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Then, realizing she couldn’t drive off until she knew one thing, she turned back. “You didn’t say why you’re here at this chapel.”
“I’m here for the wedding.”
“What wedding?” Wait. Was he trying to tell her that he was getting married? The thought soured her stomach. “You’re getting married? Here?”
For a moment, the only thing to be heard were bird calls and the rolling ocean. Her heart squeezed. Had he totally moved on?
And then she realized it had been a long time—even if her tattered heart said otherwise.
He cleared his throat. “No. Not me.”
Her heart slowed to its normal rhythm. “I don’t understand. If you’re not getting married, what are you doing here?”
Lines etching his eyes and mouth became quite noticeable, as though he were wincing in pain. He shifted his weight to his right leg. “Clara—”
“Wait.” They may be exes, but that didn’t mean she didn’t care about his wellbeing. “Do you need to sit down?”
He shook his head. “I’m fine.”
Sure, he was. And she had a castle to sell him. Male pride at its finest. She sighed, not about to fight about it. She obviously couldn’t force him to sit down if he wasn’t willing.Stubborn man. “Okay, what were you saying about a wedding?”
“I’m part of the Fox-Steadman wedding.”
“What? But no one told me.” She opened her digital tablet and began to type.
“I’m sure Tula just forgot to mention me.”
Her gaze narrowed in on him. “Am I really supposed to believe you know Tula Fox?”
He smiled, easing the lines marring his handsome face. “Actually, I do know her, as strange as that may sound. I just saw her yesterday.”
She narrowed her gaze on him, trying to sort out the truth. “Nice try, but I’m not buying it. Either you saw her leaving here and you put two and two together, or you overheard someone talking about the wedding.”
“I’m perfectly serious. I’m the best man.” While she stood there, silently trying to figure out if head trauma was among his injuries, Andrew said, “Hugh is my half-brother. My mother’s son.”
Clara searched his face for some hint that he was pulling a fast one on her, but his expression remained perfectly serious. She shook her head. “I don’t understand. I didn’t think you had any contact with that part of your family.”
“I didn’t… Until recently. When my mother left me and my father, you know, when I was just a little kid, well, she cut us completely out of her life. From what I’ve learned from Hugh, she pretended like we didn’t exist.”
“I’m so sorry. I can’t even imagine how painful that must have been for you.” She recalled how he’d avoided talking about his mother any time the subject came up. And then there was Mother’s Day. It’d always been tough on him.
“My mother was a piece of work. Anyway, after she died in a car accident, Hugh found my name and number in her belongings. He was curious to learn about his big brother. When he first called, I was still in high school. Back then, I thought I knew everything. And I didn’t want anything to do with him.”
Clara tried to figure out where he was going with this. “Since then you’ve changed your mind?”
Andrew nodded. “None of the past was Hugh’s fault. I recently realized I’d been putting the blame on the wrong person. It’s tough undoing the past, but we’re both trying.”
“I’m happy for you. Really, I am—”
“A lot has changed since you left DC.”
“Apparently—”
“Clara!” Mabel waved. The older woman crossed the parking lot, wearing a serious expression instead of her sunny smile. She came to a stop next to Clara. She glanced back and forth between Clara and Andrew as though realizing in her haste she might have interrupted something. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude.”
“You didn’t.” Clara actually welcomed the interruption, needing a moment to absorb all she’d just learned. “Andrew, allow me to introduce Mabel. She owns the chapel. Mabel, this is Andrew Cross. He’s, uh, the groom’s brother.”
Mabel smiled and shook Andrew’s hand. “Welcome. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.” She turned back to Clara. “We really do need to talk as soon as possible.”
