Marry Me (13 page)

After spending the night tossing and turning, Julia realized her current situation could all be laid at Sarah's door. If Julia hadn't been guilt-tripped into taking over Marry Me, she would still be unaware Seth could make her toes curl with a simple kiss.

Life would be so much easier then because despite the unsettling attraction — and some pretty combustible chemistry — the same roadblocks to a relationship still existed.

Namely, his life calling and her lack of belief.

So, at 7:30 the next morning, Julia showed up at Sarah's apartment.

A bleary-eyed Eric answered the door. He blinked in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

“I'm here about some doves.”

Another blink. “Doves?”

“Believe me, I'm just as confused,” she said, pushing past him. “Is Sarah up?”

At that moment Sarah called out from the bedroom. “Julia? Is that you?”

Julia followed the sound, and found that Sarah was indeed awake. The bedroom looked to be about the size of a shoebox. A queen-size bed took up most of the space. An ancient, faux-wood dresser had been shoved against one wall and a closet with sliding doors took up the other.

Good grief, Julia thought. They
might
have to put the baby in the sock drawer. There might not even be enough room for a bassinet.

Sarah sat up in the bed, a breakfast tray balanced over her legs. “Please tell me you're going to stay awhile.”

“Are you kidding?” Julia held up a file folder. “I met with Catherine Manning yesterday, and there's no way I'm planning anything without you.”

Eric came in and took the tray. “You girls have fun, but don't overdo it.”

Sarah reached for the file. “I'll be careful.”

“Thanks for coming,” Eric said as he passed. “Sarah's been getting cranky staring at the walls all day.”

“Hey, it's as much for my sanity as hers,” Julia said.

Once they were alone, Julia sat down on the bed. “The first item on the agenda is doves.”

“Doves?”

Julia laughed at Sarah's confused expression. “Yes, I know. Your husband gave me the exact same look. Mrs. Manning wants three dozen white doves to be released the moment — and I emphasize
the moment
— the minister says “you may now kiss the bride”. So, do you rent them? Do they come through mail order? What?”

“Before we tackle the dove issue, why don't you tell me what's going on?” Sarah put the file down on the bed.

“Besides the Manning wedding?”

“You show up at my door at the crack of dawn all twitchy and agitated, and I don't think it has anything to do with a wedding.”

“I'm not
twitchy
. I'm exhausted.”

“You're also a bad liar.”

Julia bit her lip. “I think I'm going crazy.”

“Because of the business?”

“No, it's Covington Falls. Sleeping in my old room. I spent fifteen years running from everything this town represented. Everything I couldn't have. I learned to be happy with my life.”

“Were you happy?

“I don't know.” Julia stood and started pacing the small room. “Before I came back here, I knew who I was. Where I was going. I was a career woman on my own. Now, everything is a mess, and it's all your fault.”

“My fault?” Sarah echoed.

“Yes, you and that miracle baby. Not to mention your disastrous financial planning skills. I'm confused, and it's making me do stupid things.”

“What kind of stupid things?”

“Oh, things like kissing totally inappropriate people.”

Sarah's eyes widened. “Who have you been kissing?”

“Seth—”

Shoot
, had she said that out loud?

Judging by the silence from the bed, she had.

“Come again?” Sarah said.

Julia flounced down onto the bed. “You heard me the first time,” she said, waiting for the outrage.

Instead, Sarah laughed in delight. “This is so cool.”

“That's totally not the reaction I expected,” Julia said in stunned amazement. “I thought you'd be upset. His father is married to your mother. We're practically related.”

“You're not practically anything. Besides, I was hoping this would happen.”

“Hoping what would happen?”

“That you'd fall for each other,” Sarah said, her expression smug.

An awful thought seized her. “Wait a minute. Is Seth the reason you asked me to run Marry Me?” Julia eyed her stepsister with deep suspicion. “Did you have some kind of weird fix-up in mind?”

Sarah shook her head. “No, I did need you to run the business for me, but once I saw you, I couldn't help thinking about it. You're so beautiful. You were back then, but now you make me sick,” she said, with a teasing glint. “Seth would have to be blind not to notice. And I may be married, but I've certainly noticed he's gorgeous.”

“Are you crazy? Did you think we'd take one look at each other, swoon into each other's arms, and ride off into the sunset together?”

“I know it's a bit unorthodox—”

“Unorthodox?“ Julia parroted. She jumped up again and resumed pacing. “You're describing an episode on one of those terrible shock shows.”

“Oh, shoot, it's not like you had a baby and didn't know who the father was,” Sarah quipped.

Julia halted in mid-pace and glared. “Stop it. I'm freaking out here.”

“I'm sorry,” Sarah said, smothering a grin. “I'm trying to figure out what's so terrible.”

Pacing resumed. “I can't believe you don't see it.”

“What is there to see, except that you're both single, both in need of love, and obviously attracted to each other?”

“I see so many obstacles, I can't even begin to count them.”

“I think the only obstacles are the ones you're putting up.”

Sarah's room didn't allow for proper pacing, and dizziness had set in. Instead, Julia leaned back against the battered dresser.

“Why would you want me with Seth anyway?” she asked. “I assume you like him. Maybe even feel brotherly toward him. Why would you want anyone you care about to become involved with someone like me?”

“You're not as mixed up as you think. You have such a fire. You're also fiercely protective, like one of those Amazon warriors going into battle. Seth needs someone like you. Someone who won't be intimidated by the harpies at the church.”

“Don't you think he also needs someone who shares his faith? I should think that would be up there at the top of the requirements for a minister's wife. And I am absolutely not what his congregation would accept.”

“Why not?”

“Well, there's the aforementioned lack of faith. I'm also an outsider with a fuzzy past in this town, thanks to my father. Plus, I don't have the gentle spirit or the moral code they'd expect. I mean, look at the way they treat Meredith, and she was born here.”

“I think you're strong enough to take it. Like Seth's wife.”

“Like she had to take anything.” Julia held up her thumb and index finger an inch apart. “Beth Graham was this close to being named a saint as far as I can tell.”

“She didn't have it so easy at first. She had to earn the trust of the people in this town.”

“I don't think I could compete with someone so good.”

“Julia, there are no good people. Not if we compare ourselves to God. We're all sinners, and our so-called good deeds aren't what get us in to heaven. Only Christ can do that. Beth was human. She was a sinner, like I am, like Seth. Even my mother,” Sarah added.

Julia was startled into laughter. “Insane. You're completely insane.”

“All I want is for Seth to be happy again. He's been through so much. You can't imagine what it was like watching him.”

“That's what I mean. Thinking I could make him happy. There's too much baggage there,” she said, going over to the bed to kiss Sarah on the top of the head. “Besides, you know how I feel about marriage. I'm not interested in going down that path.”

Sarah heaved a put-upon sigh. “Someday, Julia, you'll have to stop running. I only hope it's not too late when you finally realize it.”

It was a Saturday, which meant Julia was thoroughly confused and bewildered as she stared at another one of Sarah's wedding blueprints. She needed to figure out what the little triangles on the diagrams meant.

Today's venue… the Good News Gospel church. The couple… Angela Jerome and Eddy Carmichael. Points in Julia's favor…. the ceremony and reception were being held in the same place. After the vows, the guests would walk across the courtyard to the reception hall. Best idea Julia had ever heard. She could supervise both venues and didn't have to worry about the stray killer bee.

Good News Gospel epitomized the small-town, shining-beacon-in-the-middle-of-the-postcard church with its white façade and silver steeple reaching into the sky. Arched windows marched down the west and east sides of the building, reflecting the rays of the sun.

Julia almost expected a ray of heavenly light to shoot down from the sky while a chorus of angels sang “
Hallelujah”
.

Despite her ongoing inability to figure out the triangles, she managed to get the church and reception hall decorated. Or rather the church wedding coordinator managed to get everything done. The woman and her crew were dynamos. Meanwhile, Betsy had been on wedding party duty.

Julia glanced at her watch. According to the master schedule, everyone needed to be in their proper places now because people should be arriving any minute. A massive collection of bridesmaids had arrived an hour ago. Julia knew they were here because she'd heard the high-pitched squeals all the way across the courtyard. The groom's party made a similar, though not quite as high-pitched, entry soon after.

Leaving the reception hall in the more than capable hands of the wedding coordinator, Julia went in search of Betsy and the wedding party.

Please, God, let's make sure we don't have any wardrobe malfunctions, okay? And no insects.

Julia didn't know when she'd started praying, but she figured divine intervention couldn't hurt. She entered the church and hurried to the bride's room. Even before she reached her destination she heard a host of high-pitched voices. Only now they seemed edged with panic instead of excitement, which couldn't be good.

Dashing around the corner, Julia encountered the entire wedding party congregating in the hallway outside the bride's room. There were dozens of women dressed in a bilious-yellow, halter dresses with big hoop skirts. So attractive. They looked like the before images from one of those makeover shows.

There were an equal number of groomsmen. The lucky guys got to wear a pretty normal tux, save for the matching bilious-yellow cummerbund. Everyone stood near the door with similar looks of bewilderment on their faces. The only person Julia
didn't
see was the bride. However, she could hear said bride screeching from the other side of the door.

“Hi.” Julia called out.

Everyone turned to look at her, even as the screeching continued at an ear-splitting decibel.

“What seems to be the problem?” Julia asked.

Betsy emerged from the middle of the pack, with a look of intense relief. “Julia, thank goodness. I was about to look for you. Angela won't come out.”

“Why not?”

“Apparently, one of the groomsmen missed his flight this morning so we're one short today.”

“Didn't we have a rehearsal last night?” Julia asked in bemusement. “They weren't all here then?”

“No, we were short one last night, too.”

Typical. No doubt the number of groomsmen resided in the file somewhere.

The groom stepped forward. “My friend from college had an emergency at work yesterday so he was going to catch a flight this morning. Only the airline overbooked, and he didn't get on. He's stuck in D.C.”

“That's the crisis?” Julia asked, still trying to understand. “She's screaming like a banshee because we're missing a groomsman?”

“Did Eddy tell you he waited until now to let me know?” Angela yelled from the other side of the door.

Julia cringed.
Man, talk about a voice made to shatter glass.

“Angela, it would be much easier to handle this if I could see you face-to-face,” Julia said. “Can you come out here?”

“No! Eddy can't see me before the wedding. It's bad luck.”

Well, this ought to be fun.

“We didn't find out about the missing groomsman until about ten minutes ago,” Betsy explained. “One of the bridesmaids asked about Drew, and before I knew it, Angela had locked herself in.”

To Julia's left, a bridesmaid with curly brown hair looked ready to sink through the floor. So apparently Eddy had decided to bamboozle his bride about the AWOL groomsman.

“Why didn't you tell me he wasn't here hours ago?” Angela screeched again.

“Because I knew you'd react this way!” Eddy yelled back. “I'd hoped we could avoid this sort of drama.”

Julia had to admit the strategy had some merit, considering the hysterics. Unfortunately, they were still left with a bride who wouldn't come out.

She maneuvered herself through the pile of yellow halter dresses to the door. “Angela, it's Julia.”

“Who?” the disembodied voice responded.

“Your wedding planner.”

“I thought your name was Sarah.”

“I'm filling in for Sarah.”

“Were you at the rehearsal last night?”

“Yes, of course I was there,” Julia said, glaring at the door. “The giant redhead.”

“Oh, right! Love your hair!”

There had to be cameras somewhere, right? They had to be secretly filming this grand drama for some stupid prank-style TV show.