“Speaking of no witnesses, does anyone even know we’re here together? I mean, professionally speaking, this is... unconventional.”
“Mari knows, obviously. And Devonna. And probably my grandmother by now, because she has an uncanny ability to know everything I do before I do it.” He took a sip of his drink. “Does it matter who knows?”
“I guess not. It’s just... I’ve worked so hard to build a reputation for professionalism. For boundaries. And here I am, on a private island with a client, drinking...” I squinted at my glass. “What is this anyway?”
“Fifteen-year-old rum. And technically, we’re friends having a weekend away. The client-planner relationship is on pause.”
“Is that how it works? We can just pause professional relationships when convenient?”
“Why not?” he challenged. “People are more than their jobs, Anica. Even you.”
“Sometimes I wonder,” I admitted, staring into the fire. “Everyone’s planning their happily ever after, and I’m just... planning everyone else’s.”
“Do you want your own happily ever after?” he asked quietly.
“I don’t know. After Austin, I’m not sure I trust my judgment anymore.”
“What happened?” Callan asked. “I mean, I know the basics, but...”
“I walked in on him with a client. In our bed. Two days before our wedding.”
Callan winced. “That’s brutal.”
“The worst part wasn’t even the cheating,” I continued, the words spilling out. “It was the humiliation. She was this gorgeous, wealthy socialite whose wedding I’d spent months planning down to the last detail. I knew her favorite flowers, her favorite songs, her childhood stories... I thought we were almost friends.”
“And she slept with your fiancé,” Callan finished.
I nodded, taking another gulp of rum. “In our apartment. While I was out picking up our custom cocktail napkins. They didn’t even hear me come in, they were so loud.”
“What did you do?” he asked.
“I stood there like an idiot, holding these stupid napkins with our initials intertwined, watching the man I thought I’d spend my life balls deep in another woman.” I flinched. God, I could still see them. Worse, I could hear her moaning his name as he pounded her. “I just... left. Didn’t say a word. Walked out, went to Mari’s, and drank an entire bottle of tequila.”
“You didn’t confront them?”
I shook my head. “What was the point? It was pretty clear what was happening. And I guess part of me wasn’t even that surprised. Austin had always been... insecure about my success. He was a struggling musician, and I think he resented that I was the breadwinner. Sleeping with a wealthy client was probably his way of feeling powerful again.”
“He sounds like an asshole,” Callan said, his voice low.
“He was. But I loved him. Or thought I did. We’d been together since college. He was my first serious relationship. I thought we were building something real.”
“And after that, you swore off men?” Callan guessed.
“Not consciously. I just... haven’t found anyone worth the risk of a relationship. Haven’t found anyone to trust. And I’ve been busy building the business. It’s easier to focus on workthan to put myself out there again. Plus, with work, at least when people inevitably disappoint you, they’re paying you for the privilege.”
“I get that. It’s always easier to stick with what you’re good at than to risk failing at something that matters.”
I looked at him, surprised by his insight. “Exactly.”
For a moment, we just sat there, the fire crackling between us, the sound of waves in the background. Then I realized I’d just spilled my most painful secrets to a client. A client who was supposed to be marrying someone else in the near future.
“I should probably go to bed,” I said abruptly, standing up and immediately regretting it as the world tilted. “Whoa. The island is spinning. Did you... did you buy a spinning island? Very fancy. Ver... very elaborate.”
God, was I slurring my words?
Callan was on his feet instantly, his hand on my elbow to steady me. “You okay there, Bambi?”
“I’m fine,” I insisted, though in truth, I was significantly more intoxicated than I’d realized. “Just stood up too fast. And possibly drank too much of your island truth... truth juice. The blue stuff. The rum. All the alcohols. You have very good alcohols, Callan. Very tasty.”
