“Ideas.”
She wanted to add that even if he were looking for a relationship, she knew full well it wouldn’t be with a frazzled single mom of a special-needs daughter, a woman with a business and a home in a little town in Idaho. Again, she chickened out.
Anyway, she should be more concerned about whatshewanted. And that certainly wasn’t a broken heart.
“I’m not looking for a relationship, either,” she hastened to assure him. “Been there, done that, thanks. I spent nearly a decade with a man who was absolutely the wrong person for me. You can be sure I’m in no hurry to walk that road again.”
He opened his mouth to say something but appeared to change his mind. “Okay,” he said instead.
This was not going the way she intended. She released a pent-up breath. “Look, Ryan. I enjoy being with you and it’s obvious Lydia adores you. As far as I’m concerned, there’s no reason we can’t still hang out while you’re in town.”
When he said nothing, she could feel herself flush.
“Unless you want to back out of the wedding, which I would completely understand. You don’t have to go with me. Lydia and I will be fine.”
“We’re going to the wedding together,” he said, his voicefirm. “I came here to clear the air and make sure we’re good before tomorrow.”
“We’re fine,” she assured him. If she told herself that often enough, she might actually begin to believe it.
“Great. Tell me what time to pick you up. What time does Lydia have to be there?”
She hadn’t really thought through the logistics of traveling together to Haven Point, where all the celebrations would be.
“I have to be there all afternoon to set up. I had planned to take our wedding clothes and finish getting ready either at the church or at the Moore house. Do you want to meet me there?”
“That works. You said the wedding starts at five, right?”
“You really don’t have to come to the wedding ceremony itself. Why don’t you meet us at six at the reception venue? It’s right next door to the church, in a beautiful historic building now used for events.”
“I can do that.”
She had a sudden thought that should have occurred to her before this. “What about Audrey? I didn’t even consider her.”
“She’ll be great. She’s already made arrangements to sleep over at one of her friend’s houses so we can party all night if you want.”
Despite all her warnings to herself about guarding against impending heartache, Holly indulged in a quick, fleeting picture of what it might be like to truly party all night with him.
“Or until Lydia drops. Whichever comes first,” she said, forcing herself back to her current reality of wedding prep and customers and a to-do list that seemed to lengthen by the moment.
“Deal,” he said with a smile. “Write down the address where you want me to take the flowers.”
She quickly found the information for him as well as a box he could use to safely transport the arrangement.
“Thank you again for doing this.”
“No problem. I’ll see you tomorrow evening, if I don’t talk to you before then.”
Despite all her stress over the upcoming event, she felt a little thrill of anticipation. Ryan really was making it more bearable. She was actually looking forward to it, which she never would have imagined a few weeks earlier.
Chapter Seventeen
A LIGHT SNOW DUSTED THE WINDSHIELD AS RYAN DROVE PASTtowering spruce and fir on his way around the lake to Haven Point.
This area of the country was undeniably pretty, especially covered in a blanket of snow that glinted in the sunlight like a scatter of gems.
For a guy used to spending Christmas flying somewhere over the Pacific or heading to the beach for an early-morning surf if he was at home, this change of season held an undeniable appeal.
He could understand why Kim and his dad and Diane seemed to like it so much here. Something about the Lake Haven area sucked a person in.
