Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 139088 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 695(@200wpm)___ 556(@250wpm)___ 464(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 139088 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 695(@200wpm)___ 556(@250wpm)___ 464(@300wpm)
“Can I say something?” Alexis, sitting up front with Harlow, Jessie, Linda, Sally and Patsy, asked.
“Of course, girlie, get up here,” Bill said.
Alexis got up, went to the podium, Zach leaned in to adjust the microphone for her, and she said, “You guys…”
She stopped talking.
We all sat there.
She opened her mouth and closed it.
We all sat there.
Her face started to get really red.
Jacob prowled to his woman, tucked her to his side, leaned into the microphone and grunted, “Thanks,” then he took her to the table where the cocktails were.
Bill took the podium again.
“Thus, our meeting is adjourned at,”—he looked at his watch—“eight fifty-two.”
“Lord save me,” Martha muttered not quite under her breath from her seat behind us.
(By the way, Jacques was asleep in her lap.)
Bill shot Martha a look and finished up with, “I’ll end by reminding the rental retrieval team they are to report poolside by eight a.m., and the decorations subcommittee are to report, also poolside, no later than nine o’clock Saturday morning.”
He’d already reminded us of that.
Twice.
“With that, to all a good night,” Bill finally ended it.
“At least I got a cocktail out of that waste of time,” Martha said.
When I turned in my chair to face her, she looked at me. “I have a sleeping dog in my lap. And it’s yours. So you can go get me another one.”
“At your service,” I said, got up and went to the cocktail table.
Jessie was mixing fresh ones.
“One for Martha, one for me,” I ordered.
“Gotcha,” she replied. “I see you got your book.”
“Knox picked our color scheme and overall theme,” I told her.
Her face spread into a huge smile.
“Fab,” she replied.
“Is Eric involved in your planning?” I asked curiously.
“Nope,” she said. “He told me to do what I want. He’s getting out of the day what he wants, so he’s all good and doesn’t care how that comes about, just as long as I’m happy with it.”
“Nice,” I said.
“Javi’s totally into ours,” Harlow said, coming to stand beside me.
I turned to her. “You aren’t engaged.”
She shrugged. “It’s fun.”
I bet it was.
I was looking forward to it myself.
“Gabe’s throwing a spanner in our works,” Willow shared, she and Shanti coming up to my other side. “He wants a destination wedding at a beach.”
As noted, they weren’t engaged either.
“I’m always down for a beach,” Jessie said.
“Don’t you want a beach?” Harlow asked Willow.
“I’d never thought of a beach. Since they moved there, I’ve always wanted to get married at Mom and Robbie’s cabin,” she said.
“That’d be killer,” Jessie said.
“Does Gabe have a problem with that?” I asked.
“We’re discussing it,” she answered. “He’s hung up on how long it would take for us to get from end of ceremony to beginning of honeymoon. He says, we get married on a beach, everyone can fuck off, and we can go to our room and bam! We’re on our honeymoon.”
“I see his point,” Shanti said.
Willow smiled. “I have to admit, he’s winning me over.”
“I can’t wait to get my scrapbook,” Gemma gushed when she made it to us.
We all looked at her.
We then turned to find Brady, who was standing with Roam, Cap and Raye, gabbing with Stevie.
“I’m thinking about marrying a Russian,” Joey said.
She was with us too.
“It’s hard to remember he probably does very bad things on a daily basis when he’s in close proximity,” Gemma mumbled.
We all turned back to Brady, then we looked among ourselves.
“Hello?” Martha called crabbily. “Cocktail?”
Jessie handed me my cocktails.
I took one to Martha then went to Knox.
He was chatting with Gabe, Lan and Shaw.
After they all gave me chin juts (these dudes), I told Knox, “We have trouble brewing.”
“What?” he asked.
“Joey and Gemma both have crushes on Dimitri.”
Lan frowned.
Ferociously.
I watched him do this.
Closely.
Um…
What was that?
“Brady really needs to get his head out of his ass,” Shaw murmured.
I was still keeping an eye on Lan, and that didn’t seem to faze him.
So…
Was he into Joey?
Ohmigod!
“He’s got shit to deal with first,” Knox murmured in return to Shaw’s comment.
That got my attention.
And wait.
Last night, covered in borscht, then after, face stuffed with stroganoff, I hadn’t quite processed Knox told me Brady had some history Knox didn’t know.
I sure didn’t know it.
Therefore, I prompted, “And that shit is?”
“Just keep Gem away from the Russian,” Knox replied.
Now I was watching Knox closely.
This was bro stuff, I could see.
I’d never get any bro stuff out of him, that I knew. What I further knew was, unless he got the go ahead from Brady to share it (which he clearly didn’t), it was uncool for me to push about it and therefore put Knox in a bad place, caught between girlfriend and bud.
As such…
Foiled.
“Nice hat,” Shaw said.
I turned to him and smiled.
All the men focused on my smile.
But only Gabe muttered, “Fuck, it’s a sex thing.”
My smile got bigger.
Lan made a pained noise.