Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 83368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Was his mother right? He’d never yet been tempted to break his rule of no wife and family, no big romantic commitments. But he had to admit that if there was a woman who could make him rethink his decision, it was Mila.
Chapter Ten
Mila was a natural early riser, and she saw no reason to sleep in, even if it was a Sunday. The Davenport women were meeting at her parents’ house this morning to talk wedding planning. She loved her family more than anything, but before she could cope with the thought of bridesmaids’ dresses and what kind of cake they should serve and—most important of all—what Tessa was going to wear, she really needed to get out on her board. Nothing beat that first rush of the wind on her face as she started her day.
After a quick coffee and a little oatmeal and agave syrup for fuel, Mila suited up, grabbed her board, and walked the short distance to the beach. The waves weren’t huge this morning, but there were still a couple of diehards patiently waiting, and she jumped on her board to join them. She paddled out to a likely spot. While they waited, she chatted with Tina, another woman who was often out early, and Stefano, a young waiter in town who spent every minute he could out on the water. Conversation ended the second any of them saw a likely swell approaching, and after a couple of hours, she’d caught enough respectable waves that she felt ready to face the wedding-palooza. By ten a.m., she was dressed in jeans and a comfy white cotton shirt, ready to help plan a wedding.
She picked up muffins from Saint Anna’s, their favorite café in town that always stocked the best baked goods, and then drove to her parents’ place. She’d been checking her phone more than usual, waiting for confirmation of Hersch’s house deal. She was itching to ring him and share the good news. It was afternoon back East. She’d imagined she would have heard something by now. As she closed her car door and headed up the steps to her childhood home, she checked her messages and email one more time, hoping she’d have news. Nothing. She was about to walk in when she figured it was worth giving Dan a call to see if he’d heard anything. As always, he picked up on the second ring and told her he’d been trying to reach the couple selling the house, but he hadn’t been able to get through to them yet.
He could obviously sense the urgency in her voice, because he said, “Don’t worry, Mila. They’re getting on in years and probably don’t check their email the second they get out of bed like we do. As soon as I talk to them, I’ll let you know.”
She hated waiting, but Dan knew his clients. No doubt they were talking over the offer, or maybe—almost impossible to believe—he was right, and they were the sort of people who didn’t check their email on a Sunday morning.
Calling out a hello, she found she was the last to arrive. Erin, Tessa, and her mom were sitting around the kitchen table with a pot of coffee and some croissants Erin had obviously brought, along with a delicious-looking frittata that was undoubtedly one of Tessa’s homemade and nutritious recipes. Although Arch was firmly on the mend after breaking his leg during a movie stunt, she hadn’t given up on steering his diet toward healthier options.
Mila hugged everyone and took a seat at the table. Tessa looked excited and also a little overwhelmed. She wore a white cotton shirt with cherries embroidered on the hem, and the pink of the fruit matched the flush in her cheeks. In front of her was a fat file folder, which sort of surprised Mila, as she had expected Tessa would want everything simple and streamlined—especially if she was insisting on a thrifted dress.
She said to the bride, “How are you holding up so far? You still planning to marry my brother?”
Tessa glowed with happiness as she replied without a second’s pause, “I still can’t believe I got so lucky. Sometimes I just stop what I’m doing and stare at my ring, or Archer walks in and I have to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming or sitting in a darkened theater watching him do what he does best.”
Mila had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. She adored Tessa, but that was a bit much for a girl to hear about her brother. Archer might be a famous actor, but he was also her super annoying sibling. Several wisecracks sprang to mind, but before she could utter one of them, Betsy said, “You’re looking pleased with yourself this morning, Mila.”
For a split second, Mila was tempted to tell the truth of what was on her mind. She was crushing on a man, and hard. But even though these women were closer to her than anyone else on earth, they’d ask questions, and since nothing had happened yet, she’d just feel like a fool. For now, she would keep this crush to herself. She arranged her muffins on a plate and announced she had a feeling she was going to make a big sale this weekend.