Page 4 of Dreaming of Dawson

I’m aware of them pulling apart, even though I’m focused on the computer screen, and they wander together into the kitchen. We may be separated by the island unit, but they’re not so far away that I can’t hear their conversation.

“How’s the morning gone?” Ryan asks.

“Better than yesterday,” Peony says. “We’ve been putting the finishing touches to Tanner and Zara’s plans.” I look up again, watching as Ryan fixes some coffee, while Peony opens the refrigerator, then turns to me. “You’ll stay for lunch, won’t you, Macy?”

“If that’s okay with you?”

“We’ve still got a few things to finish,” she says and turns away again, delving inside the fridge, pulling things out, while I get back to the email I was typing.

“I thought we’d seen the last of the big town weddings for a while,” Ryan says.

“No,” Peony replies, shaking her head. “We’ve also just taken a confirmed booking from Cooper. He’s marrying his receptionist in March.”

“We met her, didn’t we?” Ryan says. “At the Fall Festival.”

“Yes. Although I didn’t realize they were serious about each other back then.”

“Didn’t you? I thought Cooper looked pretty damn serious.” I glance up, noticing the smile on Ryan’s face.

“That shows how little you know about Cooper,” Peony says.

“Oh?”

“Yeah.” Ryan moves closer and Peony turns to face him. “Let’s just say I’ve never thought of him as being the marrying kind.”

“Neither was I, until I met you,” he says, dipping his head to kiss her, just briefly. “Maybe the same thing happened to Cooper. Maybe he met the right woman.”

“There’s no ‘maybe’ about it.”

“They’re not exactly hanging around, though, are they?” Ryan says, wiggling his eyebrows and smiling.

“No.”

“That seems to be a common trait around here.”

“Why?” Peony asks, turning back to the fridge and taking out the milk, which she hands to Ryan, who puts it down on the island unit. “Who else has rushed up the aisle?”

“Tanner and Zara,” he says, and she nods her head in acknowledgement, closing the refrigerator door. “And Brady and Laurel.”

Peony looks up at him, shaking her head. “They got engaged in the summer and married in December. That’s hardly rushing at it.”

“They might have got engaged in the summer,” Ryan says. “But they didn’t finalize the date for the wedding until… what was it? September?”

“They had a lot going on,” Peony reasons, slicing tomatoes and shaking her head.

“I know, but do you think they had another reason for rushing the wedding?”

Peony puts down her knife and turns to face him. “You think… you think Laurel might be pregnant?”

Ryan shrugs. “It’s a possibility, isn’t it?”

“She’d have told me, though… wouldn’t she? And anyway, it doesn’t add up. I mean, if she knew she was pregnant in September, when they set the date, that would mean she’d be at least five months along by now.” She shakes her head, picking up the knife again. “No… it’s not possible. She’d be showing.”

“I’ll bow to your greater knowledge of such things, babe,” Ryan says, and she chuckles, leaning in to him.

I have to admit that my knowledge of pregnancy is fairly limited, but I agree with Peony. Laurel was here last week, and although I only glimpsed her before I left for the day and the two of them went out to lunch, I didn’t notice even a hint of impending motherhood. All I saw was a beautiful blonde with the kind of figure most women would kill for.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if they didn’t wait too much longer, though,” Peony says.

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