“Good afternoon, sleepyhead,” he smiles.
“Hi.”
“You were worried but you seem to like plane travel. You slept the whole time.”
“I guess I do,” I say, knowing that my flight was successful because Brick provided all the distraction I needed to relax and enjoy the ride.
“Let’s get these two married!” Brick shouts so that the entire plane can hear and most of the passengers begin to clap, causing Kyle and Dena to beam from the attention.
As we descend the steps onto the tarmac, I stop to take it all in. The island is truly breathtaking. The bright blue water sparkles in the sunlight, and the soft white sand glitters like fine diamond dust. I literally feel like I’ve stepped into an airport store postcard.
At baggage claim, Brick grabs our suitcases and motions for me to follow him as we all make our way towards the waiting cars. I can’t help but notice how handsome he looks in his simple white shirt and khaki shorts. All the guys are helping the drivers place our luggage in the cars when Dena pulls me aside.
“You two look like a couple,” she notices suspiciously. “Sitting together on the plane. Him carrying your bags.”
“That’s the way you arranged it, Dena. Should I have sat next to you?”
“You could have sat next to my sister.”
I turn my head and see her talking animatedly with John.
“Seems to me that she’s getting to know John a little better. I would have bored her to death. All I did on the plane was sleep.”
Kyle, my mom and Mr. Solomon walk over.
“You okay, baby sis’?” Kyle asks.
“Yep, the ride wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I mean, do I think human beings should hang in the air like we’re geese? Hell, no. But I could definitely do it again.”
“Cool.” Kyle smiles. “Do wifey and I have anything on our agenda today?”
“Not a thing. Enjoy the island. Rehearsal is tomorrow at eleven.”
“Nice! See tomorrow then,” he laughs.
“You two shouldn’t even be together today,” my mother fusses. “It’s not tradition.”
“Nothing about this is traditional,” Kyle tells her. “And the two of us plan to do as much exploring of the island alone as we can.” He lightly slaps Dena’s butt and I just shake my head. Only he can get away with such foolishness in front of our mother, which is why she now refocuses her attention on me.
“It’s such a shame that Elijah couldn’t make it to the wedding. They are so strict with the schedule at the station. They wouldn’t even let him off for a family wedding?”
“There’s a cop shortage, Ma. The more seasoned officers have to take extra shifts until they hire more rookies.”
“Well, make sure you invite him over for dinner just as soon as he gets a day off. Right, Bruce?”
“I’ll put some chicken on the grill,” Mr. Solomon offers as I offer them both a faux smile.
“Yep, sounds good.”
“The driver’s ready,” Brick interrupts gruffly.
“Okay,” I say, wondering why he’s being so short with me. “Here I come.”
Our driver greets us warmly as he opens the door for us. “Welcome to Turks and Caicos,” he says with an island accent that sounds similar to a Bahamian one. “My name is Peter, and it’s great to have you here. I’m confirming you’re headed to the Royal Suites?”
“That’s right.”
“Great, the other cars know the way,” he reassures us. “We can get going if you’re ready.”
