“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.” It wasn’t until the words crossed his lips that he realized he’d vocalized his thoughts. Perhaps when you kept things bottled up for too long, they started to bubble up and burst forth at the most inopportune times. He’d have to be careful in the future, especially when he caught up with Clara.
Brooke studied him as though unsure about him and his relationship with Clara. But the questions were never verbalized.
“I guess Clara told you about me.” He didn’t know why he’d said that. It wasn’t like he wanted to strike up a conversation, especially one where he’d be the villain. He was certain that Clara’s version of their breakup cast him in a very unsavory light, and rightly so.
“Um, no. Not really.”
“It’s okay. I’m sure whatever she told you is the truth. That’s why I need to catch up with her. I want a chance to make amends before I fly out.”
It was the truth. He wasn’t in California to win her back—was he? He gave himself a mental jerk. Of course not.
It appeared the longer he was in San Francisco, the more confused he was becoming. It was best to wrap things up quickly, except there was the wedding. There was nothing he could do to speed that up. And he couldn’t abandon his brother, not after he’d agreed to be the best man. He refused to walk out on his family like his mother had.
With a resigned sigh, he headed for the door.
“Hey, you forgot your coffee,” Brooke called out.
He paused and turned. “No, I didn’t. You enjoy it.”
Her eyes lit up with surprise before a smile pulled at her lips. “Thanks.”
He had one foot out the door when Brooke said, “You didn’t hear this from me, but she’s at the chapel.”
“Do you know when she might be back?”
“She has another appointment after Tula’s fitting. She’s pretty much booked back-to-back the rest of this week.”
“Is that unusual?”
“Not for her.”
He didn’t like the sound of that. Was she working too hard?
“If you hurry, you might be able to catch her between the fitting and her next appointment.”
“You’re the best.” He dashed out the door.
CHAPTER TEN
Atlast,aquietmoment to gather her thoughts.
For the very first time, Clara could breathe easy after a meeting with Tula. The young woman had actually liked everything she’d picked out. That had never happened before. Clara smiled. Things were looking up.
Both Tula and Liza were gone by the time Clara had updated her spreadsheets. She made her way outside into the fresh, warm air. One of the things she loved best about the wedding chapel was the incredible view of the ocean. It was so relaxing. Exactly what she needed at that point in time.
She checked the time, finding that her meeting with Tula had been much shorter than she’d anticipated. And now she had some free time before her next appointment.
A gentle breeze rushed over Clara’s skin. She moved to the side of the chapel and took a seat on a bench. She lifted her face to the warm sun. At last this wedding was truly coming together. The smile finally returned to her lips. Soon her business would take off in ways she’d only ever imagined.
Her thoughts rolled back in time to the preparation for another wedding—her own. She’d been so excited to marry Andrew. Her gown had hung in her bedroom at her parents’ house for weeks before the big day. A frown pulled at her lips as she recalled how things had fallen apart so quickly between her and Andrew. One minute they were planning on exchanging their wedding vows, and in the next moment, Andrew was backing out of the whole wedding.
But was that really how things had happened?
Had it really fallen apart so quickly?
She’d had a long time to think it over. Sometimes when she was in bed late at night, she’d recall the events leading to their breakup. She remembered how the signs were there all along—signs she’d chosen to ignore.
Neither one of them had been in a proper place to consider saying, “I do.” They’d been too caught up in their fledgling careers. Their priorities had been their own goals instead of their relationship. The truth was that they’d had some growing to do—okay, a lot of growing to do.