His Best Friend's Wife. Lee McKenzie

on the same page. Family and friends at a small ceremony and reception at the farm, nothing fancy.”

      Paul pushed aside his envy. “And the best man’s role in all of this? I take it I’m throwing the stag?”

      Jack shook his head. “Emily is saying no to stags, stagettes and couples showers.”

      “Gee, missing out on a couples shower has to be disappointing.”

      Jack laughed. “Yeah, right. I’m still busy with work and to be honest, when I do have a free evening, I want to spend it with Emily.”

      Paul ignored another stab of envy. Just because he was alone didn’t mean he begrudged his friend’s happiness, or the fact that he was actually marrying one of the Finnegan sisters.

      “I hear you,” he said instead. “How’s Emily feeling these days?”

      “She’s feeling great and Dr. Cameron says the baby is doing well, too.”

      “Glad to hear it. Emily’s in good hands. Alyssa Cameron has a lot of maternity experience.”

      “We were kind of hoping she could be your patient.”

      Paul shook his head. “I wouldn’t be comfortable with that. We’ve been friends for so long, we’re practically family.”

      “I get it,” Jack said. “We both do.”

      The door opened and a man walked in. He looked vaguely familiar to Paul, and he waved at Jack, which meant he probably was, and then he strode up to the counter to talk to Rose. Right away her eyes lit up, as much as they had when she’d been chatting with the previous guy.

      “That’s Emily’s friend, Fred Morris,” Jack said. “Remember him?”

      “Right, right. From the barbershop. I thought I recognized him.”

      “That’s right. For reasons no one can figure out, Fred has a thing for Rose. And for reasons that are blatantly obvious, she tolerates him because he’ll do favors for her. It makes Emily a little crazy.”

      “Isn’t he a little old for her?”

      Jack quirked an eyebrow. “And a little on the buttoned-down side to be hanging around with someone who dresses like a vampire.”

      Paul watched the interaction between the two. He considered himself a good judge of character and from what he could see, Fred had it bad.

      “Emily and CJ don’t trust this newfound half sister of theirs,” Jack said. “I’ll confess that I had the green-monster thing going on when Em first got so overprotective of Fred, but now I think she’s right.”

      Paul lowered his voice. “How do you feel about the newest addition to the Finnegan clan?”

      “I don’t trust her, either. To say she had a troubled childhood is a gross understatement. She has the poor-me attitude down pat, and some people—single young guys in particular—seem to fall for it.”