Hope’s resolve weakened, and she tilted up her chin.
“There you are!” a woman shouted.
Hope stared at the precipice in alarm.
Ava Webb stood at the top of the steps, wearing dangly ostrich feather earrings and a glittery gold headscarf knotted on one side. Her chin-length auburn hair shone extra brightly in the sunlight, and she held a cocktail glass in one hand.
Hope gaped up at her. “Mom?”
Ava gave amused smile. “What have the two of you been up to?”
Brent greeted her with a grin. “Hello, Mrs. Webb. It’s so great to finally meet you.”
…
Hope climbed the steps with wobbly knees, Brent right behind her.
She’d nearly kissed him. Or at least he’d almost kissed her.
And oh, how she’d wanted him to.
What a horrible sister I am.
On top of her guilt attack, now she had to face her mom while pretending to be Jackie.
“Why Jackie,” her mom said, scanning her outfit. “Your dress is a mess.”
Hope grimaced, avoiding her mom’s gaze. “Tidal surge.”
But what was still surging inside her were her emotions, turning all topsy-turvy at the thought of what she’d nearly done.
What she’d ached to do with Brent: kiss him until his lips turned blue.
“Brent Albright,” he said, shaking her mom’s hand. “Welcome to the wedding.”
Ava considered his muddy clothing. “Looks like you two had an adventure.”
He grinned at Hope, and her heart skipped a beat. “We did. Sorry,” he said, waving at Derrick. “I need to grab my brother.”
A guy in boat shoes, shorts, and a collared shirt approached them in brisk strides. Derrick Albright had a fair mix of his parents’ features, with Parker’s dark hair and blue eyes. He was ruggedly handsome in a rough-hewn way and was almost Brent’s height—a little shorter.
“You must be Jackie,” he said with a bright smile. He chuckled good-naturedly at her appearance. “I’m guessing the hug will have to wait?”
“If you don’t mind,” she said, chuckling, too.
She shook Derrick’s hand and introduced her mom, who exchanged pleasantries with the youngest Albright brother before excusing herself to refresh her drink.
Before she stepped away, she pulled Hope aside and whispered, “Is everything all right?”
Hope laughed self-consciously, freaking internally that her mom suspected something. Though Jackie and Hope had fooled her a couple of times by swapping places as kids, Ava had gotten better at detecting their subterfuge over time.
“Uh-huh, great.” Hope glanced toward the garden path when her mom tried to meet her eyes. “I just need to go and grab a shower.”
Ava started to say something more, but—mercifully—Elsa called her away with a wave of her hand. “Oh, Ava. Come on over here and meet Brent’s grandmother.” She stood on the porch with Parker, Chad, and Margaret, who’d just joined the group.
“Delighted,” she said, putting on her posh-people airs. She murmured softly to Hope before retreating: “Catch you later.”
Derrick perused the dock area and the marooned canoe at the base of the mudflats. “A little boating trouble?”
“Yeah, just a tad.”
Hope nodded in goodbye. “I’ll see you both in a bit.”
…
Hope stepped from the hot shower feeling like a new woman. She’d also calmed her nerves regarding her mom detecting her identity. Ava loved the idea of high society, so she would easily be caught up in the swell of schmoozing with the monied Albrights.
As long as she didn’t hang around Ava too much—or sit across the table from her—everything would probably be fine.
The situation between herself and Brent caused Hope greater concern, because she secretly worried that she was falling for him. She was starting to learn things about him. Things that he’d never told Jackie because she’d been so distracted by her own life.
Hope could picture those Albright summers, with Brent and his brothers and sister playing board games in the den. Or maybe poker with their grandparents around the kitchen table, while Grandmother Margaret displayed her card shark ways.
It had only been Hope and Jackie growing up, and they’d never really played family games. They definitely hadn’t played cornhole or owned a bocce ball set. It all seemed so fun and nostalgic, and it helped Hope understand Brent a little better.
This was probably why he was working so hard on their relationship now…or, really, his relationship with Jackie. While the marriage of convenience had started as a sham, once he believed he could get Jackie to really love him, he began having bigger dreams.
Dreams that probably involved the sort of home life he’d grown up with.
The sad thing was, Hope was beginning to have those dreams, too.
Dreams of creating a family with Brent, just like the great one that he’d come from. She called herself up short with a swift mental kick. Stop now. Don’t be stupid.
It didn’t matter that she loved Brent’s great sense of humor or that he got her jokes when she teased him back.
What mattered was that she was making progress on her sister’s behalf.
Great progress. Really huge.
Her budding relationship with Brent and his family would only benefit Jackie in the end.
So, everything was awesome.
It was okay to feel conflicted by her attraction to Brent, because he was a really great guy. Thoughtful, funny, and handsome. Just the sort of person she might have picked out for Jackie if she could have.
By the time she got out of the shower, the entire tiny bathroom had steamed up, enveloping her in its warmth as she cloaked her body in a plush towel and wound a second one around her head.
She was glad that private picnic was behind her so she could focus on other things. Like being in very public company with Brent. As long as she could avoid being alone with him again, she wouldn’t have to worry about slipping up and doing something dangerous like kissing him senseless.
Her mind started to wander into fantasies about what that would be like.
Then, she ran the tap water cold in the sink and splashed it on her face.
She really had to get a grip on this “crushing on Brent” nonsense. That was not what she was here to do. She was supposed to be helping Jackie.
Which she was. 100 percent.
Hope pressed open the bathroom door and nearly jumped out of her skin.