I let him tease me, shaking my head and fighting my smile. Then I threw a carrot at him. He caught it in one hand and popped it into his mouth, and my smile broke free.
When I walked back out to the deck, Luke was right behind me, still smirking.
“Mimi, Luke. Luke, Mimi,” I said as I set down her glass.
“Great to meet you.” Luke took her hand gently. “Thank you for getting Val over to the island and for hanging out with my kid the past few weeks. Luna has told me your flower garden is much better than mine and we should try and make ours look like yours.”
Mimi laughed, clutching her chest. “Oh, of course. Luna is just a delight. And I am very proud of those flowers, so that means a lot to me.”
Luke turned to me. “Want to meet my parents?”
I looked at Mimi, and she waved me off, content to relax on the deck. Knowing her, she’d have some new friends by the time I returned.
Luke led me out to the yard to make introductions to his parents, Alex and Elena. His father’s handshake was firm; his mother’s smile was welcoming.
“I’m so happy to meet you, Val,” his mother said. “Luna has said some wonderful things. She seems to be really enjoying spending time with you this summer.”
“It’s been great for me, too. I feel like I’m living the best summer ever vicariously through her.”
“The two of them rave about the summers here,” his dad chimed in. “I find it to be a tad crowded, but I can see the appeal.”
Luke shook his head slightly when he could tell his parents weren’t looking, his subtle grin all but hidden under his beard.
“Summers on the Vineyard are the best,” I said.
I joined Mimi on the deck a few minutes later, unsurprised to find her chatting away with the couple I noticed by the coolers earlier.
“Val!” Mimi’s smile reached the green eyes I inherited from her. It was always the same, whether she saw me a few minutes ago, or if it had been months: like my presence made her whole day. “My new friends Jeremiah and Francesca were just about to tell me all about their wedding at the Martha’s Vineyard Museum.”
Jeremiah was Luke’s close friend from college and second in command at Karas Construction. Luke had mentioned him several times, but this was my first time meeting him in person.
“The one on the hill in Vineyard Haven?” I asked them as I took a seat.
Francesca nodded.
“Wow, that must have been spectacular. I’m Val, by the way.” I reached my hand across the table.
“Great to meet you. Luke and Luna have told us all about you. All good things.” Jeremiah smirked and draped his arm around the back of Francesca’s chair.
My stomach flipped over.What did they say?
“Did you do a tent on the lawn?” Mimi asked.
“Oh, yes. The white tent on the lawn, live band, views of the harbor below, blue and white flowers everywhere.” Francesca turned and grinned coyly at her husband.
“She knows how I feel about the flower budget. Highway robbery.” He lifted his dark brows at Mimi and me and shook his head.
“They make the whole event, though,” I said.
Mimi nodded emphatically.
“Exactly, Val! That’s what I keep telling him.” When Francesca looked at her husband again her eyes shone with victory.
He shook his head again, smiling affectionately. He was outnumbered, but he didn’t seem to mind it.
“I loved planning it so much, I quit my high-stress start-up job and started my own event planning business,” Francesca added.
Wow, good for her.Pangs of both envy and admiration rattled inside me as she explained how the start-up grind was not for her, but she loved being her own boss, putting together beautiful events on the island after she moved here to be with Jeremiah.
