Читать книгу Carried Away - Donna Kauffman - Страница 8

“SHE’S NOT COMING. I knew it!”

Trevor McQuillen shifted uncomfortably. There was nothing more terrifying than being alone with an unhappy bride on her wedding day. Except perhaps a crying unhappy bride. When tears pooled in Kate’s eyes, Trevor knew he had to take action. “Listen, maybe she just got caught up—”

“No, she’s not here because someone told her Eric was going to be at the reception. She told me not to invite him and I swore I wouldn’t, but I—I just had to do something!” Her bottom lip began to quaver. “I just wanted her to be happy. Like I am with Mike. Viv and Eric belong together and I thought once she was here, with all the sentimentality of the wedding—” She broke off on a gulp of air and a noisy sniff.

Okay, Trevor schooled himself, don’t panic. Five minutes, that’s all Mike had asked. Keep her company for five minutes until her dad arrived. Trevor had commanded sensitive covert operations in four different countries over the past five years. Surely he could handle one crying woman. Mike would never forgive him if he handed over a blubbering bride.

So he did what Lieutenant Commander Trevor McQuillen did best. He assessed the situation and took command of the operation. Kate wanted Vivian to be in her wedding party. If Trevor could fly halfway around the world to stand up for his best buddy, this Vivian could certainly get over herself and whatever problems she’d had with Eric to do the same for her best friend. “Do you know where she is?”

Kate was rubbing her nose with a wad of tissues, and his barked order made her jump. “Wha—? Where Viv is?”

Trevor clamped his jaw tight and willed the tic under his right eye to stop jumping. For once he was happy he was an only child. In a gentler tone, he said, “Yes, ma’am. If you’ll direct me to where she is, I’ll go and get her. Bring her here.”

Kate was already shaking her head, but the way her watery blue eyes lit up with hope, Trevor knew he was going to do this, even if he had to personally put this Viv into her bridesmaid’s dress and truss her into the back seat of his rental sedan.

“She’s—she’s probably at home. I got Tricia to call her, but she didn’t pick up.”

Trevor had no idea who Tricia was—probably one of the dozen or so bridesmaids presently dressing and chattering in the room above the alcove they were standing in. “But you think she’s there?”

She hiccuped and nodded. “I don’t know where else she’d go.” Fresh tears threatened as she gulped in a deep breath. “What was I thinking to play matchmaker on my wedding day?”

Trevor wondered the same thing, but time was of the essence here.

“I just thought it would be so romantic, you know?” She tried to smile as her breath hitched. “I know they still love each other. What better place to realize that than at a wedding?”

“But you believe she’s at home now?” Trevor silently begged her to focus on the solution, not the problem. He’d been risking his life for too long making solutions happen despite people’s refusal to focus. Apparently turning civilian wasn’t going to end that job description. At least not yet. “How far away is it?”

“Five, maybe ten minutes tops.”

He handed her his handkerchief when her tissue finally gave out, trying not to wince when she used it noisily. He shook his head when she offered it back to him and searched the alcove for something to write with. He took the wedding program from the pocket of his dress uniform and scooped up the little half pencil from a box filled with tithe envelopes. “Directions?”

Kate looked uncertain. “What if she—? I mean, I…don’t want to—”

“This is your wedding day and you want her to be here to witness your vows to Mike, right?”

She nodded, dabbing at her pink nose.

“She will probably be upset with herself later if she misses it, so you’re really doing her a favor. If it will make you feel better, I’ll make sure she knows she can leave right after the ceremony and avoid…whatshisname.”

“Eric. He’s her husband. Or was,” she corrected immediately when he frowned. “They got divorced eighteen months ago, but they’re both miserable,” she rushed to add.

Trevor really didn’t want to know about all that. Right now his mission was to make sure his buddy’s wife-to-be was happy and ready to get married. He didn’t want to think about the fact that he was meddling in anyone else’s life, much less their love life. He’d personally guarantee Viv a ride home after the ceremony. Everyone would be happy.

He pushed the pencil and paper at Kate. She smiled through a fresh rush of tears. “Mike was right. You really are hero material. Thanks for saving my day.” Her lip was trembling again. “Thank you so much for doing this.”

Trevor nodded, silently praying for her to hurry with the directions so he could make his escape. When she handed the paper back, fingers trembling, he scanned the directions to make sure he could understand them. He’d lived in the area as a child and had been back when he could to see his grandmother, but she’d passed away years ago and his job with the Special Forces hadn’t allowed him to come back very often since then. Things seemed to change every time he came back to this small suburb of Richmond, Virginia.

He gave Kate what he hoped was a reassuring nod. “Have your father tell the reverend to give me twenty minutes. I’ll have her here ready to go.”