So she'd told him not to call – when had AJ really heeded her ultimatums? Almost a week had passed since their lunch together and he'd telephoned daily, always from a different city. He was on a short promotional tour with his bandmates.

Feeling the hypocrite, Dana welcomed the calls. AJ seemed to have accepted her complaint that they weren't ready for a long-term commitment and had determined they needed to get better acquainted fast.

In addition to the calls, he sent flowers – not once, but twice. A man in hot pursuit of a goal.

"I wish he'd stop this nonsense," she told Stephanie, snipping the stem of an exotic blossom and standing it in a tall urn.

"It is pretty inconsiderate," Stephanie agreed dryly, "sending flowers. . .calling long-distance every night–"

"But what does it all really mean?" Dana interrupted, her insecurities surfacing. "So Alex had sent a few flowers. . .that nothing for a man of his means and likely a chore he neglected to his. . .someone."

"Someone didn't make the phone calls."

"Traveling can be lonely. He just wants someone to talk to."

"Like that'd be a problem for a babe magnet like Alex."

"Don't remind me. That's the part that so bothersome."

"Glory be!" Stephanie shouted. "How thick-skulled can I be? You've fallen for the guy!"

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to. Only it's just now sinking in. All that impatience with Sarah, your reaction to Jenna Peters, even the way you've been fondling that bird of paradise bloom says it loud and clear. I was beginning to wonder about you, lady. The super-desirable AJ McLean pursing you and your trying to ward him off. It backfired, didn't it? You're in love!"

Dana speared another bird of paradise into the vase. "What difference does it make if I am? He's out of my reach. Besides, I have serious doubts whether he can settle down. He says he wants to, but who knows? Everywhere he goes he seems to be in the company of rich beautiful women. How can I be sure of a man like that. . .? Oh can't we talk about something more pleasant?"

Steph agreeably changed the subject to the big news they'd been handed right before the delivery of the flowers. "A week of meetings, you said. That's great."

"I could hardly believe my ears," Dana answered, attempting to sound jubilant. "I only dropped off the contract day before yesterday. I didn't expect a response until the end of the month. Then when the meeting planner rang me up saying ours was the winning offer. . .well!!" She paused a moment to take a deep breath and to calculate in her head. "Of course, I bid at rock bottom."

"Where does that put 'Arrangements by Dana'?"

"At a minimum, it makes up for a couple of wedding commissions. In fact, it frees up money for a shopping expedition, if you're in the mood. I could use some new clothes. There has to be a sale somewhere." Dana went in search of the newspaper.

Her attention was captured not by an ad for dresses half-off, but by an article about the latest award ceremony. It featured an accompanying photograph of AJ with Sarah Martin. "Has the dueling duo made up?" read the caption. Dana passed the newspaper to Stephanie. "See what I mean?"

"Pooh," Stephanie said, shoving the section aside and grabbing another one with a department store ad. "You can't believe everything you read in the papers. If all the news was gospel, then Torrence Place should be labeled a wedding safety hazard. Remember?"

"I guess you're right." Dana once more forced cheer into her tone. "So, what are we waiting for? The cash registers beckon."

Trying to prove to herself and her friend she was taking this latest episode with AJ in her stride, Dana brought two dresses, a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Then since Jay had hospital duty, she insisted on treating Stephanie to a movie and dinner. It was after nine when they got home and parted at the rear gate.

Dana's phone was ringing when she entered through the kitchen door. She'd have preferred to let the answering machine handle the call, but suspected it was AJ and knew she would only be delaying the inevitable. "Hello," she said cautiously.

"Hi, there. I'm laying on the couch thinking how nice it would be if you were here with me." There was a lazy, sensual quality to his voice. "I've been calling since seven. You haven't been stepping out on me, have you?"

"What if I have? We aren't going steady."

"We can whenever you're ready."

"I can't get too excited about the prospect when every time I pick up the newspaper I spot you with another female. In today's Chronicle it's a recycled one – your former fiancée. If you're not careful, Alex, you're going to be tripping over brides."

"Ah, now I see what's causing the edge in your voice. First, let's put something to rest. Sarah Martin will never – never, I repeat – be my bride. Second, if you'll cool down for a second, you'll remember that I invited you to that award ceremony. You had a previous engagement. Or at least that's what you told me."

"I had a wedding consultation. Considering the damage my business had recently suffered, I didn't have the luxury of canceling it. You wasted no time finding a stand-in for me."

"But I didn't. I can't control who comes to these affairs. I–"

Dana hung up. In five more seconds, AJ'd be spinning some cock-and-bull story about him and Sarah, and fool that she was, she'd probably buy into the tale. Whatever he said, two coincidental meetings with Sarah Martin was one coincidence too many. Besides, she'd seen the newspaper photo – Sarah was hanging on AJ like Spanish moss and definitely not looking the part of an ex-fiancée.

The phone rang again. Dana left it to the recorder, replaying the message as soon as the call ended. It was AJ finishing his aborted sentence, ". . .didn't have a date with – or encourage – Sarah. Goodbye."

"Goodbye" sounded rather final. Dana hit the erase button. She didn't care to hear the message a second time. Tears welled in her eyes and she blinked them away. She wasn't going to cry over AJ. He wasn't worth her tears, or a pair of red eyes. Tomorrow was a workday, an important day on the dwindling calendar of weddings.

Her van loaded with paraphernalia, Dana made her way to the site of the ceremony, the River Oaks estate of Emily Southmore and her parents. It wasn't far from AJ's address. "Forget Alex," Dana muttered aloud as she wound down Kirby Lane and turned on Chevy Chase. But the thought crossed her mind that he could be at the service. Her nerves were already frazzled with the specter of something going awry; it hardly seemed fair that she might have to contend with AJ, too. Concentrate on your job, Dana lectured herself. You have no jurisdiction over anything else. Especially Alex.

Focusing on her work didn't relax Dana one whit. Even through she completed two weddings since AJ and Sarah's, her confidence level hadn't risen. She'd never been more preoccupied with a ceremony falling apart, having been of a mind that, despite the inevitable small glitches, the final product was always an idyllic fantasy, made to order for each happy couple. Now Dana's faith in happy couples and their fantasies had been overridden by a sense of impending doom.

When she drove through the massive wrought-iron gates at the Southmore Estate, the crew she hired was already there, erecting tents on the grounds for the reception, a catered dinner for three hundred guests.

As the musicians launched into the wedding processional later that afternoon, Dana crossed her fingers.

Today the precaution was unnecessary. Emily drifted down the aisle as ethereally as a fairy-tale princess. And Barry Osborne, her groom, grinned adoringly as his bride completed the walk to his side.

When their voices broke during recitation of the vows, Dana choked up, too. This was what it was all about. This was why she'd suffer marital meltdowns like the one between Sarah and AJ to keep "Arrangements by Dana" afloat.

She emitted a prayer of thanks that business prospects were encouraging. Just before leaving the house that morning, she'd been contracted by the owners of a local computer firm. Having learned about the corporate sessions, they'd ask to meet with her to plan some of their own. Another five days of retreats were in the bag. Word of mouth were bringing in new customers and brochures, once disseminated, would generate even more.

Dana would soon be on firm financial footing again and able to begin the next phase of Torrence Place renovations. She felt more optimistic that the wedding business would slowly return, also. Watching the cake cutting from the side of the main tent, Dana heaved a giant sigh of relief.

The relief faded abruptly as she saw Sarah Martin approaching the newlyweds. This Houston social whirl was getting too small for comfort. Dana had given little thought to Sarah today, probably because she was overwrought by the possibility of AJ being a guest. It hadn't occurred to her that she might have to deal with both of them once. Not again.

But so far she hadn't seen AJ. Perhaps she'd luck out and he wouldn't show. At that precise moment, Dana spied him with Jenna. As the two headed for the receiving line, they were laughing and talking, unknowingly embarked on a collision with Sarah.

Dana waited wide-eyed for the inevitable explosion, but none occurred. There were amicable greetings and smiles all around, then the trio moved on a few paces to speak to Emily and Barry. Dana couldn't figure out the dynamics. Sarah had acted like a petulant child with her and AJ at the restaurant. Why then so peaceable today? Likely on her best behavior because she was surrounded by many mutual acquaintances and of a mind that this was no place to throw a fit.

A tantrum of her own began to seem downright appealing as the reception continued and Dana's frustration mounted. AJ was waltzing with Jenna on the dance floor. Although Dana tried to console herself with the knowledge that it wasn't Sarah in his arms, she could suppress her displeasure. He was flanked by his almost wife, new girlfriend, and former wedding consultant. Worse still, he'd asked woman number three – Dana – to elope with him. Even without the last tidbit, the four of them made the perfect combination to reactivate the destructive gossip, Dana thought, glancing nervously around the tented room.

Fear meshed with actuality when AJ left Jenna at the edge of the dance floor and moved Dana's way. Oh, no. The last time she'd talked to AJ, she'd hung up on him and he'd been none too happy about it. It would be her luck for him to use the situation for meting out some public punishment. Dana had no intention of giving him that chance. She executed a fast one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn in the other direction, but AJ was speedier, catching up with her before she could duck outside the tent.

"Stephanie told me you'd be here. I figured coming to Emily's wedding would force you to talk to me."

"Stephanie's mouth gets bigger by the day. I may have to resort to murder to silence her."

"No way. I thanked my guardian angel for Stephanie and her big mouth," AJ answered, grabbing Dana's hand. "Dance with me."

"You know I can't."

"Can't dance?" His eyes glimmered. "It's a slow number. All you need to do is lean on me, shuffle your feet and no one will notice."

"Quit being obtuse. I don't need dance lessons. If I get on that dance floor with you, believe me, people will notice. You're still gossip fodder."

"Who cares?"

"I do. 'Arrangements by Dana' is beginning to recover from all the notoriety and I'm not going to feed the association between me and marital catastrophe. One more slip and I'll be the Typhoid Mary of the wedding industry. I'll be lucky to be invited to a wedding."

"Well, then, you'd better dance with me – otherwise I'm likely to do something guaranteed to ignite the crowd."

"Like what?"

"Like kiss you. . .the way I've been wanting to kiss you all week while we've been apart." His hand slid up her arm. "In fact, I think I'd rather do that than dance."

Dana lifted a hand to signal 'stop.' "Okay, you win. Let's dance. One brief, circumspect dance." And hope that the Southmores won't mind.

AJ held her closely, but not intimately; still Dana could feel the eyes of an audience. She tried to purge her mind of them, but it was useless. She was too aware – of the onlookers, the frowning disapproval of her client, but most of all. . .of AJ.

"What are doing when this is over?" he asked as the music subsided.

"I doubt I'll be finished before midnight."

He raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Cleaning up takes a long while," she said defensively. "We'll have to disassemble the tents, pack away–"

"I'll wait. I'll even roll up my sleeves and help."

"That's not necessary. Besides, you have to take Jenna home."

"I can come back."

"No thanks. I get the impression Jenna Peters is important to you. I suggest you give her more of your attention instead of trying to spread it around like horse manure." When the band started a new song, Dana scooted away, successfully exiting the tent.

Persistent as ever, AJ followed her, wrapping an arm around her waist as she walked toward the catering trailer. "Jenna is important," he agreed good-naturedly. "But she'll understand. She won't mind if I return."

Dana shook off his arm and faced him, her fists clenched at her sides. "I mind. Maybe this is how life is with your set, but I'm not so blasé, so Hollywood. Leave me alone, Alex."

"That's one thing I can't do," he said, ambling off.

Chapter 15
Chapter 13
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