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“I’ve missed you too, friend.”
“I still can’t believe Lyndi’s shooting this one even though we just got back last night. She’s packing up her camera bags as we speak, but I’m planning to lie around all weekend and kick my feet up.”
I smiled. “It sounds like that’s all you did on your trip, so why do you need to keep doing it?”
“Because not everyone is addicted to working like you, ma’am,” she teased. “I’m on summer break. I get to relax for another few weeks before teacher prep starts, and I’m going to enjoy every minute of it.”
“You deserve it, girlfriend. I’m excited to see Lyndi, though. You sure you don’t want to come crash the wedding?”
“Very funny. You’d never allow that. I’ve seen you spot a wedding crasher from a mile away and turn into a six-foot bouncer without breaking a nail.”
She had a point. One of my many duties as the wedding planner was to take care of any crashers. Once in a while, they put up a fight, but usually, they’d slink away without causing a scene. But of course Layla was wrong about me being the one to bounce them out. That was what our wedding-day security team was for. All I had to do was point them out, and the actual six-foot bouncers would take care of the rest.
“Okay, I should get going,” I said with a sigh. “Thanks for calling.”
“Have a great wedding! I’m sure it’ll be gorgeous as usual.”
I grinned and thanked my friend, feeling much lighter than I had when I’d been ruminating over my drama with Will. I tucked my phone into the pocket of my black slacks and checked my to-do list on the tablet I’d been carrying under my arm.
“Any groundskeeping emergencies today?” The deep timbre of a voice said from behind me.
I jumped and spun on my ballet flats, placing a hand over my heart. “Trevor. You scared me.”
His eyes sparkled as his gaze slowly moved over me. “Sorry. You look nice today.”
“Thank you.” Warmth crept up my neck, but if I were being honest, it was just a physical reaction to his lazy appraisal. After that kiss with Will, any hope I had of moving on and forgetting about the man I’d loved since I was a kid flew out the window. There was no substitute for him. Which meant if he couldn’t get past his hang-ups, I was doomed to be a single wedding planner for the rest of my days.
“So, no issues for me to take care of today, I hope?”
I shook my head, realizing I’d forgotten to answer his earlier question. “No. The grounds look beautiful. Thank you for checking.”
“You’re welcome. But I have to admit, it wasn’t the only reason I wanted to talk to you.”
My pulse jumped. Crap. If Trevor asked me out now, there was no way I’d be able to say yes. It wouldn’t be fair to him. I’d probably spend the whole time thinking about Will. While Trevor was under the impression he had a chance, I’d be daydreaming about that earth-shattering kiss and hoping I’d be able to do it again someday.
Besides, it wouldn’t be fair to Will, either. I may have let him know–very dramatically–that I was sick of his games, but I was reasonably sure I’d left things open-ended with him. If he wanted to move forward, I wanted to be ready, not dating someone else.
As if he were summoned by my thoughts, Will appeared at the top of the stairs that led to the reception area. He looked around like he was searching for something—for me, I wondered—a slight smile on his full lips as he scanned the elaborately decorated event space. Then, when his gaze landed on mine, the smile grew a fraction bigger before he frowned, his eyes leveling me under drawn brows. And just like that, the familiar stone mask slipped back into place, and any semblance of warmth vanished like the setting sun.
Remembering that Trevor still stood before me, I shook my head and turned back to him, hoping to get rid of him before Will decided to come over and puff out his chest. In the past, he would have done it under the guise of being a “big brother figure.” But now that I knew the truth, I didn’t want it.
“What else did you want to talk about?” I asked Trevor, putting on the warm yet professional tone I used with the other employees at the venue. I made sure it wasn’t flirty in the least. I didn’t want to lead him on or set off the devastatingly handsome man at the top of the stairs.
He must have noticed the change from the other day (I can’t promise I wasn’t a little breathy in my responses when we’d first met) because he straightened slightly. He kept his eyes on mine, not looking over my shoulder at Will, even though I could practically feel the rush of wind from the daggers he threw our way. “I was just going to ask if you wanted the driveway to be raked again. It looks like it needs it, and we can get it done before the guests arrive.”
If he were about to ask me out but changed his mind, he was a master at recovering from the change in direction. I nodded, pretending to consider his suggestion. “That’s a good idea. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He started to turn, then stopped and glanced up at Will before looking back at me. “Whoever he is, he’s lucky to have you.”
This time, the warmth that crept over me had nothing to do with Trevor. It was the very idea that Will could have me, if he wanted me enough to admit it to his best friend. And as I watched Trevor walk away, I couldn’t help but hope that he was here to tell me that.
