“Make the time, dear. You’re not being fair to the men of Vermont if you don’t.”
“They’ll manage,” Gini said.
Lily trudged into the kitchen in a violet kimono-style dress. Her black hair had been slicked back and gathered in a tight bun at the nape of her neck. Two long black sticks held the bun in place and although Gini didn’t think the outfit screamed maid of honor, there was something classy about the look. Made Lily look more like a sophisticated lady than the gothic, twenty-something she really was. The only thing that ruined the picture was the hard, straight line of Lily’s mouth.
“Is it almost time to get this thing done?” She pulled open the refrigerator and grabbed a can of soda. After popping the top open, Lily guzzled half the can down in one shot.
“You ruined all your lipstick.” Mrs. Greene plucked another napkin from the holder on the counter and walked over to Lily.
“Do not attempt to fuss with my face, Mother.” Lily ripped the napkin from Mrs. Greene’s hand.
“Do not attempt to ruin your sister’s day, Lily.” Mrs. Greene straightened to her full height, which was a few inches taller than her daughter. Lily shrank back a bit and used the napkin and the reflective metal of the toaster to wipe the lipstick streaks at the corners of her mouth.
When Mrs. Greene turned around to face Gini, she rubbed her temples. “I feel a headache coming on.”
“Why don’t you go upstairs and see to Willow?” Gini said. “I’m going to get a few shots of the ceremony site before it’s crowded with guests.”
Mrs. Greene headed for the stairs. Gini approached the counter and leaned against it. Lily crumpled up the napkin and turned black-brown eyes to Gini.
“What?” she asked.
“Take it down a notch, okay?” It was taking a bit of effort to keep the anger at bay. Gini made a decision right then to stay away from Lily for the rest of her stay in Rhode Island to be on the safe side. “Your sister is a great person, and she deserves a perfect day. You making comments and sulking around makes it un-perfect.”
Lily opened her mouth, but Gini held up a hand. “Just fade into the background. It’s not about you.”
Gini slipped out the French doors in the dining room before Lily could say anything. She crossed the wide patch of pristine lawn to the gazebo and chairs set up for family and friends. There had to be at least four hundred chairs by Gini’s estimate. She thought of the Matthews wedding she had photographed in Burnam. Seventy-five guests tops. On the bride’s family farm. Bride and groom had worn jeans and arrived at the ceremony on horseback. The reception was a barbecue.
Looking around at the mini water fountains, flowers, and candles in crystal holders set up on the round tables under hundreds of tiny lights strung through the trees, Gini didn’t think ribs on the grill or jeans would make an appearance tonight. Newport was a world away from Burnam. Love would be the only common factor between Willow’s wedding and the Matthews wedding, and Gini supposed that was all you needed anyway.
Not that she’d ever know.
“It’s not about you either,” she told herself. Shaking her head, she walked deeper into the area and started snapping photos of the decorations, the waiting gazebo, the prepped tables, the string quartet setting up, the ocean kissing the sand in the backdrop.
That shore at the edge of the property had called to her all day, but Willow had kept Gini busy with this and that. There hadn’t been a free moment to steal away to the beach and test the water with her bare toes. But tomorrow. Tomorrow was another day. Willow and Andrew would be off on their honeymoon in Australia, but had said Gini was welcome to stay with Mrs. Greene and Lily in the cottage for as long as she wanted. So tempting to stay for weeks, but Gini would make do with a day, two tops. She planned to bike ride along the coast tomorrow morning and be a beach bum for the rest of the day. She couldn’t wait.
Gini took a few more pictures of the grounds and caught a lovely sailboat gliding by on the water. The sun had almost disappeared below the horizon. Purple-pink streaks hovered above the dark water now, and a nearly full moon climbed to its zenith in the starry sky. The night was hot, but a soft breeze off the ocean kept it from being stifling. The air sifted through tall grasses that lined the border between lawn and sandy shore. The gentle swish was a music all its own.
“Gini!”
She turned around to see Willow leaning out a windowsill, dressed in white, several feet of stone cottage beneath her. The contrast between soft white wedding dress and rough gray rock was too much for Gini to resist. She snapped a picture, loving the play of textures.
“Come in here,” Willow called.
Gini waved and walked back to the cottage. She climbed the stairs and raised her hand to open the back door. Before her fingers made contact though, the door opened. Willow clamped onto Gini’s arm and yanked her inside. She pulled Gini upstairs into a bedroom and closed the door.
“What am I doing?” Willow’s eyes were wide, her skin pale.
“Getting married, I think,” Gini said.
“Why is my heart pounding? I don’t feel right. I think I’m going to vomit.” Willow sat on the end of the bed and pulled Gini down beside her. “Is it hot in here? I was cold like two seconds ago and now it’s boiling in here? Are you boiling?”
“Yikes,” Gini said. “Take a breath, Willow. What’s happening?”
“I think I’m freaking out. Andrew called me to let me know he’s at the main house and can’t wait to see me, to marry me.” She stood and paced in front of Gini. “Now, I can’t breathe.”
“Okay, okay.” Gini stood too and grasped Willow’s shoulders to stop her from wearing a rut in the carpet. “You’re just a little anxious. You love Andrew, right?”
“More than anything.”
“See, you didn’t have to think twice about that answer, Willow. This is right. You know it is.”
Willow grinned. “It is right. Andrew and I are meant to be husband and wife. I lost it for a minute there. Lily’s comments just kept circling through my head, and suddenly I thought I was making a monumental mistake.” She shook her head. “Not marrying Andrew would be a monumental mistake.”
“All better?” Gini relaxed her grip on Willow.
“Yes. I’m ready.” Willow hugged Gini as a soft knock sounded on the door.
“Willow, it’s time,” Mrs. Greene called.
“I’m ready,” Willow said again. She took Gini’s hand and tugged her to the door. “Get that camera ready. I’m going to need proof that I’ve actually said, ‘I do.’”
****
Gini had never seen a more beautiful bride and groom. Willow looked like a mermaid in her fitted wedding dress that belled out around the ankles. Her long red hair was held back on the sides with mother-of-pearl combs. And Andrew was exactly what Gini would have picked for Willow. Tall and lean with short, sandy blond hair and trustworthy brown eyes, he had convinced Gini he was in love with Willow with the look on his face as he waited for his bride to make the trip down the aisle. As Willow had approached him, the smile on his tanned face lit up the night. He was dashing in his off-white tuxedo—a tuxedo color Gini didn’t usually like. Andrew pulled it off though, looking somehow beachy and debonair at the same time.
Her camera had been busy throughout the ceremony capturing every moment of Willow and Andrew’s special day. Gini had captured the entrance of the bride, the ring exchange, the kiss as husband and wife, the family and friends here to celebrate. These pictures were going to be fun to put into an album for Willow to cherish forever.
Gini found her assigned table and took a sip of water before going table to table to take photos of guests. She didn’t want to miss anyone and with four hundred guests that was a definite concern. A few more sips of water and she started for the small stage where the string quartet was set up. That way she’d get some shots of the overall crowd first then delve into individual and small group photographs. She probably wouldn’t get a chance to eat a bit of that lob
ster dinner Willow mentioned, but such was the life of the wedding photographer. Maybe she could get hers foil wrapped for tomorrow.
She approached the stage and caught the attention of the violinist in the quartet. She pointed to her camera, herself, and the corner of the stage. He nodded, never missing a note. Gini mouthed the words thank you and climbed the steps to the right of the stage. She grinned at the fantastic vantage point. She could see everyone at once, all the different colored dresses, all the suits, all the lights twinkling in the trees. Just lovely.
Gini lost herself in the scenery, snapping frame after frame of merry attendees. She got some marvelous shots of Willow and Andrew as they danced, kissed, smiled dreamily at one another. Seeing them made Gini believe that true love did exist. No two people could look at each other the way Willow and Andrew were and not be filled with love and passion.
Gini saw Lily talking to a short young man, both of them holding wine glasses. Even Lily was smiling, and the expression was lovely on her face. Click, click. Gini was pleased to have caught Lily on film looking happy. Something told her Lily didn’t do happy on a regular basis. In fact, she was sort of an anti-Gini. Pissed off all the time. Good thing Lily wasn’t a pyrokinetic. She wouldn’t last two minutes.
Scanning the crowd with her camera still to her eye, Gini stopped on the back of a man’s dark-haired head. As Gini panned down a bit, she took in broad shoulders under a black suit jacket. She continued the trip down and zoomed in on the tight ass contained in black dress trousers.
Nice, she thought. Very nice. She snapped two photos, maybe just for herself to look at later. No reason all the photos had to be for Willow.
Gini zoomed out and waited figuring if the back view of the man was so pretty, the front might be equally so. Why not capture the complete package? She drummed her finger on the side of her camera while the man talked to a woman in front of him, probably his wife or girlfriend. Lucky chick.
The man shifted his weight, and the woman’s face filled Gini’s lens for an instant. His body leaned back to where it had been, blocking the woman again. Gini pulled the camera from her eye and willed the gears in her mind to turn. To process what—or who—she had thought she’d seen.
Can’t be. She blinked and shook her head, curls bouncing around her cheeks.
Gini zipped the camera back up to her eye and zoomed in on the man’s head. He stepped aside again, and there was the woman. Then the man turned around, and Gini nearly fell off the stage.
“Oh. My. Goddess.” Her arms lowered the camera as her mouth hung open, and she stared at the man. His eyes flicked up to the stage, and he saw her.
Patrick Barre saw her.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Raina, are you seeing who I’m seeing?” Patrick didn’t trust his eyes. Gini had to be a mirage on that stage right now. He had to be going crazy.
“Seeing who?” Raina touched his shoulder to move him aside so she had a view of the stage. “What’s Gini doing here?”
“Okay, so you see her too?”
“Of course I see her, you monkey. She’s right there.” Raina gave him a little shove. “I think she sees you too, Patrick. Go talk to her.”
“Talk to her. Right.” Only his feet didn’t move, and his hands were slicked with sweat.
“Before the sun comes up, Patrick. Jesus.” Raina really pushed him this time, and he stumbled forward. He glared over his shoulder at his sister. She raised a hand to wave to Gini. “She’s waving back. No doubt she’s seen us now. You better get a move on. Don’t want to seem rude.” She took a step toward him.
“Do not push me again or I’ll toss you into the ocean,” Patrick said.
“You don’t want to have to dive for the keys to drive home.” Raina shook her purse where her car keys jingled. She smirked and backed into the crowd.
Patrick turned around slowly and saw Gini walking down the stage steps. She’d be in front of him in no time. He needed a minute to prepare. To put his shields up. To…do…something.
“Hey.” Gini smiled and Patrick’s mind cleared out.
“Hey.”
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
God, she looked amazing, her eyes an unusual blue-green against the color of that dress. A dress that fit her incredible body perfectly. Patrick’s eyes were drawn to where the silky fabric brushed along the skin above her knee. He had to jam his hands into his pockets before they did something crazy.
“Andrew is my cousin,” Patrick said. “What are you doing here?”
“Willow was my college roommate at RISD.” Gini held up her camera. “And I’m also here on official business.”
“I see.” Where was a damn waiter when a guy needed a drink? Patrick’s throat felt as if it were lined with sandpaper.
“I thought I saw Raina with you.” Gini looked around where they were standing.
“You did. She went…somewhere. I don’t know.” Man, he couldn’t think of anything intelligent to say. He sounded like an idiot.
“And Midas? Is he here too?” Gini smirked and raised an eyebrow.
Patrick laughed. “No, Midas doesn’t do weddings. He’s actually with Jonah and Haddy. I didn’t think it was going to work out at first. Haddy brought her brood of dogs over to Jonah’s, and Midas is more of a people person. He gets impatient with other dogs.”
“Probably because they’re a lot dumber than him,” Gini said.
“Well, I didn’t want to brag, but Midas is a genius. He’s also an Alpha dog. Doesn’t like other dogs taking charge.” Patrick looked down and caught sight of Gini’s sandals. Good Lord, her feet were sexy. He returned his gaze to her face and those spirals of hair framing her cheeks.
“Drink?” A waitress slid a tray of wine glasses between them.
Amen. Patrick looked to Gini and she nodded. He selected two glasses and thanked the waitress. As he handed one glass to Gini, his fingers brushed against hers, and the desire to touch her everywhere exploded inside him. Why did Gini keep having that effect on him?
Gini clinked her glass to his. “To Rhode Island and a night by the sea.”
Patrick watched the line of Gini’s neck as she tipped her head back to sip the wine. He wanted to slide his tongue over that delicate skin more than he’d ever wanted to do anything.
“Did Jonah know you were coming here?” Patrick asked after taking a sip of his own wine to clear his head.
“He did,” Gini said. “I’m guessing he didn’t mention it when you told him you were headed to the same wedding, did he?”
Patrick shook his head. “Must have slipped his mind.”
“Haddy’s too.”
“Interesting.”
“Quite.”
“Gini!” Willow called as she and Andrew waltzed by. Andrew stopped and shook Patrick’s hand.
“Congratulations, cuz,” Patrick said.
“Thanks, man. You having a good time?” Andrew asked.
Patrick flitted his gaze to Gini. “An excellent time, yes.”
“How about you, Gini?” Willow stood next to Gini, but her eyes were focused on Patrick.
“Great time. Got some beautiful photos for you here.” Gini tapped her camera.
“Awesome.” Willow glanced at Patrick. “You’ve met Andrew’s cousin?”
“Actually, yes. In Vermont.”
“Really? Do you swing dance, Patrick?” Willow asked.
“Willow,” Gini warned.
“Swing dance? No.” Patrick’s brow furrowed as he looked from Willow to Gini.
“You should learn. Gini could—”
“Ignore her,” Gini said, cutting Willow off.
“Not polite to ignore the bride,” Willow sang. “Especially when she’s right.”
“Andrew, you better watch your wife’s alcohol intake this evening. She’s a little loopy already,” Gini said.
“Drunk on love, girlie, and it feels wonderful.” Willow threw herself at Andrew, who automatically caught her. The two of them floated
away, and Gini snapped a few more photographs of the happy couple.
“That seems like a perfect match.” Patrick couldn’t help taking a few steps closer to Gini as her back faced him. The dress looked just as magnificent from the rear as it had from the front. He knew that superb ass he’d been fortunate enough to touch was under the delicate material of Gini’s dress. Would he get to touch it again?
Should he?
When Gini turned around, she was mere inches away from him. Patrick knew he should back up. Or she should. Someone should, but neither of them did.
Gini lifted her head slightly then rested her hand on his forearm. “I’ve taken enough pictures for now. You want to take a walk with me?” She angled her chin toward the water.
Patrick followed Gini away from the reception, off the grass, onto the sand.
He had a feeling he’d follow her anywhere.
****
Gini had wanted to get away from Patrick. Part of her trip to Rhode Island was to accomplish that mission. To sort out her mixed up feelings and get back in control of her quiet life. With Patrick following her down to the water right now, however, she wondered why she had wanted to be away from him.
What she wanted was Patrick.
The moment she had seen him through the camera lens, she knew she didn’t want to run from him. Her body had responded to his body, but when he’d turned around and she realized it was Patrick, something else responded. Something deep inside her. Taking photographs for a living, Gini ran into many attractive people—attractive men—but none of them had awakened that empty place in her soul. She’d shielded herself from their advances, ignored their interests, and hadn’t felt bad about doing so.
But Patrick. Patrick. She couldn’t ignore him. She didn’t want to. Gini wanted him close. Closer.
“It’s beautiful here,” Patrick said.
They stood together, moonlight shimmering off the ocean and casting a white glow on the sand. Gini peeled off her sandals and swiveled her feet around until they were covered with cool sand. She watched her toes disappear then looked at Patrick.
“C’mon. You too. You know you want to.” She elbowed him and could make out a smile sliding across his beautiful face.
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