With This Fling (Summersweet Island 5)

“See you later, plus-one.”

My stomach drops right down into my fucking feet as she turns and heads toward the front door. She spent my first few days here getting pissed off every time I called her that, and it was fun annoying the hell out of her. Hearing her say it to me is anything but fun right now.

Grabbing her purse and keys from a hook hanging next to the front door, she pauses and looks down at the floor where my boots are resting right next to a few pairs of her shoes. Then she looks over to the couch where I left the blanket tossed over the back of it, and my balled-up socks on the floor in front of it. I watch her let out a huff before flinging open the door and disappearing through it out into the bright morning sun, letting it slam closed behind her. More than likely pissed off that her fling just made himself right at home in her house.

With a frustrated grunt, I turn back around and dig into my breakfast. Regardless of how shitty I’m feeling, I’m still starving, and Laura makes damn good food. I’m taking this too personally and being a big fucking baby. Laura is distracted and giving me the brush-off, and of course she is. It’s her daughter’s wedding day. She obviously has more important things on her mind than me, and my ego needs to take a break.

This is one of the biggest days of their lives, and I need to suck it up and be whatever Laura needs me to be today. Whether it’s a shoulder to lean on, a friend to talk to, or just her plus-one who she’ll be more than happy to get rid of once this wedding is over.

Bodhi smacks his hand against the top of the table twice, drawing everyone’s attention.

“All right, who wants to hear more about my weed dick and how you too can prevent this from happening to you?”

Chapter 21

Laura

“You’re such a buzzkill.”

“You ready to talk about it yet?”

Turning away from the window right outside the room, where Birdie is getting dressed with the girls in the clubhouse on the golf course, I ignore Wren’s question and give her one of my own. “What are you doing out here?”

Wren pulls the door to the dressing room closed behind her and walks up to me, her floor-length, pale-yellow bridesmaid dress swishing around her legs and her sparkly, strappy heels clicking against the floor. As soon as she stops in front of me, I reach out and fix the heart-shaped yellow diamond necklace around her neck so it’s more centered, smiling at the gift Birdie gave all the girls to wear today.

“Birdie kicked me out for crying, same as you,” Wren says with a sniffle, gently dabbing one of her fingers under her eyes so she doesn’t ruin her makeup.

I laugh softly, pulling a Kleenex from the box on a small table next to me and handing it to her. I’ve already gone through ten of them after my daughter forced me out of the room to put her dress on, when I couldn’t stop getting all weepy. I kept it together pretty well all day over at Wren and Shepherd’s while the hair and makeup ladies worked on all of us. We shared mimosas and laughter, played music and danced, and all-in-all, it was a perfect day. But now that we’re here on the golf course, every time I looked at Birdie with her hair and makeup finished and my mother’s veil on her head, as Tess carefully took her dress off the hanger for her to step into it, I couldn’t hold it together.

“All right, now that we have a few minutes to ourselves, spill it,” Wren demands after blotting under her eyes and blowing her nose before tossing the tissue into the small trash can next to her.

“There’s nothing to spill.” Fiddling with my own necklace—a heart-shaped ruby surrounded by diamonds that was my mother’s and matches my dress—I silently will my hands to stop shaking, wishing my nerves were just from the wedding alone.

“Um, a text from my fiancé that said you had a gentleman caller spend the night last night says otherwise.”

Cursing my future son-in-law and his chatty mouth, I put a smile on my face even though I want to finish off that box of Kleenex with more tears. I’ve never let a man stay at my house before, not since Alex and his random visits to the island. I knew it would be a big deal when the girls found out, but I was hoping it could wait until after the wedding.

“This is your sister’s day, and that’s all we’re focusing on right now, okay? Drop it.”

If only I could follow my own advice.

My baby is getting married, and that’s all that should be on my mind right now. Hoping she’s happy, praying she still loves her dress even though she’s probably tried it on a hundred times by now, worrying about the weather for an outdoor ceremony, crossing my fingers the caterers don’t screw anything up with dinner, and about a million other wedding-related worries that should be my only focus. But all I can think about is this morning and what an absolute bitch I was. And wish I could go back in time, wake up on my couch again wrapped up in Dean’s arms with our legs tangled together, and not completely freak out by how right it felt. Not quietly slip out of his arms and off the couch before the sun came up to get as far away from him as possible so I could think straight. Not refuse to look at him, or get anywhere near him, or act like I was okay, when I am anything but okay. It would serve me right if he wants absolutely nothing to do with me now, when I was so cold with him, especially after everything we shared with each other last night in my living room.

“The Dude to Sparrow, The Dude to Sparrow. Come in, Sparrow.”

Wren rolls her eyes, and I let out a sigh of relief at the interruption when the walkie-talkie in her hand crackles to life. She brings it up to her mouth, pressing the talk button on the side.

“For the love of God, Bodhi, we do not need code names,” Wren speaks. “We are literally the only two people who have walkie-talkies here today.”

“You are such a buzzkill. All the guests are in their seats and ready to go. I sent Shepherd back for you guys a few minutes ago. Over and out.”

The wedding ceremony will be taking place out on the green of the 8th hole on the course, and the boys have been shuttling the guests out there on golf carts since they started arriving. It’s a special spot for Palmer and Birdie, and one that makes me think more than just declarations of love were shared out there, considering the way my daughter blushes every time Palmer whispers something in her ear whenever they talk about that location on the course. White chairs have been set up for the wedding guests on the green that overlooks the ocean, along with an arbor at the front for Palmer and Birdie to stand under, draped in flowing white fabric and decorated with yellow flowers. After the ceremony, guests will come back here to Tee Time, the restaurant in the clubhouse for the reception.

“I’m gonna go pee again really quick before our ride gets here, and then you’re going to tell me everything on the drive to the hole.”

Wren sets the walkie-talkie down on the table and brushes past me to head for the bathroom on the other side of the hallway. As soon as the door clicks shut and I’m alone with my thoughts, I stare out the window again and start replaying everything that happened this morning once more, definitely not taking my own advice. When the sound of heavy footsteps hitting the hallway floor breaks into my thoughts, I’m more than happy for the interruption as I turn away from the window.

“Wren’s in the bath… room.”