Chapter Thirteen

Wyatt hummed along to the radio beside her. The sun was getting lower in the sky behind them as late afternoon set in. Familiar street signs flew by on either side of them. After replaying every moment of the afternoon in her head, she’d had no idea how late it had gotten or when they’d crossed into the city limits. They’d already been driving for an hour and were quickly approaching her office downtown.

Neither of them had said a word since they’d left Dawson Manor, and, honestly, even before that. Even as Georgina and Dani discussed possibilities, he’d remained surprisingly quiet. She wanted to ask him what he thought beyond the winks and smiles and thumbs up.

She didn’t know when it had happened, but she’d actually come to value his opinion. She wanted him to like her ideas.

“Well?” he asked, finally breaking the silence between them.

“Well what?”

“I could practically hear the gears grinding in your head for the last hour, and I’m pretty sure you were staring at me just now.”

Crap. It was one thing to watch him silently. It was another to get caught. Her face warmed, and she stared down at her hands. “Aren’t you going to tell me what you thought?”

“I thought you didn’t care what I think.”

“I don’t,” she muttered, trying to convince herself more than him. Not that it mattered. She’d already admitted the truth to herself. “Would you just tell me already?”

Wyatt didn’t answer immediately but pulled into one of the few empty parking spots near her office. He put the truck in park. “You really want to know?”

She nodded.

After a long second’s hesitation, he cut the engine and turned himself in his seat to face her. Tori did the same, mirroring him on the opposite side of the cab. He raked a hand through his hair, like the next words he was about to say pained him.

Tori held her breath, waiting for the blow.

“I thought it was incredible.”

“Really?”

“You had all your bases covered, and you made sure it would appeal to both mother and daughter. I don’t think I would have changed a single thing, and it will definitely be an event fit for their family legacy.”

Air rushed from her lungs in one hard gust. “Oh thank goodness! I was so scared you’d hate it.” It was more than she’d wanted to admit, but her lips seemed to have loosened along with the rest of the tight muscles in her body. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I was just processing it all. I don’t want this to come out the wrong way, but up until now your work has just been a bunch of pictures on the internet to me. But seeing it in person like that and you so organized and put together was a whole different story. You were amazing, totally in your element, and I think it was hitting me just how big a threat you could be to my business.”

“It’s not always like that.” She’d never had to work so hard to have every last detail ironed out before she’d even signed a client, and she admittedly may have gone a tad overboard trying to convince them she was the best woman for the job. “These were…special circumstances.”

“Meaning you wanted to kick my pitch’s butt.”

She shrugged. “Maybe just a little.” At least that was what she’d wanted a week ago. To prove to Wyatt and the Bedlands and everyone else in this town that she belonged here in this competition, and not just because of who her mother was. But today she was happy just knowing that she’d done a good job and impressed even herself.

“Well, you probably succeeded. I mean, you even had caterers there ready with a full menu to sample after we got back from the tour of the grounds.”

“Yeah. It had seemed like a great idea when I thought of it, but now I’m thinking it might have been a little overkill.”

“It was brilliant,” he argued. “Not only was the food delicious, but you sent everyone home with full, happy stomachs. They couldn’t have hated it even if they wanted to. You should be proud of what you did today.”

“Thank you.”

Sunlight filled the truck’s cab, lighting Wyatt’s face with a golden hue. He was every bit as handsome as he’d been the first time she saw him, and her stomach still fluttered just looking at him. Only instead of the electric tingle of attraction she’d felt spreading through her before, it now felt more like slowly submerging into a warm bath. The heat that filled her was gentle, comforting. Familiar. Without meaning to, she’d let him become someone to her. Someone she liked. Someone she wanted more of in her life.

His eyes did a similar perusal but stopped when they landed on hers. “Can I ask you something?”

She nodded, wanting nothing more than to stretch this moment out a little bit longer.

“Did you always want to be a wedding planner?”

“I did, actually. My mom and dad had this huge wedding planning business they’d started in Atlanta, and as a kid, I used to hang out there a lot and help when I could. I’d grown to love it so much that I dreamed of working there with them and someday taking it over myself. But then my dad passed, so my mom sold the business. I started college, and Mom decided she wanted to start fresh too. She moved to Bedland Shores and eventually started up Planned to Perfection. She asked me to come help her, but I’d already graduated and started working for one of the best firms in the city.”

“How did you feel about taking over your mom’s new business?”

She scrunched her face in a wry smile. “I’m still not sure I can live up to my mom’s name. I’m strong at the planning side, fitting the puzzle pieces until I have the whole, perfect picture. But I had no idea how much I’d enjoy running my own business. It’s a puzzle of its own. Even though they were hard, I’ve honestly loved the last few weeks, figuring it all out.”

“And now you’re on the verge of landing your first huge client.” His gaze was warm and unwavering on hers. “I could tell the night we met that you were an amazing woman, Tori, but even I didn’t realize just how much until today.”

Heat pooled in her cheeks. The low timbre of his voice was unusually thick, his eyes intent on hers, and she thought for sure he was about to say more.

His brow furrowed, the same look he’d given her when they met outside her office earlier that day. And, now that she thought about it, last night in the freezer section and while sitting in the back of his truck.

“Why do you do that?”

He blinked, the wrinkles on his forehead smoothing out. “Do what?”

“Look at me like that. Like you’re trying to solve the world’s hardest math problem. Is there something on my face?” Her fingers brushed her cheek, and she pulled down the visor mirror. “So help me, if I’ve had lipstick on my teeth or ink on my chin this whole time and no one told me…”

He chuckled. “No, it’s nothing like that. I just—” The edges of his lips curved downward as his focus grew. “I can’t figure them out.”

“Figure what out?”

“Your eyes.”

“My…” She checked them once in the mirror, but she found nothing out of the ordinary. Not even allergy-related redness as far as she could tell. “They’re just eyes. What’s there to figure out?”

He shook his head. “Okay, this is going to make me sound really creepy.”

She doubted there was anything he could say to color her opinion of him now. Well, unless it was something along the lines of wanting to harvest them for his own private collection or something. “Try me.”

“Okay.” He sucked in a deep breath. “The first time we met, I thought your eyes were the prettiest blue I’d ever seen in my life.”

Tori bit her lip to keep from smiling. He was practically sweating he looked so nervous, and she’d half thought he was going to say something embarrassing. But this was just plain sweet. “Really?”

He nodded. “I remember the exact moment I noticed them. We were sitting on the grass at the baseball park, and your eyes were so bright and clear compared to the dark sky above us. Like two tiny specks of day in the middle of the night. But ever since then, every time I see you, your eyes are green. At first I thought maybe it was just a trick of the light or whatever color you wore. Then last night I started thinking maybe I’d dreamed the whole thing. But now…” A small grin softened his face.

“Now what?”

“Now they’re the same blue as the night we met.”

She looked in the mirror one last time. Sure enough, her eyes were a light, sky blue. Just like he’d described them. “Huh.”

“Huh? Your eyes can actually change color and all you say is huh?”

“It’s not that big of a deal.” He made her sound like some kind of genetic mutant or something. “And they don’t change color, not really.”

“Then why do they keep looking different? Are they green? Blue? What?”

“Actually, they’re gray.”

“Gray?”

She nodded.

“But that sounds so…”

“Bland? Boring?”

“Trust me, in no way could you be considered bland or boring. So why the back and forth then?”

“They look different colors based on how I’m feeling.”

He snorted. “Sounds like all those romance novels where you read about the characters’ eyes lighting up or darkening with desire.”

Tori’s head tilted as one corner of her mouth lifted.

“My sister listens to audiobooks in the office.”

She tried to imagine him working at his desk while bombarded by romantic commentary, and the picture only made her smile grow. “Yes, it’s kind of like that, though mine is more when I’m happy or sad. Not so much with the, uh, desire.”

“Pity.”

Her heart started racing, and she had to clear her throat just to speak. “There’s real scientific backing to it, something to do with pigment placement and eye dilation that changes based on emotions,” she went on, ignoring the urgent rat-a-tat-tat in her chest. “My dad used to call them his lie detectors. He knew if they looked blue, then I was happy. Sometimes they would even have a little bit of gold when I felt so happy I could burst. And he could always tell when I was upset because my eyes would look this dark green.”

“Makes sense. I don’t think they’ve ever looked as dark as they did outside the Bedlands’ house.” There was a heaviness to his words, turning the statement into an unasked question.

Her finger traced circles over the fabric covering her thigh. “I was surprised…and a little disappointed.” The shock of realizing he was her competition, that that was all he ever could be, hit her again. It was only an echo compared to the impact of that day, and yet it was still louder than she could bear.

“Only a little?”

She shook her head. If she were honest with herself, she’d been heartbroken. She still was deep down.

“But,” he muttered, drawing her attention up from her lap. His smile was soft as he stared intently into her eyes. “Today they’re blue.”

“Yes. Today they’re blue.” She inhaled deeply then let it go, allowing the warmth in his voice to soothe her. “And I’m happy.”

“You should be. I meant everything I said. You should be proud. And, honestly, I feel like I should save myself the pain of rejection and go ahead and throw in the towel now.”

“Don’t you dare. How can I know that I’ve really beaten you if you give up now?” It was meant as a joke. Mostly. But she also needed to know that she’d gotten the job fair and square. That she’d earned it. “Besides, now that I can finally relax, I’m dying to know what you’ve come up with.”

“Dying, huh?” He chuckled. “Does that mean you’d want to come with us tomorrow?”

“Oh no. I couldn’t do that. It’s your thing. I don’t want to put you out.”

“You wouldn’t be putting anybody out. Plus, now that I’ve seen yours, it’s only fair to show you mine, right?” That smirk that both flustered and excited her to no end was back. That thing was sure to get her into some real trouble one of these days.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m more than sure, I promise.”

She bit her lip. She’d already seen what he could do on a small beach with an even smaller budget, and she really was curious what he could do with unlimited funds. “Okay.”

“Great. I guess if your eyes are blue again tomorrow, that means you like it.” His brows drew together, creasing his forehead as he pursed his lips. “Or would blue eyes tomorrow mean it’s awful and you’re happy because then you’ll get the job?”

For the first time that night, she didn’t have an answer. She wanted this gig just as much as ever, but not at the expense of his pride and confidence. Or whatever this unconventional bond was between them. “I’m honestly not sure anymore.”