Until I Met You

Samantha scolded her. ‘Go back! You have to find out more.’

‘I’m not going back there. It was a mad house. Also, pour me a mimosa. I need one.’

‘Are you old enough to drink?’ Jen asked.

Maya rolled her eyes. ‘Calm down, sweetie. I’m British.’

Head pounding, Samantha scooped her phone off the floor and worked on a new message for Roman.

Maya says the wedding is off. What exactly is going on?????????????

She considered whether to add a few exclamation points to better convey her state of mind. Maya dropped another bombshell, forcing her to abandon her edits.

‘Sam, I came looking for you. Go and fix this.’

Jasmine shook her head. ‘That’s a big ask.’

‘If anyone can, it’s her. Naomi listens to Sam.’

‘About random stuff, sure,’ Samantha said. ‘This is beyond me.’

Naomi had withheld so much. She’d kept quiet about the argument which had prompted the best man to abruptly pack up and leave. She’d put on a happy face and got on with the wedding planning as if nothing had happened.

‘Maybe Jen should go,’ she suggested.

‘Me?’ Jen shrieked. ‘Why me?’

‘She may be more comfortable talking to you,’ Samantha said. ‘So much has been going on and Naomi hasn’t told me any of it.’

Jen set her straight. ‘She’s not exactly pouring her heart out to me, either.’

‘Don’t feel bad,’ Maya said. ‘She’s been super tight-lipped about everything. She gets like that when she’s stressed.’

‘Maya, you’re the only one with a right to be there,’ Samantha said. ‘I can’t just show up. It would be inappropriate.’

‘Sam, you don’t need a formal invitation to put out a fire.’

‘She has a point,’ Jasmine said. ‘We can’t just sit here.’

Wasn’t that exactly what the three of them intended to do, sit here sipping mimosas and wait on her to report back with news?

Her phone buzzed in her hand.

We have to talk.

This last text from Roman made her realize that she hadn’t actually answered any of his previous ones. She deleted the draft riddled with question marks and typed: Meet me by the pool.

Too crowded. Let’s meet at the rum punch convention spot.

She smiled despite herself. Perfect.

Samantha rose to her feet and squared her shoulders. ‘I’m off to meet Roman.’

‘How is that going to help?’ Maya asked.

‘Together we’ll figure something out.’