SEAL's RESOLVE - Rebecca Deel Page 0,1
from previous visits to the five-star hotel. The journey took fifteen minutes longer than she anticipated. More than one of the hotel’s employees stopped to speak to her.
As Kristi walked toward the ballroom’s open double doors, her nape prickled, a familiar sensation over the past few weeks. Frowning, she glanced over her shoulder and saw what she expected. Nothing. The hallway was empty.
Kristi growled, frustrated with herself and her overactive imagination. When she spoke to her father’s chief of security about feeling as though someone was watching her, he assigned a bodyguard to follow her around for two days. Hale hadn’t spotted anyone. Worse, the bodyguard gave her the creeps.
Her stomach growled, reminding Kristi that she had neglected to eat since breakfast. She continued toward the ballroom. The sooner she delivered the wedding dress to Abby, the quicker she could eat and fall into bed.
Approaching the ballroom, she spotted a waiter. “Doug,” she called.
The waiter stopped, turned, and grinned. “Ms. Stewart. What can I do for you?”
“Tell Abby Lawrence that I’m here with her wedding dress. I’d rather not crash the party.” Especially since she was dressed in casual clothes, and the rehearsal dinner was a formal affair.
“Yes, ma’am.” He continued into the ballroom.
A minute later, a blond bombshell rushed into the hall. As usual, Abby wore sky-high heels and a designer dress, with perfect hair and makeup. Her friend could easily strut down a runway as a model.
“Kristi, thank goodness you’re here. I was afraid you wouldn’t make it in time to eat.”
She laughed. “You’re not fooling me. You were afraid your wedding dress wouldn’t make it.”
Her friend blushed. “Well, do you blame me? Everything that could go wrong has blown up in my face. My maid of honor had a huge fight with her boyfriend who is Adrian’s best man. Now, Candy and Jared won’t talk to each other and refuse to walk together tomorrow. My divorced parents can’t be in the same room together without throwing verbal jabs at each other, and the florist couldn’t locate the flowers I wanted for the tables tomorrow. It’s been one disaster after another.”
Kristi hugged her friend. “Don’t be such a drama queen. Everything will work out. That’s why you hired a wedding planner. She can deal with the problems. Your job is to be a beautiful bride. Let your wedding planner deal with the rest.”
“I should have chosen you as my maid of honor.”
“Candy is your sister. She’d never forgive you for leaving her out of the big day.”
Abby sighed. “You could have at least agreed to be one of the wedding party.”
“Being a bridesmaid in ten weddings is more than enough for me.” She’d put in her time wearing hideous bridesmaid dresses. Kristi would happily stay in the audience from now on until she wore her own wedding dress. “Besides, you already have nine bridesmaids. You don’t need another one. Don’t worry. I’ll be in the audience, admiring my handiwork.”
Her friend smiled. “You should. My dress is a work of art.”
“Honey, is everything all right?” Darlene Lawrence walked toward her daughter and Kristi. “Oh, Kristi, you made it. Thank goodness. Abigail was so worried about you.”
“I have the dress right here.”
“Perfect. Abigail, go back to your rehearsal dinner, dear. I’ll take your dress to the suite. We don’t want anyone to see it until tomorrow.”
“All right. Thanks, Mom.” Abby took the dress and handed it to her mother, then hugged Kristi. “Thank you, Kristi. You’re the best. How can I ever thank you?”
“Tell people who designed your breath-taking dress.”
“Count on it. I’ll plaster your name all over my social media pages with pictures.” Abby released her. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Thank you, Kristi.” Darlene smiled. “Please, join us for dinner. We have extra place settings.”
“Thanks for the offer, but I’m not dressed for it and dinner is waiting for me in my suite. Enjoy the rehearsal dinner. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Minutes later, Kristi stepped into the owner’s suite and closed the door with a sigh. Thank goodness. Maybe now the invisible spiders crawling along her nape would go away.
Her suitcase and overnight bag stood near the serving cart with her meal. Perfect. Kristi made a beeline for the serving cart.
She lifted the dome from the plate. A spinach quiche and a salad. Besides her plate, the kitchen staff had included two bottles of water. They knew her preferences and catered to them every time she stayed here. You couldn’t beat the Sandoval for service.
She carried the food and water to