Vin’s lips twisted when thoughts of Lily Perry entered his mind. He looked down the beach toward the old docks and remembered their encounter there. It was brief and sweet but one he’d never forgotten. It made that dock damned near impossible to look on without thinking about her, which baffled him. There had been plenty of other faceless women before Lily and since their time under the dock, but somehow it was Lily that had stuck. And now here she was, back again in his life and turning it on its head. It seemed she was everything he didn’t need but still, for some confounded reason, he couldn’t deny he was attracted to her.
Vin shook his head to clear it. He knew he had to do something to remedy the situation, but what? Maybe it was the fact that he had never slept with her. Everything between Lily Perry and him had been left undone. Maybe that was her thing. Try a man to distraction, then leave him hanging. It was an old game to play in order to get attention and one he thought would never work on him, but now that he’d seen the tactic up close he couldn’t deny its effectiveness. Vin felt his eyes go narrow. Lily Perry was good. Real good. She was a shark. A shark disguised as a pretty little angelfish.
Vin also knew he could handle her. And certain parts of him wanted to handle her just right. But after their last meeting he knew that would take time—time and a little bit of patience to win her over. He thought it was nuts, her crazy ceremony to celebrate her union with herself or whatever the hell it was. It seemed like a bunch of new age hipster mumbo jumbo to him. Just a reason to spend a lot of money. But if she was spending the money in his spot and it was flowing his way, he wouldn’t be a fool and turn it down. She may be nuts, but he sure as hell wasn’t. The customer was always right, and he’d do his best to make sure that this particular one left satisfied. In any and every way.
The sun rose completely and reflected off the shimmering waves, the vision catching in his eyes. Vin squinted and put his hand up. The hour was growing late and he needed to get on with the day. It was time to prep for what he hoped would be a busy weekend crowd. But first he had some boards to repair for his kids who would be by for their lessons from the Boys Club come Monday. Vin picked up his board to head back toward the restaurant and his apartment.
On the way to his place, he passed his stand, giving it a quick lap to make sure that nothing had been tampered with in the past couple of days. He made a mental note to get on with hiring yet another person since his time would soon be divided even more once the stand opened for the summer months. The thought of opening the stand and bringing on a new hire to help run it didn’t bring him any joy. Even though the restaurant was his main priority, he didn’t want to neglect his first love. Before his mom passed, he’d enjoyed being out with the people and spending most of his time front and center on the beach. His stand afforded him that. Nothing more than an eight-by-twelve setup with a small four-burner grill, it was all he needed to do quick handheld tacos and keep them coming for the patrons on the beach. The stand is what kept him and his mom going when times were rough. It was hard facing the fact that she was gone. Part of the reason he kept his stand open over the past summer was in her honor. Vin knew she’d be so upset if he just let it go. Despite the hard work, he couldn’t deny that she was never happier than when cooking by his side and serving the people with the sun shining on her face. Something about seeing it there now. Old and worn but somehow still sturdy, strong and beautiful made him feel like she was there with him. The sun rising on her face.
After one last look, a quick kiss to his two fingers, and a tap to the little wooden sign that donned her name, SONIA’S, Vin continued his walk back, heading up the wooden plank stairs that separated the beach from the street, and was surprised when he saw Simon waiting with his arms folded.
“What in the world got you up and out so early? You’re a newlywed. Shouldn’t you be in bed with your bride somewhere?” Vin asked.
“I know, right? There’s really no way I should be up this early,” Simon answered. “But as it turns out, my lovely bride is back to her morning gym routine, and since she’s leaving me cold and hanging, I decided to get up and go for a run myself. I knew that I’d find you out here. I want to thank you for the surf lessons and for coming through at the reception with the food. It was a big hit.”
Vin brushed off Simon’s praise with a shake of his head. “You don’t have to thank me for the lessons. It’s not like you didn’t pay for them.” He kept heading toward the back of Canela. “And as for the food, it was my gift to you. I was happy to do it.”
“Well, Sophie was quite impressed with me when she saw my skills out in Hawaii. We both had a great time, and I was able to teach her a few things. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Vin said. “But I hope you’re not going to give it up now that the honeymoon is over. I want to see you back out there. Don’t let your skills become stagnant. I still have my lessons with the kids, and you could help me to stay current. Besides, with the way things are going and your getting married, I may end up being the only old dude left catching any waves.”
Simon laughed and shook his head. “Yeah, I doubt that I or anyone will be calling you old by any stretch. And as for me coming out again, I’ll try to get out there when I can, and I’ll think about the kids. You’re doing good work.” Simon smiled then. That silly secret grin that too many of his friends had nowadays. “Though I have to admit, married life isn’t the worst thing to happen to a guy,” Simon said.
Vin seriously doubted that. At least in the long haul. The idea of having to actually answer to someone constantly in your day-to-day life seemed like the worst thing to happen to a guy. What man needed the aggravation in his life? Not to mention the constant pressure and responsibility? No, that thing was fine for some but definitely not for him. He liked his life as it was; he made all the decisions. If there was a mistake, he would be the one ultimately on the hook for it. And the one to ultimately suffer for it. Who needed the hassle of having another person to take care of? To worry about? To possibly let down? He saw from his own mother how disappointed she was in the way things turned out with his father. Sure she tried to hide it but in her quiet moments it was there and Vin knew he had the DNA to be just that type of disappointment to the woman in his life, if he ever went so far as to let one in. Shaking the maudlin thoughts off though, Vin turned to Simon. “You want to come in for some coffee? I haven’t had mine yet.”
Simon nodded. “Sure, I can have a quick cup. Guess I’ve got about another half an hour before Sophie is done and I need to be heading home.”
Vin snorted but bit back his quick retort to Simon about already being tied to the old ball and chain. Instead he just let his friend in and went up the back stairs to his apartment to get started on a pot of coffee.
A few minutes later, after Vin had quickly showered, getting rid of the salt water and sand that still clung to him and changed into casual loose fitting jeans and a tee, the two men started chatting and Simon brought up Vin’s food again. “I wanted to thank you once again for your gift. Your food was such a hit at the reception. Just a small taste of empanadas had folks’ tongues wagging. The restaurant must be doing great.”
Vin shrugged. “It’s going okay. A little slower than I’d hoped, but when I think about it, it’s probably going at the exact right pace for a person just starting out. But you know how it goes. I need this to really take off. Restaurants can be risky. But, hey, I should be thanking you. My doing you that favor got me another job.” Vin raised his coffee cup in his friend’s direction by way of mock cheer.
Simon smiled and nodded. “That’s great, man. Is it a catering job? You cooking for someone else’s wedding?”
Vin frowned and a twinge of worry begin to twist at him low in the gut. Could it really be that Simon didn’t know? What if his whole extended family didn’t know? Vin paused. Lily’s scheme seemed crazy to him and he supposed it would be too many others. He wouldn’t put it past her not telling her family. Dammit, he should have just kept his mouth
shut, Vin thought. He suddenly felt torn. What had Lily gotten herself into with this one, and why had she included him when, judging by Simon’s wide-eyed and clueless look, she hadn’t even said anything to her own family? “Shit, man, I probably shouldn’t have opened my big mouth.”
Simon’s brows came together and his lips thinned as he pulled his coffee cup away from his lips picking up on Vin’s apprehension. “Okay, well, now you’ve got to tell me. If you’re just talking empanadas, it can’t be all that serious, can it?”
Vin’s brows went skyward and he tilted his head. “I don’t know. That depends on how seriously your new in-laws take another wedding in the family.”
Simon’s brows went skyward then he cocked his head. “Okay, no more joking around. Spill it. What the hell is going on? I’m just getting into this family but I know they don’t play when it comes to secrets and letting new guys in.”
“Well you don’t have to worry about anything on that front,” Vin mumbled.”
“Come again?”
After a deep sigh and a shake of his head, Vin let it out. “Well, it’s like this. Your new sister-in-law, Lily, she’s hired me to lease out my restaurant for the Saturday after Labor Day to host a wedding.”
Simon grinned. “Well, what are you doing getting all bent out of shape about that? Lily is an event coordinator.” He took another sip of his coffee before speaking again. “And I’m really happy to see you two, if not rekindling what you started, at least coming together in a professional capacity. She can be very good for your business.” Simon leaned back. “What were you getting me all worked up about? I didn’t have you pegged as one for theatrics. I thought that was my department, being an actor an all.”
Vin let out a breath. He wasn’t handling this well at all. But then again he shouldn’t be put in this situation. “I don’t think you get it, Simon,” Vin said. “She didn’t hire me for just another client’s wedding. She hired me to cater and host her wedding.”
“Her wedding?!” It was almost comical the way that Simon practically choked on his coffee. Almost. “How the hell is it Lily is getting married? I didn’t even know she was seeing anybody that seriously. And that one dude she was seeing, what’s his name? Thomas? He was a no-show for my wedding, so how is it she’s now suddenly getting married? Besides according to Sophie they were half on the outs anyway so no big loss.” Simon frowned. “I don’t know how the family will react to this.”
Part of Vin wanted to hang out on the Thomas part of the conversation. No, it wasn’t his business and no, he shouldn’t care less, but still, he wanted to know more about what type of guy Lily usually went for and what type of idiot didn’t show for a date with her. His mind paused. Could it be the same type that didn’t call her back after having a mind blowing make out session with her? Yeah, so he was an ass. At least he could admit it to himself.
Vin swallowed, getting back to his friend and the subject at hand. He didn’t want to be the one to deliver the odd news, but Simon was asking the questions and unfortunately he was stuck being the deliveryman. “Yeah, that’s the stickiness of it all. The person she’s getting married to, well, is herself.”
Simon put his coffee cup down, slowly sucked in a breath, and let it out looking Vin straight in the eye. He then burst out laughing. The laughter went on for a good thirty seconds, making Vin feel uncomfortable, and he thought of how Lily must have felt when he laughed. Finally he stopped his laughter and looked at Vin again, seemingly shocked that his friend wasn’t joining him in the joke. Simon’s face went deadpan while his brows knit together. “Okay, enough of this. Please tell me you are shitting me.”
“Shitting you? Sorry, man, I wish I was.”
Simon let out a wry snort then a sigh. “Yeah man, me too.”
* * *
It was another night of family torture. But Lily was taking it in stride, because tonight her mom had made her favorite roast beef and Mama Dee had dusted off her apron and whipped up a pecan pie. Lily didn’t know what had gotten into the two women, since as of late they weren’t doing any of her old faves or her sisters’, having forgone their girls’ dishes for whatever the new sons-in-law liked. Although there was still favor paid to Sylvie since she was pregnant and now Ma was sure to throw in glazed cauliflower each Sunday just for her. Sylvie was always an odd one when it came to her food taste. Why couldn’t she crave mac and cheese or something sweet like a normal person. No matter, after the day Lily had she was thanking her lucky stars for the comforting treat and already mentally preparing her to-go bags.
She had planned on dropping her married-to-myself bombshell at dinner, but the food was so good that she didn’t want to risk mucking up her prime eating time. Maybe after dessert. Or maybe not. Maybe she’d just phone this one in. Literally. Lily was getting over an awful day, having met with Chelsea Carlyle to go over plans for the graduation party for her daughter, and the woman who seemed like she’d be a bit of a stickler turned out to be a monumental piece of work.
Lily had pulled out all the stops with what she thought was a terrific theme of Back to the Future meets The Matrix, since the birthday girl herself had admitted to being a sci-fi buff. But clearly Chelsea was not impressed and scoffed at the idea. She wanted a traditional party that screamed Park Avenue money, heavy on the elegance, and to top it off she wanted her daughter done up as a modern-day princess, something reminiscent of a sweet sixteen ball or possibly a cotillion as opposed to sending the girl off to film school as the hip young adult she was. Lily knew that if Christie had been at the meeting and seen some of the ideas she would’ve loved them, but the fact remained that, although it was Christie’s party, she was not the client since she was not cutting the checks. So Lily would have to find a way to bridge the gap and please both mother and daughter in this endeavor. No matter, she’d make it work and bring together the mother’s traditional sensibilities while making the younger woman happy.
Lily was deep in thought trying to come up with other ideas but also considering if she would have another piece of roast beef or just dive into the pie when Sophie piped up. Her sweet, high voice was filled with innocence but laced with something dark lurking underneath the surface. “Mom, everything tastes so delicious. I’m going to have to take some of this roast home even though I know that Lily may have my head if I take too much for Simon and myself.” She shot her older sister a slick side eye.
Lily gave her an equally sly look back. “Don’t worry, I’ll share. Just don’t get too greedy with it; you know it’s my favorite.”
“Is it now?” Sophie asked. “From what I hear, seems that you found a new favorite.”
Lily froze mid-chew. She knew her sister and she knew her well. Sophie was up to something. She had that “I’ve got some dirt on you and I’m gonna spill it” face on. The same one she had when she told their mom that Audrey was the one who dented the car when they’d only just gotten their licenses and that Violet was cutting her after-lunch chemistry class. And it was the very same look Sophie had when, after overhearing Lily on the phone with a friend, she spilled the beans that Lily had switched her major and dropped out of prelaw, deciding to go into marketing. Sophie was a notorious snitch, and all the sisters knew it. If you had a secret you didn’t dare share it with Sophie. Now she was ride or die for the sisters no matter what. She was the first person you’d call if you needed backup in a fight, but if you didn’t want your tea spilled, you definitely kept the cup away from Miz Sophie.
Lily narrowed her eyes and looked at her sister, her voice filled with warning. “I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about, Soph.” She leaned over and cut a nice hunk of pecan pie, and with one last warning glance in Sophie’s direction she took a bite and began to chew.
But Sophie being Sophie and her mother being her mother, one could not be deterred and the other one had already picked up on the scent. “What are you two girls talking about over there?” her mother asked, looking hard back and forth between the two sisters.
/>
“It’s nothing, Ma,” Lily said.
“Well, it doesn’t look like nothing,” Mama Dee chimed in from her seat on the other side of the table. “I know you, Sophie, and you look like you’re about ready to burst over there. Why don’t you get yourself a piece of this pie and fill that mouth of yours so it has something to do besides spilling your sister’s business.”
Sophie gave a slight, exasperated huff. But at the look she got from Mama Dee she quickly changed her frown to a smile and proceeded with cutting pieces of pie for herself and Simon. It was then that Lily caught the fact that Simon was looking down, his eyes not meeting hers, and she couldn’t help but know the truth. Shit, the jig was up. They knew. That was definite. Vin must’ve told Simon and Simon must’ve told Sophie. There was no getting out of this now. It was only a matter of time. If Sophie didn’t spill the beans tonight, she’d be on the horn with one of her sisters by tomorrow, and either way the family would know the whole deal in no time.
Lily looked down at her pie, suddenly not hungry for it anymore. Damn, but it was pecan pie. She made a note to get it over with and get her appetite back. There were some things one just powered though and pecan pie was one of those things. And with that thought Lily sucked in a deep breath, looked around the table, and let it out. “So I’ve got a bit of good news,” she said, hoping her voice exposed none of her nervousness.
Mama Dee’s eyes widened expectantly while her mother’s narrowed with skepticism. “Oh really, what is it?” her mother asked.
To Me I Wed Page 9
