the faintest look of smugness on his face.
“We’ve worked together before and that proved beneficial.”
“That’s not a positive,” she told him and was rewarded by seeing his face fall. It was only for a moment, and only someone who knew his features intimately would have noticed it.
“Whatever you’re being paid by that little business, I’ll double.”
Renee stood up. Carter got to his feet, too. She didn’t like the way he’d insulted her business, as if only a huge company like his was worthwhile. Pointing out that his father had begun the huge empire would have been a waste of breath.
“Money,” she said. “You think you can find my price, and I’ll just return to Hampshire Publications.” She shook her head, a satisfied smile edging the corners of her lips up. “I’m not for sale, Carter. And especially not to a Hampshire.”
Her last wedding. Renee watched as the new Mr. and Mrs. took their places on the dais as the reception began. Everything about the wedding had been technically correct.
Renee had had no complaints, hadn’t had to talk anyone down from a frantic rethinking of what marriage meant. She’d had no supplies arrive late, no mishaps with the bride’s gown, no groom needing to be reminded of when and where to stand and no issues with any of the bridesmaids. The mothers of both the bride and groom complimented Renee’s efficiency. Everything was going like clockwork. For a wedding consultant, it was nirvana—the type of execution they lived for. Perfect. The bride beamed and the groom’s smile was from ear to ear. It was exactly the swan song she wished for.
But all that efficiency did was leave her time to think about Carter. She’d tried for the last three years to put him out of her mind. She’d thought she’d done it. That was, until she’d seen him sitting at the dinner table last night. Her heart had thudded against her ribs so hard she’d thought he would be able to hear it.
It was frightening that he knew where she would choose to stay. The only reason she wasn’t at the Westley was because Weddings by Diana had an unoccupied guesthouse available. They used it for brides who were from out of town and needed a place to dress before the ceremony. Occasionally, brides came into New York to check out accommodations. The guesthouse was part of some of the high-end packages.
Renee had allowed Carter to believe she was at the Westley. She’d even gotten on the elevator, but only ridden it to the mezzanine. After ten minutes she’d slipped out the back entrance and taken a taxi to the guesthouse.
A burst of laughter brought Renee back to the festivities. The bride and groom were laughing, yet the love in their eyes as they looked at each other was visible. Renee felt her own eyes mist over. For a moment, she saw herself as the bride and Carter as her groom. She blinked, shaking the image free. It was time to go.
Her last act was to let the bridal party know she was leaving and to make sure there was nothing left undone. Renee’s smile was wide as she congratulated the couple, said her goodbyes and started the walk back to the car that would return her to the Brides by Diana guesthouse.
She hadn’t thought she’d be as emotional as she’d been throughout the day. Maybe it was because she knew it was her last wedding. She’d even repeated the vows to herself as the minister spoke them. Or maybe it was her mixed feelings about the changes ahead. Although she was excited about the magazine, there was also a certain amount of fear in her mind.
She also thought of Carter and Blair, and their question about her feelings on weddings drifted into her mind. As she’d listened to the couple’s vows, they seemed to have more weight than in the past. Did it have anything to do with Carter suddenly reappearing in her life?
There was a time when she’d entertained the thought of marriage. She’d fantasized about it, but that’s as far as it had gotten. Even after moving to Princeton, seeing all the brides in their gowns made her imagine walking down the aisle with Carter.
It was safe, she told herself—she was leaving New York in a couple of days, regardless of what she’d said to Carter. She’d be back occasionally, and it was inevitable that they would meet at the same events. But Renee would be able to see him across a room and not have her heart jump.
Carter had changed. Gone was that boyish quality that used to vie for dominance on his face. His expression was more serious than before. His hair was shorter and the mustache that used to tickle her nose had been replaced with a clean-shaven look. He’d been on the basketball team in high school and college, and his body today still had the lean hardness of a twenty-year-old.
Renee wondered where he’d been for the last few years. He’d blown her off as if she were nothing to him. So why was it she still felt as if there was some unfinished business that needed closure? Carter had told her there was nothing between them. And there wasn’t. They’d never gotten to the point where things change for better or worse. The place where you decide if you want to step over a line, or you realize the relationship has no place to go.
He hadn’t waited for that moment. Carter knew earlier than the launch. And he’d spared her from any further involvement. At least, that’s what she’d told herself. So what now? Why was her mind stuck on him and when she’d see him again? She thought their discussion last night would have discouraged him from trying to convince her to return to work at Hampshire.
Yet he’d called her cell phone during the ceremony and insisted on meeting with her at her hotel. No doubt he’d gotten the number from Blair. If she’d had time to banter with him, Renee would have refused the meeting. But in the back of her mind she knew she wanted to see him.
Back at the guesthouse, Renee changed from the suit she’d worn to the wedding. She wanted Carter to see her in control, happy with herself and commanding her own future. She put on a straight red dress and added a pearl necklace and matching teardrop earrings. She swung her hair up and to the side, anchoring it with a wavy pearl comb. Checking her image in the mirror, she left the town house in time to meet him in the hotel lobby.
Carter arrived through the revolving door just as she stepped off the elevator and waited. It was all she could do to keep her breath from leaving her body. The contrast of his dark suit and white shirt emphasized his skin. She took in the broadness of the shoulders she used to lay her head on. If he’d gained an ounce in three years, she’d need a microscope to find it. He started toward her. Renee remembered his easy gait, the confidence that wrapped around him like a second skin.
What hadn’t changed was his smile. White teeth gleamed at her, and try as she might, she had to return it. He stopped two feet away. Despite her five-foot-five-inch frame and the heels that raised her up four additional inches, she still had to look up at him to see his face.
“You look beautiful,” he murmured. It was a whisper, so low she barely heard it.
Renee felt the rush of heat flush her cheeks.
“Thanks. You’re quite the figure, too.”
He moved a step closer to her. Renee instinctively knew he planned to embrace her. The thought made her both excited and scared.
Taking a step back, she said, “Don’t.”
Carter stopped. “I was only going to kiss your cheek. Isn’t that what friends do? And we’ve known each other for years.”
“No, we haven’t.” She shook her head. “We’re strangers.”
“Strangers?” Carter’s brows rose.
“You’ve been gone for three years. For all I know, you could be married with three children. The same could be true of me. So we are strangers. You’ve changed. I’ve changed. We’re not the same people we were three years ago. You wouldn’t hug someone you’d just met. So consider me that someone.”
Carter took a step back. For a long moment he stared at her as if assessing who this new