They’d loved each other at the same time.
They could have had something amazing.
He might not be preparing to marry Claire right now. He might be …
No. Fact was he was preparing to marry Claire. And doing so was going to save Dad’s legacy.
Things had worked out exactly as they were supposed to.
“Derek, you want something to drink?” Ben’s voice pulled him back to reality.
“Sure.” He left the window open and walked over to the semicircle the other four had formed. After thanking Bella for the cup of lemonade, Derek turned to Ashley. “Surprised to see you here.”
Was she following him? But that was ridiculous. Yeah, they’d both been quiet on the hike back to the lodge yesterday, but she had a lot going on in her life. Ashley Baker was going places. She definitely wasn’t sitting around pining after him.
Ashley took a sip of lemonade, lifting an eyebrow as she studied him. “This is my brother’s inn.”
“Right.” Duh. He slammed back a swallow from his own cup, coughing at the drink’s sour bite.
“We were talking through a few more wedding plans.” Bella collected the guys’ empty cups. “I guess we’d better get back to it.”
After Ben leaned in to kiss Bella, the women retreated.
Good. Back to shooting nails.
Ben started up the saw in the hallway again.
“Speaking of wedding plans, how are yours coming, Derek?” Evan resumed his position behind the last finished row of wooden planks.
Derek sighed and plunked down beside Evan again. “They were going smoothly until our venue canceled on us yesterday.” His hands clenched the gun’s handle as he waited for Evan to be done fitting the joints together.
“No way.” Evan frowned. “What are you going to do?”
“I’m not sure yet. Ashley is still calling around to see if anything else is available, but it’s not looking promising.”
Ben entered the room once more. “What’s wrong?”
“His venue got canceled.” Evan looked from Ben to Derek. “What about the vineyard?”
“You have to be licensed for events, and we’re not.” If they had been, the fix would have been simple. But Dad had never thought much beyond the wine. Once they had their feet under them again, though, Derek would look into what it would take to hold events there. His sisters would probably be great at managing them.
Ben pushed his safety goggles up onto his forehead. “What about having it here?”
“Here, like at the inn?”
“Sure, why not? The calendar is clear since we haven’t started hosting outside events just yet, and I think a lot of our guests that weekend are your out-of-town guests anyway.”
“Wow, man. That would be amazing.” He didn’t deserve Ben’s generosity. “Let me know how much it costs, but I’m sure it won’t be a problem.”
“Dude, I’m insulted.” Ben squatted and punched Derek on the shoulder. “No charge.”
“You have to let me do something.” Yeah, he and Ben had been best friends their whole lives, but Derek wouldn’t mooch off of him—especially since he hadn’t been the best at staying in touch since he’d been gone.
Maybe that could change, though. He’d forgotten how much he’d missed surrounding himself with good guys who could make him a better man. A stronger one.
Eyeing their progress on the floor, he put aside the nail gun and snagged the flooring gun instead. The extra power pulsed from his fingertips through his entire body.
“You’re here, aren’t you? Besides, we’re already getting the place fixed up for our wedding, so it’s not a lot of extra work.”
Well, that solved one major problem on Derek’s list.
Now if only he could get Ashley Baker out of his head.
Chapter 10
Sixteen days before his wedding, and he was just getting the first official tour of the place where he would make Claire his wife.
Of course, he’d spent time here as a kid and teen. But that was a lifetime ago.
So much had happened since then.
“This is the ballroom.” Ashley stopped next to double doors leading into a large space on the upper level of the Iridescent Inn. Ben and Bella were out but had apparently given Ashley permission to do the tour solo.
If he’d known that, Derek would have brought Heather or Christina along. Or better yet, Mia. Four-year-old nieces made great buffers.
As Ashley flicked on the lights, they stepped into the room. Derek couldn’t hold back a low whistle at the impressive sight before him. The huge windows faced the ocean. Being up high like this gave them a long view of the coast. And the ballroom itself was well appointed, with several chandeliers reflecting light off the bronzed, polished concrete floors. Apparently it had been a huge catchall room for years until Bella had decided to renovate it into a money-making events venue a few months ago.
“We have a few options.” Ashley spun in the large, open room, and he found himself stepping closer to her for no logical reason. “We can hold the ceremony on the beach, in the courtyard, or in here, although this space is clearly better suited for a reception. It doesn’t feel as intimate as I’d think a ceremony should be.” She scrunched her nose as she assessed the space. “Then we could do the reception here or in the courtyard. Or any combination of those, really. What do you think Claire would want?”
His muscles tensed at her mention of his fiancée. “I’m having trouble picturing how you’d set the courtyard up.”
“Let’s go take a look. I’ll show you my vision.” She turned off the lights and led the way down the hallway. They passed a guest or two before reaching the upstairs lobby—which was really more of a large living room—then veered outside to the upper deck where several chairs allowed guests to take in the vista. A winding staircase led down to the courtyard, which was enclosed by a low stone wall and an arc of overhanging trees. Water trickled down a tiered stone fountain near the exit, a wrought
