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“A surprise?” Leah asked. “Organized by who?” She’d hung out with the Harpers long enough over the years to know that sometimes Blacklight fans came in the less-than-desirable variety. Every so often one of them decided to play a prank or send a parcel that was kind of creepy. The letters and parcels were almost always stopped by the security team before they got anywhere near the Harper house, but deliveries from people on-island had made it through a couple of times before. Like the time a hundred pizzas had been ordered for the house. Leo at the pizzeria hadn’t questioned it, and to be fair to him, Grey had been known to throw parties that would need a hundred pizzas. It wasn’t until he had driven all the way out to the Harper house to deliver them that everyone had figured out it was a prank. Faith had sent the pizzas down to the search-and-rescue team and the doctor at the clinic and the fire station and the police department, so they hadn’t gone to waste. And she’d paid Leo. But that didn’t mean she had forgotten. Neither had Leah. She lifted an eyebrow at Stella—who also knew the score.
“He wanted it to be a surprise,” Stella said, looking defensive.
“He? Caleb?” Leah asked. It would be just like Caleb to want to surprise Faith like this. He’d been banished to hang out with Will and Stefan down at Salt Devil for the afternoon with firm instructions not to return until summoned. Zach and Eli were supposed to join them. Presumably they’d do whatever the male equivalent of pre-wedding bonding was. Only with far less tulle and satin and intimidating dress designers. Probably watch baseball, shoot pool, and drink beer. Guys had it easy.
Stella shook her head. “No, Zach.”
Zach? Leah couldn’t help a stab of surprise. Zach was sending Faith goodies for her wedding-dress fitting? She wasn’t quite sure why she was so surprised. Except, somehow, it didn’t quite seem like him. Though, maybe she was being unfair. Since he’d been back on the island, he’d been on his best behavior when it came to his sisters. “You sure about that?” she asked.
Stella nodded. “He came into the store himself. He was very particular about the order.” She looked over her shoulder at Anna, who nodded agreement.
“Me too,” Anna said. “He came to the spa as well.”
Now there was something she’d never pictured. Zach Harper in the spa? She pictured him wearing only a towel … then lying naked on a massage table, all oiled up and gleaming. Then she wrenched her thoughts back to the present, trying not to blush. Okay. Zach had sent goodies. Who was she to argue? He was trying to do something nice for Faith and it would be nice if the two of them could get back to the kind of relationship they’d had before it had all gone wrong when Grey had gotten sick.
She stepped back out of the way. “Come on in,” she said and gestured down the hallway. “Everyone’s in the family room.” Stella had been to the house before, but she couldn’t remember if Anna had. “Down the hall then right then first door on the left.
Stella nodded. “I know the way. Here, you take this box.” She held it out to Leah. “I’ve got a couple more in the car.”
“I guess overcatering runs in the family,” Leah said, accepting the box. She resisted the temptation to open it and see what Zach had sent. It was Faith’s surprise, not hers.
“I tried to tell him he was ordering too much,” Stella said. “But I couldn’t talk him out of it.” She turned and headed back outside.
Leah nodded at Anna. “Come on, let’s go. What’s Zach got you doing?”
Anna patted the big bag on her shoulder—some sort of complicated-looking black metal case that Leah would’ve guessed held some sort of music equipment, except that as far as she knew, Anna didn’t have a musical bone in her body.
“Manicures for whoever wants one,” Anna said. “I can do pedicures too.”
“Cool,” Leah said. “Sounds fun. But you’ll probably have to hang around until Faith finishes with the whole dress bit.”
Anna nodded. “Absolutely. Wedding dresses and nail polish definitely don’t mix.” They’d reached the back room. Faith hadn’t emerged from behind the screen. Leah remembered her own wedding-dress fittings. They’d seemed to take forever. And her dress wasn’t anywhere near as elaborate as the one Faith had chosen. They were going to be here a while.
“Zach sent goodies,” she announced. “Anna is here to make us all gorgeous, and Stella is following with diabetes in a box.”
Mina grinned at Anna. “Zach sent you?”
Anna nodded. “Is there somewhere I can set up?”
Lou stood, smiling at Anna. “Sure,” she said. “We’ll clear off one of the tables for you.”
Mina jumped up and followed Lou over to one of the tables to clear the platters of food and pull up a couple of chairs. By the time everything was organized. Stella had ferried her other two bakery boxes into the room as well and started laying out platters of exquisitely decorated cupcakes and other goodies. She was almost done when Ivy came wandering down the hall as well.
“Sorry I’m late. Got held up with a client.” She surveyed the room, taking in Stella and Anna, and then tilted her head at Leah. “Looks like quite the party.” She straightened, her purple-streaked black bob falling neatly back into place. The streaks matched the color of the tiny aliens dotted over the fabric of her sundress.
“Courtesy of Zach,” Leah said. “Apparently he thought we needed the full girly bonding experience.”
“Well, I’m not going to argue with him. This week has been crazy. Some girl time sounds perfect to me,” Ivy said. She flopped down onto one of the armchairs and started unlacing her Doc Martens. Then she looked around. “Faith? Where are you?”
“Behind the screen.” Faith’s voice drifted out. “Being tortured into underwear that I swear contravenes the Geneva convention.”
Ivy snorted. “You’re the one who wanted the full-disaster wedding. No complaining if your uber-frock needs scaffolding.”
“I do not need scaffolding,” Faith said indignantly. “And if I’m only going to do this marriage thing once, then I’m doing it right.”
Ivy shrugged. “Whatever floats your boat.” She pulled off her boots and then sat back into the armchair, sticking her legs out and wriggling her toes happily.
“You need a hand, honey?” Lou asked, pausing from her examination of Stella’s platters to twist her head toward the screen. Stella, Leah thought, looked vaguely nervous at the scrutiny. Rightly so. Lou was one of the best bakers on the island.
