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I opened my eyes. “It feels good.”
She looked over at me, obviously pleased with herself. “Good. Now, come on.” She waved a hand. “Everyone’s inside.”
Everyone’s inside.
Hendrix was inside.
“He couldn’t make it,” she said as we took the walkway to the inn. She sighed as if she was disappointed. “He had an important meeting at work.”
He doesn’t want to see me.
“I didn’t ask.”
She shrugged. “I know,” she said as she toyed with the end of her long black ponytail. An innocent gesture, but she was not innocent.
The front part of the inn overlooked the water, while the back was over the beach. The warm air was filled with that intoxicating scent only the ocean can give. Waves broke against the pillars underneath the wrap-around deck. The sunlight reflected off the water. It was peaceful. It was perfect.
It was Coree Harbor.
Inside the B&B, the walls were distressed white shiplap with a bricked arch leading into the main dining area. There were canvas paintings of whales and turtles in blues and grays, wooden sailboats, and large seashells and white coral décor.
The second I crossed the threshold, Holmes had me in a bear hug. She squeezed tightly, then leaned back, keeping a grip on my biceps. “If you ever leave me alone with a Bridezilla again, I will come to New York and cut you.”
Kacey kicked Holmes’s foot, then shot her a glare.
Holmes flinched and flipped Kacey the bird. “I just had my toes done, you bitch.”
Kacey sighed, the frustrated kind parents let out when they’ve been in the car five minutes and the kids askhow long ‘til we get there. “You work for a pediatrician and wear Crocs for crying out loud. No one is looking at your fucking toes.”
“They will be when I wear those red-bottomed stilettos Friday night.” She let go of my arms and took a few steps back. “You did plan a bachelorette party, right?”
Shit.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
Holmes propped a hand on her hip. “You didn’t plan a bachelorette party.”
Ashton and Dallas laughed somewhere else in the room. They each sat in a chair in front of an unlit fireplace with a captain’s wheel above the mantle.
I narrowed my eyes at both of them. “Fuck off.”
Dallas grinned. “Welcome home, Ken.”
He had the kind of smile that lit up his entire face. The kind that Holmes was openly staring at. She’d had a crush on Dallas since the first time he took his shirt off to play. One look at the sweat glistening on his bare, dark skin, and she was a lost cause. The only problem: Dallas was Kacey’s older brother.
Holmes rubbed the side of my arm. “You’ve done enough. I’ve got this. Hendrix knows a guy—” she cut herself off.
“I’m going to go find Daisy and get you set up in your room,” Kacey cut in.
Why did they all act like I was going to self-combust at the mention of his name?
Dallas and Ashton pushed up using the arms of the chairs. They each hugged me as they walked to the door.
“Thanks for doing this, Kennedy. It means a lot to both of us,” Ashton said.
I gave a smile. “It’s my pleasure.”
It might also be the death of me.
