He’s the exact opposite of my mom. Since they split, she hasn’t dated a single person. He seems like he’s trying to marry every available woman in his vicinity.
I text him back.
Sorry, I don’t think we’ll have time to do that. We have a flight to catch tonight. Maybe next time.
“Ellie! You made it!” Xander hollers
I look up and see Ellie walking over to our table. She hugs everyone.
“How was the walk?” Xander asks.
“Really nice. Napa is so beautiful.”
She sits down next to me, but doesn’t look at me. That sinking feeling in my stomach digs deeper.
Sophie pulls Ellie into a conversation about her favorite scenic parts of Napa while I try to force down a few more bites of my breakfast. I can hardly stomach it though.
I hate thinking that I upset her. I hate knowing that I made her so uncomfortable that she can’t even look at me.
I need to talk to her. I need to apologize and do whatever it takes to make her feel better.
“Hey, when we go back to our room, can we talk about last night?” Ellie asks in a quiet voice so only I can hear her.
“Yeah, of course.”
We finish breakfast, and everyone says goodbye to Sophie and Xander.
“Where are you going for your honeymoon?” Ellie asks them.
“We’re staying another night in Napa, then we’re going to Big Sur,” Xander says. “We’re hitting up Carmel and Monterey, and then Half Moon Bay. Then we’ll head to Paris for Abby and Coach’s wedding.”
Coach Porter walks over to give Sophie a hug and shake Xander’s hand.
He tilts his head at Xander. “Take care of my little girl,” he says.
Sophie rolls her eyes good-naturedly. “Dad, come on.”
Xander just nods like he understands completely where his new father-in-law is coming from.
“Promise I will,” Xander says.
Coach Porter nods once. His fiancée, Abby, walks up to him and pats his shoulder, then gives him a knowing look. His serious expression eases. Abby hugs Xander and Sophie and wishes them a safe and fun honeymoon.
Emma, Abby’s seven-year-old daughter, holds up a piece of red construction paper. “I made you guys a card to take with you on your honeymoon,” she says.
Both Abby and Xander smile warmly as they look at it.
“Emma, this is so sweet. Thank you.” Sophie hugs her.
Xander hugs her too. “We’ll keep this on the dashboard of our rental car so we can see it during our whole trip.”
He high-fives her, and she smiles proudly.
Coach Porter, Abby, and Emma leave to catch the shuttle to the airport.
“When are everyone’s flights leaving today?” Theo asks.
After talking, we all realize that most of us are leaving in the evening.
