Sea Glass Cottage (28 page)

“We had a long winning streak back in Georgia,” Cord boasted as he chalked his stick getting ready for the next challenger.

“In case you haven’t noticed this ain’t Georgia.” Four young locales had sauntered over expecting to pass the time in their usual haunt, doing what they normally do when they normally do it. One of them, a tall, lanky fellow with tattoos all over his neck, couldn’t seem to keep his mouth shut. “How long you guys gonna be? ’Cause we’ve been waiting for almost an hour.”

Earl’s pal, a thick-necked man with the same colorful tattoos, moved to stand at his friend’s elbow. “We don’t like to wait. That means it’s time for all you old guys to head back home to the wife and kids and let us get on with our game.”

“Look, Earl, we don’t want any trouble,” Troy said. “This is my bachelor party tonight. Flynn knows we’ve been planning this for weeks. That’s why we got here early.”

“Then Flynn shoulda said something. We come in here three times a week, regular like. This is our bar. Ask anyone.”

Another one of Earl’s punks sidled up. “That’s right. Friday nights at this same time is our time. Go play in someone’s basement.”

Nick lifted his mug, wondered how Jordan would react if he came home sporting a bloody nose. The idea didn’t prevent him from throwing in his two cents. “That so? Never known Flynn to take reservations before now, that’s a new one.”

“That’s because he doesn’t. Never has,” Thane pointed out.

“It’s first come, first serve. Everyone knows that,” Cord added taking up a position next to Thane.

Troy set down his beer, moved over to where the others lined up. “That’s right. Been that way for years.”

In the middle of calculating his next shot at the second table, Zach stopped what he was doing long enough to size up Earl and his friends. “I recognize you now. You’re the guys who come in here and like to give the waitresses a hard time.”

The scruffiest of the lot, a man sporting a mile-long ponytail and beard, began clenching his fists in a show of strength. “What’s it to you who we give a hard time to?”

Zach and Troy exchanged knowing looks but it was Troy who stepped forward. “We do. His sister, my girlfriend, worked in here five nights a week, carting trays left and right for the likes of you. Not only is your little posse used to verbally abusing the waitresses, you’re lousy tippers.”

Thane saw the blow about to fly, stepped in front of Troy in time to block the attempt at a punch. Thane shoved the ponytailed man back, watched Earl readily take his pal’s place. Thane drew back a fist, rammed it straight into Earl’s nose. “I can’t very well let the groom show up with bruises on his face tomorrow for his big day, now can I?”

Zach agreed and tackled the next scruffy loudmouth sending him to the floor. Ryder took out the churlish tough guy, leaving Cord to level the last punk.

By the time Brent walked through the door, the melee was already over.

Out at Promise
Cove where Julianne had thrown Bree a bridal shower, things were far more serene. Wine flowed while the bride-to-be sat in the living room and opened a stack of gag gifts along with her real presents. Cocktail sets, engraved serving trays, pitchers, cookbooks, a waffle iron, and the like were stacked in a pile around Bree’s chair.

“The idea is for Bree to sit back tonight and take it easy, to relax and take advantage of a little ‘me’ time before she walks down the aisle tomorrow.”

“If not tonight, when?” Keegan noted. “The week running up to the wedding is the most stressful without adding on a lot of unnecessary boring activities that no one is interested in doing.”

“So don’t expect the toilet paper bridal gown game tonight,” Kinsey hinted.

Bree held up her champagne glass. “Thank goodness for scrapping that idea. Splitting into teams and trying to come up with a design is too much pressure for me right now, although it might keep me from worrying about the weather. I check the forecast every day every hour to see if it’s changed. Tell me I’m not crazy for planning an outdoor wedding in November.”

“You aren’t,” Jordan said, patting her hand. “And if it opens up and pours, Nick and I have you covered. So stop worrying. This very room will turn into a gorgeous place where you and Troy can exchange vows. You’ll see. So just relax.”

“No one does a wedding better than Nick and Jordan, outdoor or indoor. Ethan and I can attest to that,” Hayden said. “How many does this make now?”

“At least twenty. I believe we’re starting to make waves with Reverend Whitcomb. But then the man never did really warm up to Nick or me. I have no idea why. I do think it had something to do with Sissy Carr though. Milton has been a deacon in that church for almost forty years.”

“He was a tad standoffish when he performed our vows. Now it makes sense because Brent and I opted for Promise Cove, as did just about everyone else in this room,” River noted. About that time her cell phone rang. “Oh sorry, I need to take this. It’s Brent. I hope it isn’t about Luke. He had the sniffles earlier.” River disappeared into the dining room to take the call. But two minutes later she came back out.

“You won’t believe what happened.” River glanced around the room at each face. “I guess this pretty much concerns everyone here. Brent just busted up a fight over at McCready’s. Looks like Troy’s bachelor party turned into a brawl.”

“Oh no. Is Troy all right?” Bree asked, concern lining her face.

“Don’t worry. Brent said Troy was fine. In fact, thanks to Thane, he kept Troy’s pretty face free of black eyes and bruises for tomorrow.”

“What?”

River held up her phone showing a digital image taken at the scene and Brent’s latest text message. “See, not a scratch on any of them. Now the other guys weren’t so lucky.” She passed around the phone with Brent’s second text. “Looks like these four got the worst of it.”

Keegan and Julianne exchanged looks. But it was Keegan who put the incident in perspective. “What kinds of idiots take on two former army rangers and an NFL linebacker the size of Cord, Ryder, and Thane?”

Jordan peered at the picture Brent had sent and recognized Earl right away. “I guess some men have no regard for the shape of their faces. That one will need stitches.”

Studying the photo, Hayden snorted out a laugh. “Oh yeah, brings back memories of my first time in McCready’s, a whiskey bottle to the head of some guy named Sal. Flynn really needs to consider finding a way to attract a better clientele.”

“That’s what Troy and I keep telling him,” Bree pointed out. “That’s the very reason I’m glad I don’t have to work there anymore. I’m grateful Troy didn’t get his face bashed in. Because it suddenly hit me, this time tomorrow night, I’ll be Mrs. Troy Dayton.”

The women raised their glasses in salute. “Then here’s to a dry and sunny forecast.”

I
t had taken weeks for Pastor Whitcomb to finally get over his annoyance knowing Troy and Bree planned to hold their nuptials at Promise Cove instead of at the church.

But on a beautiful Saturday afternoon just before the sun dropped over the horizon, the preacher couldn’t argue with the spectacular outdoor venue.

Nature had brushed the soft blue sky with hues of orange and tinted the backdrop with glowing accents of velvety purple.

High on the cliffs, Troy stood a bundle of nerves and sweaty palms under an archway draped in organza and lace, the pergola intertwined with baby’s breath and lavender. The groom looked around, turned to his best man to ask a question. Logan patted his pocket, assuring Troy for the third time in an hour that he had the ring. On the platform Troy had built for this occasion, Ryder took his place next to Logan. 

This day, Zach Dennison had a dual role. He would act as both a groomsman for Troy and before that, would take his sister’s arm and lead her down the aisle.

In the audience there was no bride’s side or groom’s side, not at this wedding. Early on, it seemed as though each guest had no preference as long as they got to watch the young couple exchange their vows.

So, at exactly four-thirty, Sonoma, Sonnet and Malachi Rafferty began the first strings of music that signaled to the bridesmaids that it was time, which meant Abby Anderson went first, followed by Drea and lastly, the maid of honor, Julianne. As the women lined up taking their places on the stage, all eyes turned to the rear where Bree waited for the first notes of the wedding march to begin.

Standing on the terrace Bree heard her cue. She wrapped her arm around her brother’s and stepping together let Zach guide her along a pathway strewn with rose petals.

Emma Colter had designed Bree’s off-the-shoulder satin gown with a beaded and lace bodice that swept down from her waist into a feathery chiffon train. It made Bree look like a red-haired princess. She’d curled her hair, woven ribbons into the auburn locks and left it down to drape her shoulders. As Zach handed her off to Troy her tresses swirled in the light breeze. Troy met her halfway and helped her make the climb up the dais to stand next to him. 

Elliott Whitcomb began the ceremony with the age-old words, “Dearly beloved…” In the end, it took less than fifteen minutes to exchange vows, give each other rings and declare their love so that with the pronouncement Troy and Bree became husband and wife.

Once the Reverend looked at Troy and stated, “You may now kiss the bride,” the groom didn’t need to be told twice. Troy met Bree’s lips in a tender showing of both heat and longing.

The pastor had to wait a beat before announcing, “Ladies and gentlemen, it’s my great pleasure to present, Mr. and Mrs. Troy Dayton.”

When the couple turned to face the guests, applause broke out. It swept through the audience about the same time the Raffertys began the recessional with a guitar riff and a splash of violins.

Bree took Troy’s arm and together they walked back down over the rose petals to a standing O.

At the last minute Logan, Troy’s best man, switched places with Ryder so Ryder could escort Julianne down the aisle. About midway down the rows of chairs, Ryder turned to Julianne and whispered, “I feel like I just had a run-through of our own wedding and it wasn’t nearly as impressive. I can’t believe we let them beat us to the punch. How do we top this?”

She elbowed him in the ribs. “That wasn’t your worry two months ago when you were swamped with work and put the wedding off until the week before Christmas. Now the pressure’s definitely on us. We’ll have to up our game.”

“Maybe we should focus on just closing the deal,” Ryder muttered with a kiss near her ear.

“Agreed. Besides, your mother’s determined to help pay for her only son to have a wedding to remember. Despite how many times I’ve told her I’m perfectly capable of…”

“My mom’s been a bit over the top since she found out about you.”

“We need to have our heads examined for getting married this close to Christmas. Maybe we need more time. Do you want more time?”

“No. Look, think of it this way, while everyone else is unwrapping their presents, we’ll be in honeymoon-mode enjoying Waikiki to the fullest. Just keep picturing a hotel room for seven days with no interruptions, no work-related issues to deal with, and no school-related activities, just us, room service, and time to make up for.”

“You’re right, center our energy on making that happen and enjoy the winter break to the fullest. I like the way you think.”

“That’s my girl.” About that time Ryder caught sight of a quick make-out session between Zach and Drea. “Do you see that? I’ve never seen Zach this…happy. In fact the word ‘happy’ doesn’t really jive with him.”

“Forget Zach, word around town is that no one’s ever seen Drea this enamored…with anyone. You know what that means? Those two show all the signs of heading toward matrimony.”

Ryder barked out laughter. “I’d have to see that, maybe if a brick falls on Zach’s head but that would be the only way.”

As the couple continued through the back entrance of the B&B where other guests were gathering, they noted the flurry taking place with food prep. Jordan and Perry were busy directing the caterers. The two had gone in together with Troy and Bree’s friends to plan the sit-down reception. Everyone had pitched in to set up tables on the quad for guests to dine on roasted chicken or tender roast beef served by waiters carting trays back and forth.

With her mind on playing cupid, Hayden Cody had dragged her sister, Sydney Reed, to the event, even though Sydney didn’t really know anyone. But then that was the point, to introduce the ER nurse around, get her to mingle. After huddling with her best friend, Jordan, Hayden had decided the situation called for a little switcheroo in the seating department. So the women had manipulated Sydney next to Malachi Rafferty at the same table with his teenage girls.

“Don’t you think she’ll suspect something when she isn’t sitting next to you and Ethan?” Jordan asked while watching Nick and Ethan transfer the wedding cake from the counter to a pushcart for serving later.

“Probably, but the girl needs to circulate.”

“Sydney’s only been here a week,” Jordan pointed out.

“That’s what I told Hayden,” Ethan said. “But did my wife listen to me? No. Sydney starts at Doc’s on Monday. She’s getting settled into the house she rented on Tradewinds Drive. If you ask me, the woman has a full plate without trying to fix her up seven days after she gets here.”

Hayden peered out the window, her eyes lit on the table in question. “See, look at that. She’s laughing at something Malachi said. She’s enjoying herself.”

Ethan chuckled and shook his head. “Of course, she is. It’s a festive occasion. I’m just not sure throwing her into a dynamic with two teen girls is a fair thing to do to your own sister.”

“I admit I was desperate. My choices were Cooper, Fischer, Malachi, or Archer Gates. Abby Anderson seems to have set her sights on Cooper so I didn’t want to interfere there. And Fischer seems a little too busy with the pizza place to start something new right off the bat.”

“And we all know Archer’s still mired down in his divorce enough that he can’t seem to let go of the bottle for long,” Jordan added. “Not a good mix for a new relationship.”

“Exactly. Speaking of new relationships, what do you make of what’s happening between Thane and Isabella?”

“It’s always tough for someone to date when they have kids. I’ve seen the three of them around town. Jonah seems over-the-moon with her, which is important to a parent. I know Hutton fell for Nick right away.”

“That’s because I’m fairly irresistible,” Nick threw in.

“You spoiled her then and you know it,” Jordan claimed. “That is, after you got over being afraid to hold her. Oh, look at that. Thane and Isabella are really getting down on the dance floor.”

“Hmm, according to River, she didn’t learn that move at the Bolshoi.”

In the middle of expounding on that thought, Ethan grabbed his wife around the waist. “That’s it. There’s music and merriment here. Ricky Oden’s band is just getting warmed up and since we paid for a sitter, I intend to enjoy the rest of the evening without fixating on Sydney’s future dating status or how another couple is having a blast at the same party where we are.”

“Okay, okay, point made.”

Ethan led her outside to the wooden platform set up for dancing.

Nick watched them go, turned to Jordan with his hand held out. “Mrs. Harris, that sounds like an excellent call to action to me. I’d like to dance with my wife. What do you say?”

“But I have to…”

“No, you don’t,” Nick stated, calling out to the other host for help. “Perry, get the cake in position. I’m taking my wife for a spin around the floor, maybe several times.”

“We should all do that,” Perry suggested, pointing a finger at his partner, Alec, a young Stanford grad student whose parents owned a winery in Napa Valley. “Come on. Let’s show them how to shake it.”

Outside, Thane and Isabella dropped into chairs at their assigned table to take a breather. After bumping and whirling to the beat, Thane mopped his brow and looked over at the alluring woman next to him. Her green eyes sparkled, accessorizing the emerald green strapless number she had on. Thane leaned in over the noise, nipped her bare shoulder. “Did I tell you how stunning you look in that dress?”

“You brought it up once but that was hours ago. I could use a reminder.”

Openly flirting, he took her hand and nibbled her fingers, “Stunning with clothes on, stunning without, I like you better though when there’s nothing at all between us.”

She fanned her face. “Like it wasn’t hot enough out here without a visual of that.”

“That’s the idea.”

For the first time, Thane noticed Malachi and turned to his neighbor. “If the babysitting offer is still open, I’d like to take you up on it. I need someone to watch Jonah next Saturday night. I’d like to take Isabella out for an evening where it’s just the two of us.”

“Not that we don’t find a six-year-old highly entertaining because we do,” Isabella chimed in with a grin.

Malachi grinned back and drew his daughters into the conversation. “What do you say to having spending money, girls?”

The teens exchanged glances. Sonnet pumped her fist into the air, but it was Sonoma who sat up straight, all businesslike and announced their going rate. “If that’s acceptable, then we’re in. It’s a go.”

“This is my boy we’re talking about here. If you have any problems at all, I won’t be that far away. Do you think this is too much responsibility?” Thane asked, turning to Malachi. “You’re their father, do you think your girls are up for the job?” a curious Thane wanted to know.

Malachi slapped him on the back. “Between the two of them, I believe they’ll do a good job for you. But I don’t leave for my gig until eight-thirty, which means I’m available to drop in on them if it will make you feel better.”

A mortified Sonoma insisted, “Dad! We can do this job by ourselves.” The teen glanced over at Thane, the potential customer. “You have nothing to worry about, Mr. Delacourt. We won’t let Jonah watch R-rated movies or anything like that while he’s in our care.”

“Good to know,” Thane said as Isabella laid a hand on his arm.

From the other side of the table, Sydney smiled at the conversation, joining in. “At twelve I was babysitting three kids down the street from me, one of whom was just a baby. I’m pretty sure these girls should be able to handle one six-year-old for three hours.”

“I suppose that’s true,” Thane noted.

When Ricky Oden went into a rendition of
Black Mountain Rag
, Thane took Isabella’s hand and stood up. “It might not be my kind of music but we should make the party last as long as we can before I have to pick up Jonah from Tommy’s house. One more time around the dance floor ought to get my mind off worrying about him.”

“You could have let him sleep over at Tommy’s,” Isabella said as they moved back into the throng of dancers.

He held up his phone. “Jonah was supposed to call by now if he wanted to stay over. He hasn’t.”

“It’s still early enough that he still might,” she pointed out.

The words had no sooner left her lips than the phone dinged. It was the Gates’ phone number displayed on the readout. Isabella started laughing. Thane tugged her hand in his and moved off the dance floor so he could take the call where he could hear better. Jonah was on the other end, begging.

“Please, Dad, please Tommy and I are having fun. I want to stay here. I packed my pajamas and my toothbrush and we’re going to bed right at nine o’clock.”

Thane knew the likelihood of two boys going to bed on time was virtually zero. “Okay, but you’ll call me if you want to come home, right?”

“Sure. But I won’t.”

“Okay, then let me talk to Mr. Gates.”

Archer got on the phone and the fathers settled on a time that would be good for Jonah to get picked up in the morning.

“It’s his first sleepover,” Thane said to Isabella when he hung up.

“I know. It must be tough. But think of it this way, he’s made a friend. And we get to stay longer at the party.” She lifted her eyebrows up and down. “And then there’s later…”