“To be honest, you were right about another thing. For the most part, people in this town are pretty happy. I’m…well, I’m thinking of broadening the scope of practice.” He dropped onto the sand beside her, close enough that his arm brushed hers. She didn’t back away and he didn’t seem to feel the need to shift, either.
“Guess that means you’ll have to get a new license plate,” she said, lightening the tension that was building within her.
He laughed. “Maybe you can help me think of a better one.”
She pulled in a breath, locking his gaze, and looked away quickly. Their last scheduled wedding was this Saturday. She hadn’t thought about what would happen beyond that, if they’d still spend time together when they no longer had an excuse to do so.
Now she sensed that she wasn’t the only one who had grown comfortable with this…arrangement.
“Maybe once I get through Candy’s wedding this Saturday,” she said.
“You don’t sound like you’re looking forward to it.”
“I am. I mean, I want it to be a special day for my Uncle Dennis and his bride, of course.”
“But?” He gave her a knowing smile. He was starting to know her quite well, or maybe he always had, she realized.
“But Candy’s…a lot. She’ll be occupied at the wedding, but the rehearsal dinner is another matter.”
“I could come with you if you want,” he said, catching her by surprise.
Unsure of where he was going with this, she said, “As a wingman?”
He shrugged. “Or…just because.”
She couldn’t fight off the smile, and a strange flutter filled her chest when she met his eye. “I’d like that.”
Chapter Thirteen
The rehearsal dinner was less a formal rehearsal and more of a family gathering; a casual affair to prolong the celebrations, and it went without saying that it would be held in the vineyard of the Conway Orchard and Winery. Britt, the eldest of Uncle Dennis’s daughters who was now running the business alongside her boyfriend Robbie, had worked closely with her sister Cora to set up the tables and plan for a tent, while Amelia and Maddie tended to the menu, deciding to close both of their establishments through the weekend for the festivities. There would be cherry pie, freshly picked from the very fields on this land, and for the main course, Amelia was offering a local white fish with farm-fresh vegetables and herbs picked straight from her garden. The wine would of course be Conway blend.
Gabby had asked her mother to deliver the bride’s sample bouquet to the small stone chapel where the couple was rehearsing their ceremony. The task of arranging the centerpieces was the perfect excuse, and Candy was less inclined to argue with Gabby’s mother.
Only Uncle Dennis, Candy, and the pastor would be rehearsing tonight. Given all the work the Conway women had to do to set up the dinner, Candy agreed that it didn’t make sense for them to practice their walk down the aisle.
It was a small event, just the Conways tonight, and all their significant others, along with some out-of-town guests, and Candy’s family members from Pine Falls. The Clark cousins and other friends would be included tomorrow for the official event.
Gabby checked her phone for any texts of complaint and was relieved to see that there were none, just a note from her mother that they’d be wrapping things up in a few minutes, and another from Doug that he was on his way.
“You’re smiling,” her cousin Britt observed, when Gabby stood back from the long farm table she’d been decorating.
“Oh, just relieved that Candy hasn’t decided to toss her entire design scheme and go with purple instead of pink.”
“And here I thought maybe you were smiling about your date this weekend.” Maddie waggled her eyebrows as she carried a basket of fresh bread to the table.
My, word traveled quickly. She’d only told Candy about Doug’s attendance tonight, as a courtesy. Technically, she’d had her mother mention it in passing so she could avoid Candy’s reaction.
“It’s not a date,” she said slowly.
“A blind date,” Maddie said.
“Oh, you’re talking about the guy that Candy wants me to meet.” Of course. Now it made sense. “I thought it was just friends and family tonight.”
“Hey, the bride picked the guest list. Who did you think we were talking about?”
Gabby opened her mouth to start to explain the little arrangement that she and Doug had made with each other these past weeks, but she hadn’t thought it through, and something told her that from the way her cousins were all now staring at her, there was probably little chance that they would let any excuse go without a lengthy interrogation. Even Amelia looked downright curious when she joined them with a second breadbasket, her sister Cora at her side.
“I guess I thought you meant— Well, it’s sort of funny, but—”
But there was no point in saying anything because right at that moment Amelia looked over Gabby’s shoulder and said, “Is that Doug Monroe?”
The rest of the girls swept their attention from Gabby to the parking lot, where one glance over her shoulder confirmed what Gabby already knew. She gave Doug a weak smile as he emerged from his car; he looked understandably shy at the sight of so many women staring at him and slowed his pace.
“So!” Maddie raised an eyebrow, not even attempting to hide her smile. “You invited Doug tonight! Here I thought you might just be bringing him tomorrow to get Candy off your back.”
“That’s exactly what I’m doing,” Gabby insisted, even though her voice sounded as unconvincing as she felt. “You heard what Candy said about this doctor from Pine Falls. He could be anyone. And you know how I feel about blind dates and setups.” She’d always been vocal about her belief that true love would find a way all on its own.
“Hey, we’re only trying to fulfill your wishes,” Maddie insisted. “You’re always complaining about not finding anyone, so we’ve been trying to help.”
“Although, you haven’t been saying
