Page 14 of Kiss the Bride

She sighed heavily. The girl was as stubborn as a dog with a bone. “Okay, but there’s really not much to tell. We palled around when we were kids—Ryan, me, Jason. In the winter, we’d build snow forts and have massive snowball fights that went on for days. Or, once the pond froze over, we’d race around the ice pretending we were Bruins in the playoffs for the Stanley Cup. Summers, we’d pretend an old treehouse was the S.S. Mary Shelby and we had to fend off pirates. We put on talent shows and plays. My uncle Dave let us rummage through the wardrobes in the attic for costumes to wear. When we could convince Connie to pack us a picnic lunch, we’d pick wild blueberries and eat them until our lips turned blue. We had so much fun.” Thinking of those days, she sniffed.

“What changed?”

“I’ve asked myself that question a time or two.” She studied the clouds that looked like streaks of paint against the clear blue sky. “We drifted apart, I guess. We got older, got interested in different things. Jason and Ryan started playing sports—hockey in the winter, baseball in the summer. I joined the drama club and chorus. The guys used to hang out at the Cottage some, but after they graduated and Jason left for Cornell, Ryan went to work for his dad full-time.”

In her teens and early twenties, it had seemed critically important for her friends to share the same interests, the same likes and dislikes. Life had taken her and Ryan in very different directions, so it was only natural her friendship with him had faded. But wait. There had to be more to it than that. Ryan and Jason had very little in common, yet they’d remained fast friends. So why hadn’t her friendship with Ryan survived? She couldn’t put her finger on a specific reason, but she suspected there was one. What it was, she had no clue.

Just beyond the candy-apple-red awnings of Perfectly Flawless Day Spa, someone had blocked off the sidewalk with yellow tape. “The Ash,” Jenny whispered, her voice turning funereal. “We have to go around.”

Evelyn craned her neck, but a row of buildings blocked her view of the downed tree. Silently, she turned. In minutes, they’d backtracked to Honeymoon Avenue and headed west toward Union Street.

They were halfway down the block when Jenny said, “You two are going to be able to get along, aren’t you? I mean, you’d make a cute couple, but as long as you’re not interested in each other, it’s important that everything goes smoothly this week.”

She chortled. “Ryan and I grew up in Heart’s Landing. We both know better than to let anything interfere with delivering a perfect wedding for every bride.” The town’s motto was so deeply ingrained in every citizen, she wouldn’t be at all surprised to learn that mothers sang it as a lullaby when rocking their babies to sleep. “Don’t worry. We’ll behave. Ryan’s a good man, a good worker. Remember when we had that leak in the Blue Room?”

Jenny shook her head. “Before my time, I’m afraid.”

“That’s right.” She shot her friend a wry glance. Jenny had slipped so seamlessly into the fabric of Heart’s Landing, she sometimes forgot Nick’s new bride hadn’t even lived here two years yet. The woman still had a ways to go with learning the town’s history. She scanned the block ahead. A banner welcoming the Wedding-in-a-Week couple stretched across the street. Farther down, bunting lined the railings of the Champagne Avenue Station, and hundreds of helium-filled balloons tethered by long strings bobbed in the light breeze. “Okay, I’ll give you the short version, seeing as we’re nearly there.

“Less than two weeks before one of the most important weddings of the season, the Blue Room flooded during a storm. Jason was out of town, so Alicia offered to move the festivities to the Green Room free of charge. It’s larger and I think it’s prettier, so it was a really good deal. But the bride got so upset at the change in plans, she had a complete meltdown. She and her fiancé got into a huge fight, and he called off the wedding. That left us with an opening in the Cottage’s calendar. I don’t have to tell you how rare those are.” She waited until Jenny nodded before she proceeded. “As it so happened, this one got snapped up by a certain Hollywood celebrity who sent you here to Heart’s Landing to plan a simple, quiet ceremony.”

“Which didn’t turn out to be simple or quiet.” Jenny snapped her fingers as an important piece of her history slid into place. “But what does that have to do with Ryan?” she asked a moment later.

“Jason hired him to make the repairs.”

Jenny gave a low whistle. “I’ve been in that room a million times. I never even knew there’d been a problem.”

“I hear he’s the best restoration specialist in the state. Maybe even in New England.”

“And now he’s restored the Boat Works.”

“Yeah, that.” She heaved a breathy sigh. “If the Boat Works is half as good as it looked in the pictures he showed me, the Captain’s Cottage could lose quite a few bookings to him.” Which would probably put a damper on any hope for renewing their friendship, since she and Ryan would both be competing for the same clients.

“You know …” Jenny said slowly. She stopped and gave her head a shake. “Never mind. It’s probably not my place to say anything.”

Less than a block remained before they reached their destination. She shot Jenny a sidelong look. “Go on. Say whatever’s on your mind.”

“It’s just that I haven’t been here all that long, but I’ve dealt with a couple of brides who were hoping for a waterfront wedding. The Cottage is great, and we definitely have the best location. With an ocean view, though?” She shrugged. “Not so much.”

Evelyn nibbled on her lower lip. Much as she might want to, she couldn’t deny that Jenny made a valid point. Up until now, whenever a couple wanted to say their vows within sight of the ocean, the staff had erected tents overlooking the sea. Trouble was, that high up, things tended to get a bit breezy. She knew Alicia and Jenny cautioned brides to avoid long veils and billowing dresses when planning an outdoor ceremony, but she’d seen more than one bride fight to hang on to gauzy fabric when the wind blew.

Enter the Boat Works, and problem solved. With enormous plate glass windows offering both protection from the elements and a beautiful view, brides wouldn’t have to give a second thought to the wind or the rain ruining their wedding day.

“So you’re saying the Boat Works fills a need.”

“Don’t you think so?”

She supposed she did. It fit in with Heart’s Landing’s promise to provide a perfect wedding for every bride and groom. She felt small when she realized she’d been selfishly thinking about the Cottage so much that she’d lost sight of the town’s number-one goal.

She shifted Jenny’s packages from one arm to another. Opening the Boat Works marked a change. A change she could accept as long as the Captain’s Cottage retained its status as the spot to get married in Heart’s Landing.

Chapter Five

Ryan lightly tapped the casing with a closed fist. The wood frame popped into place over the swinging door he’d spent the afternoon hanging between the kitchen and the main hall. He stepped back, brushing a few flecks of sawdust from his shirt while he admired his handiwork. Not bad, if he did say so himself.

The stain he’d used matched the floors perfectly. The polished brass push plate gleamed against the darker wood. He gave the handle a slight tug. The door swung inward, then rocked back into place exactly as it should. Warmth spread through his chest. He might not be able to build a house from the foundation up, but he could install a door with the best of them.

He turned, casting a critical eye over the interior of the Boat Works. When he didn’t spot so much as an inch that required a repair or touch-up, he tugged a wrinkled paper from his back pocket. Running a finger over each item on the punch list, he counted off the completed tasks. Twenty-seven switch plate covers installed. Check. Comfy chairs, makeup tables, mirrors—all assembled and arranged in the bride’s dressing lounge. Check. Every squeaky hinge on the kitchen cabinets oiled. Check and check.

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