“I’ll have to serve breakfast for the guests first.”
“Let Dani and Marcy handle it. After breakfast, we’re going to the beach. Then we’ll be hungry again, so I think we should have a nice lunch. The truth is, I don’t care where we go. I’ll go anywhere you want. I just... I want to see you again. Like this. As more than friends. And I want to keep doing that… forever.”
“Yes,” Kate said, surprising herself with how quickly the word came. “Yes to all of it.”
He kissed her again, quicker this time, then pulled back to look at her.
“I like this smile. I think you should do more of it.”
Kate laughed. “I don’t think that will be a problem.”
CHAPTER 33
The beginning of September brought a different kind of energy to Whaler's Landing. Kate stood in the dining room at seven in the morning, watching Dani orchestrate what she called “controlled insanity” but what looked remarkably organized. The Hartwell-Chen wedding had brought forty guests from Boston and San Francisco, and their advance team had arrived to begin preparations.
“The florist will be here at nine,” Dani reported, checking her notes. “Rose gold and sage green throughout. The arch goes beside the arbor, not in front of it. They want the harbor view unobstructed.”
“Perfect weather for it,” Kate observed. The morning was already warm but not humid, with the kind of clear sky that would photograph beautifully.
“Can you handle the ceremony setup?” Dani asked. “I need to run to Cape Porpoise. The caterers forgot the specialty seafood order, and the only place that might have what they need is The Tuscan Table.”
Kate saw something flicker across her sister's face. “The Tuscan Table? Doesn't Ryan Caine own that place?”
“Yes,” Dani said quickly. “I’m not crazy about going over there, but they're the only place that might have fresh diver scallops this morning, and the bride specifically requested them.”
“Want me to go instead?” Kate offered. “I imagine running into your high school boyfriend could be awkward.”
“No. I'm twenty-eight years old, Katie. I can handle seeing an ex-boyfriend.” Dani grabbed her keys, then paused. “Do I look okay?”
“You look beautiful. You always do.”
“I look like I've been up since five managing wedding chaos.” Dani touched her hair, which was in a messy bun. “Whatever. It's just Ryan.”
Kate smiled, noting Dani continuing to fuss with her hair as she ran outside.
James appeared with his tablet, already troubleshooting the livestream setup.
“Did Dani just go to The Tuscan Table?” he asked.
“The caterers needed scallops.”
“Ryan Caine’s place?” James whistled. “That should be interesting. You know he never married, right?”
“That was ten years ago.”
“Some people are worth waiting for,” James said, giving her a meaningful look. “As you've recently discovered.”
Kate felt her cheeks warm, thinking of Ben. He'd left early for a restoration project in York, kissing her goodbye on the porch at five-thirty while she was still holding her coffee.
“I'll miss the show,” he'd said. “But I'll be thinking of you.”
Three weeks they'd been together officially. Three weeks of discovering who they were when they weren't just friends, weren't just crisis partners. Last night, they'd sat on his porch watching the stars, and he'd told her about his grandmother'shouse, the one he'd learned carpentry on, trying to save it after she died.
An hour later, Dani returned with the scallops and a strange expression on her face.
“How'd it go?” Kate asked carefully.
“Fine. Ryan was very helpful.” Dani busied herself with the caterer's checklist. “He's done well for himself. The restaurant is beautiful. All reclaimed wood and ocean views. Very him.”
