A Wife for One Year. Brenda Harlen

her finger and into her pocket.

      She knew they had to tell David and Jane about their marriage, but she didn’t want to steal the spotlight from Andrew and Rachel. Or maybe she was worried that having the light focused on Daniel and herself would reveal that they weren’t head over heels in love as his brother and fiancée obviously were.

      Nate showed up just as dinner was being put on the table, so the story of Andrew and Rachel’s engagement was told again—in great detail by seven-year-old Maura—as platters and bowls of food were passed around.

      No one made roast beef with all the trimmings like Daniel’s mom, and it was usually one of Kenna’s favorite meals. But today, as she listened to the discussion about potential dates and venues for Andrew and Rachel’s wedding, she found herself moving more food around her plate than she put in her mouth.

      Everyone was thrilled about the engagement. Of course, Andrew and Rachel had been dating since February—not a long time, really, but long enough to be sure that this was what they wanted. As Kenna watched their interactions, she couldn’t help but see that there was a connection between them, so real it was almost tangible.

      Beneath the table, Daniel gave her hand a questioning squeeze. She knew he was eager to share their news, because it was a prerequisite to accessing his trust fund, but the timing just seemed wrong to her. Or maybe, seeing the secretive looks and warm glances that passed between Andrew and Rachel, it was the marriage that seemed wrong.

      Thankfully, with so many people around the table, there was rarely a lull in the conversation. There was discussion about Thomas Garrett’s impending retirement and Nate’s expected move to the CFO’s office when he was gone; Andrew asked Kenna if she was looking forward to the end of the school year and her summer vacation, which prompted Maura to regale them with her plans to play soccer and take ballet classes and go to horseback riding camp; and then Jane happened to mention that she needed to go shopping for a new dress for Lukas and Julie’s wedding.

      Lukas Garrett was one of Daniel’s cousins who lived in Pinehurst, New York; Julie Marlowe was his fiancée, originally from Springfield, Massachusetts. Long before they’d decided to get married themselves, Daniel had asked Kenna to attend with him because he hated going to weddings on his own.

      “When is the wedding?” David asked.

      His wife rolled her eyes. “June twenty-first. Don’t worry, I put the date in the calendar on your phone.”

      “That seems fast,” Andrew noted. “They only met seven months ago.”

      Nate shook his head. “The Garrett men are dropping like flies. I think maybe I should lie low until this epidemic passes.”

      “Stop it,” his mother admonished. “You should be so lucky to fall in love and share your life with someone one day.”

      “I’d say that Daniel and I are the lucky ones,” Nate countered.

      “Don’t drag me into this,” Daniel protested.

      “Birds of a feather,” his brother said. “With no intention of having our wings clipped.”

      “Do you feel as if your wings have been clipped?” Rachel asked Andrew.

      “Only by choice,” her fiancé assured her.

      “And that’s great for you,” Nate said. “But it’s not my choice.”

      “Never say never,” Daniel cautioned.

      “Whose side are you on here?”

      “I’m not taking sides—I have nothing against marriage.”

      “Since when?” Nate demanded.

      Under the table, Daniel gave her hand another squeeze. “Since Kenna and I got married.”