Page 22 of Kiss the Bride

“That’s good to know.” With the others pitching in, he and Evelyn wouldn’t have quite as much to do.

“That leaves the vendors for us. Tomorrow, Brianna and Daniel will tour the Boat Works and the Cottage. We can each handle those on our own.”

He nodded. Between play dates and the restoration work he’d done there, he pretty much knew the Cottage inside and out. He didn’t mind skipping the tour. “Good. I could use a few hours to take care of some things.”

“Me, too.” Evelyn polished off the last of her soda. “Tomorrow afternoon, I’ll go with Brianna to try on wedding gowns while you take Daniel to Tux or Tails. As for the rest, divide and conquer, I guess, so neither of us has too much on our plate.”

He considered the schedule. It didn’t surprise him one bit that Evelyn had a carefully thought-out plan of attack. But it didn’t sound like they’d be spending much time together at all. Had she arranged it that way on purpose? He briefly considered asking her before he discarded the question. He nodded agreeably. “That works for me. We probably ought to touch base once in a while so nothing slips through the cracks.”

“Sure. I’ll call you or you can call me each evening. We’ll make sure everything’s covered for the next day.” She grabbed the trash bags and shimmied toward the opening in the floor.

Watching her disappear down the ladder, he shook his head. He and Evelyn had been good friends once. But to protect his heart, he’d sworn to keep his distance from her. Now, she’d come up with a plan that would keep them apart throughout the Wedding-in-a-Week activities. He ought to be happy about that.

So why wasn’t he?

Chapter Seven

“Hello! Anybody here?”

Ryan looked up from the ledger he’d been working on in his office at the Boat Works. He checked his fingers for telltale signs of red ink. When there weren’t any, he checked the time on his cell phone. Brianna and Daniel weren’t due for another half hour.

“Anybody here?” the voice called again. “Ryan?”

Evelyn?

Warmth spread through his chest the moment he recognized her voice. Confusion followed on its heels. She was the last person he’d expected to see this morning. Yesterday, after the mayor had coerced them into acting as Brianna and Daniel’s escorts for the week, they’d decided he’d show the young couple the Boat Works this morning while Evelyn kicked off another busy week at the Captain’s Cottage. They’d agreed to trade places later, which would give him time to return the flowers he’d borrowed from Mildred and take care of a few chores. Then, this afternoon, they’d divide and conquer again—the girls would head for the bridal salon, the guys to Tux or Tails.

He shut the book containing columns that dipped deeper into the red every day. Three days ago, those numbers had given him a headache, but not anymore. Not now that the Wedding-in-a-Week event had provided the opportunity to turn things around. Once Brianna and Daniel chose the Boat Works as their wedding venue, all his problems would be solved.

And why wouldn’t they? The facility had never looked better. Throughout the building, surfaces gleamed and glistened. Ashley and Alexis had arrived before daybreak and spent hours adding festive touches to the entryway and beyond. He’d literally rolled out the red carpet in the main hall, where floral arrangements on loan from Forget Me Knot Flowers lined a makeshift aisle and brightened every corner. Even the weather had cooperated by delivering a picture-perfect day. He couldn’t ask for a better chance to prove to Brianna and Daniel that this was the place to hold their wedding. But first, he needed to find out why Evelyn had shown up when she wasn’t supposed to be here.

Locking the door to his office, he strode quickly down the back hall to the entrance. Sure enough, Evelyn stood in the lobby, tapping the sole of one shoe against the hardwood floor. This morning, she’d paired another of those slim-fitting skirts with a snug blouse that showed off all her curves. She looked amazing, even with her hair pinned and her pretty curls tucked into a tight knot at the back of her head.

Just looking at her spread joy like sunshine through him. He was glad they’d rekindled their friendship. One day …

He gulped and slammed the brakes on his wayward thoughts. He was not going there. He hadn’t left his office to ogle Evelyn Heart. They’d agreed to work together, but things between them absolutely weren’t going one step further. Not during the Wedding-in-a-Week competition, when his entire future was at stake. And not later. He’d done the math. He knew for a fact that Heart’s Landing could support a dozen wedding venues. As long as he owned the Boat Works and Evelyn was tied to the Captain’s Cottage, though, they’d always be vying for business. Relationships faced enough obstacles without adding those kinds of problems to the mix.

Searching her face, he cleared his throat. “Hey, Evelyn. What’s up? Is something wrong?”

“What? Oh, no. Everything’s fine.”

“What brings you here, then? I thought we were meeting at the White Dove at one.” Was she hoping to undermine his efforts with Brianna and Daniel? That was something the Evelyn he remembered from high school might try.

“I had a couple of errands to run in Heart’s Landing this morning. Since I was out, I ran by Parks & Rec to pick up my sapling. I got yours, too.”

“Well, that was nice.” And something one friend would do for another. Ashamed of himself for questioning her motives, he cast an expectant look at her feet and came up empty. “Where’s the tree?”

“I left it outside, on the deck. I, um, didn’t want to track any dirt in. Oh,” she added like an afterthought, “I ran into Curtis and gave him a lift.”

Ryan started. He’d been so entranced by Evelyn he hadn’t even noticed the photographer from Weddings Today. Not that he was to blame. The smaller man stood quietly at the back of the room, where he hadn’t attracted a bit of attention. “Hey, Curtis.” He canted his head. “You didn’t want to come with Brianna and Daniel?”

Curtis hefted his camera. “When I can, I get to the places on our schedule ahead of the bride and groom so I can record their first impressions. Meantime, don’t mind me. It’s easier for me to do my job if you ignore the fact that I’m even here.”

“You got it.” He left the man to his musings and turned to the redhead, who was studying the walls of the cozy entryway. A soft smile tugged at her lips.

“I love this, Ryan. You’ve done a terrific job with the place. I can’t wait to see the rest.”

The high praise sent his spirits soaring and tempted him to show her more. He gestured toward a pair of immense barn doors. He’d kept them closed in order to add an element of surprise to his tour with Brianna and Daniel, but it wouldn’t do any harm to give Evelyn a sneak peek. As one friend to another. “The main ballroom and reception area are back there. Did you, um, want to see them?”

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