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“Of course I’ll help them,” she said, taking a sip of chai. “What else are sisters for?”
2
“Are you sure you don’t want to ride with us, honey?” Deenie asked, poking her head around the door to Caitie’s childhood bedroom. Caitie was set up at her laptop, replying to a raft of urgent emails her assistant had forwarded to her. One of the worst parts of being your own boss – it was almost impossible to take time off without some kind of crisis occurring.
“It’s okay, I’ll drive myself over once I’ve finished this,” Caitie replied, smiling at her mom. Her eyes widened. “Oh my goodness, you look gorgeous.” She stood to admire her mom’s outfit. A long silver dress and purple scarf which brought out the platinum strands in Deenie’s hair. With her youthful skin and sun kissed smile, Deenie didn’t look anywhere near her sixty years. Was it wrong to hope she’d inherited those same genes?
Caitie leaned forward to kiss her mother, pressing her lips against Deenie’s cheek. Her mom smelled of apple blossoms and roses, a scent that sparked an olfactory memory. The Christmas, back when Caitie was fifteen, she’d given her mom a gift set from the local beauty store. It was the same Christmas when Lucas’s friend, Breck and his brother, had stayed with them, right before her heart had broken for the first time.
“We sit down to dinner at nine,” her mom told her. “Make sure you’re there before we do.”
Caitie glanced at her watch. It was a bit past seven. “I’ll jump in the shower as soon as I finish this. I promise not to be late.” Knowing when to stop and put her laptop away was one of the hardest parts of being the boss. Her work was never done. When she wasn’t working on a project she was writing proposals for the next. And because her work took her all over the country, the different time zones meant she was getting emails twenty-four-seven.
But an hour later, she managed to pull into the parking lot of the Angel Sands Beach Club looking far more put together than she felt. Her dark hair was freshly washed and dried, her red strapless dress was zipped up tight around her chest, and she’d even remembered to move her wallet and phone into a silver clutch Harper had loaned her.
She eased her car into a space about a hundred yards away from the Beach Club. Through the open car windows she could smell the sulfur coming up from the sea, and hear the gentle sound of the waves as they hit the beach. She took a deep breath and held it for a moment longer than necessary.
She could do this. She really could.
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When her brother had told her his engagement party was taking place at the Beach Club, Caitie had felt her heart drop. Not because of anything to do with him or his wife-to-be, but because the beach always brought out this reaction in her. She hated the way it could bring her to her knees. There was nothing logical in the way it made her feel like a child again. The child who was pulled under the surface of the ocean by a riptide, and almost drowned.
She swallowed hard. She wasn’t a child any more. She was an adult, and she could do this. It was her brother’s engagement party, and she wasn’t going to miss it for the world.
As she stepped inside the door, a waiter offered her a glass of champagne from a silver tray. Caitie shook her head, grabbing a tumbler of water instead, downing it in one long gulp. She could feel the liquid filling her stomach, ice cold against her body heat, but still it wasn’t enough. Her entire body felt on fire. She pressed the glass to her cheek, but it was no help.
“You made it. Lucas has been looking everywhere for you. My god, you look gorgeous. That dress is to die for.” Her sister-in-law to-be, Ember, was standing in the doorway, welcoming guests to the party. She grabbed Caitie’s hand, pulling her in for a hug.
“Congratulations,” Caitie said, hugging her back. “I’m so happy for you both.”
Ember gave her a happy grin. She looked beautiful, her tanned skin set off by the palest of yellow dresses. The spaghetti straps were intricately woven with gemstones, the bodice tight across her chest. Her dark hair was twisted into a low bun, tendrils spilling out onto her smooth neck. “Thank you for traveling to be with us. Lucas is so excited to see you.”
“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. I know I’m not around much. I’m so sorry…” Caitie had always liked Ember Kennedy. They were the same age and had attended Angel Sands High at the same time as each other. Though they’d not hung around in the same group, Caitie’d always had time for the studious brunette with the kind heart.
Ember released her from her hug. “It’s our fault, too. We keep talking about visiting you in New York, but life gets so busy. I’d love to get to know you again now that we’ll be sisters.”
“I’d like that a lot.” Caitie’s voice was thick. “Maybe once the wedding is over we can agree on a date. I’d love to show you around the big city.”
Ember grinned. “That would be great. Lucas keeps telling me about your business and how well it’s going. I’d love to see what you’re working on. You have my dream job. I can’t imagine anything better than working on Christmas all year round.”
“You’d be surprised how many people think it’s a terrible job,” Caitie confessed. “I get a lot of people telling me they can’t stand Christmas.”
Ember’s mouth dropped open. “Who are these people?” she asked. “Christmas is my favorite time of year.”
“Mine too,” Caitie said, grinning. “And of course I’ll show you where I work. Though it’s not much to look at. Most of the things I do are at clients’ locations.” She licked her lips, remembering the conversation she’d had with her mom earlier. Now would probably be a good time to bring it up. “Mom told me you might need a little help with your wedding?”
“She did?” Ember’s shoulders dropped with relief. “Oh thank goodness. I wasn’t sure whether to ask you. I know how busy you are…”
“I’m never too busy for family,” Caitie said firmly. She’d find the time, somehow. “So what do you need?”
Ember grimaced. “Everything. We’ve agreed on a date but that’s all. We have just over two months to arrange the rest.”
“Two months?” Caitie tried to keep the panic from her voice.
“I know. It’s crazy.” Ember shook her head. “But if we don’t get married in December, we won’t get another chance until next summer. I don’t get much time off between Christmas and June.”
“The pitfalls of being a teacher,” Caitie commiserated.
