Chapter One

“If he hurts you again, I will gut him like a trout and spill his insides on the ground.”

I sigh. Softly spoken threats like this are one of the reasons I’m painfully single at Brown Oaks’s wedding of the year.

“Keep your voice down,” I whisper to Sofia, one of my closest friends, who seems to think she’s auditioning for a role in a Tarantino movie.

“Why?” Sofia asks with a frown. “I want your moronic ex-boyfriend to hear me.”

Standing a few feet away, Bobby darts a nervous glance in Sofia’s direction, as though he’s picked up the scent of her animosity in the same way a prey animal senses danger.

“You’re obviously joking,” I say, raising my voice so Bobby will hopefully hear me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Sofia shake her head and mouth in his direction, I’m not.

I watch as Bobby drains his glass and shuffles a few jittery steps away from us.

“What’s he doing here anyway?” Sofia asks, her nose stud sparkling under the lights. “Who invited him to the wedding?”

“Kate.” Swallowing, I shift my gaze away from Bobby’s handsome face and focus on Sofia. “He’s one of her suppliers and his parents are also good friends with Kate’s parents.”

“And you’re okay with The Empty Vessel being here?”

“Sofia,” I remind her softly, “his name is Bobby.”

She gives a dismissive flick of her hand. “Not my problem his parents named him wrong.”

In the face of my silence, she arches an eyebrow at me. “Well? How do you feel about his presence here?”

My formidable friend is like a bulldog when she’s in interrogation mode. I clear my throat. “I don’t mind.”

In truth, I do mind, but I don’t want to create a fuss. And I don’t want Sofia even more protective than she already is. But Bobby’s presence is a jolting reminder of our breakup and the loneliness that’s plagued me these past two months. One thing I am grateful for, though, is that Bobby came to Gideon and Kate’s wedding alone.

“Kate checked with me to see if it was okay to invite him,” I add.

“And you said yes.”

Of course, I said yes, because I have great difficulty saying no to people. I’m working on it. Clearly, I have a way to go.

Evidently picking up on my discomfort, Sofia touches my arm in apology. “I know I can be too much at times. I’m just watching out for you.”

I nod and squeeze her hand. I’m touched by her protective nature, but a part of me secretly wishes she wouldn’t always assume I need protecting.

“Champagne?” A member of the hotel’s waitstaff materializes in front of us with a tray of champagne flutes. His eyes widen when they land on Sofia, who looks mesmerizing in a navy silk dress that accentuates her curvy body. Her smooth dark skin glows and her midnight-black hair is held back on one side by a diamond-studded hair clip.

“Yes, please.” Sofia slides two glasses off the tray and hands me one.

“Thank you.” I take a sip, hoping the alcohol will help ease my nerves.

“Gorgeous day for a wedding,” Sofia murmurs, staring out the window at the clear May sky.

“Kate and Gideon couldn’t have asked for better weather,” I say in agreement.

The beautiful and moving ceremony was held outside, the lilac-scented air soft and warm, tempered by a cool breeze. Tears filled my eyes as I watched Kate walk down the aisle toward an emotional Gideon. She looked stunning in a classic wedding dress. I’d kept her makeup light and natural, applying only the faintest blush to her cheekbones. Sofia had scooped Kate’s dark brown hair into an elegant updo and Tess had chosen a simple French manicure for her sister, perfect for the diamond ring Gideon couldn’t wait to slide onto her finger. It felt like a full-circle moment for the four of us. We’d helped Kate get ready for her very first date with Gideon, and now we were all helping her prepare for her wedding.

“There you two are.”

I turn at the sound of my friend’s voice. Tess’s emerald green bridesmaid’s dress brings out the vivid green of her eyes, which are still a little red. She’d been openly crying during the ceremony. I knew that for years she’d worried about Kate, worried her sister would never find love after an abusive marriage. But then Gideon moved to Brown Oaks into a house across the street from Kate, and we all watched in delight as he patiently broke down the walls she’d so carefully erected around her life and her heart.

“Are they still busy with wedding photos?” Sofia asks Tess.

“Yep.” Tess snags a glass of champagne from a passing waiter. “At least my part is over. Now it’s just pics of the bride and groom and flower girl.”

“Lisset must be in her element,” I say, smiling at the thought of Kate’s young daughter posing for photographs in the hotel’s beautiful gardens.

Tess’s eyes soften with affection. “That girl glows in front of a camera. She’s the exact opposite of Kate, who keeps trying to find ways to cut the photo session short.”

Sofia takes a sip of her champagne. “Didn’t Kate initially hint to Gideon that they should have a small, private ceremony?”

Tess grins. “Gideon nearly had a stroke when she suggested that. He’s determined to give her the best of everything.”

“He’s definitely outdone himself,” I murmur, my gaze sweeping the reception area of the hotel, where servers are offering champagne and canapés to wedding guests. It’s clear Gideon has spared no expense. The luxurious Brown Oaks Hotel exudes grandeur and romance.

Just then my skin prickles, like someone’s eyes are on me.

I turn and stare straight into a pair of bottomless dark eyes belonging to Joel Adams, the food photographer Kate works with. His assessing gaze provokes an odd flutter in my chest. He’s a compelling figure as he leans against a pillar in a superbly tailored suit, his dark hair falling in sexy disarray around his face. The light from the chandeliers highlights the strong, angular cut of his features in a way that has my fingers fluttering at my side, itching to sketch him.

I realize he’s still staring at me. And I’m staring back at him.

Something flashes across his face. With a tightening of his unsmiling mouth, Joel turns his gaze dismissively away from me.

Heat floods my cheeks. I take a hasty swallow of my champagne in an attempt to wash away the feeling of hurt that rises up.

“Joel Adams,” Sofia murmurs, following my line of sight, her ruby-red lips curving into a smile. “That man is fine. Remember when his hair was longer and he had it tied back with a leather cord?”

Tess sighs. “Kate told me some of the mothers at Lisset’s school went into mourning when Joel cut his hair.”

Sofia makes a humming sound in her throat. “With a face and body like that, I’m not surprised.”

“I always assumed photographers were wispy, artistic types,” Tess muses, winding a brown curl around her finger.

Sofia snorts. “There’s nothing wispy about that man. And that scar on his cheek? It definitely adds to his appeal.”

I’m listening intently, while also trying not to reveal how invested I am in this conversation. I don’t know what it is about Joel that draws me in. He’s so different from the clean-cut, polished air of Bobby, my last boyfriend. Sofia’s right. There’s something rough and dangerous about Joel with his cool aloofness and dark eyes full of dark promises.

Sofia taps a red fingernail against her champagne glass. “Isn’t it weird that Kate invited Joel to her wedding?”

“Why?” I ask.

“Because Joel really liked her at one point. Liked her enough to ask her out on a date.”

Oh. I didn’t know that. For some reason, the revelation knocks me back like a blow.

“Kate didn’t go out with him though,” Tess reminds her.

“No, she didn’t,” Sofia agrees. “Still, wouldn’t Gideon find it awkward that Joel’s at the wedding?”

Tess shrugs. “Kate told me that when she and Gideon became serious, Joel invited Gideon out for a drink and cleared the air between them.”

“My admiration for the man increases,” Sofia murmurs.

Abruptly, Tess turns to face me with a quizzical frown. “Hey, didn’t Kate try to set you up with Joel?”

I freeze. “Did she?” I say vaguely. “I don’t remember.”

I will my face not to flush at the lie. Unfortunately, the memory is carved into my brain.

“I’m almost certain Kate said something about how she was sure you and Joel would hit it off,” Tess continues.

“Really?” I take another gulp of my champagne. Why won’t she let it go? And how is my glass suddenly empty?

“Tess is right,” Sofia interjects. “What happened?”

This conversation is quicksand territory. Trying for a casual shrug, I decide to give them a pared-down version of the truth. “I don’t know. I think Kate gave him my number, but he never messaged or called.”

“Oh.” Surprise laces Tess’s tone.

“I don’t think I’m his type,” I explain.

Both women eye me.

Sofia is the first to speak. “Kenzie, you’re everyone’s type,” she declares. “You’re kind and sweet and funny.”

“You’re also gorgeous,” Tess chimes in. “I’d kill for your blonde hair and blue eyes.”

“Please, both of you, stop,” I beg, embarrassment ripping through me.

Sofia looks over at Tess. They have a silent exchange I can’t decipher.

I’ve never told anyone about the time I dropped by the restaurant where Kate was working with Joel on a food styling gig. I wanted to surprise her. Instead, I was the one surprised when I overheard Kate singing my praises to Joel and urging him to ask me out. A shiver of humiliation rolls through me when I remember Joel telling Kate that he wasn’t interested because I wasn’t his type. The sting of rejection was painful. Especially when I recall the emphatic way Joel said those words, with no hesitation whatsoever.

“Anyway, it’s probably a good thing he didn’t get in touch,” Sofia says, handing me a full glass of champagne, which I accept gratefully. “Rumor has it he’s a heartbreaker.”

“Kate told me about one woman so desperate for his attention she showed up on set wearing a trench coat and nothing else,” Tess says.

I choke back a horrified laugh. “What!”

“It’s true,” Tess insists. “What’s also true is that his relationships, if you can call them that, never seem to last very long.”

While they go back and forth on the women Joel has dated, I take the opportunity to steal another look his way. He’s still standing in the same spot, a stillness in his posture, like he’s taking everything in. All around him are pockets of people talking and laughing, but he seems removed from it all.

Something about the lonely, solitary picture he presents causes my throat to tighten.

And then a glamorous, brown-haired woman in a tight red dress loops her arm in his and tilts her head to smile radiantly up at him. It takes me a few seconds, but I finally recognize her. Farah. She works at one of the hair salons on Main Street.

It hits me then that I’ve seen him date brunettes and redheads, but I’ve never seen a blonde woman on his arm. Ever. Is that what he meant when he told Kate I wasn’t his type?

Joel liked Kate enough to ask her out and I’m the complete opposite of Kate—in looks and personality. No wonder he didn’t find me attractive. The knowledge leaves a bitter aftertaste in my mouth.

I look away from Joel and Farah, and take another gulp of my champagne, trying to wash away the sting.

I don’t want to think about Joel anymore. It’s too beautiful and magical an evening to allow him to spoil it for me.

Aaron joins our circle, looping an arm around Tess’s waist and pulling her to him. “Are you giving Kenzie a hard time, love?” he asks in his gruff way.

A blush steals over my cheeks. I’m still a little tongue-tied around Aaron. It’s not simply his good looks and confidence that intimidate me. The memory of all those phishing tests he subjected us to when we all worked together at Amell Greetings remains fresh in my mind. Although Tess laughs it off, I often feel as though I’m about to fail another test with him.

“I would never give Kenzie a hard time,” Tess maintains, looking up at Aaron in wide-eyed innocence. “I leave that to Sofia.”

Sofia’s eyes narrow. “Real nice, throwing a friend under the bus.”

Tess playfully bumps her shoulder. “You know the bus will fare worse than you.”

“It’s all fine,” I assure Aaron, swallowing when he turns those cool blue eyes on me, like he knows I’m covering for them. Another test I didn’t pass, I realize.

Except he doesn’t call me on it. Instead, the tiniest hint of a smile grazes his lips, and the tension leaves my shoulders. He’s definitely more easygoing since falling in love with Tess. Married life suits him.

“Relax,” Sofia tells Aaron airily. “We’re just watching out for Kenzie.”

Two glasses of champagne buzzing through my veins gives me enough courage to say, “You don’t need to watch out for me.”

Sofia points her glass at me. “Kenzie Anne Ellis, you get way too emotional and sentimental at weddings. And because this is Kate’s wedding, there’s a strong possibility you’ll get swept up in all the romantic sentiments and end up with Bobby again.”

Aaron’s lips set in a grim line. “I thought I saw him loitering around.”

“You know, he wasn’t all that bad—” I start to say.

Sofia is swift to cut me off. “Yes, he was. He stifled you. He never got you.” She wrinkles her nose. “And having any kind of conversation with him is like sitting in the middle seat on a fourteen-hour flight.”

A waiter appears bearing a tray of canapés. After selecting a goat’s cheese soufflé, Tess asks, “Tell me the story again of how you and Bobby met.”

I smile at the memory. “We were walking on opposite sides of the street to the mailbox. It was a windy day and my letter flew out of my hand to land in the middle of the road. Bobby didn’t hesitate to run out into the road to retrieve my letter.” I sigh. “It was a brave, romantic gesture.”

Sofia rolls her eyes. “It’s not as if he risked his life.”

“There was some risk,” I argue.

“Holly Close is one of the quietest streets in Brown Oaks,” Sofia states. “His only risk was tripping over a mobility scooter.”

“Looks like they want us to take our seats,” Aaron says, motioning in the direction of the guests slowly filing into the banquet room. “And for the record, I think Kenzie is perfectly capable of taking care of herself.”

He winks at me and I flick him a grateful smile. “I’ll see you guys in there. I need to head to the ladies’ room.”

The three of them wander into the banquet room and I make my way slowly down the hallway. An ache of loneliness expands in my chest. I don’t need the restroom, but I want a moment to myself. Sofia is right. I’m feeling restless and overly emotional. With Gideon and Kate now married, all my friends are paired up. Although Matt’s not at the wedding due to an overseas business trip, he and Sofia are another madly-in-love married couple. My friends have all found their happy endings. I’m twenty-nine and more than ready to settle down with my own forever love story.

“Hey, Kenzie.”

My footsteps falter. Blinking rapidly, I push away my swirling emotions and turn around. “Hey, Bobby.”

He looks tall and handsome in his suit, his dark hair styled carefully and a little longer than he usually wears it.

I watch him glance furtively over his shoulder, and I know he’s looking for Sofia. When he doesn’t see her, relief snaps his spine straighter.

“You look lovely,” he tells me.

Bobby’s gaze is filled with admiration and my heart swells at the compliment. “Thank you.”

I put a lot of effort into my appearance today. I’m wearing a sunshine-yellow dress that hugs my body in all the right places. My blonde hair tumbles down my back in long, loose waves. I’ve squeezed my feet into nude heels that Tess insists makes my legs look a mile long. My lips are painted a pale pink, my eyes have more mascara than usual, and rose-gold studs decorate my ears.

Bobby can’t keep his eyes off me.

“You look like summer,” he says finally.

I try not to deflate. It’s not the most eloquent remark, but Bobby likes things simple. His favorite season is summer.

We parted ways nearly two months ago after dating for three months. It was a mutual decision, although I allowed Bobby to officially sever the relationship, which had been flatlining for a while. Neither of us had said “I love you” and Sofia is totally justified in slapping a DO NOT RESUSCITATE label on us.

“Are you still illustrating greeting cards?” Bobby asks.

“I am.”

We slip into easy small talk as I give him a brief update on what I’m working on and he fills me in on what’s happening at his office. Conversation was never a problem with us. Although our talks don’t venture into deep topics, at least there are no awkward pauses.

And then Bobby touches my arm. “Do you want to talk somewhere more private?”

I catch the nervous shift of his eyes down the hallway, as though he fears Sofia might suddenly appear like some avenging angel. I know he’ll feel more at ease talking to me in private, especially since I have it on good authority (Tess) that Sofia threatened Bobby with dismemberment to a strategic body part. But I also recognize that look in Bobby’s eyes. My ex-boyfriend is hoping not just to talk. That look says he wants to kiss me.

No is on the tip of my tongue. After all, there’s a wedding dinner that will start in about half an hour and my friends are waiting for me.

But what sticks like cement in my memory is Bobby’s offhand comment that I was too boring for him and he wanted more excitement out of our relationship.

Although he hadn’t meant to be cruel, the words had hurt. They still hurt. But the way Bobby’s currently looking at me, he seems to have forgotten his previous verdict of me as boring.

I’m suddenly overwhelmed by a raw need for connection. Even if it’s with an old boyfriend. Actually, it’s probably better that it’s Bobby. I’ve kissed him before. Many times. We can indulge in a nostalgic kissing session that I know won’t lead anywhere, but that will help me feel desired, if only for a little while.

“Where?” I ask in a whisper.

His brown eyes light up in approval. “How about the storeroom?” he proposes.

I know the storeroom he’s referring to. I’ve attended a few conferences at Brown Oaks Hotel and every resident knows that the small storeroom—which also doubles as a luggage room—is never locked. I’d snuck in there a couple of times with Sofia and Tess when a presentation went on too long and we needed an escape.

What Bobby’s proposing sounds clandestine and adventurous. The champagne fizzing through my veins likes it. In all honesty, this is as daring as it’s going to get for me. Shy, insecure, good girl Kenzie is now off duty.

“The storeroom sounds good,” I tell him.

“We probably shouldn’t go in there together,” Bobby says. “How about you go first? I’ll head to the restroom, wait a couple of minutes, and then meet you there.”

“Okay.”

With nervous anticipation winding through me, I find myself walking down the long, empty hallway, turning the corner, and then slipping into the storeroom.