One-Off Page 7

  “And the other project as well.”

  He was talking about the wedding. For a moment it gave me hope that I wouldn’t have to continue with this wedding planning torture. “They don’t want to go through with it?”

  “The way they’re fighting, I honestly don’t know.”

  I shook my head and sighed. This wasn’t their first field reporting trip together, but it was certainly the most stressful. That it kept them from planning the finer details of their own wedding probably wasn’t helping. “Let me talk to them, please.”

  He left the screen and came back a minute later with Dallas first. Her face lit up when she saw me. That was one thing about Dallas. There was no confusing how much she cared when she liked someone.

  “Hi, bestie,” she crooned at the webcam. “I’m so happy to see your pretty freckled face.”

  “How’re you, Dallas?”

  “It’s hard. We’re doing what we need to do, but it’s still really hard. Colin’s beyond stressed, and he’s being a butt about it.”

  “Van said you guys aren’t really clicking. Is everything okay? Do you still want to go through with it?”

  “With what?” Her face showed her confusion. “The project? Yes. It’s going to be amazing, Skye.”

  “No.” I hesitated but decided I had to ask about the wedding. “What we’re planning for you.”

  “Oh, God, yes, yes, it’s just a thing we’re having right now. It’s tough right now. He’s not in control, and I can’t be part of the planning with you, but we need to keep the date.”

  I sat back and breathed out. I wasn’t sure which answer I wanted her to give me. It would be easier if we didn’t have to keep planning this wedding, but it would be a rash decision. Almost as rash as their plan to get married after dating two months and the decision to wed only a month after getting engaged.

  “How’s it going? Did you get everything on Gary’s list?”

  “So far, yes. The first caterer was a disaster and the florist didn’t have what you needed.”

  Her eyes rounded. “What?”

  “Don’t worry. We’re using Morgan for flowers and the second caterer. Did you see the menu we sent over?”

  “Yeah, it sounds good. I didn’t recognize some of the dishes, but Colin says they’re Scottish favorites.”

  “I think it’s good to have a little of both, don’t you?”

  “I guess. Right now I’m not sure the big butt deserves it, but it’s just food.”

  I chuckled. “Very big of you.”

  “Are you sure Morgan can handle that many flowers?”

  “She’s getting her mom to take over the store for a couple days so she can concentrate on your order. You know how good she is.”

  Her head nodded. I couldn’t blame her concern since we’d heard Morgan tell us many times why she didn’t do wedding flowers. “Why don’t you grab Colin and we’ll all talk.”

  I went to the door and spotted Ainsley with her head close to Tori chatting about something. If I had to guess it was related to me and what a horror I was as a roommate.

  “Ainsley,” I called. “Colin will be on the line in a second.”

  She nodded and winked at Tori before following me into my office. I gestured for her to take my seat as I knelt next to her. Dallas’s eyes widened when she saw Ainsley.

  “Cuz!” Colin’s voice hit us before we saw him crowd into Dallas’s screen space. “It’s so great to see you. I feel like it’s been months instead of a week.”

  “I’m so happy to see you. Are you safe?”

  “We’re good, Ains. Don’t worry. We’ll be home soon.”

  “How’s the planning going?” Dallas asked for both our sakes.

  Ainsley glanced briefly at me. “Fine. There’s been a lot to decide. We hope we’re getting what you want.”

  “You’ll be great,” Colin encouraged. “You know what I like better than I do.”

  “But it’s not always what Dallas likes or so Skye keeps telling me.”

  He grimaced and looked at Dallas. If he thought she’d give in, he was sadly mistaken. “Unless it’s something you know I’ll object to, take Skye’s recommendations.”

  “Oh, baby!” Dallas shrieked and slung her arms around Colin’s shoulders to plant a loud kiss on his cheek.

  My eyes rolled. I almost bumped my shoulder against Ainsley before I realized she despised me. “So the menu is okay?” I asked to get them back on track.

  “Looks good. Did it taste right, Ainsley?” Colin asked.

  “You’ll love it.”

  “Did the invitations go out?” Dallas asked.

  “We’re addressing them tonight.” She looked like she was going to scold me for not getting it done sooner, but I interrupted her. “The invitations weren’t in yet.”

  “Fine, fine,” she allowed. “I’m just worried that some of my family won’t get it in time to respond and get a flight.”

  “I’ll overnight both sets of family invitations.”

  “You’re so awesome, Skye.”

  “Just doing what you’d do.”

  She grinned brightly. “Since that’s a hypothetical situation, I can absolutely agree. Or did you suddenly start believing in marriage while we’re here?”

  “Dallas,” I scolded and could feel Ainsley’s eyes flick to me.

  “Right, okay.” Her hands came up but the grin didn’t diminish. “We should get going.”

  “Give Colin and Ainsley some time alone. I’ll talk to you next week.”

  “Bye, Skye. Thanks again.”

  “Take care.” I stood and headed toward the office door with Ainsley’s eyes tracking me. She didn’t seem to believe I was going to leave her alone or thought to leave her alone. More than anything over the past week, I’ve wanted to change her perception of me. If not to stop the silly bickering, then at least to let her cousin know I wasn’t what she seemed to think I was. He knew me as his boss and Dallas’s friend, but I was sure Ainsley had given him an earful before he’d left for this story.

  Tori was just putting her desk together to leave when I came out of the office. “You done?”

  “Yeah. Van’s good, and things are going as expected.”

  “You’re not calling it a night, are you?”

  My shoulders shrugged in defeat. “More wedding stuff to do.”

  “You’re a saint to do this for her.”

  “I’m the MOH.”

  She blew out a loud raspberry. “My sister pulled that crap with me. I found out it was really just a way to order me around and get everything she ever wanted.”

  I snickered. “Brides, huh?”

  “Let me know if I can help.”

  “There’s already two heads making decisions. Add another opinion and we might just pop.”

  “Just saying. If it gets too much, let me know.” She glanced at the office door. “Ainsley’s nice. I can’t believe Colin never mentioned he had a cousin from Scotland and she’s going to be his best man.”

  “Best woman, yes.”

  “Rock on.” Tori raised her fist in a righteous maneuver as she stood and slung her purse over her shoulder. “See you tomorrow, Skye.”

  “Have a good evening.”

  “She’s sweet,” Ainsley said from behind me.

  “She’s good at her job.”

  She looked like she wanted to needle me but let it go. “Shall we? There are hundreds of invitations to address, aren’t there?”

  I gestured toward the exit and followed her out.

  Twelve

  Ainsley stepped just inside my row house and stopped. Her head swiveled to take it in. “Wow. I thought Colin’s place was nice, but this is really great.”

  “You prefer old and drafty to sleek and modern?” Not really old and drafty, but Colin’s modern loft could be featured in a design magazine. I didn’t particularly care for the style, but beauty came in all forms. That Ainsley’s tastes bent closer to mine gave me more pleasure than it should.

 
; “I’m Scottish.” Her eyes flashed with mischief.

  “So is Colin.”

  She made a disbelieving sound before grinning. “Show me around?”

  I took her through the downstairs. It was a narrow shotgun setup, not overly crowded with furniture. A brown leather sofa played well against the open brick wall that lined one side of the row house. Two chairs and an oversized ottoman clustered together to form the living room. The L-shaped kitchen filled the back of the house with a small dining set in between.

  “Did you do renovations?”

  “It was a turn-key place when I bought it. The former owners had done extensive renovations.” I used air quotes for effect. “A month after I moved in, there was a leak in the brand new high-end fixtures on the farm sink.” I pointed to the offending piece. “I brought in a plumber, who proceeded to rip out half the kitchen wall behind the cabinets and showed me the patchwork plumbing done by the previous owners. Not a professional job and not inspected.”

  “Oh, dear.” Her sympathy sounded genuine.

  “Yeah, and while he was ripping apart the wall for the plumbing, he found old knob and tube wiring spliced with new wires to make it appear updated. Basically it was in danger of becoming a moldy fire hazard.”

  “Lovely.”

  “I try not to let it bother me that I spent a lot of money and the end result looks exactly like the overpriced original that was supposedly newly renovated.”

  “I’m sure there’s some sort of legal action available to you. This is America after all,” she said in her best sarcastic tone.

  Her sarcasm couldn’t get to me this time. It didn’t compare to my own sarcastic thoughts throughout the ordeal. “I’m sure there is, but I could have insisted on seeing the construction records and calling for a reference before I bought the place. Instead I trusted my inspector and believed the seller’s disclosures about being professionally renovated.”

  “So because you consider it your fault for not doing the research, you’re not taking the legal action you’re probably entitled to take?” Her head tilted in interest.

  “Is that so hard to believe?”

  “From my experience with others here, yes.”

  “I guess I’m unique.”

  Her gaze stayed on mine for a long moment before she glanced back around the kitchen. “It’s really nice, even if it took two times to get it right.”

  “Thanks.” I pulled out a chair at the table and gestured for her to sit. “We should get started. Can I get you some tea?”

  “Tea?” she asked. “Not coffee.”

  “You like tea. I’ll order some Chinese if you’re hungry.”

  “Och aye. I haven’t had a chance to order any takeaway since I got back.”

  I smiled. Chinese was her go-to meal whenever she’d been stressed. Taking two extra classes in her last year of undergrad, she was stressed often. I picked up the phone and placed an order without bothering to check what she wanted. I assumed she hadn’t changed her favorites since New York. I wasn’t sure if she’d been back to the States for any length of time since receiving her degree. As a Scottish history professor, I wouldn’t imagine she’d spend much time outside of Scotland.

  “You got all my favorites.”

  “You’re just lucky they’re my favorites, too.” Not all, but she didn’t need to know that.

  The boxes of envelopes and invitations took up two place settings at the table. Ainsley’s eyes drifted over the stacks and onto the two lists I’d printed out. “Is this the official list?”

  “Dallas emailed it today.”

  Her eyes went down both lists. “Lots of people on her list.”

  “She’s got everyone from work on hers, but they’re guests of both.” I skimmed my eyes over Colin’s list in her hand. “It looks like a small plane load will be coming over if they accept the invitations.”

  “I’m a little worried that everyone will take him up on the offer.”

  “Would that be bad?”

  “Some of these distant relatives wouldn’t drive thirty kilometers to visit Mum and Dad, but a free plane ride to the States might bring them all out.”

  “That’s for Colin to worry about, and it won’t happen until we get these things out.” I’d been dreading this part from the beginning. What usually takes couples several days to complete, we were trying to knock out tonight. I’d left work early for it. Early for me, I should say.

  The kettle whistled and I got up to make the tea. Ainsley sauntered in with me, probably not certain I would make it properly. When she saw I was using tea leaves in a strainer inside a tea pot, she looked like she might mist up.

  “It’s just tea,” I said.

  “Reminds me of home.”

  “Did you always plan to stay a few weeks or did it come up when he gave you the date?”

  “About a fortnight. I planned a few lectures and a visit with Colin. A day later, they’re telling us about the date change.”

  “So instead of a quick trip over you’re here for how long?” It was more than idle curiosity. Despite the hassle of dealing with these wedding decisions and the occasional flare up between us, it felt nice to have something other than work occupying my mind and time.

  “Through the honeymoon. I’m housesitting.”

  “Will your parents stay long?”

  “Dad could only get a week off from work, but Mum’s staying a fortnight.”

  “She’s still teaching, isn’t she?” Her mother was a primary school teacher and should have the entire summer off. “I hope it’s longer than that.”

  “She’ll be happy to hear that.”

  “We have some exploring of a new city to do.” I watched her eyes narrow, so I offered, “That is if you’ll have me as a tour guide.” I didn’t want to ruin our tenuous relationship. Not when we had two hundred envelopes to address.

  Hours later, my hand was killing me. I’d insisted we take breaks every half hour to keep our script legible. At this point I was considering going against Dallas’s wishes and printing labels in elegant script on my laser printer. Dallas wanted the personal touch, though, since the invitations were going out so late. I would have shoved the task at her if she didn’t have a packed schedule to get her interviews done. As her friend, I’d rather she do these, but as her boss’s boss, I needed her to concentrate on work.

  “I’ll be keen never to address an envelope again.” Ainsley groaned and stretched her hand.

  I went to the refrigerator and pulled out all of the takeout containers. Ainsley’s eyes followed me with question. “I’m snacky and we’ve burned a ton of calories.”

  “Like you have to worry about that,” she commented then looked back down at the growing stack of completed envelopes to hide her surprised expression.

  I grinned at her discomfort but was secretly glad she appreciated my exercise regimen. Someone should because I didn’t like going through it much. Not that she looked like she needed to worry either. She wasn’t a stick figure like most of the women I worked with, whether they were on screen or not, but she couldn’t be more than a size eight. “What’s your usual workout?”

  “Chasing after sheep on the farm.”

  “Give me a break,” I laughed. “It’s your parents’ farm with maybe a dozen sheep? No one is chasing them anywhere.”

  She grinned. “I take the stairs up to my office every day.”

  “And walk around campus.” A sprawling campus that was part of the city of Edinburgh. I’d taken an entire day walking through it when I visited.

  “And that.” Her grin flared. “I’ve never been obsessed with exercise like you Americans.”

  “Stop doing that,” I chastised playfully.

  “What?”

  “Pointing out unattractive habits as belonging to all Americans. I don’t do that with Scotland.”

  Her tongue poked at her cheek. “You don’t know enough about Scotland.”

  “You’d be surprised.”

  “That sounds
like a challenge.”

  The microwave dinged. I pulled her fixed plate of leftovers out and replaced it with mine. “Someday when we’re not overwhelmed with wedding planning I can tell you everything I remember from your paper.”

  “Not likely.” She didn’t have faith in my recall capabilities.

  “Maybe I read your books.”

  “Quite.” Her sarcasm dripped freely. She’d probably swallow her tongue if she knew I’d bought all four of her books since she came back into my life. I was well into the second already. They read more like historical novels than comprehensive textbooks. It was difficult to put them down so I could get some sleep every night.

  The microwave dinged again and my leftover plate joined hers on the table. A smile crept over my face when I noticed she’d waited for me before picking up her chopsticks to start eating. It was something I looked for in every woman I dated. An old fashioned practice it seemed, since so many people didn’t seem to value the beauty in manners anymore.

  “How’re you going these days?” she asked.

  Polite conversation or a real discussion? I went with my hope. “I was recently promoted, so it’s been mostly work for me.”

  “Colin said you used to be his boss.”

  “Only for three months. I was the executive producer on Dallas’s show for a few years before he took over the co-anchor spot.”

  “And now you’re in charge of his whole division.”

  “Something like that.”

  “You like it?”

  “It’s a little too much business and not enough journalism for me.”

  “More money though.”

  “Yes, but that’s not why I made the jump.” Not entirely. After paying off my student loans and saving up for the down payment on my house, I didn’t have to worry about money like I had my entire life. It was nice to be able to put more money into savings and build security I’d never had, but it wasn’t the only reason I took the director level position.

  “It must have been a headache dealing with Dallas every day.”

  “Listen,” I started, breathing out my irritation at her jab. “Dallas is a wonderful person and she’s marrying your cousin. You’ll be dealing with her for years to come. Why not try to enjoy it?”