He shook his head. “When I bought my airline ticket, I wasn’t even sure you’d give me a chance to apologize, much less dream of a second chance.”
“But now you’ve decided that’s what you want?”
“It is. I hope it’s what you want too.”
This was all moving so quickly, too quickly. “I… I don’t know.”
“And that’s why it’s time I go. You need time to think. But I’m not giving up. You are worth fighting for. I’m sorry I didn’t know it sooner.” He leaned forward, pressing a kiss to her lips. Much too soon he pulled away. “Good night.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Thenextmorning,adreamy sigh passed her lips. A smile pulled at Clara’s lips before she even opened her eyes. Visions of the prior evening filled her mind like a dream that you never want to end.
She’d been too wound up after Andrew left to sleep, and so she’d taken her laptop to bed with her plans to buy the wedding chapel. Every evening since Mabel had put up those For Sale signs, Clara had been brainstorming for a way to convince Mabel that she was the right person to sell it to. And she hoped Andrew had given her the key to making her plan work when he’d mentioned having the chapel designated as a historical site.
He had dropped back into her life at exactly the right time. He hadn’t said it and neither had she, but it was obvious this was their do-over. She just hoped it went smoother than Tula’s second-chance wedding. Speaking of Tula…
Clara rolled over and glanced at the clock. Almost ten o’clock.What? No. No. No. That can’t be right.
She shot out of bed. She couldn’t be late for Tula’s final gown fitting. She was never late for anything. Why hadn’t her phone alarm gone off?Wait. Where is my phone?She searched the nightstand where she normally left it and the surrounding floor, but it wasn’t there. How was that possible?
She never went anywhere without her phone. Her whole life was on that thing. She searched her memory for the last time she recalled having it. At dinner. She remembered the battery dying. She’d put it in her purse, planning to recharge it when she got home, but then things had happened with Andrew. There was the photo album and the trip down memory lane. And the kiss. The amazing, spine-tingling kiss. A momentary smile returned to her lips.
With great effort, she paused the memories of their date. Right now, she was in trouble. Tula was waiting for her. Her biggest account was at risk.
She rushed to the living room, where she found her purse next to the couch. In it she located her phone, but it was completely and utterly dead. Not even connecting it to the charger cord was making a difference. It was going to take a few minutes to charge enough to make a call. She groaned. Could this day get off to a worse start?
She ran to the bedroom and plugged in her phone to charge. While it did its thing, she dashed into the shower, careful not to get her hair wet. There was absolutely no time to dry and re-style it. Her hands were a flurry of motion. She’d never known it was possible to take a three-minute shower till now.
When she stepped out of the shower, her phone chimed. Still dripping wet, she wrapped a towel around herself and ran to the bedroom. She glanced at the caller ID, finding it was Tula.
Clara pressed her finger to the touchpad before lifting the phone to her ear.
“Where are you?” Tula’s anxious voice came over the phone, loud and clear.
“Tula, I’m so sorry. I’m on my way.”
“You better be. Do you have the invitations done?”
The invitations. They were still incomplete on the kitchen counter. What in the world had she been thinking last night? That was the point. With Andrew around, she didn’t think about anything but him. She’d let her heart rule, and in the process, she was about to trash her career.
Clara’s heart pounded. “I… I’m taking care of everything. Don’t worry.”
“I am worried. My bridal shower is this weekend and the wedding is next week. This isn’t the time for my wedding planner to become undependable.”
Undependable? Ugh!Clara had gone above and beyond for Tula. She should be given a medal for putting up with the star, but instead she’d been insulted. Anger and frustration churned in the pit of her stomach.
Still, it wouldn’t help the situation to lose her cool. Clara took a second to choke down her response to Tula’s insult. They were almost at the finish line. Just a little longer and this wedding would be over.
In a calm tone, Clara said, “I promise this wedding will go off without a hitch.”
There was a long, uncomfortable pause. “Hurry. I’ll wait for you. We have to talk.”
“I will.”
Clara moved with lightning speed. Within minutes, she was dressed in her signature pink color and not a hair was out of place. She rushed out the door. She hit what felt like every red light between her place and the coast. Her fingers drummed the steering wheel.
By the time Clara reached the chapel, she had her doubts about whether Tula would still be around to go over the layout for the reception on the beach. Clara rushed inside and came to a halt, finding Tula walking down the aisle.