Free Kiss the Bride by Lori Wilde

Evan’s office. The man from her mysterious vision.
    Why did she keep thinking about him?
    She liked well-groomed, well-bred men. Not scruffy, tough guys who stared at her as if they could see every thought that passed through her head.
    Even now, just recalling the way his dark eyes had stared at her caused Delaney’s body to tingle.
    She shivered. She didn’t like feeling this way. It upset her equilibrium. And she had spent her life putting on a calm face. Passive nonresistance had taken her this far in life, and she was sticking with it.
    Forget the guy. He’s just an illusion. An image of masculine perfection you’ve conjured in your own mind. Focus on the job at hand. This is what you want. Your own base of clients and referrals, so you can prove to your mother that you don’t need her interfering in your life.
    Although it was just a small step, this new project represented the freedom she’d longed for, but had just been too afraid to reach out and grab. Winning this contract was a huge deal for her, and she wasn’t going to let the memory of some studly guy she’d briefly brushed up against distract her from her goal.
    She longed to make her business something special. Something that was hers alone, but until now she’d been floating along, just letting her mother make things happen for her. Taking the path of least resistance. It was her pattern.
    Delaney crossed the bridge onto Galveston Island and traveled the main thoroughfare. At the next red light, she consulted her notes for the correct address. Lucia’s place was several blocks north of the beach.
    When she turned onto Seawall Boulevard, the sight of the Gulf of Mexico made her smile. Her mother hated Galveston, with its scandalous island history and touristyatmosphere, precisely the two things Delaney loved most about the town.
    She found the adorable old Victorian residence without any problem. The lawn, while trimmed short, was not landscaped with any particular design in mind. A hedge here, a flower bed there, a clump of coconut-bearing palm trees thrown in.
    The house was painted an outdated color of canary yellow and trimmed in powder blue. Wind chimes dangled from the porch and pink flamingos decorated the yard. Whimsical, kitschy, and cute, but definitely not for the more upscale clientele willing to pay top dollar for an island retreat. Delaney took out her notebook and jotted:
work on curb appeal.
    She parked in the driveway beside a white ten-year-old American-made sedan and hurried up the sidewalk. Before she even had a chance to knock, the door was thrown open, revealing Trudie Klausman dressed in a pink Bermuda shorts set and a bright red fedora and beside her stood a kind-faced woman in her early seventies. She wore a floral-print housedress covered with a well-worn, faded blue gingham apron.
    The sight of the woman conjured images in Delaney’s mind of chocolate chip cookies and pastries made from scratch with loving hands. Lucia looked like the grandmother Delaney had always longed for, but never had. Her mother’s mother had died before Honey had even married her father. And her father’s mother had been infirm with a debilitating illness, living the remainder of her years in a private care facility. Delaney had never known her grandmother when she’d been spry and healthy.
    “It’s so good to see you,” Trudie said. “This is my friend Lucia. Lucia, meet Delaney Cartwright.”
    She held out her hand to Lucia, but the elderly woman ignored her outstretched palm and instead enveloped her in an embrace that smelled like vanilla extract and lavender soap. “Welcome to my home, Delaney. It’s so nice to meet you. Trudie’s told me so many wonderful things about you.”
    A glow of warmth at the woman’s friendliness stole through her. After meeting Lucia, she wanted the job more than ever. “Thank you, Mrs. Vinetti. I’m honored that you’re considering hiring All the World’s a Stage.”
    “Please, call me