The kitchen at the Davenport family home was filled with sound. The family were known for affectionately talking at the same time, exchanging news and gossip, and sharing recipe pointers as they cooked up one of their famous breakfasts. Buster was hanging around the kitchen, hoping good things would fall on the floor, and depending on whether their mother, Betsy, was watching, a surprising number of bits of bacon or ham “accidentally” fell, where he licked them up with gusto.
Only their newest member—Tessa Taylor—remained her usual quiet and composed self.
Mila had put it down to her artistic and caring nature that Tessa was more introverted than the rest of the family. But now she considered it might also be a sign of a woman deeply in love. She seemed to be walking around in a happy, dreamlike bubble. Even now, while squeezing the oranges for fresh OJ, Tessa’s designated job for breakfast, she paused momentarily to admire the sparkle of her engagement ring. Arch certainly hadn’t held back on the diamond. It was a sumptuous teardrop on a platinum band. Elegant and understated, just like Tessa herself, but Mila knew it had cost more than most people’s annual salaries. She wondered if Tessa knew what he’d spent, but quickly figured no, she’d have been mortified. Unlike Arch, who had no qualms about treating himself to the finer things in life, Tessa was modest. She was used to being careful with money. She still thrifted some of her clothes, even though she had no need to.
The family tended to get together for breakfast at least once a month, usually on a weekend, or, like today, when somebody got everybody together. It was Arch who’d organized the Friday morning brunch. Mila set her own schedule, and everyone else had obviously made time. Erin sometimes worked weekends or nights at the Sea Shell weekly paper, so could take a morning off if she wanted to. Howie and Finn ran their own construction business. Nick worked when and where he felt like it, though he’d made so much money from his apps he didn’t have to work at all. Arch hadn’t yet started shooting his next film, Shock Tactics, and Damien was taking a break after his last tour. Betsy didn’t teach classes on Friday morning.
Seeing the glint of Tessa’s ring, Damien said, “I guess your wedding will be a media frenzy. No getting round it.”
Damien was the family musician. Rock star, to put it more accurately. He’d found fame early as a guitarist for a successful rock band who’d managed to make the charts with their catchy first hit. It was hard now to imagine Damien happier than he was when on the stage… with countless pretty women chanting his name. He wasn’t exactly a bad boy, but he was no saint either. He knew all about the downside of celebrity that went along with the fame and money.
“Arch promised Tessa a small wedding,” Erin piped up.
“Never going to happen,” Damien insisted.
“We have a plan,” Arch said in a shut-up-and-don’t-freak-out-my-future bride tone. “That’s why I wanted to have breakfast with you all this morning—to figure out the details.”
“Close friends and family only,” Tessa agreed, pouring the golden orange liquid into a huge ceramic jug and following the rest of the family into the dining room. “Speaking of which,” she continued, setting the jug on the table, “there’s something I wanted to ask you two.”
She looked at Mila and Erin with a happy grin as she took her seat next to Arch. “I was hoping you would be my bridesmaids.”
“I’d be honored,” Mila said quickly, feeling suddenly choked with emotion. She was no romantic—far from it—but the thought of taking such a special role in Tessa and Arch’s wedding touched the most tender part of her.
Erin clapped her hands together, a look of pure joy on her face. “Me too,” she said.
The three of them grasped hands across the table.
“Thank you,” Tessa said quietly. “You two already feel like sisters to me.”
Her mom set down a plate of her famous French toast and beamed. “And I’m so happy to have another daughter join our family.”
“Hear, hear,” their father, Howie, agreed. He passed a platter of his famous omelet, already cut into neat slices, around the table.
“I was thinking we could ask Margaret Percy to give a reading,” Arch suggested, helping himself to two slices.
“What a great idea,” Betsy said. “She did introduce the two of you, after all.”
Nick reached for toast. “When are you going to ask me to be your best man?” He looked over at Arch. “I’m the oldest—obviously it should be me.”
Finn made a rude noise. “Dude. I’m the best looking, so I’m the sensible choice. Think of your wedding photos.”
“Low blow,” Nick complained. Finn really was the best looking, which he usually tried to hide rather than mentioning it. Nick thought deeply. “Remember that time I covered for you when you missed curfew in ninth grade? You owe me.”
The two brothers looked over at Damien, who hadn’t yet argued for why he should be best man. He held up his hands. “Count me out, man. I’m going to be the entertainment.”
Finn and Nick sized each other up across the table. “Wrestle you for it,” Finn suggested. He was a builder who worked with his hands and was a lot bigger than Nick, who was an app developer. Nick might be a billionaire, but chances weren’t good he could best Finn in a wrestling match. He stood. “Let’s go.”
“Outside,” Betsy commanded. “And not until after breakfast.”
Mila rolled her eyes. Her brothers were extremely successful in their own right, but when they got together, they behaved like they were still teenagers.
“Thank you, Damien,” Tessa said quickly, clearly seeing her moment. “I’d be honored to have you play, and this way, we’ll keep it in the family.”
“Okay, so best man is between me and Nick,” Finn said, putting on a which-way-to-the-beach show of manliness by flexing his biceps and showing his gorgeous profile.
Arch chuckled. “I would never choose between you guys,” he said, looking first at one brother, then the other. “Smith Sullivan is going to be my best man. But I’d like you both to be my groomsmen.”
Mila watched across the table as her brothers digested the news. “I guess that means I won’t have to make a speech,” Nick said, shrugging. “Or listen to you make one,” he added, pointing to Finn.
“It’s a good solution,” Betsy agreed. “All my handsome boys, and Smith, who’s like another son to me. It’s just perfect.” Nothing was more important to her mom than family. Betsy was a respected teacher and an incredible mom. Mila had nothing but admiration for her.
Mila wondered about Tessa’s family. Her parents had passed away, and none of the Davenports had met Tessa’s sister and brother-in-law or their daughter, though Tessa had said quietly that she was inviting her sister to the wedding, and she would be part of the wedding party. Mila couldn’t imagine going more than a few days without seeing her sister, but knew Tessa didn’t have that closeness with her own.
“Who is going to walk you down the aisle?” As soon as the words flew out of her mouth, Mila realized her mistake.
Tessa cast her eyes down and said she might ask her brother-in-law.
Mila knew she was too forthright, but she couldn’t contain herself. “Wait, aren’t these the people who, after your husband died and you had no money, supported you only by sending you hand-me-down clothes?”
Tessa nodded. “They were designer clothes. I’m sure my sister meant well.”
Mila glanced at Erin. “If you ever lose a husband, I promise right now to be there for you. We all will. That’s what family does.” She felt annoyed that a wonderful woman like Tessa would be treated so poorly by her closest family. Mila had once been famous, and she had a feeling she’d come across people like Tessa’s sister and her husband. “I’m not trying to be rude, but are your sister and brother-in-law suddenly available for you now that you’re marrying a movie star?”
“Mila,” Betsy said, shocked, “you are being rude. I’m sure Tessa loves her family.”
Before Mila could apologize for hurting Tessa’s feelings, Tessa said, “No, Mila’s right. I went from embarrassing charity case to someone important when I got together with Arch.” Mila could see how much it hurt Tessa to admit that. “I barely know my brother-in-law, but I’m sure they love the idea of being in wedding photos with Archer.” Then she bit her bottom lip. “I haven’t even given them a date because I know they’ll tell everyone they know. They won’t be able to resist.”
“And then our intimate wedding will become a media circus,” Arch said, looking grim.
Erin, whose sensitive journalist’s eyes never missed a thing, said, “I bet Dad would love to walk you down the aisle.”
Howie immediately got to his feet and said it would be his honor, if it would please Tessa. “You’re already like another daughter to me.” His warm eyes sparkled.
“I would love that,” Tessa said, a pretty flush spreading across her cheeks. “But may I think about it?”
Howie said, “Of course, but I’ll be happy to step in if needed.”
“I still don’t get how you’re really going to keep this wedding small and paparazzi-free,” Erin said. “People here in Carmel are relaxed about Hollywood stars, but the minute someone spots that ring on your finger and alerts the media, it will take on a life of its own. I know firsthand how hungry photographers are for celebrity wedding snaps.”
Tessa looked horrified. Mila knew her soon-to-be sister-in-law’s worst nightmare was to have a flashy wedding splashed across the tabloids. Maybe she’d yet to admit it to herself, but Tessa was marrying one of the biggest movie stars in the world. They’d been together for months now, and she still wasn’t used to seeing her picture in the press. But for Arch, she would withstand anything. That was the nature of true love.
“I have an idea,” Betsy said, reaching across the table for a plate of fresh sliced melon. “Do you remember the time Damien hired a lookalike actor as a decoy to divert attention while he enjoyed a quiet holiday before a big concert tour?”
“That guy was so much better looking than you,” Mila said with a laugh. “I can’t believe it worked so well.”
“But it did work,” Erin added quickly, shooting Tessa a sympathetic look.
“That’s right,” Damien said quietly. “I had a perfect two weeks surfing in a hidden spot in Australia.” He looked puzzled. “Are you suggesting a decoy couple for the wedding?”
“You might end up marrying the wrong Arch,” Finn said. “Awkward.”
“No, you foolish boy,” Betsy said, though she looked fondly at her son. “I’m suggesting a decoy wedding. You pretend you’re going to do one date, but secretly have a quiet wedding first. Just the way you want it.”
Damien nodded. “It’s a great idea, Mom. Have a whole decoy wedding.” He turned to Arch. “You remember Crystal Lopez, my friend from high school? She’s a wedding planner now. Get her on board. She can plan something big and fancy and feed stories to the press while you quietly plan the real one somewhere more quiet.”
Tessa turned to Arch, her blue eyes sparkling. “I think it’s a great idea. Do you?”
Arch took her hand in his. “Let’s do it right here, in the backyard. Small and intimate.”
“I’d love that so much.” She turned to Betsy and Howie. “If that’s okay with you both.”
Mila grinned. As if that wasn’t her parents’ dream scenario—her mom especially.
“I couldn’t imagine anything more special,” Betsy said.
Arch tucked a strand of Tessa’s hair behind her ear and gazed at her lovingly. “If we go ahead with this decoy event, you do know we’ll actually have to go through with two weddings? The one we actually want and the one for public consumption? It’s the only way I can see this working.”
Tessa nodded. “So long as we can have our perfect, real wedding here with the people closest to us, then I won’t mind having a second, showy party for your fans that the press can attend.” She thought for a moment. “My sister’s been sending me these wedding venues—Scottish and Irish castles, Caribbean islands where people get married and spend absolute fortunes.” She faltered. “I think in order to keep our real wedding intimate, I’ll let my brother-in-law walk me down the aisle of the big, flashy do, and my niece can be a flower girl. That would make them a lot happier than a backyard wedding.”
“Brilliant,” Mila said, happy that being a bit rude had ended up with such a great result.
Betsy grinned, clearly in seventh heaven. “I love the idea of the decoy wedding not even being in this country. Really throw the paparazzi off the scent by planning something big abroad.”
Tessa looked at Arch. “What do you think?”
Before he could reply, Damien said, “I’ve got a musician friend with a castle in Scotland he rents out for weddings.” Damien was fast becoming the family wedding planner.
Mila was about to make a comment about this unlikely role when Erin said dreamily, “Oh, I’d love to go to Scotland. The lochs, the literature. So romantic.”
“And some fine Scotch whiskey,” Finn added.
“Well, that, and I’d like to see you in a kilt, brother.” Damien laughed. Buster barked his agreement.
Howie lifted his glass of orange juice. “My great-great-grandfather was from Scotland. We’d be honoring his memory.”
“Well, then, Scotland really is perfect,” Tessa said. “It’s still connected to your family, but since it’ll be so different from what we’ll do quietly at home, it could even be fun. A big party for all your fans to sigh over. But by then, we’ll already be happily married, at a ceremony that’s about us.”
“Agreed,” said Arch. He sighed with contentment and helped himself to some steaming black coffee. He was happier than Mila could ever have imagined him. She smiled. The love in the air was infectious.
“We should do the real wedding ASAP,” Arch said. “Before anything can be leaked to the press.”
“Good idea,” Tessa said. She gazed at Arch. “I don’t see any reason to wait.”
“Me either.”
“Well, then, that’s settled,” Betsy said. “While Damien’s not on tour and all the family’s in town.” She went to fetch the calendar from the kitchen wall. Betsy had an online diary, but she still liked to put important dates on the big calendar that hung in the kitchen.
“When are you thinking?” she asked them, looking at the squares, a lot of which were already filled. “Four weeks from now?”
“You’ll never keep the secret for four weeks.” Damien shook his head.
“I agree,” Arch said. “How’s two weeks?”
Even Tessa looked surprised at moving with such speed, but then she listed all the ways they could make it work. “The simpler, the better,” she said finally. “Yes, I think we can get married in two weeks.”
“Dresses off the rack,” Mila said, knowing there was no time for anything to be custom made.
“How do we keep your real wedding top secret?” Erin said, thoughtfully tucking into a waffle. “I mean, I know the journalist’s drive for a scoop. We’ll have to run this like an undercover military operation if we want to keep it out of the media.”
“Drive all the attention to the castle wedding by making a deal with the press,” Finn said suddenly.
“What are you suggesting?” Arch asked. “A little dance with the devil?”
“Exactly,” Finn replied. “Court the press, flatter them, invite them in. Contact one of the big glossy mags and give them the rights to the wedding. An exclusive interview and a photoshoot.”
“Not a bad idea,” Damien said. “At least if you placate the press, you’ll have control over the coverage.”
Mila looked at Tessa, who had stayed suspiciously quiet during this suggestion. She couldn’t imagine Tessa agreeing to splashy photoshoots, posing with her bouquet in an elaborate staged embrace with Arch.
There was a rare lull in the chatter as the rest of the family trained their attention on Tessa. Even though she was the newest, and not yet even an official Davenport, Tessa’s quiet calm inspired respect from the others.
Arch took her hand and waited for her verdict.
“I think it’s a fantastic idea. We’ll donate the fee to a charitable cause. Maybe divide it among charities we both support.”
“Perfect,” said Arch.
“We can use that lovely caterer who did the Fairbanks wedding. Francesca’s. I made sure to get her card,” Betsy suggested.
“Francesca books up months in advance,” Erin said. “We ran a feature on her once. A high-end chef from Milan who came here, fell in love with Carmel-by-the-Sea, and decided to change careers.” Then she glanced around. “For weddings, she takes bookings a year in advance.”
Howie said, “I’ll do the catering. Hamburgers and hot dogs on the barbecue. What do you say, kids?”
After shooting his dad an exasperated look, Damien said, “Call Crystal. She probably works with Francesca all the time.”
“Does Crystal work miracles?” Finn wanted to know.
“As a matter of fact,” Damien replied, “she does. I was on the beach at my place in the Bahamas, just chilling, and she called and asked me to perform at the birthday party of some billionaire’s kid. I swear, one minute I was saying no, and the next thing I knew, I was singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to a bunch of tweens jacked up on sugar.”
“Sounds perfect,” Howie agreed. “And at least you know you have a backup plan. My barbecue and I aren’t booked at all.”
Mila fell silent during the rest of breakfast. All this talk of weddings, happy futures… Seeing Arch, maybe the least able to commit of all her siblings, entrust his life to another person? It made her feel suddenly very… single.
Or was this odd feeling connected somehow to Herschel Greenfield? His face, his voice kept floating back to her. The memory of him had hooked inside her, and it wasn’t letting go.
“You look miles away, Mila.” Her mom’s soft voice penetrated her reverie.
“You got me,” Mila replied. “I was thinking about some new clients, a young couple looking for their first home.” She avoided her mom’s knowing look. Betsy Davenport could see right through to her children’s innermost cores. It would be annoying if she weren’t so full of love. Mila kept her head down and forked up another piece of omelet. As much as she hated to admit it, Herschel Greenfield had gotten under her skin. Worse, even though she’d given him her card, he’d yet to call.