SOS Marry Me!

“You must have worked all night.”

She pushed a strand of hair back from her face. “Just doing my job.”

“Don’t you design the wedding dresses?”

“Each of us helps out where we can,” she said. “That’s why working for The Wedding Belles is such fun.”

Fun? Serena never seemed to stop working. She moved through the booth adjusting swags of rich yellow fabric draped on the boring white panels separating each of the exhibit areas.

Didn’t she ever slow down or rest? Even sitting on the flight she’d been working on something. He didn’t know how she did it.

“Everything looks good,” he said.

“Good won’t cut it. Brides are the pickiest people on this planet, next to their mothers.” She straightened a stack of brochures. “Everything needs to be perfect.”

“Nothing’s ever perfect.”

“Then you’ve never attended a wedding put on by The Wedding Belles.” Kneeling, she realigned the hem of one of the wedding dresses. “Or worn one of my gowns.”

“No offense, but I don’t look my best in a train and heels.”

She smiled up at him.

He smiled back.

Now this was more like it.

“Do you need anything?” he asked. “Breakfast? Coffee?”

Me.

“Thanks, but I already ate and my coffee is stashed where I can get to it easily.” Standing, she peeked at her watch. “You might want to get going. The doors are going to—”

“Welcome to the Northwest Fall Bridal Extravaganza,” the voice over the loudspeaker announced.

“Uh-oh. You didn’t make it out in time. Watch out.” Serena smoothed the skirt of her dress. “We’re about to be overrun by the bridal brigade commanded by mothers and supported by best friends, sisters and cousins.”

Within seconds, chattering, laughter and even shrieks filled the large hall as if someone had turned off the mute switch on the remote. Packs of women ran past him.

“Where are they going?” he asked.

“The first fashion show.”

Had he agreed to model, all those women would have been running to him. Wonder what Blondie would say to that? A smile tugged on his lips.

Two young women walked up to her with questions about the cake on display.

The once empty aisles and booths were now crowded with women lugging ten-pound bags of bridal literature. Lots of women. Young ones, old ones…mostly young ones. Good-looking, too.

And engaged, Kane reminded himself. He didn’t do engaged women. Or even almost-engaged women, like Serena.

“Mom.” A twenty-something woman with chestnut hair wearing a green baby-doll style dress rushed into The Wedding Belles’ booth. “This is it. I have to have this dress.”

“We’ve been here two minutes and that’s the third dress you’ve said that about,” the mother said.

“Mo-om.”

Serena was speaking to two other women, but that didn’t stop the mother from interrupting the conversation.

“How much is this wedding gown?” the mother asked.

“I’m sorry, but that dress is not for sale,” Serena explained. “It will be worn at a wedding on November 22.”

The daughter’s collagen-injected, shimmery pink lips puckered like some kind of bizarre human-hybrid fish. Kane grinned to himself. Maybe this was the Northwest version of bridezilla.

“Could you make one like this for my daughter?” the mother asked, not-so-subtly showing off her designer purse and iceberg-sized diamond ring.

Despite the interruptions, Serena smiled pleasantly. “I can create something just as beautiful for her. With your daughter’s lovely figure, an asymmetrical A-line gown would be stunning. A cutaway skirt, even. And champagne embroidered lace would be a wonderful accent with her coloring.”

The bride tossed her artfully streaked hair. “We’d pay you extra for that dress on display.”

Kane would have told the mother to take her money and…Well, go someplace else.

“If you are interested in our gowns, we have a couple of samples here that can be sold off-the-rack.” Serena’s smile never wavered as she motioned to the photo albums on the table. “You might also want to make yourself comfortable and glance through the portfolio to get a taste of all our designs.”

“We might come back later.” The mother looked down her surgically designed pert nose. “Or not.”

The words didn’t seem to faze Serena. “I’ll be here.”

The way she handled herself with the appearances-are-everything, I-can-buy-whatever-I-want attitude impressed Kane. He only hoped she wasn’t cut from the same cloth. Not that it meant anything to him if she were.

As the bride stomped away, more women fawned over the dresses. Serena answered their questions not only promoting her gowns, but the services provided by The Wedding Belles, especially when it came to full-service destination weddings.

She was in her element. Glowing, sparkling, radiant.

Kane slowly backed away. He liked watching her, but this wasn’t the place for a single guy intent on remaining that way.

Serena gave a quick nod his way. He was surprised she’d noticed him leaving. He was also surprised he liked her noticing.

Uh-oh. Not good. Very bad actually.

Serena James might not have a ring on her finger, but avoiding her was the smart thing to do. The right thing to do, even if he spent another night in his hotel room alone watching television. On second thought, maybe he could find a bridesmaid, sprinkled among the brides and their mothers, here with something on her mind besides marriage.

Maybe all the shiny fabrics and chocolate would put her in the mood for satin sheets and room service. And maybe that would get his mind off a certain “practically engaged” someone.

He glanced back at Serena.

Or…maybe not.