Chapter Seven

Wyatt strolled, hands tucked in his jeans pockets, down the boardwalk. He gazed out over the beach on his left, watching the seagulls float on the wind above and listening to the soft crash of waves. The breeze was cool, comfortable, as it ruffled his shirt. He sucked in a deep breath of salty air.

He’d never much cared for any of it before. The beach was just a normal part of his life. He was as thrilled about it as a lifelong Manhattanite would be walking past the Empire State Building for the millionth time. But today it made him smile—not that he’d really stopped since leaving Bread and Butter.

He’d been surprised when he saw Tori walking toward him, hadn’t realized that Georgina had planned the meeting for both of them. Again. How was he supposed to focus on creating a brilliant wedding concept and winning this gig when she was right there? Maybe some people were fueled by the presence of their competitor, but he’d already known she’d be nothing more than a distraction for him. Like he didn’t already have enough on his mind.

But then she’d smiled at something he said, not the polite kind but a true, genuine grin, and it was like he was knocked right back under that wedding tent with her. He felt the same swelling of pride he had then, the same pride he still felt now as he walked the boardwalk.

Of course, their little back and forth had ended right along with the meeting, and they’d gone back to being two competing businesses, but, man, had he enjoyed those few minutes in between. She’d taken what would have been—for him, at least—an awkward meal full of small talk and catching up into a challenge of wits. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had so much fun, aside from that night on the beach.

And this had just been breakfast.

Wyatt’s phone trilled in his back pocket, and he hoped for the briefest second it was her. But another name lit up the screen.

“Good morning, Astrid,” he said brightly. Even his annoying little sister no doubt calling about some work issue couldn’t bring him down. “What can I do for you?”

“Where are you? You’ve usually come by the office by now.” And that’s saying something, her tone implied.

“I’m down by the beach. I decided to go for a walk after my breakfast meeting.”

“Your meeting? But that was two hours ago.”

Was it really? He pulled his phone away to check the time. “Huh, would you look at that? It’s so nice out today I didn’t even notice.”

There was a lengthy pause on Astrid’s end. “Are you okay?”

“Of course I am. I was trying to clear my head and work up some ideas for Dani and Collin’s wedding.” Not that it had done much good. So far all he’d managed to think about was Tori’s smile. “Why do you ask?”

“I don’t know. You sound oddly…chipper or something. Like you’re in a weirdly good mood for having just finished a work meeting.”

“I do have good meetings occasionally.”

“Do you though?” He heard what sounded like the tapping of a keyboard before it suddenly halted. “Wait. Would this cheery side of you have anything to do with a certain woman?”

His smile fell. “What woman?”

“The one you ran off with at the wedding Sunday night.”

Dang it. After two days, he was really hoping she’d forgotten about that. “What? No. Can’t a guy just be happy after meeting with some old friends?”

“Any other guy, sure. You?” She tapped a few more things out on the keyboard. “So what’s her name? Tell me all about her.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Come on, Wyatt. You know if you don’t tell me, I’ll just get the information somewhere else. I’m not the only one who saw you two leave.”

He shook his head, already regretting this. “Her name is Tori, she’s a wedding planner, and that’s all there is to tell you.” Hopefully, that would be enough to satisfy her curiosity.

“She’s a wedding planner too? That’s perfect.”

“Except that she’s my competition. She just took over Planned to Perfection.”

“Are you kidding? That’s even better! It’s the classic tale of lovers separated by seemingly impossible circumstances. I love it. Gammie is going to eat this up.”

“This isn’t one of your books, Astrid. Reality rarely measures up to the stories in our heads.” He knew that truth better than just about anyone. “And you’re not telling Gammie anything because there is nothing to tell.”

She harrumphed on the other end. Good. She was giving up. For now at least. “Fine. But will you at least tell me when you’re planning to come in today? You’ve got a list about a mile long of calls you need to make.”

Oh right. He was supposed to start calling around about decoration pieces for the New Orleans–themed wedding. But the last thing he wanted to do was stay cooped up in his office making endless calls on a day like this. “Any chance you want to do that for me?”

“You’re joking, right?”

“I’ve already listed out what and how much I need from each place. All you’d have to do is read off it and confirm they have what I want before you order. Easy peasy.”

“If it’s so easy, why don’t you do it?”

Of course she’d ask that. “Isn’t it more important that I focus on ideas for the Bedland wedding? It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Astrid.”

Only silence answered him. He stopped walking, hung his head low. “I’ll buy you a new audiobook.”

“Five,” she countered immediately.

Wyatt’s lips curved. “How about three, and I’ll let you use my desk chair while you work.”

She snorted. “Like I wasn’t already,” she said. “Fine, three audiobooks. But you have to actually put some effort into picking them out. No randomly choosing solely based on the shirtless men and scantily clad women clinging to them on the covers.”

“Thanks, Astrid. Have I ever told you how amazing you are?”

“Several times, and yet I still don’t get tired of hearing it.”

He chuckled. “Bye, Astrid.” He slipped his phone into his back pocket and continued down the boardwalk. After another five minutes, he reached what he hadn’t realized he’d been heading toward for the last hour. He stepped onto the sand, making his way down the nearly empty beach until he stood several feet from the water, right in front of Waiting Rock.

For years after the war ended, every day, she swam out to that rock and waited for him, knowing he’d come home to her someday.

How heartbreakingly beautiful and sad and hopeful it was all at the same time. If Tori could come up with something like that on the fly, there was no telling what she could do with two weeks. He was really going to have to go above and beyond if he had any hopes of competing with her. And after today’s playful back and forth over breakfast, he was actually looking forward to it.

They sat on that rock for hours just talking. And even though they’d only just met, they had an instant connection.

Wyatt knew exactly what that was like. The night he’d met Tori was like finding a childhood friend again. Based on the story Collin and Dani had just shared over breakfast, they’d felt a similar, inexplicable bond.

Those kinds of connections really existed, not just in stories like the one Tori had told. There were strangers walking around out there, unknowingly waiting for that day when they would run into each other and everything would click into place. It reminded him of tales about soulmates and past lives, how some people just seemed to recognize each other without ever having met before.

And to think that it all came down to a single moment.

For Wyatt, it had been the instant she’d suggested playing baseball with a nonexistent ghost. She could have easily laughed off him and his story, but instead she’d gone with it, even encouraged his rampantly running thoughts.

For Collin and Danica, it had been a simple candlelit dinner beside a food truck. Few other moments in their lives together would ever be more perfect than that one, and now as a wedding planner, Wyatt was tasked with trying to create a moment that was even better.

No. He didn’t want to top it, but he could certainly help share their beautiful story with the people they loved on the most important day of their lives.

Wyatt sat on the warm sand, pulled up the notes app on his phone, and started creating.