Chapter 7
Shelley
As happy as I am for Mike and Danielle, there’s a tiny pang of jealousy as I watch my brother exchange vows with his new bride.
They're standing on the decorated pier in the Gibson’s yard, overlooking the Chesapeake Bay.
I’ve never felt anything close to the love I can see in their faces when they look at each other.
Rows of white wooden chairs have been placed with precision in the grass. Mrs. Gibson truly outdid herself. The perfectly manicured lawn of her waterfront property looks amazing, and with the big white tent set up for the reception area, it’s the perfect wedding venue.
I’m in the reserved seats in the front row, sandwiched between my parents and my sisters, as we face out to the water.
My brother and Danielle are under a floral arch at the end of the pier, flanked by the other members of their wedding party.
Mike’s eyes are locked on his bride, and Danielle is glowing in her white gown.
The gentle breeze flows through her hair as he looks at her with adoration.
His smile is so wide, it practically reaches his ears. I’ve never seen him happier.
It seems like all of North Bay is here to witness the wedding.
Somehow, Mike has become this town’s golden boy.
Suddenly, he’s the rich professional baseball player who swooped in to win the heart of a local.
Everyone here knows him as the stand-up guy who runs Narcotics Anonymous meetings at the library.
He’s the reason my parents are beaming with pride.
But these are all recent developments. It hasn’t always been this way.
Just a few years ago, he was a total screw-up.
But this day is a celebration, so I shift in my seat and try to push away the other memories with a shake of my head.
Jordan’s standing next to my brother, and my eyes wander over to him in that tan suit.
When he glances in my direction and catches me staring, I startle hard enough to make Mandy start snickering next to me.
I elbow her a little harder than necessary, causing her to grunt, and Dad turns to glare in our direction until we settle down.
For the rest of the ceremony, I try to pay attention and ignore the way the unforgiving wooden chair is causing me to feel a dull ache where my tailbone tries to stab its way through the fabric of my dress.
It really is a beautiful wedding, though.
Once the formal part of the day is finished and we’ve moved on to dinner and dancing, I take my seat with my family at a round table under the tent in our hosts’ backyard.
I don’t know why Jake would want to leave this gorgeous place to share a tiny apartment with Jordan, but maybe the way Shelia Gibson is glaring at her son as he dances with Danielle’s maid of honor, Alice, is hinting at some family drama there.
Mandy’s sitting on my right, and she leans in close to whisper, “Have you talked to your love guru yet today?”
“Oh, I heard they’ve been doing lots of talking. I bet the sleepover was fun,” Mads cuts in from my other side.
“Both of you can bite me,” I mumble.
“Sounds like something you should be asking Jordan to do, honestly. I mean, look at the man.” Mandy smirks and turns toward him, and I swat her shoulder.
“Don’t look, he’ll see you!” I growl, but I let myself peek. Somewhere between the ceremony and reception, Jordan lost his tie. Beneath his linen suit jacket the first two buttons of his crisp white shirt are unbuttoned.
“Look at your face.” Mandy points at me, waving her index finger in a circle. “You totally want to make smasharoni and cheese with him.”
I sigh, exasperated. “What would the cheese even be in that scenario?”
She wiggles her eyebrows, causing me to immediately regret the question.
“You know what? Never mind.” I smooth my dress and pretend not to care.
“It’s true, though, and you know it. You’re jonesin’ for a bonin’,” Mads quips. When their joint giggle fit hits, I know I’ve lost them.
“Craving some depraving!”
“Good one. Hankering for a spank..ering?”
I roll my eyes while they double over laughing at their own ridiculous rhymes. Then I poke them both hard in their ribs.
Mom smiles at us and leans across the table. “Ooh, what are we whispering about over here?”
“Nothing,” Mads and I say together, while Mandy betrays me and tells her, “Shelley thinks Jordan’s hot.”
Mom nods knowingly. “I’m sure you aren’t alone in that, Sweetie. He’s very handsome, isn’t he? Why don’t you go ask him to dance? He’s just right over there.” She extends her arms and motions toward where Jordan is standing with several of his teammates.
“Mom! For the love of everything sacred, please do not point at him,” I beg.
Then my mother does what she does best and goes yet another step too far with her meddling. “Jordan!” she calls. “Yoohoo! Come over here and say hello to the mother of the groom. We haven’t seen you all evening.”
He smiles at her and starts walking toward our table while I groan and sink further in my seat, trying to disappear.
“Thirsty?” Mandy asks me, as she refills my water glass with a knowing smirk.
I kick her shin under the table.
When Jordan reaches us, my mom stands and wraps him in a tight hug. She loves him for the way he immediately took my brother under his wing when Mike first moved to North Bay. As far as she’s concerned, Jordan’s part of our family. I straighten up again, extra-aware of my posture.
“So good to see you, how are you doing these days without Mikey attached at your hip?” Mom asks, as though it hasn’t been less than a week since my brother vacated the apartment they shared.
Before Jordan has a chance to answer, she keeps talking.
“Have you tried the cupcakes yet? I heard there’s a story there. ”
Jordan laughs. “Yeah, Danielle’s friends Jake and Alice went to pick up the cupcakes the day the storm hit. They were trapped together for three days. Now they’re looking pretty cozy together.” He tilts his head in their direction.
“Jake Gibson? Mikey said he’s planning to take over the room in your apartment.”
“Sure is. He’s already moved some of his things.”
My mother clasps her hands in front of her.
“That’s wonderful. I hated thinking of you in that apartment all alone.
You know, you should come out to visit us in Idaho soon.
I’m trying to organize a trip for the family to see Mikey’s game when the Foxhounds come to town.
Have you ever been out West? I hope you’ll consider joining us.
” Mom’s eyes drift over to me. “Anyway, I was just telling Shelley how nice you all look tonight and how much I love her dress. Don’t you just love it?
” She reaches out to take my hand, laying it on thick.
“Truly, dear, you look stunning. The navy color really complements your skin tone.”
Jordan’s magic hazel eyes shift to my face while he politely agrees with my mom. His eyes look green today, with the backdrop of the water behind him. “All the Miller women look lovely tonight,” he says diplomatically.
He didn’t even give me a direct compliment, but suddenly I’m too warm. I think I’m blushing.
“Can I persuade you to give me one dance, Mrs. Miller?” Jordan turns on his full charm and directs it at my mother.
She nods and takes his arm, allowing him to escort her away. Am I jealous of my own mom right now? As they go, I hear Mom politely mention that Jordan is welcome to stay at their house if he decides to come out to their neck of the woods for my brother’s upcoming Idaho game.
He leads her out to the floor, and it’s sort of adorable when he takes her hand in his and holds it at shoulder height, with a bent elbow, like they’re going to perform a waltz the way I’ve only seen people do in movies.
They sway and box step back and forth to a medium-tempo song I don’t recognize.
“You need to go over there and cut in. I can’t take how sweet this is. I’m going to need a root canal. Go dance with him. If nothing else, do it for my oral health.” Mandy nudges me.
Mads snickers beside her. “Yeah, Shelley. Do it for the oral benefits.”
Their giggle fit starts back up again.
“Once again, I hate you both very much.” But there is no bite in my words when I shake my head and slide away to take a break down near the water.
My sisters like to tease me about the voicemail incident, but they don’t know how hard I really am crushing on him now, after our night together.
I’m sure they’d encourage it, but I kind of like that I’m starting to build this private connection with Jordan.
I’m not ready to put our interactions on display to be analyzed and given the sister treatment.
I want to keep him to myself. He’s funny and sweet, and the way he talks to me makes me feel special.
He jokes with me, but I can tell he’s also trying to be delicate with my feelings in a way other people aren’t.
I know he sees me as Mikey’s little sister, and from his point of view he’s probably just being kind, but it still feels like he cares, and that means something to me.
Is it a crime if I want to keep that side of our friendship private for now?
I stand at the edge of the pier and wrap my arms around my waist, bracing against the cool breeze as the music up at the tent fades and a new song begins.
Footsteps approach from behind. “Look at this weather acting all mild like it didn’t try to kill us four days ago.”
The tiny hairs on my arms stand at attention when I recognize the deep voice cutting through the evening air. I turn to see Jordan walk toward me, casually strolling with his hands in his pockets.
I guess talking about the weather is as good a way as any to start a conversation. “Yeah, I heard the storms got really bad down here. Were you all by yourself?”
He nods. “I was. But we only lost power for a few hours at the apartments. It wasn’t too much of a hardship. I found ways to occupy myself.”
I scan his face for any sign of the smirk I would expect from most guys after that implication, but his expression is neutral. Maybe I’m the one finding innuendo where there isn’t any.
“I have a confession. I was worried about you. But I wasn’t sure if it would be strange if I checked in. I wanted to, but I also didn’t want you to think I was getting clingy after our first conversation.”
Jordan sighs as he peers down at his shoes. I think he says, “Nobody checks.” Then he clears his throat and shakes his head before looking up again. “Would you hesitate to check on Danielle or Alice if you’d accidentally sent that voicemail to one of them?”
“No, but it’s not the same.”
“Why not?”
“You know why.”
“Do I?”
When his eyes meet mine this time it’s too overwhelmingly real.
My neck flushes, and my palms begin to sweat.
My chest pinches, and I swallow hard to keep myself from saying the words that are too close to escaping.
I want to be the one who checks on you. Because you’re different.
No one else makes my throat feel tight and my body warm from the inside out like this.
And from the way you’re looking at me, I think you might even be starting to feel it, too.
But I can’t say that, so I stay quiet and chew on the inside of my cheek.
He runs a hand over his face and schools his expression back to neutral. “Shelley, I told you I want to be your friend. You don’t have to be afraid to talk to me. I’m not going anywhere.”
I nod and swallow again.
“I’m serious,” he says.
“I know.”
That’s what makes things different with Jordan. He takes me seriously.
Standing here next to him, close enough to smell his woodsy cologne, is dangerous.
I’ve been spending so much time chasing an idea of what I want, only for it to walk into my life and stand right in front of me in a tan suit jacket, still just barely out of reach.
I want something real. Something honest. It’s hard not to see the promise of those things in his eyes.
Jordan could be all of that and so much more for some incredibly lucky someone. Just not me. I need to accept that.
Our bodies have been edging closer, and he’s only a few inches away when we both turn toward the water to watch the setting sun.
The reception will be wrapping up soon. It’s windy, and I brush a few strands of hair out of my face as a chill runs through me.
This sleeveless dress was perfect earlier in the day, but the temperature is dropping quickly.
“Here. It’s getting chilly.” He takes off his suit jacket and wraps it around my shoulders. I try not to make it obvious I’m inhaling long whiffs of his scent on the fabric. It smells like cedar, night air, and something uniquely Jordan.
“What are your plans for tonight? Do you want to come back to my place after things wrap up here?” he asks, then quickly adds, “You could invite your sisters.”
I’m tempted to take him up on it and not tell Mads and Mandy about the offer, but I know I’ll never hear the end of it if they find out I went home with our brother’s best man.
“I think my family was planning to keep the party going back at the hotel. You could join us there.” I smile and he returns one of his own, friendly and disarming.
“Yeah? Maybe I will.”
“Good. Hope I see you in a little while, then.” I shrug out of the jacket so I can hand it back to him.
He shakes his head. “You keep that. It’s cold. I’ll get it from you later.”
“You sure?”
“Definitely.” He takes the coat and gently places it back over my shoulders, and I duck my head to hide my blushing cheeks. I can still feel his eyes on me as I walk back to our table, where my parents are already hugging people goodbye.