Chapter 12

Ash climbed the front steps to her childhood home, noting the way the rain gutter had separated from the roof. It dipped in a strange way, and she made a mental note to call Leo about it. He could come fix it, or he’d at least know who to call to come fix it.

She knocked and eased open the door. “Mom?” The interior of the house was still pretty dark, though the glorious Hawaiian sun had started to rise and paint the island in gold morning light.

The scent of burnt coffee met her nose, but she couldn’t decide if it was from this morning or yesterday. “Mom?” she called again.

A noise thunked from the back of the house, and Ash thought for a moment she should take something with her. Maybe an animal had gotten in the house or something. She liked dogs and cats just fine, but anything more than that, and she’d rather be armed.

Unfortunately, her mother’s living room was void of weapons or tools. So Ash called, “Mom?” for the third time and went around the corner into the kitchen. The coffee was definitely from this morning, as the red light on the maker was shining brightly. A mug sat on the counter beside it, along with the sugar bowl, but her mom was not there.

Ash switched off the coffee maker and moved around the corner again and into the mud room, walking quickly now. Sometimes her mom liked to go outside in the early morning hours before it got too hot. The yard didn’t look nearly as good as it once had, but she did the best she could, and it made her happy.

Leo had suggested a gardening service once, and their mother had gotten upset. Said, “You can’t take everything away from me just because I’m sick.”

So Ash and Leo had let her keep doing the yard work.

Another thunk sounded as Ash pushed through the back door, and then another as her mom tossed another red potato into a bucket. “There you are,” Ash said, putting a smile on her face.

Her mom glanced up, the color of her face impossible for Ash to determine under the wide brim of her sun hat. “Oh, I missed your call, didn’t I?”

“It’s okay, Mom.” Ash moved out into the sunlight and approached the garden. “how are the potatoes?”

“These are a bit small.” Her mom looked down at the ground and sighed as if a poor red potato crop was the worst thing to happen to her. As Ash got closer, she could see her mom looked good today, with good color in her face.

Ash wrapped her arms around her mom and gave her a tight hug. Her mom patted her on the back with her dirty gardening gloves and said, “You okay, Ashy?”

She wasn’t sure why she felt like someone had poured gelatin inside her whole body. But she trembled and quaked as if they had. “Yeah, I’m okay.”

“Your wedding was last week, wasn’t it?”

If only, Ash thought, though she knew what her mom was referencing. “Yes, one done. Another one in a week, but that dress has been done for a while.” She needed to get over to Your Tidal Forever today to pick up a couple of new contracts and set up meetings with Charlotte and the brides. Apparently, a pair of sisters had gotten engaged to a set of twins, and they wanted a double wedding.

Ash was happy for the business. It kept her busy and kept her bills paid. But she was starting to wonder what really brought her happiness, and if she could find it with a needle and thread.

“Are you seeing anyone?” her mom asked next, stepping back and bending over to extract another potato from the dirt.

It was an innocent question, Ash knew. She’d talked about her boyfriends freely in the past. Yet, for some reason, she’d never told her mom about her crush on Burke, nor the fact that they’d started a fake relationship that had become real in the past three weeks.

“I’m actually seeing Burke.” Ash bit her lip so her smile wouldn’t spread so quickly.

“What?” Her mother straightened and looked at Ash like she’d just said she’d grown wings. “Burke Lawson? The man you run with?”

“Yes, him.” Ash shrugged. “He’s…handsome. Employed. Going to take over his father’s business one day. I like him.”

Her mother blinked at her. “What does Leo say?”

“Leo has his own life to deal with,” Ash said, maybe with a bit too much bite. The fact that her mother knew Leo hadn’t approved of a teenage relationship between Burke and Ash made her teeth grind.

“Besides, I’m thirty-five-years-old, and not getting any younger, and I’d like to make my own wedding dress one day.”

“Oh, honey. You will.” Her mom wrapped her arms around Ash again, her presence comforting and sure.

Ash didn’t want to say that she hoped her mom would be there. She’d only cause guilt for her mother and disappointment in herself. After all, the truth was, there was a very real possibility the cancer would take her mom before Ash got a chance to walk down the aisle. Just like the ocean had taken her father.

She drew in a deep breath, stepped back, and looked out over the valley. The trees were so green, the flowers so bright, and the water so perfectly blue. A sense of contentment filled her, even though her left hand didn’t bear a diamond.

“I love this island,” she said. “And this thing with Burke is very new. We’re going slow, so it’s possible nothing will come of it.” But when she thought about their last couple of kisses, she wanted to stomp on the accelerator. She’d always suspected he knew how to kiss a woman, but after that awful first encounter, she’d formed some doubts.

Doubts he’d eradicated swiftly.

“Well, now that I know you’re okay, I better get in to work,” Ash said. “How does take-out sound tonight?” Her mother didn’t normally like eating anything from a restaurant, claiming they used chemicals and other things that made her cancer grow faster. But every once in a while, Ash could bring up sushi or a ramen bowl from her mother’s favorite Japanese restaurant.

“Sounds great, honey. Whatever is easiest for you.” She gave her another smile and reached for another potato.

Ash left her mom in the garden and headed back down the hill into town. She passed the turnoff for Petals & Leis and remembered she needed to call Burke. She would once she got settled at work. He was probably still running down the sand anyway.

She showered, dressed, and drove over to her tiny shop in a strip of other tiny shops. She’d no sooner sat down in her chair and pulled her calendar out of her bag when the bells on the front door rang.

Ash stood and moved to the doorway, her heels clicking against the floor. “Oh, Zara.” Ash’s smile was genuine and felt warm on her face. She embraced her friend and said, “What are you doing here?”

Zara tucked her dark hair and said, “My sister is getting married, and she wants non-traditional bridesmaid’s dresses.”

Alarm tugged through Ash. “What does your mom say about that?” Zara’s family was Indian, and quite traditional. “Anaya isn’t going to wear a saree at all?”

“She says she will for the party.” Zara followed Ash back into her office. “But she wants more of a western ceremony. I told her I’d talk to you about bridesmaid dresses.”

Ash pulled out her notebook and placed it next to her calendar. She opened a drawer as she said, “I have a questionnaire for brides. I mean, I know you’re not the bride, but this helps me know what they like, what they’re thinking, and when they need it.”

“No, I’m not the bride.” Zara looked down at the packet of papers Ash handed to her. “Seems I never am, am I?”

Their eyes met, and keen understanding flowed between them. “I’ve made over four hundred custom wedding dresses in my lifetime,” Ash finally said. “One day, I really hope I get to make my own.”

“At least you have a boyfriend,” Zara said, misery in every syllable. “And a small family so not every single sister who gets married is a reminder that you can’t even get a date.”

Ash covered Zara’s hand with hers. “I know a guy who might go out with you.”

“Yeah, who?”

“Have you ever thought about taking scuba diving lessons?”

“Ryan Bonnett?” Zara asked immediately. “No, thanks. That guy gives me the creeps.”

Ash burst out laughing, and Zara joined her. “No, for now, I just need six bridesmaid’s dresses. Anaya said blue or purple.”

An hour later, Zara left the shop, having ordered six dresses for the following April. At least Ash would have time to work on them amidst all her other projects. When she realized what time it was, she swiped her purse off her desk and headed for the door.

A shadow passed in front of her, but she couldn’t stop herself in time and she crashed into the man who entered her shop at the same time she tried to leave it.

“Oh!” Her hands scrambled for something to grab onto, otherwise she was going to fall backward. And in her tight skirt and heels, that was not a sight she wanted anyone to see.

“Hey, hey.” Burke’s voice entered her ears, and his arms went around her, steadying her. “I got you.”

She found her balance and looked up into his handsome face. “What are you doing here?” Her voice was breathy and weak, her pulse hammering out of control.

“You never called. I thought I’d come by and see what was going on this morning.”

“Mm.” Ash closed her eyes and stretched up a few inches to kiss Burke. He received her willingly, and Ash’s body felt soft while her mind catalogued every movement of his mouth, every spicy scent of his cologne, the hint of flowers beneath that, and the way his hands slid down her back and returned to her hair.

She finally broke their kiss and whispered, “She was fine. Just out in the garden and missed my call.”

He swayed, taking her with him, and she remembered where she needed to go. “I have a meeting at Your Tidal Forever in fifteen minutes.”

“So, we can’t go to lunch?”

“When I’m finished, we can.” She beamed up at him, glad when she saw the softness in his eyes. It looked like adoration, and she was finally convinced that his feelings for her weren’t out of pity or because she’d said she liked him first.

“When will you be finished?”

“I have no idea. I’m meeting with two brides. Sisters.”

“Could be hours.” A playful glint entered his eyes.

“Could be.” She laughed and moved out of his arms. “You can wait here, or I’ll text you when I’m done.” She tried to step around him, but he blocked her path one more time.

“This is okay, right?”

“What is?” She didn’t like the vulnerability in his eyes. The questions. The anxiety.

“Me showing up here, wanting to go to lunch.”

“Of course it is.” She cocked her head. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

He shrugged, though Ash had a very strong feeling that he knew exactly why he was asking. “Can we talk about it at lunch?”

“Sure.” He moved out of the way, and then followed her out. “I’ll head back to the farm. Just text me when you’re ready.”

She slipped her hand in his as they walked into the parking lot, and he gripped her fingers when she started to pull away at her car.

“What do you think about going to get a ring tonight?” He didn’t look at her when he asked, and that annoyed Ash as much as the ruse of their engagement.

“You think we need to?” She’d been hoping that part of the agreement would just disappear, that he wouldn’t press the issue unless his father did.

Which meant his father had.

“At least for my parents.” He cupped her face in both of his hands, shooting fire into her jaw and down her neck. “My dad, really.”

Ash’s throat felt tight, so she just nodded. He kissed her quickly and said, “All right. Go to your meeting,” with a playful smile.

She did, but now her mind wasn’t as focused on the sisters, but on why Burke couldn’t just tell his dad they weren’t really engaged.

It doesn’t matter, she told herself as she navigated the streets over to the east bay and down to the wedding planning building. She and Burke were dating, and he genuinely seemed to like her.

Didn’t he?