The Convenient Groom: A Nantucket Love Story

Impulsivity is the enemy. Intelligent relationships require careful, thoughtful planning.

—Excerpt from Finding Mr. Right-for-You by Dr. Kate

Lucas watched Kate snap her phone shut. Maybe he should’ve left when he heard the gravity in her voice, but he couldn’t. Like a pedestrian gawking at a car accident, he’d watched Kate receive the news. When he realized what Bryan was saying, he’d wanted to hunt the man down and pummel him until he felt the same pain as Kate. Instead he’d ushered Kate to the chair, wishing he could pull her into his arms and tell her it was going to be okay.

Now she faced the wall, unmoving. Her glossy black hair hung straight, almost to her wilted shoulders. He’d never seen her so motionless. She was always on the go, steady as a clock; he’d been mesmerized by that the first time they’d met. Now, her stillness seemed unnatural.

She must have forgotten about him, because she jumped slightly, then ran her hand across her face before turning partway. Her hair, always tucked behind her ears, had come loose. Her eyes only made it to his knees.

“Lucas.” She studied the floor as if the paint and varnish stains were one of those abstract paintings to be interpreted. “I guess you heard.”

Her voice was small. But he watched her straighten her back and turn to look fully at him. A scared little girl in a woman’s body. Her eyes went past him to the gazebo for a second before flittering back.

“I . . . I guess I won’t be needing that. I’ll pay you for it, though. It’s really beautiful.” Her voice choked on the last word.

He half expected her to cave in then, but instead she shot to her feet and began to pace, her heels clicking across the floor. “I have to think,” she muttered. “I have to think.”

Lucas wasn’t sure what she meant. Was she trying to figure out how to win Bryan back? Or giving up—making a mental list of everyone to be notified. He couldn’t imagine the mess.

But if anyone could wrap her hands around the task, Kate could. He’d watched her patch up marriages that were dangling by a thread, juggle her syndicated column with her counseling service, and write a book in her spare time. Kate was an incredible woman. Bryan was an idiot if he couldn’t see what he had.

Kate jerked to a stop and pressed her fingertips to her forehead. “He left me. I have no groom. The newspapers, the media, my publisher. My career. It’s over.”

She looked fragile and out of place in his expansive and dusty workshop, her short pants and white blouse immaculate, her black belt encircling her tiny waist. But then Kate always looked as if she’d been snapped straight from an ironing board.

Lucas took a step toward her, then stopped, anchoring his hands in his pockets. “It’s going to be okay.” It felt lame but it was what he always told his baby sister, and it made Jamie feel better. Kate, however, was not Jamie.

“It is not going to be okay.” She leveled a look at him. “I’ve been dumped five hours before my wedding. Everything is riding on this wedding, both personally and professionally. My Mr. Right left me. Do you not understand the irony?”

Maybe he wasn’t your Mr. Right. It was on the tip of his tongue, but he caught it in time. He watched Kate’s hand tremble against the side of her face. He hadn’t known Kate was capable of trembling.

“I’m supposed to be an expert. Not just in relationships, but in finding the right mate. People write me for advice and trust me to give them answers. I wrote a book to help people make good matches, and I can’t even make one myself.” She looked away and dragged in a shaky breath. “I’m a failure.”

“You’re not a failure. Your fiancé made an idiot decision; that’s not your fault.”

The metal chair creaked as she sank into it, the sound echoing in the quietness of the room. “That’s not how everyone’s going to see it.”

He reckoned she might be right about that. People could be judgmental, especially if the media put a nasty spin on it.

“I’ve got to do something,” she mumbled through her fingers. “How can I fix this?”

Lucas didn’t think it was possible. She had guests, a slew of media, and all the wedding fixings. Everything but the groom, and that was most important.

The words ricocheted around his head until, one by one, they fell into place like tiles in a Scrabble game.

He rubbed the back of his neck, walking toward his work station. It was crazy. Crazier than crazy. It was insane. She’d laugh if he said it out loud. That thought tightened his gut.

Her phone clattered, vibrating on the metal desk. He watched it do the jitterbug.

“I can’t answer,” she said. “I can’t deal with it right now. I don’t know what to say.” She crossed her arms, and her shoulders scrunched up as though she wished she could cover her ears with them.

Together they watched the phone. Ring-bzzzzzzzz . . . Ring-bzzzzzzz . . . When the noise stopped, there was a palpable relief.

Kate drummed her fingers on her lips, quickly at first, then slowing. Her lips loosened, turned down. Her stubborn chin softened. “It’s hopeless.”

The phone rang again, chittering across the desktop. Kate glared at it, looking as though she might throw it across the room.

Kate stopped him with a hand on his arm. Her grip was surprisingly strong. “What’ll you say?”

He met her gaze: wide, olive eyes too vulnerable for words. “I’ll just take a message.”

After a moment, she released his arm, and he picked up the phone, snapping it open.

“Is this Bryan? Don’t tell me she’s letting you see her before the wedding.”

“No. This is a—a friend.” That was stretching it. He turned and leaned against the desk.

“Okay, well, tell her to call Pam. No, wait, she won’t be able to reach me for a while. Tell her I have good news. This is really important, so be sure and tell her right away. The Dr. Phil show called, and they want her to make a guest appearance next month.”

“Got it. I’ll let her know.” He closed the phone and set it on the desk. He could feel Kate watching him. Maybe he didn’t have to tell her just now.

“Who was it?” Was that hope lilting her voice? Did she think Bryan had changed his mind?

She’d actually gotten on the Dr. Phil show. He’d known her popularity had grown nationwide with the column and book and all. But Dr. Phil. That was a whole new ball game.

Her knee brushed his leg as she shifted. He crossed his feet at the ankles and gripped the ledge of the desk. “Nothing that can’t wait. She wants you to call her back.”

Her upturned face and searching eyes melted him. Have mercy, she was beautiful. He looked away.

Restless energy pushed him away from the desk. He should’ve known she wouldn’t let it go. He shouldn’t have answered the phone. Her type A personality required her to know, even when she already had more than she could handle.

“Excuse me, but my life is hanging in the balance right now. Could you please just spit it out?”

Kate had straightened in the chair, her hand grasping the rounded edge of the back. Her left hand. Lucas watched the diamond engagement ring twinkle under the work lights. “She just wanted to let you know about an interview she set up, is all. You can call her later when you—”

“I know it must be big. She wouldn’t have called me today if it wasn’t. And stop looking at me like that.”

He watched her mouth slacken, watched her blink and swallow, watched her eyes change, deaden. He hated it. Hated he’d had any part in bringing that look to her face.

She was still again, and he hated that too. Maybe it wasn’t too late to chase Bryan down and knock him flat on his face. He should be here picking up the pieces, making things right. But he wasn’t. Lucas was there, and what could he do?

The words flashed in his mind like a lighthouse beacon, teasing him. It’s crazy. And even if it wasn’t, it was self-serving.

You could save Kate’s wedding. Her reputation. Her career. It’s an honorable thing.

You were willing to let her go, because you thought that was right. Was that selfish? She needs you now. And you’re in a position to help her. God, what would you have me do?

She turned her doe eyes on him, looking at him, needing him. It was heady. He wanted to protect her, to gather her close, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings.

“How am I going to face everyone? What am I going to tell the media? My publisher?” For the first time, her lip trembled, and she caught it between her teeth. “They paid for everything; did you know that?”

Should I say it? Should I offer, Jesus? Could you make this work somehow? A peace settled deep inside him, familiar and undeniable. “He could.”

He didn’t know he’d said it aloud until he heard Kate’s response. Well, he was in just deep enough, he figured he might as well dive in headfirst. “I have an idea. It’s a little crazy.”

Surprisingly, she breathed a wry chuckle. “My whole life’s a little crazy at the moment.”

He studied her. She was actually looking at him with something like hope in her eyes. “Way I see it, the only thing missing is a groom.”

He nodded once, hoping she’d put two and two together so he wouldn’t have to say it. “What if there was a different groom?”

He shuffled his feet, then leaned against the workhorse, not sure if he was ready for what came next. Just say it. The worst she can do is laugh in my face. “What if I stood in for Bryan?”

He scuffed at the white paint on the tip of his right tennis shoe as silence closed in around him. A long silence. An uncomfortable silence. If he could’ve caught the words and pulled them back, he would’ve. Instead, he glanced at Kate. The expression on her face reinforced his wish.

Why would I do it? Because I love you. But he couldn’t say that. Why hadn’t he thought this out before he’d opened his big mouth?

Her brows pulled together. “We’re talking marriage here, not some little favor.”

Favor. What if he made a bargain with her? What if she could do something for him in return? “I’d want something in return.” What? What do I want in return, Jesus?

At that, her eyebrows slackened as her lips took up the tension, pressing together. Her glare was direct and meaningful, and he immediately knew what she was thinking.

She shook her head as if dislodging a distasteful picture. “It doesn’t matter. It wouldn’t work. Even if the rest of the world doesn’t know who I was marrying, my dad does. And so does Chloe, my editor, and Pam and Anna. Not to mention Bryan’s family.”

A definite glitch, but was there a way around it? Now that the idea had settled a bit, it was growing on him, feeling right. He shrugged. “Would they keep quiet?”

She gave him a double take. “Keep quiet?” Her fingers found the high collar of her blouse. “You’re actually serious.”

His heart was a jackhammer gone wild under his rib cage. He scratched at the dried paint on his thumbnail. “Would they?”

She turned away, her black hair swinging saucily. “You can’t—you can’t just marry me. Marriage is permanent. At least to me it is. A vow between God and man. You don’t just make a willy-nilly decision to marry someone. People don’t do that.” She faced him again. “I don’t do that.”

No, Kate didn’t do that. She planned every step days in advance, every detail in order, everything in its place.

At least she hadn’t laughed at him. He straightened and shrugged as casually as he could, given that he felt like a man whose date had turned away when he tried to kiss her. “Suit yourself.”

He’d really misread this one. His spiritual radar was usually dead on. He began wrapping the cord around the sander. It had been a stupid idea. He could only imagine his mom’s reaction if his parents returned from their trip to find their son not only married, but married to Kate Lawrence. He’d never hear the end of it. And neither would his dad.

Nonetheless, it didn’t do much for his ego to know Kate would rather see the death of her career than marry him. He stuffed the ache further down and set the sander on the shelf next to his favorite drill, waiting to hear the click of her heels as she left the shop.

Instead, Kate’s voice broke the silence. “The people who know Bryan was the groom . . . what if one of them leaked it? Besides, there’s the marriage license and the tuxes. Something could go wrong, and if everyone found out, it would be a bigger disaster than what I have now—if that’s possible.”

Okay, already, I get it. “It was a stupid idea.” She’d made that plain enough. “You should get out your little notepad and make a list of things to cancel.”

“Wait. Just wait a minute; I have to think.” Apparently she did her best thinking while pacing.

Whatever. He turned back to his tools. He didn’t see what there was to think about. At this point it was just a matter of facing the music. He didn’t envy her that. But if Bryan was loser enough to jilt her at the altar, he wasn’t good enough for her.

He kept silent while she pondered her situation. By the time she spoke again, every tool was put away—something that hadn’t happened since he’d installed the shelving unit.

“I think I could arrange to keep everyone quiet. My editor and Pam certainly wouldn’t say anything. I can trust Anna and my dad implicitly. I have a couple of distant relatives here, but they’d keep it to themselves.”

She was thinking out loud, not even looking at Lucas. “Bryan’s family is small, and they’re mostly from the Boston area. There were eight relatives here, plus his best man. He could surely convince them to keep quiet. He owes me that at least.” Her eyes softened for a moment as if the thought of him made her ache.

Kate was actually considering it. He’d never known her to do a spontaneous thing, and here she was, thinking about marrying him at the last minute. She must be desperate.

Kate looked Lucas over from head to toe; he squirmed, feeling he’d somehow failed the examination. “The tux won’t fit. You’re taller; your shoulders are broader. We’d have to get you fitted quickly. Mr. Lavitz is a good friend of yours, isn’t he?”

“The marriage license might be a problem.” She tapped her foot and chewed on the side of her lip, her eyes searching the buzzing fluorescent fixtures for answers. “And we’d need an exit strategy. Maybe a year? Give my book time to succeed and give me time to get another book going. We could get a quiet divorce . . .”

Her eyes closed. “I can’t believe I’m talking about marriage like this. Like it’s a cheap business arrangement. God hates divorce. I hate divorce.”

Of course, if Lucas had his way, the marriage would never end. And if they went through with it, he’d do everything in his power . . .

Lucas watched her face as she wrestled with her principles. “He backed you into a corner,” he said. “It’s not like you have so many appealing options.”

She looked at him suddenly, her brows pulling together. “Why are you doing this again?”

Why? Why? How could she help him? She was a marriage counselor, but he wasn’t married—yet. His parents’ marriage was solid enough, though they loved to fuss at each other. Everyone knew it was just who they were, but an outsider might think . . .

He cleared his throat. Stuffed his hands in his jeans pockets. “They fight a lot lately.” He needed more, but he didn’t want to lie. “My mom left for a few days last month.” On a girls’ weekend trip, but Kate didn’t have to know that. “Jamie—she’s my little sister—said Dad enjoyed her absence.” He’d actually said he enjoyed having Jamie all to himself. But that was close enough, wasn’t it? Guilt stabbed at him.

“No.” The word came out a little sharp. “They’re both leery of all that psychobabble stuff.” Her eyebrows rose, and he rephrased. “You’d have to be sly about it. Get to know them. Get them to open up. You can handle it.”

“Of course. I didn’t mean to make it sound trite.” Kate steepled her fingers and tapped the tips together. “I don’t even know if this is possible. I think there’s a waiting period on the marriage license.”

He hadn’t thought of that. Maybe the plan was dead in the water. But hadn’t his friend Ethan gotten married at the last minute? “I think it can be waived. Nancy Rallings is the town clerk, and I furnished her house. I’ll see what I can find out.”

He couldn’t believe she was considering it. He could be marrying Kate in a matter of hours. In front of friends, family, and media. His legs suddenly quaked as he remembered the article in the paper spelling out the details. The wedding was going to be a media circus. They might want to interview him.

It took Kate a moment to hear him, lost in thought as she probably was. “What?”

“I’ll let the media snap all the photos they want, but I won’t give interviews.”

She shrugged, eyeing him. “I agree—we don’t need to complicate things. What about your family? How are they going to feel?”

That gave him pause. His mom had been urging him to move on since Emily died five years ago. Kate, however, was the last person his mom would want him moving on with. If he told his mom the marriage was temporary, she would be rude, scare Kate off for good. But if she knew he loved Kate, she’d have to make an effort, wouldn’t she?

“My parents are out of town right now, but my brother and sister are here. I’ll call my parents afterward and tell them we got married. And I don’t want them to know the particulars. As far as they’re concerned, it’s the real thing.” Besides, if it worked the way he hoped, there’d be no exit strategy needed. He held out his hand. “Deal?”

Kate stared at him, her eyes a mixture of fear and resolve. Then she put her hand in his. “Deal.”