If this were a contest for saying the fewest words, Jenna would win. No, that wasn’t fair after what he’d done to her. He should be happy she’d moved on. Not be disappointed she was doing fine without him.
Ash was. Sort of. But he didn’t like how their time together had been wiped away like the mascara-stained tears streaming down her cheeks when he’d asked for his grandmother’s ring back. Sure, things had ended badly, but they’d shared good times, cared about each other. He still had the wedding gift he’d bought for her. That had to count for something.
He wanted to try. “Is there any way we could be friends again?”
“Friends,” she repeated, as if testing out the word. “We bypassed that step when we met and went straight to dating.”
“That doesn’t mean we can’t be friends now.”
Her eyes darkened. She rubbed her lips together. “I—”
The doorbell rang.
Relief filled her face. “That must be Amber.”
Leave it to his sister to arrive at the wrong time. Ash followed Jenna into the foyer.
The discussion might have been interrupted, but he wasn’t giving up. He wouldn’t walk away from her again. Being friends was better than nothing. He hoped Jenna agreed.
Amber Vance was the last person Jenna wanted to see, but the doorbell had saved her from answering Ash.
Be his friend?
Uh, no.
As soon as he and Amber left, Jenna never wanted to see either again.
You’ve gotten me through so much, Lord. I thank you for that. A little more patience this afternoon would be greatly appreciated.
She opened the door. Amber stood next to a familiar-looking man wearing a suit.
“Jenna!” Amber’s expertly applied makeup made her look older than twenty-two. Her long brown hair swayed as she sashayed on four-inch heels into the house without an invitation. She kissed the air next to Jenna’s cheek. “It’s been way too long. You look amazing. You’ve dropped, what, ten or twenty pounds?”
Twelve, after gaining back a couple. “A few.”
“What’s your secret?” Amber asked.
“Getting dumped the day before your wedding does weird things to your appetite.” The words were out of Jenna’s mouth before she could stop them.
Amber’s laugh sounded forced. Neither Ash nor the man standing on the welcome mat said anything. Jenna didn’t blame them.
Amber shrugged. “Well, at least something good came of it.”
It?
Did she mean the photo going viral? Or the cancellation of the wedding? Or maybe Ash breaking Jenna’s heart. Probably best not to ask.
The man on the porch cleared his throat.
Amber glanced over her shoulder, as if in an afterthought. “Oh, I’d like you to meet my fiancé, Toby Matthews.”
Toby entered the house, then closed the door behind him. His worried expression contradicted his loosened tie and casually styled blond hair. He seemed uncomfortable like Jenna, and she felt a surprising kinship. He was attractive in a smart, nerdy-guy kind of way, a one-eighty from the fraternity pretty-boy type Amber dated two years ago.
“Hi,” he said. “Thanks for seeing us on such short notice.”
Polite. Jenna tried to place him. Not church or school, but she knew him somehow. “We’ve met before.”
A hesitant smile formed on Toby’s face. “You photographed my cousin Ben’s wedding last summer. That’s why I suggested you for our wedding.”
“You wanted to hire Jenna?” Ash asked Toby.
“She did a great job. Put everyone at ease, especially me. I don’t think I’ve ever smiled so much having my picture taken.”
Toby wanting to hire her made more sense than Amber wanting to do so.
“Ben and Julia Garrett.” The pictures from that day flashed through Jenna’s mind like a slideshow. “The reception was held at Fallen Leaf Park. You were a groomsman.”
Toby nodded. “One of five.”
Jenna felt bad for saying no. She remembered Toby Matthews. He defined the term nice guy. He’d danced with the single women, young and old, at the reception, stepped out of the way so the best man could catch the garter, and given the last piece of chocolate cake to the flower girl.
“Orange tie,” she said.
“And socks.” Toby’s grin widened. “That was Julia’s idea. Orange is her favorite color.”
Jenna remembered. Not peach like some brides might have chosen, but bright orange, nearly neon. “You rolled up your pants to show off the socks in one of the pictures.”
“Good memory, considering the number of weddings you must work,” Ash said.
Her gaze collided with his. Unexpected warmth spurted through her veins, heating her from the inside out. Not good. “Memorable wedding.”
Amber flipped her hair behind her shoulder, a practiced move that put the glam in glamour. “That was before Toby and I were seriously dating, or I would have attended with him.”