Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 73462 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 367(@200wpm)___ 294(@250wpm)___ 245(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73462 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 367(@200wpm)___ 294(@250wpm)___ 245(@300wpm)
Ariel exhales with a relieved little laugh. “Don’t jinx it, Mama.”
Jazz stretches with a groan and props her hands on her hips. “If that arch collapses, we’ll just make Evangeline hold it up with one arm while she holds a glass of champagne in the other.”
Evangeline doesn't even blink. “If the arch collapses, the staff will be fired, not me.”
“Okay, everyone relax.” Ariel smiles. “Tomorrow is going to be beautiful. No falling arches. No rain. No…whatever Jazz is imagining.”
Jazz lifts her sunglasses and gives me a sidelong look. “You’re quiet.”
I shrug, trying to keep my face neutral. “Just taking it in.”
The arch really is beautiful. Plain but elegant. It has that promise to it, like it's holding its breath. Like tomorrow, something big will happen here. Something permanent.
Ariel tugs on my arm. “You’re coming tonight, right?”
I look at her, eyebrows raised. “I’m a bridesmaid.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
“I wouldn’t miss it,” I say, and it’s not a lie.
Because no matter how much everything aches inside me right now, Ariel deserves this. Every smile, every toast, every happy memory before tomorrow changes her life forever.
Jazz lets out a satisfied sigh. “Good. Because I’ve got a playlist that would make a stripper blush and at least two games that may or may not get us banned from this island.”
“You’re determined to make me regret this party, aren’t you?” Ariel teases.
“Absolutely,” Jazz grins.
Cheryl checks her watch and taps it like she’s in a rush. “Well, if y’all want time to get ready, we need to scoot. I still have to do something about this humidity.” She lifts a piece of hair off her neck with a grimace. “This heat has no manners.”
“We should get back to the house,” Ariel says. “I need a shower.”
“And I need to make myself bee-you-tiful for the unclaimed bachelors.” Jazz twirls in the sand. “I didn’t smuggle half a suitcase of glitter and cheap lingerie through customs for nothing.”
Unclaimed bachelors.
Is Brett in that group now? Or has Jake claimed him?
If so, that’s two bachelors down, though Jake wasn’t one of the originals. Probably three, with Emily and River.
“Come on,” Ariel tugs on my arm again.
“I’ll catch up in a second,” I say. “Just want a minute here.”
She nods. “Okay. But don’t disappear. I’ll come hunting for you.”
I smile faintly. “Wouldn’t dare.”
They all head toward the concrete path, Ariel and Jazz giggling, Evangeline giving orders to the staffers, and Cheryl doing… Well, whatever Southern mothers of brides do.
I stay back.
The breeze has picked up a little. It flutters the fabric draped across the arch, making it ripple like a breath. I drop my gaze to the sand. Lots of footprints.
The laughter fades as the others move farther up the path. I close my eyes for a beat, just long enough to let the wind cool my cheeks. Just long enough to push everything down again.
Then I hear it.
“Sienna.”
My name—rough, urgent—carried on the wind.
I turn before I even think.
And there he is.
Brett.
He’s crossing the beach, barefoot, his shirt half untucked, his brow furrowed like he's been searching for me and just found what he wasn't sure he wanted to see.
“Sienna,” he says again, stopping a few feet away.
The world narrows. Sound dulls.
Everything sharpens around the look in his eyes.
Like he’s been holding something in too long.
Like now, when it’s already too late, he’s finally ready to speak.
I turn away from him to follow the others.
“Sienna…please.”
EPISODE 228
Misty
“Okay. Now I’m interested,” June says when Jake leaves my suite with Brett.
“Interested in what?” I ask.
“Did you see the way they were looking at each other?” June shakes her head. “I wouldn’t mind either of them looking at me like that.”
I roll my eyes. What the hell is she talking about? “You’re imagining things.”
She cocks her head at me. “For someone who’s spent the best of this day in bed, you’re looking pretty flushed, Misty. Not pale at all.”
Okay, then. So much for her thinking Brett and Jake have something going on.
She’s back to insulting me.
I’m done.
Done trying to convince June that I ran too fast on the beach, nearly fainted from dehydration. “I need a shower,” I say. “So…yeah. Bye now.”
June gives me a smirk but doesn't argue. I waste no time in returning to my bedroom, leaving her standing in my living area with a knowing smile on her face.
The shower does wonders for my mood, the hot water relaxing my tense muscles and washing away the sweat and stress of the day. When I turn off the water and step out, I feel refreshed. A little better equipped to handle whatever drama is waiting for me outside the bathroom door.
I return to my bedroom and get dressed in a yellow sundress. May as well be ready for whatever bachelorette shindig June has put together. And I’d better not see my half-brother’s ass.