Page 14 of View With Your Heart

Once I arrive at Tom’s, I’m accosted by everyone. Ethan and Ella say hello. Karyn tells me that I’m late. Dad doesn’t speak, but Mum hugs me extra hard again.

When I see Jess Carter, we greet as if twenty years haven’t separated us. He was like another brother to me, and just one look at him reminds me how much I’ve missed our friendship.

“Gavin, meet my fiancée, Emily.” Emily Post isn’t from our town but a recent transplant because of her love for Jess and his daughter. She is a beautiful woman with blond hair and bright blue eyes, and if I didn’t know better, I’d guess Jess’s little girl to be Emily’s child, which she’s not. Jess married his high school sweetheart like his older brother, only it was a complicated, long-drawn-out relationship, resulting in a short-lived marriage. I hated Debbie for what she did to Jess and his daughter.

“So nice to meet you,” Emily offers, holding out a hand and covering mine with her other one when we shake. I tug her in for a cheek kiss, and she sweetly blushes at the motion. Jess wraps an arm around her, and I notice how happy he is. He’s had a rough patch with the divorce, his father’s death, and his daughter’s issues. He has a tough exterior. Some would call him brooding, but he’s smiling in a way I remember from when we were young.

“I’m honored to be part of your wedding.” Jess and Emily will wed in roughly ten days, and I’ll be standing up as a groomsman for my old friend.

Emily steps away when Katie tugs at her hand, and I smile at Jess. “She’s beautiful, man.”

He chuckles softly. “Yeah, life is good.”

“So, how are things?”

Jess turns to me, his eyes finally pulling away from his future wife. “Where do I start? It’s been such a long time.”

“Give me the highlights.”

Jess smiles bigger and nods off toward where his woman just wandered. “You just met her.”

Jesus. He looks ridiculously happy, and I’m fighting the jealousy I feel toward him.

“What about you?” He turns back to me, and I have nothing to report that will top the look in his eye.

“Been busy. Traveled a bit and excited to present this film tomorrow night.”

Jess chuckles. “Now that I have your resume, how are you?” Jess eyes me like he knows something isn’t right with me. “I’m sorry about baseball, but I’m sure you hear that often enough. Got a girl? Will she be here?”

“No, Zoey and I broke up a few years back,” I sheepishly state. “She’s still my manager, but she won’t be here.” Zoey wouldn’t have attended, even if we were together. Once the game was gone, so was she. Strangely, I wasn’t sad about the end of us.

“Hey, can I ask you something strange? Do you remember that girl I dated after we graduated? Britton McKay. She was staying at her uncle’s place on this lake. She was Duke Braun’s cousin.”

“Duke?” Jess shakes his head. “I haven’t seen Duke in years.”

“Yes, but his cousin, Britton. Have you seen her around town?” I’m digging for information from a man who’s only been back in the area himself a few years, not to mention I don’t expect him to remember who I dated back when Debbie was his life. However, it’s a chance I need to take.

“Can’t say I recall her.” His eyes narrow.

“Blond, blue eyes, great body.”

Jess chuckles, scratching under his chin. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you just described my future wife.”

I laugh off the implication. “I’ve just described half of the women we ever knew.” Shaking my head at how ridiculous I sound, I turn my gaze to the party, not focusing on anyone in particular. “Just thought I’d ask, though.”

“Why?” Jess’s gaze narrows on me.

“I saw her. I thought she’d left. In fact, I know she did.” When we ran into each other thirteen years ago, we literally met on the street. She was walking down the sidewalk toward me, and I did a double take. She’d been back in town visiting her uncle. She lived in Grand Rapids. “But she’s here again.”

“Does she live here?”

I shake my head once more. “I have no idea. She was at the ballfield on the lake and then slipped away from me.” Again. Like that morning she slipped out of our hotel room and I never saw her again.

“Where was her uncle’s house? Maybe she’s back there,” Jess offers.

“I don’t know if I remember exactly,” I admit. “A lot has changed around here.” At the thought, I turn my head, thinking her uncle’s house was somewhere near here, but I just can’t remember where. The lakefront properties have considerably changed with some huge homes. Tom and Karyn’s house is modest when compared to newer places.

“Yeah, but some things haven’t changed,” Jess says, patting my upper arm. I don’t know what he means, but before I can ask, he says, “I’m going for a beer. Want one?” His eyes are set on his girl, though, so beer is really code for getting over to her.