Debbie Macomber: The Summer Wedding: Groom Wanted / The Man You'll Marry

It was Aunt Milly’s wedding dress.

A letter rested on top of the tissue-wrapped dress. With trembling hands, Jill reached for it.

Dearest Jill,

Trust me, I know exactly what you’re feeling. I remember my own emotions when I opened this very box and found Aunt Milly’s wedding dress staring up at me. As you know, my first instinct was to run and hide. Instead I was fortunate enough to find Mark and fall in love.

I suppose you’re wondering why I’m mailing this dress to you in Hawaii. Why didn’t I just give it to you before you left Seattle? Good question, and if I had a reasonable answer I’d be more than happy to share it.

One thing I’ve learned these past few months is that there’s precious little logic when it comes to understanding any of this—love, fate, the magic within Aunt Milly’s wedding dress. Take my advice and don’t even try to make sense of it.

I suppose I should tell you why I’m giving you the dress. I was sitting at the table one morning last week, with my first cup of coffee. I wasn’t fully awake yet. My eyes were closed. Suddenly you were in my mind, standing waist-deep in blue-green water. There was a waterfall behind you and lush, beautiful plants all around. It had to be Hawaii. You looked happier than I can ever remember seeing you.

There was a man with you, and I wish I could describe him. Unfortunately, he was in shadow. Read into that whatever you will. There was a look about you, a look I’ve only seen once before—the day you tried on the wedding gown. You were radiant.

I talked to Mark about it, and he seemed to feel the same way I did—that the dress was meant for you. I phoned Aunt Milly and told her. She said by all means to make you its next recipient.

I should probably have given you the dress then, but something held me back. Nothing I can put into words, but a feeling that it would be too soon. So I’m sending it to you now.

My wish for you, Jill, is that you find someone to love. Someone as wonderful as Mark. Of the two of us, you’ve always been the sensible one. You believed in logic and common sense. But you also believed in love, long before I did. I was the skeptic there. Something tells me the man you’ll marry is just as cynical as I once was. You’re going to have to teach him about love, the same way Mark’s taught me.

Call me as soon as you get back. I’ll be waiting to hear what happens. In my heart I already know it’s going to be wonderful.

Love,

Shelly

Jill read the letter twice. Her pulse quickened as her eyes lifted and involuntarily returned to the lanai directly across from her own.

The frantic pace of her heart slowed to normal.

The grouch was gone.

Jill recalled Aunt Milly’s letter to Shelly. “When you receive this dress,” she’d written, “the first man you meet is the man you’ll marry.”

So it wasn’t the grouch, it was someone else. Not that she really believed in any of this. Still, her knees went unaccountably weak with relief.

After unpacking her clothes, Jill showered and lay down for a few minutes. She hadn’t intended to fall asleep, but when she awoke, a rosy dusk had settled. Flickering fires from the bamboo poles that surrounded the pool sent shadows dancing on her walls.

She’d seen him, Jill realized. While she slept. Her hero, her predestined husband. But try as she might, she couldn’t bring him into clear focus. Naturally it was her imagination. Fanciful thinking. Dreams gone wild. Jill reminded herself stoutly that she didn’t believe in the power of the wedding dress any more than she believed in the Easter Bunny. But it was nice to fantasize now and then, to pretend.

Unquestionably, there was a certain amount of anticipation created by the delivery of the wedding dress and Shelly’s letter. But unlike her friend, Jill didn’t expect anything to come of this. Jill’s feet were firmly planted on the ground. She wasn’t as whimsical as Shelly, nor was she as easily influenced.

True, at twenty-eight, Jill was more than ready to marry and settle down. She knew she wanted children eventually, too. But when it came to finding the man of her dreams, she’d prefer to do it the old trial-and-error way. She didn’t need a magic wedding dress guiding her toward him!

Initially, Shelly had had many of the same thoughts herself, Jill remembered, but she’d married the first man she’d met after the dress arrived.

The first man you meet . She was thinking about that while she changed into a light cotton dress and sandals. She was still thinking about it as she rode the elevator down to the lobby to have a look around.

There must have been something in the air. Maybe it was because she was on vacation and feeling free of her usual routines and restraints; Jill didn’t know. But for some reason she found herself glancing around, wondering which man it might be.

The hotel was full of possibilities. A distinguished gentleman sauntered past. An ambassador perhaps? Or a politician? Hmm, that might be nice.

Nah, she countered silently, laughing at herself. She wasn’t interested in politics. Furthermore she didn’t see herself as an ambassador’s wife. She’d probably say the wrong thing to the wrong person and inadvertently cause an international incident.

A guy who looked like a rock star strolled her way next. Now, there was an interesting prospect, although Jill had a minor problem picturing herself married to a man who wore his hair longer than she did. He was cute, though. A definite possibility— if she took Shelly’s letter seriously.

A doctor would be ideal, Jill decided. With her medical background, they were sure to have a lot in common. She scanned the lobby area, searching for someone who looked as if he’d feel at home with a stethoscope around his neck.

No luck. Nor, for that matter, did she seem to be generating any interest herself. She might as well be invisible. So much for that! These speculations were all in fun anyway….

Swallowing an urge to laugh, she headed out the back of the hotel toward the pristine beach. A lazy evening stroll among swaying palms sounded just the thing.

She walked toward the ocean, removed her shoes and held them by the straps as she wandered ankle-deep into the delightfully warm water. She wasn’t paying much attention to where she was going, thinking, instead, about her hopes for a family of her own. Thinking about the few truly happy memories she had of her father. The Christmas when she was five and a camping trip two years later. A picnic, once. But by the time she was eight, his success had overtaken him. It wasn’t that he didn’t love her or her mother, she supposed, but—

“I wouldn’t go out much farther if I were you,” a deep male voice called from behind her.

Jill’s pulse soared at the unexpectedness of the intrusion. She saw the silhouette of a man leaning against a palm tree. In the darkness she couldn’t make out his features, yet he seemed vaguely familiar.

“I won’t,” she said, trying to see who’d spoken. Whoever it was stayed stubbornly in the shadows of the tree.

From the distance Jill noted that he had the physique of an athlete. She happened to appreciate wide, powerful shoulders on a man. She stepped closer, attempting to get a better look at him without being obvious. Although his features remained hidden, his chin was tilted at a confident angle.

She’d always found confidence an appealing trait in a man….

“I wondered if you were planning to go swimming at night. Only a fool would do that.”

Jill bristled. She had no intention of swimming. For one thing, she wasn’t dressed for it. Before she could defend herself, however, he continued, “You look like one of those helpless romantics who can’t resist testing the water. Let me guess—this is your first visit to the islands?”