We’re woken up early by the sound of trucks backing into the driveway. I open my eyes to see Wes is already out of bed. I open the curtain that faces the backyard, watching as men carry long tables and tents out to the yard. Wes stands in the grass talking with his dad. Annica and Dani are in the kitchen when I walk out, still rubbing sleep from my eyes.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
“They’re setting up for the party,” Annica says.
“The one with his family?”
“Well, it’s not just his family. I think like half of this island was invited—we heard people talking about it at dinner last night.”
Dani chimes in. “And some businessy people too, Charlie said. So it’s very important that you stay away from Asher,” Dani says to me.
“What? Why would you say that?”
“Because you two bickered all day yesterday. It really brought down the vibe.”
“Oh, right.”
“Did you guys see Erin left this morning?” Annica asks.
“No,” Dani says. “What happened?”
“I don’t know, but I saw her get in the car with her bags real early. Probably didn’t want the riffraff here with all the important people.”
“Good morning, girls.” Wesley’s mom walks in with a woman in a blue tweed blazer and matching skirt. She smiles at Annica and Dani, and I might just be paranoid, but I swear her eyes glaze right over me. “This is Helen, the best event planner on the East Coast. She’ll be helping me with the setup today. Do you think you girls can wrangle up the boys and get them out of the house for a few hours so we can prepare for the party?”
“Shouldn’t be too hard,” Annica says with a smile. “We just have to promise them food and alcohol and they’ll go anywhere.”
“Perfect,” Mrs. McCavern says, leading Helen to the backyard. “And this is where I’m thinking we have the caterer set up, and the dance floor should go here...” Her voice trails off from outside. The dance floor?
“I didn’t pack anything for this kind of party,” I say. “Can we shop and send the boys somewhere else?”
“Ooh yes! Let’s shop!” Dani agrees.
“Yeah, I’ll make them a tee time at the golf course,” Annica says, picking up her phone.
“I’ll go upstairs and start waking them up,” Dani says.
That leaves Wes and Asher for me. I walk down the hall and stop in front of Asher’s door, the same place I stood last night. I glance behind me at the wall he pushed me up against. I almost turn to leave, let someone else tell him they’re golfing, but he opens the door and startles at me standing there. We stare at each other, both of us unsure why I’m at his door.
“Your aunt wants you all out of the house so they can prepare for the party. Annica is making you guys a tee time and we’re going shopping.”
He crosses his arms. “Shopping for what?” he asks.
“Something to wear for the party,” I say in a matter-of-fact way. He goes to shut the door and I put my hand out before it can close. “Why did Erin leave?”
“I told her to leave,” he says.
“Why?”
He steps aside, showing the room. “Why do you think?”
I look past him at the curtain rod still hanging off the wall, the broken pieces on the floor, all the reminders of what happened in this room. I turn back down the hall without another word.
I purchased a beachy white two-piece outfit. The skirt is long, with a slit down the side of my leg, and the tube top ties together in the front, leaving ruffled white fabric hanging below. The whole thing cost me at least three shifts at Cantine, and all I could think about was whether Asher would like it. I stand in the bathroom applying a bit of blush to my sun-kissed cheeks. My hair is sporting a natural curl from the ocean water and salty air, so I let it be. I slip on cork-style wedges that I brought from home and step out onto the back patio from our bedroom.
It’s hard to believe this was all put together in a few hours. The backyard glistens in the late afternoon with strung lights hanging above the crowd that’s already starting to form. A DJ plays cocktail music from the deck, while people gather near the tables of hors d’oeuvres. A dance floor is staged in the middle of the grass, behind the pool. Two bartenders stand behind the bar in the pavilion, and that’s where I find my friends. Asher stares at me from where he’s leaning on the bar. I blush and look away from him quickly. Dani’s yellow silk dress drapes over her tan shoulders, one piece of it sliding down as she does a twirl for Charlie. Annica stands beside them in a long light green dress that looks like it was meant for her and complements her hair color.
“You two should just date already,” she says, watching Charlie twirl Dani around.
