“You’ve been here before and you still don’t believe me?”
David rolled up the plans. “I’ll say one word. Starbucks.”
“We might be a small town, but you can still buy great coffee.”
“Do you have iced shaken espressos with brown sugar and oatmilk?”
“No one except Starbucks would make that combination. What’s wrong with strong, black coffee?”
“You can get that anywhere. Half the fun of living in a city is trying different things.”
Peter laughed. “If that’s the only thing keeping you in Manhattan, you might want to think about moving to Montana. Living under a big, blue sky gives you a different perspective on life.”
“Does that perspective include a dozen chickens, a cow, and a goat?”
“Not yet, but Katie’s still thinking about it.”
As he slid the plans into a cardboard tube, David thought about Peter’s fiancée. As well as being a talented children’s writer, she helped her sisters at The Lakeside Inn and tutored creative writing workshops at The Welcome Center. She was a genuinely nice person and his boss loved her more than life itself.
“How are the wedding plans going?”
“We’re getting there. We thought having our wedding in July would give us enough time to get everything ready. But some things take a lot longer to organize.”
“My sister had the same problem. Two weeks before her wedding she was still running around, finalizing the last-minute details with the caterers and the band.”
“That sounds like something we’ll be doing. I hope you’re keeping the last Saturday in July free for our wedding.”
“I wouldn’t dream of being anywhere except here. When are you mailing the invitations?”
“Tomorrow. If you want to bring a partner, you’re more than welcome.”
David sent his friend a level stare. “The last time I asked a woman to come to a wedding with me was more than ten years ago.”
“It sounds like it’s time to stretch your comfort zone.”
“My comfort zone is happy where it is. Besides, when would I get the time to meet anyone?”
“You’ve already met someone.”
David’s eyebrows rose. He had a feeling he knew who Peter was talking about, but he wanted to hear it from his friend before he said anything. “I’ve met plenty of people while I’ve been here.”
“I’m talking about Andrea Smith. It’s a pity you spilled wine over her the first time you met.”
“She didn’t seem too worried about it.”
“That probably comes with being a mom.”
Last night at dinner, David had asked Peter’s fiancée, Katie, if she knew the woman who was opening the new café on Anchor Lane. Unsurprisingly, she did. Andrea had moved to Sapphire Bay a couple of years ago with her two boys. She worked at the church, helping with the accounts and anything else that needed doing.
David followed Peter to the entrance. “Andrea has a busy life. I doubt she’d want to come to your wedding with me.”
“You might be surprised. What have you got to lose if she says yes?”
A lot more than his friend thought. He’d made the biggest mistake of his life when he’d broken off his engagement to Cissy.
The thought of making the same mistake again made him wary of any kind of emotional attachment. And, from what he’d learned about Andrea, she was the type of woman who would be far too easy to love.
Andrea placed another sample plate of finger food on the table in front of Katie and her sister, Penny. “I thought your wedding guests might like some of these options.”
