The Noah leaning against the cottage doorframe now wasn’t the same Noah he’d picked up at the airport ten days ago. They’d found a rapport, maybe even the makings of a friendship. A very good thing if they were going to be serving together with Bridgewell . . .
But would they? Or would Lucas follow Mariana’s example, make a different choice? Would Noah feel abandoned if he did?
Certainly Kit would if Noah didn’t. And Jen?
“You’ve seriously got it bad, man. If nothing else, maybe shut the fridge eventually?”
He tossed a water bottle at Noah, then kicked the door closed. “Soil and seed in the shed. Pavers outside next to it. There’s some tarp you can use to cover them up.”
With a dramatic flair, Noah stepped aside so Lucas could exit the cottage. “Just ask her on a date, dude. It’s not that hard.”
“Shut up.”
Noah’s laughter followed him across the yard, past the garden, toward the sunroom doors.
Jenessa stepped out before he made it across the patio, Cade on her hip and the sound of Colie and Violet’s voices drifting from behind her. He could see them through the sunroom windows, set up at the glass table, probably working on homework and having an afterschool snack.
“Hey, saw you on your way over.”
Jenessa was still dressed for work—her burgundy dress and burnt orange sweater the perfect picture of the season. But the outfit was no match for her blue-eyed gaze, beautiful and uncertain.
Good, if she’d come out here all perky and confident as usual, it might’ve meant that kiss hadn’t been as weighty a thing to her. He couldn’t help hoping the nervous tilt to her smile was a sign she’d spent the whole day the same way he had—barely able to focus on anything but thoughts of last night.
A light breeze lifted the hem of her sweater and combed through the two tiny curls at the back of Cade’s head tucked against Jen’s shoulder. “Someone looks sleepy.”
“Someone needed a longer afternoon nap.”
An uneasy quiet unfolded between them. Man, if you could spill almost your entire life story to her last night, you should be able to come up with something to say now. Especially considering Noah was probably watching from over by the shed. He’d get laughingly lambasted if the guy saw him awkwardly standing here like a stone statue for too much longer.
“Oh, I found something. It was behind the fridge in the cottage. Just happened to see the edge of it sticking out.” He thrust the photo toward her.
Was that amusement gliding through her gaze? If it was, it faded as soon as she looked at the picture, replaced by a look of wistful longing. “That’s my aunt and me.”
“That’s what I figured.”
“It’s so funny that you’d find this today. I did something kind of silly earlier. Mayor Milt was showing me these fancy, embossed flyers he had printed for the gala. On a whim, I stuck one in an envelope and addressed it to her. I don’t know why. She’s never responded before . . .”
As her voice drifted, she wore that same look of hope Kit had this morning when talking about Dad and Thanksgiving. What he wouldn’t give to make both of their wishes come true.
“You look exactly like her, you know.”
Jen lifted one eyebrow. “I’ve got to be a good decade older now than she is in this photo. I’m already getting crow’s-feet by my eyes. Whereas Aunt Lauren . . .” She fingered the photo with her thumb. “She always had the smoothest skin. My mom actually used to complain about it. ‘Here I spend a hundred dollars a month on beauty products, while Lauren’s probably never used a serum in her life and she looks like that.’” Jenessa glanced up at him and grinned. “I don’t think she realized how often I was listening when she talked about her sister. But it’s the reason I’ve stuck with a simple face wash and water routine to this day.”
“It’s working for you.” It slipped out before he could stop it.
Not a bad thing. Not if that was a blush on her cheeks now.
“Lucas—”
“About last night—” Their voices collided.
“You’re not going to apologize for it, are you?” She slipped the photo in her pocket and shifted Cade to her other side. “Because if you do apologize, I won’t be happy. I’ll . . . I’ll—”
“Do what you did last night?” It was his turn to lift his eyebrows. “Get mad and storm inside?”
“So what if I do? You going to barrel in after me again and . . . ?”
Good grief, he wished he knew if that was a challenge or a straight-up invitation. Either way, her deepening flush was just about the best thing he’d ever seen.
But she spoke again before he could manage a single coherent thought. “Will you go to Mara and Marshall’s wedding with me?”
Whoa . . . what?
“I mean, the kids will be with me, of course, but I was just thinking, you know, it could be fun to all go together. Maybe we would’ve carpooled to the Everwood anyway, but . . .” She gave an exasperated huff. “If you could stop me from babbling any longer and say something, I’d really appreciate it.”
“Of course.” He blurted the words. “Of course I’ll go with you. It’s a plan. It’s a . . . date?”
She released a breath, rewarding him with a smile brighter than the golden sun. “Definitely.”
14
Colie had been staring at herself in the full-length mirror in Jenessa’s bedroom for at least five minutes.
“There’s only one thing wrong with that dress, Colie.”
The girl spun on her heels to face Jenessa, worry pinching her expression. “What?”
Jenessa reached out to brush Colie’s bangs to the side. At Colie’s request, she’d spent almost an hour using her curling iron on the girl’s dark hair earlier. “It makes you look way too old. And beautiful.”
The fear seeped from Colie’s face, replaced by an unsure half-smile. “I picked the right one?”
Jenessa had taken the girls shopping for dresses for Mara’s wedding after school on Thursday. At first, she’d thought to buy them matching dresses. But Colie had naturally gravitated toward more subdued colors like the simple navy blue dress she’d eventually chosen—while Violet had had her heart set on finding an outfit to match her cast. Which meant she was decked out now in a neon pink number that could probably serve as lighting at the outdoor wedding after the sun went down. She was in her room across the hall at the moment, packing a purse with whatever it was she apparently needed for the wedding.
Cade, currently surrounded by toys in the middle of Jenessa’s bedroom, was looking just as spiffy as his sisters in a white shirt and gray pants, matching gray vest, and red bow tie. Like a handsome little man.
Another handsome man would be knocking on their door soon. The thought was enough to send nervous energy cascading through her whole body. How she was going to survive this night without dissolving into a puddle of absolute delight, she had no idea.
All she knew was that she’d never looked forward to an evening more. In the three days since she’d shamelessly asked Lucas to be her date, she’d pretty much counted the hours.