by Jillian Dodd
I can’t even pretend to be offended by this since just dabbing some on the back of one of my hands is like heaven. “I’m sure this is going to look pretty,” I mutter in disgust with myself.
“Please. You could cover yourself in oatmeal from head to toe and be beautiful.” He starts pulling lids from trays next. “We have prime rib, salmon, and a mix of scallops and shrimp in scampi sauce over capellini.”
It all smells heavenly, but there are too many questions going through my head for me to enjoy it just yet. “Did you get this from the buffet?”
“They were pretty nice about it. I think, so long as we’re being honest, they would be willing to do anything to avoid you freaking out over having a reaction.”
“I wouldn’t freak out.” I mean, I would like to, but I know my limits.
“But they don’t know that. I’m sure that in a place like this, they’re used to guests flipping out over much less than what you’re going through right now. Rich people tend to lose their cool at the drop of a hat.” There’s no humor in his voice now, which leads me to wonder just how well he knows what he’s talking about.
“This is extraordinary. That probably sounds corny, but …” I spread my arms in a helpless shrug. There’s nothing else to say.
It doesn’t seem like I have to say anything else. He understands; I can tell he does.
“Sit down. Where would you like to eat? Do you want to go out to the patio? There’s an actual table out there.”
“I feel terrible about this. You should be having a good time over in the banquet room.”
He turns away from the cart, sliding his hands into his pockets with a sheepish sort of look on his face. “Can I be honest?”
“Sure …”
“There’s only one person here tonight who I would want to talk to. No offense to either Kylie’s or Zack’s parents. No offense to Hayley or Brandon. But everybody else there bores the hell out of me. Maybe because we’ve all known each other for a long time. You’re the only person who’s caught my interest this week.”
“So, I’m the novelty item catching your eye. Is that what you’re telling me?”
A ghost of a smile flits across his face. “You’re tough. Has anybody ever told you that?”
Now is not the time to be thinking about Matt, who would probably still be laughing at me for this whole allergic-reaction fiasco. “Yes, honestly.”
“I wonder if you give them half as hard of a time as you’re giving me right now. Come on. You have to eat something, and I’m hungry. This food smells too good to go to waste.” Without another word, he wheels the cart out through the doors leading onto the patio.
I don’t have any other choice but to follow him—and not just because I’m starving. It’s the fact that having food in my system will help lessen the effects of the horseradish.
There’s something about him. I can’t put my finger on it. He’s strong-willed without being dominant. Maybe that’s a sign of being completely comfortable in his skin. Yes, that’s what it is. I don’t think I’ve ever met anybody as comfortable with themself as he is.
I settle on the salmon, and he takes the prime rib. We decide to share the seafood pasta.
“Would you like some wine?” he asks.
“I wish I could have some, but I’m already afraid the drink I finished earlier isn’t going to mix well with the allergy meds.”
“Water it is.” He plops a giant bottle in front of me while wearing a stern expression. “You’d better drink if you don’t want to pass out before you get the chance to enjoy all this.”
“Yes, sir.” I take a healthy swig just to show him I’m serious. The fact is, I don’t want to fall asleep. Not for as long as I can help it, not as long as he’s here with me.
Besides, it wouldn’t be fair for him to have gone to all this trouble, just to have me blink out on him halfway through the meal.
Not to mention the fact that the food is scrumptious.
“Oh my gosh.” I have to close my eyes to savor the buttery salmon. “It tastes like it was caught today.”
“I think they fly it in daily. At least, I wouldn’t be surprised.” Then, he groans after taking a bite of the prime rib. “Holy shit.”
“I guess that means it’s good?”
He cuts off a little bit and puts it on my plate. “Trust me, you will not regret it.”
“No, but you might regret giving that to me,” I groan after tasting it. Holy mackerel, it’s delicious. “You might have to defend yourself against me. I get pretty serious about my food.”
“Just when I thought I couldn’t like you any more than I already do.” He raises his glass of wine—there are two carafes underneath the cart, one of red and one of white since he clearly thought of everything—and I raise my water in response. “To eventful rehearsal dinners.”
Indeed.
Though in spite of the itchy skin and the absolutely crushing embarrassment of having to leave the dinner early, I’m not sure I would have it any other way. Crazy as it sounds.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“Whoa. What the hell happened around here last night?”
The sound of Hayley’s voice breaks through my deep sleep. I blink away the morning sunlight and then groan in mixed horror and disgust when I realize I slept all night with oatmeal on my face.
She’s looking down at me with a wry grin. “What, did you have a beauty-regimen night? Did Briggs put oatmeal on his face too? Maybe a mud mask?”
“It’s for the itching and swelling.”
“I’m only teasing.” She sits down next to me on the bed, wincing. “How are you feeling, sweetie?”
“Much better. Where the heck were you all night? Are you just getting in?”
She smiles, her chin dipping down. “I spent the night in Kylie’s room. It was actually really fun.”
“Really? That’s so neat!”
“Besides, I figured …” She gives me a sly smile.
“You figured wrong. You have no idea what you’re talking about if you think I was in any mood for any such thing last night.”
“Again, teasing.”
“Not to sound too needy, but how come you never even texted to ask if I was okay?”
She arches an eyebrow, reaching for the phone in her purse. “You think I never checked in? Trust me, I had a little talk with Briggs as he was loading the cart with food for you. He gave me his number, and I checked in with him all night.”
Sure enough, there are at least a dozen messages from her to him, asking if I was doing okay. He kept her updated, letting her know I ate, that I was looking and feeling better. He told her we sat around, watching an old thriller on one of the movie channels, which we did after we finished eating.
But he was kind enough to leave out the part where I had oatmeal slathered all over my face the entire time. Not exactly my proudest or my most desirable moment.
“Thank you for checking up on me.” I snicker. “Did anybody have anything to say about my sudden departure?”
The fact that she’s so quick to get up from the bed and move across the room to her own bed tells me a lot.
“It’s okay. I want to know. You would’ve been proud of me, staring that Sarah chick down the way I did.”
“You did? How come you didn’t tell me?”
“There really wasn’t much time, was there? One minute, everything was okay, and the next, I broke out in polka dots.”
“Yeah, she tried to spread nastiness about you,” Hayley admits. “Don’t worry. Nobody takes her seriously. Even Kylie jumped to your defense, and honestly, it was pretty amazing to see.”
That’s enough to get me to sit up. “What did she say?”
“She told Sarah to mind her own business and to stop being mean toward somebody she likes. Kylie never stands up to any of those girls; I want you to understand that right off the bat. So, to hear her say that was just short of miraculous.”
“Wow! I mean, I don’t want to be the reason that they
start fighting …”
“How many times do I have to tell you? You’re not the reason. She is. For the most part, everybody was concerned about you. Briggs filled us all in and told us not to worry about it before he came back here.”
She shakes her head, her eyebrows jumping up and down. “I don’t know what you did to him, but you definitely had an effect. He was practically frenzied, Kitty. I’m not kidding. He wanted to make sure you had everything you needed, including that oatmeal.”
“Speaking of which.” I jump up out of bed to go to the bathroom and wash my face, which is no easy feat. I don’t want to clog up the pipes with the oatmeal, so I have to try to take it off with a washcloth as carefully as I can before washing the rest away.
I should’ve known Hayley wouldn’t be put off so easily. Just because I walked away from our conversation didn’t mean she was going to let it go.
Watching from the doorway, she teases, “He likes you.”
I catch her eye in the mirror. She’s enjoying this way too much.
“What is this, middle school?”
“No. If it were middle school, I would sing, Briggs and Kitty sitting in a tree …”
“You’re adorable, you know that?”
“Says the girl with dried-up oatmeal all over her face.”
I stick my tongue out. “Okay, I like him too. Are you happy? You were right. He’s a nice guy, we get along well, and who knows? Maybe I need somebody to look out for me a little bit since I clearly cannot take care of myself.”
“You really haven’t had very good luck this week, have you?”
“I think we both know it could be worse though.”
“Knowing you? Without a doubt.”
Now that my face looks a little more like my own and less like that of a horror-movie villain, I’m pleased with the results of my overnight oatmeal mask. The rest of my skin is back to normal too—thank goodness. I wouldn’t want to show up in any pictures from the wedding, looking the way I did last night.
“So? Did he spend the night?”
I can’t help but laugh at the very idea. “Once again, I was in no condition.”
“I’m not saying anything had to happen. I was wondering if he slept over.”
“No, he went back to his room. Honestly, I don’t even remember that happening. I took a second dose of the meds, and that was enough to knock me out. I don’t think I moved all night, to be honest.”
“Aww, he tucked you in and left you to sleep. How cute.”
“Would you shut up?”
“I’m not being snarky or sarcastic or anything. I really do think it’s cute. Very sweet. I overheard Zack saying he’s never seen Briggs act that way before over a girl, and they’ve known each other practically their whole lives.”
Part of me sincerely wishes she would stop talking about things like this because all it does is make me like him more while convincing me of his feelings.
This is dangerous territory.
“I’m sure things won’t be the same way once we go back to our regular lives.”
“What makes you so sure?”
“Come on. It’s fine to be flirty and sweet and cute while we’re here, at the resort, and the rest of our lives are on the back burner. We’ll both go back to work. He’ll be out at the family’s second home, probably reconnecting with old friends, and I’ll be some girl he helped through a hard time during the wedding week.”
“I don’t think you give yourself nearly enough credit, but that’s always been the case.”
“You’re biased.”
“Listen, girl, I saw him last night. I saw the way he acted when you started getting all splotchy. He was really concerned. He didn’t think twice about bringing you back to the room even though it meant leaving the party. He burst into the kitchen, demanding they provide oatmeal for you to soothe your skin since they were the ones who made you have a reaction.”
My eyes widen in surprise.
“Yes, he did,” she insists.
“Over me?”
“Over you, you dork. He really likes you. So, please, for the love of God, kiss the man tonight. At least do that much.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to be there to direct the whole thing?”
“You’re impossible.” She lets out an exasperated sigh before walking away. “Do what you need to do in there and make it snappy. I need to take a shower before the hair and makeup people get here.”
Right. I’ll be on my own for most of the day while she and her family and the other bridesmaids get ready.
That’s fine by me, honestly, since I feel a little stiff and achy. My skin might look better, but I’m still slightly inflamed on the inside. I could use a little time with my project too.
I’m seated out on the patio with my laptop when Hayley sticks her head out.
“I’m headed over to the bridal suite now. I’ll see you out there?”
“You sure will. Have fun, okay? Make sure to remind your sister to breathe and relax.”
“You mean, the way you did?” She steps outside and throws her arms around my shoulders. “She told me last night. How you talked to her and made her feel better the day of the snorkeling lesson. I should’ve known you had something to do with it. It’s like she’s been a completely different person since then. And she’s been a lot nicer to me too. She’s been going out of her way to be, you know, sisterly. More so than she’s ever been before.”
“I didn’t want to make it seem like everything was about me, so I didn’t say anything about it.”
“Of course not, because that’s how you are.” She gives me another quick hug. “Thank you. Seriously, you’ve saved her so much frustration and pain. Otherwise, she would’ve looked back and hated herself for missing the whole thing.”
“You’d better go before I get all emotional.”
She giggles. “Yeah, and I can’t show up for my makeup with puffy eyes. Kylie will forgive a lot of things now, but I don’t think she’d be cool with any of us ruining her pictures. Even me.”
“Go, go. I need to get some writing done anyway. There are so many hours to kill.”
“Don’t forget to relax a little. We’re flying home tomorrow afternoon.”
As if I needed the reminder.
I don’t want to waste a minute here. Really, I don’t. But my brain is buzzing, and I know better than to squander this surge of creativity. I had a stellar night’s sleep—the fact that there’s hardly any oatmeal smeared on the pillowcase or in my hair is a testament to how thoroughly I passed out—and I feel refreshed and ready to go.
Besides, what would I do otherwise? Probably get a sunburn or something. Maybe break a bone for good measure. Give Sarah and her pals something to laugh themselves sick about.
Nope. I’m safer right here, on the patio, where the awning shades me from the sun and the sound of water lapping at the shore provides the perfect background noise.
Only …
The water’s not lapping.
I look up from my screen at the realization. Normally, the water is gentle—okay, I don’t know exactly what the water’s like all the time, but over the past several days, it’s been calming and peaceful.
Now? Not so much. There are waves—actual waves. It’s starting to look pretty risky out there. I don’t see many bathers willing to go farther out than knee height.
The sky’s not so clear either with clouds piling up on the horizon.
Something tells me that Kylie’s going to have more to deal with than puffy-eyed bridesmaids today.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Oh boy.
This had better be the fastest wedding in the history of weddings.
There isn’t any rain yet, but there’s quite a stiff breeze blowing. Breeze that’s threatening to turn into full-blown wind.
And the sky isn’t blue for the first time all week. It’s a deep, menacing shade of gray with lots of angry clouds piled up on top of each other.
Yet here we are,
all of us in our cute little chairs lined up in rows on either side of the long white runner. There are fifty guests in all, the rest of them having arrived late last night and this morning. There are floral arrangements on stands, one at the end of every row, and a beautiful arch just dripping in roses and orchids at the end of the runner.
It’s a shame it looks like the palm trees in the distance are about to blow right over.
“Uh, this is looking dicey,” somebody sitting near me says, like it needs to be said.
“I witnessed the rehearsal last night. It’s a short ceremony.”
That seems to ease a few minds, at least a little.
If they’d only get started, we might end up getting out of this with dry clothes and hair.
Once again, I wonder if it was worth getting all gussied up today. Two days in a row.
When the officiant steps up, standing under the arch, it looks like we’re about to begin. Zack and his guys file in next to that spot, and soft music plays from carefully concealed speakers.
Thank goodness it’s time to get this show on the road.
Kellen looks fantastic, needless to say, wearing the same seersucker suit the rest of the men in the party are wearing. That’s one thing that surprises me about this, seeing as how Kylie wanted everything to be so fancy. Maybe she gave Zack a say in something after all.
Brandon walks his mom down the aisle before joining the rest of the groomsmen. He catches my eye, and I wink, making him smile. I hope we can spend more time together at the reception since there hasn’t been much of a chance so far.
We all turn, expectant, waiting for the girls to file down the aisle. They’re dressed identically in soft, flowy dresses the color of the sea beyond the ceremony site. Hayley’s eyes look conspicuously watery when they meet mine, which of course gets me a little choked up.
No matter how big of a game she talks, she loves her sister. This means a lot to her.
The music changes, and we stand in response. I have to hold my arms at my sides to keep my dress from blowing around in what’s less a breeze now and more of a wind. An increasingly steady wind.
