Falling For Gracie. Susan Mallery

over my crush. You can see anyone you’d like. Doesn’t bother me at all.” She made an X on her chest. “Scout’s honor.”

      He doubted she had any active interest in his personal life, but last night in the car, they’d both been interested in him kissing her.

      “Zeke sleeping with Pam won’t be good for anyone,” Riley said. “Especially not Zeke.”

      “So we’re on stakeout detail again?” she asked cheerfully.

      “Yes, but this time we’ll follow Pam.”

      “At least it won’t be raining.”

      “Easier for us to follow her and easier for her to spot us.”

      “Life is a trade-off. Six-thirty again?” she asked.

      “As we have no idea of her plans, it’s as good a time as any.”

      “I’ll be ready.” She stood. “I’ll even bring my camera.”

      He winced. “Not a good idea.”

      “We need proof.”

      “Can’t you get something small and digital?”

      “I’m not into technology.”

      She picked up the knife and cleaned it with a napkin she’d dug out of her purse. After putting the knife away and dropping the napkin in the trash, she headed for the door.

      “See you then.”

      With a wave of her fingers, she was gone, leaving Riley with the sense of having been visited by a larger-than-life force.

      There was another knock, this one soft and respectful. He guessed it would have been full of rage if she’d known how to transmit that emotion as well.

      “Yes, Diane?”

      His secretary stepped into his office. “Your one o’clock meeting is ready, sir.”

      He pushed the cake box toward her. “This is delicious. You should try some.”

      She raised her chin slightly. “No, thank you.”

      “Gracie made it for me. Gracie likes me.”

      Diane’s expression flashed with the anger that had been missing from her knock. “That’s because she doesn’t know you, sir.”

      * * *

      “THERE ARE TOO many details,” Gracie’s mother said as she spread out the stack of folders onto the coffee table. “Vivian, honey, we’re going to have to decide about a few things. We have to finalize the menu by the end of the week.”

      Gracie sat in a corner of the sofa. She picked up the folder marked “Guest list” and flipped through the pages of names. “Where are you having it?”

      “The country club,” Vivian said with a grin. “I’m having a big outdoor wedding with lots of flowers and guests and dancing.”

      Gracie did a quick calculation, multiplying the number of guests by a per-head-cost for a meal, then swallowed hard. “Gee, things must be really great at the hardware store,” she murmured more to herself than anyone else.

      But her mother heard her and shot her a look. Gracie didn’t know if it meant they weren’t supposed to talk about such things or if her mother appreciated her concern.

      “What time is the wedding?” Gracie asked.

      “Four,” Alexis said as she walked into the family room carrying a tray filled with drinks and cookies. She set it down on the ottoman and passed out cans of diet soda.

      Gracie took hers, then popped it open. “I worked on a wedding once where instead of a sit-down meal, they had tons of appetizers. Not only were waiters circulating with trays, but there were various stations with fun things like melted chocolate for dipping and a mini sandwich bar. The savings for the bride’s family were enormous.”

      Her mother picked up a folder marked menus and opened it. “Aren’t appetizers pretty expensive?”

      “They can be, but they’re still cheaper than a meal. Plus, people are circulating more, so there’s a lot of opportunities for conversation, which the guests really like. They’re not stuck with the same six people at the table all night. On the savings side, you don’t have to have such fancy table settings or decorations. At a cocktail party, no one expects the chairs to be covered. You can even serve a signature drink that matches the wedding colors, plus beer and wine.”

      Vivian narrowed her blue eyes. “Thanks for making my wedding into an experience on the same level as going to the outlet mall, Gracie. You know, another way we could save money is have everyone pack a lunch. Wouldn’t that be too, too stunning for words?”

      Gracie stiffened. “I’m sorry. I was trying to help.”

      “Yeah, well, don’t. The wedding is in less than five weeks and I’m not changing anything. I want a big sit-down dinner. I want a band and I want lots of dancing. The signature drink idea is a good one, though. I’ll talk to Tom about that.”

      Alexis smiled sympathetically at Gracie. “It wouldn’t hurt to save a little money,” she told Vivian.

      “Why should I? You and Zeke eloped. Oh, and Gracie’s never getting married, so why shouldn’t all the money be spent on me?”

      Alexis shrugged. “Always the baby of the family. You’re spoiled.”

      “Whatever.” Vivian grabbed a cookie. “Look, I’m paying for my own wedding dress. Isn’t that enough?”

      “It’s fine,” her mother said. “I appreciate you helping out. Let’s talk about the dresses. Yours is ready, isn’t it?”

      “It’s in, and I have my first fitting next week.” She turned to Gracie. “It’s so beautiful. Strapless, with lace and a drop waist. The bridesmaid dresses are a similar style, but really simple and elegant. They’re black, edged with white. I can’t wait for you to see them.”

      Vivian seemed to have forgotten her explosion from fourteen seconds before, but Gracie hadn’t. The sharp words still stung. Maybe the problem was she didn’t know her role here. Despite all her experience with weddings, she was the odd sister out. If her presence was simply a courtesy, then she should remember to keep her mouth shut.

      Still, she wanted to protest that it was unfair of Vivian to assume Gracie wouldn’t get married. She was only twenty-eight and the last time she checked, that didn’t mean love was out of her life forever. Sure there wasn’t anyone special right now, but that could change.

      “Alexis’s dress has a matching little shrug that’s so cute.”

      Vivian’s previous outburst had been a painful twinge. This revelation was a full-on stab.

      Gracie took a swallow of her soda. “It’s important to have the maid of honor stand out a little.”

      “Exactly.” Vivian beamed.

      Alexis said something about flowers, their mom pulled out yet another folder and Gracie did her best to act normal.

      It wasn’t that she minded Vivian asking Alexis to stand up with her. They’d grown up together, they were close. It was that when Vivian had first told her about the wedding, she’d made it clear she was going to ask her friends to be in her wedding, and not her sisters. Apparently she’d only meant not Gracie.

      Gracie understood intellectually that while she might technically be a member of this family, she wasn’t in any other way. She’d been gone for the past fourteen years. Things had happened, people had changed. She’d changed. This wasn’t her world. Oh, but it still hurt to be excluded.

      “You seem to have everything under control,” she said when they’d finalized the flowers for the bouquets and the tables. “I’m going to head out. I have some baking to do.”

      “When