Chapter 2

two

ANDREW

I drove back to my house thinking about my neighbor. With his short, graying hair, Jacob was closer to forty than the sixty-year-old I’d imagined. And even though he looked like death warmed over, there was something in his deep brown eyes that was calm and reassuring. Something that made me wonder why he hadn’t come back to Sunrise Bay sooner.

When I’d bought my property three years ago, I’d visited his home to say hello. But each time I’d made the trek through the forest, no one had been there. At first, I’d thought the house was a vacation home. But when no one stayed there, I wondered if it was an investment property. It wasn’t until Aunt Carol told me Jacob worked for Doctors Without Borders, that I’d offered to help look after the property.

Even though I didn’t know Jacob, I admired what he was doing. When I read news reports about what was happening in the war-torn countries around the world, I thought about my mysterious neighbor. And when his friends stayed in his home, I restocked the pantry with fresh food and added some of my preserves and jams, doing what I could to make their visit to Sunrise Bay more enjoyable.

As I turned into my driveway, I smiled. My home was the complete opposite of Jacob’s. Instead of a wide, wrap-around veranda and towering gable roof, my single-story house looked like an English country cottage, transported into the middle of the wilderness.

When I’d first seen the white picket fence, the ancient birdbath, and the colorful window boxes, I knew this was where I wanted to live. After calling Nashville home for eight years, my cottage soothed my soul and reminded me of all the good things in the world.

And one of those good things was standing in front of my garage. Jonathon had made Sunrise Bay his home about the same time I’d returned. We’d quickly become friends, sharing the ups and downs of moving to another town and settling into a different way of life.

In a few days, Jonathon was marrying the man of his dreams in a barn not far from my cottage. Hopefully, the notoriously fickle mid-March weather would be kind and not bring a late snowstorm to Sunrise Bay.

I rolled down my window and smiled at the package my friend was holding. “You brought some fudge?”

“I’m trying different recipes. Would you tell me which ones you like the best?”

“I’d love to. I’ll just park my truck.” By the time I stepped out of my vehicle, I had goose bumps on my arms. “Come inside before we freeze.”

Jonathon laughed. “It’s not that cold. You were out early this morning. I thought you’d be working on your exhibition.”

Although I enjoyed making preserves and jams, it was a small part of my life. Three years ago, I’d started my own photography business. Most of my work focused on the wildlife and scenery around Colorado but, occasionally, I took commissions for other work. And this morning, Jonathon was here to discuss his wedding photos.

I unlocked the front door and placed my jacket on the coat stand. “I’ll do more work on my prints after we’ve finished. I’ve been at my neighbor’s house, restocking the pantry.”

“Is someone staying there?”

“Jacob was supposed to arrive tomorrow, but he caught an earlier flight home. He was asleep when I arrived.”

Jonathon followed me along the hallway. “Sounds intriguing.”

“It would have been better if he didn’t have a baseball bat in his hands. He thought I was a burglar.”

“Are you all right?”

“I’m fine, but Jacob looked exhausted. I don’t know how long he was asleep, but it wasn’t enough.”

“It probably has something to do with working in Afghanistan. For a long time, Shane was the same.” Jonathon stood in the middle of my studio, staring at the canvas in front of him. “Is that photo going in your exhibition?”

“It is.”

“It’s incredible.”

The awe in his voice humbled me. I’d spent a lot of time layering eight digital images on top of each other, erasing part of each photo, and changing the transparency. The result was a landscape of the Rocky Mountains that was so real, you could almost feel the sunshine on your face.

“Why didn’t you become a professional photographer years ago?”

“Music was my life. I never thought about doing anything else.”

Jonathon sighed. “I’m glad you changed careers. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have created this canvas. If you’re not careful, a fancy-pants gallery owner will want to exhibit your work in New York City.”

“That would be amazing, but they’ll have to wait. I have a special wedding to photograph.”

“I like the way you think. Did you know Jacob’s coming to our wedding?”

I frowned. “No, I didn’t, but that makes sense.”

“We weren’t sure if he would be able to make it back in time. Something big happened in Kabul and it was difficult for him to leave.”

I held out a chair for Jonathon. “Is he going straight back to Afghanistan after the wedding?”

“I don’t know, but it’s a long way to travel for only a few days.” Jonathon studied the images on my workbench. “More beautiful photos.”

I pushed Jacob to the back of my mind. Whether he was staying in Sunrise Bay was no one’s business but his own. “They’re a sample of the images I’ve taken at other weddings. If you like any of them, I could include something similar at your wedding. Have you thought about who you want me to photograph?”

Jonathon took a piece of paper out of his pocket. “We used our guest list and came up with these combinations.” He pointed to three photos sitting on the left-hand side of the table. “I like those group shots, but the guests are standing on the church steps. Would it be difficult to do something like that at our wedding?”

“Anything’s possible. I spoke to the man who owns the ranch. He can provide some hay bales for people to stand on, or there is another alternative.” I pointed to one of the photos. “That aerial photo was taken using a drone. It gives you a lot more flexibility.”

“I like that idea,” Jonathon said decisively. “I saw the photos you took of the tiny homes using the drone. They’re terrific.”

The tiny home village was a community project led by Pastor Adam. Eventually, twenty-five houses would be built by volunteers to help people who were unable to find accommodation. To attract more corporate sponsorship, I had taken a series of photos showing the progress they’d made. To my delight, another sponsor had stepped forward to help.

“I like these group photos, too.”

As Jonathon told me what he liked about each image, I made lots of notes. I wanted to create photos that Shane and Jonathon would cherish. Even these last-minute suggestions would make my job a lot easier.

“I’ve got something else for you.” Jonathon pulled another sheet of paper from his pocket. “This is the timeline for the day of our wedding. As well as a master list, there are separate sheets for before and during the wedding, and at the reception.”

I took one look at the timeline and smiled. “Did your mom make this?”

Jonathon grinned. “She thought her days of creating spreadsheets were over. Mom made this schedule in half the time it would have taken me.”

“Are your parents looking forward to the wedding?”

“I think they’re more excited than I am. I’m so busy at the candy store that I haven’t had time to think about Saturday.”

“At least Easter only happens once a year. Once it’s over, you won’t need to make another chocolate egg for months.”

“There’ll be plenty of other holidays to keep me busy.” Jonathon picked up the box of fudge he’d brought with him. “While we’re talking about candy, would you like a piece of fudge?”

I closed my notebook and smiled. “I thought you’d never ask.”

Later tonight, Paul, one of our friends, had organized a surprise evening for Jonathon. If the groom-to-be wasn’t looking forward to his wedding after their secret celebration, nothing short of postponing Easter would make a difference.

And that would never happen.