âAnd could I have a Campari and soda while I wait for my friend?â
âFine,â Leo said, irritated. âIâll get one sent over.â
âAndââ
âGood God, what else?â
âJust that itâs Garyâs birthday. So if thereâs a special dessert or something â¦?â
âYes. I. Will. Send. Out. A. Special. Dessert. Now, are you all right for socks and undies, or do you need me to get you some of those too?â
âActually, I never wear socks.â Sunshine smiled serenely. âAnd Iâm not wearing undies tonightânot under this dress!â
Leo could feel his eyes bug out of his head. âThanks for that mental picture, Sunshine. Anything else youâd care to share?â
âWell â¦â
âYeah, hold that thought,â he said, and made a bolt for the kitchen. Where he leaned against the wall and burst out laughing.
His sous chef looked at him as if heâd grown a gigantic unicorn horn.
Clearly it had been a long time since heâd laughed.
Dear Reader
Food is a great passion of mineâin fact Iâm in love with about a dozen celebrity chefs. So I wasnât exactly surprised to find myself becoming fixated on the idea of a chef as a hero ⦠and Leo Quartermaine was born.
My other great passion is shoes. Oh, my goodness, the shoes! So ⦠hello, Sunshine Smart.
And, of course, Iâm partial to a nice romantic wedding.
HERE COMES THE BRIDESMAID gave me a chance to combine all three things in a setting always irresistible to meâmy hometown, Sydneyâas best man Leo and bridesmaid Sunshine are put in charge of planning the perfect wedding for two absent grooms.
Leo is driven, grumpy and serious. Sunshine is quirky, perky and enthusiastic. They have different takes on love, on life, on relationshipsânot exactly the easiest working combination to plan a wedding reception. Add in an inconvenient sexual attraction, and things get even trickier.
But HERE COMES THE BRIDESMAID is more than a story about opposites attractingâalthough the clash of personalities in Sunshine and Leoâs case can lead to some eye-popping conversations! Itâs also about being jolted out of your comfort zone and opening yourself to everything thatâs in you, and finding the one you thought youâd never findâready-or-not-here-I-come.
And thereâs nothing quite as romantic as being taken by surprise by love.
I hope you enjoy HERE COMES THE BRIDESMAID.
Avril Tremayne
XXXX
AVRIL TREMAYNE read Jane Eyre as a teenager and has been hooked on tales of passion and romance ever since. An opportunistic insomniac, she has been a lifelong crazy-mad reader, but she took the scenic route to becoming a writerâvia gigs as diverse as shoe salesgirl, hot cross bun packer, teacher, and public relations executive. She has spent a good chunk of her life travelling, and has more favourite destinations than should be strictly allowable.
Avril is happily settled in her hometown of Sydney, Australia, where her husband and daughter try to keep her out of troubleânot always successfully. When sheâs not writing or reading she can generally be found eatingâalthough she does not cook!
Check out her website, www.avriltremayne.com, or follow her on Twitter, @AvrilTremayne, and Facebook, www.facebook.com/avril.tremayne
HERE COMES THE BRIDESMAID is Avril Tremayneâs debut book for Modern Temptedâ¢!
This title is also available in eBook format from www.millsandboon.co.uk
Dedicated, with thanks, to my husband and @KdeR for absolutely everything.
To the astute, eagle-eyed Americans, Lisa McNair Palmer and Melinda Wirth, for knowing whatâs good and whatâs definitely not.
To Lloyd Quartermaine - great guy, great name!
And to each and every one of my marriage-minded friends.
ONE
TO: Jonathan Jones
FROM: Sunshine Smart
SUBJECT: Bridesmaid meets Best Man
Darling Jon
Iâve met Leo and I adore him!
We are on the same page, so fear notâyour wedding reception will be everything you ever dreamed of!
Wish we could have the actual marriage in Sydney too, but hooray for enlightened New York!
Hugs and kisses to Caleb.
Sunny xxx
TO: Caleb Quartermaine
FROM: Leo Quartermaine
SUBJECT: WTF??????
Caleb
What are you doing to me?
Sunshine Smart cannot be a real name. And she wants to friend me on Facebook! NOT JOKING!
Despite being dropped in it with the lunatic, I will ensure the dinner doesnât turn into a three-ring circus.
Canât wait to meet Jonathanâbut please tell me heâs nothing like his bridesmaid.
LQ
Sunshine Smart was looking forward to her second meeting with Leo Quartermaine. Despite their introductory meeting two days ago, lasting just ten minutes and ending with him declining her request to be Facebook friends.
She loved Leoâs restaurantsâwell, what sheâd read about them. Because sheâd never actually eaten at one...which she was about to remedy.