“So when is the big day?” he inquired politely.

“June twenty-eighth, God willing,” Julia told him. “We just got engaged on New Year’s Eve, so we’re trying to throw everything together in only six months. The girls’ getaway this weekend is so we can pick out the dresses. Except that Lauren has presented me with her list of demands, and made things very difficult.”

Ben smirked, easily able to imagine what Lauren’s “list of demands” looked like. The only time he’d ever seen her wearing an actual dress had been at the holiday party, and the memory of how she’d looked in that sensual black dress was also burned into his brain, likely for all time.

“That’s hardly a surprise,” he replied. “What shocks me more is the thought of Lauren actually wearing a dress. Now that I’d pay good money to see.”

Julia gave him a conspiratorial little wink, her mouth quirking up into a smile. It was obvious that she was far more good natured than her crabby, temperamental twin. “Give me your email address and I’ll make sure to send you a photo or two.”

Ben laughed when Lauren shot her sister an evil look.

“You wouldn’t dare, Jules,” she hissed. “And I’m not sure why you’re so shocked,” she told Ben irritably. “I’ve been known to wear a dress or a skirt on occasion.”

Not wanting to recall yet again about how sensational she had looked in that dramatic black lace gown, Ben tactfully steered the subject in a slightly different direction by asking Julia, “The wedding’s in Carmel, I assume?”

“Pebble Beach, actually. But most of our coastal communities all tend to share borders and flow from one to another,” admitted Julia.

Natalie regarded Ben curiously at his mention of Carmel, and he hoped he hadn’t given anything away. “Have you ever visited the area, Mr. Rafferty?”

Ben smiled at Lauren’s mother, who gave the impression of being a kind, soft-spoken woman – very unlike her volatile daughter. “It’s Ben, Ms. Benoit. And, yes – I was fortunate enough to spend some time in the area a number of years ago. You’re very lucky to live in what I personally consider the most beautiful region in the entire world. The time I spent there was easily the most memorable of my life.”

He gave Lauren a very pointed glance as he said this, but she stubbornly refused to look his way, and mumbled something under her breath. He couldn’t understand a word, but just guessed it was not complimentary towards him in the least.

There was another awkward pause until he addressed the table as a whole. “Well, I’ll let you ladies get back to your meal. It was a pleasure to meet all of you. Lauren – bright and early Monday morning, hmm?”

Lauren gave a flippant shrug. “Maybe not so early. Or bright. I’ve got a hot date Sunday night.”

Ben felt himself tense up in mingled annoyance and jealousy, wondering if she’d made up the “hot date” on the spur of the moment just to piss him off, and fervently hoped that was the case. “I see,” he replied tightly. “Well, then, I suppose we’ll just see you whenever you decide to honor us with your presence. And tell your date to watch out for those sharp elbows of yours, unless he wants a broken nose like the last one.”

With that parting shot, he gave her a little salute and walked towards the exit, trying to control his mirth until he was safely outside. Considering the way Lauren had been giving him the death stare just now, he didn’t even want to imagine her reaction if she heard him laughing at her.

Meeting the rest of her family, and the woman he now recalled was her best friend, had been completely unexpected. He’d been pleasantly surprised to realize that her mother and sister both seemed like gracious, warm-hearted women, and he marveled that two sisters who looked so much alike could be worlds apart in personality. Ben guessed that the amicable Julia took after their sweet, gentle mother, while Lauren was much more like their plain-speaking, rather fearsome father.

But he knew Lauren had other facets to her personality, too, ones that she regretfully didn’t share with him these days. He’d seen first hand how friendly and solicitous she had been to all of her neighbors and friends in Big Sur; how silly and affectionate she’d acted towards her parents’ dogs; and, most of all, how passionate and caring she had been with him. She’d fussed over him, gone out of her way to make him feel at home in the cabin, and had been a generous, unselfish lover.

As he caught a cab back to the office, Ben was filled with regret once again, wondering what it would have been like to be a part of Lauren’s loving, close-knit family. He could scarcely remember now what it had been like to live with both of his parents at the same time, their divorce having happened when he was just a boy. After that, they had both paid far more attention to their new spouses and Ben’s half-siblings than to Ben himself, and he’d had to learn quickly how to look out for himself.

And while Elle certainly cared for him and even fussed from time to time, her parents still continued to treat him with a distant politeness. Ben couldn’t recall even one time when Sunita had smiled at him the way Natalie Benoit just had, with genuine warmth and kindness. And he knew that the Kimbroughs would never consider him good enough for their only child, no matter how well he dressed or how hard he worked to polish up his manners.

But the opportunity to become a part of the McKinnons’ happy, welcoming family was now so far out of his reach that he felt like a fool for even wishing it could be. He’d made a choice back in Big Sur, one he had honestly believed was the right one for Lauren. But it had turned out to be the absolute wrong one for himself.

Chapter Eighteen

Late June – Carmel, California

Given that she was getting married in less than twenty four hours, Julia knew that she should really be trying to get some sleep right about now, instead of sitting out on her parents’ deck to watch the stars come out with her sister. But she’d been more than a little worried about Lauren for weeks now, and had gone along with her suggestion to wind down for a little while after the hours long rehearsal dinner they had attended tonight.

“It’s almost a full moon,” noted Julia wistfully. “Just a couple of more days. Too bad it hadn’t coincided with the wedding.”

Lauren shrugged. “Better that it doesn’t happen on your wedding day. Enough shit can go wrong tomorrow, you don’t need the extra complication of a full moon to make things crazier.”

Julia frowned. “What makes you think something is going to go wrong tomorrow? Oh, God, please tell me you re-confirmed with everyone like you promised.”

“Relax, would you?” asked Lauren impatiently. “I already told you – three times now – that I confirmed with all the vendors. They all got the message loud and clear – be there on time and don’t screw up or they’ll get a hundred scathing reviews on Yelp.”

Julia blew out a very tense breath. “Sorry if I’m acting a little paranoid. And you’re right – nobody would dare risk pissing you off, so I’m sure everything is going to be fine.”

Lauren winked. “That’s the attitude, baby sis. And you’re even going to have great weather for your big day. It’s supposed to be even warmer than it was today. Considering that it could just as easily have been foggy and cool this time of year, you lucked out big time.”

Julia grinned at her sister. “I’ll bet you arranged for that too, didn’t you?”

“Absolutely,” agreed Lauren. “No way would I allow the weather to be anything less than perfect for your wedding. You deserve it, Jules.”

Julia laid her head back against the Adirondack chair and closed her eyes. “I still can’t believe that by this time tomorrow I’ll be married. You know, as many times as I organized my Barbie doll weddings and designed my own wedding gowns, somehow I never envisioned myself getting married at this point in my life.”