The Beach Wedding Read online

  “In that case,” Jason said, “why don’t you come straight over so that we can get started?”

  Chapter Four

  Jason’s house was a gorgeous oceanfront contemporary on two levels, with large windows to catch the sun and blooming flowers everywhere. “I’m so glad you’ve decided to do this,” he said as he led her through the house.

  “It was a close call,” Liz replied. Even though there was no denying what a big deal Amber’s wedding was for the new wedding venue, a part of her still wanted him to know how difficult it was for her to see him again like this. “Fortunately, everyone at Married in Malibu is prepared to do whatever it takes to give Amber and Robert the perfect wedding day. Especially me.”

  Jason didn’t reply, but from the intense look he gave her, she guessed he must be feeling the same way. “I have things set up in the kitchen. We’ll Skype with Amber, and that way she can let you know everything she wants.”

  The house was expensively but simply furnished, its contemporary lines softened by several pieces of antique furniture. The kitchen was modern and sleek, a vision in white and chrome. But the table at the far end was far more rustic, a deep mahogany—where it could be seen between the sheaves of paper that covered it. There was a laptop there, too, along with an array of Post-It notes.

  “You still like to work in the kitchen,” Liz said softly. She remembered that he’d always wanted to be able to get coffee easily, or to be nearby while they were cooking something in a pot on the stove, simultaneously letting ideas simmer in his brain. The number of times a meal had burned because he’d hit on a great idea for a scene just as he was meant to be watching over it…

  “Sitting here, looking out over the ocean, makes for a great place to come up with ideas and inspiration.”

  “I can believe that,” Liz said. She’d always wanted a view like this. Her little garden cottage was wonderful, but this was the oceanfront place she’d always dreamed about.

  Jason had clearly done very well for himself, just as Liz had hoped he would. When she’d broken up with him, his first book had been out with publishers and agents, trying to catch their attention in a world where so many others were trying to catch their attention, too. But Liz had read his manuscripts, and she’d known just how good he was. He’d deserved to succeed. And he had—spectacularly so.

  “I’ve read all your books,” Liz suddenly needed him to know. They were dotted around the chaotic mess of her bookshelves at home, and she’d read most of them more than once. On dark, rainy nights, his books were always the ones that called to her. She could never resist delving into the magnificent worlds he’d created from his imagination.

  “All of them?” He sounded…actually, Liz wasn’t sure. Impressed? Surprised? Maybe even happy that she hadn’t stopped reading his books just because they weren’t together anymore? “There are quite a few of them now.”

  “I know,” Liz said, unable to hold back her smile. “I’m running out of shelf space. They’re good. Really good.”

  Jason’s answering smile lit up the room, the first real smile he’d given her. One that made her knees go weak, just the way it always had. “I didn’t think you were a big fan of thrillers.”

  “I’m not unless you’re the one writing them.” Her heart fluttered at the gorgeous picture Jason made against the backdrop of the ocean. “Of course I’m going to read your books.”

  “I simply try to write what I’m feeling.”

  She already knew that, because there was so much of him in everything he’d written. In the place of his heroes, regardless of their physical description, Liz always pictured Jason, his voice came through so clearly on every page.

  She was acutely aware of how close they were standing. Close enough that she could have so easily reached out to touch him. Just one more step forward and she could be in his arms again with his mouth pressed against her—

  Just then, Jason’s computer signaled that a call was coming through. As Liz all but jumped back from him, she found that she could breathe more easily again. She hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath as she gazed at him and daydreamed of kissing him.

  “That’s Amber,” Jason said, and while he was obviously happy to hear from his niece, there was a tiny hint of something else beneath his expression. Disappointment, maybe, that she hadn’t actually stepped into his arms?

  Jason gestured for Liz to take a seat while he arranged his computer so that the camera could view both of them. They had to sit so close that she caught the scent of his aftershave, woodsy and a little smoky, just the way she remembered.

  Amber’s face appeared on the screen. Jason’s niece was incredibly beautiful, and it was easy to see the resemblance between them. The same jawline. The same intensity about the eyes. Currently, Amber’s blond hair was tied back, and she was made up as if to go in front of the camera at any moment. Her expression was filled with anticipation and excitement.

  “Amber,” Jason said, “I’m glad you could meet with us today. I told you I would find a way to make your wedding work on short notice. You probably remember Liz. She’s—”

  “Liz?” Amber’s expression froze. Liz was hit by the weight of Amber’s stare—and her clear condemnation—coming through the computer screen. Turning her shocked gaze to Jason, his niece asked in an incredulous voice, “Uncle Jason, what’s she doing there?”

  “Amber.” Jason’s voice was gentle, coaxing. “Let me explain. Liz is the manager of Married in Malibu, the wedding venue I was telling you about.”

  “She’s the manager?” Amber sounded as though she couldn’t believe that the woman who had practically left her uncle at the altar could be running a wedding venue. Liz didn’t blame her, since right then she was having a bit of a hard time believing it herself. “How can that possibly be?”

  “Yes, Liz is the manager, and she’s here to make things work for you and Robert,” Jason explained, barely banked tension thrumming through his voice as he took in his niece’s dismay. “She’s your very best chance of having a beautiful wedding as soon as you finish filming in two weeks.”

  “I’m here to help,” Liz said. “That’s all. It’s nothing more than a coincidence that I happen to manage Married in Malibu.”

  “A pretty big coincidence,” Amber said with more than a little bite, but then she turned to her uncle again. “Are you sure about this? Are you sure you’re okay with working with her?”

  Beside Liz, Jason winced slightly at the way his niece had emphasized the word her. “I’m sure. I was the one who found Married in Malibu, after all. It’s probably the only place that can put on a local wedding for you in two weeks. Fortunately, it’s a venue that’s been spun off from the very best in San Francisco, so I’m confident that it’s our best option.”

  “Amber,” Liz interjected, “I promise that I’m simply here to give you the best wedding possible in two weeks. Both myself and my team will do absolutely everything we can to give you a perfect day.”

  Amber hesitated for a long moment, before eventually sighing and nodding. “Okay,” she said, although she was still frowning. “If you’re okay with this, Uncle Jason, then I guess I’ll try to be, too. It’s just after the way she—”

  “Working with Liz is going to be great,” he assured his niece before she could finish her sentence.

  Still not looking quite convinced, Amber said, “Okay, so now what?”

  Liz made herself smile into the computer screen as she said, “I’d like to talk with you about what you want for your wedding.”

  “I’m not going to have to go through every detail again like for the French one, am I?” There was genuine discomfort in Amber’s voice.

  “No,” Liz quickly assured her. “Not if you don’t want to. But I do need some general details to get started. How many people do you plan to invite, for example?”

  “I don’t know,” Amber said. “It’s all gotten so out of hand. I mean, there are so many people who assume they will be coming…”


  “Why don’t we cut it back to the essentials?” Jason suggested. “Our family, Robert’s family, and your closest friends. Thirty people. Forty, tops.”

  “I like that,” Amber said, giving her uncle a small smile at last. “An intimate wedding would feel so much more like what Robert and I are really about.”

  “Great,” Liz said. “Now, what about the color scheme and style? I know you don’t want to go into all the fine detail—I have a great team that can work that out. But if you give me a general idea of what you might like, they will make sure to come up with something that fits.”

  “I want something classic. Simple but beautiful. But also unique. Has my uncle told you any of this already?”

  “He has,” Liz said, then verified the color scheme, making sure that Amber wanted the mixture of colors that Jason had suggested. She did. Just as she wanted the not-too-stuffy setting that he had put forward and an indoor wedding, as well. Jason clearly knew very well what his niece wanted, which meant Liz would be able to trust him to get the details right.

  It also meant, however, that she would have to stay in close contact with him for the next two weeks.

  “Your uncle has already told me how important privacy is for you,” Liz said. “We’ll do everything we can to keep your wedding a secret. We also have our own chief of security. Do you have security people he needs to talk to?”

  “I hire bodyguards for events, and we have a security system at home, but I don’t have anyone full time.”

  That was a little unusual in the world of an A-list celebrity, but not unheard of. Celebrities often wanted the minimum amount of intrusion into their lives, and bodyguards could be just as intrusive as the threats they were meant to prevent.

  “All right, then. Obviously, the main thing is not to let anyone know what’s happening. We’ll keep things quiet at this end. I won’t talk about the wedding to anyone but you, your uncle, and my staff. I promise that we’ll do anything it takes to keep this secret.”

  “That’s good,” Amber said. She turned at a sound somewhere behind her. “Sorry, I have to go. I’m needed on set. I’ll talk to you later, Uncle Jason.”

  “Talk to you later, sweetheart.”

  “And Liz—” Amber looked as if she could hardly believe she was saying the words. “Thanks for helping me with my wedding.”

  “You’re very welcome,” Liz said, and she truly meant it. Despite having become a big star, Amber was still a very nice person. And Liz could also see that she absolutely adored her uncle.

  After Amber clicked her Skype screen closed and Jason and Liz were alone again, she said, “You two are still obviously very close. You really do know everything she wants for her wedding.”

  “We got even closer after her mother died and she moved in with me.”

  “I truly am sorry that you lost your sister and she lost her mother.”

  Jason closed his laptop carefully. “We all knew my sister had problems, but I didn’t realize that she was that far gone. Not until it was too late.” A muscle worked in his jaw. “Amber found her surrounded by empty bottles.”

  “Oh no.” It was just about the most horrible scenario she could imagine.

  “Amber and I kind of looked after one another for a while there after I was able to adopt her permanently. Turns out the teenage years aren’t easy for anyone, but boy, did she turn out great.”

  Liz’s heart melted at the way Jason had done so much to take care of his niece, rearranging his whole life to help her. She didn’t just want to reach for him now, she wanted to wrap her arms around him, hold on tight, and never let him go.

  But she couldn’t. Not when that would only complicate things. And right now, both of them need to be one hundred percent focused on Amber’s wedding.

  Still, she needed him to know, “Amber is lucky to have you. Very lucky.” She swallowed hard, then forced herself to return her focus to the wedding, rather than the way her heart was racing—and overflowing with longing—just from being in the same room with him. “If you have a little more time to spare, why don’t we start going over the finer details? The sooner we get it done, the sooner my team will be able to get on with making this wedding perfect.”

  From the way he was looking at her—as though his heart was filled with just as much longing as hers—she thought he might be about to say something that had nothing whatsoever to do with the wedding. Something big. But he simply picked up a pad of paper and said, “Here’s what I’ve got so far.”

  Forty-five minutes later, she had a file on her tablet covering flowers, menus, music, the order of the ceremony, transportation, and the bride’s dress and measurements. With so little time before the wedding, having to constantly call or meet with Jason for additional details would only slow things down, not to mention risk compromising the secret nature of the occasion. And if that wasn’t the whole reason she wanted to make sure that she got as much information as possible in this one trip, well, she was only human…and he was a very attractive man whom she now knew she’d never actually gotten over.

  “I think that’s everything for now,” she said as she packed up her things and stood. And for a moment, she thought she might be about to get away with it.

  “Liz,” Jason said, stopping her before she could leave the kitchen, “that’s not everything.”

  This time she knew for certain that he wasn’t talking about the wedding anymore. Oh God…was he really going to do this? Especially after she’d nearly managed to make it all the way through this meeting without throwing herself into his arms? Without reaching out to find out whether his faint buzz of stubble felt as delicious against her fingertips as it always had? Without kissing him the way she was simply dying to?

  Still, she had to at least try to head him off at the pass. “If we missed something with the lighting arrangements or the wedding party, maybe you could email it to me? I know I’ve already taken up time that you should be using for writing, so—”

  “Why did you leave me, Liz? And why didn’t you ever come back?”

  Chapter Five

  Liz knew there could be no more hiding from their past, no more pretending that this meeting had been purely business with no hint of personal feelings to intrude on it.

  And the truth was that even if she had ended up deciding to hand things over to Rose and take herself out of the wedding entirely from here on—which she definitely wasn’t going to do—Liz still couldn’t escape the fact that she needed to finally give Jason an answer.

  No matter how painful it was.

  Forcing herself to look him in the eye, she said, “I left because I was holding you back.”

  “Holding me back?” He looked hugely confused, as if that was the last thing he’d expected her to say. “How could you possibly have held me back?”

  “You have more talent than anyone I’ve ever met. You were right on the verge of breaking through as a novelist when we first started dating. But then, when we got so completely wrapped up in each other, you stopped going to writing conferences. Stopped trying to meet with agents and editors from publishing houses.”

  It had been so obvious that he would be a success. Once Liz had read his first manuscript, she’d known Jason had the potential to achieve everything he had ever wanted. And that there was nothing in life that could stop him.

  Except her. Because while Jason should have been rocketing toward success, Liz was an anchor around his neck, dragging him back down. A waitress with a rough childhood from a small town who had moved to LA with big dreams? Everyone had heard that story so many times it had become a cliché. More than that, it had become a joke. There had been times when she’d come back from the diner with her feet hurting after a long day waiting tables, when even Liz had wondered whether she would ever have what it took to realize her own dreams.

  “Wait a second,” he said slowly, clearly working to wrap his head around what she was saying. “You left because you thought you were getting in the way of my care
er?”

  “Remember that writers’ conference in Montana? You’d always wanted to see Big Sky Country, but even more than that, you needed to see it since it was the setting for your novel. You suggested making a road trip out of it, said that we could have a grand adventure, see wide-open spaces, and make—” Her breath caught in her throat. “Make love beneath the stars.”

  She could see him disappearing into the memory with her as he said, “You were afraid you’d lose your job waiting tables if you asked for time off.”

  She’d been afraid of so much back then—especially of how powerful her love for Jason was…and how powerful his was for her in return. “When I said I couldn’t go, you said you wouldn’t go, either. That you were happy staying right there with me, doing proofreading for the local newspaper, just as long as we were together.” The old frustration bubbled up as she said, “But I knew you would never be content living in some little garden cottage forever. You were meant to be a big, famous writer, not to toil away in obscurity for a weekly paper with tiny circulation. You had so many dreams, such a sense of adventure. I didn’t want to stifle that.” She swallowed hard. “But you refused to leave me, even for one night. No matter what opportunities came your way, you always rejected them to stay home with me instead.”

  “I loved you, Liz. Of course I didn’t want to leave you.”

  “I loved you, too. You know I did. But—” She’d never been able to say these words to him before, but with ten years of space between them, they were finally able to spill out. “You were so adamant about never doing anything or going anywhere without me that I started to feel like I couldn’t breathe anymore. Like we weren’t two individual people who were going to share our lives, but were rapidly fading into each other until I could no longer figure out who each of us was anymore.”