“It’s fine,” she answered. “You have a few things on your mind.”
“I do, but I would’ve told you to watch out for them. It’s just that I didn’t know until last minute which house he would choose. There were two or three rental properties in the offing.”
And she had been lucky enough to win the Ian Summerhill lottery apparently.
“I’m thrilled he’ll be close so you can keep an eye on him.”
She did not want to keep her eyes or anything else on the man. Okay, it wasn’t precisely a hardship, but she knew her own weaknesses and one of those was any gorgeous man with a tragic backstory. She tended to find them impossible to resist.
Not this time. She was entirely too busy to obsess over her new neighbor.
“I’ll look forward to getting to know them,” she said. It wasn’t precisely a lie. The children were adorable.
When the fitting was over, Gemma hugged her one more time, almost weeping over the beauty of the gown. “Genius. I’ll say it one more time. You’re brilliant.”
Samantha laughed roughly. “We both know that’s not true but thank you for saying so.”
“I’m sorry I can’t come to the Helping Hands meeting today.”
“Oh, no. I’m sorry you’ll miss it,” Sam said.
“I am, too. After you called me to let me know the dress was ready for the next fitting, this seemed the perfect afternoon to take care of a few other wedding details. I’ve plans to meet with the caterer this afternoon in Shelter Springs. This wedding planning is not for the faint of heart!”
“Too bad you couldn’t do what Bowie and I did,” Katrina said with a grin. “We eloped to a private island in the Caribbean.”
It wasn’t precisely the entire story. The private island was correct but they hadn’t really eloped. The wedding had been more of a destination event off the coast of Colombia. All the Baileys and their significant others had flown over for it. Sam had been there, too, along with her mother, who had complained the entire time about the heat, the food, the ridiculous expense that could have been spent on other things.
While there were a few moments when Samantha might have been envious, she would never begrudge Katrina her happiness. She and Bowie were ridiculously happy together and were doing an amazing job raising two special-needs children, Bo’s younger brother whom they had adopted and who had been diagnosed with autism, and a young girl from Colombia with Down syndrome who had found her way into Katrina’s heart before she ever met Bowie.
“I will say a private island destination wedding sounds heavenly. It really does. But I’m afraid it’s too late now. For one thing, Josh’s family would kill me if I did that. For another, Eliza has been working for weeks to have Snow Angel Cove ready for the wedding. And finally, my brother and his children are here now and my parents will be here soon.”
“I think you’re stuck at this point.”
Gemma gave a good-natured smile. “Ah, well. Might as well make the best of it.”
“It will be wonderful,” Sam said. “What’s more romantic than getting married on the shores of the lake at sunset at Snow Angel Cove, one of the most gorgeous spots on Lake Haven?”
“True enough. Thank you for reminding me.”
Gemma kissed her on the cheek, then picked up her purse. “I really do have to go. Thank you again for everything. I mean that. I adore you both.”
When she left, Gemma seemed to take all the energy of the room with her, leaving Samantha suddenly exhausted. She wanted to flop to the ground right there on the floor of her workroom and close her eyes for five minutes.
“It really is an exquisite gown,” Katrina said when the room was quiet once more. “I especially love the neckline that highlights her gorgeous shoulders and collarbones.”
“I agree. That’s my favorite part, too. She’s going to be a beautiful bride.”
Gemma was only the latest in a string of beautiful brides Sam had helped to shine on their special day.
“Are you okay?”
She looked up quickly, wondering if Kat had heard that wistful note in her voice she hadn’t meant to reveal. “Sure. Terrific. Why do you ask?”
“I don’t know. You seem a little down. Is it because your mom’s birthday is coming up?”
She had almost forgotten Linda’s birthday would have been the following week. Her mother had never much wanted to celebrate her birthday. She supposed it was the mark of a true friend that Kat had remembered, anyway.
“That must be it,” she lied.
Katrina gave her a hug. “I’m sorry. I know how much you miss her.”
“It’s just different, you know?”
“I can’t imagine how hard you must find it now that she’s gone.”
Charlene, Katrina’s mother, was just about the exact opposite of Linda. She was funny and kind, supportive of all her children, no matter what they chose to do with their lives.
“I’m doing all right. To be honest, the past few months I’ve been so busy with the puppies and the wedding dress orders that I haven’t had much time to think about how empty the house feels.”
“Those puppies are so adorable. I still can’t believe my mom is taking one when they’re old enough to leave Betsey.”
Charlene had fallen for the puppies and had been the first to claim one. She would be the perfect puppy mom to Oscar, the smallest of the litter. All the puppies had been placed, which was a relief. In a few short weeks, she hoped to have them ready for their forever homes.
“So. Gemma’s brother. I’m imagining a sexy blond Jude Law type. Am I right?”
She pictured him for a moment, big, muscular, dark-haired with his collar button undone and his hair mussed. “No. He does have blue eyes but that’s about the only resemblance. I gather he’s a biology nerd. He’s doing research on Lake Haven’s salmon population.”
“Maybe a summer romance with a handsome
