She hurried away, leaving him with Hannah Goodwin.
“Thanks for your help,” he said. “I’ll admit, shopping for period products is above my pay grade.”
“No problem. I remember how confusing all the different products can be. Holly and I started our periods only a week apart. That is apparently common in twins.”
He expected that was probably more personal information than Holly wanted her sister to disclose to a near stranger.
“And speaking of my sister, like I said, I’m actually really glad I bumped into you.”
His wariness from earlier at her strange reaction when they first encountered her returned tenfold. “Oh?”
She chewed her lip and hesitated for a moment before plunging ahead. “Holly will kill me for this but I know she will never ask you herself.”
He was suddenly quite sure he did not want to hear whatever she was about to say. What would Hannah do if he suddenly whirled his cart in the other direction and hurried away from her?
He couldn’t do that, especially when she had taken time from her own shopping to help out his niece.
“My sister is the most amazing, kind person I know,” Hannah said. “She is a fantastic mother, a dedicated small business owner, a volunteer for various organizations around town. She takes care of everybody around her. Everyone except herself.”
Somehow he didn’t need Hannah to tell him that about hertwin. In their few interactions, he had already received that same impression about Holly Moore.
“Just to show you how kind she is,” Hannah went on, “this month she is providing the flowers for the wedding of her former sister-in-law. Lydia has been asked to be a flower girl.”
“I know. Holly told me.”
He still wasn’t sure what any of this had to do with him.
“I tried to talk her out of both of those things. I didn’t think she should be providing the flowers or letting Lydia be in the wedding party. Holly insisted it would be the right thing to do.”
“Why did you think she shouldn’t participate?” he asked, genuinely curious.
“Because her ex-husband is going to be there and he is an absolute jerk. Troy walked out on his family when Lyd was only three. He left my beautiful, amazing sister for another woman, the administrative assistant at his insurance firm, and they had a baby earlier this year. Lydia’s half brother, Hudson. The baby is adorable, I will give him that. He is also, to quote his and Lydia’s father on one memorable occasion, a quote-unquotenormalboy without any obvious disabilities.”
Had the man actually been stupid enough to say that? Ryan disliked him already.
“Holly thinks she will be perfectly fine to go to the wedding of Troy’s sister by herself, with only Lydia. I disagree. I think she should take a date. A gorgeous date.”
He blinked, not sure how to respond to that. “Did you have any one in mind?” he asked, though he suspected he already knew the answer.
“We went through all the possibilities of guys in town today and nobody really felt right. Except you.”
“Me.”
Hannah nodded. “I think you would be the perfect personto take her to the wedding. Troy doesn’t know you at all, a mysterious naval pilot from out of town who won’t be sticking around to make things complicated. Plus you’re all... this.”
She waved a hand in front of him and he again didn’t quite know how to respond.
“Troy would hate seeing Holly with someone like you. Anything Troy hates, I am completely behind. I know that makes me sound petty. But you know what? I don’t care.”
“You want me to take your sister, whom I have met exactly twice, to the wedding of her ex-husband’s sister.” He couldn’t seem to wrap his head around her suggestion.
“I know it’s a lot to ask,” Hannah acknowledged. “But when she’s not overworked and overstressed, Holly is so much fun. She’s creative, she’s talented, she’s a great dancer. I think you two would have a fantastic time together.”
“Does your sister know you’re, um, asking strange men to date her?”
“No. And like I said, she will kill me when she finds out. But siblings have to go to the wall for each other, right? That’s the whole reason you’re here. To help Kim.”
“And Audrey.”
