Spotlight & Giveaway: A Wedding to Remember by Cassidy Carter

Today, HJ is pleased to share with you Cassidy Carter’s new release: A Wedding to Remember

A wedding to remember brings them back together.

Slater Evans, manager of Cabins in the Pines Resort and Executive Retreat, has never been busier as he plans the nuptials of his two best friends. He wants to ensure everything goes perfectly, but when he needs his focus the most, his plans spin out of control when his ex girlfriend, the love of his life, unexpectedly arrives.

Working at her father’s financial firm with expectations to take over, Hope Bergman’s determined to prove her managerial and leadership skills by organizing a flawless corporate conference at the charming resort. Coming face to face with the man she could never forget divides her attention and jeopardizes the career she’s worked hard to build.

But when there’s a glitch in the preparations for his friend’s wedding, Slater reluctantly asks Hope for help, and she can’t resist stepping in. Could the chance to work together rekindle their love and lead to a new beginning or will Hope’s ambitions once again take her far away?

Enjoy an exclusive excerpt from A Wedding to Remember 

Chapter One
Summer’s coming, Hope thought, looking down at the cement plaza below her. It was so early that only a few office workers had made appearances, and the window of her sixth-floor office framed them as they shuffled across the courtyard on their way to another monotonous day. The plaza was a perfectly neat, landscaped square, a patch of carefully controlled “nature” that was meant to provide a respite from the generic space between her building and other surrounding structures—like so many places in Los Angeles.

The rays of the rising sun peeked up, reflecting off the glass-and-chrome towers of the downtown business district. It wouldn’t be long before the same sun began baking the pavement. That warmth never reached her office, though. It was always a little too chilly on the sixth floor for Hope. But she never complained. The chill kept her hustling.

Speaking of which…

Hope turned back to her desk.

The morning light was starting to take some of the harsh, fluorescent glow out of her office. The single-cup coffeemaker she kept on a side table in her office burbled merrily when she fired it up, and the smell of coffee filled her office. Hope enjoyed being in the office before anyone else, taking the time to putter, make her daily to-do list, pop into her father’s empty office to deposit a bag from Kahn’s Bakery on his desk. It wasn’t the same bag that he used to carry in with him from home every morning, but he did still eat his breakfast at his desk—a habit Dan Bergman had formed long before Hope had come to work here.

Some things never change.

Hope sighed, twisting her long, blond hair up and securing it with the pins she’d forgotten she was holding. It was time to get to another unshakable institution of her days—that to-do list.

“What are you daydreaming about?”

The chipper voice cut into Hope’s momentary distraction. She turned and smiled at the woman who’d entered. As much as she loved her right-hand woman, Hope wasn’t in the mood to wax nostalgic this morning. No, there was just too much to get done, and the clock was ticking. “Oh, nothing. I was thinking about what the weather will be like during the conference.”

Annie Goodman smiled back, looking over her glasses at Hope and hoisting her bulging briefcase. As Hope came forward to help with the heavy bag, Annie shoved her slipping glasses up her nose with her free hand and swatted Hope’s fingers away from her bag good-naturedly.

“Well, I don’t care what the weather is like in Podunk, Arizona. I’m just ready to get all of the arrangements done. Do you know that I spent an hour on the phone yesterday for custom napkins?”

Hope put a hand to her lips, her breath catching on a laugh. “Fairwood, Arizona. It’s really quite beautiful, from the looks of things. And oh, Annie, I’m so sorry. You couldn’t order online?”

Annie deposited her bag, slid into Hope’s desk chair, and groaned as she spun in it once. Hope took in Annie’s perfectly blown-out, strawberry-blond bob cut and smart skirt suit.

“Mr. Bergman insisted on this place on the east side that has no website. What business in Los Angeles has no website? But he says they did the napkins for his cousin’s wedding a couple years ago.” Annie put a hand to her forehead.

Hope’s office phone rang, and Annie picked up. “Beacon Financial Planning and Wealth Management. Hope Bergman’s office.”

Hope heard voices in the hallway, laughter, the sound of someone rolling a package cart down the hallway. Beacon Financial Planning was waking up. Hope needed to do the same. She bustled over to the side table and busied herself with starting a second cup of coffee.

“Sweet fancy molasses,” Annie offered, hanging up the receiver.

“Trouble?” Hope asked, sipping from her mug as she handed a steaming coffee cup over to Annie.

“They misprinted the napkins for the conference. Instead of the acronym for Beacon Optimum Retirement Planning, they substituted a U for the other vowel.”

Hope’s smile returned as she pictured the new acronym in place of the correct one. “And why did Mr. Bergman want to use this place?

“He said he remembers he really liked the owner.”

Hope’s grin stretched wider. “When he likes you, he likes you. Luckily, he likes us.”

“He has to like you. You’re his daughter. Me? I make a misstep, and I’ll be job searching on the same internet where BURP seminars will have probably gone viral.”

Hope and Annie shared a laugh, which faded after a moment. Hope looked back out the window, watching a bird soar on the other side of the glass, before admitting, “He’s actually tougher on me than anyone else around here. I’m the crown princess of this investment and retirement planning kingdom.” She waved a hand in the air and tried to keep her voice light, but a hint of bitterness crept in. Hope could hear it in her own words.

“Don’t most princesses find adventure outside the castle?”

“They do,” Hope said, smiling wanly. “I have my share of adventures.”

“True. We always have open mic Monday nights at Latte Da.”

“Is singing at a coffee house an adventure?”

Annie nodded emphatically. “Absolutely! Especially when your voice catches the ear of that prince of a barista who always checks you out.”

Hope stifled another laugh, rolling her eyes. “This princess has sworn off of love. Let’s get to work.” Hope picked up Annie’s coffee cup and nodded toward the settee at the far side of her office, where she had already laid out the materials they needed to start on their day. Annie rummaged in her bag and pulled out several files, a tablet, and her phone.

“What else needs done? What about the venue?” Hope asked.

Annie consulted her tablet. “Booked, actually.”

“Oh? Wow. That was fast.”

A mischievous smile played on Annie’s lips. “I mean, I might have been swayed by the fact that there’s also a full spa there. All work and no play—”

“Is exactly what my father would suggest,” Hope finished. She and Annie both shared another laugh. Hope cradled her coffee, feeling her spirits lift.

At the sound of someone nearby clearing their throat, both Annie and Hope jumped. Hope’s father stood in the doorway of her office, frowning heavily. She felt her cheeks get hot. She checked her watch and sat up a little straighter.

“Dad, hi. You’re in early today. How was the freeway?”

Dan Bergman settled in the wing chair across from them. “Traffic was a bother, but I set out earlier than normal.” Wasting no time on any further pleasantries, he pointed to the various gadgets and papers in front of them. “What’s all this, then?”

“Seminar planning,” Hope explained. “We’re going to try a new venue this time.”

Dan seemed to hesitate, and his frown returned. Hope wondered how long it had been since she’d seen him smile. In fact, she could not remember for the life of her how long it had been since his last good mood. Just yesterday, she’d passed his closed office door and overheard him in a heated discussion with someone on the phone. Though there could be complications with clients in their line of work, she’d never heard him argue so loudly before.

Hope would normally ask what had happened, but she knew she’d only be met with stony silence. Since her mother’s passing, there’d been so much distance between Hope and her father.

Dan’s frown deepened. “The summer seminar is responsible for twenty percent of our new business every year. I’m counting on you to maintain—no, improve—on that number.”

“Yes, I know,” Hope said, hoping that her tone didn’t bely her sudden mild annoyance.

After a few moments, the elder Bergman cleared his throat again and stood, nodding stiffly. “Looks like you’ve got it all handled. That business degree didn’t go to waste.” He smiled, but it was thin, and it held none of the warmth Hope longed to see again. “I’ll expect an update at day’s end.” Straightening the front placket of his suit jacket, Dan left Hope’s office.

Hope swallowed down a lump of apprehension that rose in her throat.

Annie gave her a look of concern. “I thought he was going to start quizzing you on vested percentages and risk appraisal.”

Hope smirked. “I’ll have you know that I would have come through with flying colors. I have been an investment professional since a very young age. All my Barbies had solid 401(k) diversification, and they’re all sitting pretty with paid-off dream houses and money in the bank, thanks to yours truly.”

Hope’s joking seemed to lighten the tension in the room, but Hope still felt the weight her father’s words had applied. It was time to put her head down. If she buried herself in work, she would forget that pressure as the days between now and the seminar ticked away.

Hunched over in her office chair, staring at a monitor full of numbers that were beginning to blur, Hope had gotten to the point in her day where she’d kicked off her heels and let down her hair. Scrunching her toes into the carpet underneath her desk, she called over to Annie.

“I’ll be here at least a couple more hours.”

Annie was reclined on the settee, glowering at her tablet. “At this rate, I might as well just sleep here. And you’ve been talking to your computer.”

Hope needed a break. She grabbed the remote to the small stereo that sat on a side table nearby. “I’m going to put on some music. Do you mind?”

Annie shook her head. Hope turned on the local easy listening station. Soft, almost plaintive vocals drifted out of the speakers. She knew this song. It had been a while, but the slow, bittersweet lyrics brought to mind something—someone—that Hope would rather forget.

Hope’s finger hovered over the remote, but then she put it down and let the song play. As she tried to decipher the lines of numbers on her screen, Hope found herself singing along. It made her feel better, singing, and filled her with a renewed sense of energy.

“You should do this song at the next open mic,” Annie suggested.

Hope nodded as the end notes of the music faded out and a commercial took the air. “Maybe,” she said, humming noncommittally. She wasn’t sure she wanted to taint the fun of open mic night with all the sour memories attached to that particular song.

Wham!

Hope laughed as she picked up the throw pillow Annie had launched at her. The laugh felt good.

“Oof! What was that for?” Hope felt herself laughing, at least. That had to mean that the memory of he-who-was-attached-to-the-music didn’t quite hit her as hard anymore, right? Right.

“What are you not telling me?”

“I’m just tired.” And reminiscing way too much. Annie studied Hope closely, but didn’t press her.

Hope needed a change of focus, so she clicked around for the seminar file, sorting through digital brochures until one made her stop. Lush, green pine trees surrounded a rustic-yet-upscale-looking building that somehow managed to both blend in with the idyllic surroundings and stand out impressively against them.

“This is the place you booked? Cabins in the Pines Executive Retreat? Not a typical corporate setting.”

Annie looked up. “I think it’s the very thing we need. People will feel comfortable, and with comfort comes trust, hopefully.”

“You think a zip line and nature walks will make new clients trust us with their futures?” In a promotional photo, a smiling couple embraced by a picturesque lake. There was a roaring campfire on the lakeshore, and a guitar was propped up on a log bench, fireside.

Oy. Now all Hope could think about was a tall, broad-shouldered man with slightly shaggy hair that would fall into his warm, hazel eyes as he strummed a guitar…

Annie came over to look at the image. “The camp vibe is cute. I could do with a romantic campfire evening.”

Hope lifted a hand and traced the couple in the photo. She hooked her thumb over her bare ring finger and rubbed absentmindedly. “I wonder if it’s really this nice?”

“If you want to find somewhere else…” Annie offered.

“No, no! I trust your judgement completely, Annie. I’m sure it’ll work out perfectly.”

Hope brought her spreadsheet back onscreen and pushed firmly against the memories that had been sparked by the song. Despite the fact that her start at Beacon had not been completely her choice, Hope still felt proud of what she’d done in her years here, and she had a duty to show her dad that she could handle a big responsibility like the seminar. So what if it wasn’t as exciting a career, a life, as she’d dreamed of when she was younger? Hope still wanted to succeed.

Time was ticking. Soon, they would be headed to the Cabins in the Pines. It would be nice to bond with her father over something. Maybe the success of the seminar could be a starting point, a way for them to start growing close again after all these years of widening distance.

If it failed, Hope worried that the chasm between them would only grow wider.

“Well, isn’t this gorgeous?” Hope twisted her head to look back as Annie drove their rental car up the gentle slope toward the entrance to the Cabins in the Pines Executive Resort. Hope checked her watch—it was around two, so the timing was perfect. Hope had the window down, and the smell of pine trees mixed with the fresh, damp smell of earth filled the car as the wind whipped her hair. They were going too fast for Hope to make out anything in the tree line, but she pictured delicate deer edging out of the trees every morning, ears pricked up in the light mist as the same breeze that wound around them now blew gently in to clear the dew.

“It sure is,” Annie agreed, looking out the opposite window. “This looks like paradise.”

Hope’s father sat silently in the back seat, saying nothing about their surroundings.

Hope was so glad to be arriving at their destination. After an early flight that had been uncomfortable even in business class, the drive here had been mercifully quick. Hope had been confused by the circuitous route they’d had to take to get here off of the main highway, though. Luckily, the GPS knew exactly where they were going.

They crested the incline and took a slight turn that put them at the front of the main building. Annie and Hope both gasped.

The resort was sprawling, and Hope could see the many pods of balconied rooms stretching out into the distance, built in such a way that they blended in with their surroundings. The resort was fronted by a rustic lodge-style main hall. Their car slowed to a stop at the end of a small stone bridge that led over a pond and to the front doors.

“We have to walk? You can’t pull up right to the front?” Dan groused.

Hope leaned into the back from the passenger’s seat and patted her father’s sleeve. “Dad, it’s right there. And, look, there’s a bellhop.” As they popped open their car doors, an efficient young man in a starched blue uniform came their way, rolling a shiny, gold luggage cart. They met him at the edge of the bridge.

“Welcome to the Cabins in the Pines Executive Resort.”

“Thank you. We’re Beacon Financial Planning and Wealth Management,” Hope said, looking past the man to the calm waters of the pond beneath the stone bridge. A family of ducks swam there, three little ducklings diving and splashing and being honked at by their mother, who soon crowded them together and aimed them toward the under-bridge arches. How cute.

The bellhop pulled out a small tablet. “Ah, yes. You’re Annie Goodman?”

“Hope Bergman.”

The bellhop looked perplexed. “I have an Annie Goodman down as representative.”

Annie stepped forward and held out her hand. “What do you need me to…”

Dan snorted.

“Nothing at all. I’ve marked you as arrived, so if you’ll hand me the keys, the valet can park your car. Then just go over the bridge and through the double doors. You’ll see the front desk. Amelia will be there, ready to give you your room assignments and explain how the scheduling will work with your events. We’ll be sure to get your luggage to your rooms.”

Annie handed him the keys. As soon as the three of them were out of earshot of the bellhop, Dan said gruffly, “I thought you picked this place. You left this up to your assistant?”

Hope was determined not to let his sour mood ruin the lovely surroundings. “A good boss knows how to delegate. I have total faith in Annie. And look around you.” She gestured broadly. “Faith rewarded.”

Dan snorted again, but he let it drop. Annie smiled gratefully at Hope.

They had reached the front doors, and the peaked portico rising above shaded them from the early afternoon sun. Up close, Hope admired the beautiful detail in the stonework that wrapped the lodge, and as she passed through the wide front doors, nodding her thanks to the doorman who held them open for her party, Hope could see that the same attention to detail had been taken on the interior.

They walked together across polished hardwood floors toward a massive check-in desk that looked as though it had been hewn out of the largest tree around. The varnished rings and swirls of the woodgrain were like abstract art.

Beyond the check-in desk was a lounge area with a see-through fireplace as tall as Hope was, and she imagined how cozy it would be when a fire was lit in it. Surrounding the fireplace were myriad overstuffed chairs, chaises, and a loveseat or two. Thick, polished cuts of tree stump that looked to have been taken from the same tree as the front desk stood as occasional tables, their surfaces reflecting the same varnished shine. The walls were painted a soft, mellow cream where they rose above the stone that came midway up them. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, giving off enough of a soft glow to make the lounge seem cozy in comparison to the bright sunshine outside. The overall effect was one of natural simplicity and absolute luxury. Hope thought she could have spent the whole trip in the lobby and been perfectly content.

“Welcome! I can get you checked in right here.”

Annie and her father walked toward the woman who stood behind the huge front desk. Young—maybe twenty?—she was fresh-faced and smiling, her button-up, logo-emblazoned shirt crisp and professional. Hope trailed after, still in awe of the place.

“Beacon Financial Planning and Wealth Management,” her father said. His tone was a little more pleasant than it had been outside.

The woman, whose name tag read Amelia, tapped efficiently at her keyboard, bringing up their reservations. “I have you right here. Can you tell me the names for the rooms?” Dan dutifully gave all three of their names. The woman was equally as efficient with arranging their keycards and getting them each packet of information on the amenities of the resort.

Dan waved his keycard. “Now that we’re checked in, let’s get to our rooms and get ready for the mixer this evening. We’ll need to be at our best, and I’m a little road-weary.”

Annie nodded, but she leaned back so that Dan couldn’t see her and waved the brochure at Hope, mouthing, “Spa?”

Hope, trying to keep a straight face, nodded, mouthing back, “Absolutely!”

“Before you go, Mr. Bergman, let me just print your seminar itinerary with the events marked on our property map. We’ll be giving these out to all of your attendees.”

A few more taps, and the woman behind the desk froze, a fleeting expression of panic crossing her features.

Oh no, Hope thought. What’s going wrong?

Her father echoed her unspoken question. “Something wrong, miss?”

The woman tapped a few more keys, bit her lower lip, and then plastered on a smile that Hope didn’t fully believe. “We have new software, and it’s a bit of a learning curve.” Behind the clerk, a large office printer spit out several sheets of paper, and the woman made three neat packets from them, stapled them, and handed them to Hope, Annie, and Dan.

“Here you are. Everything is mapped with your room number as the origin point. Is there anything else I can help you with?” Her smile was still on, and Hope was still worried.

“That’ll be all,” Dan said, turning and motioning for Hope and Annie to follow. Studying his map, he charged ahead to lead the way. Hope followed, preoccupied with whatever the clerk had seen that had thrown her off.

Nothing could go wrong with this seminar. This was Hope’s chance to impress her father. If she couldn’t find the way back to their previously warm relationship through giving him time and space and making small gestures to let him know she was there, well, she would grab his attention with how perfectly she could manage his business—and then they would restore the closeness they once had.

They crossed the lobby to the elevator and Dan pressed the up button. Hope looked over her shoulder at the front desk clerk, who was now speaking with another employee—her manager? Both of them were sneaking glances at Hope, Annie, and Dan as they waited for the doors to open. Hope turned away as the elevator doors dinged and slid open. With a silent prayer to whatever patron saint watched over investment managers, Hope followed behind Dan and Annie as they entered the elevator.

Excerpt. ©Cassidy Carter. Posted by arrangement with the publisher. All rights reserved.
 
 

Giveaway: Winner will receive one ebook copy of A WEDDING TO REMEMBER by Cassidy Carter plus one additional ebook of the winner’s choice from Tule Publishing.

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Meet the Author:

With strong, relatable heroines and heroes too irresistible not to fall for, Cassidy Carter crafts sweet, fun, heartwarming romances that will win readers’ hearts. When not writing, Cassidy can be found digging in the garden or lost in a good book. Originally from the South, she now lives in the desert Southwest with her husband and two daughters.

buy: https://tulepublishing.com/books/a-wedding-to-remember/#order