom-to-be made her feel as though one of her weddings had been featured on “Weddings of a Lifetime.” She really did need a vacation if this was what a handsome stranger could do to her. Kelsey motioned him to the area where she consulted with clients. “Why don’t you have a seat?”
“Thanks.” Will sat in one of the overstuffed chintz-covered down chairs. “Nice place.”
“Thanks.” He should have looked out of place among all the feminine decor and bridal accessories, but he didn’t. Not one bit. And it annoyed Kelsey. This was her turf, her home field advantage, so to speak. Yet he didn’t seem uncomfortable among all the ruffles, ribbons and frills. “So when…”
As he picked up one of the bride magazines from the table and set it back down, Kelsey caught a flash of gold. She glanced at his left hand. At the ring finger of his left hand. At the gold wedding band on his ring finger.
Married. The man of her dreams was somebody else’s husband. No doubt another woman had realized he was a keeper. Yet he had flirted—well, maybe not flirted, but he’d—
Stop it.
This wasn’t like her. Not one bit. Will Addison was not the man of her dreams. Such a man didn’t exist. Kelsey of all people knew better than to engage in any sort of romantic fantasy. Not even for the briefest of moments. And definitely not with a married man. She straightened. “When is your sister’s big day, Mr. Addison?”
“Friends call me Will.”
“I’m sure they do.” Business demeanor back in place, Kelsey pulled out the five-year calendar planner from a nearby shelf and flipped it open. “So when does your sister want to get married?”
“February fourteenth.”
“I’m already booked for next year.”
“Not next year.” As he leaned toward her, she caught a whiff of him. Soap and water and something woodsy. Whatever cologne he wore, he smelled good, too good. Kelsey inched back in her chair until she could go no farther. She didn’t need a Ph.D. to know Will Addison was trouble. Big trouble. “This year.”
“But today’s the thirty-first of January. That’s only…”
“Two weeks away. It’s short notice, but—”
“Sorry, not possible.” With little regret, she closed the planner. It would be much better this way. Much better for her, that was.
“You have another wedding scheduled?”
Kelsey hesitated. This wasn’t her problem, her fault. Yet the intense look on his face… “I did, but it was canceled after the bride met someone else.”
The edges of his mouth turned up slightly. “So you can coordinate my sister’s wedding.”
She noticed he wasn’t asking her a question. “I can’t. Several clients offered to move their weddings up to Valentine’s Day, but I decided to take advantage of the cancellation and give my staff a well-deserved vacation. Everyone’s gone.”
Hope brightened his eyes, making them sparkle like emeralds. Not jewels, Kelsey told herself, but broccoli or AstroTurf or anything else that would be green and unromantic. Remember he’s married. And even if he wasn’t… “You’re here,” he said.
“Not for long. My flight leaves in three hours.” Kelsey reached for a nearby pad of paper and a pen. “I can give you some names of other wedding designers, but at this late date—”
“You don’t understand.” He brushed his hand through his hair, giving it an even more careless look than before. “It has to be you.”
“May I ask why?”
“Both my mother and my sister want it to be you.”
The desperation in Will’s voice almost made her believe it was true. He was a good actor, real good. “If it’s so important to them, why didn’t they come?”
His lips tightened, and he glanced at the pile of magazines. “It’s…complicated.”
It always was. “Mr. Addison, I’m about to leave the country for a much-needed vacation. I don’t have time for complications.”
He stared directly into her eyes, and Kelsey felt woozy. “My sister is Faith Starr.”
Of all the nerve…Kelsey’s blood pressure soared off the chart and perspiration wet the back of her neck. “Faith Starr?”
At least Kelsey now knew why Will Addison’s name sounded familiar—he was a blood relation, a brother no less, of the world’s worst client. It was all coming back to her. Will was the oldest of the siblings who traveled the globe running the family chain of Starr Properties—resorts, hotels and inns named for his mother—that catered to the rich, famous and not-so-famous. Just as Starr Addison’s husband, Bill, had used his wife’s name for the family’s real-estate venture, Faith had taken her mother’s name for her stage name. Not that it made a difference.
Nothing made a difference where Faith Starr was concerned.
Kelsey rose, barely able to contain the anger threatening to erupt worse than Mt. Vesuvius. She was an Armstrong and had been raised properly to follow etiquette and protocol, but one could only be polite for so long. “Get out of my office, Mr. Addison. Now.”
He stood. “I understand why you’re upset. Faith hasn’t been the most reliable—”
“Your sister is nothing more than a spoiled starlet, who strings fiancés along as if they were her personal puppets.” Faith Starr, actress extraordinaire and the world’s most famous runaway bride, had almost given Kelsey an ulcer—four times in the past three years. Faith was a perfectionist both in her craft and in planning her weddings. Never had Kelsey worked so hard with so little payoff in her life.
“I’ve already planned four weddings for her. Count them—four.” Kelsey raised four fingers. That was three too many. More business was one thing, but this… “I won’t be involved in number five.”
“Can’t we talk about this? Work something—”
“Out. I have nothing more to say on this matter so please leave.”
“If you only understood the circumstances—”
“Look,” Kelsey said, trying to keep her tone polite, yet firm. “I appreciate you came on behalf of your family. That’s very…noble of you considering my past with your sister. But nothing you say will change my mind.”
His assessing gaze made her self-conscious. It was all she could do not to smooth her skirt and check to see if a piece of spinach was caught between her teeth. “Are you always so stubborn?” he asked, his eyes twinkling.
“Out. Now.” At least the band of gold wasn’t the only negative thing about Will Addison. “Get out of my office before I call security and have you thrown out.”
Waiting