Page 9 of Kiss the Bride

“He should’ve known better than to dare you.”

Her tummy shimmied when a throaty chuckle emerged from somewhere deep in Ryan’s chest. She’d always enjoyed his sense of humor. “That was ages ago,” she agreed. “But you’re right, I never was one to turn down a challenge. I like to think I’m a little bit smarter now. Anyway, my point was, the place was a disaster. Part of the roof had collapsed. I stepped in a hole in the floor and almost fell through it. What have you done to it?”

Ryan pulled a slim phone from his back pocket. “See for yourself.” He pressed a button, and the screen lit up.

She stared down at a picture. Even though the image was slightly out of focus, the shingles on the Boat Works glistened in the morning sun. She thumbed to the next shot. Soaring ceilings above glossy wood floors stole her breath. “This is beautiful,” she whispered. “You did it all yourself?”

“As much as I could.” The tiniest hint of pride edged the corners of Ryan’s voice. “I brought in a crew to tear out the old timbers and the wood rot. A company that specializes in marine work checked the foundations and laid the new deck. But the rest, that’s all me.”

“It must’ve taken forever.”

“A year.” Ryan shrugged. “The better part of one, anyway.”

“From the looks of these, you could hold a wedding there tomorrow.”

“Almost. I have a few small projects to finish—a door to hang between the main hall and the kitchen, some touch-up jobs to do.” His eyes filled with an earnest promise. “I’ll knock those out before anyone steps foot in the building on Monday.”

She eyed him carefully. For the first time since she’d walked into Alicia’s office, a shiver of doubt passed through her. Was this the year the Captain’s Cottage lost out to another competitor? Impossible. She shook off the thought and squared her shoulders. She’d promised to fill Ryan in on the important aspects of the contest. It was time to get down to business and do just that. “About Wedding-in-a-Week. The blue binder covers every possible contingency, but there are only three things you really need to remember.”

Ryan blinked as if reeling his thoughts back in from a place he hadn’t intended them to go. Patting his shirt pocket, he located a pen.

“No badmouthing the competition.” She ticked the first item off on one finger. “The whole reason the vendors in town participate is to showcase their products and services. If one of us makes a negative comment that finds its way into the Weddings Today article, people won’t sign up next year.” She waited until he nodded before she held up the next finger. “No bribery or other undue influence. It’s okay if Mildred Morrey provides a light snack when the couple visits Forget Me Knot, but if she treated them to dinner at a steakhouse, that’d be a problem.”

Ryan’s blue eyes twinkled. He snapped his fingers. “Guess I’d better cancel those season tickets at Fenway. And here I thought I’d found the perfect bribe.”

“Exactly. Something like that would get you thrown out of the contest.”

“Well, we can’t have that!”

They both shared a laugh. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed being around Ryan. It felt good to laugh with him again. She shook her head. “Last and most important, live up to the Heart’s Landing promise and deliver a perfect wedding. No matter what happens along the way.”

“Got it.” Ryan clicked the end of his ballpoint pen. “So how much of this is our responsibility? Are we expected to accompany them throughout the week?”

“Not usually.” Evelyn started to run her fingers through her hair, thought better of it, and tugged on an earring instead. In years past, Jason had shown up at the train station to greet the arriving guests, given the lucky couple an in-depth tour of the wedding venue in Heart’s Landing, and had known his work was done when he’d seen a sparkle in the bride’s eyes or heard the groom ask for a tape measure. He’d left instructions for her to do the same. After seeing Ryan’s photographs, though, she wasn’t sure the usual routine would do the trick. This year might call for all hands on deck in order to save the day for the Captain’s Cottage.

Ryan peered into the depths of Evelyn’s green eyes and faltered. He’d forgotten the smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose. Or how a single glance from her could tie his tongue in knots. She’d given a breathy little sigh a moment ago. Why was that? He straightened. It didn’t matter. They might’ve fallen out of touch, but he still knew her well enough to be certain of one thing—she hadn’t been sighing over him.

He snatched what was left of the nearly forgotten brownie from the tiny dessert plate. Cramming the tasty tidbit into his mouth, he chewed furiously. It made a good enough excuse for not speaking, and it certainly kept him from blurting out something incredibly dumb. Like telling Evelyn how pretty she was. That would only lump him in with other guys who’d lost their heads over her. The ones who’d complimented her iridescent green eyes, or commented on the thick red curls that even now threatened to escape the knot she’d trapped them in. He wouldn’t be one of those.

He wouldn’t ask if there was someone special in her life, either. Women like Evelyn weren’t alone and unattached. Not in this day and age, when social dating apps guaranteed even the shyest wallflower a perfect match.

Not that anyone had ever accused Evelyn of being shy. She said what she meant, meant what she said, and let the chips fall where they may. He liked that she didn’t keep the people around her guessing. They always knew exactly where they stood with her.

He always knew exactly where he stood with her.

Which was how he knew he had as much of a chance with her as a builder had of constructing a new house without a hammer. Yeah, neither was ever going to happen. Friendship, though, that was an entirely different matter. The three of them—Evelyn, Jason, and him—had been thick as thieves, once upon a time. He and Jason were still best buds.

But him and Evelyn? Nah.

The two of them had drifted apart after … Well, after he’d foolishly asked her to the homecoming dance within earshot of her posse. The girls had found something uproariously funny in the idea of a baseball player dating the queen of the drama club. They’d laughed out loud while Evelyn had coolly turned on one heel and walked away. He supposed that part had hurt the most, although there hadn’t been anything pleasant about the entire experience. The memory served as a reminder that he and Evelyn would never be more than friends.

He supposed she was offering that—friendship. Why else would she be sitting there, sharing the ins and outs of the Wedding-in-a-Week contest like they were pals again? He was good with that, wasn’t he? He’d missed having her in his life. Missed being able to turn to someone he trusted to give her honest opinion. Missed her sassy wit. Missed how she was always ready for the next adventure. He scooped a few stray crumbs from the table into his hand and brushed them onto his plate. He supposed, if they were going to do this, it was time to start getting to know one another again.

His appraising glance swept over the guests who wandered in and out of the dining room. “So you’re in charge while Jason’s away?”

Evelyn nibbled on her scone. “I’m filling in till he and Tara get back at the end of the month. Then things will go back to normal.”

“And what’s normal for you? What do you usually do here?”

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