“About your date with Ethan,” Josie said. “How was it?”

“It wasn’t a date.” Hannah’s voice was firm, but inside she had to wonder if that was the truth. Because there were points during the day when she’d certainly felt like it was a date. But perhaps that was just a bit of an overactive imagination. And then she recalled how he’d overstepped with the chandelier. Her mood dimmed.

“Sure it wasn’t.” Lily’s sing-song voice let everyone know she didn’t buy Hannah’s denial.

“Okay, just between us…maybe it was a little like a date.” Hannah couldn’t keep it from her best friends. She needed their input. “Maybe it was a lot like a date.”

“Did he kiss you?” Josie asked.

Hannah shook her head.

“No biggie. I’ve seen the way he looks at you,” Josie said. “He’s totally into you. He’s just not rushing things.”

“But it wasn’t all good.” She told them about their tense moment.

“He was just trying to do something nice for you,” Lily said. “It was sweet of him.”

“He definitely overstepped,” Josie said. “It wasn’t like he bought flowers. It was an expensive chandelier.”

As her friends debated the situation, Hannah sighed. “It’s okay. We worked things out.”

“You did?” Josie looked surprised.

Hannah nodded. “He meant to do something nice for me and I overreacted, thinking he was making decisions for me like Brad used to do. But we talked about it.”

“And we can still like him?” Lily asked.

Hannah smiled. “Yes, you can. Enough about me. We have a party to set up.”

They got to work, placing the beach decorations that included colorful sunglasses and seashell-shaped chocolates for favors, as well as some beach balls to bounce around the room. It should be a fun evening for all.

“How was your date?” Hannah’s mother rushed into the room.

Hannah’s heart lodged into her throat. Had her mother overheard their conversation? Surely not. Her mother wasn’t the type to eavesdrop.

Hannah turned to her mother. “What are you talking about?”

“The whole town is abuzz about your date with Ethan. You didn’t know?”

“No.” Heat scorched Hannah’s cheeks. “The whole town?”

Her mother nodded. “Hank from the ferry told Agnes and well, Agnes told everyone and anyone who would listen.”

“Of course she did.” Hannah frowned. She wasn’t sure what was going on between her and Ethan, but she didn’t know how they were supposed to figure it out if all of Bluestar were watching them. There were a few drawbacks to living in a small town. This was one of them.

The excited voices of arriving guests and the bride-to-be echoed through the pub. Through the open doorway, Hannah spotted Amelia in a short white lacy dress. But it was her sunny smile and the sparkle in her eyes that gave her a warm glow of happiness. Every bride should look that way before their wedding.

Hannah didn’t recall ever looking that happy with Brad. That should have been her clue that the relationship hadn’t been right for her. It might have taken her a while to figure it out, but at least she’d done so before saying I do.