Where are you?
Click the damn link.
With shaking hands, she did. A small rectangle of beach appeared. Lapping waves. A simple chuppah of bamboo and palm fronds, with flowers twined through. Two figures. The sunrise glow behind them on the horizon, steadily getting brighter as they clasped hands.
A gasp and a giggle escaped from Tzipi.
“It’s seven a.m. in Hawaii,” she whispered. “I can’t believe they are really doing it.”
Kara’s dress was so ethereal, it made the one Tzipi wore last night look like clunky chainmail. A long, gauzy hem swirled at her ankles and her bare feet, its off-white lace a stunning contrast to dark sand.
“She’s wearing our nan’s gown!” Modernized, of course. But still classy and classic. Her newly cropped hair was accented by a wreath of native flowers. And Shel wore a lei of the same blooms, which popped against his light linen suit.
“Ani L’Dodi…” Kara’s husky timbre began.
“…V’Dodi Li,” Shel finished, unable to take his eyes of his bride.
“I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine,” Tzipi whispered along with them, tears in her eyes.
Jonah’s arm tightened around her, pulling her closer. He rested his chin on her bare shoulder to get a better look as the camera slowly zoomed in to capture Kara and Shel smiling at one another.
“Hold on, if you posed as her, does that mean…is that what you normally look like?” He pulled back to regard her. “Because holy hell, Tzipi. You’re gorgeous.”
She kicked his shin under the covers with her bare toes.
“I mean, obviously you both are smokin’ hot…”
“You’re just noticing this now?” she teased. “Because I was totally checking you out on deck the moment I saw you, head to toe. No shame.”
“It’s just, I’m a no frills guy. I like…” he waved his hand vaguely. “I like looking at you, sure, because I like talking to you. And seeing what lights you up when you say it. When you look at me. When I make you laugh. And when I make you –”
“Shhhhhhhh!”
“That’s exactly what I was going to say.”
“No, shhhh because they are about to be pronounced husband and wife!” Tzipi scolded happily. The camera zoomed out again, to capture the whole scene, and Shel breaking the glass – in a cloth bag, of course, to protect the sand. Although the sand already glittered like smashed obsidian shards in the sun.
“I’ve seen this beach before, this exact spot.” Jonah reached for his own phone, swiping through his texts. “Look!”
The photo, dated and timestamped yesterday, was from exactly the same angle. A crescent of black sand beach, empty of people. There was no mistaking it.
“I have a feeling I know exactly who your sister hired as her photographer.” He smiled. “Small world.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
After the livestream ended, with Kara and Shel walking down the beach as the sun rose fully over the Pacific that no fancy Hollywood stage set could ever duplicate, Tzipi sat very still, phone cradled in her hands.
"You okay?" Jonah's voice was gentle.
"Yeah. No. I don't know." She set the phone on the nightstand. "I just watched my sister get married without me. While I'm hiding in a stranger's apartment because I created a press mess and signed her name to a contract I didn't read."
"Not a stranger. And not your fault."
"You know what I mean."
Jonah pulled back slightly, giving her space. "What do you need?"
Her phone buzzed on the nightstand.
