He smoothed his hand across her cheek. “With an offer like that, how can I refuse?”
She hooked her arms around his neck and brought him closer, brushing her lips against his. Professional behavior be damned—she needed a few of his delicious kisses if she was going to survive the rest of the night. He clasped his hands around her waist, pulling her flush against him. But at the sound of someone clearing their throat, she broke away.
Missy stood at the entrance to the kitchen, a vision of white in her elaborate wedding dress. But the expression on her face hardly screamed “radiant bride.”
“Missy?” Victoria said. “Is everything okay?”
“It’s wonderful. Really. This is my dream come true.” Missy dabbed at her eyes with a small, silken handkerchief.
Was she crying? Victoria felt a jolt of pity, followed by gut-wrenching fear. Had something gone wrong? “Is there a problem? Whatever it is, I’ll do my best to fix it.”
Unless Missy was crying because she was marrying a dick like Ben. If that was the case, Victoria couldn’t help.
Missy patted the handkerchief against her brow. “Everything’s perfect. Like I dreamed it would be. It’s the pregnancy hormones getting to me…” She stopped and appraised them. “You two are officially together now?”
When Victoria nodded, Missy seemed to deflate even more. “Well…congratulations. I guess you got what you wanted.”
“I did,” Victoria said. “I consider myself lucky Rafael took me back.” An awkward pause followed, making her wonder what Missy really wanted. “You sure you don’t need anything else? I hope you’ve been able to enjoy yourself. People will be talking about this wedding for months.”
“They’d better be. It’s all worth it, right?” The neediness in her voice made Victoria cringe.
Not really.
But she wouldn’t dare burst Missy’s bubble. “Absolutely.”
Missy sighed. “Right now, I’m just so tired.”
“If you want to hide out and avoid your guests, I can grab you a chair,” Rafael said. “Even the happiest brides get wedding fatigue.”
“No, I’m fine.” Missy wiped her eyes again. “The real reason I came back here was to thank you. Especially you, Victoria. I know I was kind of a bitch, but…” She crumpled the handkerchief into a ball. “It wasn’t easy, competing with you. No matter what demands I made, you always acted so calm and poised. It drove me insane. Sorry if I made things difficult for you.”
“It’s all right,” Victoria said. And she meant it. Not only had she risen to the challenge of coordinating the wedding from hell, she’d used it to reboot her life.
And she was in a better place than she’d ever been before.
Chapter 34
As Victoria unlocked the door to her suite at the resort, she stifled another yawn. On the drive over to Escondido, she’d blasted the air-conditioning in her car, hoping the chilly air would revive her. But by the time she checked in, she could barely keep her eyes open. She asked the clerk to set aside a key card for Rafael, who was still unloading equipment over at Tres Hermanos. Finding her room took another ten minutes because the complex was so huge.
She barely glanced at the suite, though she was pleased at the sight of the enormous king bed and the french doors leading to an outdoor balcony. Tomorrow morning, she and Rafael could sit outside and greet the day with coffee and pastries. A delicious start to a day of wickedly indulgent fun.
Setting her rolling suitcase against the wall, she stripped off her formal attire and headed for the bathroom. After a long, hot shower, she changed into an alluring black negligee she’d purchased from La Perla.
As she examined herself in the mirror, she liked what she saw. A woman taking charge of her life. Charting her own career path. Choosing a partner she loved rather than one chosen for her. The future might be a little frightening, but it would be infinitely better than the life she’d led before. And she’d be facing it with Rafael at her side.
For the first time in years, she washappy.
She stretched out on the bed, luxuriating in the soft pillows and the silken sheets. Leaving the bedside light on, she grabbed her latest mystery, hoping the twisty story would keep her awake.
But the lure of sleep was hard to resist.
* * *
Rafael glancedat the clock behind the check-in desk. One thirty. Later than he’d hoped, but he’d taken his time at the restaurant, thanking everyone on the staff. Based on the feedback he’d gotten, Tres Hermanos could expect a lot more upscale catering jobs in the new year. Which suited him just fine, since he’d decided to use the positive reviews to his advantage.
Now that his brothers were no longer furious at him for screwing up, he’d had the courage to ask them for a huge favor. Come January, he’d be spending two afternoons a week attending a French pastry class at the local community college. Not a sea change, but a small step in expanding his horizons.
And one day, he fully intended to visit Paris, with Victoria at his side, to try those pastries firsthand.
