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“Ah, here’s hoping Gray stays that way when he’s in high school. I swear, the older he gets, the harder this whole parenting gig becomes.” The small smile slipped away from his face then, and he cleared his throat. “I should let you get back to your painting.”
“Yeah, I guess so. Gotta finish up here and then stash it before Aria sees it. I want her to be surprised.”
He frowned and looked back toward the arch, then lifted a finger. “If you’re supposed to be here painting them at the ceremony, but you’re also supposed to be up there actuallyinthe ceremony, how’s that going to work?”
I chuckled. “Well, I’m gonna walk up the aisle and stand there for most of it, then I’ll sneak off while they’re doing their vows and come back here. Aria’s assistant wedding planner is going to bring out the easel after she walks by so she doesn’t see it on her way up.”
“Got it. And you’re going to paint it that fast? It’ll only take you as long as the ceremony takes?”
“No, the assistant is going to take photos for reference, but I definitely want to stand here for a few minutes and sketch everybody’s positions and get a feel for the lighting and angles myself. Then they’re moving the canvas to the reception area, and I’ll finish it up over there.”
He whistled. “Man, this is some present. You guys really have this down to a science.”
“It’s anart, Zac.”
“Right, right. Sorry.”
“I’ll scoot back up there before she even knows I’m gone. It would look a little weird for Brody to walk down the aisle by himself, anyway.”
At this, he straightened. “Who’s Brody?”
“Will’s friend from when he was stationed in Yuma. I met him last night. He seems like a nice guy. Kinda quiet. He’s stationed in North Carolina now, so it wasn’t a big deal for him to come down for the wedding.”
“Brody, huh? Do you know his last name?”
“I don’t, why?”
He shook his head. “Nothing. The Marine Corps is a small world, and I knew a guy named Brody in Yuma. He was just getting there when I was leaving. Wonder if it’s the same dude.”
Brody wasn’t exactly a common name like Matt or Nick, but how crazy would it be if he was the same Brody that Zac knew? He was right, though. With the limited number of bases they could be assigned to in the States, being a Marine seemed like it gave Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon a run for its money.
“Well, I guess I’ll ask him for his last name later, and I can let you know. That would be funny if you two knew each other.”
“No, hey, it’s fine. It’s probably a different Brody.”
“It’s no trouble, I’m partnered with him for the wedding party stuff and sitting next to him at dinner, so it’ll give us something to talk about.”
Zac tensed, a muscle in his jaw twitching, then seemed to check himself and relaxed his shoulders again. “Okay, well, it was good to see you.”
“You, too. Even if it was all part of a crazy scheme.”
“Yeah. I’ll try to get them to lay off,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck with a grimace. “Okay. Well, have fun tonight. And good luck with the live portrait.”
“Thanks.”
I watched him walk toward the pond to join his sister, taking a sip of my latte and tasting notes of almond on my tongue. He needed sweetener for this? I liked it as it was, full-bodied and nutty. I put my cup on the tray next to the easel and attempted to focus on my work, but before I could even put the brush to the canvas, Lyndi’s voice pierced the silence.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered, right in my ear.
I jumped, putting a hand over my heart before giving her a lightthwackon the arm. “Lyn, don’t sneak up on me. You almost made me mess this up.”
She eyed the green paint on the end of my brush and winced. “Oops, sorry again.”
“You should be sorry,” I said with a chuckle. “That’s the second time you’ve scared me in ten minutes.”
“I know. I felt so bad. Did you think I was a ghost?” She wiggled her fingers in the air, making a cheesy moaning sound.
I narrowed my eyes at her, regretting our conversation about the place being haunted before we’d gone to sleep last night. The bridesmaids had stayed here so we could have some pre-wedding fun, complete with a delicious and healthy breakfast earlier this morning. Our suite took up half of the third floor, with several windows facing the back of the property, which was why Lyndi had been there. But it didn’t explain why she’d been looking down at us.
