Addie pressed her lips together, suddenly annoyed by all the talking around the issues. “Can we just be blunt here?”
“Yes.” Ellen spoke with exaggerated relief. “Thank you. I would love to be blunt.”
“I permit you to be blunt. What exactly are you saying?”
Ellen sat up on her haunches and put her hand on Addie’s shoulder, her lovely blue gaze earnest and warm. “I think you should give Derek a chance next year. Give him a sense of home. I don’t think he’s ever had a real one.”
A jolt of adrenaline, a burst of joy, then, predictably...fear. Damn it. She was sick to death of being afraid.
“Wait a second.” Addie pointed accusingly when Ellen’s words sank in. “Give him a chance next year? That is way past what you can know by intuition. Even really good intuition.”
“Okay, okay.” Ellen captured Addie’s finger. “Put away the weapon, I’ll squeal. Derek and Paul talked last night and again this morning. I’m playing meddling matchmaker. That’s it.”
Addie blew on her finger and holstered it. “You should never work for the CIA.”
“Cracked like an egg, I know.” She gestured to Addie to throw her last stone and stood. “Now, sugar, having delivered my supersecret spy message, I am going back to help. You coming?”
“Absolutely.” Her stone made it farther than anything she’d ever thrown in her life, fueled by giddy adrenaline and a growing certainty.
The story of Paul and how he’d nearly blown the chance of forever happiness with Ellen affected Addie deeply. Fear had ruled her for far too long. Fear of the unknown. Fear of what could happen. Both were imagined negatives, neither were real threats.
Her feelings were real. Derek’s feelings were real. His offer to see where those feelings could lead was real.
And she might just have to accept it.
* * *
THE WEDDING WAS the most beautiful thing Sarah had ever seen. It didn’t hurt that she was already imagining hers to Joe. Because of course that was their next step. The Brisbanes’ house was a majestic white Victorian with sage trim, built by a ship’s captain in the mid-nineteenth century at the height of the region’s prosperity. It sat on a lovely sloping lawn with a spectacular flower garden, where the ceremony was held, designed to make the most of Maine’s short summer season—gladiolas were in full bloom in a riot of colors, black-eyed Susans and daylilies grew in profusion. Tables had been set up for the reception around the lawn, which had an expansive view of Machias Bay. The band was playing on the front patio next to a floor set up for dancing. The weather had been perfect.
Mr. Brisbane, Esq., had officiated at the ceremony, since lawyers were permitted to marry couples in the state of Maine. He’d spoken warmly of the couple, of their devotion to each other and to their families, had cautioned Paul and Ellen to be good to one other above all else, and generally reduced Sarah and many other guests to mushy sniffles, which got louder and more obvious when the couple recited vows they’d written themselves, gazing rapturously into each other’s eyes. Sarah couldn’t be happier for her brother and her new sister-in-law. The reception had been joyous, food and champagne plentiful, the dancing and socializing enthusiastic.
But now it was time for her.
From where she’d been standing next to the bride during the ceremony, Sarah hadn’t been able to see Joe, but she could sense him behind her in one of the chairs set up for the guests, imagined that maybe he was watching her, too, that maybe he was thinking about them being up at an altar in front of an officiant reciting their own vows.
Maybe. She hoped.
The day had gone by in a blur. Sarah had done everything she could to treat Joe the same as usual, so her at-last declaration would be a surprise. And in case her certainty about how she felt about him waned, which it decidedly hadn’t. Once she’d finally admitted her feelings to herself, Joe had changed permanently into the more masculine, more handsome man she’d only caught glimpses of before. Frankly she’d had trouble keeping her hands off him. Just the idea of what she’d say and do to him tonight—soon!—had her shivering and hot at the same time.