"Are you here for the bride or groom?" asked an usher in a tuxedo.
Neither. Haley cleared her throat. She had sort of known the bride a long time ago. "The bride."
Her heart raced, threatening to break through her ribcage and ruin her new turquoise dress.
The usher held out his elbow. "Come with me."
Haley linked her arm through his and hoped he didn't notice her shaking.
He stopped walking next to the seats on the left side. "Do you see anyone you would like to sit with, ma'am?"
Ma'am? What was she, sixty?
"No, I'm by myself."
The usher walked her a few rows down and gestured for her to take a seat. Haley thanked him and sat on the far end, giving actual friends and family a chance to sit by the aisle the bride would walk down soon enough. Haley adjusted the fabric of her dress, pulled out her phone, and pretended to be busy with it.
Someone squeezed Haley's bare shoulder. She glanced up to see the high schooler sporting blue streaks in her dark hair, a nose ring, and an eyebrow piercing. "Thanks for coming." The tough-looking girl smiled with confidence, but Haley could see straight through her baby sister's bravado to the insecurity underneath.
Haley forced a smile. "You'll do great, Jensyn."
She nodded. "I really need this job."
"Yeah, you do, but don't think about that. Just focus on what needs to be done. You've always been a hard worker. Just tap into that."
Jensyn twirled a strand of blue around her finger. "That was a long time ago, Hales. You haven't been back to Enchantment Bay since I was seven."
Haley squirmed in the seat. She wouldn't have been back if Mom hadn't begged and pleaded with her to keep an eye on Jensyn over the summer. Haley squeezed Jensyn's arm. "And now we finally get to know each other beyond screen time."
Jensyn's gaze darted to the back of the courtyard. "I gotta go. Wish me luck. This is my boss's wedding. No pressure."
"You're a Faraway. You'll do great."
"I hope so." Jensyn ran back.
Haley jumped when her phone beeped with a text. She muted the device and checked the message. It was from Mom.
How are my girls?
Good. Jensyn talked me into coming to the wedding.
She didn't wear that short leather skirt, did she?
No. Black pants.
Oh, good. I can't thank you enough for watching her this summer. Aunt Elma's place is worse than I thought.
Don't worry about us. Just get her house ready to sell.
You'll help with that?
Yes, Mom. The wedding's going to start soon. Talk later.
Thanks again.
Haley stuffed her phone inside her purse and glanced around for any familiar faces. After ten years away from the small town she'd grown up in, everyone and everything had changed. She had done her best to put everything about Enchantment Bay out of her mind during those years. In all that time, she hadn't kept in touch with anyone, choosing instead to focus on her work as a realtor and spending most of her waking hours working her way up in the company.
Three chatty couples filed down her row. Haley brought out her phone again, hoping they wouldn't pay her any attention.
"Oh, my gosh. Haley? Haley Faraway?"
So much for that. She slid her phone back into her purse and glanced over to see Elena Todd.
Her big blue eyes widened. "You look amazing, girl! I never thought I'd see you again. Not after the way you took off right after graduation."
Haley forced a smile. "I've been busy."
"I heard." Elena wrapped her arms around Haley. "Is it true you're a big shot real estate agent?"
She hugged Elena back with stiff arms. "I wouldn't say big shot, but I'm doing pretty well for myself."
Elena released her hold. "I'm really sorry about your dad. He was so young."
Haley nodded. She probably needed to come up with a pat answer to that, as everyone would likely bring up his untimely death. But what was an appropriate reply when a parent was shot and killed in a bar fight? She needed a canned response for the people who asked why she didn't come to his funeral, too. Not that any of it was anyone's business. "Well, it—"
"I'm so excited about Dakota's wedding, aren't you?" Elena's eyes shone. "She's planned so many weddings—even celebrity weddings, did you know that?—I'll bet hers is to die for." She turned and gushed over the decorations.
"I'll bet it is." Haley glanced around the stunning courtyard. Soft music played from a couple harpists. Flowers of every color and shape hung everywhere she could see.
Dakota Hunter was the little sister of Sullivan, best friend of Haley's high school sweetheart, Jackson. Dakota and Haley had known each other through Sullivan, so at least Haley wasn't crashing a complete stranger's wedding just to give Jensyn moral support on her first day of work.
The music grew louder, and the conversations all hushed. A bridesmaid and groomsman walked down the aisle, arm in arm. Though it took a moment, Haley recognized the bridesmaid. It was Freya Hunter, Dakota and Sullivan's youngest sister. She had long, thick dark hair and an enormous smile—every bit as gorgeous as every other Hunter sibling.
The next couple was a girl she barely recognized from high school and Sullivan Hunter. Haley's breath caught. He'd grown even more handsome over the last decade, and he'd really filled out. Wow, had he filled out. He'd been good-looking back then, but now… It was as though he'd stepped off a runway.
She stared at him as he made his way down the aisle. Who had been lucky enough to marry him? There was no way he was still single. Haley couldn't take her gaze away from him as the rest of the wedding party made their way onto the platform.
Finally, everyone rose. She cleared her throat and tried to forget about Sullivan. He certainly wasn't a distraction she needed. Keeping Jensyn out of trouble would be a full-time job outside of the difficulties of trying to sell houses in a town she wasn't familiar with anymore.
Dakota came down the aisle with her dad. Tears shone in his eyes despite the grin on his face. It was nice to know some fathers actually cared about their daughters. Dakota still had the same stunning red hair she'd had as a kid. It was beautifully braided into a crown with small white flowers woven into it. The gown sparkled in the sunlight and flowed behind her as she walked. She was a vision, but her gaze focused solely on her soon-to-be husband.
Her dad gave her away and then took a seat in the front row next to his wife and the two other Hunter siblings who weren't in the wedding—Shale, Freya's twin, and Logan, the oldest of the bunch.
Haley tried to focus on the ceremony but found her attention kept landing on Sullivan. She'd never thought of him in a romantic way back in high school because she'd only had eyes for Jackson back then. Now she couldn't help wondering how things might be different if she'd have chosen Sullivan instead of Jackson.
Not that any of it mattered. She would have fled town right after graduation to get away from her father's drunken rages and verbal abuse. Tears stung her eyes. It was bad enough that she had to spend the summer in that house full of painful memories. Would everything in town remind her of what she'd run from? She wiped her eyes and sniffled.
Elena put her hand on Haley's arm. "I know. It's such a beautiful ceremony."
Purchase links: http://stacyclaflin.com/bayside-series/
Other Books by Stacy Claflin
If you enjoy reading outside the romance genre, you may enjoy some of Stacy Claflin's other books, also. She's a USA Today bestselling author who writes about complex characters overcoming incredible odds. Whether it's her Gone saga of psychological thrillers, her various paranormal romance tales, or her sweet romance series, Stacy's three-dimensional characters shine through bringing an experience readers don't soon forget.
The Hunters
Seaside Surprises
Seaside Heartbeats
Seaside Dances
Seaside Kisses
Seaside Christmas
Bayside Wishes
>
Bayside Evenings
Bayside Promises
Bayside Destinies
Bayside Dreams
The Gone Saga
The Gone Trilogy: Gone, Held, Over
Dean's List
No Return
Alex Mercer Thrillers
Girl in Trouble
Turn Back Time
Curse of the Moon
Lost Wolf
Chosen Wolf
Hunted Wolf
Broken Wolf
Cursed Wolf
The Transformed Series
Main Series
Deception
Betrayal
Forgotten
Ascension
Duplicity
Sacrifice
Destroyed
Transcend
Entangled
Dauntless
Obscured
Partition
Standalones
Fallen
Silent Bite
Hidden Intentions
Saved by a Vampire
Sweet Desire
Short Story Collection
Tiny Bites
Standalones
Haunted
Visit StacyClaflin.com for details.
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Sweet Dreams (Indigo Bay Sweet Romance Series Book 1) Page 14
