The wedding ceremony had been simple but beautiful, a perfect mixture of Brice’s rugged side and Kendall’s light and positive presence, and the reception proved to follow that theme. When Kendall first told Claire that she was going to hold her reception inside the barn at Crest Orchards, Claire had quickly advised her against it.
But she had been wrong.
She’d peeked into the reception venue from the small waiting area where the bridal party was holed up until they were announced. Ten circular tables lined the walls of the barn. They were decorated tastefully with white tablecloths, but the centerpieces were the stars of the show. It looked like someone had sliced through a tree trunk to get perfect segments of wood showing all the rings of the tree’s life. On top of each sanded, polished slab was a pretty vase with artfully arranged flowers and a vintage picture frame with a table number. The tree detail was Evan’s handiwork; Claire didn’t have to ask to know that much. He’d always been talented at woodworking and he’d honed his craft over the past decade, turning it into pure art.
Perhaps tourists flocked to his furniture store every summer for more than just an eyeful of attractive man.
White fabric hung in loose billows from the exposed barn beams and white twinkle lights were strung above the fabric, giving a soft glow. At three separate points giant chandeliers dangled through the fabric, and someone had taken the time to weave flowers through their wooden frames.
The entire room oozed an understated elegance that made Claire’s chest ache with longing for her own happy ending. But she had no hope of celebrating a day like this. Not after being abandoned at her first wedding and breaking off the engagement before reaching her second chance at being married. Kendall and Brice stood behind her in line as they waited to be announced by the deejay. Claire glanced back at the wrong moment.
Brice was nuzzling the side of Kendall’s face. “How’s your evening, Mrs. Daniels?”
Kendall turned toward her husband, trailed her fingertips along his jaw. “Best day of my life. Hands down.”
“My goal is to get that answer from you every single day, for the rest of our lives.” He laid a soft kiss on her cheek.
Kendall smiled and ran her hand down the front of his suit coat. “I’m up to the challenge if you are.”
“No challenge, my dear wife. It’ll be my pleasure.” He sealed the promise with a kiss.
Claire ducked and turned back around, ashamed to have listened in on the couple’s sweet moment for so long. Their exchange left her feeling hollow and raw.
She would never have what they did, would she?
A country song blasted through the speakers as Kendall’s dad and stepmother were announced to the crowd. Cheers went up as they walked into the room and took their places at the head table. Next Kendall’s adorable niece and nephew were announced as the ring bearer and flower girl. They rushed into the room together, leaving Claire next.
Where was Evan? She glanced around but didn’t spot him.
The deejay launched into details about how everyone should stand and toast the bride and groom when they were announced. He said a few words about the wonderful couple and how he knew them both from a Bible study they attended. The middle-aged man launched into a story about how Brice and Kendall had encouraged him to pursue his wife and save his marriage. The imagery he painted was touching and it also bought time.
Claire pressed her palm to her chest and rubbed against the burn she felt. She would never know love, not again. When Evan hadn’t shown at the courthouse he’d stolen every prospect of her ever experiencing her own happily-ever-after.
Because she had loved him. Completely. Entirely. She’d given him everything. More than she should have. But apparently, it hadn’t mattered.
She could never feel that way about a man again. That strongly. Her parents didn’t believe her, but she’d tried with Auden—really tried to fall for him. Auden Pierce had been perfect on paper. He was everything that made her parents proud, but she hadn’t loved him. In the end, she hadn’t felt for him close to a quarter of the affection she’d felt for Evan. That’s when she’d realized that it was no use dating anyone going forward.
If she could love a man who obviously didn’t care for her—love him so much it hurt—then she couldn’t trust herself. Not now, not ever. Her heart had proved to be just as much of a traitor as that man who had irrevocably wounded it.
Speaking of which... Evan was still nowhere to be seen.
The deejay’s overenthused voice crackled on the speakers. “Next, let me introduce the best man and the maid of honor.” Applause filtered through the thin wall between the large room in the barn where all the guests were seated and the alcove where Claire stood with Brice and Kendall. Evan, if you don’t show... He’d left her here to walk into the reception area alone, hadn’t he?
“Evan Daniels, dashing brother of the groom. And Claire Atwood, stunning best friend of the bride,” the deejay announced.
Panic flipped around like a beached fish inside her stomach.
“Where’s my brother?” Brice growled from behind her.
Claire lifted her chin and squared her shoulders. It wouldn’t be the first wedding she’d walked into without him.
“I’m here. I’m here.” Evan slipped between the bride and groom, a huge smile taking over his features. Why did he have to look so appealing? Like some hunky James Bond stand-in wearing a tux.
He swooped in, effortlessly wrapped his arm around Claire’s waist and steered her into the room as if nothing was wrong. People cheered and smiled at them. A little old lady in a pink confection of a dress at one of the front tables gave Claire a thumbs-up and made a kiss face. Others clicked cameras or held their cell phones out for video as the two made their way to the head table.
Evan rotated between pumping his fist and waving at the guests as if he and Claire were riding on a parade float. His other arm kept her snug to his side so their hip bones pressed together. And she didn’t mind the weight of his arm around her or the warmth of his hand at the small of her back. She should mind it.
She wanted to lash out at him for leaving her in the lurch until the last second, but at the same time, she didn’t want him to remove his hand from her waist before he had to. It was too comforting. Too familiar. And they could get away with it here and no one would think anything. It was a wedding; they were best man and maid of honor—physical contact came with the job. And while she knew she shouldn’t enjoy his attention...one night couldn’t hurt.
Besides, after a full week of feeling wrung out by issues with Alex, conversations with her dad and thoughts about the impending, far-reaching desert that was her love life, she wouldn’t turn down the confidence boost that accompanied Evan’s attention. Even if it set her up to crash and burn tomorrow.
What was wrong with her?
Claire dug her elbow into his side and leaned close enough to breathe in his tantalizing cologne. So not helpful. “Where were you?”
He inclined his head and smirked at her. The glow from the twinkle lights made his green eyes glisten. “What kind of best man would I be if I didn’t fancy up their getaway car a little?”
All the frustration she’d experienced a minute ago dissipated, like a balloon left untied. Decorating the car, not ditching anyone.
She allowed him to lead her around the back of the head table. He pulled out her chair.
“You’re the worst,” she muttered as she sat down.
“Aw, don’t be mean.” He helped her scoot her chair into place. With his hands still on the back of it he leaned so he could whisper in her ear, “You keep that up and I’ll make sure all eyes are on us during the dance.”
Her back went ramrod straight. “What dance?”
The deejay announced Brice and Kendall as Mr. and Mrs. Daniels, and the entire room went wild, cheering and clanking their cups as the couple entered.
No one watched Evan and Claire.
“That’s right.” He kept his head near hers, the roughness of his jaw catching strands of her hair. He wiped them away, dropped his hand to her shoulder and squatted beside her chair. “You were late to the rehearsal. After Brice and Kendall’s first dance, we’re supposed to join them on the floor.”
Claire swiveled in her chair and delighted in the fact that the motion tossed him off balance. He dropped his hand from her shoulder and used it to catch himself from falling.
She rammed her finger into his chest. “Evan. Alfred. Daniels.” She punctuated each of his names with another poke of her pointer finger. “You even think about embarrassing me out there and I’ll make certain that your toes are so sore you can’t walk tomorrow. And you have a 5k to run.”
A playful smile tugged on his lips and he cocked his head. “Is that...a threat?”
“It’s a promise.”
Evan rose to his feet and performed a quick bow. “Until later, Miss Atwood.”
“You’re such a nerd,” she called after him.
Kendall and Brice rounded the table to take their places between Evan’s and Claire’s seats. Claire’s friend caught her eye and raised her eyebrow in a silent question, then jerked her chin toward Evan. The bride had badgered Claire with questions about what had happened between her and Kendall’s now brother-in-law many times in the past nine months, but Claire had never budged beyond explaining that they had dated a long time ago.
What must she think after the last few weeks?
Claire offered a shrug, because what else could she do?
* * *
After the waiter collected their empty soup bowls Kendall leaned her elbow on the table and zeroed in on Evan. “So, wonderful new brother of mine, I have a question for you.”
Evan picked up his goblet of ice water and chugged some. Chewed a piece of ice. Another. Why did tradition dictate that the bride sat between the groom and the best man, anyway? He should have been seated beside his brother, not Kendall. He liked Kendall fine, but she could be one determined spitfire when she wanted to be. And at the moment her laser focus was aimed squarely at him.
Besides, he had something he needed to tell Brice. At one point during the wedding ceremony, Evan had thought he’d spotted their younger brother, Andrew, at the back of the church. Funny thing about that was no one had heard from or seen Andrew in years. Was it seven now? Evan had lost count. Maybe his mind had been playing tricks on him. Either way, he felt that Brice should know.
He swallowed the last of the ice shards, pushed the image of Andrew away and gave Kendall all his attention. “I don’t think I’m allowed to tell you no on your wedding day, so go ahead and ask.”
She yanked on the long skirt of her dress and kicked her shoes off under the table. “You and Claire.”
“That’s not a question.”
“I know you two dated.”
“Still not a question.”
“You two have been eyeing each other all day and were cozy at Agostini’s last night. And there’s all those pictures of you two that Goose Tales keeps posting.”
“Yet again, not a question.”
Kendall let out a groan and shoved his shoulder. “What’s going on between you two?”
So Claire had never told her the details? Interesting.
“Today?”
She nodded.
“Nothing.” He yanked on the sleeves of his tux. “We’re doing our duties. Making your day grand and all that.”
The waiter placed a helping of chicken limone and mashed baby reds in front of him.
Someone at table seven started clanking a glass. Kendall held up a finger, letting him know the conversation wasn’t over, and then turned and planted one on Brice. She turned back toward Evan, smoothed her hands over her dress and started talking again as if nothing had happened. “I don’t buy that for a second.”
Evan sank his fork into the potatoes. “Well, that’s all that’s for sale.”
Kendall placed her napkin on her lap. “Something more happened than anyone is telling me. I’ve tried to get it out of your brother and he says it’s not for him to share.”
“That.” Evan took a bite of the chicken and took his time chewing it before continuing. “And he doesn’t know everything.”
Kendall set her hand on his wrist, stopping his motions. “Claire is my best friend.”
Evan let go of his fork; it clattered against his plate. He hung his head and took a deep breath. “Which means you wouldn’t like me if you knew the truth.”
“What happened? Please.” She jiggled his arm. “Pretty please?”
Even though it was her wedding, Evan knew too well that she’d keep trying to corner him all night until he gave her something.
Where to start? What to tell? Keep it short. “We planned to run away from our families and get married the day after her eighteenth birthday.”
Kendall’s eyes grew into saucers. “That clearly didn’t happen, though.”
“I didn’t show up at the courthouse. Claire waited and I never came. She thought she was getting married and instead she left that night for New York. Eleven years passed before she set foot in town again.”
Color drained from Kendall’s cheeks. “Why? How could you do that to her?”
The photographer interrupted them. “If you two could lean together.”
Evan wrapped his arm around Kendall’s shoulder.
“Smile, please!” The big attachment on the camera surged with light. “Thanks, perfect.”
Evan removed his arm from around his sister-in-law. He ran his palms back and forth over the itchy fabric of the rented tux pants. “I told you you wouldn’t like me.”
“Oh, I still like you. You’re family. I’ll always have your back. And I’ll always believe the best about you, even in this.”
He stared at his chicken limone and watched the sauce pool on the edge of his plate. He swallowed once, twice, before saying, “Thank you.”
“But I need you to be more careful with Claire.” Kendall speared a piece of asparagus on her plate with more gusto than necessary. “I know you’re just really friendly and outgoing, but most people read that as you leading women on. All I’m saying is don’t lead Claire on.”
“Listen.” Evan poked at his chicken. “The election will be held in just over a week and Claire and I won’t have any reason to interact anymore.”
An ache spread through his chest. Until the words had left his mouth, he hadn’t processed that he would lose Claire again. And soon. If she won, she’d have no reason to talk to him. The mayor hardly needed to solicit advice from a woodworker. If he won, she wouldn’t want to talk to him, especially after the truth came out. He and Brice were going to push for permits to build a new dock and take business away from her father. In the end, that was the entire reason Brice wanted him to win. It all came down to Sesser.
Claire wouldn’t be okay with that.
“One of us will win and the other person will fade away.”
Kendall’s brow pinched. “When you put it that way, it sounds downright depressing.”
“It’s the only way I see this panning out. Claire and I...it’s not possible for us to be friends without someone getting burned.” When they did try to be friends, the people around them were determined to pull them apart. Brice questioned every interaction, and Evan knew Sesser was putting pressure on Claire. Now Kendall was telling him to stay away.
The deejay announced it was time for the bride and groom to have their first dance.
“Fine,” Kendall whispered as she rose from her seat and took Brice’s hand. “Just, for her sake, try not to be so charming.”
“Will do, sis.” He shoved the mashed potatoes around on his plate, no longer hungry.
The fact that he’d coaxed a smile, laughter and some back and forth teasing out of Claire on the way to their seats had made his day. It had made him want to try to keep her smiling all night.
Perhaps that was the problem.
He had no right to want to be the reason she smiled.
* * *
When the deejay called for the wedding party to join the bride and groom on the dance floor, Claire gulped down her last sip of water and then slipped her hand into Evan’s. He led her to the center of the floor and the song began. Something low and sweet and incredibly sappy. No doubt Kendall had selected the playlist.
Evan placed his palm at the small of Claire’s back. A tentative lift of his lips hinted at a smile. “This okay?”
She rested her hand on his firm shoulder. “As long as you keep those toes off of mine, we’re good.”
A gentle laugh rumbled in his chest. “If it’s any comfort, I dance a little better these days than I used to.”
He took his hand off her spine and spun her out and away from him, timed exactly with the swell of the music. Just as smoothly, he drew her back into his embrace. However, this time when his arm came around her she was closer to him, her temple only a few inches from his shoulder. They weren’t simply doing a box step. Evan moved them around the floor. He even dipped her.
It would have been so easy to lay her head against his shoulder and close her eyes, lose herself in the sway of their bodies. Listen to his heartbeat—her favorite sound—like the old days. Where her fingers rested on his shoulder, it was impossible not to feel the strength of the man. His muscles had been trained and hardened by years of manual labor, of sweat and honest work. His occupation was his gym.
His chin grazed her head as he tilted to look at her face, and that little movement, the knowledge of how near his lips were to her forehead, made her throat go dry. Could he feel her heart pounding away against her rib cage? Like if it beat hard enough, it could break free and reach him—reach home.
Foolishness, Claire.
But Auden had never held her like this. Gently and carefully, as if she was something infinitely precious that needed to be cherished. Someone who deserved thoughtful attention.
The flash of a camera snapped her out of her musing. These were Evan’s arms. An ex-boyfriend, a heartbreaker, the man she wanted to beat in an election. Not cozy up to.
Had Kendall chosen the extended version of the song? Claire couldn’t trust herself to remain rational in Evan’s arms much longer.
Regaining control over her wayward emotions, she leaned back a fraction. “When did you learn to dance?”
His eyes connected with hers, their green hue vivid in the light of the hanging lanterns. “Laura drafts me whenever she wants to practice a part in whatever play she’s in at that moment. Lately she’s been on a musical spree, which means I’ve had to learn my share of choreography. But let’s keep that between us, okay?” He made a show of glancing around, pretending he cared if they were overheard. “Can’t go ruining my tough-guy reputation.”
“Please.” Claire chuckled. “You’re about as tough-guy as a marshmallow and everyone in town knows it.”
“I’m not—wait, I am.” He pouted. Apparently Laura wasn’t the only member of the Daniels clan with a flair for dramatic acting. “A marshmallow, that is. I let the first graders beat me at Candyland after Sunday school last week.”
Evan would make such a good father. Her heart flipped at the realization.
She swallowed and forced her face to remain neutral. “See?”
His hand on her back tiptoed up to touch her hair. “I can’t stand it when they’re all sad after losing.”
“Marshmallow.” Her voice was far more breathless than she was comfortable with.
“Which are delicious and universally adored.”
Just like you, her treacherous heart screamed.
The song was finally replaced by an upbeat rhythm as the deejay welcomed all the wedding guests onto the floor.
Claire broke away from Evan. “I have to find Alex.”
Evan nodded and headed back to his place at the head table. She noticed that a couple other women approached him during the reception, but he didn’t participate in another slow dance the rest of the night. For that matter, neither did Claire. After remembering how wonderful it felt to be in Evan’s arms again, no one else would have been able to compare.