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I flush. “Well, our spa day was pretty quiet, in comparison,” I blurt quickly, breaking the stare. We’re speeding across the bay now, cutting through the turquoise waters. “One of the bridesmaids nearly got her feet chewed off, but that was about all! Just a lot of talk about tennis pros and divorce lawyers,” I add.
Josh gives a sigh. “Ditto. Except it was yoga teachers and shell corporate accounts – to hide the penthouse in the city,” he explains. I follow his gaze across the boat, to where DeeDee and her real estate mogul husband are having a whispered argument, looking tense. “Some people like keeping a place, for their…yoga teachersto use.”
I pause. “What do you know?” I ask suspiciously.
He grins back at me. “Why, what doyouknow?”
We laugh.
“Hey, if they’re both getting some action on the side… maybe it works for them?” I shrug. “I stopped judging other people’s relationships a long time ago.”
“But all the lies and sneaking around?” Josh shakes his head. “That’s not a marriage. You’re choosing someone to be your partner, your person. That’s special.”
I look at him, intrigued. “Wait, you’re the divorced one. Aren’t you supposed to be all bitter and cynical?”
He looks bashful. “Call me a romantic, I guess. I went into my marriage with good intentions, and in the end, isn’t that all you can do – give it your best shot?”
“I wouldn’t know,” I say wryly. “I’ve never even come close.”
“No?” Josh studies me, looking curious. I give a self conscious shrug.
“Dating and small children: they’re not a great combination. But, now that Lottie’s older…” I trail off, meeting his eyes again.
“Now that she’s older?” Josh echoes, a smile playing on the edge of his lips.
“Let’s just say, I’m open to possibilities,” I reply, suddenly breathless.
His smile broadens. “Good to know.”
We arrive at the island,where we’re greeted by a sixteen-piece orchestra, dressed up in full Regency costume, serenading us from a custom-built wooden dance-floor set with thousands of pastel floral garlands.
“So, this is going to be another understated affair?” Josh teases, as we hop off the boat, wading barefoot in the shallows to join the rest of the guests. “Some nachos, a couple of beers…”
“Sure,” I grin, holding the skirt of my dress up above the water. “The happy couple wanted to keep things casual.”
He snorts with laughter. The deserted beach has been set up like a grand ballroom, with formal dining tables dotted under the palm trees, a full bar on the sand, and massive floral backdrops with silhouette portraits of the bride and groom glowing in bright neon. It’sBridgertonmeetsCastaway,with some Sofia Coppola modern vibes thrown in for good measure, and I’m relieved to see Avery and Robert greeting guests on the shore, looking happy and relaxed.
Whatever trouble was brewing in paradise last night, it all seems to be forgotten.
“This is insane!” Ivy and Reeve come to greet us. Ivy is already drinking some kind of neon pink frozen cocktail, barefoot on the sand, and even my brother looks impressed.
“How the hell did you even get that tank out here?” he asks.
We all look up at the massive aquarium that’s the centerpiece of the décor. Suspended ten feet in the air on a steel scaffold, it towers above the head table and is filled with swirling goo in bright shades of pink and purple.
“Is that a Kevin Kang?” Ivy asks, naming the famous artist who designed it especially for the event.
“It’s got to be, what, fifty-feet long?” Josh comments, moving closer.
“Must weigh a ton,” Reeve agrees. “You’d need a cargo boat to haul it…”
“It’s a trade secret, my lips are sealed.” I tell them airily, even though the truth is just a big-ass barge and a whole lot of logistics. “But don’t you dare get any ideas for your next movie,” I add, warning Reeve. “You don’t have the budget for it.”
“You don’t want me to build a life-sized replica goldmine in the middle of the Appalachian mountains?” he grins.
“The problem is,youwouldn’t be doing the building.” I look to Josh, who’s watching us bicker, looking amused. “My brother sometimes forgets that the wild visions he has in his mind actually have to be built, one historically accurate brick at a time.”
“But still, my genius sister finds a way to pull it off anyway.” Reeve drapes his arm around my shoulder and gives me a squeeze. “I’d be lost without you.”
