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The heat has mellowedin the afternoon, and there’s a lovely breeze slipping through the trees as I make my way back up to the main resort again – careful this time to give the pool a wide,wideberth. More wedding guests have arrived, and people are mingling in the open air, enjoying cocktails and canapés and catching up.
“Hazel!” a familiar voice cries out, and then I’m smothered in an enthusiastic hug.
“Ivy,” I manage to greet her, laughing, as my brother strolls over to join us. “Hey, kid,” I add.
Reeve grins good-naturedly. “Quite the shindig, we’ve got here,” he says, looking around. “But look at you, I nearly didn’t recognize you all glammed up.”
“You look beautiful,” Ivy says, smiling behind her stylish tortoiseshell glasses frames. She’s only been with my brother for a few months now, but they’re already engaged. I’m glad. She’s even more stubborn and single-minded than Reeve, and it’s fun to see him fall all over himself for a woman, for the first time in his life. “I’m the one worried about fitting in.” She glances around, and leans in to whisper dramatically. “Is everyone here Hollywood royalty, or are there other mere mortals around?”
“Don’t worry, there are plenty of us civilians, too,” I reassure her. “Avery has some family here, I think, and so does Robert.”
Yes, he does.Hot, charming family…
“Right, the groom.” Reeve shakes his head, looking baffled at the pairing. “I would wish him good luck with Avery’s mood swings, but I’ve seen him put the screws to a studio boss when they’re threatening to cut my budget, and I swear, he loves making grown accountants cry. So maybe they’re made for each other.” He shrugs.
“Love works in mysterious ways.” Ivy agrees.
“Amen to that,” I nod.
Butlust? Lust is far more simple, I realize, as I see Josh across the lobby, looking just as delicious as when he sent me reeling. Literally. He’s changed into navy shorts and a linen shirt, and is looking stylish and relaxed.
He waves, and strolls over to join us. “It’s good to see you back on dry land,” he greets me, teasing. “Although, now I’m thinking a swim would be refreshing.”
“I, um, took a dip earlier,” I explain to the others quickly, before making introductions.
“You’re the lawyer, right?” Reeve says, shaking his hand. “Robert talks about you all the time.”
Josh winces good-naturedly. “Yeah, I need to make him stop doing that,” he says. “He took me out for dinner one time in Hollywood, and the maître’d already knew all about my divorce. ‘So sorry to hear it,’” he mimics solemnly, “Would sir prefer the steak or salmon?”
The others laugh, while I make a mental note.Divorced… and single!But of course, I have the worst poker face in the world. Ivy catches my eye and smirks. “So, are you here with someone?” she asks him breezily.
Josh shakes his head. “Nope. I guess I’ll have to rely on the neighbors to keep me entertained,” he adds, giving me a sizzling smile.
I flush.
Ivy looks back and forth between us, her delight growing. “So, a single lawyer with all his teeth and no obvious Lady Gaga tattoos…” she muses, fixing Josh with a serious look. “What’s the catch? Don’t tell me, you spend your days evicting homeless shelters and fundraising for the Federalist Society?”
Josh looks amused. “Just out of curiosity, what would you do if I said yes?”
“Shun you,” Ivy declares. Reeve bursts out laughing beside her.
“Ivy!” I yelp, but I’m giggling at her bluntness.
“What?” she protests, virtuous. “You would, too.”
“Yes, but I’d be polite about it,” I argue.
“A polite shunning?” Josh arches an eyebrow at me. “How does that work?”
“I’d just get very busy and avoid you,” I explain, leaning closer. So that he can hear me, obviously. “And eventually, you’d get the message.”
“What if I was persistent?” His gaze is still on me, warm and disarming.
“I would be more so.” I retort playfully. “I can be pretty stubborn when I need to be.”
“She’s right,” Reeve speaks up. “My sister can stonewall with the best of them. I wanted to film at the Met Museum once, they turned our permit down flat but Hazel just sat herself down in the commissioner’s office with a lunch box and a library book and politely waited them out. In the end, we got the full three days of filming.”
“Remind me not to underestimate you.” Josh says, looking impressed.
