Читать книгу Best Man For The Wedding Planner - DONNA ALWARD, Donna Alward - Страница 12

DAN HAD GLIMPSED Adele briefly when she’d dropped off the boutonnieres to Pete’s suite, but she’d slipped in and out again so quickly, he hadn’t had time to speak to her. Her cheeks had looked flushed, though, and her eyes strangely bright. He supposed it might be because everything was coming down to the wire.

As he and the groom and other groomsmen stepped out of the elevator, the muted sound of piano and flute touched his ears. He let out a sigh of relief. A Calgary colleague had a daughter studying music and it had only taken one phone call and the promise of a generous last-minute fee to arrange something. They were almost to the doors of the hall when Adele came around the corner, her phone in hand.

“Whoa,” he said, reaching out and grabbing her arms to avoid a collision.

She looked up, dazed. “Oh, gosh, sorry!” Her cheeks flushed a deep pink. “I didn’t even see you...all.” She looked around at the rest of the men. “But this is perfect timing. You all know what to do, yes? And we’re just about ready to open the doors and begin seating the guests.”

“Pete and I will hang back and go in with the JP,” Dan said, letting go of her arms.

“Yes, that’s perfect.” She smiled a little. “Everything is finally coming together. The last few minutes can get a little manic, though the idea is to appear as if everything is tranquil and calm.”

The groomsmen headed for the main doors, and Pete saw someone he knew and sidestepped to say hello.

Dan looked down at her and frowned a little. Her eyes were brighter than normal, and not in a good way. He lifted his hand and touched her forehead. “Oh, my. You’re sick, aren’t you?”

She swatted his hand away. “Don’t say a word. I’m doing okay. It’s just a touch of...something.”

“The timing is horrible.”

“Don’t I know it.” Her face softened, though, when she looked up at him. “Dan, thank you for the assist earlier. The soloist is just perfect. How did you know who to call?”

He was more pleased than he should have been at her gratitude, and it didn’t settle well. “The guy who moved to Calgary to set up the satellite office, his daughter studies music. I gave him a call, she was available and brought an accompanist, and there you go.”

She smiled at him, a genuine smile. Maybe she was delirious. “You make it sound like no big thing, but it totally saved my butt today. And I’m not in the habit of it needing saving.”

“I’m coming to realize that. Anyway, I’m glad I could help.” He had to stop looking into her eyes. It made him forget how much he resented her for walking away. “Pete’s a good friend, and Holly’s a sweet person. They deserve their fairy-tale day.”

And he would not be bitter about it. Just because he’d been prepared to propose after graduation...it hardly mattered now. Clearly it wasn’t meant to be.

Her phone vibrated. “Call?” he asked.

She shook her head. “Alarm. It’s time to get you with Ms. Fraser, and time for me to head upstairs for the bride and bridesmaids.”

She turned to leave but he put a hand on her arm. “Are you really okay? Considering people are dropping like flies with this bug...”

She looked at his fingers for a moment, and then looked up into his face. For a fleeting moment, something passed between them. Not regret, not awkwardness. If he didn’t know better, he’d swear it was longing. But that didn’t make any sense. She’d left him. And never looked back.

“I’ve been drinking lots of tea. It helps.”

“Okay,” he responded. There was nothing to be done, anyway. The wedding would go on and she was stubborn enough to power through. He’d learned last night not to bother insisting on anything. Adele was far more stubborn than he remembered.

The next time he saw her, she was standing by the door of the hall, cradling an actual mug instead of a paper cup. He moved into position at the front, standing next to Pete, while the ushers took their places to his left. She took a sip and then put the mug down on a small table at the back, rolled her shoulders and gave the flautist a nod.

When the opening bars of Gounod’s Ave Maria sounded, she slipped out the door.

Then the doors opened—both sides—and the first bridesmaid entered, her hair perfect, smile wide, her navy dress rippling along the carpet runner. Then the next bridesmaid and the maid of honor, all carrying identical bouquets of mostly white blooms with silvery accents. Looking around at the twinkly trees, flowers, chairs and other preparations, Dan started to understand exactly how much planning went into a wedding day, and how Adele had taken Holly’s vision of her magical day and made it a reality. A new respect for her blossomed. She was good at this. Really good.

The music changed, shifting to Pachelbel’s Canon, and Holly stepped inside the doors.

A collective gasp went up from the guests, and one glance at Pete told Dan his best friend was a goner. Pete’s hands were folded in front of him, but Dan saw the fingers clench and release several times as Holly started her walk up the aisle. And when Pete’s eyes misted over, Dan reached inside his pocket and took out a pristine white handkerchief. When he handed it over, an emotional laugh fluttered across the room, making the vibe suddenly very warm and personal.

He looked to the back of the room and saw Adele standing there, a satisfied smile on her face.

He gave her a brief nod before turning back to the ceremony.

And yet, as the people he cared about said their I dos, as he handed over the wedding band and signed the register, he couldn’t stop a hole from opening in his chest. This should have been them. It would have been them, if it had been his choice. And maybe it was better this way. Maybe she’d known something he didn’t, and they wouldn’t have lasted. Not getting married had to be better than going through with it and divorcing later.

But for the first time in several years, he came face-to-face with the fact that he’d never gotten over her. And now he wasn’t sure if he ever would.

* * *

Relief was the only emotion Adele felt right now.

She had twenty-five whole minutes during the ceremony to sit down at the back of the room, out of sight, and sip her tea, which was miraculously still hot. One of the waitresses for the cocktail hour had noticed her sniffling and had brought her a fresh cup, a very thoughtful gesture and one of the reasons Adele loved having events at the Fiori Cascade. Luca, Mariella and their team did a fabulous job.

But once she got through her mental checklist for the ceremony, making sure nothing needed the smallest tweak, she found her mind wandering to Dan.

His help and concern today had been utterly unexpected, but he had backed off instead of pressing the issue like he had last night. Of course, he’d made it plain he was doing it for Pete, and not for her. Still, he didn’t have to. And then that moment when he’d put his hand on her arm...there’d been something. Something that was impossible to ignore, even though she knew she should.

But again...she’d never stopped caring about him. So maybe she should stop thinking and just give herself a break. It was natural for feelings to crop up, wasn’t it?