Then Comes Love (Blue Harbor Book 6)

by Olivia Miles

  Gabby hooted in laughter.

  “I suppose you owe me for saving you tonight, then.” She was all too happy to even the playing field, but as Doug led her to the dance floor, he had a gleam in his eye.

  “You’re not off the hook yet. Besides, you didn’t seem to be having any fun with Chad. Didn’t you have some big crush on him back in high school?”

  Her cheeks flamed, even though that was nearly half a lifetime ago. “How did you know?” Surely just knowing where he’d gone to college couldn’t have given her away.

  “It was pretty obvious at the time,” he said, then, seeing her horror, laughed. “It was a long time ago; does it really matter?”

  “Does any part of high school matter?” She shrugged, not sure of the answer to that, and sensing the way his smile drooped, she wondered if Doug felt the same. “Well, do you think we’re free of them?”

  Doug looked over at the table. Sure enough, the woman who had been chatting with him all evening wiggled her fingers and gave a little smile. Doug groaned and looked away.

  “She likes you,” Gabby teased. It was nice to be on the other end of their banter for once. “And you never know, you might love hamsters if you give them a chance.”

  “I suppose we should probably dance,” he said to that.

  Gabby sucked in a breath, suddenly feeling a little nervous. She had assumed it was just an excuse for an easy escape, a chance to break away, maybe hit the bar instead. One dance, and then she could probably leave.

  She wished a faster song were playing, but knew that part of the evening was still a ways off, and that by then she’d be home in her cotton pajamas, tucked into bed, with a good book for company. Suddenly, that thought no longer seemed so comfortable, or appealing. And it certainly wasn’t a good way to find what she was looking for in life.

  The problem was, she wasn’t so sure what she was looking for anymore. And as Doug turned to face her, and casually slipped his hand around her waist while reaching down with the other to take her hand, she felt herself stiffen, as if every nerve in her body had gone on high alert.

  “This feels like prom all over again,” she muttered, trying to ease her discomfort at their proximity. His hand was warm in hers, the other tight on her waist, and he moved with ease.

  “I thought you didn’t go to prom?”

  She looked up at him, surprised that he would remember that, much less know it. She’d been so involved in the prom committee that most people hadn’t noticed that she hadn’t stayed for the dance. But Doug had noticed. He noticed a lot about her, she was starting to realize, swallowing hard as she took in his deep-set eyes that showed no hint of amusement or menace.

  “I didn’t have a date,” she said simply, breaking his gaze. It was a sore spot, even now, that she’d put so much thought into the planning of the event never to enjoy it. Really, it was ridiculous that she still felt a tug in her chest over something that had come and gone more than fifteen years ago.

  “You could have had any date in that school. Most guys were just intimidated by you.”

  She felt her cheeks flushed, but she shook her head. “I’m over it. You don’t need to flatter me to cheer me up.”

  “Oh, it wasn’t a compliment.”

  She pulled back slightly, giving him a hard look, and he quickly added, “I just mean that you were one of the prettiest girls in our grade. In the school really. But you were selective, and you had high standards, and I think a lot of guys were afraid to take that on.”

  In other words, she was picky. Gabby’s head swam as she considered his words, along with the endless advice she received from her sisters and cousins. Did he mean what he said? That she was one of the prettiest girls in school?

  She chanced a glance at him, feeling suddenly shy and a little off balance. She took a step, but it was the wrong one, and instead of her heel hitting the floor, it landed squarely on his foot.

  “Sorry,” she said, even though she was almost grateful to cut the tension. “I’ve never been much of a dancer.” Never had much experience with it, even though she enjoyed it. More than she probably should at the moment. “Another reason to scare off the men, I suppose.”

  “I could draw up a disclaimer for you. Steps on feet while dancing.” He grinned, and she felt a strange sort of flutter in her chest.

  “You were never afraid to take me on, though,” she pointed out. “You had no problems speaking your mind around me, and not just on the debate team. I’m still mad at you for putting up such a stink over the artificial snow machine I wanted to bring in for the Winter Wonderland theme.” Not, she thought, that she would have been there to enjoy it. Still, there had always been the hope that she would be asked.

  “Ah, we’re back to prom then.” His grin was rueful.

  “Why did you join those committees?” He was the only boy on the prom committee, a good male influence, others pointed out, even if he frustrated her to no end with the way he always had to counter each of her opinions with one of his own.

  He paused for a moment, looking over her shoulder before shrugging. “Looked good on college applications.”

  She thought about it, knowing just how important his academic path was to him back then. It was the same reason he’d given back then, too.

  “Well, it paid off. You went to law school. And now you have the career of your dreams.”

  “Oh, now, I wouldn’t say it’s the career of my dreams.”

  She faked surprise, though the truth was she couldn’t believe he’d admit such a thing. Doug had always been defensive and still was from what she’d seen. But there was a softer side to him, too. One she was just starting to notice.

  “Are you telling me that you don’t enjoy helping people dissolve their marriages?”

  “Believe it or not, I’d much rather see people live happily ever after. I just know that isn’t usually the case. Eventually…well, eventually life has a way of getting the better of people.”

  “You sound like you’re speaking from more than just professional experience,” she noted, wondering if there was more to Doug’s attitude about love than he was letting on.

  “Take your teen heartthrob over there for example,” Doug pointed out. “You thought he was the greatest guy in the world and look at him now. Imagine if everything had gone the way you had hoped it would. He asked you to the prom, you had a magical night, you started dating, got engaged, maybe even married. He’d still be who he is.”

  She glanced over her shoulder at Chad, who was now making a sloppy effort of hitting on hamster girl.

  “He certainly changed,” she observed.

  “He didn’t change,” Doug said. “He’s just a bigger form of the jerk he was back in high school.”

  Chad’s earlier taunt came back to her. She opened her mouth to ask Doug about it and then stopped herself. In school, Doug had been lanky, not exactly athletic, and more interested in books than sports. She hadn’t considered that he might have been picked on for that. That maybe, it was part of the reason he was so firm with his opinions in places where his words were heard.

  “I didn’t realize Chad was that way. I guess…” She frowned, thinking back on her cousin’s words. How the right guy could be in front of her all along and she wouldn’t even notice it.

  Same went for the wrong guy too, it turned out.

  “I guess I just saw what I wanted to see,” she finished.

  She glanced up at Doug, her breath catching at the way he was looking at her, wondering if he realized that something about tonight didn’t just make her see Chad for who he was.

  It made her wonder if she’d misread Doug all this time, too.

  Chapter Nine

  Gabby was just putting the finishing touches on a birthday arrangement for a sixteenth birthday when the bells over her shop door jangled. She braced herself, knowing that Candy liked to pop in on Mondays when the café was closed, but right about now, she was almost happy to look up and see her future aunt and most high-m
aintenance client walk through the door. The rain had been falling all morning, meaning that aside from phone orders, activity had been slow, leaving her alone with her flowers, her work, and her overactive mind, which seemed to be on repeat mode, replaying Saturday night over and over until she’d almost forgotten she was still standing at her workbench.

  So Doug had turned out to be a surprisingly good dancer; it wasn’t like she had many others to compare him to. And she did like to dance. Didn’t have the opportunity to do it often enough. Really, she had just gotten swept up in the moment. It was easy to do so at weddings…

  She finished fluffing out the rest of the greenery and set the vase to the side for delivery. Wiping a hand across her brow, she smiled at Candy, who was smoothing down her wet hair.

  “Hello, Candy! What brings you out on a day like this?” She wagered Candy’s motive was an even split between wanting to change her centerpieces or discuss Gabby’s love life.

  “Oh, I was looking in some of the shops for bridesmaid gifts,” Candy began. All four of Uncle Dennis’s girls would serve the role. All, Gabby had been told by Brooke, who had been asked to design the bridesmaid dresses, would be dressed in pink.

  “How nice,” Gabby said, knowing that Candy’s true motive was yet to be revealed. “Did you find anything special?”

  “Oh, well, since they’re all so happily settled into fulfilling relationships, I thought maybe something like…a wedding planning book of their own.”

  Gabby burst out laughing. “But none of them are even engaged!”

  “Yet.” Candy put a finger in the air. “And you know it’s just a matter of time.”

  Gabby couldn’t disagree with her there, even though she was rather sure that her cousins wouldn’t appreciate Candy meddling further in their personal lives. But Britt had been back together with Robbie Bradford, her high school sweetheart, for about a year now, and Amelia wasn’t far behind with Robbie’s cousin Matt. Even though Maddie and Cora were settling into newer relationships without a previous history, it was clear that both were happy and in love.

  “Yes, I do think they have each met their perfect match.” She felt her smile slip a little, as the old feelings of self-pity reared. She imagined being in the same position, to have someone to talk to at the end of the day, share a meal or a glass of wine with, laugh over the good things, cry over the bad.

  Lately, the only person she’d confided in was…well, Doug didn’t count. He was just someone she knew well enough, and saw often enough, to have some things to bond over. There was nothing more to it than that.

  Firmly, she reminded herself again of his difficult personality, his infuriating need to be right all the time, even though he had sort of softened on that stance, never mind the fact that he was a divorce attorney and a confirmed bachelor.

  Her lookbook was on the counter, and now Candy leaned forward with interest.

  “These are pretty…” Candy tapped a finger on a photo in the binder. Gabby prickled at the tone, knowing that Candy was all too easily influenced by new ideas, even if they weren’t her true style.

  “That’s the wonderful thing about flowers,” she told Candy kindly. “All of them are pretty.”

  They shared a smile, but Candy gave a wistful sigh.

  Seeing the need to rein things in, Gabby said, “Those are ranunculus. They were in the first design we agreed upon and you decided to eliminate them by the third round.”

  “Did I?” Candy gave a slightly embarrassed laugh. “Gabby, the way you say it makes it seem like I’ve changed my mind over and over again.”

  Gabby blinked at her. Willed herself to be quiet. Told herself the client was always right. That the wedding was now less than two weeks away, and then Candy would be on her merry way, off to her honeymoon, giving all the Conway girls a chance to breathe for a little while.

  “I was just tweaking things,” Candy explained, giving her a dismissive wave before flicking to the next page. “Oh!”

  Gabby pinched the inside of her cheeks to stop herself from bursting out laughing when she saw the photo that had caught Candy’s eye. “You like that one?”

  “Like it?” Candy set a hand to her heart. “I love it, Gabby. Oh, I don’t mean to be difficult, but this photo of this arrangement… It’s perfect. Truly perfect. No more tweaks needed.”

  “Good, because that’s your arrangement,” Gabby said, giving her a sly grin. She’d slipped that in there after the last sample she’d created for Candy, simply because she’d been so happy with how it looked, but now it seemed that her effort had paid off.

  “It is? It looks different here than in the photo I have.” Candy began rummaging through her oversized pink binder for the last contract she and Gabby had settled on. There were several pages from the shop, Gabby noticed. Candy’s cheeks turned pink as she leafed past them, not admitting that there were numerous changes, and not all of them were tweaks.

  But here, at last, they had indeed settled on the perfect arrangement, and hopefully Candy’s mind would be put at ease once and for all.

  “I took these in a different light, that’s all,” Gabby said. “The colors may look a bit lighter in my photo, but that is also how they will look in the chapel and at your reception.” On gloomy days like today, her shop was cozier and dimmer than most wedding days turned out to be, and thankfully so.

  Candy pulled the final contract from her binder and compared the two photos, giving Gabby a dramatic pout once she’d confirmed that they were, in fact, the same. Gabby straightened her workspace while she waited for Candy to get to the real reason for stopping by today.

  “Will you be at the Cherry Festival this weekend?”

  “I’m going to try!” It was the one free weekend in Gabby’s foreseeable future, and as much as she enjoyed the Conway Orchard and Winery event each year, she didn’t want to commit too soon. Besides, she could tell by the gleam in Candy’s eye that she was getting at something.

  “I love that orchard. It’s the perfect location for my rehearsal dinner, don’t you agree?”

  Gabby nodded, assuming the question was rhetorical.

  Finally, after shoving everything back into her bag, Candy opened her eyes with strained innocence. “Have you given any more thought to a plus one for my wedding?” she asked, and Gabby wondered if this was the point of her visit. Would redesigning her bouquet for the umpteenth time be an easier task? Possibly.

  “Nothing is going on between Jackson and me,” Gabby said firmly. “Never was. Never will be. He’s handsome, but he’s entirely too much trouble.”

  “And here I thought you liked that roguish charm,” Candy said mischievously. Their shared love of romance novels was common knowledge.

  Gabby shook her head. “At this point in my life, I’m not looking to change anyone. Years ago, sure, that would be exciting, but Jackson is a flirt, and…I’m looking for forever.”

  “Nothing wrong with a woman who knows her mind!” Candy nodded her approval.

  Gabby moved some cuttings into the trash can and wiped down her workstation. “Try telling that to my sisters. They seem to think that I’m getting in my own way of finding true love.”

  “They think you’re holding out,” Candy nodded, as if this too, were common knowledge.

  Gabby realized with a start that it probably was, at least amongst her own family.

  “They think I’m too picky,” Gabby said.

  “And what is it exactly that you’re looking for?” Candy asked frankly.

  Gabby hesitated, her long list of attributes on the tip of her tongue until she realized that the eager gleam in Candy’s eyes meant she was about to start committing that very list to memory, so that she could turn around and start calling every person she even vaguely knew until she could present Gabby with that perfect man, probably on a silver platter.

  “Let’s just say that if he walked through the door right now, I’d know it,” Gabby said blandly.

  As if on cue, the bells jangled, and ther
e, in the doorway, his hair slick with rain, stood Doug Monroe.

  Candy gaped at him, and Gabby felt her eyes hood. Of all the timing…

  Still, she smiled brightly, making sure to keep her tone strictly professional. “Doug, nice to see you. Candy, this is Doug Monroe. We went to high school together. Doug, Candy is marrying my Uncle Dennis.”

  Doug shook her hand, and it wasn’t lost on Gabby that as Candy set her free hand to her heart, she all but swooned.

  Gabby’s eyes rolled to the ceiling, but not before catching the suggestive glance that Candy slid her. A not so subtle one at that.

  “My, I don’t recall seeing you around town,” Candy said, shifting her full attention back to Doug.

  “I just moved back.”

  “I see.” Candy blinked repeatedly. “Is your wife from these parts too?”

  Oh, for heaven’s sake! Gabby shook her head, refusing to take part in this spectacle.

  “I’m not married,” Doug said good-naturedly.

  Now, Candy’s eyes went wide, and she locked them on Gabby. “Is that so?”

  “And he never intends to be,” Gabby said firmly. “Isn’t that right, Doug?”

  The smile on his face slipped, and for a moment, Gabby wasn’t sure if she’d said too much, embarrassed him even more than Candy was capable of doing, but he recovered quickly saying, “Married to my career, as they say.”

  “And what career is that?” Candy pressed.

  “I’m an attorney.”

  Candy’s eyes burst with approval again. “Is that so?”

  “A divorce attorney,” Gabby informed her. There. That should shut down this conversation, and any of Candy’s notions.

  Candy’s brow pinched slightly, but still, she wasn’t about to be completely deterred. “Well, I don’t want to interrupt…”

  “There’s nothing to interrupt, Candy,” Gabby said firmly. She smiled expectantly at Doug. “I’m surprised to see you back here. I know that flowers aren’t exactly your favorite gift to give.”