best friend. If anyone would understand, it was Jane.
Then Hayley hurried down the steps, her high-heeled pumps clicking on the paved driveway as she half-jogged after Seth. Because of her tardiness to the party, she was parked at the tail end of the long line of cars. But Seth, who’d parked much closer to the house, had already reached his dusty gray pickup truck, so she quickened her pace.
Running with Sam in the park a few times a week properly equipped with appropriate shoes was a snap compared to jogging down a crowded driveway in four-inch heels and a narrow skirt. “Seth!”
He showed no sign of hearing her as he started up his truck and inched his way out from between the other cars. She cursed when her heel caught on an uneven spot and her ankle twisted painfully.
Feeling wholly undignified—the same way she’d felt waking alone in Seth’s bed months ago with a splitting headache and wearing nothing but her bra and panties—she stopped and leaned against the hood of the SUV next to her. She reached down to tug off her shoe and gingerly rotated her foot, watching Seth’s taillights as he drove away.
“Brilliant, Dr. Templeton. Just...brilliant.”
Sighing, she fit her shoe back in place and, limping only a little, made her way back to the house and the celebration.
Jane and Casey were finished opening the gifts by the time Hayley slipped into the living room. Tristan’s wife had vacated her spot on the floor next to the couch in order to clear away the piles of discarded wrappings, so Hayley made her way to it, sitting down on her knees because that was the only position her skirt allowed. Now that the gifts were dealt with, most of the guests were milling around talking and filling their plates with food from the buffet set up across the room.
“Sorry I’m so late.”
Casey was busy talking with one of his numerous cousins and Jane waved away the apology, her diamond engagement ring sparkling. “No worries,” she said, smiling. “This is the tenth party we’ve had.”
“Second,” Hayley corrected her. “And you’ve got one more party next weekend to live through, remember? Your bachelorette party.”
Jane’s grin was impish as she leaned toward Hayley. “Remind me why I didn’t think running off to Vegas was a good idea.”
Hayley chuckled softly. “Because even in your supposedly modern, independent heart, you want to walk up that church aisle and pledge your troth in front of everyone.”
“Everyone is right.” Casey turned and joined the conversation. “We have more people coming than can fit into the church.”
Casey’s father, Daniel, obviously had overheard. “A common enough problem where Clay family weddings are concerned,” he commented before taking an enormous bite of the chocolate cake on his plate.
“Well, you’re related to half the town,” Jane told Casey. “So I guess it’s not really a surprise.”
“Not half the town.” Casey gestured toward Hayley. “Last I checked, we weren’t on the same family tree. So I know there’s at least one.”
Hayley laughed along with the others. But inside, she felt a pang. The Templeton family wasn’t quite as extensive as the Clays, but there were still a good many of them. She was just persona non grata with her father right now. And after several months of trying, she was beginning to fear she’d never get him to see reason.
She pushed away the depressing thought and gestured at the array of gifts spread across the coffee table and beyond. Some were very traditional, like the set of towels she’d chosen. And some were less so, like the case of beer she could see sitting on the other side of Casey. “You’re going to be writing thank-you notes until next Christmas.”
“Don’t remind me.” Jane’s voice was rueful. “I didn’t work the bar last night and—”
“She spent the entire time writing out thank-you notes from the shower her sister gave her last week in Colorado,” Casey interrupted, “instead of lavishing attention on her fiancé.”
Jane rolled her eyes. “You poor soul, you.”
Casey smiled and kissed Jane’s nose. “You made up for it this morning.”
Jane pushed him away, laughing and blushing at the same time. “What am I going to do with you?”
“Marry him in two weeks, I’d say,” Hayley offered.
“Speaking of... Are you sure you don’t mind staying at our place to watch Moose while we’re on our honeymoon? Every time we’ve tried to leave him with one of Casey’s relatives, Moose is either terrified of the other animals there, or his hosts end up terrified of him eating them out of furniture, doors and shoes.”
“I’m positive.”
“Your grandmother won’t mind?”
“Vivian has already said she’ll be glad to have my place to herself for a few weeks.” After having her grandmother staying with her for the past six months, maybe they would both benefit from some distance. When Hayley had rented the place, she hadn’t done so with a long-term guest in mind.
“She’s still going to come to the wedding?”
Hayley shrugged. “That’s what she says. But I’ve learned not to count on anything until it actually occurs.” Ever since Vivian had come to stay with her, she’d changed her mind about doing something she’d said she would at least a half-dozen times. “Vivian’s a law unto herself.” In that, Hayley’s father’s assessment of his mother was spot-on. “Considering the brick wall my dad and Uncle David have put up to the idea of seeing her, I’m really not sure why she hasn’t gone home to Pittsburgh by now.”
“She likes your company?” Jane’s voice was amused.
“Or else she just likes having someone around to bug about their love life. Yesterday she actually told me I’d be better off finding a real date for your wedding since I wasn’t getting any younger.”
“What’d you tell her?”
Hayley made a face. “That I didn’t think I was in danger of drying up into an old prune just because there’s no man of interest around.”
But even as she said the words, she knew they weren’t true.
There was a man of interest.
Seth Banyon.
A man with whom she’d had a one-night stand three months ago.
A one-night stand she couldn’t even remember.
“You threw a great bachelorette party, Hayley.” J. D. Forrest gave Hayley a hug before throwing her slender arm around Jane, who was standing beside her. “Are you sure you want to marry my little brother? He’s kind of a pain in the patoot.”
Jane’s eyes glinted with humor. “Pretty sure. He has
