Wanting to save the big reveal for her wedding day, Sadie had kept the final dress fitting invite list small: just Elliot, Smyth, and the camera crew. They made the appropriate sighs of approval when the seamstress led Sadie out of the dressing room. Neither planner would admit it, but sometimes they’d had to feign enthusiasm in the past. Today there was no need. The bride was gorgeous. The gown fit perfectly. Elliot walked across the room to adjust the bride’s skirt and veil before giving Sadie her first glimpse in the mirror.
Sadie stared at her reflection. She turned from side to side, lips pursed. When she finally opened her mouth to speak, a sob came out instead of words.
Everyone froze in horror. Smyth’s jaw dropped. The seamstress’s face turned white, and her pin cushion dropped to the floor. Even Elliot stood in stunned silence as she tried to comprehend Sadie’s reaction. Brides cried all the time in dress shops, but unlike those times, these weren’t tears of joy.
Regaining her wits at last, Elliot went into action. She pulled a bottle of water and a pack of tissues out of her purse and rushed back to the bride’s side. Opening the bottle, she placed it in the woman’s hands and urged her to drink.
“Can you please give us a few minutes?” Elliot asked Rosalyn and the seamstress. “We’ll call you when you’re needed.”
Elliot soothed Sadie by rubbing her back in gentle circles with one hand and offered tissues with the other. Marissa opened her mouth to speak, but closed it as quickly when Elliot shook her head. Sadie needed a moment.
Several moments and tissues later, the bride’s sobs turned to hiccups. Elliot raised the bottle of water to Sadie’s lips and waited for her to drink.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Elliot asked.
Shaky and slightly embarrassed, Sadie cleared her throat and raised her eyes to Elliot’s. “I wish my dad was here.” She wiped her face. “It just hit me. I wish my dad was here.”
“Of course you do.”
“I saw myself as a bride, and I realized it’ll be my brother and not my father walking me down the aisle,” she said. “I love my brother, but I want my dad. I barely remember him. People tell me how wonderful he was. How proud he’d be. But it’s not the same.” She took another drink of water. “Sometimes I’m jealous of my mom and brother for their memories. They miss him. I miss the idea of him.”
Sadie blotted her eyes and took a shaky breath. “Some of my friends take their fathers for granted. I resent them. I’m a terrible person, aren’t I?”
“You’re not a bad person, you’re wonderful.” Before the girl interrupted, Elliot continued. “I grew up with my mother. We had a relationship, which means I don’t completely understand what you’re feeling. But I understand what it’s like to want someone who can’t be there.”
Elliot brought the bride in for a hug. Sadie let out a tiny sob but nodded. She caught her reflection in the mirror and grimaced.
“I’ve made a mess of my face.”
“You’re still beautiful.” Elliot helped Sadie to her feet. “Even with that red nose. How about we finish this fitting and go split a piece of cake?” She glanced over at Smyth, who was chatting with Rosalyn. “Mr. Metabolism will probably hog everything for himself, but we can fend for ourselves.”
Eric’s palms clenched into fists, and he raised his voice when he repeated his order. “All of the foundation’s charitable acts will be done anonymously. We’re not doing this for the publicity. We’re giving back because it’s the right thing to do.”
“Which is noble of you, sir,” his VP of marketing said, barely flinching on the video screen. “But people are going to wonder what the foundation actually does if you never make any public statements.”
“Does it matter?”
“It might to donors.”
He released a sigh and rubbed his temples to dull the ache forming. “We don’t need donors. I’m the donor.”
“The publicity isn’t only for you or the company,” she stammered. “It also raises awareness for your causes.”
He hadn’t considered that. But while supporting the families of fallen police officers and breast cancer research were causes he cared about, he still didn’t want the attention. “Come up with a new proposal for how we can promote them without seeming showy.”
“Yes, sir.”
“The foundation isn’t about patting ourselves on the back.” He kept his voice stern and his face expressionless. “Your plan needs to reflect that.”
“Of course,” the marketing executive said. She signed out of the video conference call leaving him alone with his assistant back in San Francisco.
“Do you have anything else you’d like me to handle?” she asked.
He started to say no, but stopped himself, a lingering issue still weighing heavy on his mind. “I want you to do some research for me.”
“Absolutely. What about?”
“Find out everything you can about Will Cousins.” It had taken some digging to figure out who was behind the potential Engagements buyout, but fortunately Eric knew the right people to ask. “He’s the CEO of Weddings by Will.” Eric absently tapped his fingers on the desktop. “I’ve done a little research, but everything I have is public record.”
“You want me to get some information that’s off the record.”
“Exactly.”
“I’ll take care of it.” She hesitated a moment before ending her side of the conversation. “Can I ask what this is about? Does your sister want to switch planners this close to the wedding?”
“No, we’re happy with our planner.”
“I caught an advertisement for the TV show.” She flashed a bright grin. “I can’t wait to watch the premiere.”
“It should be interesting.”
“I still don’t understand,” his assistant said. “Why am I researching another planner?”
Because he’d met the man at his sister’s party, and now he was calling Elliot. Because he wanted to satisfy his own curiosity. Because he wanted to find out why Elliot’s face had gone an angry shade of red when he called.
“It’s confidential for the moment,” he said at last. That was a stretch, but to a degree, it was the truth. “Just get me the information. Please.”
Elliot, Smyth, and Sadie ditched the film crew—much to Marissa’s chagrin—and stopped at an Italian café for coffee and ordered a piece of tiramisu, a cannoli, and a few flavors of biscotti.
“You haven’t gained an ounce since your last fitting,” Elliot told the worried bride. “You can afford to splurge a little with ten days to go until your wedding.”
“I don’t need an excuse to eat,” Sadie said, taking a healthy bite of cannoli. “But I appreciate it regardless. Oh my God, this is amazing.”
Smyth said nothing but nodded appreciatively, taking a big bite of his own piece of chocolate cake and polishing off another biscotti.
“Be careful,” Elliot warned. “If you get too close, he might eat you, too.”
Smyth shrugged off the insult while Sadie smothered a laugh.
“I have some news,” Sadie said. “I spoke with Heloise last night.”
“How is she?” Elliot asked. “She sent me a short thank you note, but I haven’t heard anything else.”
“She’s as good as can be expected” Sadie said. “Actually, she is better than most people in her situation should be. She landed a date for the wedding.”
Smyth’s eyes widened. “She found a date in rehab?” he asked, his mouth still full. “Your brother isn’t taking her?”
“No and God no,” Sadie said. “My brother assures me there is not, and has never been, anything romantic between them aside from mild flirtation—and only on her end. They went out to dinner once, because she’d said there was something wedding-related to discuss, but that turned out to be a ruse. Her date isn’t from rehab, but he did visit her there.”
“Who?”
“Remember the lawyer you found her?” Sadie asked.
“No.” A grin spread across Elliot’s face. “She’s taking Ben?”
“Yes.” Sadie shook her head and took another bite. “Somehow or another, Heloise has turned her lawyer into a boyfriend.”
“Speaking of last-minute wedding dates, is your brother bringing anyone?” Smyth asked, ignoring the glare Elliot sent his way.
Sadie shook her head.
“Why not?” Smyth asked. “The gossip magazines make it sound like he always has someone.”
“Those are mostly stories,” Sadie said. “He’s been so busy with work the past few years, he’s only gone on a few dates. And most of those are for business purposes. Plus between helping me with the plans and getting ready to launch his new charity initiative, he barely sleeps. Dating isn’t on his list of priorities.”
“What charity initiative?” Smyth asked.
“It’s fantastic,” Sadie said. “It’s totally Eric, and I’m completely proud of him. But my lips are sealed until he makes the official announcement this fall.”
“Come on.”
“Nope.”
“Please?”
“Not happening.”
They bantered back and forth as Smyth tried to learn a few secrets and Sadie vowed to protect them. Elliot barely paid attention, because her mind was on something else. Eric hadn’t been quite the playboy people had made him out to be. He wasn’t dating Heloise. And more importantly, he didn’t have a date for the wedding. Elliot grinned. All of those facts opened up all new possibilities.