Page 66 of Kiss the Bride

That was the last straw. Evelyn put her foot down. “No,” she said through gritted teeth. “That’s not how we do things in Heart’s Landing. We deliver a perfect wedding for every bride. With a little bit of creativity and some help from our friends, we can give Brianna and Daniel the wedding of their dreams on time and right here.”

She gulped air. She was putting everything on the line, but this was for all of them—for Brianna and Daniel, for Heart’s Landing, and for the man she loved. “Tell Regina the wedding will go forward as scheduled at Harbor View.”

She didn’t see the person who started clapping first, but she wanted to hug them. As one by one the others joined in, she thanked her lucky stars for letting her live in a place where people truly believed in creating a perfect wedding for every bride.

Curtis glowered and threw out one last warning. “I hope you know what you’re doing. If you mess this up …”

Tears stinging her eyes, she added her own reassurances to those of the shop owners and workers who chorused, “We won’t!”

The photographer was smart enough to know when he’d been defeated. “All right, then.” He waved a hand for silence and got it. “I’ll let Regina know.”

The minute Curtis stepped to the opposite end of the hall to call his boss, Evelyn wiped her cheeks and signaled to Chef Hubbard. “Carry on, Chef. I know you have a lot to do in a short amount of time.”

Janet crammed her chef’s hat on her head. Without stopping to ask questions, she strode toward the kitchen. In seconds, Evelyn could hear her begin to issue orders in a calm, professional voice.

Evelyn moved to the middle of the room. Ignoring the way her knees trembled, she called out over the rattle of pots and pans from the kitchen. “If you’re still working on something that needs to be done for the wedding, continue with whatever you were doing. When you finish, come see me.” She turned to Jenny. “Take my place with Brianna. Reassure her that we have everything under control out here.”

Daniel and his groomsmen stepped forward. “We’re here to help, ma’am. Tell us what to do.”

“There are umbrellas and a rack of foul weather gear in Ryan’s office. Get whatever you need and gather at the front door.” She glanced at her watch. “In about fifteen minutes, people are going to start dropping off items we’ll need for tonight. If you and your squad could meet them and bring everything inside, it’ll save us a lot of time.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Daniel turned smartly to his friends. “You heard the lady.”

The group double-timed it across the hall and out of sight.

“The rest of you,” she said, eyeing about a half-dozen volunteers, “break out your cell phones and start calling every person you know in Heart’s Landing. This is what you’re going to tell them to do …”

Chapter Eighteen

Ryan drove through the pouring rain, his wipers swishing back and forth across the windshield faster than a jigsaw blade. Not a single street lamp illuminated the sidewalks around the marina. Nary a traffic light blinked along Officiant Circle. With only his headlights to guide him, he crept along, despite a nearly overwhelming need to put as much distance as possible between himself and the woman who’d betrayed him.

How could she? More than anyone, Evelyn knew how much holding Brianna and Daniel’s ceremony at Harbor View meant to him. How much it meant to his future. Yet she hadn’t even hesitated when Curtis suggested they move the wedding.

As he drove past the Captain’s Cottage, lights glowed from all the windows. Powered, no doubt, by the mansion’s very own backup generator. His grip on the steering wheel tightened. When he got right down to it, this was all his fault. He should’ve taken Norman’s advice, should’ve had the electrician install a generator even if he’d had to max out his credit card.

Doing so would’ve saved him a world of hurt.

Because hurt was all he felt right now. His stomach twisted into knots every time he thought of Evelyn’s betrayal. Ice ran through his veins when he considered what it might mean to him financially. Worst of all, his heart had splintered into a million pieces when he’d realized she didn’t love him like he loved her. Because she couldn’t, not and stab him in the back like she’d done.

The rain had slowed by the time he reached a parking area above Heart’s Landing. Pulling into the empty lot, he shut the wipers off and peered through the windshield. The fast-moving storm had travelled well offshore. Lightning arced on the distant horizon, so far away, the rumble of thunder had faded completely. He exited into a light drizzle, pulled his collar higher on his neck, and climbed onto the bike path.

A five-minute walk took him to the rock wall overlooking the cove. Propping his arms on the wet rocks, he stared down at the rough sea. The tide was in. Water surged against the cliffs that sheltered the spot where Captain Thaddeus had once anchored the Mary S. His thoughts churned along with the waves.

He had no choice. He had to accept that Evelyn had never changed. By turning her back on him when he’d needed her support the most, she’d proven she was still the self-centered, demanding diva he’d known in high school. Going along with Curtis’s idea to move the wedding to the Captain’s Cottage made it abundantly clear she’d go to any lengths to come out on top.

No, wait. That wasn’t right.

A particularly rough wave struck the rocks below with enough force to send up a spray that doused him in salt water.

Evelyn cared for those around her. Rumor had it she’d bought I Do Cakes’ entire stock of salted caramel cupcakes earlier this week as a surprise gift for her staff, her way of thanking them for all they’d done. And that wasn’t all. She cared for the people around her. She’d come home from New York without a moment’s hesitation after her uncle had taken sick. More recently, she’d called in the cavalry when Brianna had a meltdown the day she’d chosen her wedding dress. He and Evelyn had both heard the news about the bride’s aunt, but Evelyn had been the one who’d insisted they rush to the young woman’s side. When he doubted himself, she encouraged him. He might never have healed the breach with his parents without her support.

Those weren’t the actions of a selfish, egotistical diva. They were the actions of someone who put others first. Someone who sacrificed her own hopes and dreams for the good of Heart’s Landing.

His shoulders slumped. He blinked salt spray out of his eyes and forced himself to start over, take a fresh look at things.

When Brianna and Daniel had chosen Harbor View over the Captain’s Cottage, Evelyn had been hurt and surprised. Who wouldn’t be? But she’d been quick to do what was best for Heart’s Landing. As a result, she’d worked side by side with him into the wee hours and all day today in order to get Harbor View in tip-top shape for its first-ever wedding.

Going along with Curtis’s plan to move the ceremony to the Captain’s Cottage was more of the same. All of Heart’s Landing would’ve suffered if they’d canceled or postponed Brianna and Daniel’s wedding. Evelyn must have seen the move as the best option for Mildred Morrey, for Bev and Vi Gorman, for Greg Thomas and a hundred more who’d invested so much in Wedding-in-a-Week. She had to have known the change of venues might destroy any chance they had of happiness together. But she’d agreed to do it … for the good of Heart’s Landing.

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