Page 68 of Kiss the Bride

A hand at her elbow propelled her through the kitchen and out the back door. Here, the roofline had been extended to protect a small porch from the elements. She sucked in a breath of air that smelled of freshly washed earth, salt spray, and the crisp smell that lingered after a lightning strike.

“Stay here as long as you need. I’ll fend off any wolves who come looking for you.”

Evelyn gave the chef a grateful smile. “Not wolves so much as eager puppies. So many questions.” She’d answered more of them in the past hour than she had in the last year.

“Where do you want this lantern?”

“Do you want candles on every table?”

“Where are the extra batteries?”

“Where do you keep the mops?”

“The umbrellas?”

“Thanks, I—”

“Been there. Done that. Take a breath. Recharge.”

If only it were that simple. Tonight, she’d saved a wedding. In the process, she’d lost the only man she’d ever loved.

The first had opened a world of new possibilities. All week, the sense that change was on the horizon had built within her. With Ryan’s help and encouragement, she’d discovered she had a bigger purpose than keeping the books and tracking the supplies at the Captain’s Cottage. Thanks to him, she’d learned how it felt to be actively involved in giving brides their perfect day. She wanted more of that.

She’d hoped that, somehow, she and Ryan would be partners in that effort. But after seeing the disappointment and pain in his eyes when he’d looked at her earlier, she knew that would never happen.

Which hurt more than she’d ever thought possible, because she’d fallen in love with the tall, blond carpenter. He made her heart sing in a way no starring role in any play ever had. He filled her with hope and dreams of a better day, a future filled with happiness and love. Only she’d destroyed any hope of that ever happening when she’d chosen to put the Captain’s Cottage first. She pressed one hand over the missing pieces of her heart.

For one long moment, while Curtis had ranted about moving the wedding to the Captain’s Cottage, she’d wavered. She’d only agreed with the man for a second. It’d been long enough to ruin everything. She’d broken Ryan’s trust by once again letting her mouth get ahead of her head. She’d come to her senses mere seconds later, but by then it was too late. Ryan was already gone. For the past two hours, she’d done her best to rectify her mistake. Not that it mattered. He’d never look at her the same again. The words she’d spoken in haste had seen to that.

How was she going to live without him?

She couldn’t, not in Heart’s Landing. Not where they’d constantly see each other on the streets, or attend the same weddings, or sit next to one another at town hall meetings. Losing Ryan left her with no choice. She’d have to leave. She’d have to move to a different city, a different town, where she’d never see him again. Where she wouldn’t have to watch him meet someone new or fall in love with a woman who wasn’t her. And she’d need to do it soon, while her heart was still so broken over losing the one man she ever loved that she’d hardly notice she’d left behind her home, her town, her friends, and family.

The door leading to the kitchen creaked open. Chef Hubbard stuck her head out. “There’s someone here to see you.”

“I—I’m not ready to see anyone just yet.” She blotted her eyes.

“I tried to explain that, but he’s quite insistent. I can’t hold him off any longer.”

“Evelyn, we need to talk.” Ryan’s head appeared over Janet’s shoulder.

At the words known for introducing the big breakup scene in every romance novel she’d ever read, she took a ragged breath. He was right. They probably should talk and get it over with. Once they got everything out in the open, they could move on with their lives, start to heal. As if. She stifled a laugh. Recovering from this breakup was never going to happen. “It’s okay, Janet. Let him by.” She braced herself.

Ryan barely waited for the chef to step aside before he shouldered his way through the door. She swallowed hard. She’d always thought he looked good in jeans and a T-shirt. Dressed in a suit with his hair slicked back, he was practically irresistible. But resist she must. Though every fiber of her being fought against it, she motioned for him to keep his distance.

Much to her sorrow, he did as she asked.

“I thought you’d moved Brianna and Daniel’s wedding to the Captain’s Cottage.” He spoke in clipped tones, his voice strained. “Didn’t Curtis insist on it? Or did I hear wrong?”

“I …” Afraid anything she said would only make things worse—if that was even possible—she simply nodded. “That was the plan.”

“What happened? When I left, you were all set to follow Curtis’s lead.”

There it was, the hard part. Yes, she’d rallied the town to come to Ryan’s aid, but that hadn’t been her first thought. Her temples throbbed while she searched for the words that would end things between them.

“I’m not proud of that,” she said at last. “For a minute there, I was only thinking of myself. Of what it’d mean for me if we held the wedding at the Captain’s Cottage. But then I realized it wasn’t what Brianna and Daniel wanted. They’ve had their hearts set on a waterfront wedding from the moment they stepped foot in Harbor View.” She stopped. “By the time my brain caught up with my mouth, I’d already said I’d go along with Curtis’s plan. I know that hurt you. I know you can never forgive me, but I want you to know I didn’t mean it. I’m sorry.” A tear rolled down her cheek. She brushed it away.

In the shadows, she saw Ryan shrug. His voice softened. “I won’t lie to you. That did hurt, but you weren’t the only one who made mistakes tonight. We both did. I should never have left the way I did. I rushed back to help, to beg you to forgive me—”

---