Page 21 of Kiss the Bride

“Really?” She peered up at him, surprise flickering in her green eyes. “I’ve been too busy lately, but last summer, I’d fill a thermos and come out here first thing in the morning at least once a week. I like listening to the birds, watching the Cottage come to life.”

Memories from their childhood came back in a rush. “We had some good times here when we were kids, didn’t we?”

A wide grin broke across Evelyn’s face. “We’d pretend the treehouse was a pirate ship and sail the seven seas.”

He glanced toward a wooden lean-to in one corner. “Jason was always trying to get you to stay in the cabin so we could rescue you.” He laughed. “But you rarely went along with his plans.”

“I wanted to be captain of my own ship.” She flicked a thick braid over one shoulder.

He shook his head. He and Jason had had a lot to learn about girls back then. Fortunately, Evelyn had been more than willing to teach them. As a matter of fact, she’d actually insisted on it. When they’d tried to tell her girls couldn’t captain a ship, much less be a pirate, she’d grudgingly abided by the rules. Not for long, though. One rainy afternoon when they couldn’t go outside to play, she’d dragged them both into the library. There, she’d hauled down a book that was nearly as big as she was. She hadn’t even been able to read yet, but she hadn’t let that stop her. She’d pointed to pictures of Anne Bonny, an infamous lady pirate of the 1700s. After that, Evelyn had demanded they all take turns playing the role of captain. He chuckled. He’d always admired her spunk.

Standing, she wandered over to the railing. “I wonder what happened to our flag. You remember it? Your mom made it for us.”

“I have it.” His heart expanded at the thought of their initials stitched into the corners, and he smiled. Once, long after they’d outgrown their pirate days, he’d taken a shortcut through the woods on his way to visit Jason and had spied the tattered piece of cloth hanging from an old fishing rod they’d used as a flagpole. He’d retrieved it and, later that night, he’d tucked it among the mementos he kept in a footlocker by his bed.

“You do?”

“I thought my children might like it for their own treehouse someday.” He cleared his throat. “If and when that day comes, that is.” He shuffled his feet. Why on Earth had he mentioned children? Any discussion along those lines was bound to lead to talk of hopes and dreams for the future. That was not the kind of conversation he wanted to have with a woman who’d long since made it perfectly clear she wasn’t interested in him.

Hoping to change the subject, he grabbed the bags he’d brought with him. “I guess we ought to talk about this Wedding-in-a-Week thing. Have a seat?” He gestured to the bare planks where, as kids, they’d spent long hours shooting marbles and playing card games.

“Well, I’m glad someone ended up with the flag.” Evelyn settled on the edge of the rough flooring, her feet dangling in the air above the ground.

“I brought sandwiches.” Paper rustled as he plopped one bag between them on the boards. “I hope you don’t mind, but I’m starving.” He’d gotten so lost in putting the finishing touches on the Boat Works this afternoon, he hadn’t eaten.

Evelyn stared at the brown paper bag. “Is that what I think it is?”

He grinned. “If you’re hoping for grinders from The Aisle, this is your lucky day.” A sign over the tiny storefront read Down The Aisle of Sandwiches, but everyone simply referred to the sub shop as The Aisle. From the time they were old enough to pedal their bikes along Procession Avenue, he and his friends had ridden to the sub shop as often as they could.

“Oh, man. I’m dying for one of those.” Grabbing the bag, Evelyn stuck her nose inside and breathed in. “The best smell ever,” she declared, handing it back.

She was right, and he didn’t bother to deny it. He pulled out two subs wrapped in thick white paper. “You want chips?”

“And ruin a perfectly good sandwich? No, thanks. You asked for extra hots, didn’t you?”

“Of course.” The pickled red peppers added an extra kick that set the subs apart from all others. Eagerly, they peeled back the layers of paper to reveal classic Italian grinders stuffed full of salami, ham and provolone atop a bed of shaved lettuce. The air filled with the aroma of The Aisle’s secret dressing. The smell made his mouth water almost painfully.

“Dig in,” he suggested, barely able to wait for her to go first.

She did, and they ate in silence for a few minutes. After they’d devoured a few salty, tangy bites, he pulled out two bottles bearing the familiar anchor of a popular Rhode Island brand.

Eyeing the drinks, Evelyn squealed, “Oh, my goodness. You remembered.”

“How could I forget? It’s still my favorite.” His mom made sure the old-fashioned metal cooler on their back porch held an assortment of Yacht Club sodas whenever Jason and Evelyn came over to his house. The three of them had made a game of sifting through the melting ice until each of them found their favorite flavor. He and Evelyn had always been partial to cream soda, while Jason preferred root beer. He pried the top off his and drank deeply. Evelyn did the same. The cool, refreshing taste made the perfect accompaniment to the spicy sandwiches.

At last, he sat back, his arms angled behind him to support his weight. “The Aisle and cream soda. I think I missed those the most when I lived in Maine.”

“That, and the brides,” Evelyn teased lightly.

“And the brides.” He laughed, feeling more at ease than he’d expected after confessing that his love for Heart’s Landing had drawn him home.

She handed him a napkin. “Thanks,” he said, and mopped his face. When they’d gathered the trash into bags, he returned to the subject they’d met to discuss. “They really stuck it to us with this one, didn’t they?”

Beside him, long shadows played across Evelyn’s face. “Yeah, but what choice do we have? We have to help. The whole town’s depending on us.”

“True. But I meant it when I said I had no clue how to handle this. How about you? You have any ideas?”

She shrugged. “Most of the meals are covered. The mayor’s taking Brianna and Daniel to the White Dove tomorrow. They have a lunch meeting with Alicia on Tuesday. And so on and so forth. Nights, we’re off duty. Alicia or Jenny will go with them to check out their choices for the rehearsal dinner early in the week. The other evenings are set aside for date nights—we don’t have to worry about any of those.”

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