Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 92140 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 461(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92140 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 461(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
When I was ready, I walked over from the wedding barn to the inn’s lobby. No one had arrived yet, so I snuck past the front desk into the back hall where the admin offices were.
My dad’s door was open, and I poked my head in. “Hey.”
He looked up from his computer, his face easing into a smile that creased his cheeks and wrinkled his forehead, but I still thought he was the most handsome dad in the world. The gray in his hair brought out the sharp silvery-blue of his eyes, and nothing lit them up like a surprise visit from his wife or his girls. “Hey, Mills. You look nice.”
“Thanks.”
He closed his laptop. “Are your ears burning? I was just talking about you.”
“You were?”
“Yes. Frannie called and told me she saw you this morning and you were all fired up about maybe starting your own business.”
“Oh. Yeah.” I leaned against the doorframe. “It’s just a crazy idea right now.”
“Frannie didn’t think you sounded crazy.” He sat back in his chair and folded his arms over his chest. “Want to talk about it?”
“I do,” I said, glancing over my shoulder in the direction of the lobby. “But I don’t have time right now. Mason’s rehearsal is starting in a few minutes.”
“Oh, right.” My dad nodded slowly. “You feel okay about that?”
“Sure.” I looked at him quizzically. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“I don’t know. Winnie mentioned something about you feeling sort of down that the last few guys you’ve dated went on to get married pretty quickly.”
“Jesus.” I shook my head. “I don’t know why I tell her anything in confidence. It was no big deal—I was just in a mood.”
“Good. He didn’t deserve you. None of them did.”
I rolled my eyes. “Okay, Dad.”
“I’m serious. I know you’re the oldest and used to doing things first, but don’t you dare settle for someone less than worthy.” He pointed at me. “You are Millie fucking MacAllister, and you deserve the best.”
I laughed. “Spoken like a truly unbiased father. Anyway, I did a little research today, but I definitely need advice.”
“I’m always here for you.”
I blew him a kiss and left his office, heading back up the hallway toward the lobby. As I came through the door behind the reception desk, I noticed several people had gathered in front of the lobby’s large stone fireplace. Smoothing my blazer, I smiled at the employee working check-in, slipped around the desk, and approached the group.
I saw Lori standing with a couple I presumed to be her parents, a group of three young women that were likely bridesmaids, a couple guys that I recognized as friends of Mason’s, a little boy and girl darting behind the towering Christmas tree, and Mason himself, talking excitedly to a tall, broad-shouldered man who had his back to me. His father?
As I got closer, I felt a strange crackle in the air—almost an electrical current. The same shiver I’d felt earlier in the parking lot crept up my spine. Something about the man’s stance was familiar. The big shoulders. The salt-and-pepper hair. The back of his neck.
But there was no way.
Touching a hand to my jittery stomach, I kept walking, one heel in front of the other. Mason smiled when he saw me. “There she is. I was just talking about you. Mills, this is—”
At that moment, the man turned to face me.
I stopped dead in my tracks, my legs threatening to buckle. “Zach,” I said, before I could stop myself.
From the look on his face, I could tell he was just as shocked as I was. “Millie?”
“My father, Zach Barrett,” Mason finished, his voice trailing off. He looked back and forth between us. “Wait, you two know each other?”
The look that passed between Zach and me was quick and desperate. But just like in the hotel bar, somehow we agreed on the plan without a word. “This is a surprise,” he said, offering his hand.
I couldn’t believe how controlled his voice was. “It sure is,” I said, hearing the waver in mine.
“We met in New York about a month ago,” Zach explained to Mason while I numbly put my hand in his. No one saw how hard he squeezed it. “We were both stranded at the same hotel during the hurricane. We ended up talking at the bar.”
“Really?” Mason looked dumbfounded.
Lori came over, looking curious, and slipped her arm around Mason’s waist. “What’s going on?”
“Uh, Zach and Millie . . . know each other, I guess.” Mason cocked his head. “So you met in a hotel bar?”
“Yes,” I replied, gaining some equilibrium back. “In New York City, while I was there for the wedding planner expo. Actually, it’s a funny story.” I laughed nervously, putting my hands behind my back as if everyone might see that one was flaming hot because Zach had just touched it. “There was this terrible jerk who wouldn’t leave me alone, and Zach was kind enough to come to my rescue.”