Wish Upon a Wedding (3 page)

“Whoa there.” Danny held up his hands. “Don't get your panties in a wad. She's like a sister to me.”

“My panties aren't in a wad.”

“Oh.” Danny laughed. “So you wear panties?”

“Yeah, thongs.”

“I knew it!”

“Wanna see my whale tail?”

“Thanks, but I'll pass.”

Avery gave his friend a chuckle, and then took a swig of his beer.

“No, seriously, I'm glad you're hanging out with her. She's a cute girl.” Danny tilted his head. “I can kinda see you together.”

“Danny, she's going back to New York. I'm not an idiot. We're just hanging out.”

Danny shrugged. “Well, her sister, Grace, was going back to London and now she's married to my brother. Her mother lives here now and so does her brother Garret when he's not doin' that singing show in London. I kinda think she might consider staying given the right reasons, if you know what I'm sayin'.”

“I don't know what you're sayin'.”

“Right . . .” Danny took a swig of his beer and shrugged. “Geez, don't look at me like that. I'm just makin' a personal observation. Look, I've got to get back to the game. It's cool to see you, though, man.”

“Same here.”

“Don't forget about the pig roast. I'll text you the date and details.”

“Thanks, Danny. We need to get out on the water and fish when the weather warms up.”

“Sounds like a plan.” He clanked his bottle to Avery's. “Now go find your girl.”

“She's . . .” Avery was about to protest that Sophia wasn't his
girl
but Danny pivoted and started weaving his way through the crowd.
His girl.
Avery shook his
head. Wow, he had it bad and it must be written all over his damned face. He told himself once again to cool his jets, but then he looked across the bar and spotted Sophia sitting at a high-top table with Carrie Ann. She sat sideways so he could see her profile and when she tipped her head back and laughed at something Carrie Ann said Avery had to smile.

Damn . . .

The rest of the bar faded into the background when Avery zoned in on Sophia, taking in how cute and sexy she looked in dark blue jeans and a pink sweater hugging her in all the right places. The overhead lighting picked up the extra blond in her caramel-colored hair. He noticed that her cut was a few inches shorter, grazing the top of her shoulders in a bouncy, flirty way. She'd crossed her legs and when a new song came on she tapped her foot in rhythm to the beat.

Avery suddenly wondered how it would feel to have her in his arms, dancing. . . . Avery usually wasn't much of a dancer, but he wanted to dance with Sophia something fierce.

As he walked toward her, Avery felt another jolt of nervous anticipation. He racked his brain for something clever to say but when he reached her table all he could think of was “Hi.”

Sophia gave him a rather shy smile. “Hello, Avery. I'm glad that you came out tonight.”

“I wouldn't miss it,” he said and felt silly. This wasn't an event, just a Wednesday night out.

“Um, hello, what am I, chopped liver?” Carrie Ann asked, and then made a face at him.

“Not hardly.” Avery leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“Well, now, that's much better. I'll buy you that promised beer after all.” Carrie Ann gave him a little head bop. “Just keep the compliments comin'.”

Avery chuckled but shook his head. “No, this round is on me, ladies. What are y'all drinkin'?”

Carrie Ann held up her pilsner glass. “Somethin' called Spellbound from Broomstick Brewery. Very tasty.”

Avery looked at Sophia. “Same for you?”

“I, um, had Love Potion.” She pressed her lips together and blushed. “We did a flight of some new ales but this one is still my go-to favorite. Would you like a sip?”

“Yes, thanks.” He'd probably tasted the brew before but there was something about taking a sip of her drink that appealed to him. When she handed him the glass and when their fingers brushed he felt another zap of awareness. He took a swallow and licked the hoppy taste from his bottom lip. “Oh, a winter ale. I like it . . . What is it again?”

“Love Potion.”

“Number nine?”

“No, this is my first,” Sophia said, and then laughed. “If I have nine, you'll have to carry me out of here.”

Avery laughed with her, loving Sophia's sense of humor. In truth, carrying her out of there held some serious appeal.

Carrie Ann tapped her glass to his. “Here's to having it work.”

“Carrie Ann!” Sophia said, but Carrie Ann just shrugged and laughed.

“Love potion number ni-e-i-e-ine,” she sang.

Avery chuckled. Carrie Ann was one of his favorite people. “I'll be right back.” He handed the glass back to Sophia whose cheeks were blushed a pretty shade of pink, probably caused by Carrie Ann's comment. She looked so damned cute that Avery had the urge to pull her into his arms and kiss her. His gaze lingered on her mouth and when her eyes widened just a fraction he caught himself and turned away. As he walked toward the bar he knew that he didn't need a love potion. He'd been sweet on Sophia ever since she'd served him
breakfast at Walking on Sunshine Bistro last summer. They'd flirted but it was all in fun and he needed to keep it that way. He sure as hell didn't need to get his heart shredded to pieces again, but try as he might he couldn't quite shake the excitement of being attracted to her.

Just as Avery approached the bar he felt a sharp nudge from behind. He turned around and grinned. “Well, hey there, Uncle Easton.”

“Hey, yourself,” his uncle said with his usual wide grin. “Son, I've been trying to get you out to grab a cold one for ages. What brings you here tonight?”

“I fixed Carrie Ann's washing machine over at her salon. She invited me out for a beer.”

An odd look passed over Uncle Easton's face. “Really? You're here with Carrie Ann?”

“Seriously, Uncle Easton?” He'd always suspected that his uncle had a thing for Carrie Ann and now he was sure. “Don't you think she's a little . . . uh, mature for me?”

“I dunno.” His uncle shifted from one foot to the other, appeared a bit flustered, and then shrugged. “She could be one of those . . . what do you call 'em?” He looked into his glass of beer as if it held the answer.

“A cougar?”

He looked back up and pointed at Avery. “Yeah, one of those.”

Avery resisted the urge to laugh, and then clamped his hand on his uncle's shoulder. “Carrie Ann is here with Sophia and she asked me to come along out of politeness.” And he suspected a bit of matchmaking had played a part in the invitation but he wasn't going to get that conversation started. His uncle had been all over his ass lately to get back into the dating scene. Avery considered it funny advice coming from a man who proclaimed to be a confirmed bachelor.

“Oh, I gotcha.”

“Yeah.” Avery nodded. “I came over to the bar to buy a round. I could use a hand carrying the drinks back to the table. Why don't you join us?”

“Sure, why not?” he said casually but seemed more than a little pleased. It didn't go unnoticed that whenever Carrie Ann and his uncle were in the same room they seemed to gravitate toward each other so much so that there'd often been speculation about them.

“Cool,” Avery said and signaled for the bartender. Although his uncle made it clear that he never wanted to get tied down, he was actively social in and around Cricket Creek. A natural athlete of some local note, he'd play anything from softball to cornhole and you were considered lucky to have him on your team. He could two-step with the best of them, had an exceptional singing voice and a great sense of humor. He was one of those George Clooney kind of guys who aged well, a gene that Avery hoped he'd inherited. Avery handed Carrie Ann's beer to his uncle. “Ready?”

“Son, I was born ready.”

Avery laughed, knowing that would be his uncle's response. They were stopped several times while trying to make their way back to the table and while Avery liked seeing his buddies, he kept glancing over at Sophia. He noticed that he wasn't the only one looking her way and when some dude approached her it was all he could do not to march over there and step between them. To his relief, Sophia shook her head at whatever the guy asked.

“Maybe you oughta hustle on over there and stake your claim,” Uncle Easton said and gave Avery's arm a nudge, nearly making him spill one of the beers.

“I don't have a claim to stake.”

“That's the whole point.”

“Sophia might be leaving Cricket Creek.”

“And she might not.”

“Uncle Easton . . .”

“Just keep that in mind. That's all I'm sayin'. Ask
her to dance or somethin' before someone else does. What's the harm in that?”

The harm was getting something started that he shouldn't. “It's not that simple,” Avery argued.

“I beg to differ. You take the drinks over to them, ask Sophia to dance and then take her hand.”

“You're assuming she'll say yes.”

“There's only one way to find out.”

“I don't know . . .”

“Well then, ask her to play darts or pool or somethin'.”

Avery nibbled on the inside of his lip, thinking. “Why is this so damned difficult?”

“It's not.”

“How did I know you were gonna say that?”

“Make up your mind before these beers get warm.”

Avery inhaled a deep breath. Decision time. “Okay . . .”

All My Single Ladies

A
fter spotting Easton Fisher standing alongside Avery chatting away, Carrie Ann reached up and fluffed her hair thinking she should have used a Bumpit for a little extra oomph.

“Well, now,” Sophia said in a suggestive tone.

“‘Well, now' what?” Carrie Ann asked, wondering if she still had lipstick on and if her perfume still smelled nice.

“I caught you staring at Easton.” Sophia angled her head toward the bar. “He's pretty hot for an old guy.”

“I know.” When Easton and Avery stopped to talk to Danny Mayfield, Carrie Ann quickly dug in her purse for her tube of lipstick. She applied a quick swipe of red gloss over her lips. “Wait . . . he's not
old
.” She rubbed her lips together and made a face at Sophia.

“I'm just teasing.” Sophia leaned forward. “So, what's the deal with you two?”

“There's no deal.” She'd carried a torch for the man ever since high school, and Lord have mercy, if he didn't get better-looking every time she laid eyes on him.

And she laid her eyes on him whenever she got the chance.

Sophia glanced over to where Easton and Avery stood. “Why not? He's single, right?”

“Far as I know.” She gave Sophia a slight shrug. She ran her tongue over her teeth and wondered if she should pop a Tic Tac in her mouth and head to the ladies' to spray on a little more perfume. “How do you know him, anyway, sugar?”

“Well, he came into Walking on Sunshine for lunch on a regular basis. He seems super nice. Friendly. I also seem to recall how you would somehow always be there at the same time,” she said with a mischievous grin.

Carrie Ann flushed. Easton went way beyond just being a looker. The man oozed Southern charm and had a smile that made her melt like a cube of sugar in hot tea. And he could fix damn near anything. What more could a girl possibility want? The fact that he'd remained a bachelor puzzled all of the single ladies in Cricket Creek. She risked another glance in Easton's direction. The man looked mighty fine in his blue jeans and Western-cut shirt. While Carrie Ann vowed to never tie the knot, if Easton, by some quirk of fate, ever proposed to her, she would at least have to give it some serious consideration. It would be worth it just for the honeymoon. Mercy . . . but that thought had her needing to fan her face.

“So . . .” Sophia gave Carrie Ann a questioning tilt of her head.

“So what?” Carrie Ann tried to appear confused and hoped her face wasn't flushing again.

“Oh, come on.” Sophia wagged her finger back and forth from Easton to Carrie Ann. “Why don't you make a play for him?”

“Because I like to be footloose and fancy-free,” Carrie Ann answered firmly. But Easton was truly the one man who could change her mind about marriage.
If he put a ring under her nose, she was pretty sure she'd cave and accept. Still, even though he made her heart go pitter-patter, she kept her feelings for him locked away inside a safe place. “I don't need somebody snappin' his fingers and tellin' me I need to get dinner on the table or bring him a beer.”

“Carrie Ann, relationships aren't like that anymore. And Easton doesn't seem like the type of guy to issue orders to a woman. You're a successful business owner. You wouldn't have to lose your independence if you fell in love.”

“I'm just too set in my ways,” she argued, even though she knew what her real issue was. When her daddy died from a sudden heart attack at the age of thirty-eight, Carrie Ann's mother bought A Cut Above and worked long hours while Carrie Ann went from captain of the cheerleading squad to being the caretaker for her two younger sisters. And although Mary Spencer put on a happy face for her girls, Carrie Ann could see the sorrow in her mother's eyes. Carrie Ann vowed never to fall in love and risk suffering that kind of pain. She wouldn't even get a dog for that reason.

“Are you sure about that?” Sophia looked at her closely.

“Yeah, who wants to be tied down?” Carrie Ann replied, but when she risked another glance at Easton, she reckoned that being tied down by him could be satisfying in more ways than one.

Oh boy . . .

Carrie Ann picked up her beer coaster and started fanning her face.

“You okay?” Sophia gave her a curious look.

“Damned hot flash,” Carrie Ann explained, but left out that the sudden heat was brought on by the vision of being handcuffed to Easton Fisher's bed, not hormones.

“My mom gets those,” Sophia said with a sympathetic nod.

“Are you kiddin' me?” Carrie Ann turned her attention to Sophia. “It's hard for me to imagine your supermodel mama breaking a sweat.”

Sophia laughed. “Well, she does. Hey, not only has Jimmy Topmiller made her into an excellent bass angler, but he's gotten her into hiking and camping. And she loves running the fishing camp for needy kids. So yeah, she sweats and gets muddy. She even curses once in a while.”

“Yeah, but with that English accent of hers, I bet it still sounds polite.”

Sophia laughed. “True. But trust me—she's a lot tougher that she looks.”

Carrie Ann reached over and put her hand briefly over Sophia's. “You know I'm just teasing, don't you, sugar? The charity work your mama and Jimmy Topmiller are doing with their fishing camp for underprivileged kids is just fantastic. Those kids probably don't know that they're being taught to fish by one of the greatest pro bass anglers to ever live.”

“No, but Jimmy never would tell them. He's a pretty humble guy, and according to Mom, he wasn't ever comfortable with having money. She had to convince him that being rich isn't a bad thing if you put the money to good use.”

“Smart woman, your mama. And Jimmy is damned easy on the eyes.”

“Another hot old guy.”

Carrie Ann narrowed her eyes, but Sophia only laughed.

“Speaking of hot old guys, Easton is heading our way.”

Carrie Ann lifted one shoulder and tried to ignore the extra thumping of her heart. “Well, he has a hot young guy with him.”

“I told you that Avery and I are just friends.”

“Right. I know that the sudden flush in your cheeks has nothing to do with a hot flash, girlie.”

Sophia plucked at her pink sweater. “It's a little warm in here.”

“Ha, you can't fool me, young lady.”

“And you can't fool me, either,” Sophia shot back. “I think you should go for it.”

“Go for what, exactly?”

Sophia leaned over and whispered, “A kiss.”

“Oh, come on.” Carrie Ann waved a dismissive hand but her heart thumped at the thought. “No way.” She gave Sophia a level look. “What? I can see the wheels turning.”

“I will if you will,” Sophia said, but then pressed her lips together as if with instant regret. She glanced down at her ale.

“Seriously?” Carrie Ann was a sucker for a challenge. “So, you'll go for a kiss from Avery?”

Sophia swallowed hard but then nodded. “Yes.” She looked down at her beer again. “Maybe this really is a love potion. Are you in?”

“Do we need proof?” Luckily Easton and Avery were still deep in conversation buying her time to back out.

Sophia shook her head. “The honor system will do.”

“No . . .” Carrie Ann shook her head so hard that her hair actually moved.

“Chicken?”

“Oh, you fight dirty.” Carrie Ann tapped her fingernail against her glass.

“Hurry up and answer,” she said urgently. “They're heading this way again.”

“This is insane,” Carrie Ann whispered fiercely. “Girl, you're crazier than a bedbug.”

“But it's kinda fun.” Sophia bit her bottom lip. “I mean, a harmless little kiss never hurt anybody, right?”

Carrie Ann opened her mouth to protest, but the sudden scent of Easton's aftershave made her brain short-circuit.

“You in?” Sophia mouthed.

Carrie Ann closed her eyes, but then nodded.

Sophia smiled, but suddenly looked a little bit skittish.

“Look who I found,” Avery said with a grin. He handed Sophia the glass of ale. “Sophia, you know my uncle, Easton, right?”

“Of course.” Sophia nodded. “From the bistro. Nice to see you, Easton.”

“It's nice to see your pretty face too, Sophia.” He turned his gaze to Carrie Ann. “Always a pleasure, Carrie Ann.” He placed the ale in front of her.

“Why, thank you, Easton.”

“Avery bought it. I'm just your humble servant.”

“Well then, thanks, Avery. I still owe you one.”

“Oh no, I've got the next round.” Easton tapped his chest.

“Well, I won't argue then,” Carrie Ann said.

Easton shrugged and tipped his bottle back. “Wouldn't do you any good.”

“You might be surprised. She can be very persuasive,” Sophia pointed out and Avery nodded.

Easton lowered his bottle. “That so?”

“When I set my mind to something,” Carrie Ann shot back, but her pulse quickened when Easton bestowed his sexy as all get-out smile upon her. The warmth in her cheeks had nothing to do with a hot flash and she had to put her hand around the cold glass in an effort to cool down. She often wondered if she had the same effect on Easton or if the attraction was one-sided. Well, she supposed Sophia's silly kiss challenge would get to the bottom of that.

“Avery, would you like to play a game of pool?” Sophia suddenly asked, giving Carrie Ann a go-for-it arch of one eyebrow. “I've gotten a little bit better since the last time we played.”

“Sure, Danny and some guys are already over there playing,” Avery replied. “Let's go tell them we've got the winners.”

“Okay, sounds like fun,” Sophia said.

“Good luck,” Easton said, apparently oblivious to Sophia's blatant scheme to leave them alone at the table. Normally, Carrie Ann would be perfectly content to be alone with Easton, but the whole kissing thing bounced around in her head like a pinball. Well, she didn't
have
to do it, she reminded herself.

“Somethin' on your mind?” Easton asked.

Yeah, kissing you.
“Oh . . . no, why?”

“You're frowning.”

“No, I'm fine as a frog's hair.” Carrie Ann forced a smile and took a drink of her beer.

“Frog's don't have hair.”

“Then I'm pretty doggone fine.”

Easton chuckled. “I'd say you're right.”

“Tasty,” she said, and took another swig of her beer.

“Mason Mayfield is a talented brewmaster. Danny just told me that they are thinking of expanding Broomstick Brewery again to keep up with the demand. Their beers are popping up in restaurants all over the county and I've heard they've won some awards.”

“Another Cricket Creek success story,” Carrie Ann said. “This little town has come a long way ever since Noah Falcon came back home and built the baseball stadium.”

Easton nodded. “I agree. Tourism sure has breathed life back into Cricket Creek. I guess the whole ‘if we build it they will come' thing is really true. But I still wish I could have saved Fisher Hardware.”

“Your repair business seems to be going like gangbusters, though.”

“Yeah, more than Avery and I dreamed. Just goes to show you that when one door closes . . .” He tapped his bottle to her glass. “And your salon seems to be busy.”

“It is.” Carrie Ann nodded slowly, wondering if she should share her idea for White Lace and Promises with him.

“There you go frowning again.”

“Sorry. I have some things on my mind.”

“Anything I can help with?” As Easton looked at her with gorgeous blue eyes that were full of sincerity, it suddenly hit Carrie Ann that if she went through with the silly-ass kiss challenge that she risked ruining a perfectly good friendship. No, she wasn't going to go through with it.

“No, but thanks for askin', Easton.”

“You can bend my ear whenever you want. You know that, right?”

She nodded and took another sip of her beer.

“Hey, would you like to dance?”

“D-dance?”

“Two-step.”

“Oh, Easton, it's been ages since I've danced,” she said, instantly feeling like a loser for admitting such a thing. But the last time she'd danced, she'd been at a wedding and it was to the song “It's Raining Men.”

“Just follow my lead.”

Carrie Ann opened her mouth to protest, but when he stood up and offered his hand, she was powerless to resist. “I gotta warn ya, I might break all of your toes.”

“A risk I'm willing to take,” Easton said as he led her to the dance floor. Others were already twirling around in the outside circle.

“Oh, you say that now . . .” she mumbled.

Easton was a smooth, effortless dancer—very easy to follow. His sure grip on her hip guided her around the circle and, before long, Carrie Ann relaxed and found herself smiling and laughing when his spins and twirls became a little bit more advanced.

“I knew you'd pick it up easily. After all, you were a cheerleader and on the dance team, if I recall correctly.”

He remembered? “A million years ago.”

“Well, girl, you've still got it.”

And so did Easton . . . in spades. By the end of the
George Strait ballad, Carrie Ann felt flushed and breathless. But just as she thought they were going to exit the dance floor a slower song came on and Carrie Ann found herself swaying to the music in Easton Fisher's strong arms.

Easton threaded his fingers through her right hand and she rested her other hand on his shoulder. She could feel the warmth of his skin through the soft cotton of his shirt and the spice of his aftershave filled her head. After a moment, he pulled her slightly closer and she felt an ache, a longing so intense that her breath caught. She liked this feeling way more than she should. He sang “If I Know Me” in her ear and she was unsurprised to find that he had a great voice as well. Was there anything he couldn't do? Well, she sure as shootin' knew something she wanted him to do.