But one of the many bedrooms upstairs was Jenny’s, and in the back of his mind he’d always assumed she’d end up back here. Some scheme would fall through or she’d get tired of her nomadic ways and she’d need a place to go.
Now, it seemed that excuse would disappear. His sister had a partner. She didn’t need to rely on him any more.
Stepping into his fully renovated kitchen, he didn’t bother turning on the light before he headed straight for the fridge. His housekeeper kept it fully stocked, despite the fact that he couldn’t cook to save his soul. Ignoring the fresh produce, he grabbed a beer and shut the door. Leaning back against the counter, he twisted off the cap and raised it to his lips.
This is a house for a family, big bro.
Those had been Jenny’s parting words the last time she’d stayed here. And she wasn’t wrong. The spacious home was ideally located, close to everything one would ever need. Lord knew the square footage alone ensured more than enough space to accommodate a growing family.
He’d bought it years ago. When other people his age had been crashing on friends’ couches and living with too many roommates he’d been making his first million. And it hadn’t been his last.
After the years of scrimping to keep a roof over Jenny’s head, they’d finally had money. So he’d bought this place in a gamble to try and reclaim that sense of family, of belonging, that had been torn from their lives.
He wasn’t sure he’d been successful in that attempt.
Maybe Ali can help me find a great realtor, he mused, taking another swig of beer. A man like him didn’t need a family home. A bachelor pad with a brilliant view would be far more in line with his lifestyle.
But that was a plan for after the wedding. One mammoth project at a time.
Jenny’s email had just been a surprise today. That was all this was. Stress and shock was turning him maudlin, and he knew just how to fix it. The night was still young, after all. He had a model or two on speed dial who would be more than happy to help lift his spirits.
Grabbing his phone, he unlocked it with a swipe of his fingers to see Allison’s contact details popping up on the first screen.
Darian hesitated.
Call someone. Get this feeling out of your system.
It would take next to no effort to set up a date tonight. But staring down at Ali’s number, the desire to see anyone else drained away. She’d been the woman he’d called when he needed to hear another human voice. The woman he’d pictured smiling at the other end of the phone.
And right now, he didn’t want to erase the contentment she’d been able to offer merely by answering his call.
With a sigh, he tucked the cell back into his pocket. Tomorrow would be a long enough day all on its own. Perhaps it was wiser to stay in.
Grabbing his beer, he headed for the living room and did his best not to think about redialing the one woman he had no business calling.
Chapter Four
Allison stared down at her desk in growing horror. The more information she printed out the faster her heart rate became.
“Damn project will give me high blood pressure,” she said.
Already her clutter free desk was covered in pictures of smiling brides, flower options, and budget estimates. She should be thinking about mergers and acquisitions, not the perfect cake flavor.
“Knock knock, I’ve got the—” Gillian stopped short. “Whoa.”
“Tell me, Gil, do you know the top ten tips on how to be the best bride you can be?”
“If I do something went horribly wrong in my formative years,” she replied, moving closer to the piled desk. “What is all this?”
“I came up with the brilliant idea to print out any information I thought might be helpful. This is the result, and I’m only on the fourth page of my Google search.”
“Might I suggest a new system is in order?”
Allison shook her head. “People plan for months to put together the perfect wedding, and that is usually with the help of professionals.”
Gillian dropped into the chair opposite the desk. “If only there was some way of getting out of this project.” She tapped her finger against her lips. “Hmmm, what could it be?”
“Zip it. If you’re not going to be helpful, you can leave.”
Gillian held up the file in her hand. “I’ve got the Thompson papers. John will be in later next week to see Darian and get them signed.”
“Right. Thanks.” Allison grabbed the file and searched for some wedding-free surface to set it on. Ignoring Gillian’s amused smile, she opted to tuck it inside her laptop bag for the moment.
“Anything I can do to help with this?” Gillian waved a hand at the wedding sea swamping her office.
“Have any priests that owe you a favor or two?”
“Can’t say as that’s come up recently.”
She shook her head. “If the wedding is a month away, then invitations need to be sent yesterday. However, you can’t invite people without telling them where to go.”
“Venue giving you grief, huh?”
“I’ve been making calls all morning. Everything Darian would like is booked.”
“Hmm.” She leaned back in her chair and tapped her fingers against the desk. “So hotel event rooms are out?”
“Unless someone has a cancellation.”
“What about private event spaces? Or historic sites? An outdoor wedding could be beautiful.”
“Can’t be on a farm,” she said. “Darian already vetoed that.”
“What about an estate or a winery? Something with manicured gardens instead of fields.”
She mulled it over before nodding. “Not a bad idea. It’d have to be close to the city, though. Darian plans on a society affair.”
Gillian shrugged. “King Enterprises is throwing a wedding? Everyone is going to want to see how this plays out. Especially since Darian is a confirmed bachelor. This is as close to a wedding as he’s ever likely to get. The society ladies aren’t going to let an opportunity like that pass by.”
Allison made a face at that. “Whether they will or they won’t, we still need a location. Let me start calling some spots outside the city. I figure if we’re going to succeed, we need to lock in a location in the next couple days.”
“At the most,” Gillian agreed. “Look, I can help lighten your load for some of the day to day stuff here so you don’t get too bogged down.”
“I appreciate it,” she said, and she’d never meant any words more.
“Good luck.” The redhead pushed up from her chair and headed for the door.
With a sigh, Allison turned back to her computer. Two hours and a dozen phone calls later, she’d come up with three locations that seemed to be a decent fit.
Grabbing the addresses, she walked the short distance to Darian’s office door and rapped on the dark wood.
“Come in,” she heard him call.
“I’ve found a few places for us to check out,” she said, pushing into his office.
Darian glanced up from his desk and she was gratified to see an equal mass of paper decorated his workspace as did hers.
“Sorcery,” he said, dropping his pen and pushing back in his chair. “Everywhere I’ve called has been fully booked.”