by Robyn Neeley
“Well, that depends. Is seeing a ghost really out of the ordinary for our family?”
She laughed and conceded, “Probably not, but I’ve never seen one.”
“Well, don’t worry. According to Aunt Sheila, it’s our grandmother’s imaginary friend.”
“What?” She set her vegetables down, giving him a hard look.
“Long story.”
“Good thing I’m making hors d’oeuvres for a party of one hundred. You have plenty of time to fill me in while I work on my crudité displays, three-cheese artichoke bites, and stuffed mushrooms. Start talking.”
Josh pulled out a high stool, took a seat, and relayed yesterday’s events to an astonished Abby. “And now you’re caught up,” he said, swiping a carrot stick and taking a bite.
“I knew I was right about that crazy spoon!” She shook her head. “But the woman was definitely real. I mean, what about the old photograph of her holding the blue box outside the theater? Surely, an imaginary friend wouldn’t show up in pictures.”
“No, I’m all but sure Mary was real, and I’d bet anything she was the woman in the photo. I don’t know what to make of any of it.” He grabbed a tiny bottle of Madagascar vanilla oil, his latest purchase that Beverly had packed in the front of his essential oil case. “One thing is for sure, that spoon isn’t going anywhere. Jason and I locked it up in the safe last night.”
“Good thing.” She shivered. “Although, I hate the thought of Emma working alone in the bakery with it so near.”
“She’ll be fine. It’s been there in her safe for months.”
“I know, but I’m going to start watching that shimmering utensil like a hawk.” Abby headed over to the sink and began rinsing three stocks of celery. “So, Casanova, I also heard through the Buttermilk grapevine that you didn’t sleep here last night.”
“I need to chop that thing down.” He smiled dryly. Brandon must have told his wife that he’d witnessed her brother returning to the inn earlier this morning. Brandon had given him a smart-aleck grin as Josh headed up stairs.
“So . . .”
“So . . . what?”
“Oh, come on. Did you spend the night with Caitlin?”
“I spent the night at Caitlin’s,” he corrected, adding, “It’s not what you’re thinking. She was seriously spooked about the blue spoon. I wasn’t going to leave her alone.” He wasn’t about to admit to his sister that if the incident hadn’t happened, he still would have spent the night but not on the sofa.
“You know she’s engaged to Adam, right?”
“That’s not happening. They’re breaking up.” He unscrewed the new vanilla scent, took a whiff, and was instantly pleased at what he smelled. It definitely had potential. “Besides, I’m sure you know by now that the wedding was some dumb idea Marilyn Jenkins had to boost tourism.”
“Well, I don’t want to be Caitlin when news breaks that they aren’t getting married.” She looked at him, eyes filled with accusation. “You two did sleep together last night. That’s why she’s breaking up with Adam, isn’t it?”
“Abby. News flash. They were never a couple.”
“They weren’t?” Abby asked, nose scrunched. “Are you sure about that? She seemed to suggest they were.”
“She was lying. They both were. Adam called me and spilled the beans a couple of days ago. They were only pretending to be a couple to make Rachel jealous. Adam’s still in love with her.”
Abby seemed genuinely surprised by that news. “So, Adam confesses to you that he was never dating Caitlin, and all of a sudden you show up out of nowhere with no plans to leave anytime soon . . .” Abby brought her celery to the kitchen island, pulling from the first stock. “That’s why you came home, isn’t it?” She jabbed him in the chest with a piece of celery.
“You want your shot with Caitlin.”
Yes! He shrugged, downplaying just how much he did want his shot. “I might like to take her out . . . get to know the mother of my children.”
Abby grabbed a knife and began chopping. “Well, I’m happy you’re going after what you want.”
His eyebrow went up at that news. “Seriously? You’d be okay with us dating?”
“Of course I would.” She continued to chop. “I mean, yeah, it’s Caitlin Reynolds, and she’s done some seriously terrible things in the past, but I know she’s not that person anymore. We spent a lot of time together when we were both pregnant. I don’t think I could have gotten through my pregnancy without her.” She waved her knife in the air. “You two would be great together besides the fact you’ve already started a family.”
He laughed sarcastically, but agreed. “Yeah, we would definitely be doing things a little backwards.”
“You think?” She frowned. “But what about the batter? Even if Caitlin and Adam were pretending to be a couple, Emma’s never been wrong. Sure, she had trouble casting a spell at first with that wretched spoon only producing your name, but that night with Caitlin, it really looked like she’d done it right. Unless . . .” her voice trailed.
“Unless, what?”
Her eyes widened. “Maybe it was the spoon interfering.”
Up until yesterday, he would have thought his sister’s insinuation was crazy. Now he wasn’t so sure. “It’s like it’s deliberately taunting me. I just about lost it when we found it in Lily’s crib.”
“You know.” Abby reached for her phone on the kitchen’s island and pulled up a picture of her daughter. “This little turkey was able to conjure up a spell to make it rain while still in my belly. She liked to play tricks on her daddy. I wonder if Lily might have the magic gene, too.”
Just what he needed. Given he had a one in three chance, it was entirely possible that one, if not all, of his kids could do magic. His phone buzzed and he reached into his pants, hoping it was Caitlin calling to tell him that the wedding had been called off. Glancing down at his phone, he saw it was her partner in crime instead.
“Hey, Adam.”
“Hey. Have you seen Caitlin? She’s not picking up her cell phone, and Penny said she left the house over an hour ago.”
“Not since this morning. She had some errands to run, including undoing the mess you two have gotten yourselves into.”
“For the record, I’m completely innocent. Agreeing to get engaged was all her. Anyways, listen. I need you both to meet me at the theater. Tom and I were doing some work in the lobby and there’s a bit of a situation.”
“Everything okay?” Josh shook his head. Why did he bother to ask that question anymore?
“Yeah. It’s hard to explain. It’s not an emergency, but if you could get here as soon as you can that would be great.”
“Okay, I’ll leave in five.” Josh put his phone in his pocket, picked up his supplies, and returned them to the office, locking the door.
“You’re done already?” Abby asked.
“For now. I’ve got to go meet Adam at the theater. I’ll see you later.”
“Say hi to Mary for me,” she quipped.
“Very funny.”
“Josh, are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
“About the ghost?”
“No. About the very much alive and breathing mother of your children. I don’t want to see either of you hurt. If you have feelings for Caitlin, you need to tell her.”
Josh grinned. “Noted,” he said and rushed out of the kitchen, heading upstairs to grab his car keys and wallet.
That’s exactly what he planned on doing. Today, he’d admit to Caitlin just how strong his feelings for her were and hoped to God she felt the same way.
12
Caitlin took a deep breath and entered the dress shop. She’d practiced her speech the whole ride over, which took all of five minutes, but it should be a short conversation. She’d tell Marilyn that she and Adam had just started dating and getting engaged, let alone married, over a six-week time period was simply out of the question.
Stepping into the boutique, she couldn’t help but
remember the last time she’d been in here. She’d helped Bridget pick out her wedding dress for her Las Vegas nuptials to Tom. The couple had a short engagement, neither wanting to wait after Emma had predicted their coupling.
She sighed. Why hadn’t Josh’s named appeared in her own batter? If it had, would he be willing to go along with Marilyn’s silly idea? She’d like to think yes.
Though she was looking forward to their lunch date, her thoughts had already dashed ahead to later tonight. Would he stay over again and protect her and the kids from any spooky ghosts? She was pretty sure he would if she asked. That was the type of guy she was learning Josh was.
Though if he even leaned in for a kiss, she wasn’t taking any chances of being interrupted. She’d lead him to her bedroom immediately.
Her cheeks warmed at that scenario.
“Caitlin! I was hoping that was you.” Marilyn rushed over, handing her a champagne flute. “I was just in the back popping the bubbly for your arrival.” The boutique owner had on a pretty pale green dress with a chunky orange necklace. Caitlin loved the contrast.
“Thank you.” Caitlin held onto the glass, not sure she really needed to be drinking at ten in the morning. “I love your dress, Mrs. Jenkins,” she paused. “I mean, Marilyn.”
“Thank you. Even after all these years, I look forward to choosing my outfit for work.” She chuckled and then scrunched her nose. “Although, you should have seen some of my getups back in the eighties. Thank heavens shoulder pads and neon went out of style.”
Caitlin smiled, looking down at her pale peach peasant top and jeans. After this, she planned on getting some things done at the theater. She’d chosen an outfit to work in that still looked cute enough for her special lunch date.
“I thought we could start out with a few of this season’s most popular dresses,” Marilyn said.
“Dresses?”
“Wedding dresses, silly. You need something absolutely beautiful to wear for your walk down the aisle.” She leaned in. “And we’ll get you squared away for your wedding night, too. I’ve already placed an order for some sample negligees from New York City. They should arrive in about a week or two. We’ll find something that Adam is sure to love.”
The thought of Adam loving her in a sheer nightie was all Caitlin needed to take a large gulp of her champagne and then drain it. Time to fess up. “Um, Marilyn . . . about the wedding . . .”
“It’s going to be incredibly romantic. We’ve lined up a photographer who will take your engagement photos. I checked the extended forecast this morning, and nothing but blue skies. I was thinking we could shoot them at Champagne Hill winery or perhaps at Brandon’s inn. From there, we’ll start working on our destination wedding website.” She clapped her hands. “It’s going to be so much fun! Let’s get started.”
Before Caitlin could stop her, Marilyn flew through the shop and disappeared into the back. Caitlin walked over to a mannequin near the front, displaying a gorgeous full-length wedding gown with beaded detail. She couldn’t help touch the white satin fabric.
She smiled, envisioning herself wearing it, walking down the aisle to a very familiar tall, dark, and handsome groom waiting for her at the altar.
It would be a cool October day with the hills radiating fall colors. They’d pick the perfect place for their outdoor wedding at the highest point of Buttermilk Ladder against the backdrop of the crystal blue lake. All of their friends and family would be there.
Once the wedding march began, she’d beam up at her proud father who would escort her down the aisle. The triplets would be sitting in the front row on the laps of their three other grandparents. She’d stop to give each a kiss on the forehead before taking her place opposite their father.
“I do,” she stated, and her heart sped up, approving her words. “You have no idea how much I do.”
“Practicing your wedding vows?”
Caitlin snapped out of her fantasy and turned around. Marilyn had in her hands the
same gown that was on the mannequin. “Marilyn . . .” Caitlin put her hand to her heart.
“It’s gorgeous, isn’t it?”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything more breathtaking.” It would be the perfect dress to wear for her perfect fall wedding to the man she loved. “But . . . um . . . I really should tell you—”
“Let me take that.” Marilyn motioned for Caitlin to hand over her empty flute. “You can get started in the dressing room, and I’ll bring you some more champagne.”
Caitlin stared at the gorgeous gown. It would be fun to try on the dress and pretend her fantasy of marrying Josh was reality. “Okay. Let’s do it.”
“Right this way, dear.” Marilyn motioned.
Caitlin followed the boutique owner toward the dressing room. What would be the harm in trying on one dress?
* * *
Josh walked down Main Street toward the theater. Since Adam had told him it wasn’t an emergency, he’d stopped by the Sugar Spoon to check in on Emma and make sure there were no other incidents involving the blue spoon. There weren’t, so he had grabbed a coffee and decided to leave his car at the bakery and walk over to the theater, getting some fresh air.
He’d tried to get Caitlin on the phone, but it had gone straight to voice mail. One day he’d have to have a talk with her about answering her phone. Although he was sure everything was fine, what if it had been an emergency?
Who was he kidding? It was an emergency. His immediately needing to see the brunette beauty before his insides burst. It had only been a few hours, but he missed her like crazy.
He paused outside the boutique. Surely by now Caitlin had the conversation with the owner that the wedding was off. He’d pop in and see if Marilyn knew where she went to next.
He was more than a little curious how Caitlin had broken the news that she and Adam would not be the Buttermilk Falls poster couple. He shook his head. The town would survive.
Would they really blame Caitlin and Adam if they couldn’t go through with their destination wedding marketing plans? Couldn’t another couple step in? Someone had to be getting married this fall, or maybe he should ask Emma to cast another Batter Up spell on a bachelorette. But if Emma had been wrong about Caitlin’s soul mate—and damn straight she was—he wouldn’t want another bachelorette to marry some other Buttermilk Falls bachelor who wasn’t meant for her.
All he knew was once this charade was a rap, he was going to finally tell Caitlin the truth. He wasn’t quite sure how he’d reveal to her that his feelings weren’t new but that he’d loved her since he could remember.
His initial plan was to wait until he’d replicated her scent, but he was quickly realizing that 1) maybe instead of a grand romantic gesture, it might come off a little creepy, and 2) he hadn’t replicated it yet and wasn’t quite sure if he ever would. There was something mixed in with vanilla that made her sweet scent unique, yet he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.
Reaching the door to the dress shop, he went in and immediately felt way out of his element. Beautiful white gowns lined both walls. He couldn’t help but imagine a gorgeous Caitlin wearing one as she walked down the aisle toward him. He chuckled. Talk about getting the cart way ahead of the horse.
“Josh Stevens! What a lovely surprise.”
“Hi, Mrs. Jenkins.” He greeted his mother’s old high school friend with a kiss on the cheek. “I take it you haven’t heard the news from my mom that I’m back in town for a few weeks.” He smiled, adding, “Spending time with the kids.”
“I haven’t had a chance to pop in on Jackie. Those precious babies are so adorable. Caitlin showed me a couple pictures this morning on her phone. They are growing like weeds.”
“That they are. Say, I’m looking for their mother and the nanny said she was meeting you here,” he lied, not wanting to admit that he knew about the appointment. “Do you know where she went?”
“Joshua?”
Josh turned and his heart stopped at the sight in front
of him. Caitlin stood looking radiant in a beautiful white dress.
Wait a minute. His muscles tightened. Not just a white dress. A white wedding dress. “Hi,” was the only word he could muster.
“I thought we were meeting at noon. What are you doing here?”
“What are you wearing?” he countered.
Marilyn chuckled. “A wedding dress, silly. It’s a good thing you’re not the groom. That would be bad luck, indeed.”
“Yes, it would,” he said, not masking his sarcasm.
Marilyn continued to dote on Caitlin, oblivious to the tension in the room. “Caitlin, it looks gorgeous on you. I know it’s only the first dress you’ve tried on, but I’ve got a good feeling about this one. Let’s get a man’s opinion.” Marilyn turned to Josh. “What do you think?”
What did he think? That this was bullshit. Caitlin was supposed to be calling off her fictitious wedding, not parading around in a real wedding dress. He had a sneaking suspicion the nuptials between her and his best friend were still very much on.
He stepped directly in front of the bride-to-be. “I think she’s going to look beautiful on her wedding day. My buddy is one lucky man.” He challenged Caitlin with that statement.
“Josh . . .” Caitlin bit down on her lip.
The loud sound of a fire truck siren caused Marilyn to dash to the front of the boutique.
“I can explain.” Caitlin grabbed his arm.
“You always can,” he said flatly.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Josh gazed into Caitlin’s beautiful hazelnut eyes and looked away. Maybe telling her the truth about how he felt was a bad idea.
“Caitlin, come quick,” Marilyn called out.
Caitlin gathered up her dress, and Josh followed her toward the front of the boutique. The fire truck had pulled up in front of the theater.
“Oh, my God. My theater!” Caitlin screamed and dashed for the boutique entrance, opening the glass door.
“Caitlin, where are you going?” Marilyn rushed toward her. “You need to change.”
