Then Comes Love (Blue Harbor Book 6)

by Olivia Miles

  “You have a delivery,” Gabby said with a smile.

  The young woman’s face lit up as she stared at the flowers that Doug handed to her. “Oh my! For me?”

  Her eyes welled with tears as she set the vase down and searched amongst the flowers for the card that Gabby had written earlier. Gabby, of course, already knew what it said. It was from her husband, who had been deployed overseas for one year as of today.

  “Oh, this is the best thing I’ve seen all day. All week!” She held the card to her chest and smiled broadly at Gabby and Doug. “Thank you so much!”

  Gabby shrugged. She was just the messenger, but she liked to still think she played a small part in this moment.

  Doug waited until they were outside on the porch again to say, “Was it her birthday?”

  “Nope. Not a special occasion, per se. But sometimes people just need to know they’re in someone’s thoughts.” She sighed happily, only frowning slightly when she caught Doug staring at her intensely.

  “It must feel good, making people happy all the time.”

  “Or at least cheering them up,” Gabby said, thinking of the sympathy bouquets she made. “But yes, it does feel good to know that I played a small part in making someone’s day a little better.”

  “I guess I never thought about it like that.”

  “So I’ve enlightened you?” She gave him a lock of mock surprise that pulled a grin out of him.

  “In more ways than you know,” he said in a low voice, and then cleared his throat. They walked another half a block before he spoke again. “What are you doing with the rest of your evening?”

  Gabby felt her heart speed up, not sure what he meant by this. “Oh, I might take a walk near the lake. I’ve been cooped up all day.”

  “Mind some company?” he asked.

  She fought back a smile. “Not at all.”

  They walked down the gravel path to the lakefront, where already the sounds of children splashing in the water could be heard in the near distance.

  Gabby laughed. “The water is still cold this time of year.”

  “Never stopped me before,” Doug said, dropping onto a large rock to start removing his shoes. He gave her an expectant look, and she shook her head.

  “Oh no. I wait until at least August. I’m not a little kid anymore. The cold bothers me now.”

  “Come on, now. You can at least dip your feet in.”

  He had her there. She was wearing sandals, too, which were easy enough to slip off. She opened her bag to tuck them inside, pushing aside her latest paperback so she wouldn’t dirty the pages, finally deciding to set the book on top of her bag.

  “No splashing,” she warned. She wouldn’t put it past him.

  “No worries. I just planned to dunk you.” She shook her head ruefully, that was until he made a grab for her book. “The Rogue—” he started, and then stopped when she yanked it from his grip.

  “Hey!”

  His eyes twinkled with amusement, and there was laughter in his voice. “I was just wondering what could be so captivating about this book that you would carry it around with you.”

  “I like to have a book with me,” she replied defensively.

  “For escaping into a more romantic world when the urge arises?”

  She narrowed her eyes at him, but he was grinning wider. “Very funny. Actually…actually, I find that it’s nice to have a book in case I grab a coffee or stop by the bakery.”

  His expression changed, sobering a little. He stepped down into the water, nodding. “For when you’re alone and no one else is.” He glanced at her over his shoulder. “I get it. I used to do that back in high school, only back then, I was also genuinely more interested in studying, or at least, I thought I had to be.”

  She hadn’t ever thought of it so literally before, but he was right. When she was sitting in the café or bakery, by herself, it helped to have a book on hand, something to keep her occupied, something to give her an excuse to not be with someone. As for her choice of genre, she couldn’t deny that she liked to believe that romance was possible.

  Maybe, she thought, glancing at Doug, even for her.

  “I don’t mind being alone,” she said a little defensively. “I just…think my life would be more fulfilling with someone in it.”

  She glanced at him as she waded into the cool water, which wasn’t nearly as icy as she’d expected it to be at this point in the summer.

  “Not bad, eh?”

  “Rather nice,” she admitted, wiggling her toes in the sand.

  “But these rogues,” he started again, and she swatted him on the arm as he erupted in laughter. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he begged her off, still sputtering on his amusement. “I just…I don’t think I know exactly what a rogue is.”

  She pursed her lips. “You’re making fun of me again.”

  His gaze softened. “I’m not making fun of you. I’m just…curious about you. And you have to admit that you’re easy to tease.”

  Gabby sucked in a breath, thinking of what her cousin Bella had said, or had it been Brooke? Or both of them? Doug had always singled her out in prom committee and debate club. At the time, she’d assumed it was because he didn’t like her, but now she wondered…

  She brushed aside that theory. No. Doug had made every interaction downright miserable. Until lately.

  “I suppose I should be grateful that you’re only making fun of my reading selections and not my career choice,” she said.

  “I meant what I said today,” Doug said, serious now. “It’s special what you do, Gabby. You have a real impact on someone’s life in a positive way.”

  “Oh, well, I’m not out saving lives, but I enjoy it. It really inspires me to share what I love.”

  He nodded, growing quiet, and she realized she had just said the L-word again. Was it any wonder no men were asking her out these days? She probably scared them off with all her talk of romance and flowers and love.

  “No wonder you were so particular about the centerpieces in prom committee,” he said, giving her a knowing look.

  “Hey, I’m still mad at you about rejecting my snow globe theme for the Winter Wonderland prom.”

  “Can I make a confession? I really liked that idea.”

  She stared at him. She could still remember how excited she had been to present it to the group and how furious she had been when he claimed he couldn’t quite picture it.

  “I had to defend my vision with a forty-minute speech along with visuals and a sample!” she all but screeched, even though he was laughing, and she was too. Sort of. “Why would you put me through that if you liked the concept?”

  He pulled a face, as if he knew he was in trouble. “I liked seeing you explain it. You were so passionate and excited, and determined.”

  Oh. She stepped back, deeper into the water, drawing a circle through the waves with her foot. “I guess I always knew what I wanted to do, even back then.”

  “I know,” he said.

  “Well, the same goes for you,” she said. “You always wanted to go to college and then law school.”

  “I did,” he said, nodding pensively. “And I needed a scholarship to do it. I wanted to go into family law. And I did.”

  She frowned. “But you’re a divorce attorney now. Why the change?”

  “It’s a natural transition,” he said slowly, “but…after my engagement ended, I guess I felt better suited to it.”

  Huh. She waded through the water until she reached the shore, and then dropped down onto the dry sand, careful not to splash her book which was still resting nearby on the rock. “You wanted to help people who felt the same way you did.”

  She felt ashamed to think that she’d given him such a hard time, assumed his motive had been cynical, or even bitter.

  “To be honest, you were right about another thing. For the most part, people in this town are pretty happy. I’m…well, I’m thinking of broadening the scope of practice.” He dropped onto the sand besid
e her, close enough that his arm brushed hers. She didn’t back away and he didn’t seem to feel the need to shift, either.

  “Guess that means you’ll have to get a new license plate,” she said, lightening the tension that was building within her.

  He laughed. “Maybe you can help me think of a better one.”

  She pulled in a breath, locking his gaze, and looked away quickly. Their last scheduled wedding was this Saturday. She hadn’t thought about what would happen beyond that, if they’d still spend time together when they no longer had an excuse to do so.

  Now she sensed that she wasn’t the only one who had grown comfortable with this…arrangement.

  “Maybe once I get through Candy’s wedding this Saturday,” she said.

  “You don’t sound like you’re looking forward to it.”

  “I am. I mean, I want it to be a special day for my Uncle Dennis and his bride, of course.”

  “But?” He gave her a knowing smile. He was starting to know her quite well, or maybe he always had, she realized.

  “But Candy’s…a lot. She’ll be occupied at the wedding, but the rehearsal dinner is another matter.”

  “I could come with you if you want,” he said, catching her by surprise.

  Unsure of where he was going with this, she said, “As a wingman?”

  He shrugged. “Or…just because.”

  She couldn’t fight off the smile, and a strange flutter filled her chest when she met his eye. “I’d like that.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  The rehearsal dinner was less a formal rehearsal and more of a family gathering; a casual affair to prolong the celebrations, and it went without saying that it would be held in the vineyard of the Conway Orchard and Winery. Britt, the eldest of Uncle Dennis’s daughters who was now running the business alongside her boyfriend Robbie, had worked closely with her sister Cora to set up the tables and plan for a tent, while Amelia and Maddie tended to the menu, deciding to close both of their establishments through the weekend for the festivities. There would be cherry pie, freshly picked from the very fields on this land, and for the main course, Amelia was offering a local white fish with farm-fresh vegetables and herbs picked straight from her garden. The wine would of course be Conway blend.

  Gabby had asked her mother to deliver the bride’s sample bouquet to the small stone chapel where the couple was rehearsing their ceremony. The task of arranging the centerpieces was the perfect excuse, and Candy was less inclined to argue with Gabby’s mother.

  Only Uncle Dennis, Candy, and the pastor would be rehearsing tonight. Given all the work the Conway women had to do to set up the dinner, Candy agreed that it didn’t make sense for them to practice their walk down the aisle.

  It was a small event, just the Conways tonight, and all their significant others, along with some out-of-town guests, and Candy’s family members from Pine Falls. The Clark cousins and other friends would be included tomorrow for the official event.

  Gabby checked her phone for any texts of complaint and was relieved to see that there were none, just a note from her mother that they’d be wrapping things up in a few minutes, and another from Doug that he was on his way.

  “You’re smiling,” her cousin Britt observed, when Gabby stood back from the long farm table she’d been decorating.

  “Oh, just relieved that Candy hasn’t decided to toss her entire design scheme and go with purple instead of pink.”

  “And here I thought maybe you were smiling about your date this weekend.” Maddie waggled her eyebrows as she carried a basket of fresh bread to the table.

  My, word traveled quickly. She’d only told Candy about Doug’s attendance tonight, as a courtesy. Technically, she’d had her mother mention it in passing so she could avoid Candy’s reaction.

  “It’s not a date,” she said slowly.

  “A blind date,” Maddie said.

  “Oh, you’re talking about the guy that Candy wants me to meet.” Of course. Now it made sense. “I thought it was just friends and family tonight.”

  “Hey, the bride picked the guest list. Who did you think we were talking about?”

  Gabby opened her mouth to start to explain the little arrangement that she and Doug had made with each other these past weeks, but she hadn’t thought it through, and something told her that from the way her cousins were all now staring at her, there was probably little chance that they would let any excuse go without a lengthy interrogation. Even Amelia looked downright curious when she joined them with a second breadbasket, her sister Cora at her side.

  “I guess I thought you meant— Well, it’s sort of funny, but—”

  But there was no point in saying anything because right at that moment Amelia looked over Gabby’s shoulder and said, “Is that Doug Monroe?”

  The rest of the girls swept their attention from Gabby to the parking lot, where one glance over her shoulder confirmed what Gabby already knew. She gave Doug a weak smile as he emerged from his car; he looked understandably shy at the sight of so many women staring at him and slowed his pace.

  “So!” Maddie raised an eyebrow, not even attempting to hide her smile. “You invited Doug tonight! Here I thought you might just be bringing him tomorrow to get Candy off your back.”

  “That’s exactly what I’m doing,” Gabby insisted, even though her voice sounded as unconvincing as she felt. “You heard what Candy said about this doctor from Pine Falls. He could be anyone. And you know how I feel about blind dates and setups.” She’d always been vocal about her belief that true love would find a way all on its own.

  “Hey, we’re only trying to fulfill your wishes,” Maddie insisted. “You’re always complaining about not finding anyone, so we’ve been trying to help.”

  “Although, you haven’t been saying that lately,” Amelia pointed out. The sisters exchanged suspicious glances, and Maddie’s focus was trained on Gabby.

  “No. Come to think of it, you haven’t. The only guy I’ve heard you talk about for weeks now is your date this evening. If he’s just a wingman, then why did you invite him tonight if you didn’t even know that Candy had invited the doctor?”

  Amelia widened her eyes and went back to the table, clearly sensing that Gabby didn’t want to be pressed. She set a cheese plate down beside the bread while Britt went back into the barn to get the wine.

  Gabby knew better than to think she was off the hook, not with the smug look that Maddie was giving her. Gabby looked over her shoulder, grateful to see that Doug was now chatting with Robbie and Matt Bradford, which bought her a little time to set Maddie’s expectations.

  “It’s not a date,” Gabby corrected Maddie.

  “Then why bring him?”

  “Candy has been trying to set me up now that you all are happily settled into relationships.” Gabby thought about tonight’s guest list, and how much worse it would be if Doug weren’t coming.

  For lots of reasons, though. Lately, she’d been looking forward to their banter, and found herself missing it when she wasn’t around him. After this weekend, she’d be back to going to weddings alone, sitting at the singles table, and that thought was nothing if not very depressing.

  “No explanation needed.” Amelia laughed. “Candy’s just so happy, she wants everyone to be happy.”

  Cora grinned as her boyfriend’s little girl came running across the field in a white sundress. Her father, a man that Cora had been dating since the holidays, had joined the other guys now, but they all kept shooting looks over at the girls, clearly aware that something was up and it might be better to keep their distance for a few more minutes.

  “It’s true,” Cora said, taking Georgie’s hand. “She can be a little pushy, but she knows what she’s talking about when it comes to love.”

  Gabby thought about Candy’s words the other day. How she and Candy shared a lot in common, and that she understood why Gabby was holding out for the right one.

  “I think you’re right. And who knows,” Gabby said with a shrug
. “Maybe tonight is the night that I meet my perfect match.”

  Maddie jutted her chin over Gabby’s shoulder. “Maybe you already have.”

  Gabby turned to see Doug walking toward her now, dressed casually in khaki pants and a linen shirt. He grinned when he caught her eye, and she felt something deep within her swell, just as it had the last time she’d seen him and the time before that.

  Her cousins scurried like mice, leaving them completely alone, but Gabby stood at the table, suddenly unsure of what to say to this man who was supposed to be here to make everything less complicated.

  But he just grinned that grin that crinkled his eyes at the corner and Gabby felt her shoulders relax.

  “Something I said?” He raised an eyebrow and glanced at her cousins, who were now standing under various guises of looking busy when it was clear that they were blatantly eavesdropping.

  She shook her head, muttering under her breath. “Let’s take a walk before everyone gets here. I can give you a tour.”

  It was an easy excuse to break away from her cousins, even though she was rather sure they’d all be talking about her once she was out of earshot. She started with the barn where the Sunday Market was held each week from spring through fall, and then into another building, this one where the wine labels were printed and attached to each bottle.

  “When my father and my Uncle Dennis took over the orchard and started making wine, they decided to name each new blend after their daughters in their life.” She looked through a few of the bottles until she came to the newest one, named for Robbie’s daughter Keira. “Now that Robbie and Britt are running the place, they’re carrying on the tradition.”

  “You think Robbie and Britt will get married next?” Doug asked.

  There was no doubt in Gabby’s mind. “Hopefully not this year. It’s still July and I have a lot of weddings ahead of me.”