want it romantic. I can’t believe I have no trouble at all making decisions for my clients.”
Kevin’s brown eyes gazed tenderly at his wife-to-be. “I love you getting crazy over our wedding. Are we still set to take your mother to visit your uncle Terry in the afternoon?”
“Yes.” Diana gazed back at Kevin. “You don’t mind driving all the way up to Yonkers, do you? My uncle Terry really wants to meet you, and he’s not going to be able to make it to the wedding with his leg in a cast.”
Kevin smiled. “I’d drive to the ends of the earth for you.”
Joy sat observing Diana and Kevin, thinking how hard this must be on Nick. She could imagine what he was going through.
“Did Eddie make any headway today?” Kevin asked, looking like he’d just suddenly realized that he and Diana weren’t alone.
Nick cast Joy a sidelong glance, his mind putting a different spin on Kevin’s question. Eddie’s headway was blocked tonight, but that was just tonight.
She was looking down at her drink. He knew she didn’t want to drink any more of it.
“He’s getting there,” Diana answered.
“If he started in the morning and not late afternoon, he’d be finished already,” Kevin said, speaking to Nick. “You’ve got to see the way he works. He paints a quarter of a wall and stands back to admire it for twenty minutes. Do you remember how fast we used to paint a room for Mom?”
Nick nodded his head, savoring the pleasant memory.
“You can’t rush an artist,” Diana insisted. “He’s doing a fantastic job. Don’t you think so, Joy?”
“Fantastic,” Joy answered, preoccupied. She was debating whether or not to try another sip of the margarita.
Kevin smiled at Diana. “What about the menu? Have we finished debating that?”
“The menu…” Diana let out a moan. “Right. We haven’t finished deciding on the menu.”
“What we should do is have Nick help us decide,” Kevin suggested. “How about we all go to the restaurant for dinner on Sunday? Okay with you, Nick?”
“It’s good for me, if it’s good for Joy,”
Joy’s eyes went to Nick. “It’s fine with me.” What was one more night of the Nick, Kevin and Diana saga?
“I’ll ask Rachel to come along,” Diana added enthusiastically. “And Mother, of course.”
Joy pushed back her seat and stood. “I’m going to finish my drink at the bar. I really should keep Eddie company for a while.”
Nick’s good mood took a dive. “It’s still pretty hectic at the bar.”
“It’s eased up some.” She wanted to be away from Nick. Between nearly falling over herself while they’d been dancing and then coughing over her drink, this was not one of her better nights. To sit and listen as Diana extolled Rachel, which Joy was certain Diana was going to do, was more than she could take.
Nick tried to come up with something else to say to keep Joy from going to the bar, but nothing came into his head.
“I can’t wait for you to meet Rachel,” Diana said, as Joy walked from the table.
“I think five heads is more than enough to vote on your wedding menu,” Nick replied impatiently, turning in his seat to better keep his eye on Joy. He watched as she took a seat at the bar and began talking to a clearly pleased Eddie.
Nick took a pull on his bottle of beer. Then his view of Joy was blocked as a couple came to stand behind her.
“I still can’t get over your buying the Greenport News ,” Kevin said. “I hope you haven’t jumped before thinking it through. I know how you are.”
“I’m not flying by the seat of my pants anymore,” Nick replied. “I had been giving a lot of thought to staying put in one place for a while now.”
“It still seems to me that you got on this rather suddenly.” Kevin gave Nick his legal-eagle look.“How did you know the paper was for sale? Did you make an inquiry?”
“Something like that.” Nick restlessly tapped his index finger on the table. “How long do you think it’s going
Kevin’s brown eyes gazed tenderly at his wife-to-be. “I love you getting crazy over our wedding. Are we still set to take your mother to visit your uncle Terry in the afternoon?”
“Yes.” Diana gazed back at Kevin. “You don’t mind driving all the way up to Yonkers, do you? My uncle Terry really wants to meet you, and he’s not going to be able to make it to the wedding with his leg in a cast.”
Kevin smiled. “I’d drive to the ends of the earth for you.”
Joy sat observing Diana and Kevin, thinking how hard this must be on Nick. She could imagine what he was going through.
“Did Eddie make any headway today?” Kevin asked, looking like he’d just suddenly realized that he and Diana weren’t alone.
Nick cast Joy a sidelong glance, his mind putting a different spin on Kevin’s question. Eddie’s headway was blocked tonight, but that was just tonight.
She was looking down at her drink. He knew she didn’t want to drink any more of it.
“He’s getting there,” Diana answered.
“If he started in the morning and not late afternoon, he’d be finished already,” Kevin said, speaking to Nick. “You’ve got to see the way he works. He paints a quarter of a wall and stands back to admire it for twenty minutes. Do you remember how fast we used to paint a room for Mom?”
Nick nodded his head, savoring the pleasant memory.
“You can’t rush an artist,” Diana insisted. “He’s doing a fantastic job. Don’t you think so, Joy?”
“Fantastic,” Joy answered, preoccupied. She was debating whether or not to try another sip of the margarita.
Kevin smiled at Diana. “What about the menu? Have we finished debating that?”
“The menu…” Diana let out a moan. “Right. We haven’t finished deciding on the menu.”
“What we should do is have Nick help us decide,” Kevin suggested. “How about we all go to the restaurant for dinner on Sunday? Okay with you, Nick?”
“It’s good for me, if it’s good for Joy,”
Joy’s eyes went to Nick. “It’s fine with me.” What was one more night of the Nick, Kevin and Diana saga?
“I’ll ask Rachel to come along,” Diana added enthusiastically. “And Mother, of course.”
Joy pushed back her seat and stood. “I’m going to finish my drink at the bar. I really should keep Eddie company for a while.”
Nick’s good mood took a dive. “It’s still pretty hectic at the bar.”
“It’s eased up some.” She wanted to be away from Nick. Between nearly falling over herself while they’d been dancing and then coughing over her drink, this was not one of her better nights. To sit and listen as Diana extolled Rachel, which Joy was certain Diana was going to do, was more than she could take.
Nick tried to come up with something else to say to keep Joy from going to the bar, but nothing came into his head.
“I can’t wait for you to meet Rachel,” Diana said, as Joy walked from the table.
“I think five heads is more than enough to vote on your wedding menu,” Nick replied impatiently, turning in his seat to better keep his eye on Joy. He watched as she took a seat at the bar and began talking to a clearly pleased Eddie.
Nick took a pull on his bottle of beer. Then his view of Joy was blocked as a couple came to stand behind her.
“I still can’t get over your buying the Greenport News ,” Kevin said. “I hope you haven’t jumped before thinking it through. I know how you are.”
“I’m not flying by the seat of my pants anymore,” Nick replied. “I had been giving a lot of thought to staying put in one place for a while now.”
“It still seems to me that you got on this rather suddenly.” Kevin gave Nick his legal-eagle look.“How did you know the paper was for sale? Did you make an inquiry?”
“Something like that.” Nick restlessly tapped his index finger on the table. “How long do you think it’s going
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