AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Ma straightens my lapels. She's beaming at me, the same expression she had when Remy and I were ten and won a sand sculpture contest at the beach. My sister Natalia's here, too. Tate and Max are nowhere to be found, and Dad's supervising the Cuban pork roast, worried that my buddies will somehow burn down the property.
My phone pings. It's Kate.
Hey can you meet me in the reception room? I want you to see the decorations.
"Ma, I gotta run to meet Kate. She wants me to see the stuff in the room. See you at the party." I kiss Ma's cheek and shrug out of the jacket.
"The stuff in the room," Nat snorts. "That's such a guy thing to say. You mean, the flowers? The centerpieces? The decorations?"
"Yeah, that," I say.
"It all looks beautiful. Is Kate there with her friend?" Mom asks
"Dunno," I say.
"I can't wait to meet that Lauren girl," Natalia says to Ma, pouring herself a second glass of champagne. "I've been following her on Instagram. She's got a killer brand. Maybe she'll promo some of my jewelry."
I do a Superman-quick change in the bedroom, listening to my family's banter.
"I'm so glad Max is home for this." Ma's voice wafts through the door.
"I wish he'd be less frosty to Kate. She's such a sweetheart," Nat chimes in.
"Yeah, he needs to chill. Hey, I saw him flirting with some chick a while ago," Remy says. "He was so damned uptight. Dude needs to loosen up. He's not in New York anymore."
"Can you stop teasing your brother," Ma says to Remy. "He's got a lot on his mind with the resort."
I emerge in my board shorts and T-shirt and grunt a goodbye to everyone. On top of everything else, my family's selling the resort. It's their decision, and I'm okay with it. Still, something about the fact we won't have ties to this place when I return in a year is unsettling. It's where we grew up, playing in the nooks and corners of this historic hotel.
There's no time to think about that, though. Not this weekend.
The reception room is on the other end of the resort, and to get there, I have to wind through a couple of corridors, step outdoors and go past the beach area where my friends have started to drink and play volleyball. I stride past the palm tree-lined pool and back into the north wing of the resort.
When I walk inside the air-conditioned reception hall, my breath catches in my throat.
Kate's standing on the far end of the room, the late-day winter sun bathing her in a soft, golden light. Her hair is loose, and in the sunbeam, it looks golden brown. She's wearing a little white dress that shows off her tan legs. Those sandals with the heels give her little frame some height, and my pulse begins to kick.
She's going to be mine.
"Hey," I say softly.
She turns her head and grins. "Hey."
I walk up and stand behind her. She's inspecting a large vase.
"How's your mom?" I knew Kate had gone to the mainland with her mom this morning to meet with the oncologist.
Kate rakes in a breath. "She's doing a few more rounds of chemo. The doctor said she's doing well, considering. And Mom told the doctor she was in a great mood because of our wedding."
She flashes me a mortified smirk. "I feel terrible."
"Why? We're making her happy by doing this. And my mom's freaking ecstatic."
Kate nods, tight-lipped.
"Do you like this arrangement?" I'm grateful that she's changing the subject, because I don't want to dwell too much on whether we're lying to our moms. I'd like to think no—my intentions with Kate, and my feelings about her, are true, pure, and honest.
I rest my hands on her waist and consider the sticks in thevase. "Um, well, it looks like two tall branches to me. Are they spray-painted gold? Is that how it's supposed to look?"
