Then Comes Love (Blue Harbor Book 6)

by Olivia Miles

  Her eyes rounded as she stared at him, half a bread roll still lodged in her cheek, puffing it out in the most strangely attractive way. The Gabby he knew back in school never had a hair out of place. She was perfect, unreachable, and unflappable.

  Or was she?

  Gabby finished chewing and chased it down with a long sip of wine. “That’s exactly what I tell everyone. I’m not just going to settle for the heck of it.”

  Ah, now they were getting somewhere. He nodded, because he agreed and because he was curious to sit back for once and let her do all the talking. There was no debate here, no argument to contend with, just two single people, sitting together, at yet another wedding.

  “I mean, take my cousin for example. Maddie.” Gabby gave him a knowing look, and he was surprised that she would even refer back to their afternoon at the bakery. She’d left in such a huff that he assumed it would be the last she’d speak to him.

  Until he poked her, that was.

  “She agrees with Brooke. And all the rest of them.” She sat back while their plates were cleared and eyed the raucous across the tent. “Oh, good, the cake is being cut. I’m starving.”

  He raised an eyebrow. He was quite full himself.

  “And what do Maddie and Brooke say?” he wanted to know.

  “Oh.” She waved a dismissive hand through the air. “A lot of things. Basically, that I’ll never find everything I’m looking for.”

  “And what is that you want? Husband? Kids? White fence? Maybe a dog?”

  “Doesn’t everyone?” she sighed. She caught herself and gave him a sharp look. “Oh, that’s right. Not everyone. Not you.”

  He opened his mouth to disagree, because that’s what he did, especially when it kept her attention, but tonight he could not disagree with her words.

  The problem was, he couldn’t agree with them either. Sitting here, beside Gabby, at a wedding, where his parents were two tables over, holding hands, his mother laughing at something his father whispered in her ear, made him realize that he did want everything that Gabby had just listed.

  He just didn’t believe that he could have it.

  His gaze drifted to the bride and groom now posing in front of their four-tiered cake, and he listened as their nearest and dearest gave them a heartfelt toast. He clapped along, not allowing himself to wonder what his brother or parents might have said at his wedding. He’d never really gotten that far, and maybe that was a problem.

  He frowned as he sipped his wine, watching Gabby devour the icing on the cake that was set before her.

  “So, you really want all this? A big, white wedding?”

  “Doesn’t everyone?” She paused and shook her head. “Never mind. I forgot who I was talking to. I know, you’re probably going to say that this is all just a fantasy, an overly expensive party with flowers that will just be dead tomorrow. That marriage isn’t about the dress and the cake. Or, of course, the flowers.”

  “For what it’s worth, the flowers are really pretty,” Doug said. He regretted what he’d said in the shop, especially when he saw his mother’s reaction to the bouquet. “But you have to admit there is some truth in the fact that flowers do not last forever.”

  “Nothing lasts forever,” Gabby countered.

  His eyebrows shot up. “Says the hopeless romantic!”

  She dropped her chin and gave him a pointed look. “You know what I mean. Besides, I’m beginning to feel more hopeless than romantic. Congratulations, you win.”

  He stared at her for a moment, hating the hurt that he saw in her eyes. He’d seen it once before, back at their senior prom, when the committee had finished a long day of setting up for the event. Gabby had lingered in the doorway, taking in the transformed gym, a strange sort of sadness taking over her features even though he had thought she was pretty happy with the way it had all turned out.

  It wasn’t until he asked if he’d see her later, and she said no, that he understood the root of her sadness. And as he sat home alone, looking through his college course selection book, thinking ahead to his big future, he’d wished that he’d had the nerve to let his guard down for once and ask her to join him.

  He wondered now what she would have said if he had. Probably no. Or laughed. Or assumed he was just having a go with her.

  Gabby finished her slice of cake and recovered the last of her icing from the plate.

  “Here,” he said, sliding his piece over to Gabby. “I can tell you want it more than me.”

  Her lips turned into a little smile. “Why, Doug Monroe, that was downright chivalrous of you.”

  “Don’t be getting notions that I’m like one of those characters in those romance novels you were reading at the bakery,” he warned, unable to fight off a smile as she accepted it and happily slid her fork through the white, sugary icing.

  She laughed. “Oh, believe me, I’m smarter than that, and you have made your feelings about love and romance crystal clear.” She glanced at him, her eyes taking on their light again, her smile full and kind. “But…thank you. For the cake. And…for tonight.”

  He grinned, finding it hard to pull his eyes away from her, but there was his mother, making excited expressions in his directions and it was probably best to excuse himself now before he gave his family any more reason to talk about his personal life or give himself any more reason to question it. He stood, slowly, and gathered his wineglass, giving Gabby one last smile.

  “My pleasure. Gabrielle,” he was sure to add because when it came to Gabby Conway, he never could resist.

  Chapter Six

  The highlight of Gabby’s month was always her cousin’s book club meeting. Isabella Clark, more often known as Bella, owned and operated the only bookstore in town, and in addition to hosting poetry readings, writing groups, and story hours for children, Bella’s Books was the gathering place for thought-provoking literary discussion. Or at least that’s what all the ladies who belonged liked to claim.

  In truth, it was a social event and one that Gabby desperately needed this weekend as a distraction from all this wedding talk. Romance, she could never tire of, but weddings… Between the endless arrangements, set up, and then attendance, she was already looking forward to wedding season being over.

  “But it only just began!” Brooke laughed when Gabby confessed as much on their walk down Main Street. It was Sunday night, and the sidewalks were quiet. While Bella typically held the monthly meeting on Saturday nights, during tourist season (and wedding season!) it had become easier for everyone to attend at the end of the weekend instead.

  Gabby closed her shop on Sundays, usually spending the morning at the family’s market at the orchard where she sold bouquets that people liked to buy for their dinner table, followed by lunch at the Carriage House Inn, or lately, to support her sister’s husband Kyle at Harrison’s Pub, a dive bar which was starting to undergo a recent renovation since his brother Ryan had moved back to town. Ryan, she knew, was single, and easy on the eye, too, but he fell under the category of family in her opinion, and with his focus on his business above all else at the moment, he was definitely not marriage material.

  And that’s what she wanted, she thought. Marriage. Or at the very least, love.

  “It’s all the late nights,” Gabby explained away her complaints, knowing she should be grateful for the business.

  “You know what I’m going to tell you…” Brooke raised her eyebrows. “If you would hire a proper assistant rather than ask Mom to pitch in—”

  “Mom likes helping out!” But Gabby knew her sister had a point. She’d been too tired and too busy to stop by the town event last weekend, and with the way things were going, she’d probably miss the orchard’s annual Cherry Festival, too. She didn’t know how she was going to set up Candy’s wedding and be a proper guest, too, not that she’d be letting those doubts be voiced. She’d get it done; she always did. And in the end, she was always satisfied with the results. She wasn’t so sure the same could be said if she tossed anoth
er person’s ideas into the mix.

  “Besides, it’s not just the prep and set up. Not every bride, but many, were sweet enough to extend an invitation to stay for the reception, and I don’t feel like I’m in a position to turn them down.”

  “But you don’t have to stay long, just make an appearance.” Brooke paused as they approached the storefront, where a black urn of overflowing Annabelle hydrangea sat beside the paned glass door. “Unless you have a reason to stay?”

  Gabby rolled her eyes. “Please. I’m stuck at the singles table every time.” Her mood deflated when she recalled her disappointment last night. A tall, dark, and handsome doctor. She’d thought she found the one, and instead she’d made a fool of herself, starting to flirt with a man who had already announced he was married to the rest of the table! And an expectant father to boot!

  “As you said, singles tables usually contain single men.”

  “If by men you count teenage boys or men whose pregnant spouses are on bed rest and couldn’t attend, then sure.”

  Brooke laughed and clamped a hand over her mouth when she saw that Gabby didn’t find any of this to be amusing. “No.”

  “Oh, yes.” Gabby shook her head. “The only single men at my table last night were the Monroe brothers.”

  Brooke frowned as she pulled at the large brass handle and they both stepped inside the bookstore. The smell of the paper always comforted Gabby, as did the possibility of perusing the new release table. There was always an escape to be found between the pages of a novel. And a guaranteed happy ending, too.

  “Brothers? Is Doug back in town?”

  “Moved back a few weeks ago.” Before her sister could get any notions, Gabby added, “Hasn’t changed one bit.”

  She realized that wasn’t exactly true. He had of course filled out in all the right places, and there was a rumble to his laugh that hadn’t been there fifteen years ago. Still, he was argumentative and opinionated. But he did let her have his cake. And that was…nice.

  Gabby lifted a paperback from the table of new releases and turned it over to skim the back copy.

  “Still sparring with you then?” Brooke gave a little smile. “You know, it’s funny, but I always used to think he just did that to get your attention.”

  Gabby looked at her quizzically as she set the book down. “Well, he’s a grown man now who doesn’t need to tease to talk to a girl. And he’s still up to the same old tricks.” Her mouth thinned when she thought of the more glaring fact that would immediately shut down this conversation. “Also, he’s a divorce attorney.”

  Brooke just shrugged.

  “And I’m in the business of romance,” Gabby reminded her. “We both are.”

  “Oh, yes you are!” Candy, who had clearly caught the end of their conversation, wiggled both sets of fingers as she eagerly crossed the room.

  Oh, brother. Gabby had forgotten that the book club’s switch to Sunday nights made it easier for Candy to attend, since the Firefly Café was closed on Sunday nights and Mondays.

  She caught her sister’s eye quickly, wondering which of them would be targeted first. With Candy’s wedding now only three weeks away, there was very little time for major changes. Or any changes at all, really.

  “Now, Brooke, I’ve been thinking more and more about that train…”

  Brooke shook her head. Her time in New York had made her more assertive than she’d been as a kid, but it was her reunion with her husband that had really lifted her confidence. She was doing what she loved—designing her own creations, running her own business, and coming home every night to a home she shared with the love of her life.

  Brooke made it all look so easy, Gabby thought on a sigh. Still, she knew that it had been a rocky path, but one that had been worth it in the end. She comforted herself with those words as Candy continued to fret.

  “Don’t think, Candy. Just…enjoy this special time.” Brooke even managed to smile while she said this, but Gabby knew she’d be heading for the tray of wine soon. “Everything will be perfect. And you did truly want that twenty-five-foot train.”

  Candy was chewing on a fingernail. “I did. And I even thought at one point that it might not be quite long enough…”

  Gabby scurried away before Brooke heard her snicker, or worse, Candy turned her attention to the flowers which were absolutely not changing. Nope, if she had to make up a story about inventory or flooded crops that damaged some new-fangled idea, so be it. She had listened, patiently, and she also knew that Candy would be thrilled with the result.

  As usual, Bella had set up chairs in the back of the room, near the children’s corner, and tables had been cleared of books and replaced with drinks and snacks. Gabby set her contribution on the table—a bottle of white wine—and went ahead and helped herself to a plate of cheese and crackers.

  “Uh-oh.” It was Bella, smiling at her. “You only hit the buffet like this when you’re upset. And usually, it’s about a guy.” Her eyes went wide. “Is there a guy to be upset over?”

  Like her, Isabella was single, only it didn’t seem to bother her quite as much. Gabby dropped her shoulders and shook her head as she added more cheddar squares to her plate, and, for good measure, some nice creamy gouda.

  “No. There is most certainly not a guy to be upset over.” She frowned slightly, realizing that had Bella posed the exact question to her this time yesterday, she might have named Doug as the source of her problems.

  But last night Doug hadn’t just been a perfect gentleman; he’d been a friend of sorts, or at least an ally.

  Pushing that thought away, she went back to her cheese. “And how is your love life these days?”

  It was refreshing to turn the tables on a cousin who was just as single as she was these days. And always, Gabby corrected herself. It wasn’t like she’d gone through a breakup, hit a dry spell, or had a teen romance to fall back on—she didn’t even have a first love. A first crush, sure, but nothing ever came of it. She’d dated a bit, mostly seasonal tourists, or the occasional guy from Pine Falls, but there had never been a spark, and she had only been disappointed that she didn’t feel anything toward the man, rather than be upset that nothing more came of it.

  “Hey, I thought we were here to talk about books.” Bella was always an expert at shifting the topic without getting herself worked up or offended. “Did you enjoy this month’s selection?”

  This month’s selection had been a classic—Austen—and who could go wrong with that?

  “I think you know the answer to that,” she replied with a laugh, already feeling her spirits lift being here in her second favorite shop of all of Blue Harbor, next to her own—not that she’d be telling Brooke that—with a cousin who loved books with romantic endings every bit as much as she did, and Candy, still busy trying to convince Brooke to hack five feet off the train she would no doubt want ten feet longer the week before her wedding.

  Bella caught her smile. “There’s the cousin I know. By the way, I meant to tell you, that guy who always used to give you grief back in high school was in here the other day.”

  “Doug?” Gabby nodded and popped another bite of cheese and cracker into her mouth. “Yes, he moved back to town.”

  “So he told me. Here I thought when I saw you so upset…”

  “That I was upset about him?” Gabby covered her mouth to laugh. “The only thing to get upset about when it comes to Doug Monroe is how mad he always makes me! He loves nothing more than a good argument.”

  Bella gave her a funny look. “I just thought…because back in high school, you used to talk about him just as much as that lacrosse captain—”

  “Soccer captain,” Gabby corrected, thinking of Chad, who would strut down the hall with that cocky grin, his hair always tousled, his eyes so blue. She nearly set a hand to her stomach to stop the swoon, even though she hadn’t seen him since the summer after graduation. Like many people in Blue Harbor, he’d gone away to college and stayed away. But Gabby could never bring hersel
f to leave this lakeside town that had always been her home. Even if she was starting to wonder what the future could hold for her here.

  “You know what I mean.” Bella poured herself a glass of white wine. She was a Clark, a relation on Gabby’s mother’s side of the family, and even though she was in no way related to the Conway orchard, she was always happy to support the business by proudly displaying their local wine at her club meetings.

  “No,” Gabby said, honestly. “I don’t.”

  Bella leaned in, giving her a sly smile. “Doug got to you.”

  “He annoyed me,” Gabby corrected.

  Bella gave a little mew. “Isn’t it one and the same? Besides, he’s pretty cute. I don’t remember him being that cute.”

  “He wasn’t,” Gabby said, before catching the spark in her cousin’s eye and realizing she had inadvertently agreed with her. “Look, there’s nothing between Doug and me, not then, not now.”

  “You’re sure about that?” Bella asked.

  Gabby didn’t pause to consider it. “I know the kind of guy I’m waiting for, and I can promise you, he is most certainly not it.” She thought of the way he made sure to goad her into an argument every time she saw him, the way he seemed hell-bent on showing just how much he disagreed with her career choice, her opinion, her optimism. The man was rude, really. And he was far too cynical for her liking.

  Bella just nodded and took a sip from her glass, saying nothing.

  “If you’re going to try to tell me that opposites attract—” Gabby started to say, but she was interrupted by Bella’s hoot of laughter.

  “Oh, honey. You don’t need to worry about that. You and Doug were never opposites. You were more like…two of a kind.”

  “Did I hear someone say two of a kind?” Candy was back, and Gabby and Bella exchanged a brief but knowing glance.