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“None taken.”
“Man, you gotta do something.” Nathan grabbed his brother’s sleeve, his forehead crinkling with desperation. “This is, like, an epic disaster. I know there’s been a lot of champagne and stuff, but I don’t think she’s drunk. I think she’s serious.”
“Hold up.” Releasing Rory, Grant turned to his younger brother. Concern darkened his eyes. “What are you talking about?”
“Mom.”Nathan spread his arm out in agitation. “Maybe she’s finally gone off the deep end after Dad’s little shade-throwing speech, but she just decided that wouldn’t it bewonderfulif she and Dad took a much-needed vacation.”
“So what’s wrong with that?”
Nathan fisted his hands in Grant’s suit jacket, horror widening his eyes. “A vacation with me and Aliceon our honeymoon.”
“What?”
“Whoa,” Rory murmured.
“Right?” Nathan stared at her, still clutching Grant’s jacket. “It’s insane.”
“She’s not serious.” Grant shook his head in disbelief. “She and Dad are not going with you on your honeymoon.”
“That’s what I thought at first, but I swear to God, she thinks she had the most brilliant idea since what’s-his-name discovered electricity. She was just going off about how Dad’s been under so much stress lately and trying to explain why he was such an asshole in his speech, and how much work she’s done planning the wedding, then she announces that they’re going to Bali for a week for some much-needed R&R andstaying in the same hotel as me and Alice. I’m about to have a heart attack.”
“First, chill out for a second.” Grant took hold of his brother’s shoulders and gave him a slight shake. “Did you tell her no fucking way? In nicer words?”
“Yeah, I told her no! And she got all pouty and reminded me that she and Dad had sprung for half the wedding and the entire honeymoon and spared no expense at all, which is true, but really? Ourhoneymoon?”
“What did Dad say?”
“Nothing! He got all stone-faced and annoyed, but he didn’t say no.He didn’t say no, man.”
“When are you leaving?”
“Tomorrow morning.” Nathan swiveled to look at the head table, where Joanna was busy texting on her phone and chatting with another woman. “She already called Simon and told him to book the flight for her and Dad, and to arrange for them to stay in the suite next to ours. The same flight. Thenext-doorsuite. I can’t take it. I can’t even tell Alice. She loves Mom, but aside from being the biggest meddler of all time, Mom has been a total mother-of-the-groom bridezilla or whatever. Alice really needs a break from her. If I tell her Mom’s going to be on our honeymoon, Alice willcry. She will sob. The only reason I want my wife weeping on our honeymoon is because she can’t believe how happy she is.”
“Okay.” Grant pulled in a breath and squeezed his brother’s shoulder. “I’ll figure something out.”
“What?”
“I don’t know yet. I said Iwillfigure something out.”
“I can’t have Mom and Dad anywhere near Indonesia.” Nathan scraped his hands frantically through his hair. “I don’t even want them in the southern hemisphere. And knowing they’re in the same hotel, right next door…Jesus, I probably wouldn’t even be able to get it up.” He winced. “Sorry, Rory.”
“I can see how that would kill the mood,” she agreed.
“It willserial killthe mood.” Nathan clutched Grant’s lapels again. “You gotta help me, man. Do something.”
“I will.”
“What?”
“Still future tense.” Grant detached his brother’s fists from his jacket and glanced at Rory. “I’ll come find you in a few minutes. Sorry about this.”
“Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.” She gave Nathan a sympathetic pat on the shoulder and returned to the table. Joanna was still chatting happily and busy on her phone—maybe looking up “things to do” in Bali for her and the newlyweds.
Grant would take care of it. There was no question in Rory’s mind that he’d fix this for his brother and Alice. The certainty of the thought didn’t surprise her. For the past two years, he’d been the most dependable person she knew.
She watched as he stood at the side of the room with Nathan, still apparently talking his brother off the ledge.
A fluttering sensation appeared in her chest. She hadn’t quite realized until recently just how much she’d come to count on Grant. Stupid singing fish, artichoke soup, faded T-shirts, and all.
