Chapter 3
CHAPTER 3
ANDREA
I swear, if Cody tells that fishing story one more time, I’m going to Super Glue his mouth shut,” Lindy laughs, waving a French fry for emphasis.
I slide into the booth at The Busy Bee Diner, smiling as Hanna and Lindy shift to make room. We have a standing lunch date on Thursdays, even though we usually see and talk to each other more times during the week.
“Sorry I’m late.” I wave Ophelia over and order a turkey club sandwich. “The wedding decorations took longer than expected. I had to finish up a few things this morning, but the good news is everything is ready to go once the flowers are delivered tomorrow.”
“We ordered you coffee,” Hanna says, studying my face. “It sounded like you needed it.”
“That obvious?” I try to lighten my tone, but my mind keeps circling back to yesterday—Ace standing close enough to smell his soap, his deep voice asking me to dinner, and my stupid refusal. My fingers fidget with my napkin.
“So, how’s the VA Center looking?” Lindy asks before taking a bit of her BLT. “Is it transforming into something romantic?”
“You’d be surprised. Those string lights work wonders. We got a lot done yesterday.” I steal one of Lindy’s fries, suddenly realizing how hungry I am. “Leesa will be happy with how it turned out.”
Hanna narrows her eyes. “ We ? Who helped you? I thought you were doing it alone.”
Before I can answer, Ophelia appears with my sandwich. Her cheeks are flushed, her blonde ponytail bouncing as she sets it down with a flourish.
“Perfect timing! I just heard from Rowan that Damien’s up at King Ridge helping with the new cabin.” She smiles. “I’m glad I could convince him to work construction instead of felling trees. The work is steadier and a lot safer.”
“Thanks for the sandwich,” I say, watching her practically float away to another table. The familiar ache blooms in my chest—that mixture of happiness for her and emptiness in myself. Ophelia found her person. It shouldn’t be this hard for me. Or have I been making it hard on myself by waiting so long, hoping for Ace to get his act together?
Once she’s out of earshot, Lindy leans forward, elbows on the table. “So...you and Ace?”
My body stiffens. “There is no me and Ace. He works for my brother.”
Hanna gives me a look that screams you’re full of it but stays quiet, sipping her iced tea and staring at me.
“Look, it doesn’t matter what Ace does or doesn’t feel.” The words come out sharper than intended. “Nothing’s going to happen as long as he treats my brother’s ridiculous rule like it’s written in stone.”
“Has he ever actually tried?” Hanna finally speaks up. “To date you, I mean.”
I put my fork down and sigh. “Almost. Yesterday, he asked me to grab a beer after we finished decorating.”
“And?” Lindy leans even closer.
“And I said no.” I shake my head at their matching expressions of disbelief. “What was the point? He’d retreat the moment Jax challenged him like he always does.”
The confession hangs in the air between us. I hadn’t meant to reveal so much, but my emotions are so big that I can’t contain them.
“I’ve been waiting and waiting for him to stop deferring to my brother.” My voice softens, the admission making my chest tight. “To stand up and ask me out properly.”
“And if he never does?” Hanna asks gently.
I meet her eyes, the decision settling heavy in my heart. “Then I stop waiting.”
The words feel both liberating and heartbreaking.
“You deserve someone who steps up,” Lindy says finally, her usual teasing gone. “We all know it.”
I don’t reply, but I nod once and force a smile. The truth is, I don’t want someone else. I want Ace—the real Ace, not the joker who deflects with humor or the man who backs down from my brother. I want the man I’ve glimpsed in rare moments of honesty when the mask slips and I see the depth behind his facade.
“Enough about my non-existent love life.” I pick up my sandwich. “Did you hear back about that teaching position, Han?”
As Hanna launches into her interview story, I let myself drift slightly. Outside the window, Silver Pine Ridge rises in the distance, its familiar outline both comforting and confining. My life has always been here—my job at Heartland Hardware, my small circle of friends—and it always will be. It’s enough most days.
But sometimes, like today, with my brother’s wedding approaching and Ace’s almost-invitation still echoing in my ears, I want more. I want passion. I want someone who fights for me. I want to be chosen without hesitation.
I want Ace.
But I can’t keep waiting forever.
* * *
The laundry basket sits in front of my couch, but I ignore it. I pour a generous glass of merlot and settle into the cushions, tucking my feet beneath me. The weight of the day—lunch with the girls, my admission that I’m ready to move on—sits heavy on my shoulders.
My home feels especially quiet tonight. Nothing but the ticking of the grandfather clock I inherited from my grandmother and the distant hoot of an owl outside my window.
I reach for the leather-bound photo album on my coffee table, running my fingers over the cover. The first pages show my sister Olivia on her wedding day. Her smile radiates joy, her husband gazing at her like no one else exists in the world. I remember standing beside her as maid of honor, genuinely happy and only slightly envious.
I flip forward. Olivia holding newborn June, her face exhausted but triumphant. June’s first birthday, cake smashed across her chubby cheeks. Christmas last year, June gleefully waving a new doll in the air.
My finger traces her smiling face. I want children of my own, but it seems so far away from when that might happen— if it ever happens.
The next page catches me off guard—a family cookout from last summer. Jax with his arm around Leesa, and Olivia’s husband Mark flipping burgers with June standing next to him. And me, standing slightly apart, smile fixed firmly in place. The only one without a wedding ring.
I take a large swallow of wine.
My phone rings, cutting through the silence. Leesa’s name lights up my screen.
“Hey there,” I answer, closing the album and pushing it away.
“Are you in the middle of something?” Leesa asks, her voice tight with stress.
“Just looking through old photos.” I set my wine aside. “What’s up?”
“We have another wedding crisis.” She sighs, the sound heavy with exhaustion. “The florist called. Their delivery van broke down, and they can’t bring the arrangements tomorrow.”
My stomach tightens. “Please tell me we don’t have to recreate forty centerpieces by hand.”
“No, thank God. But someone needs to drive out to Raytown to pick everything up.” Her voice takes on that careful tone that immediately makes me suspicious. “The thing is, there are a lot of arrangements. More than would fit in my car or yours.”
I see where this is going. “Leesa...”
“Ace has a truck,” she says quickly. “And I already asked him if he could do it.”
“Of course you did.” I stand up and pace across my living room, unable to stay still.
She acts innocent, but I can hear the smile in her voice. “He’s agreed to go. All we need is you.”
I walk the length of my small living room, phone pressed to my ear. Yesterday’s awkwardness with Ace still hangs over me. The invitation, my refusal, the hangdog look in his eyes when I walked away.
“This is your brother’s wedding,” Leesa reminds me gently. “I wouldn’t ask if there were another option.”
The frustration wars with that stubborn hope that refuses to die. The part of me that wonders if a long drive away from my brother’s watchful eye might be exactly what we need. Because I know there are other people Leesa could ask, but she’s deliberately throwing Ace and me together again.
“Fine,” I sigh. “But you owe me.”
“You’re the best!” The relief in her voice makes me smile despite myself. “I can’t thank you enough for helping with everything. This wedding would be a disaster without you.”
“That’s what sisters are for, right?” I say, warmed by her gratitude.
“Not just sisters. Friends.” Her sincerity touches me. “I mean it, Andrea. Everything you’ve done—the decorations, and now this. It means the world to me.”
“You’re welcome. I’m happy to help. What time should I meet Ace?” I ask, my voice steadier than I feel.
“He said he could pick you up at nine? That way, you can head straight to Raytown, and be back before it’s too late. Really, it’s just a lot of driving.”
I sigh and sit back on my couch. As much as I like Ace, I’m not sure spending so much time with him is a good idea, because it just reminds me of how much I want him and how much he never does anything about the obvious attraction between us. But, this is Leesa, and she’s marrying my brother, so I can’t say no. “I’ll be there.”
After we hang up, I refill my wine glass, and the evening stretches before me. The silence of my home suddenly feels oppressive. I pick up my phone again, hesitate, then open Pinterest and navigate to my private wedding board. The one I started in college and have never shown a soul.
I’ve been adding pins for years, collecting pieces of a future I’ve dreamed about since I was a little girl.
I tap on an image of a couple dancing under string lights, their faces tilted toward each other. That’s what I want. Not just the dress or the flowers or the party. I want that look. The certainty that I’ve chosen a wonderful man, he’s chosen me, and we’re committed to building a loving life together.
My fingers hover over the screen, tracing the couple’s silhouette. This is what I deserve. What I’ve always deserved. And I’m ready to find it—with or without Ace Lincoln.