Ella“What happened?” Ella whispered, her hand going to her mouth as she stepped forward to inspect the rags. The dress was completely ruined. Even if it hadn’t been ripped in over a dozen places, there were black stains that would never come out of the once cream-colored fabric.“They lost my dress on the runway. The plane ran over it.” The woman's voice was surprisingly steady, as if she still didn't quite believe it herself. She let out a half-hearted chuckle. “So much for the billionaire service, right?”Ella admired the woman's attempt at humor, even as the chuckle twisted into a sob.“They tried to tell me that it wasn't a big deal, but...” She picked up a corner of the blackened dress and a piece of lace fluttered to the ground. Her hand shook and for a moment Ella was afraid that the woman was going to completely break down. Ella certainly knew that she would collapse in this situation.Ella quickly put her hand on the woman's shoulder and turned her away from the dress. “We'l
JaceJace walked along the lake shore with quick, long strides. He was used to walking fast. In the business world, there was always someone to catch up to and someone to outrun. Life was a competition and only the strong and the fast survived.He sighed. He needed to find a way to stop thinking like that. Madelyn was always telling him that he was becoming more and more like his father. He hated that. His father was a workaholic with no time for his wife or family. A brilliant businessman, but not a good parent and a terrible husband. Jace wanted to be better than his father. It was part of why he was going all out for Madelyn's wedding. The fact that he was putting in so much effort annoyed his father to no end.He paused on the path, glancing around at the carefully manicured lawn and trees surrounding the lake. He hoped he hadn't missed it. He was looking for the small gazebo, the one Ella had mentioned last night. She had said the path was near the main gazebo, but so far he hadn
JaceNo one had ever had this kind of effect on him. He felt as giddy as a twelve-year old with his first crush, a feeling he hadn’t experienced in over fifteen years. He’d dated plenty of beautiful women, but none of them ever made his brain fog quite like this. It wasn’t just her looks or her sexuality that made his heart race. It was something so much more.“I'm sure you'll be glad when it's all over,” she murmured. “I saw the bride this morning, by the way. She's beautiful.”“That she is,” Jace agreed. “This is all for her. If I had my choice, I'd get married with just an officiant and immediate family. Maybe even just elope.”“Really?” Ella sounded surprised. Her eyes went out to the lake and she bit her lip. Good lord, the things he wanted to do with that lip.“Yes, really.” The idea of Ella and him at a chapel in Vegas popped into his mind, and for the first time he wasn't put off by the idea. “I don't want any of these crowds and white or off-white roses.”“Me too,” Ella agree
EllaElla didn't just run to her stepmother's office. She sprinted.It wasn't just the text simply stating “Office. Now.” that made her run. No, that would have gotten a fast pace walk, maybe a light jog. It was Jace that made her run. She had come so close to kissing him. Again.Her cheek still sizzled from his touch. His hand had felt so damn good on her skin. The simple act of him tucking hair behind her ear had sent her heart to pounding so hard she was surprised she hadn't passed out. It had felt so good...He's getting married tomorrow. To Madelyn. Ella reminded herself.It hurt to think it. He couldn't have been leaning forward to kiss her. That was her imagination. He was just a great guy who she shouldn't feel anything for. Because he was getting married at her inn tomorrow and she was a professional.Which is why she ran. She had to. If she had actually kissed him, if she had let her own emotions take control... She could have ruined everything. No one would ever go to a pla
EllaElla knocked on the bridal suite door, hoping that her knock sounded more confident than she felt. The initial shock of excitement had quickly worn off as she changed. The dress pants she now wore didn't fit quite right and she was fairly certain that the blouse was so old that it was close to being back in style, but they were the only “nice” clothes that she owned. It had taken her nearly ten minutes of staring bleakly into her tiny closet wishing something new would show up before she had given up and put on what she had. Tomorrow, she would have to ask Allison if she could borrow something. Maybe one of Maria's daughters had something...The door swung open and Madelyn beamed at her. The tears were long gone and her makeup replaced. She looked radiant and happy. Just as a bride should. Jace would be happy to know his future bride was no longer upset.“Thank heaven you're here!” Madelyn exclaimed, reaching out and pulling her into the bridal suite.Ella nearly didn't recognize
JaceBeautiful.That was the only word that Jace could think of to describe what he had just seen. Even as Ella fled, spilling champagne all over the carpet, she was stunning. He didn't know it was possible for someone to be so breathtakingly lovely.He looked at the three women staring at him, trying to figure out why Ella had just run from the room. They all shrugged at him, concern filling their eyes.“Hey, Cousin. Madelyn is in there with her. She'll be fine.” Clarissa asked, settling back on the couch. He was surprised she could find it given the amount of tissue paper filling the room. “What's up?”“Just coming up to check in on Madelyn,” he replied. He had always like Clarissa. She was one of the few people that Jace was actually glad to have at the wedding. “What are you all doing for lunch?”“We have a tea service planned for this afternoon,” Clarissa told him. She crossed her arms. “No boys allowed.”Jace was instantly transported back in time to when the three of them were
Ella“Are you sure I should be wearing this?” Ella asked, straightening one of the oversized purple sequins on the dress Madelyn had her wearing. The bride had insisted that Ella join them on her bachelorette party.“Yes,” Gwen answered, putting the finishing touches on her lipstick in the bathroom mirror beside her. “You're coming with us, so you need to dress like it.”“It's just so... sparkly.” Ella looked in the mirror and needed sunglasses. Purple sequins the size of silver dollars flashed and gleamed on the strapless, tight dress. “I feel like a disco ball.”“A sexy disco ball,” Gwen corrected. She handed Ella a tube of lipstick. “Here, put this on. It'll look great on you.”“It's a bachelorette party,” Clarissa added stepping into the bathroom. Her hair and makeup was already flawless, but she messed with it anyway. “We're all supposed to look like sexy objects tonight.”“What sexy object are you?” Gwen asked, looking at her in the mirror. “A wine glass?”Clarissa's dress was b
EllaIt was the day of the wedding and Ella had more to do than she had time. The morning was flying by and she was just glad she had stopped drinking the night before when she did. The caterers were going to be late, the seating wasn't set up like it was supposed to be, the flowers were arriving an hour early, and the gardener forgot to turn off the sprinklers to the outdoor reception area. Despite all of that, Ella was excited. Those things could be handled. The wedding would go on, and even if they weren't exactly perfect, she could fix just about anything.She pushed the loose tendril of hair that had escaped her pony-tail as she knelt next to a chair for the bridal table. She was in the main reception hall, getting everything ready for the big party after the wedding. She pinned the bow to the back of the chair a little tighter, knowing there would be a breeze later on with the doors to the courtyard open.Chair decorations. Who would have thought that chairs needed to be decorat