of aftershave. It was probably a mistake. One whiff of that and Bree, Abby and Gram were going to start making wedding plans. It wouldn’t take much to send those three into a hopeful frenzy.
Gram would be delighted because she was worried sick about him. Bree would leap to conclusions because she was still in a romantic haze from her own marriage. Abby was simply a mother hen. Besides that, her own wedding to Trace was coming up in a few months, if she ever got around to planning it. Neither she nor Trace seemed to be in a rush, much to Gram’s dismay and Mick’s annoyance.
The last time Kevin had been by Abby’s house, she’d had a huge stack of bridal magazines on the kitchen table, dropped off by various family members as less-than-subtle reminders that she needed to get started. He could envision those suddenly appearing in his room. He shuddered at the thought.
Then there was Jess. How had he forgotten about her? She was catering today’s event. She would be underfoot, too, watching him like a hawk to see if any sparks wereflying between him and Shanna. If she spotted any, she’d be doing her part to fan them into flames. She’d felt totally left out when he’d basically eloped with Georgia with only Mick present. She’d do everything in her power to make up for that by meddling in his relationship with Shanna.
Well, they could observe, exult, plot and scheme all they wanted. There’d be nothing to see. He’d make sure of that.
This day was about buying his son a couple of new picture books, nothing more. The fact that the owner of the store’s image had popped into his head more than once when he’d been drifting along in his old boat had nothing to do with anything. Really.
Kevin had to park all the way around the corner on Shore Road. Every single space on Main Street had been taken and, to his shock, there was a line outside the bookstore waiting for it to open. Were people in Chesapeake Shores this starved for excitement? It wasn’t as if Shanna had James Patterson or that wildly popular Maryland writer—what was her name? Oh, yes, Nora Roberts—there for a signing.
“Just look at that,” Gram said, beaming with pleasure. “She’s going to be mobbed today. What a wonderful welcome for a newcomer to town!”
All Kevin could think about was how inept Shanna was with that coffee machine of hers. “Gram, could you please take Davy to the store?” he implored.
“You are not turning right around and going back home,” she said heatedly. “I won’t allow it.”
“Yeah, I get that,” he acknowledged ruefully. “It’s just that Shanna has this new cappuccino machine she doesn’t totally know how to work. Remember, I told you aboutthat? She’s obviously going to be way too busy to be worrying about that with this crowd. I told her I’d help out if I was around.”
Gram’s expression brightened at once. “Oh, well, by all means. We’ll see you inside. I see Abby and the girls just up ahead. We’ll join them in line.”
The gleam in her eyes gave Kevin pause, but he consoled himself with the reminder that a promise was a promise and letting Shanna down when she was in for this kind of impending chaos was out of the question.
Avoiding curious gazes from those already in line, he went around to the back and rapped on the door. A woman he didn’t recognize opened it, then surveyed him thoroughly with undisguised interest.
“You’re Kevin O’Brien,” she concluded.
He blinked at her certainty. “How would you know that?”
“Lucky guess,” she said, beaming at him in a disconcerting way. “Your sister Jess and Shanna are in the front. They told me I was in the way. You probably will be, too, so why don’t you sit down right here and you and I can get to know each other.” She patted a stool, then took a seat on the one right next to it. “I’m Laurie, Shanna’s best friend. I came down from Pennsylvania to help her with the opening.”
Kevin cast a longing
Gram would be delighted because she was worried sick about him. Bree would leap to conclusions because she was still in a romantic haze from her own marriage. Abby was simply a mother hen. Besides that, her own wedding to Trace was coming up in a few months, if she ever got around to planning it. Neither she nor Trace seemed to be in a rush, much to Gram’s dismay and Mick’s annoyance.
The last time Kevin had been by Abby’s house, she’d had a huge stack of bridal magazines on the kitchen table, dropped off by various family members as less-than-subtle reminders that she needed to get started. He could envision those suddenly appearing in his room. He shuddered at the thought.
Then there was Jess. How had he forgotten about her? She was catering today’s event. She would be underfoot, too, watching him like a hawk to see if any sparks wereflying between him and Shanna. If she spotted any, she’d be doing her part to fan them into flames. She’d felt totally left out when he’d basically eloped with Georgia with only Mick present. She’d do everything in her power to make up for that by meddling in his relationship with Shanna.
Well, they could observe, exult, plot and scheme all they wanted. There’d be nothing to see. He’d make sure of that.
This day was about buying his son a couple of new picture books, nothing more. The fact that the owner of the store’s image had popped into his head more than once when he’d been drifting along in his old boat had nothing to do with anything. Really.
Kevin had to park all the way around the corner on Shore Road. Every single space on Main Street had been taken and, to his shock, there was a line outside the bookstore waiting for it to open. Were people in Chesapeake Shores this starved for excitement? It wasn’t as if Shanna had James Patterson or that wildly popular Maryland writer—what was her name? Oh, yes, Nora Roberts—there for a signing.
“Just look at that,” Gram said, beaming with pleasure. “She’s going to be mobbed today. What a wonderful welcome for a newcomer to town!”
All Kevin could think about was how inept Shanna was with that coffee machine of hers. “Gram, could you please take Davy to the store?” he implored.
“You are not turning right around and going back home,” she said heatedly. “I won’t allow it.”
“Yeah, I get that,” he acknowledged ruefully. “It’s just that Shanna has this new cappuccino machine she doesn’t totally know how to work. Remember, I told you aboutthat? She’s obviously going to be way too busy to be worrying about that with this crowd. I told her I’d help out if I was around.”
Gram’s expression brightened at once. “Oh, well, by all means. We’ll see you inside. I see Abby and the girls just up ahead. We’ll join them in line.”
The gleam in her eyes gave Kevin pause, but he consoled himself with the reminder that a promise was a promise and letting Shanna down when she was in for this kind of impending chaos was out of the question.
Avoiding curious gazes from those already in line, he went around to the back and rapped on the door. A woman he didn’t recognize opened it, then surveyed him thoroughly with undisguised interest.
“You’re Kevin O’Brien,” she concluded.
He blinked at her certainty. “How would you know that?”
“Lucky guess,” she said, beaming at him in a disconcerting way. “Your sister Jess and Shanna are in the front. They told me I was in the way. You probably will be, too, so why don’t you sit down right here and you and I can get to know each other.” She patted a stool, then took a seat on the one right next to it. “I’m Laurie, Shanna’s best friend. I came down from Pennsylvania to help her with the opening.”
Kevin cast a longing
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