Groomed to Perfection: A Meet Me at the Altar Novel Read online

  Her eyes went wide. “Why? Why is it such a big deal for you to stay?”

  He looked like he was about to say something but then changed his mind. “It’s not a big deal.” He motioned to a set of ornate upholstered chairs that were tucked away in an alcove. “I know you said you need to leave, but…maybe you could take pity on me and stay a few more minutes?”

  “Cooper, I…”

  “Please,” he said earnestly. “Just a few minutes. I promise I won’t keep you long. I’m just enjoying talking with you, and I haven’t enjoyed talking to anyone all evening.”

  She glanced at the door one more time and then back at him. “Just a few minutes. It’s almost a two-hour drive home for me, so…”

  He led her over to the chairs and they sat. “You’re driving all the way home tonight? Why aren’t you staying nearby? Or here, even?”

  Shrugging, she tried to come up with a reasonable response. “I’m just someone who prefers sleeping in their own bed.”

  “Now that’s a shame,” he said silkily, and Emilie felt herself blush.

  Unsure of how to respond, she simply smiled at him. “So…”

  “So…”

  After a minute, she sighed. “I honestly don’t know what to say to you.”

  “The way I see it, we can bore each other silly with our life stories, or…we can just chat.”

  Unable to help herself, she laughed. “I should say I’m offended that you already think my life is boring, but sadly, you’re right.”

  “Trust me, mine is too.”

  Somehow she doubted that, considering who he was related to, but she kept that observation to herself.

  And since this would be the only time she’d ever have the opportunity to do something like this—something silly while pretending to be someone else—she decided to simply go with the flow and follow his lead.

  Off in the distance, they heard a loud cheer and both glanced in that direction.

  “I suppose the singing celebrity showed up,” he said before turning back to look at her. “Care to run down and see who it is?”

  Emilie glanced down at her feet and said a silent prayer of thanks that she hadn’t changed into her sneakers like she typically did at the end of an event. Instead, she still had on a stylish pair of pumps.

  “In these things?” she teased, pointing her toe at him. “I’d probably fall head-first into some priceless family heirloom and never get invited back.”

  “Hmm…maybe I should try that,” he replied with a wink.

  “I don’t think these will fit you.”

  And then the greatest thing happened…

  He laughed.

  It was deep, masculine, and sexier than it should have been, but it also broke the tension.

  After that, they eased into a conversation that just went on and on and on. They talked about music, food, and movies and before she knew it, people were starting to leave.

  Pulling her phone out, she gasped at the time.

  “Oh my goodness! I really do need to go!” Jumping to her feet, she grabbed her purse. “I didn’t realize how late it had gotten.” Making her way to the door, she handed her valet ticket to the first person she came to.

  “Maybe you should reconsider the drive,” Cooper said to her as he placed his hand on the small of her back as they continued to the door.

  But she shook her head. “I can’t. I need to be home tonight; I should have been there already.” Part of her knew it wasn’t a big deal, and once she got in the car, she’d make a call to make sure everything was all right, but she’d never done something like this before and felt a mild wave of panic.

  “Emilie…”

  She knew he was about to apologize and immediately stopped him. “I had a really great time talking with you tonight, Cooper.”

  “I did too, but I can tell you’re distressed and it’s my fault. If I had let you leave…”

  Moving away from him, she walked outside and instantly shivered. It was much cooler out now than it had been when she arrived earlier in the afternoon. He was right there beside her, taking off his suit jacket and draping it around her shoulders.

  “Thank you, but…you don’t need to do that. My car will be here any minute.”

  “Humor me,” he said, pulling her in close as he slowly wrapped his arms around her.

  As much as she didn’t want to admit it, he felt glorious—all warm and lean muscles and he smelled divine. If she didn’t need to get home, she would gladly stay wrapped up in him all night long.

  If only…

  He whispered her name and she made the mistake of looking up. Even in the dim lighting, she could see the heat in his eyes and she was helpless to ignore it. He dipped his head, and this time she was the one whispering his name right before his lips touched hers.

  As far as kisses went, it was chaste but powerful. They were on the verge of taking it deeper when she heard the familiar loud exhaust system that belonged to her old Chevy SUV.

  Dammit.

  Breaking the kiss, Emilie nervously looked away. “Um…that’s me. I should…”

  “That’s your car?” he asked, confusion written all over his face. No doubt he was wondering why someone related to the bride’s side of the family would be driving a fifteen-year-old car with a noisy muffler.

  Nodding, she took one step away from him and then another. “I…I should go. It was nice meeting you, Cooper.” And then she turned and fled to the driver’s side of her car, quickly slipping a ten-dollar bill into the valet’s hand. “Thank you.”

  It wasn’t until she was a mile away from the estate that she felt like she could breathe.

  It was also when she realized she was still wearing Cooper’s jacket…

  The sound of a horn blaring snapped Emilie out of her reverie and she had to remind herself that she was in her car and on her way to the Meet Me at the Altar office. That night was two months ago, and sadly, she was back in the present.

  Which sucked.

  Every once in a while, she played a silly game where she was back at the estate and didn’t have any responsibilities waiting for her at home. She and Cooper would have danced in the alcove or maybe out in the garden. He would have asked her back to his hotel and she would have gladly gone with him.

  It always ended in a very sexy and satisfying way in her fantasy.

  The reality was that there hadn’t been anything sexy or satisfying in her life in a really long time.

  Which definitely sucked.

  She would swear it had all been a dream, but she still had his jacket hanging in her closet.

  For weeks she had tried to figure out how to get it back to him, but they’d never exchanged last names and even after tracking down the guest list—no small feat, mind you—there hadn’t been anyone named Cooper on it.

  Was it possible he was a wedding crasher too?

  How fitting would that be?

  As the traffic started to move, Emilie forced herself to push all thoughts of Cooper aside.

  Again.

  Maybe he had been a dream or perhaps he’d been pretending to be someone else that evening too. Either way, it left her with a nice fantasy to play around with when she was alone.

  A fairytale.

  That was all that night had been.

  Back here in the real world, Cinderella needed to get to work and start baking those thirty-two small cakes while practicing her best people-pleasing skills so she wouldn’t let Leanna and the girls down.

  “You can do this,” she told herself. “You’ll bake those cakes and dazzle the Vandergrifts and make them want to order all of them!” That made her stop and laugh because as much as she knew she was an excellent baker, she didn’t think anyone would want that much variety at a wedding.

  Or any event.

  But if the Vandergrifts were as demanding and challenging as Leanna’s notes said, Emilie knew she needed to be prepared for everything.

  “Honestly, Alastair, you’d think we were draggin
g you to your own execution.”

  It would be rude to roll his eyes at his mother.

  So he turned his head and did it instead.

  “It’s a cake tasting, darling,” she went on, patting his hand. “And I know how fond you are of sweets.” Then she made a slight tsk-ing sound. “Just be sure you don’t overindulge. No need to make a glutton out of yourself.”

  And those few sentences pretty much summed up his mother’s parenting style. At first it looks like she’s doing something sweet and caring and in the next breath, she reminds you how anything sweet is wrong for you.

  Story of my damn life…

  “It’s not something I need to be at, Mother,” he said wearily, and not for the first time today. “This is for Beau and Kim. It’s their wedding you’re planning.”

  “Nonsense, we’re planning yours too.”

  “I’m not getting married. We’ve been over this.”

  “Not yet, but you will. Preferably sooner rather than later. It’s awkward enough that your younger brother is beating you to the altar.” Evelyn Vandergrift had very outdated views on subjects like this. She truly believed the elder sibling was supposed to get married first. “If I have my way, we can delay these nuptials and then you can have your rightful place. After all, once you head up Vandergrift Industries, it will be important for you to have a wife and—hopefully—children.” Turning her perfectly coiffed head, she gave him a serene smile. “Alastair, you are going to have the most beautiful children.”

  He let out a long-suffering sigh for many, many reasons.

  First was the whole cake tasting. It truly was scheduled for his brother’s wedding. Their mother just felt it was vital for him to give his input so she could start planning his wedding.

  Even when there was no bride.

  Next was the whole taking over Vandergrift Industries thing. He knew it was expected of him as the firstborn, but no one considered how much he didn’t want it. His brother was more suited for the position and he wanted it! But the whole birth-order thing was biting him in the ass yet again.

  And lastly, the name.

  Alastair.

  It was his great-grandfather’s name, and while it was a perfectly good name, he personally loathed it for himself.

  Alastair Cooper Vandergrift.

  Mentally shaking his head, he thought of how many times he’d nearly gotten beaten up simply because of that name.

  Which was why, in most social settings, he went by Cooper.

  The few times his parents caught a whiff of him doing that, they reprimanded him. Although the last time was at his twenty-fifth birthday party eight years ago, he’d made sure to never have them around his friends again. So far he’d succeeded, but it was exhausting trying to keep them pleased.

  And off his back.

  They were sitting in the back of a chauffeur-driven town car and it was just the two of them. Beau and Kim were meeting them at the wedding planner’s office, along with his father. Why this had to be a family affair was beyond him, but it wasn’t worth asking and finding out. But he was curious about one thing…

  “Why are we going to the wedding planner? Why aren’t they coming to us?” It was an incredibly snobbish thing to say, but…it was the way things usually went with his family.

  “Trust me, I’m a bit miffed about it myself,” she said wearily. “But I gave them an extensive list of cakes I want to try, and it just seemed ridiculous to make them transport thirty cakes across town.”

  “Thirty cakes?” he asked incredulously.

  “Thirty-two, actually,” she corrected with a shrug. “I took everyone’s tastes into consideration, Alastair. It’s only fair. And you know, even though the wedding cake is the centerpiece of the whole affair, we’d also have other offerings.”

  “I suppose…” He shook his head. “And how did you hear of them?”

  “Remember your cousin Felix’s wedding? The one down in Pinehurst?”

  Cooper rubbed his temple. “I only know of one Felix, Mother.”

  “Anyway, everything about that wedding was top-notch. Everything. It was impeccable. Your father and I knew right away that they were the right people for our weddings.”

  Our, he thought with a snort. How dysfunctional was that?

  “You remember the wedding, don’t you?” she asked.

  “Mm-hmm.”

  Oh, yes. He definitely remembered it.

  Vividly.

  Hell, he’d played two specific hours in his head practically on a daily basis, for all the good it’s done him.

  He met the perfect girl, had the most intoxicating conversation, and ended the evening with a kiss full of promise.

  And then his Cinderella had driven off into the night in a slightly banged up old Chevy, taking his favorite suit jacket with her.

  For weeks he had done everything in his power to try to find her—he’d reached out to Felix and Mary Beth as well as her parents—but no one knew of any Emilie at the wedding. Hell, no one named Emilie had even been invited to the wedding. It finally occurred to him that she was possibly a wedding crasher, but considering it was held at a private residence, it didn’t seem likely.

  That meant she gave him a fake name.

  But…why?

  From everything he remembered, he hadn’t said or done anything that would have encouraged her to do that. If anything, they just…clicked. From the moment he spotted her standing in the back of the room, chewing on her bottom lip as she watched all the partygoers enjoying themselves, he felt drawn to her. Then they started talking and Cooper really felt like the feeling was mutual.

  This goes to show what a lousy judge of character I am…

  “Oh, good. We’re here.”

  Cooper snapped out of his wayward thoughts and sighed. “Great.”

  “Come now, darling, don’t be like that. Maybe this will inspire you!”

  “Right, because tasting an obscene amount of cake is just the push I need to suddenly forget all my reasons for not wanting to get married. Come now, Mother. Even you have to admit it’s a bit far-fetched.”

  “Stranger things have happened,” she said casually as she accepted their driver’s hand to help her from the car.

  Cooper climbed out and looked around. The building itself was somewhat unremarkable but large. He wondered how many businesses shared the space, which he asked out loud.

  “It’s all theirs,” his mother said as she came to stand beside him.

  A second town car pulled up and parked, and Cooper knew it was the other half of their party. Within minutes, the five of them walked into the reception area and were met by one of the owners, Skylar Sullivan. She was charming—if not overly polite—as she introduced herself and then led them to the tasting room.

  There were beautifully decorated tables set up with different place settings and they were each assigned a seat.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Vandergrift, I think you are going to be very pleased with the selection of cakes we have prepared. Our staff has been hard at work creating some mini masterpieces for you,” Skylar was saying as several members of her staff began to file in with carafes of coffee, pitchers of mimosas, as well as ones of water. “Please just let us know what you’d like to drink and if you have any special requests.”

  Cooper waited for someone to come up with something ridiculous to ask for, but for once, the Vandergrifts behaved themselves and simply accepted what was being offered.

  “We’re going to bring the cakes out four at a time,” Skylar explained, “and I hope you brought your appetites!”

  There was a slight noise from the doorway. He looked up and saw two women wheeling a serving cart into the room. The one facing him was a blonde wearing a chef’s coat, but the one with her back to him had him on alert.

  She was the same height and build.

  She had the same dark hair.

  No, he told himself. It’s not possible…

  “Mr. and Mrs. Vandergrift, Beau, Kim, Alastair, I’d like you t
o meet our head baker, Emilie Michels,” Skylar said with a smile. “Emilie, please meet the Vandergrift family.”

  She smiled beautifully until she spotted him.

  Gotcha, Cooper thought as he arched one dark brow at her.

  And suddenly, a cake tasting was the most excellent idea he could have ever imagined.

  “I don’t know about the rest of you,” he said almost giddily, “but I am really looking forward to trying each and every cake!”

  Cooper looked directly at Emilie as he said it and watched as she paled.

  Now he just had to find a way to get her alone.

  Good thing he had multiple courses of cake to figure it out.

  Chapter Two

  Her face hurt from smiling and her thumb hurt from slicing it open on her brand-new cake knife.

  “Son of a …” Luckily she caught herself before finishing the statement.

  “Oh my goodness, Em!” Skye cried as she shoved a napkin in her hand. “Go! I’ve got this!”

  She didn’t need to be told twice.

  Nearly tripping over her own feet, Emilie scrambled from the room and quickly made her way back to the kitchen to find the first aid kit.

  “Of all the stupid things,” she muttered. “No one cuts their finger on a cake knife.”

  Well…apparently, she did.

  After rinsing her hand under some cold water, she dried off and managed to get her finger bandaged up with minimal fuss.

  Hell, she’d barely been gone for three minutes.

  As she cleaned up her mess, she wondered what Cooper was doing there. She played the introductions over and over in her head, and she knew for a fact that Skye never said Cooper’s name!

  And then she remembered how there wasn’t a Cooper on the guest list either, which meant her suspicions were correct. He’d used a fake name with her.

  Did he realize she was part of the staff? Did he do this sort of thing often—hitting on the hired help as some sort of way to pass the time and amuse himself?

  Now there was a depressing thought.

  Her assistant Ally came walking quickly back into the kitchen with a tight smile on her face. “Time for the next round of cakes,” she said as she walked over to the next tray they had prepared.