“Kendra!” She shouted in my ear. “It’s so good to meet you finally! Jesse talks about you all the time!”
Even though True was a few inches shorter than me, she was freakishly strong. She also smelled like flowers and chocolate. Damn it. I liked those things. Jesse then pulled me into a hug. And I got another whiff of that sulfur smell, lighter than yesterday but still there. It stung my nostrils.
“Ken!” Jesse said as I pulled away and stood beside Rowan. “I can’t believe it! You. Getting married.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, about that?—”
“It’s just so unlike you,” Jesse laughed. “It’s so fast.”
“Not that fast,” Rowan answered.
“Fast for Ken, am I right? She hates making decisions,” Jesse said. “Remember how long you took to decide the name of your charter?”
“Well, I—” I stuttered.
Jesse leaned into Rowan. “I ended up choosing for her. Otherwise, we’d still be waiting for her to decide.”
Rowan glared at Jesse, and I shrugged. “That’s true,” I admitted. “Sometimes decisions are hard.”
“That’s what she said,” Rowan whispered to me.
I snort-laughed and accidentally spit on Jesse’s face. “Oh, My Lanta!” I reached for a napkin. “I’m so sorry!”
“Here you go, honey.” True handed Jesse her napkin. He wiped off his face, and they sat back down at their cramped table spots.
Rowan smiled wolfishly at me, and I slapped him on the chest. Then, I immediately shook out my hand, which may be broken. When would I learn the man has boulders in his upper body?
“When did you know he was the one?” True asked me.
“Well,” I reached for the words.
Rowan pulled me toward his body, and I caught a whiff of metal, leather, and spice. I squeezed my legs together. “When you know, you know. Right, Goldilocks?”
I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out.
“Goldilocks? That’s cute,” Jesse said. “What’s her nickname for you? Kendra calls me Barbie. Because of my last name. Barbot. And I call her Ken. Ken and Barbie. We’ve been friends for a long time.”
Rowan turned to Jesse. “Oh, I don’t think it’s about the length of time you know someone, but the quality. But hey, I don’t need to tell you, rightBarbie? You and True have known each other, how long?”
“A few months,” True answered, and my heart plunged into my stomach.
“Well, congratulations,” I said. “I’m looking forward to the wedding events.”
“It’s going to be such a whirlwind this coming week,” True said. “Bridal fittings, engagement party, celebration of life, bachelorette party, and, of course, the wedding.”
“Celebration of life? Wait. A funeral?” I clutched my hands to my chest. “Who died?”
“My grandmother. She raised me after my parents died,” True said. “I know. It’s weird having a funeral in the middle of a weeklong celebration, but we knew the end was near. She demanded I have her celebration of life before my wedding. Said it would give her eternal peace since she couldn’t walk me down the aisle. Plus, most of the extended family is in town for the wedding anyway.”
“It’s weird if you ask me,” Jesse muttered.
“Yes, honey,” True sighed. “You’ve said that many times.”
Rowan blessedly changed the subject. “How about we give you a nice relaxing meal before you kick off wedding week?”
I glanced at my fake fiancé. He was up to something and this wasn’t where I hoped this conversation would go. What the hell was he getting at?
“Really?” Jesse snorted. “Here?” He waved his hand toward the rest of the dining room and nearly knocked over a waiter bringing the cake.
