A Wildflower Summer

by Caroline Flynn

  Lily would have agreed with anything at that point. After what was possibly the longest week of her life, she had finished Paige’s wedding dress yesterday afternoon, just in the nick of time. With Shirley running entirely on Earl Grey tea, and Lily’s fatigue compounding enough each day to make her wonder if sucking on coffee beans would be more effective than drinking prepared brew, the final touches had been added to the hem, confirming that the intricate beadwork and lace matched the ribbon Lily had sewn by hand to wrap around the stems of Paige’s bouquet.

  The dress had turned out perfectly. As yet, she had only seen it on a mannequin. When she delivered the dress to Paige the day before, Allison was there, the bride’s helpful and supportive shadow. The two women had disappeared into a bedroom with the garment bag in tow, leaving Lily to stare awkwardly around the apartment while Paige tried the dress on. The calming sage walls and open concept did little to ease her anxiety. If her measurements had been off, if the drape of the skirt didn’t fall the way it was intended, if there was even a thread out of place …

  Allison had appeared, shutting the door behind her with a soft click. ‘You have no idea what you’ve just done.’

  Lily’s face fell, unable to read her expression. Heck, she could barely hear the woman through the blood rushing in her ears. ‘Is it …’

  ‘Perfect.’ Allison broke into a blinding grin. ‘It’s freaking perfect, Lily. You should see it.’

  ‘Well, let me see it, then!’ Suddenly, the urge to witness the finished product on the bride-to-be was overpowering. Anxiety fled, quickly replaced by delirious emotion.

  ‘Paige says you have to wait.’

  ‘You can’t be serious.’

  ‘What the bride says, goes. It’s bad luck to see her before the wedding, anyway.’

  ‘That’s for the groom, Allison!’

  Allison’s Cheshire Cat grin widened. She was enjoying every minute.

  ‘Paige really isn’t going to come out here and show me.’

  ‘We’ll see you at the wedding tomorrow.’

  How sneaky, she had thought. There was no way to get out of attending the wedding, now. Not that she had wanted to, though it had crossed her mind fleetingly over the past week.

  Lily hadn’t seen Jason all week, not since he’d bluntly told her to take the job in Chicago. Words failed her every time she tried to come up with a decent text message, and she had been too timid to go to the garage again and face him. It occurred to her she could simply send the cash she owed him with someone else, paying off her balance in full and giving herself a clean slate, but she hadn’t been able to bring herself to do that, either. Just like her confliction when it came to going to Cohen and Paige’s wedding, she was just as conflicted about paying off the balance on her car repairs and not having another reason to see Jason.

  Now, she had lots of chances to see him, as she sat there in a borrowed dress from Paige’s closet. The strapless red number fit her like a glove, hugging her hips and making her feel as though she should be on a glamorous runway and not hidden away in the last row of a small-town church. And it was good she wasn’t there for any other reason than because she wanted to witness her design in its moment of glory. It was also good that she felt pretty in the red dress and wasn’t wearing it for anyone but herself, and that she wasn’t there in hopes of seeing Jason and levelling out the tumultuous landslide that had crashed down between them.

  Because Jason was nowhere to be found.

  Granted, he had said he would be at the wedding, not the ceremony itself, but Lily still found herself disappointed by his absence.

  Which only made her feel sillier about the whole thing.

  Jason Forrester wanted her to take the job in Chicago. He had left no room for misinterpretation, no room for discussion. Lily was thankful, in a way, seeing as how she had so wrongly read all the other cues.

  Looking back, she saw how clearly she had wanted to believe in things that weren’t really there, to hear things that weren’t actually spoken aloud. Hindsight was both a gift and curse, and Lily was most definitely her own worst enemy. She would never learn. The clarity with which she saw her mistakes now was crystal clear, only adding to her foolishness.

  After all, Jason had never given her a concrete sign that he’d ever wanted more between them than friendship. She hadn’t offered him that, either, to be fair. Not really. It was a game they had played, talking around the subject, seeing their connection in their peripheral vision but never looking at it head on.

  At least, she thought that’s what it was. She didn’t know what to believe anymore.

  She needed to stop trusting herself to make the right decisions when it came to men. There was a reason she had sworn off them before her disaster of a road trip—speaking of that, maybe she should stop trusting herself to make decisions at all—and she needed to remember that.

  The organist began to play a pretty melody Lily didn’t recognize, and one by one the wedding party made their way down the aisle. She recognized Cohen, looking dashing in his crisp black tux, a burst of color at his breast pocket where a deep red rose and baby’s breath were pinned. Christopher, Allison’s husband, followed as his best man, his arm linked proudly with the maid of honor, who just happened to be his wife. The bridesmaid dresses donned by Allison and Paige’s other friend Kait were beautiful; flowing satin amethyst gowns with sweetheart necklines and short sleeves that sat just off the shoulder. The classic crimson roses clasped in their hands only added to the stately elegance.

  Cohen’s son, Bryce, was next, beaming as he marched up the aisle beside Jazz. A murmur of delight spread through the crowd as the brindle boxer, wearing a tiny corsage on the back of her collar that mimicked the bridesmaid’s bouquets, wagged her tail the entire way to the front of the church.

  All the tittering halted the moment the organist delivered the first majestic notes of ‘The Wedding March’, and a mass roar of shuffling feet and shifting bodies echoed throughout the room. Sun streamed through the elongated stained-glass windows, bouncing off the satiny ribbons adorning each flowery decoration fastened to the end of the pews. Anticipation crackled through the air like igniting embers as the attendees bent one way, then the other, trying desperately to catch their first glimpse of the bride.

  Lily held her breath as a collective gasp fanned out across the pews.

  Suddenly, there she was. There it was.

  Paige appeared at the back of the church, so close that Lily could take one large step and touch the extravagant bouquet in her hands. But Lily didn’t move. She couldn’t.

  It was a dress that she had designed in her mind and constructed with her own bare hands. A roll of silk charmeuse that had been handcrafted into a gown fit for royalty, embellished with intricate beading and delicate lace.

  Seeing it on Paige, though; it looked different. Because it wasn’t just a garment of fabric and thread anymore, it was a part of Paige. The dress was made for Paige just as much as Paige was made for the dress. They were one and the same, and together, they were perfect.

  Arm in arm with her father, the bride stepped forward and began her trek toward the groom. All the sounds around Lily seemed distant somehow, lost amidst the pounding of her own pulse and the overwhelming flood of emotion. A quick glance in Cohen’s direction at the front of the church proved he was just as overcome by the sight of his wife-to-be. He had every right to be moved to tears. Paige was breathtaking.

  Suddenly, all the long hours and cups of coffee and aching hands over the past week were forgotten. Only Lily’s pride remained, swelling from inside her and threatening to spill over through the tears that brimmed her eyelids.

  ‘Good job, sweetheart.’

  Gaze locked on Paige, now only a few feet from her future husband, Lily whirled around. Sonya Ritter had reached out from the pew in front of her and touched her arm, smiling from ear to ear.

  ‘What a beautiful, beautiful bride,’ she added in a whisper. ‘And a gorgeous dress.’ Sonya bent
down and tapped Eden’s shoulder, who stood beside her donning the fanciest sundress Lily had been able to find amongst the bags of clothing borrowed from Carlie. ‘Your mama made that dress,’ she said, pointing. ‘It’s pretty perfect, huh?’

  Wide-eyed, Eden turned back toward Lily, entranced. ‘Princess perfect.’ Pwincess perfect.

  In that moment, Lily’s heart soared so high that she didn’t even have it in her to be disappointed that her young daughter had wanted to stand with Sonya instead of her.

  The older woman didn’t wait for Lily’s response, turning around to face forward as Paige’s father kissed his daughter’s cheek and watched as she stepped toward the man who would vow to love her until the end of time.

  A shuddering breath shook from Lily’s lips. Wiping away a stray tear that was destined to ruin her mascara if she wasn’t careful, she fought against the intense undercurrent that threatened to sweep her away. It wasn’t merely the sight of two people standing before one another and declaring their unabashed love in front of their family, friends, and community.

  It was Sonya’s words. Her praise, and the term of endearment that accompanied it.

  Lily had heard the congratulations but not the voice. And when she had turned around, seeing Sonya, her disappointment—for a fleeting moment—had been even stronger than her triumph.

  Because she had thought the praise was coming from Jason. It wasn’t until she heard the compliment, that she realized how great her desire was to see him, to share the moment with him.

  And he wasn’t there.

  Somehow, Lily knew his absence was her fault.

  ***

  The wedding reception was as entertaining as the traditional ceremony was glamorous. A switch had been flipped, taking the festivities from timeless and classic to rollicking and spirited.

  Without a formal invitation, Lily had no way of knowing the reception was being held outside. She found it a bold move, considering Mother Nature could have chosen to rain on their parade, literally. Once she followed the crowd toward downtown and witnessed the locale chosen for the party, she saw that it wasn’t just a bold choice, but the right one.

  The pier looked nothing like the one she had stood on a week ago. Sure, the wooden railings and boards beneath her feet were there, but the Port Landon pier had been transformed into an oversized outdoor pavilion. Garden lights with large Edison bulbs were intertwined with twinkling fairy lights, illuminating the sky despite the sun only beginning to sink into the west. In a few hours, they would rival any stars that dotted the clear, cloudless sky.

  The DJ had set up in one corner, with enormous speakers strategically placed to deliver tunes onto the pier and across the water. Tables with white linens and tall glittering centerpieces lined one side of the pier’s deck, but it was left mostly open and ready for the guests to dance the night away.

  The warmth of the day was thwarted by the breeze off the water, creating a comfortable temperature and constant air movement. Lily welcomed the breeze. The wedding party did, too, judging by the way Allison was fanning herself with her rose bouquet on the way to the DJ’s table. Still very much in maid of honor mode, Lily’s employer’s hands gestured this way and that as she filled the DJ in, patting the long-haired man on the back and offering him a contagious smile before flitting back toward the rest of the wedding party. Allison had long since mastered the art of delivering instruction while remaining warm and friendly. There was a reason she was a boss, and a darn good one.

  A long table sat at the mouth of the pier, topped with countless plates of appetizers and finger foods encapsulated in pretty faux-crystal lids. A tower of plates was perched at one end, a huge etched crystal bowl of punch at the other. Lily was still staring at the setup when the music began, a soft instrumental tune that floated on the breeze and out into the harbor, causing the guests to sway with the melody as if by instinct.

  Lily was certain the majority of the town was in attendance. Yet, the party was far from raucous. The crowd divided into smaller groups, the odd person flitting from one clique to the next, but folks seemed to move as one, their conversations and greetings mixing together to create a constant hum like bees in a beehive lying in wait for their queen. Lily didn’t fully comprehend the melded sounds until the music abruptly stopped, sparking a shift in the crowd, all looking toward the DJ in silent anticipation.

  ‘It is my pleasure, on this perfect summer evening, to introduce to you, for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Beckett!’ The voice boomed over the loudspeakers. The entire pier erupted into thunderous cheers, and Lily clapped her hands, overjoyed for Cohen and Paige as they made their way from the shore onto the pier, Paige’s rose bouquet held high in blissful victory.

  Allison pointed toward the DJ, and on cue, he pressed a button, sending the upbeat sounds of a well-known Black Eyed Peas song thumping across the pier.

  Lily, determined to stay on the sidelines, watched the couple’s descent from the east side of the pier. Her fingers touched the tower viewer. It was a gesture to steady herself, but feeling the warmed metal beneath her fingertips, remembering how ecstatic Eden had been to witness the boats glide across the lake, so close she could reach out and touch them—it unbalanced her.

  This is happiness. She watched as Cohen and Paige mingled with their beloved community. One finger traced the binoculars as she stared toward the mouth of the pier, watching Sonya twirl her daughter around, the momentum billowing out Eden’s skirt and making her beam with glee. The older woman had been adamant that she introduce her friends to her favorite pint-sized coworker, and neither Sonya or Eden had let the other out of their sight since.

  Eden was happy here, she thought.

  Lily found herself pressing her eyes to the viewfinder, lost in the memory of that magical evening on the pier with two of her favorite people.

  I was, too, she realized.

  But it was too late for that, now. So centered on what was in the distance, she hadn’t stopped to see what was right in front of her. The small town of Port Landon, the good people who took her in and treated her as their own …

  ‘Jason.’ Still peering through the viewfinder, Lily realized that she was looking but not seeing, her mind a million miles away. But she could no longer see the harbor, her view blocked by a dark suit and a shy waving hand.

  She stood, staring straight into the espresso eyes of Jason Forrester. He was barely recognizable in a black suit and deep blue shirt. A small bundle of wildflowers was clasped in one hand, his other still suspended in mid-wave.

  ‘Wow, Lily, you look amazing.’ He smiled crookedly but there was a hint of nervousness at its edges.

  ‘You do, too.’ Everything sounded distant, at the end of a tunnel she couldn’t see. ‘I … I didn’t think you were coming.’

  ‘I’m late, I know.’ He must have suddenly remembered the flowers in his hand, and Jason stepped forward, offering the pink, blue, and yellow blooms toward her. ‘I’m sorry.’ The up-tempo song faded, giving way to a slower tune Lily recognized as one of her favorites, a ballad by Edwin McCain.

  ‘You have nothing to apologize for, Jason. I should be the one—’

  ‘Don’t you dare.’ He held up a finger. ‘Will you dance with me?’

  The wildflower bouquet still clutched in one hand, she let Jason lead her out into the middle of the pier. Out of the corner of her eye, Allison had substituted her signature high-powered dance moves with a chance to slow dance with her husband. She meant to seek out Paige and her new husband to see if they were relishing in the slower pace of their day, but Lily was too engrossed in the way Jason’s hand rested at the small of her back and the spicy scent of his cologne that lingered in the air.

  ‘Paige’s dress is stunning, Lily,’ he said, words meant only for her. ‘You did a fantastic job.’

  ‘I guess I work well under pressure.’

  ‘Maybe, but you’re also extremely talented,’ he replied, his gaze never leaving hers. ‘You deserve all the success you’ve go
t coming your way.’

  ‘Jason.’ She had to address the elephant in the room—er, on the pier. ‘About Chicago—’

  His hand was between them in an instant, his finger pressing gently against her glossy lips. ‘I was wrong to react the way I did when you told me about the job offer. I did mean what I said,’ he explained. ‘I do think you should take that internship in Chicago. I do. You deserve it, and they’d be lucky to have you. That’s the truth.’ He paused, inhaling deeply as though to steady himself. ‘But there are a lot of lies I’ve been telling myself lately, too. The biggest one is that I could simply watch you walk away. But I can’t, Lily.’

  Her mind spun like a top. She nodded, unsure how to say any of the things she was thinking. How to verbalize any of the things she was feeling.

  ‘I want you to chase your design dreams. More than anything. Before you go and do that, though, I want to show you something.’ Jason lowered his hand, but Lily had already felt the tremble of his finger before it left her lips. ‘Lily, do you trust me?’

  Four words. A simple question awaiting a simple answer. In Lily’s mind, there was only one honest response to give. ‘I do.’

  Chapter 20

  Jason

  In his head, the day was supposed to play out very different than it did. Jason had stared at his invitation to Cohen and Paige’s wedding countless times, deep purple cardstock with golden foil calligraphy and one solitary red rose blooming from the righthand corner, so he was well versed of the timeline. Wedding ceremony at eleven o’clock, then a gap of time in between until the outdoor reception started at four due to wedding photographs being taken offsite.

  He knew, and still he had managed to miss the ceremony entirely. Thankfully, he believed both Cohen and Paige would understand once they heard his reasons.

  Lily, on the other hand, didn’t understand at all. How could she?