Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Still seated across from Alicia's desk ten minutes later, Evelyn thumbed through the blue binder brimming with information about the Wedding-in-a-Week contest. A cursory glance told her the rules hadn't changed from last year, when she'd served as Jason's assistant. Satisfied, she pulled the Participation Agreement from the back, signed it, and slid it across the wide desk to the event planner. "This looks great. I'll go over it in greater detail this evening, but the directions seem pretty clear." No surprise there. Alicia had coordinated the town's efforts for the very first Wedding-in-a-Week and had overseen the festivities for the past ten years. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow at the train station." She gathered her belongings.

"Jenny and I will both be there." In answer to Evelyn's raised eyebrow, the coordinator offered a reminder. "She'll shadow me this year. By this time next year, she'll be in charge."

Another change. Lately, everyone around her was moving on to the next thing in their lives. First, Jason and Tara had found true love and gotten married.

Next, Alicia planned to retire. The woman they all depended on wasn't just thinking about it, either. She was actually putting plans in motion.

Evelyn inhaled. When she'd left New York, she'd known exactly what she was supposed to do next. Now, restlessness plagued her, but she didn't know which direction to head. For a while, she'd satisfied her creative bent when she'd dressed as Mary Heart and performed with Jason, aka Captain Thaddeus, at weddings and receptions. When her cousin and his new wife returned from their honeymoon, though, Tara would take over that role. She'd become the Cottage's official hostess, as well.

Where did that leave her? She didn't know. But handling the books and inventory for the Cottage wasn't enough. Not for forever, anyway.

"You and Jenny, then," she echoed. "See you tomorrow."

She eyed the tall man who blocked her exit. Ryan's broad shoulders rounded as he bent over his own blue binder, his intense concentration showing in the way his lips parted, the barest bit of his tongue caught between even, white teeth. She couldn't help but smile. There was a time when she'd thought he might be the one . When the sound of his voice or a single glimpse of his blond hair had set her heart racing. But nothing had ever come of it, and like most schoolgirl crushes, she'd outgrown hers. "Ahem."

"You need to get by?" Ryan glanced up from the manual.

She stared into a pair of piercing blue eyes. Her heart shifted into overdrive. Oh, man . He still had it. She'd never been able to define that elusive factor, but once it had made all the girls at Heart's Landing High sigh whenever Ryan had walked past. Not that she'd been one of them. Simpering wasn't exactly her style. Instead, she'd feigned indifference to his charms. A ploy that had worked so well, Ryan had never even looked twice in her direction.

His attention dropped to the blue binder. He turned another page. "How are we supposed to memorize all this stuff and get everything ready by Monday morning?" He wiped his brow.

She smothered a smile. She'd asked Jason the same question last year. Her cousin had warned that committing the information in the binder to memory was a colossal waste of time. The book covered every contingency, from what to do if a bride got food poisoning to how to handle a bad case of cold feet. Most of it would never happen. If something did go wrong, they could always refer to the manual.

Still, if anyone else had asked the same question, she probably would've left them to their studies. But this was Ryan. Her cousin's best friend. She hadn't talked to him much in recent years, but she'd known him forever. It wouldn't be right to let him sit there, paging through the thick binder as if he needed to memorize every line.

She moved forward, gently taking Ryan's copy of the book and closing it. "Sure, there are a lot of rules. Pages of them. They all boil down to a handful of guidelines. Let me treat you to a cup of coffee." Her smile shifted into a grin. They both knew coffee flowed freely in the dining room. "I'll go over what you really need to know." Not that it'd matter. His Boat Works didn't stand a chance. The bride and groom always chose the Captain's Cottage. Always.

Interest flickered in Ryan's blue eyes. "Throw in a couple of cookies, and you've got yourself a deal. "

She laughed. He wore his sandy blond hair longer than he had in high school. The lean form he'd sported then had grown more muscular. Crow's feet now tugged at the corners of the blue eyes that once gave her heart palpitations. Some things hadn't changed, though. Ryan had had a fondness for the cook's macadamia fudge bars ever since he and Jason had their first play date in grade school. Today, he was in luck. She'd caught a whiff of chocolaty goodness coming from the kitchen on her way downstairs this morning. "There'll be plenty of your favorites," she said. "C'mon, then."

"I don't get it," Ryan said once they'd filled coffee cups and plates at the sideboard in the dining room. "Why the secrecy? Why not tell us at least a little bit about the couple before they get here?" Alicia had refused to divulge even the simplest bit of information about the pair.

Evelyn raised one finger while she swallowed a bite of chocolate-and-rosemary scone that melted in her mouth. "Mmm." She licked her lips. "Delicious." She gave the rest of her dessert-slash-lunch a longing glance but settled her fork on her plate. The scone could wait. She'd promised to answer Ryan's questions, and that was what she'd do. "I've only helped with the festivities once before, but Jason said someone once got hold of the couple's names and leaked the information on social media. It ruined the magazine's big reveal. From then on, information was provided on an as-needed basis."

"They're afraid someone in Heart's Landing would spill the beans? Don't they know us at all?"

Ryan's guileless expression brought a smile to her lips. The man had a point. The town frequently hosted the weddings of the rich and famous without anyone being the wiser. Once they met the lucky couple at the train station tomorrow, no one in Heart's Landing would even consider revealing their identities. She forked up another bite of scone.

Across from her, Ryan chewed a bite of brownie and swallowed. "We don't know anything about them?"

"Just that they deserve the very best we can provide." She couldn't fault him for his curiosity. She'd like to know more, too. She dabbed at her lips with a napkin and told him what she could. "Every couple has their own special story. Maybe the bride has recovered from a major illness and can't afford the wedding of her dreams. Or the groom was in an accident. One year, the couple came from an area that'd been devastated by a hurricane. The church where they'd planned to get married had been destroyed. "

"Man, that's rough." Sympathy swam in Ryan's eyes. He clucked his tongue.

"It's not always a hardship, though," she hurried to add. "No matter what the circumstances, weddings are happy occasions. They deserve celebrating."

For the Wedding-in-a-Week couples, the town pulled out all the stops. Only a true Heart's Landing Bride received more attention. Those were so rare, she'd only met one in all the time she'd worked at the Captain's Cottage. At that, her chest tightened the tiniest bit. She'd love to identify a true Heart's Landing Bride one day, the way Denise had discovered Jenny at I Do Cakes. She sighed dreamily.

"Um, you were saying?"

"Hmm? Oh, sorry. I was thinking about something else there for a minute." Shaking herself, Evelyn hauled her thoughts back to the present. "Now, where was I?"

"Other winners of the Wedding-in-a-Week contest?" Ryan prompted.

"Right!" She'd give him one thing: Ryan had always been able to keep his wits about him. She shook aside the thought and focused on the contest. "Our lovebirds last year were childhood sweethearts who'd drifted apart after high school. He went off to college. She took a gap year to travel. They fell in love with other people, got married, and raised families. Thirty years later and on their own again, they both showed up at their high school reunion. They reconnected and discovered they'd been given a second chance at love." She swiped a sudden dampness from her cheek. Love, that was what Heart's Landing was all about. Her voice hoarse, she added, "There wasn't a dry eye in the house when they walked down the aisle."

"I hated to miss their wedding. I was on a buying trip, trying to find replacement lumber for the Boat Works. When I got back, it was the talk of Heart's Landing for weeks."

"About that." She pushed her scone from one edge of the plate to the other. Now that Ryan had opened the door, it was time for a little information-gathering of her own. "What on Earth made you buy a derelict place like the Boat Works?"

"Do I sense a bit of skepticism in your tone?"

He tilted his head, and she felt a sudden urge to brush away the few strands of blond hair that spilled onto his forehead. Which was ridiculous. They'd drifted so far apart over the years, she barely knew the man. She busied herself with her fork. "It's a surprise, that's all."

"The building had good bones, a ton of natural light, great potential. Besides, Heart's Landing needed a waterfront venue."

"To compete with the Captain's Cottage." She tsked. "Are you trying to put us out of business?"

"What?" A shadow fell over Ryan's face. His eyes darkened. "You know me better than that."

"Do I?" she challenged. She used to think she did, but years had passed since she and Ryan had done more than exchange casual greetings.

"Of course you do." He nudged her elbow with his own. "The Cottage is steeped in history. It has elegant surroundings. It's the premier place to get married in Heart's Landing. It always will be. The Boat Works doesn't offer the same experience at all. But …" He hesitated.

"But?" It was her turn to prompt.

"Some brides want something a little more down-to-earth. They can have that with the Boat Works. Being on the water is another huge plus."

"Hmph." She softened, wanting to believe him. That still didn't explain how he'd carried off all the repairs without anyone being the wiser. "I couldn't figure out why the town wasn't buzzing with news about your plans. I guess, what with your dad and your brothers pitching in, word just hasn't gotten around yet. You must've remodeled the whole thing in record time. "

"No." Ryan's forehead wrinkled. His lips turned down at the corners. "I'm on my own with this one." He wolfed down another bite of brownie.

Evelyn took a beat to study him while he ate. There was more to that story, she was sure of it. Whatever it was, he wasn't in the mood to share. She toyed with her scone. "Well, you always did have a thing for old buildings." Letting him off the hook for now, she reached for memories of long-ago summers, when they'd spent days on end together. "You practically rebuilt the old tree house you and Jason discovered in the woods out back." Her cousin had been all for tearing it down, but Ryan had insisted on patching the holes in the floor and replacing the broken rungs in the ladder.

"I'm surprised you remembered," he said, his voice low.

"It'd be hard to forget. You turned it into a great fort. I was so jealous whenever you and Jason spent the night out there. But Mama said I was too young." She laughed.

"You were two years younger," he chided.

"And yet I won every race."

"That's not the way I remember it," Ryan sputtered.

"I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on that one," she conceded. "But you were always repairing something. Remember that red wagon you and Jason used to haul your gear around? The slats kept coming off, and all our stuff would tumble out. You fixed it more than once. Then you and Jason would load it up and take off again."

"Seems to me you rode in it a time or two."

"Yes, well." She cleared her throat, determined not to let the conversation veer too far off track. "So you rebuilt the Boat Works on your own? I've only been inside the place once. When we were in middle school, Chuck Middleton bet me a dollar I'd be too chicken to crawl in through that broken window in the back."

"He should've known better than to dare you."

Her tummy shimmied when a throaty chuckle emerged from somewhere deep in Ryan's chest. She'd always enjoyed his sense of humor. "That was ages ago," she agreed. "But you're right, I never was one to turn down a challenge. I like to think I'm a little bit smarter now. Anyway, my point was, the place was a disaster. Part of the roof had collapsed. I stepped in a hole in the floor and almost fell through it. What have you done to it?"

Ryan pulled a slim phone from his back pocket. "See for yourself." He pressed a button, and the screen lit up.

She stared down at a picture. Even though the image was slightly out of focus, the shingles on the Boat Works glistened in the morning sun. She thumbed to the next shot. Soaring ceilings above glossy wood floors stole her breath. "This is beautiful," she whispered. "You did it all yourself?"

"As much as I could." The tiniest hint of pride edged the corners of Ryan's voice. "I brought in a crew to tear out the old timbers and the wood rot. A company that specializes in marine work checked the foundations and laid the new deck. But the rest, that's all me."

"It must've taken forever."

"A year." Ryan shrugged. "The better part of one, anyway."

"From the looks of these, you could hold a wedding there tomorrow."

"Almost. I have a few small projects to finish—a door to hang between the main hall and the kitchen, some touch-up jobs to do." His eyes filled with an earnest promise. "I'll knock those out before anyone steps foot in the building on Monday."

She eyed him carefully. For the first time since she'd walked into Alicia's office, a shiver of doubt passed through her. Was this the year the Captain's Cottage lost out to another competitor? Impossible. She shook off the thought and squared her shoulders. She'd promised to fill Ryan in on the important aspects of the contest. It was time to get down to business and do just that. "About Wedding-in-a-Week. The blue binder covers every possible contingency, but there are only three things you really need to remember."

Ryan blinked as if reeling his thoughts back in from a place he hadn't intended them to go. Patting his shirt pocket, he located a pen.

"No badmouthing the competition." She ticked the first item off on one finger. "The whole reason the vendors in town participate is to showcase their products and services. If one of us makes a negative comment that finds its way into the Weddings Today article, people won't sign up next year." She waited until he nodded before she held up the next finger. "No bribery or other undue influence. It's okay if Mildred Morrey provides a light snack when the couple visits Forget Me Knot, but if she treated them to dinner at a steakhouse, that'd be a problem."

Ryan's blue eyes twinkled. He snapped his fingers. "Guess I'd better cancel those season tickets at Fenway. And here I thought I'd found the perfect bribe. "

"Exactly. Something like that would get you thrown out of the contest."

"Well, we can't have that!"

They both shared a laugh. She hadn't realized how much she'd missed being around Ryan. It felt good to laugh with him again. She shook her head. "Last and most important, live up to the Heart's Landing promise and deliver a perfect wedding. No matter what happens along the way."

"Got it." Ryan clicked the end of his ballpoint pen. "So how much of this is our responsibility? Are we expected to accompany them throughout the week?"

"Not usually." Evelyn started to run her fingers through her hair, thought better of it, and tugged on an earring instead. In years past, Jason had shown up at the train station to greet the arriving guests, given the lucky couple an in-depth tour of the wedding venue in Heart's Landing, and had known his work was done when he'd seen a sparkle in the bride's eyes or heard the groom ask for a tape measure. He'd left instructions for her to do the same. After seeing Ryan's photographs, though, she wasn't sure the usual routine would do the trick. This year might call for all hands on deck in order to save the day for the Captain's Cottage.

Ryan peered into the depths of Evelyn's green eyes and faltered. He'd forgotten the smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose. Or how a single glance from her could tie his tongue in knots. She'd given a breathy little sigh a moment ago. Why was that? He straightened. It didn't matter. They might've fallen out of touch, but he still knew her well enough to be certain of one thing—she hadn't been sighing over him.

He snatched what was left of the nearly forgotten brownie from the tiny dessert plate. Cramming the tasty tidbit into his mouth, he chewed furiously. It made a good enough excuse for not speaking, and it certainly kept him from blurting out something incredibly dumb. Like telling Evelyn how pretty she was. That would only lump him in with other guys who'd lost their heads over her. The ones who'd complimented her iridescent green eyes, or commented on the thick red curls that even now threatened to escape the knot she'd trapped them in. He wouldn't be one of those.

He wouldn't ask if there was someone special in her life, either. Women like Evelyn weren't alone and unattached. Not in this day and age, when social dating apps guaranteed even the shyest wallflower a perfect match.

Not that anyone had ever accused Evelyn of being shy. She said what she meant, meant what she said, and let the chips fall where they may. He liked that she didn't keep the people around her guessing. They always knew exactly where they stood with her.

He always knew exactly where he stood with her.

Which was how he knew he had as much of a chance with her as a builder had of constructing a new house without a hammer. Yeah, neither was ever going to happen. Friendship, though, that was an entirely different matter. The three of them—Evelyn, Jason, and him—had been thick as thieves, once upon a time. He and Jason were still best buds.

But him and Evelyn? Nah.

The two of them had drifted apart after … Well, after he'd foolishly asked her to the homecoming dance within earshot of her posse. The girls had found something uproariously funny in the idea of a baseball player dating the queen of the drama club. They'd laughed out loud while Evelyn had coolly turned on one heel and walked away. He supposed that part had hu rt the most, although there hadn't been anything pleasant about the entire experience. The memory served as a reminder that he and Evelyn would never be more than friends.

He supposed she was offering that—friendship. Why else would she be sitting there, sharing the ins and outs of the Wedding-in-a-Week contest like they were pals again? He was good with that, wasn't he? He'd missed having her in his life. Missed being able to turn to someone he trusted to give her honest opinion. Missed her sassy wit. Missed how she was always ready for the next adventure. He scooped a few stray crumbs from the table into his hand and brushed them onto his plate. He supposed, if they were going to do this, it was time to start getting to know one another again.

His appraising glance swept over the guests who wandered in and out of the dining room. "So you're in charge while Jason's away?"

Evelyn nibbled on her scone. "I'm filling in till he and Tara get back at the end of the month. Then things will go back to normal."

"And what's normal for you? What do you usually do here?"

"You don't know?"

At her confused glance, he shrugged. "Humor me. It's been a while. Jason and I stayed in touch while he was in college. We'd catch a hockey game together or grab a pizza when he came home for a weekend. But after he moved to New York and I headed for Maine, we almost never made it back to Heart's Landing at the same time. So fill me in. What's been happening with you?"

Across from him, Evelyn's forehead crinkled. "Okay. But tell me this first—why Maine?"

He smiled. Playing catch-up had been the right move. She hadn't kept tabs on him any more than he'd kept up with her comings and goings. "I went to work for my dad straight out of high school. Stayed on until I got accepted into an apprentice program with Josh Morgan, the top restoration specialist in the country. I spent a dozen years in Maine working with him. I'd still be there if he hadn't retired. He moved to Florida. He has family down south."

"So you came back here? Didn't want to stay in Maine?"

"I missed seeing all the brides." He grinned as if he was just joking around, but the truth was, there was no place quite like Heart's Landing. He liked watching couples meander up and down the tree-lined streets, ducking in and out of shops with names like I Do Cakes, The Glass Slipper, or Favors Galore. He enjoyed the laughter and good wishes that spilled out of Bow Tie Pasta whenever a wedding party arrived for a rehearsal dinner. And the church bells—they rang out day and night in celebration of couples who'd just exchanged their "I do's." He'd missed the lighthearted air of a town that put its best foot forward twenty-four-seven. He'd wanted to be a part of it all. Turning the Boat Works into a wedding venue let him do that.

"The brides, huh?" Laughter danced in Evelyn's eyes.

"That, and winters up north are brutal." Another truth.

"You've been here how long?"

"Two—no, three years. Dad thought I'd come back to join Court Builders. I suppose that was only natural." With his entire family in the construction industry, he'd learned to calculate board feet over dinner the way other kids recited their multiplication tables. "I worked for Dad through high school and summers, then full-time for a while. My brothers wouldn't think of working anywhere else."

"But you had other plans?" Evelyn prompted. She toyed with the remains of her dessert.

"I never saw the point of building something new. So many houses could be perfect with some TLC. Dad and I didn't quite see eye to eye on the subject." Ryan exhaled. When he'd announced his intention to branch out on his own, start his own restoration business, his old man had acted like he'd had the rug pulled out from under him. "I guess buying the Boat Works was the last straw. Proof I was never going to be what he wanted me to be. Things have been strained between us ever since."

Evelyn put down her fork. "They should be proud of you. I've seen some of the work you've done here at the Captain's Cottage." She pointed to his cell phone. "If those pictures you showed me are any indication, you've done an outstanding job with the Boat Works."

"Thank you. That means a lot." But he'd monopolized the conversation when he really wanted to know more about her. "How about you?" he asked, turning the tables as deftly as he could. "Last I heard, you were headed for Julliard. From there, the sky was the limit. We all expected to see your name on the marquee of some big show on Broadway."

"Well." Across the table, the redhead expelled a long, slow breath. "Julliard's one of those places where you learn if you've got the ‘it factor' or not." With slender fingers, she framed the phrase. "Some of the other students in my class had more talent in a single strand of hair than I had in my entire body. Being around them, I had to lower my expectations. I'm local-theater good. Not big-stage good."

Not so. She'd always been a star in his book. While he and Jason had taken turns as the swashbuckling heroes of countless backyard plays, she'd stolen show after show with her feisty heroines and swooning damsels in distress. Later, she'd captivated audiences in school plays and pageants. At sixteen, she'd landed her first lead role as the youngest actress ever cast as Laurie Williams in the Heart's Landing Little Theater presentation of Oklahoma . She had talent and plenty of it.

Ryan opened his mouth to protest, but a dismissive wave of her hand silenced him.

"I didn't give up right away." Evelyn fussed with her napkin. "I figured I owed it to myself to try, so I headed to New York. I gave myself two years to make it." Her lips turned down. "I answered every casting call, went to at least fifty auditions that first year. Every once in a while, I'd land a bit part. But I had to work temp jobs and short-term assignments to pay the rent."

"That must've been rough." Ryan shook his head as he pictured her rushing from job to job, from tryout to tryout.

"Yeah. At first it was. There's not much call for untrained office staff, even in New York, so I enrolled in a few night classes." Evelyn grinned. "I discovered all those hours in Mrs. Cunningham's math class weren't wasted after all. I was pretty good at bookkeeping. That led to better paying jobs, ones that—surprise, surprise—paid the rent and the grocery bill. I started answering fewer casting calls and taking more temp work. Soon, I got to the point where I was ready to chuck the whole acting gig." She steadied herself with a breath. "That's when Uncle Dave got sick."

"And you moved home." Ryan nodded. As the eldest in his generation, Jason's dad, David Thaddeus Heart, had inherited the Captain's Cottage from his father.

"My family needed me." Evelyn straightened her napkin. "I quit my job, gave my roommate two months' rent, and was home by the end of the week. Thanks to my newfound skills, I was able to take over the books here. Which let Jason concentrate on spending whatever time was left with his dad."

Ryan grimaced. David Heart's loss had shaken Heart's Landing. "He was a good man, your uncle. He passed too soon." He set his own crumpled napkin on the table beside his plate. "He was the one who got me interested in restoration. "

Evelyn raised an eyebrow. "I did not know that."

Ryan tipped back in his chair while he gestured to the hallway and beyond. "There's always something to fix in a place like this. The finish on a banister wears thin. Someone drops a plate and nicks a floorboard. A piece of wallpaper lifts. Somewhere else, the owners might see that as an excuse for replacing the banister, laying down new flooring, ripping out the paper and painting."

Evelyn's forehead wrinkled. "Not here."

"Right." Preservation was the name of the game at the home that had housed generations of Hearts. "Your uncle liked that sort of work and did a lot of the repairs himself. Sometimes, he'd commandeer Jason and me as his helpers. Uncle Dave noticed I shared his interest and encouraged me to pursue it."

Curiosity flickered in Evelyn's gaze. "I always wondered why you hung around, even when Jason wasn't here."

Ryan nodded. There'd been other reasons. She'd been one of them—not that he'd ever tell her that. "Your uncle was the first to show me I could have a future doing what I love." Unhappy with the way the conversation had once more focused on him, he swallowed. "And now you. "

"I handle the payroll and accounting for the Cottage and make sure we have everything on hand to keep this place running."

"You don't miss it—the stage? The limelight?" As a kid, she must have known she was talented. She hadn't let it go to her head, though, until high school. That's when she'd started running with the drama crowd. Their main purpose, as far as he could tell, was stroking one another's egos. He'd steered clear of her after that. Now, he was having trouble reconciling the diva he hadn't liked very much with the woman who'd swapped an acting career for one in a back office.

"Not so much," she answered, her tone matter-of-fact. "Four years at Julliard and two more as a broke, struggling, would-be actress—it kind of drove the point home, you know? Besides, Jason and I, we've put together a little act portraying Captain Thaddeus and Mary. We perform it for weddings and receptions. We sing, we dance. It's a ton of fun, and it means so much to the brides and grooms and their families. That's been enough to satisfy my creative side."

He brought the front legs of his chair down, his thoughts racing. With an elfin face surrounded by rich, red curls, Evelyn possessed a rare beauty. As for talent, he had no doubt hers would take her as far as she wanted to go. And if entertaining wedding guests made her happy, he certainly wasn't going to argue. As her friend—or someone who wanted to be—he'd support whatever decisions she made.

Right now, though, they needed to focus on the matter at hand. He leaned forward. "I have quite a bit of work ahead of me if I'm going to make the Boat Works look its best by Monday. Can we talk about Wedding-in-a-Week for a little bit?" Across the table, Evelyn's lips thinned.

"What is it?" He'd seen that expression before. It usually meant trouble.

"Well, it's that name. ‘The Boat Works,'" she said, surrounding the words in air quotes. "Are you married to it?"

"You don't like it?" The building at the marina had always been known as Farley's Boat Works. He hadn't seen any need to change it.

"I'd think something with a little more pizzazz would be nice. Maybe Harbor Weddings. Or Sea View Ceremonies. Oh, I know! What about Waterfront Weddings?"

"But what if people want to hold other events there? Retirement or birthday parties. Town meetings." Ryan scratched his head. The handcrafted sign proclaiming to one and all that the Boat Works was open for business lay on sawhorses in his workroom. He'd planned to hang it this evening.

"You think no one orders birthday bouquets from Forget Me Knot Flowers? Or Favors Galore never provides gift bags for retirement parties? Every business in town advertises their connection to weddings. It's what we do. Why mess with a good thing?" Evelyn sipped the last of her tea.

He'd wanted her opinion, hadn't he? Now that he had it, he should probably trust her intuition. "Waterfront Weddings has a nice ring to it," he conceded. Daring to let her see how much he wanted to win, he let hope fill his eyes. "It'd look nice splashed across an article in Weddings Today ."

"It's a nice name." Even as she said the words, Evelyn's eyebrows drew together. She spoke through lips that had firmed. "I wouldn't get my hopes up about any Wedding-in-a-Week article, if I were you."

"I wouldn't count it out," he shot back. The Boat Works, or whatever he ended up calling it, might not have all the charm of a centuries-old home, but the building was part of the history of Heart's Landing. It was also a beautiful place to get married, even if he did say so himself.

"Look." Evelyn straightened. " Heart's Landing has played host to the Wedding-in-a-Week contest for the last ten years. Ever since we were named America's Top Wedding Destination. The winning couples have run the gamut. Their weddings have, too. Some brides have walked down the aisle on their own. Others had six attendants. We've thrown receptions for anywhere from ten to two hundred guests. There've been stately affairs. One was a circus—I kid you not, trapeze artists and everything. But no matter what kind of wedding they wanted, every one of those couples had one thing in common. They all chose to get married at the Captain's Cottage. Every. Single. Time."

Ryan stiffened. His entire future might rest on the publicity that came from having the couple pick his venue. "There's always a first time."

"I wouldn't bet on it," Evelyn said lightly. Pushing away from the table, she rose. "I'm just saying."

He'd almost forgotten how competitive she could be. When they were kids, she'd insisted on doing whatever he and Jason did, going wherever they'd gone. Despite the difference in their ages, she'd matched them step for step as they'd raced through the halls of the Captain's Cottage. Stacking his coffee cup and saucer atop his dessert plate, he challenged, "Why don't we do exactly that?"

Evelyn's head tilted. "Do what, exactly?"

"How about a friendly little wager?"

"Depends." She rocked on her heels. "What did you have in mind?"

"Oh, I don't know." Mimicking her tone, he cupped his chin. "Dinner at Bow Tie Pasta, and the loser picks up the tab?" Sooner or later, everyone in Heart's Landing dined at the Italian restaurant on Bridal Carriage Way. As wagers went, it made the perfect bet. However, the slight cooling of Evelyn's demeanor told him he'd said something wrong. Pretty sure he knew what it was, he corrected, "For the winner … and the date of their choice."

Immediately, her face softened. "Now you're talking." She grinned. "You'd better save your pennies. You know I'll order the lamb."

Some things never changed. Not at all surprising that she'd pick the slow-braised lamb … the most expensive item on the menu. Ryan licked his lips. "Yum. My favorite. I might need a double order."

"You'd have to win first. And you won't."

"I guess we'll see about that." He flashed her enough of a smile to confirm their friendly rivalry before he sobered. "All kidding aside, this stays between us, right? "

"Afraid your reputation will suffer when you lose?"

"I'm serious." He pulled himself erect and peered down at her. "Because it's Heart's Landing."

Evelyn shook her head even as her lips quirked into a smile. She gave a stage-worthy flick of her wrist. "Just as long as you know I'm looking forward to lamb for dinner." With a saucy swing in her step, she headed for the door.

Watching her go, Ryan allowed himself a wistful smile. He'd been right after all—she had someone special in her life and he, not Ryan, was the one she intended to take to dinner at Bow Tie Pasta. Which was okay, because he didn't want anything more from her than friendship. That and making sure she didn't win their little wager. His smile shifted into a genuine grin.

Going toe-to-toe with her in the competition was going to be fun.