Falling for the Best Man(3)
"I was laughing because the universe has a pretty strange sense of humor."
"W – what do you mean?"
"I was told the wedding planner would be here to meet me. I just never thought it would be you."
Emmy stared at him. "No."
"Yes." He stared back as he held out his hand, his amusement seeming to be in equal measure to her horror. "Wedding planner, meet the best man."
"It's not possible," Emmy insisted, as she waved the handwritten sign in front of his nose and tried to ignore the desperate edge in her voice. "The best man is Kit Sheppard. See, it's written right here. There's no mistake. Melinda even spelled it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to find him."
Christopher's lips were still twitching with amusement. "It's no trick. Back in the day, everyone called me Kit."
"What about the last name?" Emmy croaked as she vaguely recalled Kit hearing used as a nickname for Christopher. This was a disaster. It was also a cautionary tale on the perils of falling for someone you barely know, since it appeared they could turn up anywhere, with a different name and the same dark green eyes, all capable of turning a person's stomach to mush.
Oh, this was bad.
"Sheppard's my legal last name but … well, let's just say I was never a fan of it, so ever since I got my first byline I've been using my mom's maiden name. Henderson." His smile dimmed, as if a mask had slipped, but he quickly replaced it as he produced his wallet and showed her his driver's license. "Exhibit A."
Emmy stared back at a ridiculously good looking photograph before studying the name next to it. Christopher Sheppard.
She rubbed her brow in confusion. It didn't help that his overwhelming presence made it hard to think. And by "hard," she meant "impossible."
"I still don't understand. Melinda and Lewis live in California, along with the rest of the wedding party. How do you even know them?"
"Lewis and I have been friends since sixth grade. We both moved away for college, but have always stayed in touch."
"Oh." She was finally silent as she accepted that it was true: her weekend-stand from two-years ago and the best man were one and the same person.
And I've just promised a hysterical bride he can stay on the farm for the next four days. With me.
Bile rose in her throat.
How could this be happening to her? But, of course, she already knew the answer. It was like Pepper and Bec said-Emmy was always trying to keep the peace. It just didn't normally involve spending time with the one guy who had every right to despise her.
She took a deep breath. "Okay, we should get going. Do you need to collect your luggage?"
"I travel light. One of the perks of the job is that I have exceptional packing skills." He tapped the small bag slung over his shoulder.
"Of course." Emmy winced at the subtle visual evidence of just how much Christopher refused to stay in one place for too long. She stiffened her spine and reminded herself she was going to do whatever it took to save the farm, even force herself to look at his face when she told him where he was staying.
…
Christopher didn't normally have bad days. He'd long ago learned that if you wanted something to happen, you had to go out and do it for yourself. And that included being happy. However, having been stuck on a flight from Australia with an elderly non-stop talker in the next seat meant his head was pounding. And now he'd arrived in Connecticut only to discover the wedding planner who was collecting him was none other than Emmy Watson.
His brow furrowed.
It wasn't as if he'd spent the last two years pining for her, or living like a monk, but it still stung she'd left him standing at the airport with two tickets to Fiji and the knowledge they wouldn't be repeating the two hot nights they'd spent together.
Thankfully, whatever chemistry they'd shared was now long gone. Killed by her decision not to join him.
So, the fact I want to kiss her now is completely irrelevant.
He was focused on his next project.
His mood improved as he thought of the meeting in Hawaii he'd lined up for the following week. It was to talk with a production company about a television show that would let viewers see first hand some of the lesser-known adventures around the world. His agent, Trent had been pitching it for years, and now they finally had some interest.
There was only one small tweak the producers wanted to make. After being burned by too many bad-boy travel writers and celebrity chefs who had attracted the wrong kind of publicity, they wanted to be sure Christopher was family friendly. And the best way to do that was to show them he was in a committed relationship. In other words, he needed a pretend girlfriend.