Temptation on Ocean Drive - Jennifer Probst Page 0,68

the local gossip, she’d begun seeing things in a different way. Was it possible everyone was so used to thinking he was a certain man, no one would allow him to show a different side? After all, who didn’t want a hot single male to claim as their local beach bachelor? Small towns thrived on that stuff. But had anyone ever asked if that was what he wanted?

She certainly didn’t.

Bella remembered how it was after Matt died. How she was looked upon differently as a single mother. She’d been held to a new, higher standard. Any type of dating would focus curious eyes on her, ready to assess and judge and rip apart. She’d been afraid of that type of scrutiny, so it’d been easier to protect her daughter by refusing to engage in the dating world. She’d kept to her house and family, refusing to let the messiness of the outside world in, especially any type of men.

Now, she wondered if it was out of habit that nothing had changed in six years. She had whined to her sisters that she needed a date but did nothing to pursue it. It might be time to look hard at her choices and make some changes. She’d reached a safe level of contentment but nothing approaching true happiness.

Once, she’d accepted that would never be hers to experience again.

But maybe she was wrong.

Edward and Adele took turns reading Oh, the Places You’ll Go!, and she caught a few guests wiping their eyes at the surprise sweetness between the older couple. Guess even the hardened society crowd was vulnerable to a tender sentiment.

They were pronounced man and wife.

Gabe’s gaze caught and held hers across the room.

Then the room erupted with applause, jerking her away from those piercing dark eyes. They fell into transition work—getting the ceremony chairs tucked away to open up the room and bring in the other accent decor for the reception. They worked in perfect symmetry, directing guests to the special cocktails in tropical colors, including a rosé champagne—the perfect color pink—with blueberries. Each had a funny-sounding name and was served by a different waiter with a specialized Dr. Seuss tie to coordinate with the drink and paired appetizers.

By the time the reception was in full swing, Bella guessed the alcohol and comfort food had loosened up the crowd. Everyone seemed to have lost most of their stiffness and settled into lively chatter at the tables and danced.

Gabe eased to her side. “All good on the home front. You?”

“No issues yet. The cocktails were a huge hit. Everyone’s drunk.”

“Perfect, isn’t it? I heard a lot of chatter about the stations we set up. They love the travel section.”

“Avery actually gave me that idea. Great feedback on the flowers, too. I loved when Adele cried when she spotted the tribute to her mother.” They’d carved out a quote into a birchwood frame with a picture of Adele and her mother and displayed it at the station titled Who We Love. Friends and family caught in various photographs made up a few collages of Adele’s and Ed’s lives.

His face softened. “That was a brilliant idea, Bella. Weddings are about emotions, and become bigger than just the couple. It becomes their pasts and the people they loved, too.”

She blinked at the heartfelt statement. “You really do have a poet’s heart,” she said with a smile.

His hand brushed hers, and a sizzling heat cracked through her. This time, he was the one to step back. The loss was bigger than she expected. She remembered how it felt to lean on his strength to get her through one of the most emotional moments. He wasn’t afraid to stand strong in the midst of messiness. Why would she have thought it would be easy for this man to walk away from anything that challenged him, including women?

“We have the cake and dessert. I’ll do a walk-through and make sure we don’t have any sloppy drunks to tame.”

“I’ll make sure there’s no catty women ready to rip the bride and wedding apart. Why are they always in the bathroom where the bride can overhear?”

They smiled at each other and parted. The next hour passed uneventfully. The cake was a huge hit; the impressive ten-level topsy-turvy layered creation was accented with encircling birch twigs making an elaborate crown around the base and mini–Lucy Ball flowers setting off each layer. The outside was a subtle work of art, a pale pink and rich cream, but when it was cut,