Jacob Stone could think of several places he'd rather be tonight. But instead, here he was at his stepsister's wedding. It wasn't that he didn't get along with Eve, he actually did quite well. They hadn't grown up together, her daddy and his mama had married only ten years ago, after all of the kids were grown. Her daddy was a fine man who treated his mama better than his own daddy had. He didn't see the Bairds often, just holidays and family events. And when they got together, he and Eve tended to hang out. Neither liked the hoopla and got on better with each other than they did their own siblings. So that was probably why he was not having a good time. Eve had always been his backup, they'd end up disappearing to the backyard, or a roof top or a parking lot, split a six pack of beer. So instead, he was faced with strangers or family members he'd rather not talk to.

Oh, he loved his family. But shortly after his mother's remarriage, he'd followed her to Dallas and decided to shed his costume. He'd enrolled as an adult student in college and was now an instructor at a community college. His siblings had never quite gotten over the shock of who he really was.

And now he was losing the only sort of sibling that got him. Oh, he was happy as hell for Eve. She was older than he and even more unlucky in love. Of course, her meeting his old college professor Flynn Carsen had been all his fault. He honestly would never have guessed his ex-military stepsister would find her soul mate in his absent minded history professor. But she had.

He was happy for her. And jealous of her, if he was honest. He'd never been very lucky with relationships. For years it was because he hid who he was. And now, well maybe he was too picky. But 40 was coming up sooner than he would like and he'd had hoped to find someone by then.

Someday, he told himself for probably the hundredth time since Eve had gotten engaged. He sighed and decided that another beer would be in order.

Cassandra Cillian could think of several places she'd rather be tonight. But instead, here she was at her uncle's wedding. It wasn't that she wasn't fond of her mother's baby brother. She was quite fond of Uncle Flynn. In fact, she probably was the relation that he was closest with besides her grandmother. He and his sister had never seen eye to eye. Cassandra's mother had always thought that her brother had his head too far into the clouds. So much so that she hadn't been too pleased when she saw the same traits in her only child.

Cassandra sighed. Uncle Flynn had always seen a kindred spirit in his only niece. They were both geniuses and they didn't always fit in with the rest of the world. She was always glad for his support and now for the job that he'd offered her as his secretary. It was a good excuse to move away from her parents, who'd treated her like an invalid ever since they'd discovered her brain tumor. Her tumor was tiny, not immediately dangerous, and she certainly wasn't an invalid. Not to say that her tumor didn't affect her quality of life, adding hallucinations to her already existing synesthesia. But she had a handle on it, Flynn was especially helpful with helping her cope. And while the tumor was inoperable, the doctors had told her she had many years left. Cassandra fully intended on living those, even though her parents would rather wrap her in cotton and put her on a shelf. She was almost 30 for heaven's sakes, it was time to live. Not wait for someday. She had to make life happen on her own terms, for the first time in her life. So here she was in Dallas, where she only knew her uncle and his new wife.

She sighed and decided she really needed another beer.

Next to her at the bar was a rather handsome man, who was pulling on his tie as he waited for the bartender to grab his beer.

She chuckled when he muttered something about how long it took to grab a bottled beer out of a cooler.

He looked over at her as they were both handed beers and tilted his head as if appraising her.

Possibly because it was her third beer of the night, Cassandra felt emboldened. "You look as out of place as I feel."

He laughed, surprised. "That obvious?"

"A little bit. Not used to ties?"

"Not really. I work at a community college, if you wear khakis instead of jeans the students look at ya funny. And I'm guessing you're not into heels?"

"Am I teetering?"

"A little bit." He grimaced as if realizing how rude he was being. "Sorry."

"It's okay. I'm not used to them. I'm a boots sorta girl. I'm Cassandra, by the way, I'm the groom's niece."

"Oh!" He exclaimed, taking another look at her. "I've seen your picture in his office! Or a younger you anyway, I expected you to be a teenager, because Flynn isn't . . . ."

"Much older than me. Yes, he and my mother have about the same age gap than he and I have. Weirdly. I need to have him put up newer photos."

"I did wonder when he mentioned you were going to be working with him. I assumed you'd be a student aide, but you'll be his secretary?"

"Yes," she nodded. "Did you work with my uncle?"

"I was one of his students." At Cassandra's look, he added "adult learner. It's a long story, I didn't get to college until later in life. I actually . . .anyway, I'm Jake. I'm Eve's stepbrother."

"Oh, the one who introduced them!"

"Yeah," Jake stifled his sigh but she heard it anyway.

She tilted her head and looked at him, a strange expression on her face. "Wish you hadn't?"

He must have understood because he quickly exclaimed, "Not like that! Eve's just as much my sister as my blood ones. We're just a lot alike, Eve and I. If this was someone else's wedding, we'd have long ago ditched to go find a diner or a dive bar. I'm happy for her, really, she's waited so long to find someone . . . . But I'll miss my friend."

Cassandra nodded, understanding. "Uncle Flynn and I are a lot like that. We're not big on functions. And I think if they both weren't so caught up in each other . . . ."

"Yeah," Jake said with a different sort of sigh. "Kinda beautiful isn't it? The two of them that is. Someday . . . . Well, at least I keep telling myself." He took a swig of his beer. "Wow, I should not have said that out loud."

Cassandra shrugged. "We're vaguely family now, aren't we?"

He looked over at her, "very vaguely. But you seem like the kind of person . . . . Never mind, I'm sure you want to get back to the party."

Cassandra just tilted her head and looked at him and he started laughing. "Right. . . Hey, you wouldn't be interested in going down the street to that diner would you?"

Cassandra breathed an audible sigh of relief. "Yes, please," she looked over to Eve and Flynn as they danced oblivious to everyone else. "I'd say goodbye to them, but I doubt they notice anyone else in the room."

Jake's grin was wistful, "the way it should be. We'll see them both soon enough."

And when he and Cassandra spent the rest of the night finding out that they had a lot in common . . . . when they'd kissed good night before taking separate cabs home . . . . when they went out to dinner the next night and the night after that . . . .when she moved in with him six weeks later . . . .Jake found out that someday was a lot closer than he'd thought when he'd gone to his stepsister's wedding.

And two years later when Jake and Cassandra got married in a super low key wedding, their only guests were Flynn and Eve.

Which was exactly how they wanted it.

[end]