The word steals my breath from my lungs. As if on cue, the SUV comes to a halt, stopping in front of the Grand Palms. I don’t even wait for the chauffeur to open the door. I just let myself out, my heart beating violently against my ribcage.
“Marley,” Othello calls as I exit the vehicle.
I keep walking, head and emotions high. Othello catches up with me, grabbing my wrist and stopping me in my tracks.
“Can you talk to me for a second?” he asks.
“I need to call my team.” I twist my wrist from my grip.
“Marley, wait,” Othello calls after me again. But I don’t turn around. I keep walking, scared that if he sees the look on my face, he’ll see the truth. And the truth is, I’m not scared of crossing the line. I’m scared I already have.
27
sky bae
MARLEY
Hours later,I’m on the balcony in our suite, sitting at the small table with my laptop open. The virtual meeting room is quiet. Two empty squares are waiting to be filled by Lo and Siobhan, and my face stares back at me. It’s not the face of someone who promised herself a work-free vacation.
A moment later, one of the squares flickers to life, revealing Lo in her home office. Soon after, Siobhan joins, her face appearing in the remaining box. It’s almost eight at night in Georgia, and she’s dressed in pajamas, cuddled up on her couch.
“Ladies!” I exclaim, unable to hide my excitement at seeing them.
Their screams erupt through my MacBook speakers.
“Girl!”
“Marley!”
Neither of them can contain their excitement.
Earlier, after I ran off from Othello, I’d sent Lo one simple text.
MARLEY: I had a private lunch with Collette Randolph.
Then I sent her a Zoom invite for later that afternoon. The response since then has been nothing but eager text messages in all caps with excessive exclamation points. The second Lo told Siobhan, Siobhan demanded access to our meeting.
“You are truly God’s favorite, because how do you become an invited guest with exclusive access to the biggest wedding of the year?” Siobhan gushes.
“It’s insane, I know. But I have no clue. We discussed everything over tea and cookies. I literally felt like I was sitting down with the queen.”
“That’s insane.”
“I can’t believe this.” Lo presses her hands together in prayer. “Thank you, Baby Jesus!”
“Yes, praise Him!” Siobhan exclaims. “‘Cause I peep your little sun-kissed glow, with your little beach girl get-up. You’re looking like a true tourist in them Maui streets. I see you, boo.”
I laugh at Siobhan.
“When should we let the rest of the team know?” Lo asks.
“Keep this between the two of you until tomorrow afternoon. I’ll send a Zoom invite for seven a.m. Maui time, one p.m. in Savannah. We can discuss everything then.”
“Bet.”
For the next 45 minutes or so, I fill the ladies in on Collette’s vision. We bounce ideas from one screen to the next, discuss upcoming features, assign tasks, and brainstorm ways to make the most of the opportunity Collette has handed us.
When we’re done, Siobhan and Lo insist I show them the view from the balcony and give them a tour of the suite.Reluctantly, I do, trying my best to keep anything that belongs to Othello out of view, but that is an epic fail.
