“I love you, Savannah Remington.” Pride and love coalesced in Jack’s dark eyes, bringing a lump to Kurt’s throat.
Savannah laughed and cried as Jack took her in his arms. She wore her auburn hair loose with a ring of white flowers at the crown. She looked beautiful and happy. They were a striking couple, both tall and fit. Jack’s thick, jet-black hair against her long, auburn locks. Jack looked handsome in his black suit and tie, and Savannah’s wedding dress was unlike anything Kurt had ever seen. Made of summery gauze with an overlay of lace, it was cut above the knee in the front and fell to the ground in the back, angling gracefully in between. The fitted waist had two strips of satin tied into dainty bows in the center, and lace sleeve caps covered Savannah’s lean shoulders. The deep V-neck had a swatch of lace in between, giving Savannah a fresh, exotic, and almost daring appearance. It fit her feisty personality perfectly, and he began to wonder what type of dress Leanna might choose for herself.
Sage elbowed Rush. “You’re next, bro.”
Rush ran his hand through his short dark hair. “Don’t count on it.”
“Ha! Better him than me.” Dex shook his head in an effort to clear his long, straight bangs from his eyes. They fell right back into place.
Weddings had never affected Kurt in the past, but as he listened to his brothers, he felt a tug of desire to be the next one to marry.
He went to congratulate Jack while his brothers talked about women—which only made him miss Leanna more. He opened his arms to Savannah. “Congratulations. You look gorgeous.”
Savannah smoothed the front of her wedding gown. “Thank you, Kurt. You know I couldn’t be happier. I adore Jack.”
“That’s evident in everything you say and do. Same with Jack. Transparent as glass.” He nodded at her dress. “Did Josh design your gown? It’s lovely.”
“He did. Isn’t it beautiful? I wanted something that didn’t feel too formal.”
“It’s perfect, and so was the ceremony.”
Jack pulled Savannah close. “She’s perfect.” Jack had an inch and seven years on Kurt.
Kurt draped his arm over his brother’s broad shoulder. “Yes, she is. Congratulations, Jack.”
“Thanks, man.”
Jack had been so distraught after his first wife had died in a car accident that Kurt wasn’t sure his brother would ever recover. For two years, Jack had disappeared to a cabin in the Colorado Mountains that he hadn’t even told his parents he’d bought. He’d spent those years alone, save for sporadic weekends teaching survival courses and flying clients around in his bush plane from time to time just to keep a modicum of income coming in. Savannah had attended one of his survival courses, and by some miracle, she’d seen through the angry, guilt-ridden shell that his brother had worn like armor and helped him heal.
“I’m really happy for you.”
“I didn’t get to talk with you much last night.” Jack put a hand on Kurt’s lower back. “Excuse us for a minute.” He guided him away from the others and lowered his voice. “You doing okay? You look a little…something.”
Something? Other than the two years when Jack had been dealing with his own loss, he’d always been in tune to his siblings’ feelings. It didn’t surprise Kurt that Jack would pick up on his missing Leanna. His emotions were a little rawer than he was used to or comfortable with. He tried to shift the conversation away from Leanna.
“You’re a lucky guy, Jack. Savannah really loves you.” He waved to Treat and Dane, who were heading their way.
“Don’t want to talk about it, huh?” Jack asked.
Kurt shrugged. “It’ll just make me miss her more.”
“I’ve never heard or seen you like this. Ever.”
“Tell me about it. She threw my whole world off balance; then she righted it with herself firmly lodged smack dab in the center of my heart.” He was grinning so hard his cheeks hurt.
Jack threw his head back and laughed, a deep, hearty sound of joy. “Welcome to love, little brother.”
“Another unsuspecting Remington falls prey to the love of a woman.” Dane was a marine researcher and shark tagger, and at over six feet tall, he was about two hundred pounds of lean muscle. He opened his arms and embraced Kurt, then Jack. “Too bad she missed the wedding. I’d have liked to meet the woman who got you away from your computer. From what I hear, that’s not an easy feat.”
“She had a meeting today that she couldn’t reschedule. She’s just started a jam and jelly business. Luscious Leanna’s Sweet Treats.”
“She should call me. If her products are as good as the name, I’ll carry it in my resorts.”
“Seriously? That would be great, Treat. I was able to connect with Blue and hire him to renovate my studio at the Cape for her business. He’s working on it now. I plan on surprising her with it in a few weeks.”
“That’s great. I’m glad it worked out.”
“Thanks for the referral. If you’ll excuse me for a minute, I want to give Leanna a quick call.” Kurt walked over by the fence at the edge of the yard and sent Leanna a text. Miss you more than anything. Hope your meeting went well. Call me?
OHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSH! Leanna had been driving for twenty minutes and her heart was still racing. She’d spent three hours with the executives of Daisy Chain, and though she was initially intimidated by the mere size of their offices, which took up the entire top floor of a four-story office building, the people had been down-to-earth and easy to talk to. They were smart, funny, and driven—and they wanted to carry Luscious Leanna’s Sweet Treats in every store. Every store! The figures they discussed would allow Leanna to rent space on a full-time basis, which she’d need to keep up with orders. She would also need to commit to her business full-time if she wanted this contract—and she wanted this contract.
Leanna drove up Route 6 thinking about the opportunity and knowing that if Al were able to see her, he’d be proud. Her mind raced in a hundred different directions. She might need to hire a few trusted helpers, because while Leanna knew that she’d never want to dole out all of the day-to-day operations, she wasn’t fooling herself. Wide distribution would take several sets of hands. Leanna also knew herself well enough to understand that there would be times when she wanted a few days off to spend with Kurt.
Kurt. Oh gosh. Kurt.
Therein lay the reason for the tightening in her stomach and the ache in her chest. Daisy Chain wanted her sweet treats not only because they were delicious, or because they liked and seemed to trust Leanna, but also because Luscious Leanna’s Sweet Treats was a local business. Although Daisy Chain had stores throughout the East Coast, they were big on supporting local businesses. The owners, Arnold and Lilian Hayes, were both born on the Cape and had lived there for more than sixty years. Local to them was Cape Cod. Not New York.