Tara Randel - Orange Blossom Brides

She hadn’t known what to expect, since she’d never done anything like that before. Then Max walked by and the earth shifted. He stopped to talk to Nealy and the guy she’d come to hang out with. Then he glanced at Lilli. Their eyes met. Her stomach tilted and tipped. A slow smile spread over his lips, and he made his way over. Her inner flirt, which she didn’t even know existed, materialized. They bantered and teased. For the first time in her life, Lilli felt powerful and in control.

And when he kissed her? Let’s just say she’d experienced a little bit of heaven.

Lilli frowned down at the folder. This time her stomach burned with regret. Never in her wildest imagination had she thought she’d ever run into Max again. And when she did? He still held a grudge.

Against her better judgment, she opened the file to stare down at his photo again.

The young man in the picture had matured from the teen she remembered. The uniform and serious expression threw her off, because she still recalled him as the cocky guy who’d swept her off her feet. After years of hanging around country-club boys, she’d found Max’s bad-boy vibe very exciting and had fallen for his charm.

When the group of boys decided to throw firecrackers, which were illegal on the public beach, into the bonfire, her excitement level skyrocketed. Why had she missed out on all this fun? Her parents didn’t care about her. Why should she care about them? She had the attention of a cute guy and she’d never felt more alive.

Soon, firecrackers progressed to cherry bombs, with a few bottle rockets thrown into the mix. It wasn’t until she sat in the squad car, with the police chief calling her parents, that reality set in. Some wild girl she’d turned out to be.

After that night, especially when she’d been sent away to a new school, she’d had time to think. Her walk on the wild side had been reckless and breathtaking, but not practical. Not for the girl who made lists, planned out her future with exacting care, never expecting anything less than accomplishing it all. So she’d reverted back to dating the type of guys she knew were safe and drama-free.

She may not have seen Max again, but in the very depths of her soul, she never forgot him or the excitement of that night. And always wished she hadn’t told the police chief that Max was involved.

She closed the folder and started the car. Already late for work, she needed to get her mind on more serious matters. She drove to the office, thinking about the adult Max.

His choice of office dress was downright appalling, as if he’d thrown the idea of professionalism out the door. But she had gotten a whiff of his tangy cologne, which had affected her more than she cared to admit. And the way he’d needled her? She wanted to...to...scream.

She parked and hurried into the building, more than ready to get back to her desk and finalize her workload. An hour passed, and she should have been focused on the dog food account, but her mind kept going back to Max and their meeting in his office. He’d come across as annoying and rude. A pain in her...shoulder?

A constant poking brought her out of her snit.

“Earth to Lilli.”

Lilli shook her head to clear the images of Max superimposed over the graphics on her computer screen. “What?”

She blinked, having forgotten she sat at her work desk or that the intern’s current choice of hair color was a deep plum with streaks of pink. The outrageous do framed large hazel eyes and brought out the natural blush on the girl’s cheeks. With her wild hair, fun personality and desire to work hard, Jewel had become a welcome addition to the KLC family. Also a good friend.

At the lowest point in her life, Lilli only left her apartment to go to work, until her mother threatened to come over to cheer her up. Not happening. So she’d thrown on an oversize T-shirt, baggy shorts and flip-flops to wander downtown, window shopping to get her mind off the sad state of her life.

She hadn’t liked the lack of direction in her life, but couldn’t seem to drag herself out of her funk. The scent of freshly brewed coffee had snagged her attention as she passed Cuppa Joe, so she’d ventured in. After placing her order, she’d taken a seat on the couch located in the corner just as Jewel breezed in. Before Lilli knew it, Jewel had engaged her in conversation and somehow managed to drag Lilli, kicking and screaming, back into the real world. For that, Lilli would be forever grateful.

After the horrible night when Rob left her, she’d questioned herself and her decisions. She knew he’d have preferred she stay home rather than work. He’d wanted someone to take care of him and had seen her job as competition. They’d had a few arguments about her quitting, but she’d attributed that to the wedding stress as the date drew near. The night of the wedding rehearsal, he told her the truth. The excuses about her working were a ruse. He didn’t know what he wanted out of life, but knew he didn’t want to get married. At least, not to her. It had taken her two-point-five seconds to realize she couldn’t marry him, either. She’d finally found her identity after years of hiding in her parents’ shadows. Finally found peace with who she had become. She wasn’t going to give that up for any man.

If she did ever manage to fall in love, the man would have to prove to her, without a shadow of a doubt, that she came first in his life. Until then, her job gave her purpose, and when she’d found out about the promotion, she’d gone all-out after it.

The poking stopped. “You’ve been out of it all morning,” Jewel said. “Ever since you got back from your meeting. How about we take a break? Go get some lunch?”

“It’s lunch time already?” Lilli frowned. “I should skip. I haven’t gotten much done, and Jim needs my report by the end of the day. He’s finally on board with me going for the promotion and I can’t blow it. Not with Nate after the same job.”

And she wouldn’t. She had all the qualities to make a good account executive.

She had a bachelor’s degree in marketing. She was calm under pressure. Being well-organized and self-motivated was a plus when hunting for new clients. She communicated with skill, although her mother might argue that fact since Lilli couldn’t get Max to volunteer as a groom. And lastly, she worked well with others. A team player. Until she got placed on her mother’s team, apparently.

“What’s up with you, anyway? You’ve been here in body, but your mind is elsewhere.”

“Hmm? Oh, I have a lot of things to think about.” Like brides and grooms and handsome private-security consultants, to name a few.

“Your mom’s project?”

“For one. She’s got this list and committees and...way too much for me to handle while working full time. Did you know my mom has a volunteer committee working for her? Working for her! And still she wants me to handle all the little details. Has she ever heard of delegation?”

Jewel’s perfectly arched brow rose.

“Her lists are so detailed she must have spent hours putting them together. I have to admit, they’re almost better than mine, and that’s saying a lot. After seeing what she has in store for this show, I realize handling all this is a big deal.” Blowing out a breath, she rested her chin on her upraised hand, sure she conjured up a picture of pure dejection. “Can I run a fashion show and go after that promotion without messing up? Especially when there are others in the office after it, too?”

“If anyone can do this, you can. The timing is perfect. It’s been a year since, well, never mind. Look at this as your get-out-of-the-rut card.”

Lilli laughed. “I hadn’t looked at it that way.”

“You should. And it’s my job, as your friend, to be there for you. You know, to remind you to get out and have a life. To meet guys. Although I have to admit, you’ve been too picky in the men department, but I’ll keep on trying.”