The Best Man and The Wedding Planner. Teresa Carpenter

you have access to me through Zach. Buona notte, Ms. Reeves.”

      “Good night.” Instead of giving the phone back to Sullivan she checked the call history and saw she’d spoken to Tony de l’Accardi. She slowly turned her head to meet chocolate-brown eyes. “You know the Prince of Halencia.”

      “I wouldn’t take on the best man gig for anyone else.”

      The flight attendant appeared with the cart to collect his meal and sweetly inquire if he’d like dessert.

      Lindsay rolled her eyes, barely completing the action before the blonde turned to her.

      “Are you done, ma’am?”

      Ma’am again? Lindsay’s eyes narrowed in a bland stare.

      Her displeasure must have registered because the woman rushed on. “For dessert we have crème brûlée, strawberry cheesecake or a chocolate mousse.”

      Lindsay handed off her empty plate and, looking the woman straight in the eye, declared, “I’ll have one of each.”

      “Of course, ma... Ms. Reeves.” She hurriedly stashed the plate and rolled the cart away.

      Lindsay slowly turned her head until Sullivan’s intent regard came into view. Okay, first things first. “I’m only twenty-nine. Way too young to be ma’am.”

      He cocked his head.

      She handed him his phone. “Why didn’t you tell me you were the best man?”

      He lifted one dark eyebrow. “Would you have believed me?”

      She contemplated him. “Probably. I have a file on you.”

      His slanted eyebrow seemed to dip even further. “Then I’m surprised you didn’t recognize me. You probably have profiles on the entire wedding party in that tablet of yours.”

      She lifted one shoulder in a half shrug of acknowledgment. “I’ve learned it’s wise to know who I’ll be working with. I didn’t recognize you because it’s out of context. Plus, you don’t have an eight-o’clock shadow in your company photo in which you’re wearing glasses.”

      “Huh.” He ran the backs of his fingers over his jaw. “I’ll have to get that picture updated. I had Lasik eye surgery over a year ago. Regardless, I didn’t know you were involved in the wedding until you started talking about the meal arrangements.”

      “Seating arrangements,” she corrected automatically.

      “Right.”

      The flight attendant arrived with dessert. She handed Zach a crystal dish of chocolate mousse and set a small tray with all three desserts artfully displayed in front of Lindsay.

      “Enjoy,” she said and retreated down the aisle.

      “Mmm.” Lindsay picked up a spoon and broke into the hard shell of crystalized sugar topping the crème brûlée. “Mmm.” This time it was a moan. “Oh, that’s good.”

      “Careful, Ms. Reeves, you’re going to get me worked up if you continue.” Zach gestured at her loaded tray with his spoon. “I see you like your sweets.”

      “It’s a long night.” She defended her stash.

      “I guess you don’t plan on sleeping.”

      “I have a lot of work.” She gave her usual excuse then, for some unknown reason, confessed, “I don’t sleep well on planes.”

      “It may help if you relaxed and watched the movie instead of working.”

      No doubt he was right. But work soothed her, usually. Over the past year she’d found it increasingly more difficult to believe in the magic of her process. She blamed her breakup with Kevin last year. But she hoped to change that soon. If a royal wedding couldn’t bring back the magic in what she did, she needed to rethink her career path.

      “Thank you for that insightful bit of advice. What don’t you like about being best man? The role or the exposure?”

      “Either. Both. Seems like I’ve been dodging the limelight since I was two.”

      “Well, you did grow up in a political family.” That brought his earlier comment and reaction into context. Her research revealed he was related to the political powerhouse Sullivans from Connecticut. “Never had any aspiration in that direction?”

      The curse he uttered made her glance worriedly toward the toddlers. Luckily the lack of sound or movement in that direction indicated they were probably asleep.

      “I’ll take that as a no.”

      “I wished my father understood me so well.”

      She empathized with his pain. She felt the same way about her mother. Perhaps empathy was why she found him so easy to talk to. “I’ve found parents often see what they want to see. That addresses the exposure...what do you have against the role of best man?”

      “I hate weddings. The fancier the event, the more I detest them. There’s something about the pomp and circumstance that just screams fake to me.” He licked his spoon and set the crystal dish aside. “No offense.”

      No offense? He’d just slammed everything she stood for. Why should she be offended?

      And he wasn’t done. “It’s like the couple needs to distract the crowd from the fact they’re marrying for something other than love.”

      “You don’t believe in love?” It was one thing for her to question her belief in what she was doing and another for someone else to take shots at it.

      “I believe in lust and companionship. Love is a myth best left to romance novels.”

      “Wow. That’s harsh.” And came way too close to how she felt these days.

      The way his features hardened when he voiced his feelings told her strong emotion backed his comment. Kind of at odds with his family dynamic. The Sullivans were touted as one of the All-American families going back for generations. Long marriages and one or two kids who were all upstanding citizens. They ranked right up there with the Kennedys and Rockefellers.

      The attendants came through the cabin collecting trash and dirty dishes. They offered turndown service, which Lindsay turned down. She still had work to do.

      “Just let us know when you’re ready.”

      Across the way Zach also delayed his bed service and got the same response. Once the attendants moved on, he leaned her way.

      “Now you know you can trust me, are you ready for me to work on your spreadsheet? I’d like to do it before I start my movie.”

      “Oh. Sure.” Could she trust him? Lindsay wondered as she pulled out her tablet. Just because she knew who he was didn’t mean he was trustworthy. Too charming for her peace of mind. And a total flirt. “Do you want to do it on mine or should I send it to you?”

      “Little Pixie, I’d like to do yours.” His gaze ran over her, growing hotter as it rolled up her body. Her blood was steaming by the time his gaze met hers. “But since I have to work, you should send it to me.”

      “It’ll do you no good to flirt with me.” She tapped in her password and opened her spreadsheet. “What’s your email?” She keyed in the address and sent it. “This wedding is too important to my career for me to risk getting involved with the best man.”

      “Oh, come on. The best man is harmless.” Zach had his laptop open. “Got it. He’s shackled for the whole event.”

      “The best man is a beast. His mind is all wrapped up in the bachelor party and strippers. He feels it’s his duty to show the groom what he’ll be giving up. And more than half the time he’s on the prowl for some action just to remind himself he’s still free, whether he is or not.”

      Zach flinched. “Wow. That’s harsh.”