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The other ladies all chuckled. “He figured out what side his bread was buttered on quick enough,” Helen said.
“Exactly,” Bev said. “And that’s what I hope for you, honey.”
Jenna forced herself to smile. “Me, too.”
“Did you ever see Drew in his dress uniform?” Gwen Hoyt asked, miming fanning herself. “Oh me, oh my.”
“Only pictures, I’m afraid,” she said. “I wish. I’m sure he looks stunning.”
“My husband was in the air force, see,” Gwen confided. “And that uniform just did something to me. I just love to see a man in a dress uniform.”
“So, sweetie,” Jayne said briskly. “The Wexler Prize Awards Banquet is coming up in just a few weeks. Are you shopping for the ultimate dress and writing your acceptance speech?”
“Oh, it’s by no means a sure thing,” Jenna said. “There are many excellent candidates. They’re all fabulous projects.”
“True, but I put my money on you,” Bev said. “In any case, everyone wants to put money on you right now. The Maddox Hill Foundation is interested in partnering with Arm’s Reach, and so is the Bricker Foundation. There’s so much buzz about you! Seems like you can’t turn around without seeing another photo of you and Drew, or hearing something about Arm’s Reach. You’re on everyone’s lips!”
Jenna felt freshly guilty for being so angry with Ava at the coffee shop. “That’s completely Ava’s doing,” she said. “She’s a marketing genius.”
“That she is,” Bev agreed. “That girl is a live wire. But the magic was there to begin with, honey. She just shone a brighter light on it so everyone could see.”
“Thank you.” Jenna’s face went hot.
Helen reached out and grabbed her hand. “So, you haven’t set a date yet?”
“Not really,” Jenna said. “We’ve just been kicking ideas around.”
“If you’re getting married close to home, your best bet is May through September,” Gayle advised. “But always with an indoor option.”
“My brother-in-law runs a gorgeous resort on the coast,” Margot told her. “It’s called Paradise Point. It’s on this spit of land that juts out on the coast. Sea cliffs, beaches below, fields of wildflowers, crashing waves, stunning views. There’s even a lighthouse and rock monoliths on the beach. And the resort itself is a gem. Drew designed the building, you know.”
“No, I, uh, didn’t know that.”
“Here, look at this.” Margot leaned over the table, showing Jenna her phone. “These are some of the pictures I took of my niece Brooke’s wedding at Paradise Point last year. Enchanting place. And would you believe, it drizzled the whole time, but because of the way the building was designed, we never felt like we were trapped indoors. That’s what I love about Drew’s designs.”
“Agreed,” Jenna said. “His house is like that, too. It feels so soothing.”
The older ladies exchanged delighted glances that she pretended not to see as she swiped through Margot’s photos. “Isn’t that just sweet?” Bev murmured. “He talks that way about her work, too. They’re so proud of each other. I just love that.”
“So next summer, then?” Jayne prompted. “Or did you want spring flowers?”
“Oh, good, I finally found it,” Margot said, holding up her phone again. “This is my favorite. This is Brooke and her new husband, Matthias, the moment that the rain stopped and the sun came through. Look, how the photographer actually caught them framed in a rainbow. Isn’t that just precious?”
Jenna looked at the picture. A pretty blonde held up the muddied hem of her wedding dress, gazing adoringly up into the face of a stocky, beaming young black-haired man. All around them, sunlight had broken through the clouds, highlighting the flowers.
And a rainbow arched over them. It was unbearably perfect. The couple looked so happy.
The feelings came over her too fast to fend off. She dove for a tissue. Margot pushed one into her hand before she found them. The older women clustered around murmuring in consternation.
Bev grabbed her hand. “Sweetie, are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” she said. “These photos are so beautiful, and I’m just so damn emotional right now. Everything sets me off.”
Bev pressed her hand. “You sure you’re fine?”
Jenna dabbed carefully under her eyes. “I’m great. It’s just that it’s too new to talk about wedding venues. Seeing the pictures of Brooke and her husband—it’s just too much. I’m so happy right now, but I’m still afraid of jinxing myself. Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize,” Margot said gently. “That picture makes me cry, too, and I’ve been married for forty-two years. We’re all just so happy for you. Sorry we pushed you, honey.”
“We all know how risky it is,” Bev said. “Loving someone, marrying him. You just have to cross your fingers and hope to God you don’t crash and burn.”
Jayne squeezed her shoulder. “We’re rooting for you. You seem like a lovely girl.”
Jenna looked around at their kindly faces, and her eyes got misty again. She wanted so badly for this relationship to be real, and worthy of all this benevolent well-wishing. But she wasn’t even convinced herself yet. It was premature, to talk about wedding venues.
Too much, too soon. It was a recipe for disaster.
