A WEEK LATER, Jessica glanced at the mirror as the doorbell rang, hoping she wasn’t over- or underdressed. Chelsea’s wedding invitation had said to be comfortable, so she’d chosen outfits for Cyndi and herself that she hoped would be nice enough to honor the occasion without looking too casual.
Cyndi opened the door. “Hi, Logan. We’re all ready. Momma says it isn’t polite to keep people waiting.”
“That’s very considerate, but before we leave, I want to give you something.” He carried a box to one of the Morris chairs and set it down.
Cyndi looked inside and jumped up and down with excitement. “Momma, look!”
Jessica came over. In the box were a large number of matted photographs. She flipped through them and saw portraits of the kids from her daughter’s girl rangers troop. But they weren’t the kind you got from a photography studio—they were natural, unaffected, charming pictures.
She looked questioningly at Logan. “How?”
“With digital cameras you can take more photos than anyone realizes. Remember at one point I had the troop pose for a group picture? I used it to be sure I could get a portrait of each of them from the candid shots.”
Cyndi hugged him. “Thank you bunches and bunches.”
“You’re very welcome. I thought you could hand them out at your next troop meeting.”
“I’m going to get extra points!”
His grin made Jessica’s stomach flip.
“That took a lot of time and effort,” she said. If they’d been dating, she might have thought he was trying to impress her through her daughter, but they weren’t. Besides, a man like Logan Kensington didn’t need to impress women; they probably flung themselves at his feet.
He shrugged. “It wasn’t that much. I finished them after Mom and Dad flew home. Shall we go?”
“Sure.” Jessica collected her daughter’s booster seat by the door, along with her purse and the sun hat she’d gotten for the occasion. “Cyndi is still small enough to require a child’s safety seat in the car,” she explained.
His nonplussed expression almost made her laugh. He truly didn’t have a clue about parenting. “Uh, can I help?”
“No need.” She positioned the booster in the back of the SUV and buckled Cyndi into it.
“Has everyone recovered from the Flash Fair?” he said when they were on the road.
“They seem to be. We hope to announce the final figures at the meeting next week. Preliminary counts are unbelievably good. Carl is our high school shop teacher and his students have made a ten-foot-tall ‘thermometer’ to put in the city square so the community can track our progress.”
“Good idea.”
Silence followed until Jessica couldn’t take it any longer. “I seem to remember that Chelsea is related to Nicole.”
“They’re sisters-in-law. Chelsea is her husband’s younger sister. We hired her before Nicole and Jordan got serious, but Nicole knew both of them as kids.”
“They were childhood sweethearts?”
“Not exactly.” His dry tone suggested there was a story behind the story.
“Amy Gonzales says she already knows who she wants to marry,” Cyndi said. “That’s silly. The only boys we know are yucko.”
Logan coughed. “You, uh, might change your mind someday.”
“No way. Timmy Stines eats crawfish. And Johnny Richards likes spiders. Not to eat, he just likes them. The other boys are worse. Totally yucko.”
“I can see why you’d have a problem with marrying one of them,” Logan choked out.
Jessica rubbed her mouth to keep from laughing. “Sweetheart, why don’t you tell Logan about your new kitten?”
Cyndi didn’t need more encouragement. The doctor had ruled out an allergy to cats, always a concern with asthma, so a few days ago they’d adopted a twelve-week-old brown tuxedo tabby from the Regen Valley Shelter. Buster and Cyndi had quickly become inseparable. He slept on her bed and lay on her lap when she was reading, purring so loud it made her giggle. She was still talking about him when they reached their destination, where her attention was quickly diverted.
“Look, Momma, more kids!”
She immediately ran to join the group of children.
Logan grinned. “Barton and Chelsea just met last year. It’s a good thing, or I’d spend the whole ceremony wondering how many times she’d called him yucko growing up.”
“Did you have a yuck factor as a kid?”
“Do you think I’d admit it?”
“Probably not.”
Tall and handsome, his eyes crinkling with humor, Logan wasn’t yucko anymore, if he’d ever been. Any woman in her right mind would be thrilled to have him as her escort to a wedding. But he wasn’t escorting her, Jessica reminded herself. He had merely offered them a ride. It was important to keep her feet firmly planted on the ground.
KEVIN WAS UNCOMFORTABLE on one of the little white chairs that people rented for weddings, but he was happy to be sitting next to Penny. They were quite early, so they’d gotten seats in the back and were enjoying the fresh country air.
“What a beautiful place for a wedding,” Penny murmured. “It’s nice that Chelsea’s in-laws-to-be have such a large garden.”
“Yeah, it’s great.”
She turned toward him. “Listen, there’s something I’ve been wanting to discuss. We...well, we’ve been friends a long time, and I hope we can be honest with each other.”
Fear clutched Kevin’s stomach. Was Penny sick? “Of course. What is it?”
“Lately it seems as if our friendship is changing.”
“I think so, too,” he said, his anxiety easing. He hadn’t consciously thought about what those changes meant, but Penny was becoming important to him in a way that extended beyond friendship.
She put her hand on his arm. “But we need to consider whether there’s a real bond growing between us, or is it mostly loneliness and wanting to be with someone comfortable?”
A laugh rumbled from his belly and Penny frowned.
“This isn’t a joke, Kevin.”
“I realize that. It’s just funny how you’ve always challenged me to go deeper. You challenged all of us. Eric might have been the anthropologist, but you understand people.”
“Okay, then what do you think?”
He gazed at Penny, evaluating what she’d said. She was so much like Allison, and yet so different. Yes, he was lonely. His wife had shared everything with him—they’d been companions, best friends and lovers, the finest foundation he could imagine for a marriage. But he didn’t believe loneliness explained his growing feelings for Penny.
“It’s more than loneliness,” he said finally.
She inclined her head. “Okay. But you should also know that I’m not ready.”
“That’s all right, I’m not going anywhere. Time will tell whether we stay friends or become something else.”
He curled his fingers around hers.
PENNY SMILED.
It was nice to just sit and hold hands with someone. Kevin would be an easy man to love. He was honest and dependable, caring and thoughtful. And he had a sense of humor, an essential quality in her opinion.
But it was too soon for her. It wasn’t because Eric would have objected. She knew he’d tell her to get on with life, the same way she knew he was patiently waiting for the time they’d be together again.
As Kevin had said, time would tell.
Across the yard she saw Jessica with Logan. Her granddaughter had stressed it wasn’t a date—they were only driving together to save parking. But date or not, he seemed to be hovering nearby. From a distance it was hard to read his expression, but a stranger would assume they were a couple.
“You’re wondering about Jessica and Logan, aren’t you?” Kevin guessed.
She turned around. “How did you know?”
“Because I keep wondering the same thing. There’s an energy that happens when they’re together. Logan seems more aware and Jessica seems more yearning.”
“It would break my heart if she got hurt again.”
“We can’t protect her, no matter how much we both want to. I’m afraid we have to just wait and be patient.”
Penny squeezed Kevin’s hand, thinking it would be polite to get up and meet some of the other guests.
But maybe she’d wait another few minutes.
LOGAN HAD EXPECTED to circulate and take pictures, not stay at Jessica’s side, but he knew she wasn’t acquainted with many of the guests. It was mostly an excuse; he didn’t know that many of them, either. Now, seeing her against the background of flowers and wedding decor, he wondered if she’d had a real wedding. She would make a beautiful bride.
“Weddings are nice,” she said.
“Was yours?” Logan winced. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.”
Her smile was shaded with sadness. “I’m not sensitive about it. Essentially we eloped, so there weren’t any picture albums or wedding garters to throw away after the divorce.”
“You didn’t want a more formal event?”
“I didn’t care. I thought getting married would make everything okay and we’d be magically healed of anything that had ever hurt us. It was almost laughable. I wanted to play house and Aaron wanted to be beer pong champion of his college fraternity. We were two immature kids who didn’t understand anything about marriage or how to make it work. My neediness scared him.”
“Shouldn’t a husband and wife be able to rely on each other? Marriage isn’t just about raising kids and having someone to eat dinner with every day.”
Jessica focused on the group of children where Cyndi was playing. “I agree. A couple should learn and grow and be better people because they’re together. But in a healthy way, with both of them working on it.”
Since Logan had never seriously contemplated the wedded state, talking about it seemed bizarre. But Jessica’s regrets were forcing him to think. “Maybe part of the answer is loving someone else as much as you love yourself.”
“You’re right. No one should always be giving, and the other always taking. Over the long haul it should balance.”
Logan chuckled. “For two people determined to stay single, we’re waxing philosophical about marriage.”
“It’s in the standard wedding handbook—rule 263. ‘Guests are to consider the significance of two people making vows.’”
“You’re making that up.”
“You think?” Her laugh made the day seem even brighter.
“Logan, Jessica, come sign the book,” Nicole called to them. “We’re asking everyone to write a short message to the bride and groom.”
“Where does this go?” Jessica held up a gift bag.
“There’s a table by the pink rhododendron.”
Jessica wrote on a page and went to deposit her gift.
Logan read her inscription.
To Chelsea and Barton,
Your love and commitment will give you joy in the good days and help you through the hard ones. Wishing you the very best.
—Jessica Parrish.
“Can’t figure out what to write?” Nicole asked as he hesitated.
“Are we supposed to give advice? Anything I say would be a contender for one of those lists. You know, the ‘Ten Worst Things Ever Said to a Bride and Groom.’”
“Advice isn’t necessary. Anyhow, it’s difficult to come up with something on the spur of the moment, though I must say, I like what Jessica wrote.”
Logan liked it, too. Still dubious, he lifted the pen.
Chelsea and Barton, I hope you find something to be glad about, even on the worst days. You deserve it. Logan.
Nicole read the brief message and looked at him. “That’s unexpected.”
“Just building on what Jessica wrote.”
A worried crease appeared in Nicole’s forehead. “That reminds me—when do you think you’ll have the information together on the potential remodel?”
“Sometime next week.”
“Good. It’s admirable that Jessica didn’t simply dismiss our request for her to move, though I’ve been feeling more and more guilty about it. According to the lease she has the right to stay put, at least for the time being, but she’s giving it serious thought and even suggested an alternative for consideration.”
“I know.”
Cassie and Jessica were talking by the gift table and as Logan caught up with them, he felt like a moth attracted to a flame. Jessica was wearing a rose-colored gown with short sleeves and a full skirt that fell in long, graceful folds. Its simplicity gave it an air of elegance...or was that the woman inside the dress?
“Hey, Logan,” Cassie said. “We were just saying that Barton’s parents could rent this place out as a wedding venue.”
“Or for fashion shoots,” he agreed.
He put his gift with the other wedding presents. He’d considered asking Jessica’s advice about what would be appropriate, only to dismiss the idea and choose something from the wedding registry. The agency’s official gift was a set of Waterford Crystal goblets and three weeks of paid vacation for Chelsea to use for her honeymoon.
“Are you all right, Cassie?” he heard Jessica ask urgently. “You suddenly went pale.”
He wheeled in time to see Cassie wrinkle her nose. “It’s just morning sickness. I was fine until a second ago, then whoosh. But I’m so happy about the baby I can’t complain.”
“Should I get Adam?” Logan asked.
“Don’t you dare. He worries too much.”
“How about peppermint candy?” Jessica asked, taking a bag from her purse. “It might help.”
“I’ll try anything. This is Chelsea’s special day and I don’t want to spend it in her in-laws’ bathroom.”
Cassie unwrapped a piece and stuck it in her mouth while Logan fetched a chair. He felt like a fish out of water. Everything in the air was about pregnancy, love and romance.
She sank down and a few minutes later the color crept back into her face. “Thanks, I think the peppermint helped.”
“Keep them,” Jessica said as Cassie tried to return the bag. “I have more. When you have a chance, consider getting ginger lozenges, too. Both helped when I was pregnant.”
“Good idea. I’ll share the info with Rachel. She’s in her first trimester, just like me.”
An older man approached them. “Is everything all right?”
“Absolutely.” Cassie smiled up at him. “I’m Cassie Wilding, and this is Jessica Parrish and Logan Kensington.”
“Don Smith. I’m the grateful father of the happy groom. We’re delighted to have Chelsea joining our family, though she’s already so much a part of us the wedding is just a formality.”
“That’s how it should be,” Jessica said. “Oh, and thanks for including my daughter in the invitation.”
“Ah, which one is yours?”
Jessica pointed. “Cyndi is in the lavender dress.”
“She seems to be having a good time. Just so you know, we don’t have assigned seating for the meal. There’s a children’s table, but Cyndi is welcome to sit with you if preferred. Also, anyone without a camera or phone for pictures is being invited to use one of the disposable kinds for candid shots. There’s a whole basket of them.”
As the conversation continued with Don and Cassie, Logan just watched, absorbing Jessica’s warmth and beauty. The contrast between her easy grace with people and his own stumbling efforts seemed to mock him.
To regain his equilibrium, he began roaming back and forth, taking photos as he went.
JESSICA HATED SEEING Logan withdraw behind his camera. At the Flash Fair he’d finally seemed to loosen up and enjoy himself. Now he was back to snapping pictures as if his life depended upon it.
To be fair, weddings weren’t his milieu. A man who’d rejected love and marriage wouldn’t be comfortable surrounded by white lace and roses. She didn’t blame him; her own feelings about it were mixed.
She’d often questioned whether she’d genuinely loved Aaron. It had felt real at the time, but now she’d met a man who was so compelling he made her college romance look like child’s play. If she hadn’t learned from her old mistakes, she might pursue Logan, believing love was worth the risk. In theory she still believed that, but whenever she thought of taking the chance, cold reality brought her up short.
Despite the counseling and years of dealing with her issues, she still could repeat her mistakes. If Logan ever got married, which seemed unlikely, he’d want someone independent, who wasn’t emotionally hungry. Besides, he erected walls and lived behind them. Life would be complicated with such a man.
Trying to subdue her inner turmoil, Jessica went to speak with Cyndi, who was having a wonderful time taking pictures and playing games with the other children.
“Look, Momma,” she said, holding up a disposable camera. “These have film, but they aren’t as much fun ’cuz you can’t see the picture right away. They have to be developed, like Logan told us about at my girl ranger meeting.”
“The disposable cameras are to make sure Chelsea and Barton get lots of different pictures. You don’t need one—we’ll give Chelsea a copy of all the pictures you take on your own camera.”
“I just want to give her the good ones,” Cyndi said gravely. “Wanna see?”
“Of course, I do.” Jessica sat down on the grass and pulled her daughter onto her lap.
For a moment, she almost forgot everything else. At this moment in her life, Cyndi was all she needed.
LOGAN STOOD PARTLY concealed by bushes and took picture after picture of the milling guests. It was akin to capturing photos of wildlife. Models were accustomed to cameras, but outside the industry, people could be uncomfortable having a lens pointed at them. By stepping back, he could get shots that were truly candid.
Would Jessica call it intruding on their privacy? He didn’t know, but he couldn’t resist focusing on her again and again as she sat on the ground with Cyndi.
He held the shutter release button down, taking bursts of pictures. A long time ago he’d tried to set up a similar shot at a fashion shoot, only to have the designer balk at the risk of grass stains. “Do you want to sell your product or worry about a dry-cleaning bill?” he’d snapped impatiently.
But he doubted Jessica was worried about stains. She enjoyed Cyndi’s questions and youthful prattle. He did, too, come to think of it.
Someone blocked his view and he looked up. “Hey, Jordan.”
“Hey, yourself. I know you offered to be my sister’s wedding photographer. But when she refused and said guests should just enjoy themselves...she meant it.”
“I realize that. But what would I do without a camera in my hands?”
Jordan glanced at Jessica and Cyndi. “Spend time with a beautiful woman and her daughter, instead of taking pictures of them. That’s Jessica Parrish, isn’t it?”
“Yes, but Jessica and I talk all the time.”
“Well, talk to her some more. I have to go. The wedding starts in ten minutes and I’m a groomsman.”
Logan hesitated before going over to help Jessica to her feet. “We should probably find seats,” he told her.
Several minutes later strains of music filled the air and the bridesmaids walked down the aisle, followed by the bride. The ceremony was short, but long enough to prompt damp eyes at the obvious devotion between bride and groom.
As for Jessica? Her face revealed a mix of emotions—true happiness for the couple, but also a trace of sorrow and fear.
Logan understood the sorrow, but not the fear.