A Marriage of True Minds: A Sasha McCandless Novella by Melissa F. Miller Page A

client emergency tonight.”
    Sasha powered
off the device and slapped it into Naya’s open palm.
    “It’s New Year’s
weekend. There aren’t going to be any client emergencies, unless you’ve started
practicing DUI law and forgot to tell me. Everything is tied down at home, and
if an emergency does crop up, I’ve arranged to refer it to Mickey.”
    Sasha blinked.
“Collins?”
    Admittedly,
she’d been distracted for most of December, what with planning a wedding
abroad, holiday preparations, and taking care of the administrative niceties
involved with adding Will Volmer as a partner in her law firm. She’d been more
than happy to let her usually able legal assistant handle the coverage
arrangements for the days that the entire firm would be in Nicaragua
celebrating her nuptials. But Mickey Collins? A class action plaintiff’s
attorney was hardly the logical choice to backstop a corporate defense firm.
    “Yes, Mickey
Collins. And don’t even start. Will approved it. Mickey likes you. He’ll do a
good job, and nothing’s going to come up anyway. You know you just want to
check the kitty cam at the pet hotel so you can make sure Java’s being
spoiled.”
    Naya’s tone was
brusque but her eyes were laughing.
    Sasha tried to
hide her grin. It was true, she’d passed quite a bit of time watching her cat
nap on a fluffy pillow thanks to the magic of the eco-resort’s free wireless
service—in between leisurely walks on the snowy white private beach with
Connelly, hikes through the lush, green jungle, and decadent picnic lunches
perched on the rocks above the cove where the dolphins played tag in the surf.
    She’d spent the
past three days relaxing without any thought of what might be happening at the
offices of McCandless & Volmer, LLP. There was no reason to ruin her track
record now. All that was left was the wedding rehearsal, the rehearsal dinner,
and then, tomorrow, the wedding itself.
    The wedding. A little shiver
of anticipation inched up her spine.
    In a little more
than twenty-four hours, she and Connelly would be married, and their
destination wedding would magically convert into a honeymoon, while Naya and
Will returned to the law firm and the real world with the rest of their guests.
    The thought of
weaving her life together with Connelly’s made her catch her breath. The force
of her feelings almost knocked her off balance.
    She let her eyes
travel around the cozy room and fall on each of the women who’d come to stand
next to her as she wed Connelly, and her joy increased until she felt as though
her heart might burst.
    A gentle tap on
the door forestalled whatever gooey speech was about to pour from her mouth.
    The thatched
door eased open inward and her mother’s impeccably coiffed hair filled the
opening, followed by the rest of her.
    “How are we
doing in here, girls?” Valentina asked, letting her eyes travel slowly over the
assembled group in search of a bra strap peeking out from a dress or a tendril
of hair that had escaped its bun.
    Satisfied, she
turned her attention from the bridesmaids to her daughter. The assembled women
shared a communal breath of relief at having passed inspection. And this was
just the rehearsal . Sasha didn’t want to imagine the level of scrutiny
her mother would bring to bear to the actual wedding.
    “We’re great,
mom. Just waiting for the word that it’s show time.”
    Sasha looked
over her mother’s shoulder for Charlotte Givens, knowing that where her mother
went, the resort’s wedding coordinator was certain to follow.
    And, sure
enough, the trim, British expatriate ducked under Valentina’s arm and slipped
into the room with an apologetic smile.
    “Ladies,” she
said sunnily, “Christopher has asked for just a few more moments alone with the
piano and then we can start the rehearsal. Any jitters, questions, concerns?”
    Naya, Maisy,
Riley, and Jordan shook their heads in unison. It was nobody’s first time at
the bridesmaid