June
KENDRA WOODS HIGHTAILED IT DOWN THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE of Fleming & Stein to the K Street conference room as fast as her heels and the burden of a hefty legal file would allow. It wasn’t like Grace to go into a client meeting unprepared, or for her legal assistant to let her. And Kendra had no idea why she’d been called upon to rectify the matter, since she wasn’t an attorney on this case. But Buddy from the mailroom had poked his head into her office, said Grace needed the file ASAP, and asked if she could find it. And Grace was head of litigation and her boss of eight years, not to mention a trusted mentor. Whatever she needed, Kendra was happy to oblige.
She strode past offices and cubicles, the sound of printers and copiers still buzzing late on a Friday afternoon. Fleming & Stein was seldom quiet. One of the largest law firms in the world, the Washington, DC, office was its flagship, and business churned evenings and weekends as frantically as it did during “business hours.” Kendra had been told in her first year of law school that she would never work here, to set her sights lower. At the time there was only a handful of black attorneys at the firm, and Grace was the sole black female partner. But the challenge had motivated Kendra all the more. And these halls were now like home.
Rounding a bend, she saw the shades drawn on the internal floor-to-ceiling windows of the conference room. She knocked on the door.
“Come in,” Grace called.
Kendra opened the door.
“Surprise!”
Attorneys and staff filled a room teeming with colorful balloons, gifts, and the delicious aroma of hot appetizers.
“What is this?” Kendra said, taking it all in.
“What does it look like, silly? It’s a wedding shower.” Beaming, Grace relieved her of the file. “Thanks, I’ll take that.” She parked it on the floor.
A knock sounded behind her, and Kendra realized the door had been closed again.
Roger, head of government contracts, stepped forward with a Cheshire-cat grin. “Come in,” he said.
Kendra’s fiancé, Derek, entered with a file, too, and the room dissolved into self-congratulatory whoops and applause because they’d pulled the whole thing off.
Kendra joined him, giddy. “Can you believe they put together a shower for us?”
“Men get showers now?” Derek had a cute, confused look. He took Kendra’s hand and leaned in. “Not with games and stuff, right? Because I’m buried with work.”
Grace chuckled. “Yes, it’s the twenty-first century, and men get showers at Fleming & Stein,” she said. “That is, when they’re marrying another attorney in the firm, thus making it a big celebration. They get champagne too.” She put a half-filled glass in his hand, and one in Kendra’s, and quieted the crowd.
“Many of you enterprising souls like Derek need to get back to work shortly,” Grace said, “so Roger and I want to give a quick toast at the start. Maybe a glass of bubbly will give you the kick you need to get that work done.”
“Hear, hear,” one of the attorneys called, lifting his glass.
“Kendra,” Grace said, “I’ve had the unique honor of recruiting you as a summer associate, bringing you on board after you graduated law school, helping you hone your legal skills—and watching you get swept off your feet by this fellow here.” She smiled at Derek. “I have to confess that I always regarded the government contracts group as, well, unexciting.”
“I take offense to that.” Roger frowned in his humorous way.
“But . . .” Grace smiled at Roger and turned back to Derek. “The just-because floral arrangements, the carryout dinners on long work evenings, the elaborate proposal . . . Watching your courtship took my breath away. I can’t wait until the wedding because I’m sure you’ll have something wonderful up your sleeve.” She raised her glass. “To Kendra and Derek, who’ve filled these offices with the beauty of romance and the promise of happy-ever-after and a gaggle of kids. Cheers!”
Derek’s glass went up only partially. “Wait, we promised a gaggle?”
Laughter and a chorus of “Cheers!” filled the room as everyone raised a glass and took a sip.
“I admit,” Derek said, “this is pretty nice.” His arm slid around Kendra’s waist. “And you look nice. I can’t believe I haven’t seen you yet today.”
She felt flutters from his touch. “Your fault,” she said, eyeing his dark and handsome face. “I tried to steal you away for lunch.”
“And I almost went, despite my deadline.” He squeezed a little tighter. “You know my day’s not the same without you. We should share an office after the wedding.”
Kendra laughed in her champagne glass. “I can see it now—totally distracted, no focus, fired by year’s end . . .”
He laughed with her. “True, true.”
Roger stepped forward next. “I’ll be brief since everyone knows I hail from the unexciting government contracts wing.” He winked at Grace. “I knew when I stole”—he cleared his throat—“plucked Derek from one of our rivals a year and a half ago that he had special talent. But oh, the things I learned through that elaborate proposal. Who thinks to get a judge and jury involved? Who’s able to get a judge and jury involved?” He eyed Derek even now, as if questioning. “This man knows what he wants, and he’s got the skills to go after it. In Kendra, I think we’d all agree he got quite a prize.” He raised his glass. “To the soon-to-be husband and wife, Derek and Kendra.”
Loud cheers and champagne sips were followed by cries of “Speech! Speech!”
Kendra and Derek looked at each other, smiling. She nudged him. “You go.”
Derek shrugged as everyone quieted. “I don’t know what to say.” He looked at Kendra. “I just love this woman.”
“Aww,” a few of the women chorused.
“Oh, stop it,” one of the government contracts attorneys said. “You’ve set the bar too high already for the single guys.”
Derek held up his hands in defense. “But how’s that possible in a room full of overachievers?” When the laughter died down, he continued, “Seriously, thank you, everyone. I’m blown away by this show of love and kindness. Coming to Fleming & Stein was one of the best decisions of my life.”
Kendra squeezed his hand, looking around the room. “I’m not an emotional person, but you all know I lost my mother last year to cancer, and my father’s on a sabbatical overseas. I would’ve never thought a big firm could be like family, but in the years I’ve been here, that’s what you’ve become.” She scanned their faces. “I can’t tell you what it means that you would do this for us.” She swiped an eye. “Okay, really? I will not cry,” she declared as another tear came. “Let me stop while I’m ahead, and just say thank you.”
Grace hugged her, then turned to the crowd. “We’ll open gifts soon, but for now, enjoy the food. Or get back to work!”
“Thank you, Grace, really.” Kendra spoke above the rising chatter. “You’re always there for me. I’m sure this whole thing was your idea.”
“No way,” Grace said. “I can’t count the number of people in litigation who came to me about giving you a shower. We all wanted to celebrate with you. You’re getting married, girl!”
“And it’s starting to feel really real,” Kendra said. “I’ve got my final fitting tomorrow.”
“I’m going with you,” Derek said. “Since it’s the twenty-first century, the dress doesn’t have to be a surprise.”
“Uh-huh,” Kendra said. “You’re the one who didn’t want to schedule pictures before the ceremony.”
He conceded with a nod. “Who knew I was a traditional type of guy? I never thought so until we started planning this wedding.” He linked fingers with her, pulling her close. “I can’t wait for you to become Kendra Richards.”
His whisper drew butterflies. “I can’t wait to be Kendra Richards.”
Kendra stood atop the podium in the dressing room, loving every angle of her gown in the mirror. She’d tried it on at least three times before, but now, so close to the date, it woke something new in her.
Her maid of honor, Charlene, circled her. “Classic. Elegant. Exquisite.” She nodded, arms folded. “Killer. That dress was made for you, Ken.”
The strapless silk sheath with a Swarovski-beaded bodice fit her five-foot-six frame like a glove. Kendra felt tingly looking at it. She’d never dreamed about marriage. Even back when she thought her parents had the perfect marriage, marriage itself wasn’t uppermost in her mind. Her dreams had always been career driven. But what did she expect from marriage? What did she long for?
The bridal consultant had been checking every aspect of the fit. “It’s just perfect,” she said, “but it’s formfitting”—she shook a warning finger—“so no fried foods between now and the wedding.”
“Or rich desserts,” Kendra said. “That’s my weakness.”
“Whatever.” Charlene rolled her eyes. “You never gain a pound.”
“Let me see if those adjustments were made to the veil,” the consultant said, “and I’ll also grab the undergarment you need.” She looked at Charlene. “And I’ll show you how to help Kendra with the dress on her wedding day, as well as how to bustle it.”
“Awesome,” Charlene said. “I’m so excited to be part of this.”
Kendra smiled at her. “It wouldn’t be the same without you.”
She and Charlene had met the first week of the first year of law school at George Washington University and quickly became best buddies. The grind of working at a large firm kept them from seeing each other as much as they’d like, especially since Charlene worked in Baltimore, so wedding moments like this were a treat.
Kendra smoothed her fingers over the hand-sewn beading. “You think Derek will like it?”
“For him to like it, all that’s required is that you be in it. That man is head over heels.” Charlene sighed. “Why can’t I find a man like that?”
“I told you I think you’ll like his best man,” Kendra said.
“He lives in Philly—several-point deduction,” Charlene said, “but definite points for hotness, from the picture you showed. What does he do?”
“He’s in banking.”
Charlene looked impressed. “Kids?”
“Nope.”
“Married?”
Kendra gave her a look.
“Then what’s wrong with him?”
“I think he’s been focused on his career, like all of us. Now everybody’s feeling the itch to settle down.” Kendra got an idea. “He’ll be in town next week. The four of us can go to dinner.”
“I’m not going on another blind date,” Charlene said.
“How is it a blind date? This is prewedding . . . stuff.” Kendra laughed. “But that other blind date was hilarious.”
“You mean Jared? God’s gift to mankind? I should’ve stopped speaking to you after that.” Charlene laughed with her. “And how is it you always get the nice, fine guys making big money, and I get the sidekicks, who always have a major defect?”
“Obviously the ones I dated had defects, too, because they didn’t last.”
“Um, no, hon,” Charlene said. “They didn’t last because you were working 24–7, trying to make partner. You and Derek must’ve been meant to be, because he landed right in your world at Fleming & Stein.”
Kendra pondered that. From the beginning, it did seem meant to be, a whirlwind romance culminating in a memorable wedding. But the whirlwind and the wedding would pass. What kind of husband would he be? What kind of wife would she be? And why the anxious feeling all of a sudden?
Kendra shook it off. Prewedding jitters . . . bound to surface.
Her phone chimed with a text message.
“Can you get that for me, Charlene?”
Charlene reached in Kendra’s purse and handed it to her. Kendra smiled at Derek’s text as the jitters evaporated.
THINKING OF U. LOVE U. 21 DAYS.