Postcard perfect.
Fitz jotted the words on a notepad he pulled from his jacket pocket. Main Street Park Creek was just as close to perfect as it could get. Cute town, tight community, ideal wedding venue.
“Shit.” He frowned when his pen ran out of ink.
Fantastic. Just what he needed. As if it wasn’t bad enough he had to be in perfect Park Creek, covering the perfect wedding planning company and all their perfect brides and grooms.
Fitz shoved the pen and notepad back in his pocket and decided to make use of his powers of observation instead. Despite his irritation, the town did have its own special charm. And he was a day early—might as well take his time. Get a feel for the place.
It wasn’t the best story assignment he’d ever gotten—in fact, far from it. But it could be worse. The parent company of the travel magazine he wrote for merging with the same one who owned a wedding magazine was a smart move. But that didn’t mean he enjoyed being a team player. They hadn’t asked so much as told him to cover this story, and there wasn’t anything he could do about it.
Headquarters for Keller Wedding Consultants sat down the row of storefronts on his left, sandwiched between the bakery and flower shop. All three had baskets of flowers and inviting benches set out front. The storefronts looked more like cottages than businesses. More charm.
In fact, he didn’t know why Kiss the Bride! magazine hadn’t found this place sooner. They were going to eat this up.
He gazed across the street. Keller Designs. The last piece of the puzzle. This family had it pretty much covered, didn’t they? Flowers, cakes, dresses, and as far as he understood, the only male in the family acted as photographer.
Fitz shook his head, his lip quirking. Family business. He wouldn’t be caught dead working for his mother. Or his father. And he had no siblings to speak of—not that he’d consider working with them either.
He watched a handful of giggling women exit Keller Wedding Consultants. Half walked to the flower shop and the other half to the bakery. He stepped off the curb and strolled over to Keller Designs instead. It didn’t look as busy. He might as well get a head start. The sooner he got the information for this article, the sooner he could get back to his real job.
A soft chime above the door tinkled when he walked through. He heard the sound of laughter and then saw a woman peek out from behind a display where she stood with two other women.
“I’ll be with you in a moment,” she said, dimples flashing.
“No problem.”
He shoved his hands into his pockets. No problem at all. He pretended to browse, listening as she talked with the women, laughter in her voice. And when he caught another glimpse of her, long legs, strong shoulders, and those dimples again, he froze.
Damn. How long had it been since he’d felt that zap of attraction? Too long.
He searched his mind for her name. Sunny? No, Summer. That’s right. She had to be Summer. The youngest of the Keller children. And far too attractive to be unattached.
He found himself leaning around a mannequin to try to see her hand. Married? No, wait, he’d read that, too. None of the children were married, though they all helped run the wedding planning company.
Fitz smiled. Interesting. And maybe an angle he could work.
Then he checked that thought. No, he was writing an article about the business, and the editors probably weren’t after the juicy details. They wanted to know how Mrs. Keller had gotten the place up and running, learn more about each of the businesses within the business, and maybe a couple stories about their bigger weddings. They’d play it up with photos, too. The family all together. Each of the stores. A shot or two of a cake, a centerpiece, a dress, the venue—which he heard was a barn.
Still, it was a pretty good spread. The article would probably boost business for the family at the very least.
“This one,” Summer said to the women. “It’s perfect. Magical.”
Magical? Sounded like a line. But a sale was a sale, right?
“You should try on the rest, too, though,” the older woman said. Probably the mother of the bride. “Just in case.”
“Of course,” Summer said. “Let me get you set up in the room on the end here.”
She hauled four dresses to the changing area and settled them on a rack, disappearing inside the closest room with one of them. Once the women vanished, she flashed her dimpled smile again and walked to Fitz.
“How can I help you?” she asked.
Blue. Her eyes were blue, like jewels. Like the ocean. Deep, tropical waters. “Magical, huh?”
“Excuse me?”
“You said the dress was magical.”
She tucked her hair behind her ear with a grin. “It is. It’s the perfect one for her.”
“How do you know? She hasn’t even tried it on yet.”
“I know. I have a sense for these things. Like the bride and groom—I met him last week. They’re perfect for each other, too.”
He angled his head. “There’s no such thing as perfect. You know most marriages end in divorce, right?”
She lifted a brow calmly. “I’m not in the business of divorce. I just see what I see.”
He grinned. Feisty. He liked it. Sure, he didn’t believe a word she was saying, but she looked good saying it.
“If you don’t believe in marriage, you must not be a groom.”
He shrugged. “It’s not that I don’t believe in marriage, I just don’t believe in forever.”
“Why not? It does happen sometimes.”
“Love? Forever?” He chuckled. “Doesn’t happen.”
“Is that so?”
“My mom—she’s on her third marriage. My dad is ending his fourth. So yeah, I believe in marriage. A profitable industry. But forever? No such thing.”
“And definitely not forever and perfect, right?”
“Precisely.”
Something flickered behind her gaze. He couldn’t tell if it was frustration or amusement, but then a squeal from the dressing rooms made them both jump.
The bride appeared, hands over her mouth. “Oh, my God. It’s perfect.”
She stepped in front of the mirror, doing a little twirl. The bell of the dress flared out just slightly and a shimmer caught the light from the overhead chandelier.
The mother of the bride oohed and ahhed and fluffed up the dress on the bottom, nearly melting on the floor. “Not too poufy, but just enough. Not too shimmery, but just enough.” She turned to Summer, a smile wide on her face. “You’re right. It is perfect.”
Summer arched her brow at Fitz, lips twitching. “If you’ll excuse me.”
He held in a chuckle. Well, what did he expect? Brides were primed for the magical. They were in love. They wanted to believe the world and everything in it was perfect, as was their life.
Maybe Summer did have a knack for calling it like she saw it. Or maybe she just got lucky.
But, Fitz thought as he left the shop and headed across the street, he was intrigued. And he just might have to find out a little more about Summer Keller.
{}{}{}
Summer skimmed her pencil down the paper. A small train, soft and lacey. Just enough to give the dress some romance. She leaned back, tapping the end of her pencil on the desk. Just a little more romance. She added scalloped edges to the lace and nodded.
Perfect.
She rolled her eyes. Okay, perfect to her.
What the hell had that been earlier? Men hardly ever came into her store, and they were never alone. Unless they were picking up something for someone. Or purchasing a gift.
The man who’d come in this morning hadn’t been doing either.
So what was that all about? And damn, why couldn’t she get that cocky smile out of her mind? Yeah, he had a kind of cynical view on love. Maybe the world in general. But he’d challenged her, and there was something about a man who knew his own mind that she found intriguing.
Even if he was wrong.
She heard footsteps behind her and then her oldest sister’s voice. “Meeting in fifteen.”
Summer straightened. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and checked to see if she’d gotten a text.
Jillian propped her shoulder against the wall, glasses dangling from her fingertips. “I didn’t text you.”
“Why not?”
“You wouldn’t have seen it anyway.”
Summer grinned and scooted her chair away from the desk. Her space was small back here, just enough to fit a mannequin, which wore a simple wedding gown right now, her sewing machine, and room to bring clients in for alterations. She would love her own studio, somewhere she could spread out and create. Her favorite was wedding gowns, but anything flowy and romantic gave her a little thrill. And that was…
…wishful thinking. No, a dream. And unnecessary. She loved her job. She didn’t need anything more.
Jillian peered over Summer’s shoulder and eyed the newest sketch. “That’s beautiful.”
She closed her sketchbook with a shrug. “It’s getting there.”
“Is that for a client?”
“No. Just an idea.”
Jillian put on her glasses and opened the sketchbook again, examining the drawing. “I like the cap sleeves. Romantic.”
“I thought so.”
“You should really make some of these. You know people would go crazy for them.”
Summer stood, closing the sketchbook again. “One day, maybe.”
But she didn’t add that she’d already put together a small collection of dresses that hid out in the back storage closet of the store. One day when she had the courage, maybe she’d put them in the front window. Or on a back rack, at least. Or show them to her mom.
Maybe.
Carole, her part-timer, stood at the front desk organizing jewelry.
“Afternoon meeting,” Summer told her. “You good here?”
“No problem.”
Jillian lead them out into the sunshine, warm air blowing a soft breeze through Main Street. Pretty soon, school would start back up and the streets would be a little less busy. Business, however, wouldn’t slow down for months.
They crossed at the walk just in front of the bakery. On breezy mornings you could almost smell the goodies that Anna made inside those doors. Sometimes Summer would walk by and breathe in the sugar and spices and occasionally pick up a muffin or scone if Anna made some that morning.
“Just fair warning,” Jillian said as the reached the main building, “Mom has an idea.”
“Mom always has an idea.”
Jillian stopped outside the door. “Well, this one is going to be an adjustment. And only if everyone is on board.”
“What do you mean?”
“We still have clients asking about on-site makeup and hair for our events.”
“I know. They ask me all the time, too. And I still think it’s a good idea, but I thought Pam was too busy. It’s just her and Denise at the salon over there—they can’t spare anyone to make house calls.”
Jillian removed her glasses again. “They hired someone new. With experience. In fact, they asked Mom if she still wanted someone who was willing to do events. Specifically events.”
Summer nodded, reaching for the handle. “Sounds perfect.”
“It’s Olympia.”
She froze. “Olympia? You mean Eli’s Olympia?”
Jillian grimaced. “You might not want to say that in front of him.”
“I won’t. I mean—I don’t know how this is going to go over.”
Eli had been in love with Olympia back in high school. But when he’d broken her heart and left for college, she’d been devastated. When she was finally ready to move on, Eli came back into her life and asked for another chance.
Summer had been wrong about that relationship. The only time she could remember that her sixth sense hadn’t worked out. She thought Olympia and Eli were meant for each other, but she’d been wrong.
“Listen,” Jillian said, “just feel Eli out. We’ll talk about it today, but we won’t make the decision right away. We need someone for hair and makeup. Olympia needs a job.”
Olympia had a kid now. Summer knew this much. And her husband had passed away early last year. She needed a break and that’s probably exactly what their mom was thinking, too.
Jillian pulled open the door. “So if you talk with him, just kind of…see where he stands.”
Where he stood was probably emotionally, just like Summer. It was a complicated situation. But with Jillian, almost everything was black and white. And Summer tried to see it from that end as well. Business was business.
But family was more important.
They entered to find Gail Keller talking with Poppy and Eli in the sitting room, no trace of the tension she worried might come. The door opened behind them and Anna and Beckett appeared, holding hands.
Now that was one match Summer hadn’t gotten wrong. She knew since she was a teenager that Beckett and Anna were meant to be together. Sure, Tom had screwed things up some, but it had all turned out all right in the end.
In fact, she expected a proposal any day now.
“We brought muffins,” Anna announced, gesturing to the basket Beckett held. “Early payment for helping me move.”
Eli reached for the basket, snickering at Beckett. “You sure you have room in your place for all that girly stuff?”
Gail pointed at him. “Last time I checked, you carried way more with you every day than Anna.”
“Camera equipment doesn’t count.”
“Are we meeting in here?” Jillian asked, already prepared with her tablet. “We have to make it quick this time since we’ve got another meeting in half an hour.”
Everyone sat, most of the group drawing out their phones or notepads to mark dates of upcoming events.
Like usual, Gail let Jillian take the lead, sitting back in her chair with her muffin. Summer didn’t miss her quick smile at Anna and Beckett, or the strain at the corners of her mouth when she glanced at Eli.
“First off,” Jillian said, “we have our biggest wedding yet next weekend. I’m going to need everyone’s help early to set up chairs and tables. Summer, I saw the dress back in your shop. You’re on track, right?”
“I’ll finish the last of the alterations tomorrow and the bride will be in for a fitting the next day.”
“Good.” Jillian made a note on her tablet and continued on, checking with everyone on their status. “Also, don’t forget Kiss the Bride! magazine will be here for the rest of the week. We’ll each be doing interviews as it fits in our schedules and they’ll be at this weekend’s wedding.” Jillian arched her brow. “You didn’t forget, did you Summer? I emailed you. And texted you. And left a note on your desk. And—”
“No, I remember. That lady, right? Said she’d be hanging out, getting some pictures, doing interviews.”
“Yes to everything except for the lady. Her baby came early so they’re sending someone else. A man by the name of…” Jillian checked her tablet. “Fitz Tennyson.”
An image of the man in her shop flashed through her mind. The quirk of his lip, his eyes steady on hers. But no, he wasn’t supposed to be here until tomorrow. It was someone else completely.
She was surprised at the flicker of disappointment she felt at possibly never seeing him again. She didn’t meet a lot of men in her field. Or the ones she did were either married or on their way to getting hitched.
She chided herself for those kinds of thoughts. She’d meet the right person at the right time. Wasn’t that what she always told her sisters? And Eli? Even her clients. It would happen when the time was right.
Which meant she needed to put the man out of her mind and focus on work.
And Eli, because Jillian was already turning to him. “One last thing.”
She braced herself for the news and hoped Eli wouldn’t be too upset.