Page 52 of When Cardinals Appear

“What are your wedding colors?” I joined her in flipping through the options on the rack in front of us.

“Lavender and blue with pink and yellow accents.” Rose’s brown eyes brightened whenever she talked about the wedding. “I want it to look like a late-summer sunset.”

“Okay.” At least I had several options to work with. “What color were you thinking for my dress?”

“Not yellow,” Rose said, wrinkling her nose. “I’ve never been a fan of yellow dresses, and with your skin tone, it would probably wash you out.”

A shocked laugh bubbled up in my throat, but I knew she didn’t mean anything by the comment. My gaze strayed to a sleeveless dark-blue dress, and I pulled it out and held it up for her to see.

“I was hoping for purple or pink, but I’m not opposed to blue.” Rose fingered the material. “But maybe something paler?”

With a nod, I returned the dress and continued flipping through the options. “Is Steven having a best man now that you’ve chosen me for maid of honor?”

“To be honest, I’m not sure. He has several options, but I think he was leaning toward asking your father.”

“Oh, he’d be honored.” I smiled. “Well, he may not show it, but I know he would be, deep down.”

Rose chuckled. “Your father definitely fits the bill for the strong, silent type.” She held up a pink number with ruffles down the front. “Too frilly.” As she slipped it back on the rack, she turned. “Do you think he’ll ever remarry?”

The question caught me off guard. I chose my words carefully. “Doubtful. It’s been so long since the divorce. If he was going to remarry, I expect he would have done it by now.”

“Maybe he held out hope your mom would find her way back to him,” Rose said. “And now that she’s really gone, he’ll finally move on.”

I shrugged, not entirely comfortable with the direction the conversation was taking. “He’s never said anything to me about it, and as far as I know, he doesn’t date.”

“Speaking of dating.” Rose pounced on the opening. “How’s James?”

“He, uh, he was here.” I walked over to a different rack and hoped my words would be too mumbled for her to make out.

“Wait, James came to visit you? When? Where?” She rushed after me, grabbing my arm and spinning me around. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“He showed up at the Valentine’s dance.” I shifted away from her, focusing all my attention on the various materials in front of me. The taffeta, silk, and cotton flowing through my fingers kept me grounded.

“Well?” Rose tapped her foot. “What happened?”

I sighed. Since no one else had seen James, I’d hoped to keep his appearance between him, Nate, and me, but I couldn’t see a way out of the conversation.

I grabbed Rose’s hand and led her away from the sales floor. While the store was technically just outside of Cedar Haven, it was the only bridal store nearby. I didn’t want any prying eyes or listening ears to spread gossip about me back in town.

Once we were safely ensconced in a corner, I relayed the whole sordid tale, making sure to include the awkward moment James appeared and Nate’s cold shoulder afterward. With every word I said, Rose’s eyes seemed to grow wider.

“You broke up?” She yanked me to her and wrapped me in a tight embrace. “Oh, you poor thing. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You have enough on your plate with the wedding.” Well, that, and somehow, saying it out loud made the whole situation that much more real.

“Have you told Steven?”

I shook my head. “You’re the first person I’ve told. I want to tell Nate, but he’s not speaking to me at the moment.”

“Are you hoping to get back together with Nate?”

I pressed my lips into a thin line. “Right now, I’d just like to talk to him. Explain what happened with James and apologize for not mentioning him sooner.” I glanced behind me, but we were still blissfully alone. “But you can’t tell anyone about James. The last thing I need is to add fuel to the fire of my father’s campaign to convince me to stay here.”

“But will you?” Rose’s forehead creased. “I mean, if you and James aren’t together, what reason do you have to return to California?”

“I still have my job opportunity.” I crossed my arms. “And I did promise my mother I wouldn’t settle down here.”

She rolled her eyes. “I don’t think she can very well hold you to that now.”

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