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“Say something that makes me laugh,” Stella says, tugging on my arm.
“What?”
Stella bursts out laughing as we walk out onto the aft deck. “Stop it, you’re ridiculous.”
I laugh too, trying to keep my eyes on her even though I can feel Adelaide’s presence pulling my gaze toward her like a magnet.
“Well, look who it is!” Adelaide announces loudly to the group that is already gathered.
Finally, I look over at her, and… she’s stunning. What can I say? All legs and arms, her blonde hair is now done in perfect curls down her shoulders, a macrame dress that shows off pieces of her tanned skin underneath.
Too bad she’s standing next to the boulder of muscle that is her fiancé.
“So glad you could come, darling.” Adelaide struts over to me and gives me kisses on both of my cheeks. Then she looks down at Stella, lips perked, and eyebrow raised. “Is this Stella?”
“That’s me,” Stella says. I detect a little edge of nervousness in her voice. Even she can’t always be full of swagger. Stella sticks her hand out toward Adelaide. “Nice to meet you.”
Adelaide eyes Stella’s hand and then takes it limply. The judgment is pouring off of her, palpable like rain falling from a gutter. “Well, she’s just charming, isn’t she?” she says to me. “I’m looking forward to getting to know you, Stella. This is a special man.”
Not my heart fluttering at that.
“He is. I’m lucky you got rid of him,” Stella says, leaning into me and patting my chest.
“Jeez, thanks, Stell.”
Adelaide forces a laugh and then gestures to the rest of the guests. “Well, now that we’re all here, how about a toast?” She returns to her fiancé and the two of them start some sickly-sweet toast about their love and how special it is that they can share this moment with their closest friends. I don’t know why I’m included when the guest list is so exclusive.
“Thanks,” I whisper in Stella’s ear.
She smirks and knocks her hip against mine. “No problem.”
“Psst.”
We look over at the woman standing nearest us. A stunning woman with bright red lipstick and futuristic sunglasses.
“Your dungarees are amazing,” she murmurs to Stella in an Australian accent.
Stella squeezes my arm tight. “Thanks. I got them on sale.”
Maybe this is going to go better than I thought.
Chapter 6
Stella
Dinnerisanamazingfeast. Somehow, they’ve managed to cram all of us down a long banquet table on the aft deck. I’m wedged in between Flynn and a football player. Or should I say soccer? The groom is an American footballer but for some reason, he has a close friend who is a British footballer. I’m trying not to get too bothered with all the details since all of these people are going to be mere memories in two weeks’ time.
We’re seated right at the head of the table near the happy couple. At first, I wasn’t sure why, but now that I’ve watched how Flynn fawns over Adelaide, I get it. She’s just making him suffer.
“How long have you two been together?” Adelaide asks, brushing a hand through her hair.
I take a deep breath. Flynn and I went through all the details. We both know this answer. “Five months,” we answer in unison.
“Oh shit, you’ve already got the same brain,” Theo, her fiancé, whose neck is so thick he looks like a thumb, doltishly laughs.
Flynn and I exchange a look.
“You’re Colin’s sister, right?” Adelaide asks.
