Who’s your favorite sister?
Don’t tell the others ;)
Anne-Sophie
I locked in Charity Rhodes for her wedding next June! She and her fiancé want to come check out the beach house sometime next week. I’ll keep you posted when I get an exact date. You’ll have to think of a proper name for the venue, “The Beach House” simply doesn’t work.
Excitement skittered through Juliette’s veins and she typed a hasty reply.
You are the absolute best, I owe you one!
Anne-Sophie
More than one ;) xoxo
“Brock!” Juliette grabbed his arm, and his beer nearly sloshed over the rim.
“What is it?” He slammed the glass onto the table, then captured her shoulders with his hands, hauling her close. His eyes searched her face, frantic. “Is everything alright?”
The proximity to him made her dizzy, and her mind fogged with the feel of his hands on her. His fingers squeezed gently, and she was instantly reminded of exactly how competent those fingers were, of what they were capable of doing. She blinked, forcing herself to focus.
“Yes.” Her voice was a scraping whisper, and his gaze dipped to her mouth when she said, “Everything’s fine.”
Juliette stole a glance at Vivianne. Her sister sat with her arms crossed, both brows raised in question, as though she wereexpecting an explanation. Anders, on the other hand, simply shook his head and took a swig of beer.
“Then what is it?” Brock looked down at his hands and released her. He eased back, putting space between them, but Juliette still found it hard to breathe.
“Anne-Sophie convinced Charity Rhodes to have her wedding at the beach house!” The words squeaked out of her. It was happening. It was finally happening. All of their hard work was going to pay off. They were going to save the beach house. They were bringing in profit to Mystic Cove while not sacrificing its natural space or beauty. And so far, Aidan Gallagher had let them do it.
“That’s great news!” Anders lifted his beer in a toast. “Who is Charity Rhodes?”
“Oh, she’s a D.C. socialite.” Juliette made a mental note to tell Brock and Anders more about her later. “But if she books with us, everyone in the DMV is going to want to have their wedding here.”
Brock grinned. “That sounds a lot like free marketing.”
“Exactly.” And it was definitely something Vivanne could use to her benefit on social media. But when Juliette looked over at her, Vivanne was staring blankly at the screen of her phone. Her lips were parted slightly, and her complexion had gone terribly pale.
Juliette leaned forward and reached over, clasping her sister’s hand. “Viv, is something wrong?”
Vivianne lurched back, yanking her hand away.
“What? No, of course not.” She slammed her phone, screen down, onto the wooden surface of the table. “Nothing’s wrong. Why would something be wrong?”
A line wrinkled across Juliette’s brow and she frowned. Something was definitely wrong. Vivianne never prattled on likea teenager caught in a lie. “Come on, Viv. You’ve always been a terrible liar.”
“That’s a fact.” Brock winked, then lifted his beer in encouragement. “It’s okay, Viv. You can tell us.”
She let out a shaky breath.
“Vivianne.” Juliette reached for her sister again, and this time Vivianne’s fingers tightened around her own, entwining them in a deathlike grip. “What is it? What happened?”
“It’s just…” Her green gaze darted anxiously around the table. “I mean, well, it’s Charity’s fiancé. I know him. That is, not personally. But I know of him.”
“Okay.” She sat back a little, relieved it wasn’t something worse. However, if this mystery fiancé had hurt her sister in the past, then they might have words. “We’ll figure it out. Don’t worry.”
“Jules. You don’t understand.” The slightest shake of Vivianne’s head caused her curls to tumble like a waterfall around her face. Then her expression fell. Compassion filled her eyes, which welled with sympathy and regret. “Juliette. It’s Rodrigo.”
Juliette blinked.
