His Band Of Gold

He raised a brow. “This from a wedding consultant?”

She nodded. “That’s why I take my job so seriously. Every bride deserves to feel like a princess and every groom a prince. The least I can do is give a couple a day to remember, a day to hold close to their hearts after things sour.”

“Is that why you keep a scrapbook of your clients’ divorces? Not one showing the successful marriages, the pictures of babies and children that come from the ones that work?”

A mixture of embarrassment and anger washed over her, yet she contained her temper. Like it or not, Will was a client. And as she’d learned from her parents, blowing up over something that couldn’t be changed never solved anything. She shrugged, but the last thing she felt was indifference. No one had ever seen her scrapbooks. Until that moment she’d forgotten she’d put them in the ottoman instead of their usual hiding place. “Not many of the marriages I coordinate last.”

“No doubt because of your Wedding Consultant to the Stars moniker.” Sarcasm laced his voice. “You haven’t seen what real marriages are all about, how good, how strong they can be.”

“Is that how you feel about your marriage?”

“Yes.”

She’d seen too many failed marriages to believe the Addisons had the market cornered on happy ones. “You think you found your soul mate?”

“I have no doubt.”

Kelsey heard the conviction in his voice. Such a romantic. She couldn’t ignore her curiosity about his wife, the woman who’d captured Will Addison’s heart. “How did you know she was the ‘one’?”

He got a faraway look in his eyes. “It happened the day I met her.”

Love at first sight? Talk about a fairy tale. This she had to hear. “How did you meet?”

Will glanced out the window to the red-streaked sky. The sun was setting slowly. “It was Sadie Hawkin’s day. I was in sixth grade. All the boys tied their names on their belt loops and the girls got to chase us. If a girl managed to get your name, you were hers for the day.”

He and his wife had been childhood sweethearts and still together after all this time. Kelsey found that hard to believe in this day and age. “Sounds…fun.”

“For the girls maybe,” he admitted. “Sara, my wife, was new to the school. I’d never really paid much attention to her before because she was so shy and quiet…” His voice trailed off.

“Go on.”

He hesitated. “Sometime during the chase, one of the girls pushed her. Sara fell. Her knee was bloody and she was crying. I went over to help her up.”

“Don’t tell me she grabbed your name tag?”

He nodded.

“And that’s how you knew?”

He moistened his lips. “Sara was holding on to my name and she smiled, a wide grin with a mouthful of braces, and I knew.”

“Knew what?”

“That one day I would marry her.” He glanced away. “And I did. Two days after I graduated from college. That was ten years ago.”

“You were young.”

“I wish I’d married her sooner.”

“That’s sweet.” Saccharine sweet, Kelsey thought. How could he feel that way after ten years? Longer if one counted how long they’d been together. Maybe he’d gotten lucky, like his parents and grandparents.

His eyes glimmered. Tears? Kelsey found that almost as hard to believe as being married forever. Maybe he wore contacts and had a piece of grit in one of his eyes. That would explain it.

“I’m looking forward to meeting her,” Kelsey said to break the silence.

“You can’t meet her.” The green of Will’s eyes darkened and his lips tightened. “Sara…is dead. She was killed in a car crash eight years ago.”

Chapter Three

The air whooshed from Kelsey’s lungs. Talk about open-foot-insert-mouth. She struggled for a breath and the right—appropriate—words to say. Even though she was able to handle even the most awkward situations, this one left her speechless. Not wanting the uncomfortable silence to stretch any further, she settled for the most obvious yet overused sentiment. “I’m so sorry, Will.”

“Thanks.”

No pain in his voice; no anguish on his face, but that didn’t make her feel any better. Okay, his wife had died eight years ago not eight days, but Kelsey still felt about a quarter of an inch tall. It was obvious from everything he’d said about love and marriage that his heart still belonged to one woman and one woman only—his late wife, Sara. “I hope I didn’t—”

“You didn’t.”

“I thought since you wore a wedding band…”

“It’s okay, Kelsey. Really.”

She nodded, wanting to believe him and not wanting to say another word. Her brother would have a good laugh. Cade always called her Ms. Manners and teased her about writing an etiquette book when she tired of designing weddings. So much for handling any situation with aplomb and ease.

The muted whine of the plane’s engine filled the cabin, kept the silence from becoming unbearable. Kelsey straightened in her seat and dug the toes of her black boots into the carpet. It couldn’t be too much longer until they arrived at the airport. Yet each passing minute felt like an hour. She’d never heard Starr or Faith mention Will being a widower. They’d never even mentioned he’d been married. Questions about him filled Kelsey’s mind. She wanted to know the answers, but she didn’t dare ask.

Will looked to be in his early thirties. If Sara was his soul mate and one true love, did that mean he planned to spend the rest of his days alone? Kelsey wasn’t sure whether his answer would make him the world’s biggest romantic or the biggest fool. Surely he must have loved Sara—still loved her—if her memory was enough for him. Kelsey found it hard to believe anyone could love another that much.

Will cleared his throat. “Once we arrive, we’ll head to the Lake Inn. You’ll have the use of one of our suites.”

“Thank you.” The edges of Kelsey’s mouth turned up slightly. “You were confident I’d come if you saved a room.”

“Let’s say I was hopeful,” he admitted. “Tonight you can unpack and get settled in. We’ll have breakfast at my parents’ house and start work tomorrow.”

She hesitated. This required the right amount of tact. “I appreciate your offer to help, but I’m sure it would be a huge inconvenience to both you and Starr Properties to spend the next two weeks working with me.”

He chuckled. “I appreciate your concern, but Starr Properties has been doing quite well these past few months without me working eighty hours a week. My staff knows how to find me if they need anything. And you know Faith. She’d kill me if I didn’t keep her informed about everything you were doing. Trust me, it will be easier if I’m completely involved.”