"Just keep your tongue in your mouth," I snapped. "Drooling in Vera Wang is not acceptable."
"Sheesh," was all he said, but he didn't ogle the other girls.
Finally, dresses were chosen and the fittings were complete. I hugged each of my coworkers, thanking them for agreeing to be part of my big day.
"Are you frickin' kiddin' me?" Nikki asked, popping a fresh piece of gum into her mouth. "We're going to Vegas. For your wedding. To him." She pointed appreciatively in Lucas's direction. "This is going to be the best weekend ever."
"Right?" Lucas asked, his eyes sparkling. I shot him a glare, and he coughed, looking down and inspecting the carpet. I made a mental note not to let him have wine at lunch again.
Everything was happening so fast. The girls all had airline tickets booked for Friday, so we could meet in Vegas for the rehearsal dinner that night, followed by the ceremony the next day. They were all abuzz with excitement. Even Mina was caught up in it, hugging me and each of my bridesmaids as if we were her new best friends. By the time we left, we'd spent over a hundred thousand dollars on dresses and rush tailoring fees.
I guess we were her new best friends.
Exhausted, I practically staggered out of the salon, but Lucas seemed triumphant. He threw his arm around me as we headed down the sidewalk. "I like your friends," he said.
I sniffed. "I noticed."
"Aw, Blakey, don't be sour. It's our wedding," he said, teasingly using Nikki's nickname for me. He seemed positively upbeat. "Besides, we have to go home and get dressed up for our engagement pictures. So you need to lighten up."
"Fine," I said. We started through the park, but I was so shopped-out, I was immune to the beauty of the flowering trees and the smiling children riding the swan boats.
"Wait a minute," Lucas said. "I need to talk to someone." He headed over to a tree that was shading an older man, who was surrounded by bags. "Herman," Lucas said, reaching down and shaking his hand. "It's a beautiful day."
"Always is, big guy," Herman said. "How're you doing?"
Lucas put his arm around me and pulled me against his side. "I couldn't be better. I'm getting married."
"No shit," Herman said. "To her?" He motioned toward me.
"This is Blake Maxwell. Blake, this is Herman Pace. He's an old friend."
"Who're you calling old?" Herman asked. He struggled to his feet and gave me a stately nod. "It's a pleasure, Ms. Maxwell. Congratulations." He looked back and forth between us. "I'm expecting the future holds good things for you two. Both of you with nice smiles like that."
"Thank you," I said, touched.
"We're going out of town for a while," Lucas said. "I'll have Ian come check on you. And here's this." Lucas handed him a card. "Take care."
"Thank you,” Herman said. "And congratulations!"
Lucas kept his arm around me and headed toward The Stratum. "Who was that? What did you give him?"
"Herman Pace is a retired air force captain, who now happens to live in the park," Lucas said. "I met him at a function my mother was hosting to raise money for homeless veterans. The man's brilliant."
"So you've… stayed in touch with him?" I asked, surprised by this side of Lucas. "You visit him?"
He shrugged. "I tried to convince him to come work for me, but he likes being retired. Then I tried to buy him a condo, but he prefers the nomadic lifestyle. So I give him gift cards to local restaurants to make sure he eats. In the winter, Ian and I check in and make sure that he goes to the shelter when it's freezing out. Even though he hates to."
I felt touched. "Why do you do that?"
"I like him." Lucas squeezed my hand. "So you see, even though it didn't say so in that Globe article, I'm not a completely heartless bastard with the appetite of a zombie. And I can't let my sister have all that money. She can afford plenty of oxygen facials with just half. The other half's going to charity, like my mother would have wanted."
"Why didn't she just say that in her will?"
"She wanted to trust us. To act like adults and make the right decision." He checked his watch. "We have to hurry. Are you ready for your close-up?"
I nodded. "I'm ready for anything." That might have been a lie, but the more I got to know Lucas, the more I wanted to believe it was true. For once.
LUCAS