“And as for Claire—” She drops her head in her hands and sighs, smearing the last bite of cookies and cream protein bar over her forehead as she mumbles something.
I take the bar from her and wipe her forehead. “What was that, sweetie?”
“He’d seduce her before the night’s over, and then I’d have to deal with her broken heart too because she doesn’t know he’s totally a love-’em-and-leave-’em guy,” she whispers. “And any other time, that would be absolutely fine, but she’s super vulnerable right now after a horrible break-up and I just don’t want to put this on her and leave her worse than she got here.”
I don’t think she’s wrong.
Theo’s drawing Claire’s attention like he’s a sea nymph and she’s a love-starved sailor who’s been lost for weeks, which isn’t exactly the Claire I remember. The Claire I remember is fun and put-together and wouldn’t flirt withTheo. And she’s not the only woman at the pool giving him their undivided attention.
Although Chandler’s Great-Aunt Brenda might be glaring. Hard to tell the difference between her glare face and her swoon face sometimes.
I swallow hard. “Don’t worry, Em. I’m on it.”
“It’s just for a couple days. I swear, once Chandler has some space from Theo and gets to just hang out on the beach and play a round or two of golf, he’ll be fine, and Theo being Theo won’t bother him so much anymore.”
“Absolutely. No problem.”
“And maybe talk to Sabrina and find out why she’s mad at him too?”
“Emma. Bare minimum here. Of course. I’ve got this.”
“And there’s one more thing.”
I look at her.
She doesn’t look back at me. “We’re short one bungalow so I put you in his,” she says on a rush.
Don’t twitch, Delaney. You are a Kingston. You are one of Emma’s very best friends. You are here for her. This is her week. This is for her wedding. The wedding of her dreams. Do. Not. Twitch.
It’s not working.
I’m twitching.
And then I think about what my parents will say—they arenotfans of Theo and would have an absolute fit if they saw me going into his bungalow—and I twitch all over again.
They’ve also made subtle comments about how lovely it is thatEmmais getting married when I declined a proposal from their perfect choice for me a year ago, and they’reconcernedthat I’ll end up a lonely old maid without any good prospects if I don’t start considering the men my mother keeps introducing me to.
“It’s a big bungalow,” she assures me too enthusiastically. “With two bedrooms. All of the bungalows have at least two bedrooms. And I’m workingevery day—no, everyhour—with the staff here to get you into your own as soon as it opens—I know you were planning to share with your parents, so we’ll have a space for them before they arrive for sure without having to put them in the overflow hotel, and I know you’d be fine sharing with Claire and Sabrina and there are pullout sofas and all, but I realized…” She pauses, sighs while she eyes Theo again. “It’ll be easier for you to keep him out of Chandler’s way for a couple days if you’re with him all the time,” she finishes with a whisper.
I am definitely going to need four of whatever’s in those pineapples that Theo’s handing out. “Oh my god, Em, this is theleastI can do for you.”
I’m squeaking.
She can hear it.
She knows this is theworstthing she could ask any of us to do.
But it’s just for a day or two. Just until space opens up somewhere else and tensions die down and everything goes back to normal. I can do this for a day or two.
Probably not three—my parents get here in three days—but I can absolutely help tensions die down by keeping Theo away from Chandler until then.
I pat her back and stifle a frown at how sharp her shoulder blades are. She’s always struggled to keep weight on. Stress isn’t good for her.
And while my parents abhor Theo, they love Emma.
The girl who rose above being raised solo by a taxidermist after her mom tragically passed while we were in middle school to become a respectable accountant who pays her own bills and socializes with therightpeople in the Tooth.
They’d want me to do whatever it takes to keep her happy and healthy. “Don’t you worry. I’m on the job. Five years from now, we’ll all look back on this while your babies are opening their birthday presents and laugh and laugh at how silly we all were this week and how amazing it all turned out in the end. Everything’s under control. I’ve got this.”
