Hometown Love (Love on the North Shore #2)(48)
Chapter 10
A temporary altar sat at the center of the Town Common along with rows of white chairs filled with wedding guests. If Jessie had to guess, she’d say the entire town had turned out for Maureen O’Brien and Ray Larson’s wedding. Not that she expected anything else. Both the bride and groom had grown up in North Salem. High school sweethearts, they’d drifted apart when Ray left for college and had reconnected when he moved back to town.
“Jessie, that color looks fabulous on you. You look beautiful.” Mia Troy, Sean’s celebrity girlfriend, took the seat in front of her.
Jessie beamed at the compliment. While no one would ever claim she was as beautiful as Mia, she did agree that the deep burgundy dress did look nice on her. “Thanks. When did your flight get in?”
“Around three o’clock this morning and I fly back out tomorrow at ten.” Mia’s resigned tone spoke volumes. “But in a little more than a month, I’ll be done with this movie and back for good.”
“Sean mentioned that.” He’d also let it slip that he planned on asking Mia to marry him when she returned at Thanksgiving. “How’s he doing today anyway?” She’d learned all about Ray and Maureen’s involvement and the role it had played in Sean and Charlie’s father leaving them. She also knew that, in the beginning, Sean had a difficult time accepting his mother’s marriage to Ray.
“I think he’s put his issues with Ray behind him. When I left him a few minutes ago with Maureen and Charlie, he looked happy.”
Jessie saw Grace and Mack approaching and the sunlight got brighter. Never in her entire life had she felt this content and special.
“Jessie, look how Grammy fixed my hair.” Grace slid into the seat Jessie had saved for her while Mack stopped and spoke with a friend.
“It’s beautiful. Is Brianna’s the same way?” Jessie took a moment to examine the intricate braid in the little girl’s hair.
Grace nodded, her eyes set on Mia. “You’re on television.” Grace’s strawberry blonde eyebrows scrunched up as she tried to figure out why someone she’d seen on television was sitting in front of her.
Her relationship with Mack and Grace had developed so much that she’d forgotten they’d only been in town since August, after Mia had returned to California. “Grace, this is Mia, Sean’s girlfriend. And you’re right; she used to be on television.”
Grace’s mouth dropped open. “Wow!”
“Mia, this cutie pie is Grace Ellsbury, and that’s her father Mack.” Jessie nodded toward Mack as he headed their way.
Mia leaned back to get a better look. “Sean mentioned you’d started seeing someone. He’s handsome.”
The seat to Jessie’s left moved. “Thanks. My wife thinks so, too.”
“Jake.” Jessie turned and greeted Charlie’s husband.
Jake gave her a quick hug. “Hi, Jessie. Mia.” He nodded in the other woman’s direction before looking over at Grace who sat staring at him, her mouth still down to her knees.
“Who’s the beautiful girl next to you?” he asked, flashing Grace a hundred-watt smile.
“I’ve seen you on magazine covers,” Grace said before Jessie could make introductions.
“Jake, this is Grace, my boyfriend’s daughter.” Outside of conversations with Mack, she’d never referred to Mack as her boyfriend until now and she liked it.
“It’s nice to meet you, Grace.” Jake extended his hand. “I’m Jake. Jessie and I are friends.”
Sitting up a little straighter in her seat, Grace accepted his hand and mimicked what she’d heard. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Jake gave Grace another smile and then looked at Jessie. “When Charlie came back yesterday, she said you had a boyfriend.”
Charlie and Jake had arrived in town the day before, and she’d stopped at Jessie’s apartment while Jake went over to Sean’s house. Jessie hadn’t even put coffee on the table when Charlie announced that she was pregnant. Once Charlie finished sharing her news, Jessie had told her friend about the developments between her and Mack.
“She’s my dad’s girlfriend, and she helped me pick out this dress.” Grace picked up the hem of her dark blue dress.
“And she did an excellent job,” Mack said as he took the seat next to his daughter. “Let’s try not to ruin it today.”
Jessie figured it would survive the ceremony with no problem. Dinner and dancing… well, they were another story. “Jake, this is Mack.” By this point, neither man needed a proper introduction. Still, it remained the polite action. “Mack, this is Charlie’s husband, Jake.”
The two men shook hands. “They should be starting soon. I saw Joseph Bates crossing the grass.” In addition to being the Town Administrator, Joseph Bates, Tony’s father, was a Justice of the Peace.
Jessie, along with Mack, Mia, and Jake, kept up a steady conversation for the next several minutes. Then, when the music started, silence washed over the crowd and Charlie, Maureen’s matron of honor, started down the aisle toward the altar. Once again, Jessie wished she looked more like her friend. Dressed in an ankle-length dark purple gown, Charlie looked stunning and not at all pregnant. Then again, her friend looked gorgeous in cut-offs.