by Mila Nicks
“Same thing’s happened to me,” Elena said. “‘Cept he had two kids.”
Gigi rolled her eyes, drink and food largely untouched. “Like Gram Babes says: most men ain’t shit.”
“At least you and Juliette have good guys. I’m still stuck in the sea looking for those fish everybody says there’s plenty of.” Elena folded her arms on the table and peered at Juliette. “So about that brother I was hoping Preston would have…”
Juliette offered an apologetic smile. “Sorry. No brothers.”
“Damn.”
“Imagine walking at work and bumping into the love of your life,” said Mellie.
“I walk at work everyday and nothing happens.” Elena's glum add-on brought a few laughs from the other girls.
“Maybe it’s time to branch out,” Gigi suggested to her friends. “Follow Jules' lead.”
Juliette glanced at her sister. “What does that mean?”
Elena said, smirking, “I think she means taste the rainbow. Try something new. Mellie's stuck on her vanilla farmer boys.”
“That’s who asks me out!”
Their chatter continued in animated fashion until Gigi suddenly interrupted to flag Natasia over. She wrapped up her delivery, setting down the Bloody Marys Mom and Gram ordered, and then she walked over to ask Gigi if she needed anything. Gigi patted the empty chair next to her.
“You’ve been working all morning. Pretty sure you worked last night too. Sit and chat with us. Have some breakfast.”
Natasia looked taken aback for a second, glancing between the women.
“Go ahead,” encouraged Juliette. “There’s too much food. We’re not going to eat all of it.”
“Plus, we’re talking smack about guys.” Elena winked, mid-chew of a sugared pastry.
Natasia slid into the chair between the sisters. Juliette wanted to make her feel comfortable, so she tried to include the staff member in the conversation, explaining their dating woes. The thought was that Natasia would jump in and participate on the bonding. Instead she chose to focus on her food. Juliette's mouth pressed into a vague frown. Maybe she was just shy?
“My boss is scummy,” Tabitha was saying to everyone. “He’s engaged, but he’s still on all those app’s—Dates and Mates, Cupid’s Arrow, Love Link—you name it. He’s on it.
Gigi growled in disgust. “That’s foul!”
“Why bother being engaged?” Mellie asked.
“Legally,” said Natasia suddenly, in a tone low compared to the rest, “you’re single until you say that ‘I do’.”
An uncertain second passed by, where none of the others knew what to say. Juliette checked on Gigi first and saw her sister’s eyes narrow. Knowing her and how her temper tended to spiral in two seconds flat, she swooped in to ease tensions.
“Well, yes, in the eyes of the law, you are single until you are married,” Juliette said levelly. “But that’s not what we’re talking about. We’re talking about social conventions—romantic relationships are more nuanced than just single or married.”
It was hard to miss the way Elena and Mellie nodded avidly along, as if rooting for their favorite sports team. Natasia was unfazed. She buttered her toast without much eye contact.
“I guess I see things differently. There’s nothing tying anybody to anyone until the law’s involved.”
“This ring is,” said Gigi, holding up her hand.
Natasia shrugged and bit into her toast. “Not ’til the wedding. We’re people at the end of the day—we’re fickle and we’re going to do what we want. Ring or no ring.”
Another beat of silence wore on. One glance around the table told Juliette the ladies were more agitated than ever. Natasia looked bored, ready to return to work. Thankfully, she scooted back her chair and excused herself. If she stayed any longer and said anything else offensive, Juliette would’ve been stuck playing mediator. Gigi was a second away from going off full-throttle.
“I’m a nice chick. I like to share the wealth. I was gonna tell her she can come to our beach party tonight, but nah. She’s not invited to anything else,” groused Gigi.
Elena readily agreed. “Good call. She’s kinda weird.”
“She might want to watch how she talks to people. Dom’s family keeps a roof over her head sooo…”
“Gigi,” Juliette said, touching her arm, “no use letting it ruin your morning. This whole week is yours. You’re the bride. Talk to Dom and let him know what happened. I’m sure he’ll handle it.”
Tabitha and Mellie broke out into a sing-song chorus, “Big sis to the rescue!”
The tension diminished into good feels like earlier. Even Gigi’s features slackened and she blew a breath to cool down, looking sheepish.
“Yeah, that’s how it always goes. Big sis solves everything. Exactly why I need her.”
Happiness floated in Juliette's chest sharing a smile with her baby sister.
Several times Preston almost quit golf and hitchhiked back to the beach house. Dominic Brosman and his groomsmen were nice in theory. The men didn’t seem like the type to grind Preston's gears. Him piling on as a fifth wheel was a welcomed addition. The problem though? Just that. He was the fifth wheel. The odd man out. The new guy.
Nobody wanted to share inside jokes with the new guy.
The others didn’t even realize they fell into their own conversations and paired off with each other, but Preston did. He understood, as he was some guy who decided to suddenly tagalong. That didn’t mean it was any less awkward. In his head he could hear Juliette's soft encouragement, egging him on to try and connect. Once or twice he tried engaging Xavier or Theodore in conversation. His attempts quickly fizzled.
On the green, he fared even worse. He’d never been any good the few times he played in the past. His athletic repertoire consisted of mostly of track and field and baseball. His golf swing was dismal and the pants were uncomfortable and the sun burned with little reprieve.
He wore his shades and baseball hat to conceal the dissatisfaction contorting his features, standing off to the side. Dominic and Lee shared an exchange about their latest score on the hole. So far Dominic was in the lead with Xavier a close second. Preston hardly paid attention to the exact scores, but it wouldn’t surprise him if he were dead last.
“Not a golf guy, eh?” Lee Huang walked over with a hand up to shield his eyes from the sun. If anyone else performed as bad as him, it was Lee. He deduced that even as an amateur watching the other four men’s technique.
Preston shook his head. “That obvious?”
“Yep. At least you wore the right shoes. First time I played, I came in loafers like a jackass.”
“I’m betting you got some looks walking around like that.”
“Oh, yeah. Big time! But Dom loves giving pointers on technique if you ever wanted to improve.”
“I plan on this being my only time playing.”
“Tomorrow we should switch things up,” Lee pacified. “There’s the beach party Dom and Gigi are throwing. And then we’re doing a distillery tour the day after that.”
“Good. In that case, I think I’ll call it,” said Preston. He handed Lee his club, already planning his exit. “Mind telling the guys I’m heading back? I’ve got a headache.”
“Alright, man. See you back at the house!”
Paradise Key was only five miles long in any given direction, but the walk seemed longer in the sticky heat. At one point, Preston gave up and flagged down a pedicab. On his ride back to the beach house, he second guessed if he should’ve stayed. Juliette would say he hadn’t given the guys a fair chance.
That was probably true, in hindsight. Lee wasn’t so bad. When he wasn’t stuck under the shadow of Dom as his best friend, he showed off a sense of humor Preston could get used to. Theodore wasn’t too bad either, even if he talked too much.
Sooner or later, he needed to give people the benefit of the doubt. If he’d never done so with Juliette outside that courthouse, he would’ve missed out on a goo
d friend. Maybe it was time to try again making more friends…
Deep in his head, he entered the beach house paying no mind to his surroundings. The door shut behind him, the quiet white noise of the beach as the filler in the house, and he started for the staircase.
“You’re back early.”
Startled, Preston stammered in his step. Natasia watched him from halfway up the staircase, a rag and cleaner in hand. Since the Lowry's, the Brosman’s and their guests were out for the day, she’d taken to chores around the house. She smirked at his surprise, wiping down the banister.
“I thought you were out playing golf with the guys.”
Preston couldn’t explain the churn of discomfort in his stomach. “Not anymore. Decided to come back.”
“You’re not a people person, are you?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
A low snicker vibrated from her throat, spraying more cleaner. “It means you don’t usually do people. You’re a loner. I can tell.”
“I’m lost on why it matters.”
“It doesn’t. Just saying I know because I’m one too.” Natasia slid the rag down the banister, descending another couple steps. The gap between them lessened until only a couple stairs stood between them. “Everybody loves my brother Trey. He’s always been the popular one. I usually do my own thing.”
Preston didn’t want to admit they shared that in common. He tended to follow his own path, too. Keep to himself and prefer things that way. It had been the story of his life, orphaned at a young age, under the care of emotionally distant relatives.
Still, he’d never tell her. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but Natasia carried a naturally insincere vibe. Like someone liable to betray you any given second…
“You don’t fit in with Dominic and his crew anyway. Just like I don’t fit in with Gigi and her girls,” Natasia explained, finally on the last step. She stopped in front of him, dark eyes twinkling. “They invited me to breakfast this morning, and it was a disaster. You should’ve seen the looks they gave me. All because I don’t live in some fairytale world like they do.”
“Maybe you should spend some more time doing your job then. Like right now.” Preston walked around her, starting for the staircase.
But Natasia wasn’t done. She kept talking as if their conversation was an engaging one. “I told them human beings change their mind. There’s no use trying to keep a tiger in a cage that doesn’t want to be kept. Nobody owns anyone.”
“Who said anything about owning anybody?” Preston snapped unable to resist.
Natasia’s smile spread. “All of them. Giselle. Mellie. Juliette. That’s what they think. Like some magical ring is going to make their lives perfect.”
“It’s not about perfect. It’s about loving someone.”
“I guess I don’t do my relationships that way,” sighed Natasia, shrugging. The baiting undercurrent to her words and behavior dawned on him. She wanted to antagonize him. Keep the conversation going. The longer she did, the longer he stood there engaged with her. “If you’re going to want me, you’re going to want me. No ring. No circumstance. No one body is going to stop that.”
“Speak for yourself only.”
Preston left her in the dust. He strode up the staircase at double his usual speed. Her eyes certainly watched him climb every step, but he didn’t give a damn. He was done entertaining Natasia's strange behavior. He hoped she had enough sense to realize that and be smart enough to stay the hell away from him.
6
At the bridal shop, Juliette sat on the ottoman in wait for her dress to be ready for sampling. Her phone lay in her lap, largely untouched except for when she checked and sent emails. Alexandria had called her twice, urging her to give her a call back, but whatever crisis she was experiencing would have to wait. The wedding came first. Alex should’ve known that…
Juliette's phone buzzed again. She glanced down and saw the notification window for Instapix. It read: “you have 1 unread message.” Curiosity got the best of her and she tapped to expand the window and open the app. Her groan was loud enough to disturb the nearby women shopping for gowns.
The direct message was from WinLikMe321, and it said in the plainest, most aggravating simplicity: “Jules we need to talk. Call me…”
Juliette wanted to scream expletives at the top of her lungs. She had blocked Winston's phone number and Instapix account for this reason. When they broke up, she didn’t want contact with him outside of a professional setting, but he believed the window between them to be open. Now he’d created a dummy account just to send her a message and ruin her morning.
“Jules!”
The call was from Gigi inside her dressing room. In sisterly mode at once, Juliette abandoned any thoughts about Winston. Her sister needed her and that mattered more. She slipped behind the purple velvet curtain to the sight of a distressed Gigi half-zipped up in her reception outfit. The strapless floor-length sheath dress was tight about the bust but flowed at the hip and beyond. The zipper had caught mid-back on Gigi.
“It doesn’t fit anymore.”
“Are you sure? Hold on, suck in a little.”
Juliette gently held the zipper and guided it further up the track. The dress still looked amazing on her sister, hugging her pear-shaped curves in the right places, but Gigi was right—the fabric strained along the small bloat on her stomach.
“We’ll get the seamstress in here,” soothed Juliette. “She can let the fabric out another inch or two. That’s standard. I’m sure she does it all the time.”
“This is a six, Jules. I’ve never been bigger than that. Never.”
“Shhh. It’s okay. It doesn’t matter. You look beautiful.”
Gigi inhaled a shaky breath. Though Juliette stood behind her, in the mirror’s reflection, she could see the tears glossed in Gigi’s eyes. Her sister was on the verge of one of her infamous meltdowns. Juliette stayed cool, often the calming force to balance her out. Mom was right; she was needed to make sure everything was okay.
“Why are you crying? Tell me what’s wrong and I’ll fix it.” She spoke in her softest tone, holding Gigi’s hand and easing her around to face her. “Gigi, you know I hate when you cry. Even when we were little and you used to fall off your bike and skin your knee.”
“You’d give up your favorite candy just to get me to stop.”
“That’s right. Because you’re my little sis and I’m going to look out for you. So tell me what it is. This is more than the dress.”
Gigi admitted as much with another quaking breath drawn. “How did you know it was the right thing to do to say yes to Preston?”
Juliette paused out of surprise. She liked to think she had an answer to most questions Gigi asked through the years. From the time they were kids and Gigi needed help tying her shoelaces to their teenage years when she’d come to her about boys. But meeting the watery gaze of her baby sister, now asking for marital advice, she froze.
How could she in good conscience advise Giselle if she lived a lie herself?
Juliette dodged answering about her engagement to Preston. “Is this about the wedding? Are you having cold feet about marrying Dom?”
“What if I’m making a mistake?”
“You’re in love with him, aren’t you?”
Gigi sniffled and then gave a feeble nod.
“Then if you really love him and he makes you happy, I don’t see how it can be a mistake.”
“Jules.”
“Hmmm?”
“Dom has a Dates and Mates account.”
A chill breezed across Juliette's skin. “What do you mean? Like an old account he used to use?”
“An account that said he’s logged on in the last couple weeks.”
“Oh.”
“I found it by accident when I was helping Mellie set up hers. Can you believe he came up in the suggested mates section? I didn’t have the face to tell Mellie. I clicked out of the app so fast.”
“Are you su
re it was him?”
“I’ve stalked the account since.”
Juliette tried to keep her head. Never mind the fact that, for once, if someone ever hurt her sister she would be done with rationale. She would make good use of the kickboxing classes she’d been taking the past few weeks…
“Have you talked to him about it?”
Gigi sobbed through a head shake. “He’s been acting weird since we got here. Last night he was in a bad mood. He said he had a migraine, but I don’t believe it. This morning he barely spoke to me.”
“We’re going to figure this out as soon as we get back to the house,” said Juliette adamantly. “Sit him down and confront him about what’s going on.”
“No! I don’t wanna draw attention to it. This wedding is supposed to be perfect.”
“Who cares about perfect if he’s up to something?”
“I’ll address it with him myself. In my own way.”
“Before Thursday?”
“Maybe I’m misunderstanding things. It’s just…earlier…listening to that chick Natasia talk about marriage like that. It’s not what I wanna hear days before my wedding when I’m already feeling like this.”
“I know. I get it. Forget about what she was saying,” Juliette told her. She reached up and cleared the tears off either of Gigi’s cheeks with her thumbs. “Please talk to Dom tonight. You need to know the truth either way. If he’s stepping out on you then it’s not smart to go through with this wedding. You deserve better than that.”
The sisters emerged from the dressing room to find the bridesmaids gathered in the waiting area. They had finished being fitted for their gowns and savored the complementary mimosas and chocolate strawberries the bridal attendants set out. Tabitha rose with her thick eyebrows knitted into a line.
“You guys good? Took a while.”
Juliette saw it on Gigi’s face that she expected the chat to be kept in confidence. She covered for her sister by explaining they’d changed their minds on the reception outfit. Elena groaned in disappointment.
“Aw, I liked the skintight strapless one. You were all booty in that thing!”