One Week to the Wedding--An unforgettable story of love, betrayal, and sisterhood Read online

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Copyright © 2017 by Megan Leavell

  Excerpt from The Winter Wedding Plan © 2017 by Megan Leavell

  Cover design by Brian Lemus. Cover photography © Rebekah Westover. Cover copyright © 2017 by Hachette Book Group, Inc.

  Hachette Book Group supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

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  First Edition: June 2017

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  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Names: Miles, Olivia, author.

  Title: One week to the wedding : a women's fiction novel / Olivia Miles.

  Description: First edition. | New York : Forever, 2017. | Series: Misty Point

  ; 1

  Identifiers: LCCN 2017003011| ISBN 9781455567225 (softcover) | ISBN

  9781455567218 (ebook)

  Subjects: LCSH: Man-woman relationships--Fiction. | Weddings--Fiction. |

  BISAC: FICTION / Contemporary Women. | FICTION / Family Life. | FICTION /

  Romance / Contemporary. | FICTION / Romance / General. | FICTION /

  General. | GSAFD: Love stories.

  Classification: LCC PS3613.I53223 O54 2017 | DDC 813/.6--dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017003011

  ISBNs: 978-1-4555-6722-5 (trade pbk.), 978-1-4555-6721-8 (ebook)

  Printed in the United States of America

  LSC-C

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Also by Olivia Miles

  Reading Group Guide

  A Preview of "The Winter Wedding Plan"

  Chapter One

  The Winter Wedding Plan

  Briar Creek Series

  Newsletter

  To Avery

  Acknowledgments

  Thank you to my editor, Michele Bidelspach, for believing in my characters and storytelling and giving me the amazing opportunity to branch out into women’s fiction.

  To my agent, Paige Wheeler, thank you for the endless support and invaluable advice.

  Thank you to my copyeditor, Lori Paximadis; my production editor, Carolyn Kurek; and everyone at Grand Central who has a hand in polishing my books and making them shine.

  And thank you, as always, to my readers.

  Chapter One

  If there was one part of her job that wedding planner Kate Daniels struggled with most these days, it was the dress fitting. She used to enjoy these appointments, finding it a true perk to sit in a beautiful, sun-filled boutique, surrounded by breathtaking gowns made of satin, lace, or tulle. What wasn’t to love other than the occasional meltdown of a bride who hadn’t had much success with that crash diet, or the long, patience-testing afternoon spent with a bride who tried on every dress in the store—twice—and still couldn’t make a decision? The wedding dress was the focal point of the entire ceremony, a symbol of hope and happiness and dreams that had finally come true.

  Except not all dreams come true, Kate thought as she wrestled with the overstuffed silk pillow wedged behind her back. Her stomach roiled with bad memories, and she tried to stay focused on the reason she was here at all. Her best friend was getting married. She could have a good cry about her own misfortune when she went home, and if recent history proved anything, she probably would. But right now she would hold herself together, show her support, and not let her self-pity taint what should be a very special moment.

  “Do you need any help?” she called out. It would be easier to make herself useful, assist with a zipper or buttons or a train. Anything would be better than sitting on this too-stiff velvet love seat, trying not to let her gaze drift too far to the left, where another bride was trying on the very dress Kate had chosen for herself not so long ago, her girlfriends fawning over her selection.

  “I’m fine. I just…Well, let’s see what you think.” Elizabeth stepped out from behind the pink satin curtain of the dressing room wearing the classic strapless ivory ball gown she’d selected months back when William first popped the question to her, and despite the ache in her chest, Kate couldn’t help but smile.

  “You look stunning,” she whispered. She had known Elizabeth since they were five years old and placed next to each other in Ms. Richardson’s kindergarten class, bonding over their love of Barbie dolls and their mutual affection for Ken. She had been there every step of the way that had led to this day. How many summer afternoons had been spent twirling in their mothers’ lingerie, clutching dandelion bouquets, Elizabeth’s reluctant younger brother bribed with candy into playing the groom, even though he always took off across the lawn before the vows were complete.

  Elizabeth turned uncertainly in the gilded three-way mirror that anchored the small store. “I was planning on wearing my grandmother’s pearls, but now I think a necklace might be too much.”

  Kate nodded her head in agreement. “They’re too formal for a beach ceremony. Besides, the gown speaks for itself.” And it did. Some ball gowns could be heavy or overly formal, but this one gave just enough of a nod to the bride’s classic style while still feeling summery and light. With its low back and subtle details near the waistline, it was perfectly pretty; there was no other word for it.

  “I think you’re right.” Elizabeth scrutinized herself in the mirror and released a nervous breath. “I just want everything to be perfect.”

  Kate smiled tightly. Every bride said the sa
me thing. She’d said it herself at one time not so long ago.

  She frowned. It felt like a lifetime ago. In fact, it felt like another person altogether. Some strange alternate reality where she was the blushing bride pondering menus and color schemes and the band list. Now she was back to doing it for other people.

  “It will be perfect,” Kate said, standing up to fluff the back of the dress. “I’m seeing to it myself.”

  “You know why I’m so nervous, don’t you?” Elizabeth turned to face her properly, her eyes clouding over as her mouth thinned.

  Kate squeezed her friend’s shoulder, saying nothing. Elizabeth was still recovering from her first and only meeting with William’s family, which hadn’t gone very well. It had been a bit of a disaster, really, not that Kate would be saying that today. No need to bother with the wedding just a few days away!

  “I’m sure it will be different this time,” she assured her, even though she wasn’t so sure about that. “They were probably just surprised is all. You and William hadn’t dated very long,” she pointed out, not that an engagement after six months was entirely unheard of, though it was quick. Six months to plan a wedding on the other hand…that was rushing it a bit, if anyone asked her.

  “I’m just worried that they’ll come to town and make trouble. Especially William’s brother.” Elizabeth gave her a long look.

  Every wedding Kate planned had some element of familial tension, and in this case, the source was rooted with the best man. Oh, she’d dealt with her share of unruly wedding party members—groomsmen who hit the bar a little too hard during the cocktail hour, bridesmaids throwing hissy fits over their ugly dresses, mothers-in-law showing up in white—and Alec Montgomery was no different, really. Though she hadn’t met him yet, she knew enough about him to know that he’d show up and play the role as dutiful brother. He and William were close, after all. And society weddings didn’t leave room for public outburst or noticeable drama.

  No, that was usually left behind the scenes, she thought, chuckling to herself when she considered all she heard and saw.

  She checked the row of satin-covered buttons on the back of the gown, making sure none were loose. “You’ll be so caught up in the excitement of the day, you won’t even notice he’s there,” Kate assured her, knowing this was true. People claimed they barely remembered their wedding days, that it was all a blur. That it was too surreal to capture. Too overwhelming in its emotion.

  Kate released a soft sigh. Not that she would know firsthand. “I emailed with him a few times about the rehearsal dinner. He was very laid-back about the whole thing.”

  “Probably because he was too busy to care,” Elizabeth said. She shook her head as she stared at herself in the mirror. “I’m still amazed he even agreed to come to town for the bachelor party tonight, what with how glued to that office he is.”

  “Well, it’s a Saturday,” Kate said.

  Elizabeth turned to face her. “So? That man works seven days a week. William used to, too.” Elizabeth tutted as she took her veil from the sales associate and set it on her head. “I know I sound dramatic, or like some anxious bride, but I’m nervous, Kate. He really doesn’t like me, I can tell. It’s like I’m not good enough for him, or something. It’s hard enough knowing your new family doesn’t like you, but given how he disapproves of William marrying me or, should I say, marrying into my average American family, I wouldn’t put anything past him.”

  If it were any other bride, she’d chalk it up to high emotions, but Elizabeth was levelheaded and not prone to exaggeration. When she’d come back from Boston, weeping into her Chardonnay and recounted the chilly reception she’d received from William’s father and brother, Kate had known that there was no drama or enhanced details for the sake of telling a better story. Kate had seen the red flags then, braced herself for a time when William might call the whole thing off, but time moved forward and now she didn’t see that happening. William adored Elizabeth and their life in Misty Point. There was no reason to project her own disappointment onto her friend’s situation, even if there were some unsettling parallels.

  “You’ve been watching too many of those reality shows again,” Kate said now, and a sharp pain hit her at the thought of their beloved weekly tradition of wine and bad television and endless laughter. They’d been doing that in some shape or form all their lives, really. It was soap operas and pints of ice cream as teenagers—two spoons, no bowls—and later coffee and tabloid magazines. Once they hit their twenties, and even lived together for a brief time after college, it was wine and dating shows.

  Would that tradition end now that Elizabeth was getting married? Maybe not right away, but eventually…Elizabeth and William would want to start a family. They’d find other couples to hang out with. And Kate was single. Again. Maybe indefinitely. After all, there’d only been one real boyfriend in her entire life, and the whole town knew how that had ended.

  “If you’re referring to the season where Tiana, who was kicked off in episode one and had to be removed by ambulance for her hysteria, returned for the final flower ceremony and hovered ominously in the background, hiding behind a rosebush, then, okay, maybe I have been a tiny bit swayed.” Elizabeth laughed, but she soon frowned again. “I mean it, Kate. I’m worried. I can’t stop thinking about the way Alec just stared at me through that entire dinner. He doesn’t like me.”

  “Well, you’re not going to be best friends. It’s more common than you think.” Kate laughed nervously, wishing she could better disguise her growing alarm. There was no way that anything or anyone could upset this wedding. If that happened, Elizabeth wouldn’t be the only one in tears on Saturday. Kate would be crying all the way to the unemployment line. “It will be the happiest day of your life. I promise.”

  Elizabeth looked unconvinced. “If you say so.”

  “I do say so.” If she had any control over it, at least one of them would have the wedding day that she deserved. Kate turned her friend’s shoulders to face the mirror, admiring their reflection. “I still can’t believe you’re getting married,” she said, feeling that tug in her chest again.

  “Me neither,” Elizabeth said, her tone laced with wonder. Kate recognized the sound of it—the disbelief that all your dreams could actually be coming true. That years of hoping and waiting were over. That you could be so lucky. That your entire future was decided, and bright.

  It echoed the emotion Kate had felt once. She blinked quickly, then smoothed Elizabeth’s veil, trying to not think about everything that had happened instead.

  An hour later, Kate triumphantly scratched the final dress fitting from her to-do list and said goodbye to Elizabeth, waving cheerfully from her perch on the cobblestone steps outside the bridal salon. She held her smile until her friend was safely out of sight and then fell back against the wrought-iron railing with a frown. For months she had obsessed over every detail of this wedding—right down to spending an excruciating amount of time holding various invitation samples to the light to determine the closest shade of pink to the bridesmaid’s gowns—but not everything, she knew, could be controlled. An inebriated guest, she could handle. A sniffling flower girl, sure. But a stubborn man who didn’t support the wedding? He’d require a tight leash.

  And that was why she, as best friend, maid of honor, and wedding planner extraordinaire, was going to personally greet him upon arrival.

  But first, she had a haunted house to visit.

  * * *

  Bree was sitting behind the counter of Rose in Bloom when Kate reached the end of Harbor Street, the main drag in their small Rhode Island town. Even before her fingers could reach for the handle, she watched as her cousin shot up off her stool and darted to greet her.

  “Thank God you could make it,” Bree gushed, fumbling to turn the sign on the door to CLOSED.

  “That’s what cousins are for,” Kate said with a smile.

  “Well, I still can’t thank you enough. The thought of going into that house. Alone.” Bree shu
ddered as she turned the key on the shop door and dropped it back into the pocket of the denim jacket she wore every day from April through September. Even in the flower shop she owned and operated, she was rarely without it, claiming the refrigeration made her cold.

  Now, though, the shivering had nothing to do with the warm summer afternoon temperature and everything to do with Bree’s paternal grandmother’s house.

  “What are we checking on this time?” Kate asked as they walked down the block to Bree’s station wagon, a modern one, but still a purchase solely made for the sake of her flower deliveries.

  “It’s not supposed to rain, at least not according to the five-day forecast,” Bree explained.

  Kate climbed into the passenger seat. She could only hope that the weather held up until at least next Saturday. A hurricane could hit Sunday for all she cared. But for Elizabeth’s big day, the sun had to shine.

  “I need to air the place out for a bit.”

  “Does that mean in a few days you’ll be calling on me for a favor again?” Kate asked.

  Bree gave her a pleading look. Even though she was older by a year, she had always looked up to Kate. And Kate had taken her under her wing, welcomed her into the fold, away from her brother and strictly boy cousins on Bree’s other side of the family. A rowdy lot from which Bree clearly needed saving.

  Kate laughed. “Fine. You know I’m always here for you when you need me.”

  Bree gave her a small smile. “And you know I’m always here for you, too.”

  Kate looked away before she turned emotional. Bree, like Elizabeth, had always been there for her. And that was why today, her first Saturday off in more than a month, Kate was choosing to help both of them out rather than grab her towel and hit the beach.

  Rose Callahan’s house was not far from the center of town, but too far to walk. Still, they arrived within minutes and, as usual, sat in the driveway with the talk radio that Bree preferred filling the car.

  Finally, because time was a tickin’, Kate said, “So, ready to go in?”

  Bree drew a long breath. “I wish I didn’t have to.”