“Not always.”
Jess stole a look into the backseat. Abby and Tom were curled together, wrapped in their own little world. She turned back to the front and ruefully met Rick’s gaze.
“Fun being a third wheel, ain’t it?”
She couldn’t help but smile. “Maybe a bit awkward.”
“They’re happy. Hard to begrudge them that.”
“It doesn’t happen very often.”
“No, ma’am, it doesn’t.”
Did he realize that sometimes he still spoke like a soldier? She wondered if he missed that life. If he missed the camaraderie, the belonging … she knew that Josh did at times. It was one of the reasons why he’d hated practicing medicine in Hartford with Erin’s dad. He still carried himself like a soldier. Still kept his hair military short. He’d said that while he missed parts of Army life, at least he was back home in Jewell Cove, a place where he belonged. With family.
Only Rick had no family. No career. No wonder he’d lost his way.
“You’ve gone quiet, Saint Jess.”
The name should have made her angry or at least defensive. So why did it sound like an endearment the way Rick said it?
They turned up Blackberry Hill and then on to Foster Lane. Cars lined the long driveway and the side lawn, where Bryce had directed people to park. Music came from the backyard, audible once Rick cut the engine. The afternoon was waning but the October sun was unusually warm, so neither Jess nor Abby needed wraps just yet.
“Hang on a sec,” Rick commanded, getting out of the car. Jess waited while he got out and jogged around to her side, then opened her door for her. Her cheeks warmed as she got out and then waited as he opened the door and offered Abby his hand.
They walked to the back of the house, Abby and Tom in the lead. Just before they got to the garden path, he held out his arm. “Shall we?” he murmured.
She tucked her hand through his arm.
Cheers erupted as they entered the garden, which had been transformed into something worthy of a fairy tale. White tents were set up with white linen-covered tables and chairs beneath the canopies. Each tent housed a long row of tables, and chafing dishes with blue flames were precisely lined up, presided over by chefs in spotless white coats and hats. The garden, while devoid of its summer splendor, still held shrubs in various ranges of color, as well as late-blooming mums and asters. A handful of firebushes had turned, the blazing red leaves vibrant and stunning. The colors were repeated in centerpiece arrangements on each table.
“Wow,” Rick breathed beside her.
“Abby throws a classy affair,” Jess said quietly. “You have to kind of expect it, with the house and all.”
“It’s not exactly beer and pretzels at the Fern.”
“No, it’s not.”
He looked down at his tux. “I’m not really in my element. I feel like a damned monkey.”
She chuckled as they moved farther into the garden, and she slipped her hand off his arm. “You look fine. Very handsome.”
Before Rick could speak, Abby came over, a bright smile on her lips. “Hello, you two. Have I thanked you both for being so amazing today?”
Rick smiled and put a hand in his pants pocket. “No thanks necessary. Now, if you’ll excuse me, ladies, I see Josh looking glum in the corner.”
Jess watched Rick walk away feeling oddly disappointed to see him go. Today, they’d actually gotten along pretty well. Rick was not a bad guy. He had a lot of good qualities. And she couldn’t forget his paintings. It was one heck of a coping strategy. So why did he get under her skin so easily? And that look he’d given her in the church. Man, oh man.
“So, you and Rick…” Abby trailed off, wagging her eyebrows at her maid of honor. “He sure does clean up nice.”
“Hmm,” Jess replied, not wanting to say too much. All she needed was for Abby to go into matchmaking mode.
“Hmm? That’s it? Come on, Jess. Rick’s got that totally hot and edgy thing going on.”
He did indeed. And wasn’t that the problem?
“Hot, maybe,” she conceded, simply because it was stating the obvious. “But my taste doesn’t really run to the edgy types.”