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it was the same, maybe she wouldn’t feel so out of place attending the party instead of serving the drinks.
A shirtless man—another sight she generally only witnessed at Bottom’s Up during a bar fight between hotheaded, drunken sailors—flashed a smile as he delivered yet another pitcher of “tea” to her sister’s giggling coworkers. Lucia had moved to California a little over a year ago, and while she’d made a few friends, there were only a handful she’d felt comfortable inviting to a destination wedding. Her sister claimed she wanted to keep it small—one maid of honor, no bridesmaids for the wedding party. But Natalie had a hunch her sister didn’t exactly have a lot of friends from her years spent in Tennessee.
“When I made the reservation,” Natalie said, leaning closer to her sister, “I didn’t realize they served rum punch in the teapots.”
“I don’t think Cade’s mother did either,” Lucia said, frowning at the slim, silver-haired woman, who was about three minutes away from falling asleep on one of the sofas. “Or maybe it’s the jet lag.”
The waiter stopped in front of their sofa. “Another special daiquiri for our bride-to-be. With two umbrellas. And a beer for the maid of honor.”
“Thank you.” Lucia accepted the drinks. Her sister thrust the beer into her hand as the waiter slipped out of earshot.
“Do you think his muscles are better than Jack’s?” her sister asked.
“Well, Jack doesn’t rub baby oil all over himself, so I’d say Jack wins this one,” Natalie said. “But maybe if you gave the waiter a bath… No, he’d still look like a gym rat compared to the type of guy who hunts down bad guys.”
“So you’ve seen Jack’s muscles up close and personal,” Lucia said.
“So have you.” Natalie raised her beer to her lips and took a sip while her sister’s eyes widened. “At the pool yesterday, all of the SEALs were walking around without their shirts at some point.”
“I had the impression you saw more,” her sister said. “Yesterday in his room?”
So much more.
And while she’d never forget the way he looked on his knees in the entryway, or the way his hands felt on her breasts in the shower…she couldn’t risk another private look at Jack’s muscles. Not if she wanted to win the bet.
Remember the sweet taste of victory.
“He helped me with some shopping.” Natalie stood and pulled out the plastic bag she’d tucked behind the sofa. “I have party favors. There are extras if you want two.”
Lucia plucked a wrapped can from the bag and tore into the tissue paper. She tossed the wrapping aside, and then her eyes quickly filled with unshed tears. “Chocolate body paint,” she murmured, her voice trembling.
Most brides went a little crazy before the wedding. But tears over what was essentially a gag gift at the bachelorette party?
“Were you really hoping for plastic penis straws? Or did you have a bad experience with body paint once?” Natalie asked as she reclaimed her spot on the sofa beside her sister. Thank God they hadn’t unwrapped the favors in front of Lucia’s tipsy coworkers.
“No, I’ve never used body paint.” Her sister bit her lower lip. “Well, not real body paint—”
“Stop right there,” Natalie warned. There were some things she never, ever needed to hear.
Lucia laughed, wiping away the tears. “Before I met Cade, I never thought I’d have a reason to use this kind of paint. Finding someone who saw beyond the scars—it felt impossible.”
“I’m so sorry that you had to live like that for so long,” Natalie said, the familiar guilt rising up and taking hold of her. She didn’t wear the same physical scars, but “impossible” maintained a tangible presence in her life. The thought of letting someone in—it felt unattainable.
“It’s not your fault.” Lucia lifted the “special” daiquiri to her lips and drained the drink.
“Yes, it is,” Natalie said, her voice firm. “If I hadn’t left that day. Or if I’d tried harder with the other families…”
Lucia reached out and took her hand. “Stop. Please. I hid behind my fears. I decided to live a lonely life. But then I met Cade and…” A dreamy smile spread across her face.
Natalie narrowed her gaze and focused on the empty daiquiri glass. How many fruity cocktails had Lucia ordered from the baby-oiled waiters?
“I just hope that you’ll find someone who helps you lock the past where it belongs,” her sister continued. “Someone who makes you happy and helps you to look to the future.”
“I’m not like you,” Natalie said. “I’m the reason the first two families gave up on us. If I’d simply bowed to their authority instead of trying to fight them every step of the way. If I’d tried—”
“Maybe I would have been spared a few lonely years. Maybe not.” Lucia shrugged. “But maybe I wouldn’t have met Cade. And I can’t imagine my world without him.”
“I’m glad it all worked out,” Natalie said, pulling her hand free and reaching for her beer. There had been so many moments when it could have gone oh so wrong.
