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“I was totally distracted at work,” Kelly continued. “Then my phone died. When I found out what happened, I tried to get a hold of my parents right away, but they didn’t answer for a few hours. I’ve been back at the house, trying to sort it all out.”
“I appreciate that. I’m happy your parents vouched for us,” Yasmine said. “You did such a nice thing for me by offering their home in the first place, and we’ve never even met.”
She grinned. It was surprising she didn’t have a surfboard casually linked under one arm. “Marley is, like, my best friend in the whole world, and she adores you. She’s been meaning to introduce us for years. I was so happy to help you.” She glanced slyly at Matt, who was a few steps away, watching everything intently. “It looks like you accomplished your goal, so that’s awesome.”
“Um,” Yasmine replied shyly. “It seems I did.”
“How about we head outside?” Poppy said. “I think we could all use a little fresh air.”
Kelly led the way. “You guys should totally come back to the house. I’m sure you’re tired and hungry.”
Annabel reached out to make sure her sister didn’t stumble as Poppy whipped her head around and mouthed, “We’re going to the house!”
Once outside, I pulled Marco to the side.
I wanted to keep touching him—I wanted to know this was real—but I dropped my hand when we were a few feet away. “I can’t believe you flew down here,” I whispered. “That was so nice of you.”
“Of course,” he replied, as though jumping on a flight practically in the middle of the night was what people did every day. “When the last text I got from you said you were at the jail, I assumed that meant you’d been arrested, so I figured somebody would have to post bond or do something.” He shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets. It was a pose I’d gotten to know a lot over the last month and was one of my favorites. He was so endearing. “I wanted to make sure you and Yasmine were okay.”
I glanced over at Yasmine, who was talking to Kelly. Poppy had her hands clasped in front of her chest, hanging on their every word.
“I’m so thankful you came,” I told him. “I’m sure Yasmine is, too.”
Was there a set precedent for proper interaction for something like this? Some sort of guidebook? Instructions on how to talk to your possibly new boyfriend while standing next to his soon-to-be ex-fiancée and her newly reconnected ex-boyfriend?
If there was one, I’d never heard about it.
Yasmine directed her attention to us. “Marco,” she called. “I’d like you to meet Matt.” She gestured at the large bodyguard standing to her left. “Matt, this is Marco Cruz, my officially soon-to-be ex-fiancé.”
The two men graciously shook hands.
This was all very civilized and super-duper strange.
“We haven’t told our families we’ve called it off,” Marco clarified. “But we split amicably a little while ago.”
“Because he and Eve were caught necking in the closet,” Poppy added gleefully.
“Poppy!” I cried.
“I’m sorry,” she said quickly, settling her fingers over her lips sheepishly. “It just slipped out.” She glanced at Matt and then Kelly. “I’m not someone who usually airs dirty laundry, especially if it’s not my own, in front of strangers. I apologize. Marco and Eve actually met eight years ago and sort of fell in love then. Well, at least Eve did. They’ve been reconnecting over the past few weeks after they went into business together—they’re opening this super-cute floral shop called the Watering Can—which has caused them to spend a lot of time together. So, you know, it became clear that Yasmine and Marco would split, which, in turn, left Yasmine open to come here and find her true—”
My eyes slid shut. This wasn’t happening.
“Okay!” Annabel interjected, moving quickly toward her sister. “I think we’ve done enough damage for one day, or possibly the entire week, or maybe the year. It’s more than time to bail on this jail.”
Matt rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, I say we get out of here.”
I’m sure it’d been a lot for him to hear.
“Do you have to go back to work?” Yasmine asked Matt.
“Not right this minute,” he replied. “Gavin is covering my morning shift, and I’ll relieve him around lunchtime. It was the least he could do after waiting so long to tell me what was up.”
“I bet you guys are starving,” Kelly said. “Let’s head to the house, and you can fill me in on what happened. It sounds kind of exciting!”
“We should stop and pick up some food first,” Annabel said. “We don’t want to put you out. I could eat like three horses.”
Kelly swished her hand. “It’s not a problem. Our cook came in today. She’s preparing a big breakfast. I told her to expect at least four. But I’m sure she’ll have enough on hand for everyone.”
