Page 53 of Kiss the Bride

Evelyn reluctantly quit doodling hearts and flowers on the paper ink blotter that covered her desk. What was she, a teenager? She had better things to do, more important things to accomplish than to sit here daydreaming about Ryan Court and being in love. She wasn’t in love. Not even close.

She gave the paper sheet one last glance, sighed, and reached for her computer mouse. Maybe she was just the tiniest little bit in love, but she couldn’t think of that right now. Jason was counting on her to keep things running smoothly in his absence. Heart’s Landing was counting on her to deliver a perfect wedding for their Wedding-in-a-Week couple. She couldn’t let them down.

She slid the cursor across the screen. Three clicks of the mouse later, she studied the schedule for the Captain’s Cottage on her computer screen. While she’d been busy with Brianna and Daniel—and thinking entirely too much about a tall, handsome carpenter—Alicia and Jenny had launched four couples into wedded bliss. Additionally, Jenny had given several prospective brides tours of the mansion. Four of them had locked in their preferred dates. Housekeeping and Landscaping reported that everything was going smoothly in their departments. Even Connie had helped out. The head chef had inventoried their stock and prepared this week’s supply order, relieving Evelyn of yet another task.

She tapped her pencil against the ink blotter. Much as she appreciated how much everyone had pitched in to cover for her while she focused on Wedding-in-a-Week, she had to admit their efforts only underscored the fact that the Captain’s Cottage could get along perfectly well without her. She’d suspected it for some time now, but scrolling through the weekly reports without spotting a single red flag confirmed it. Once Jason returned from his honeymoon and Tara took over as hostess of the mansion that played host to hundreds of weddings each year, she’d be at loose ends.

Oh, no doubt, she’d have a job for as long as she wanted, and she’d always have a place to live. Family meant too much to Jason for her cousin to throw her out on the street. The thing was, she’d grown restless over the past year. She wanted to do more than merely manage the books and order supplies. But what? And where? Those were questions she needed to find the answers to, and the sooner, the better.

She ran a hand through her curls. She’d meant it when she’d told Ryan she was done with New York. Always hustling to make the rent, to nail even a bit part in a play … that wasn’t for her anymore. The bright lights and crowded streets no longer held any appeal. As for the Captain’s Cottage, she loved the history and the elegance of her family home, but helping to continue its traditions wasn’t her cup of tea.

So what did she want?

She jotted three quick notes on the blotter. She’d love to get in on the ground floor of a project here in Heart’s Landing. She wanted to establish new traditions, develop her own ways of going about things. She needed to play a bigger role in providing the perfect wedding for every bride. When she finished, she studied what she’d written and nodded. Now that she knew what she wanted, she just had to figure out the how and the where of it.

She sensed the answers hovered just out of reach. They were getting closer, though. Close enough that she ought to broach the subject with Jason as soon as he returned from Europe. A thrill rushed through her. Whatever happened next, it felt exciting to be on the cusp of something new.

A knock on her door interrupted her musings. She looked up to see Jenny standing in the doorway.

“You’re leaving soon?” The slim brunette held a copy of today’s itinerary in one hand. According to it, Evelyn had a full day of Wedding-in-a-Week activities ahead.

“Pretty quick.” She glanced at her notes and smiled. In more ways than one.

“Cheri called. She was able to get the dresses we like from a sister shop in Providence. They’ll be here in plenty of time for the wedding on Sunday.”

“Great!” She and Jenny had spent hours trying on gowns before the newlywed had chosen one with a fitted waist that showed off her ample curves and was sure to put a smile on her husband’s face. Evelyn had selected an off-the-shoulder model in the same mauvey-pink. The skirt of hers fell in graceful folds from an empire waist. She could hardly wait to see Ryan’s reaction when he saw her in it.

“So, um, Ryan, huh?” Jenny raised an eyebrow, all the while delivering a knowing look.

Evelyn fought to keep her features neutral. “He’s helping with Wedding-in-a-Week. Just like Alicia asked him to.”

Her deepening feelings for Ryan were too new to share. Why, she’d barely mentioned the carpenter while she and Jenny had tried on gown after gown last night. She gave the matter a second thought. Okay, maybe she had wondered aloud whether he’d like this dress or what he’d think of that one. And she might’ve mentioned he was her date for the wedding, but that was all, honest. She certainly hadn’t gushed about him like a high school girl with a crush.

“You’re sure there’s nothing more going on between the two of you?” Jenny wagged a finger back and forth.

She flattened her palm over the hearts and flowers on the ink blotter while her resistance buckled. She didn’t have any idea how she’d kept the secret locked inside all through last night’s fitting, but she couldn’t hold it back anymore. “Well, he did nearly kiss me.”

“Oh?” In three quick strides, Jenny crossed to the guest chair and plunked herself down. “Out with it. I want all the juicy details.”

“I’m afraid there aren’t any. The operative word here is nearly,” she pointed out. “He had some, um, stuff to go over.” Ryan trusted her to keep his secrets. She wouldn’t blurt them out, not even to Jenny. “We went for a walk along the bike path, and everything was normal. Until, all of a sudden, it wasn’t. There was this moment when we just connected, you know?”

“Ooh,” Jenny sighed. “Tell me more.”

“There’s not a whole lot more to tell,” she admitted, surprised by how much she wanted there to be. “He leaned in, and I had just enough time to think, kiss! Then his phone went off. After that, we rushed over to the bed-and-breakfast.”

“But he has feelings for you. And you like him, too, don’t you?” Jenny leaned forward, anticipation written on her face.

“I do. I always have,” she admitted.

“Squeeee!”

“Hush!” Evelyn warned. “No one can know about this. It’s too soon.”

“Oh, but those first days of falling in love are so exciting,” Jenny protested. She sucked in a breath. “Are you in love?”

She wrapped one loose curl around her finger. She found it hard to concentrate whenever she was around Ryan. When he wasn’t near, she thought of him constantly. More than once, she’d caught herself daydreaming of a future with him.

Was that love? Heavy like, definitely. But something more, something deeper? How could she be sure? She shook her head. “I don’t think so. Not yet, anyway.”

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