Seeking Forever Read online

  “Text Ari and see if she has something you can wear,” he suggested.

  “And how do I explain this to her?” she cried. “Honestly, I’m beginning to think this job is jinxed! I’ve had nothing but bad luck since I started here!” Immediately she realized what she said and saw the small look of shock on Max’s face. “Max…I…I didn’t mean…”

  He quickly shook his head. “It’s okay. I know you didn’t. We need to get you fixed up. That’s the priority here. Text Ari and make sure the coast is clear and if there’s something you can change into back at the office.”

  Phone in hand, that’s exactly what she did and luckily Ari had several options for her – because they all knew to keep a change of clothes on hand – and Harry and Monica were gone. “Okay,” she said with a sigh. “Crisis averted.”

  “Good. That’s good.” He paused and looked at her, seemingly unsure what to do or say.

  “I really have to go, Max. We’ve got a wedding tonight, two tomorrow and two on Sunday.” Reaching behind her, she opened the door and stepped aside. “I…I’m sure I’ll see you around.” She had one foot out the door when he stopped her.

  “Ellie, wait!” When she stopped and looked at him, his expression had gone serious. “We’re okay, right? This wasn’t…I mean…I don’t want you to feel like I’m pressuring you or…”

  “Oh, good heavens,” she said with a small laugh, “no! I don’t think that at all! But…I really have to go, Max. I’m sorry. Have a good weekend!”

  And then she quickly dashed back to her office and prayed she wouldn’t have to explain how she managed to get dirty handprints all over the back of her dress.

  ****

  Normally weekends were like a welcome retreat for Max. He enjoyed having the time to relax at home and have the time to himself. His social life normally consisted of going off the island and over to Naples to visit his now-retired parents and hang out with his siblings while he was there. He had two brothers and a sister and they’d all left Mimosa Key. For the life of him, Max couldn’t understand it. This was home. He couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.

  Landscape design had started out as a hobby back in high school and he was fortunate he was able to make a career out of it without having gone to college. Some people might look down on him for what he did because it was a lot of manual labor, but he loved it. Nothing made him happier than working outdoors and watching the transformation of the grounds.

  Casa Blanca was a damn dream. And even though they’d pretty much landscaped every inch of the place, it was always going to need maintaining and every couple of years, they’d change things up. It wasn’t rocket science but it challenged him in its own way.

  It was Saturday night and he was sitting alone on his back deck enjoying a beer. It was peaceful – just as he liked it. There was a standing invitation to hang out at the Toasted Pelican – it’s where everyone seemed to hang out on Saturday nights – but he rarely went. And tonight, more than any weekend in the past, it held even less appeal.

  He wanted to see Ellie.

  Be with Ellie.

  Just…get to know Ellie.

  Twice the woman had knocked him on his ass with a simple kiss. Then he snorted with disbelief. There had been nothing simple about either of those kisses. He took a long pull of his beer and put his feet up on the small wooden table that matched the rattan sofa he was sitting on. Looking up at the sky, he could see a blanket of stars and wondered if Ellie was looking up at them too. Was the wedding a full outdoor event? Or did she slip outside to get a break from the hustle and bustle of it all?

  He shook his head. He was losing it. Seriously losing it. When was the last time he’d gotten so twisted up over a woman that he was fantasizing about them looking at the same stars? Maybe he should have gone out. It would have been a welcome distraction.

  But in the next instant Max realized he didn’t want a distraction.

  He liked Ellie. And from what he could tell, she seemed to like him too. So…there really wasn’t any obstacle here. Come Monday, there was no reason he couldn’t seek her out and ask her to dinner and then they could see where this could go.

  Feeling like he’d lifted a huge weight off of his shoulders, Max relaxed in his seat and looked up at the sky again, feeling nothing but peace.

  ****

  It was – of course – short-lived peace.

  Apparently Ellie had Monday and Tuesday off because she’d worked the entire weekend. On Wednesday, Max ended up having to spend the day off the island – first going to Naples and then up to Fort Myers in an attempt to get a new motor for one of their mowers. It had been a painfully long day and by the time he got back to Casa Blanca, Ellie was gone for the day.

  Luck was finally on his side on Thursday. He spotted her walking along one of the paths in that determined way she had and he jogged to catch up to her. Today she was wearing a deep coral colored sheath that hit mid-thigh with mile-high matching stilettos.

  Damn.

  Her hair was pulled back in that sleek ponytail she seemed to favor and all Max could think about was how she’d look with her hair loose around her shoulders. His fingers almost twitched with the need to find out – to slip the little silver clip from her hair and then feel for himself if her hair was as soft as he was imagining.

  Stargazing and hair clips. Yeah. He was losing it.

  “Hey,” he said, slightly breathless, when he was beside her. “Are you heading somewhere specific or looking for a place to hide out?”

  Ellie stopped and laughed softly, a slow smile crossing her beautiful face. “I’m actually heading down toward the beach to look at the setup for tomorrow night’s wedding. The girls are trusting me to do the first round of inspections.”

  “Inspections? Really? The crew could probably do this sort of thing in their sleep with all the weddings we’ve had here in the last year alone.”

  “That may very well be, but I’m feeling kind of jazzed that they’re trusting me to come down here and look it all over on my own. It means they trust me.”

  He nodded. “Mind if I tag along?”

  Her smile grew. “I would like that very much.”

  “How has your week been?”

  “Busy,” she replied. “I swear those girls are all amazing and like Energizer bunnies, but this pace is somewhat new to me. I majored in hospitality and hotel management – that’s what my degree is in – but I never held a position that kept me running quite like this. If this keeps up, I’m going to have to switch to sensible shoes.”

  There was humor in her voice and Max did his best to keep his own horrified reaction off of his face. It would almost be a crime if she had to lose the stilettos!

  “Don’t do anything drastic,” he said teasingly. “I see Ari and Willow and Gussie running around here in similar shoes. Maybe you just have to build up a tolerance to it.”

  Please let that be a thing! Please let that be a thing!

  “Hmm…maybe.” They turned and were almost on the sand. Stopping, Ellie rested a hand on Max’s arm as she reached down to take off her shoes. “I hate sand in my shoes,” she said with a grin. When she straightened, he noticed how much more petite she looked beside him.

  “So…what are you looking for here?” he asked casually, noticing there wasn’t a whole lot going on.

  “For starters, the tents are getting ready to be assembled along with the arbor the bride and groom requested. The weather is going to be mild tonight, no rain in the forecast, so we’re good to get these things done today. The chairs will come out tomorrow. But I need to inspect that everything has been cleaned since the last use and that there are no obvious issues or marks on them.”

  “The crew does a great job of cleaning everything before it goes back into the storage building,” Max commented.

  “It still needs to be checked. You never know if anything shifted while it was in storage or if it got damaged in transit,” she said, making her way around the equipment that was scatte
red in the sand. “There are so many pieces…”

  Figuring two sets of eyes were better than one, he made his way around inspecting things too. Within minutes, Ellie seemed satisfied that everything was coming along and looked fine. “Will you come out again later and check it again once everything’s together?”

  She nodded. “And I’ll be doing it all weekend long. It’s another full schedule.”

  Well there went his plans for asking her out over the weekend. Maybe. “So you’ll be here all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday?”

  She nodded again. “Eventually we’ll get to a point where the schedule will lighten up again and we could possibly be on a rotation so we’re all not giving up our weekends. Although really, that’s one of the reasons I was hired – so Willow, Gussie and Ari can have some weekends off. It may be a while before I actually get into that rotation.”

  “Does that mean you’ll have off Monday and Tuesday again?”

  She looked at him – slightly perplexed – until he realized he basically just admitted he’d noticed her work schedule. He hoped she didn’t find it creepy. “Uh…yes. That’s the plan right now.”

  “It’s just that…you know…I noticed you weren’t here earlier in the week. I was actually looking for you. To talk to you. To um…to make sure we were okay and all. And…”

  “Max?”

  “Yeah?”

  “It’s okay,” she said softly, smiling.

  Her smile did it for him every time. “So, I was thinking…”

  They were interrupted when someone called Ellie’s name and said there was a problem with the arbor. With a quick apology, she was gone.

  And so was his chance to ask her out.

  Five

  “IS THIS NORMAL? I mean…seriously…is this something that normally happens?” Ellie was in a meeting with her bosses and she almost cringed at the pitch of her own voice. “Because…I have to tell you…I’m beginning to feel like there is some sort of black cloud over my head here!”

  Willow went to comment but Ellie jumped to her feet and began to pace in the confined space.

  “I know I am new to the company and the low man on the totem pole. I get that. I’m fine with that. But this situation is getting a little crazy for me and I guess I’d rather you see me crazy now and fire me than drag this out any longer!”

  She stopped and caught her breath and noticed how quiet and still it was in the room. Ari, Gussie and Willow were all silently watching her. There wasn’t any horror or disdain on their faces – in fact, they were all smiling.

  If they were going to fire her, at least they were going to do it with class.

  With a steadying breath, Ellie positioned herself so she could see all three of them. “The last thing I want is to be a hindrance to the company and to the important jobs you all have. I’ve been here for three weeks and for the life of me, I have not seen this situation with any of our other brides and grooms. So clearly, it’s just me. Maybe I’m seeing something that’s not there or…”

  “Or someone’s deliberately trying to poke at you?” Gussie asked. “Because that’s sort of the vibe I’m getting.

  Relief swamped her as she slowly sank back into her seat. “Really? So…I’m not crazy?”

  Willow laughed softly. “Well…that still remains to be seen. But I kind of have to agree with Gussie. We’ve dealt with hundreds of couples over the years and this is the first time one has been this…present.”

  “Especially when the wedding is still three months away,” Ari chimed in. “Either they’re that picky or…”

  “Or they’re trying to poke at you,” Gussie said again. “Would anyone you know tell them you’re working here?”

  Ellie shrugged. “It’s not really a big secret. I’m proud of my job and position here with Barefoot Brides. In all the years Harry and I were together, the only time we ever came to Mimosa was to visit my parents and he was never overly impressed. But…”

  “But maybe Monica’s just sort of doing this to get your goat a little bit more,” Ari said. “I mean, some women just never outgrow their mean-girl status from high school.”

  It did sound a lot like Monica – even from the little bit Ellie knew about her. “So…what do I do? Do I keep ducking into closets and dodging out doors or hiding in Max’s shed…”

  “Wait, wait, wait…” Willow said, her voice holding a teasing tone. “You hid out in Max’s shed?”

  “Ooo…was that the day you came in with dirty hand prints on your butt and had to borrow a dress?” Ari asked.

  “You had dirty hand prints on your butt?” Gussie repeated, her grin spreading. “When was this?”

  Knowing there was no way to avoid the story, she quickly recapped how she had initially ended up in Max’s shed and how he bailed her out a couple of times since. Including the kiss.

  “Wow…” All three murmured when she was done.

  “I know. He was sweet enough to point out some key hiding places but…maybe that’s not the way to go. Maybe I should just let myself be seen and deal with the taunting. Who knows, maybe if they see I don’t care they’ll move on.”

  “And if they don’t?” Willow asked. “I mean, what if they continue to come around and make nuisances of themselves?”

  It was on the tip of Ellie’s tongue to say it would be nice if they – her bosses – would refuse to have them as clients, but she didn’t think that was a smart move. “Then I’d say I’d have to quit. At some point, it’s going to interfere with my job. It is already and I hate that this is the first impression you have of me.”

  Everyone grew quiet and Ellie’s heart was beating madly in her chest. Had she just seriously said she’d quit? Dammit! It really sucked that Harry was going to screw up her life again! How was that for fair?

  Willow cleared her throat. “Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. The bottom line is they’ve checked themselves into the resort through Sunday and want to see how some of the ceremonies look and get a feel for how we run things. I’ve already explained that they are not allowed to be part of any of the events.”

  “But they’ll be able to witness them?” Ellie asked. “Doesn’t that mean they’ll just be able to blend in with the guests?”

  “Normally, yes,” Ari said. “But now that we are seeing how they’re possibly here with ulterior motives, we can be a little more alert to their presence.”

  Ellie shook her head. “It’s not fair – not to the couples who are getting married here this weekend and not to any of you. This is my problem and I’ll just have to handle it.”

  “Ellie,” Willow began, “we could all be jumping to conclusions here. Let’s see how the next few days go. It’s only Wednesday and the first wedding is Friday night. If we see that they are disruptive, we’ll have them escorted away from the ceremony.”

  A small nod was her only response. And as she looked down to study her hands that were demurely folded in her lap, she missed the shared glances between the three other women in the room.

  “I think that’s it for now,” Ari finally said. “I’ve got some calls to make so…um…we’ll all talk later!”

  If Ellie were a suspicious person, she’d swear everyone was running from the room – and from her. This damn situation with Harry was getting to her more than she wanted to admit and it was mentally exhausting.

  So he and his new fiancée were staying at Casa Blanca. So what?

  So there was a good chance she was going to run in to them. So what?

  And so there was an even better chance they were here to flaunt their happiness in her face.

  That last one stopped her cold. Sure it was annoying – no one wanted a blatant reminder that they’d been played for a fool – but was she jealous of them? No. Did she want to reconcile with Harry? Hell no. So then…

  Ego. It was just ego. And no matter how much Ellie rationalized it, it came down to her just not wanting to deal with this right now. Or ever. She thought that by moving away she was being the mature
one.

  She wished the rest of the players in this stupid game were acting the same way.

  Although…a small smile crossed her face as she made her way back to her desk. All of this sort of justified her grown-up version of hide-and-seek.

  Game on.

  ****

  In all the years Max had worked at Casa Blanca and dealt with the wedding girls, this was the first time they were being so…specific about what they needed for the areas of this weekend’s weddings.

  Comb the beach – which they always did.

  Trim the greenery around the area they used for outdoor ceremonies. Again, that was a given and something they did whether there were weddings planned for the weekend or not.

  He looked over the list Arielle emailed over to him and realized how not only was she specific about what was done, but also how she wanted him – specifically - doing it.

  Maybe they had some special clients this weekend so they were being overly cautious about preparations, but if memory served, they’d had celebrities and royalty here that never caused him to be so personally hands on. So what gives? According to this list, he was going to pretty much be on wedding detail as if he were part of their staff. He was just about to argue that point when it hit him.

  He was going to be on wedding detail as if he were part of their staff.

  Ellie.

  More time with Ellie.

  And with that, he called a meeting with his own crew in his office to go over their schedule through the weekend so that he was clear to spend the bulk of his time helping out Barefoot Brides.

  And Ellie.

  When everyone had their assignments and went back to work, Max leaned back in his desk chair and grinned. The weekend had been long and then Monday and Tuesday were business as usual around the resort. Now that he knew Ellie’s schedule – and now that he’d have a couple of days where he’d possibly be working closely with her – he’d have more of an opportunity to see if she’d like to go out with him after work one night. Or lunch. Hell, he’d settle for a mid-morning coffee with her if she were agreeable.