“I talked to them this morning. Mom’s enjoying spending time with her sister.”
“That’s good. Keeping in contact with your family is important. It wasn’t until I came back to Sapphire Bay that I realized how many times I’d postponed coming here or put off calling my parents and sisters.”
“Are you still moving back to Los Angeles?”
Katie didn’t answer straight away. Even though she was self-publishing her first six novels, it didn’t mean she wouldn’t traditionally publish other books she wrote. “I think so. My agent’s in California. I have a wonderful apartment and friends who do the craziest things.” The song they were dancing to came to an end. Reluctantly, she stepped away from Peter. “I’ll miss—”
Penny hurried up to them and grabbed Katie’s hand. “Hi, Peter. I need my sister for a few minutes. Mom can’t find the bouquet that Diana’s supposed to throw.”
Katie glanced at Peter and saw the disappointment in his eyes. “Can we talk later?”
“Sure. I’ll be sitting with Willow and Zac.”
With another tug pulling her away, she followed her sister across the room. Just thinking about the future made her stomach twist in knots. If she returned to Los Angeles, she would be following one dream and leaving behind another.
* * *
Katie didn’t knowwhat it was about her sisters’ weddings but, by the end of each night, she’d felt overwhelmed with sadness. She should have been happy they’d found husbands who were as strong and supportive as they were. Penny, Barbara, and Diana were beginning new parts of their lives, creating futures they’d only dreamed about.
It was foolish to feel so down, but she already missed having them close. At the moment, they were all living in Sapphire Bay, working from the inn, and doing everything they could to fill the rooms with guests. But, once she returned to Los Angeles, the time they’d spent together would become a blurry memory.
“Is everything all right?” Peter sat beside her. His concerned frown brought fresh tears to her eyes.
“Ignore me. I’ve been like this after each of my sisters got married.”
“It’s not like you to be unhappy. Do you want to talk about it?”
She blew her nose. While everyone was enjoying the reception, she’d found a sofa in an empty room where she could have a meltdown without anyone seeing her.
“This sounds selfish, but I’ll miss Diana.”
“It’s not selfish. It’s normal. My best friend got married last year. When I was standing at the altar with him, I kept thinking it was the worst day of my life.”
“You did?”
“I wanted our lives to be the same as they were before he met Bianca. We used to hang out most weekends and eat too much junk food. If we felt like getting away from New York, we’d head to the nearest ski field or find a great mountain bike trail. But, after he met Bianca, that changed and it’s never been the same.”
“Do you still spend time together?”
“We’ve been away for a couple of weekends and see each other at the gym. It isn’t the same, but at least we spend some time together.”
Katie dropped her head to her chest. “When I go back to Los Angeles, I won’t see much of my family.”
“I understand why you want to leave, but do you really need to live there?”
She could keep making feeble excuses as to why she needed to go back to Los Angeles, but they weren’t the real reason she needed to return. “All my life, I’ve watched my sisters succeed in their careers. Penny’s a hotshot property developer, Barbara’s a social media consultant, and before Diana married her horrible first husband, she was training to be a teacher. Then I came along and decided I wanted to be a writer. And what’s worse is that I can’t even support myself from my writing. I’m twenty-eight years old and need to waitress to pay my rent and utilities.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“Nothing—if you aren’t from a family of overachievers. Even when I’m home I’m the oddball. Penny’s found some cottages she wants to convert into small businesses, Barbara’s still working with her clients from around America, and Diana’s going back to college. They’re doing all of that while juggling what needs to happen at the inn.”
Katie took a deep breath. She was rambling, offloading all her frustrations on Peter but, now that she’d started, she couldn’t stop. Throwing her arms in the air, she glared at him. “And what do I do? Bake. I bake cookies, pie, muffins, and cheesecakes. I make breakfasts and picnic lunches for our guests and dinner for my sisters. Anyone with half a brain could do that.”
Peter’s eyes crinkled at the corners. “I’m sure you have a whole brain, so you’re already better off than most people.”
“Are you laughing at me?”
“I’m trying not to.”
