The scene was exactly as she and Nadine had planned together, exactly as Jess had envisioned her Nantucket wedding.
So why did her chest feel so tight?
She moved farther into the room, her fingers still working at her ring. The diamond caught the light, sending tiny rainbows dancing across the polished floor. It was a beautiful ring - Julian had chosen well, selecting a classic emerald cut stone in a platinum setting that looked equally at home with her work attire or casual weekend clothes. Practical but luxurious, elegant but not flashy. Perfect, like everything Julian did.
She tried to picture him standing by those windows, waiting for her in his tailored suit, his dark hair neatly combed, cufflinks gleaming at his wrists. The image formed in her mind but felt somehow flat, like a photograph rather than a living moment. She blinked, trying again. Julian smiling as she approached. Julian taking her hands. Julian saying vows in his precise, thoughtful way.
The tightness in her chest increased, a gentle pressure that made each breath slightly shallower than it should be. Shepressed her palm against her breastbone, as if the physical touch might ease the sensation.
"Excuse me, miss?" One of the staff members approached, clipboard in hand. "Are you with the Whitmore wedding party?"
"I'm the bride," Jess said, the words feeling strangely disconnected from herself, as if she were speaking about someone else entirely.
The young woman's face brightened. "Oh! Wonderful. Just to confirm that we’ll be setting up according to the diagram your planner provided." She gestured to the stacked chairs. “Thirty on each side, with the wider aisle as requested. The florist will be here on Friday afternoon to start building the arch on the terrace.”
Jess nodded, trying to focus on these practical details. "It looks beautiful," she managed. "Even empty."
"Wait until you see it all decked out at sunset," the staff member continued enthusiastically. "The light turns everything golden. It's our most requested time for wedding ceremonies."
Golden light. Julian in his suit. Their families watching. Megan, Nadine and Sloane standing beside her. Jess tried again to visualize the scene, to feel some spark of excitement or anticipation, but the tightness only increased, spreading from her chest to her throat.
She moved to the windows, drawn to the view that had now made The Harbor House the most sought-after wedding venue on the island. The glass panes were new - larger and clearer than the original wavy glass that had distorted the view in subtle, charming ways. Now the vista was crisp and perfect: the sweep of lawn leading to low dunes, beyond which stretched the endless blue of Nantucket Sound. A few early morning sailboats tacked against the breeze, their white sails bright against the deeper blue of the water.
The center panel of windows had been opened, allowing the salt air to drift into the room. Jess closed her eyes and breathed deeply, letting the familiar scent anchor her. This was home - the salt, the hint of beach roses that grew wild among the dunes, the subtle undertone of sun-warmed wood from the deck beyond the windows. These scents had formed the backdrop to her childhood, her adolescence, her first love.
Her first love.
The thought slipped in unbidden, and her eyes flew open. She was not here to think about Logan Calder. She was here to visualize her wedding to Julian. Her imminent wedding to a wonderful man who understood her drive and ambition because he shared it, who had created space for her in his life without ever demanding she shrink herself to fit.
So why did this room, this perfect room with its perfect view, suddenly feel so … wrong?
Jess reached up to touch the delicate gold chain around her neck - another habit when she felt unsettled. Julian had given her the necklace for her birthday last year, a simple pendant that complemented everything she wore. Like the ring, it was perfectly chosen, perfectly appropriate.
A gull cried somewhere outside, the sound sharp and clear against the backdrop of gentle waves. The breeze picked up, bringing with it the green scent of new spring growth from the gardens behind the hotel.
Just three more days until she walked down that aisle toward Julian. Three days to silence any doubts, to recapture the certainty she'd felt when she'd accepted his proposal in that perfectly orchestrated moment at Per Se, the restaurant hushed around them, the ring box opened at precisely the right instant.
Julian would arrive tomorrow. They would have the rehearsal dinner here tomorrow evening and then on Saturday, the wedding. After, their life together would begin in earnest- the life Jess had planned with such precision, the life that made perfect sense on paper and in thoughtful late-night conversations.
The tightness returned to her chest, bringing with it a flutter of panic. Jess forced herself to breathe deeply, focusing on the horizon where sea met sky in a clear, unwavering line. Clarity. That's what she needed.
She straightened her shoulders and turned from the window, determined to complete the task she had come for. She would check the room for the rehearsal dinner next. She would review the updated timeline. She would be the efficient, organized bride that everyone expected her to be.
But as she moved toward the ballroom doors, a silhouette appeared in the doorway - tall, broad-shouldered, immediately and unmistakably familiar despite the years and distance. Jess froze, her breath catching, as someone else stepped into the room.
21
"Jess."Her name hung in the air between them, spoken with a quiet certainty that made her stomach tumble.
Logan stood framed in the doorway, surprise evident in the slight widening of his eyes, the momentary parting of his lips.
He wore a navy blazer over a light blue shirt, sleeves casually rolled to expose tanned forearms - a stark contrast to the sun-bleached teenager in worn t-shirts who lived in her memories. This Logan was polished, professional, a man who belonged in this elegant space in a way that boy never could have. And yet, there was something in his stance, in the way one hand remained slightly raised against the doorframe, that was so achingly familiar she could barely breathe.
"Hi." Jess’s voice emerged steadier than she expected. "I was just - checking on things."
He stepped fully into the room, closing the distance between them with measured strides. His hair was shorter now, the sun-streaked locks of his youth replaced by a neat cut that suited his more polished appearance, though a few strands still fell across his forehead in silent rebellion against complete conformity.
"Nadine didn't mention you'd be coming by." His voice had deepened with age, acquiring a resonant quality that wrapped around her like the island fog - familiar yet somehow new.
