Free Four Weddings and a Break Up by Elyssa Patrick Page A

relieved breath.
    “So,” Julie began, “how much of that is true?”
    “How much do you think?” Ginny closed her eyes briefly. “I feel bad, but desperate times call for desperate measures. I can’t have Mom trying to fix me up because she thinks settling down is the cure to all my problems. Marriage does not equate with instant happiness. Are you going to blow my cover?”
    Julie bit her lower lip. “I guess I’m not going to have to cook you dinner and carrot cake for the next two months, am I?”
    They broke out laughing.
    Ginny gathered herself and wagged a finger at Julie. “Be careful. When Mom starts doing this to you , you’ll be sorry you didn’t help me out more.”
    “I’m not going to say anything. Be careful though. You know she means well.”
    “I do. I just need a reprieve from the bad dates, and Mom trying to make everything better. It’s not working. I just need . . .” To her horror, tears filled her eyes. She quickly tamped them down. Crying never made anything better. “It’s just all this stress.”
    Julie crossed to her, sat down in a chair, and took her hands in her own. “I know, Gin. It’s going to be okay.”
    “You keep saying that. And I keep waiting for it to happen.”
    “Does Mr. Dangerous know?”
    “Wes? Yes. He’s the one who came up with the idea in the first place. I have to let him know I’ve changed my mind. He’s going to enjoy it.”
    “Not in a mean way?” Julie scowled. “Because if he’s a jerk to you, I don’t care how big he is or how much he outweighs me, I will hurt him.”
    Her little sister, so fierce and loyal. Two of the many reasons why Ginny loved her so much. “No, there won’t be any need for that. He’s left his life in Las Vegas to help take care of his dad with his brothers—that says a lot about him. I should call him.”
    Julie squeezed her hands. “It can wait until later. If you want to cry, Gin, you can. You know that, right?”
    “Of course. But crying doesn’t get you anywhere, nor does it change things. I’m fine, Julie.”
    “You keep saying that to me, and I keep waiting for it to be true.”
    So do I .
    Ginny forced a smile. “Truly. In a few months, Cape Hope will be onto some other scandal. Maybe Katie Holden will accidentally dye someone’s hair purple again. Or Fred McNiels will get caught shoplifting from that antique store on Main.”
    “Or maybe people will hear how Mom managed to get eligible bachelors to line up in hopes of dating one of her daughters, and hire her as a matchmaker.”
    “You better take that back before it happens.”
    “And you better be careful you don’t fall for Mr. Dangerous.”
    “I’m not going to fall for him. Wes and I are in perfect accord. We both know exactly what we don’t want.”
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    A t lunchtime , Wes waited at the beach, by the lighthouse, for Ginny to arrive. He’d dropped his dad off at the doctor for his appointment, then headed over here. He sat on a park bench, under a birch tree and watched as gulls flew toward the ocean. He’d offered to meet her at Charlie’s, the local diner, but she quickly shot that down because it would be too crowded.
    She obviously knew the area well. Although he could hear kids laughing down the way as they played in the sand or water, no one was at the lighthouse.
    He saw her car pull into the small lot. She got out, dressed in capris, a bright blue t-shirt, and flat sandals. Her hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, and sunglasses covered her eyes. Ginny searched the area, found him, and smiled.
    He didn’t know why that pleased him so much, but it did. He stood as she made her way over to him.
    “Hey. Thanks for meeting me.” She pushed up her sunglasses as she stepped under the tree. There was hardly any makeup on her face, but she was still pretty. That unpainted pouty mouth of hers was driving him to distraction.
    “Like I said last night on the phone, I think you’re right and that we should pretend to