Eric and Ginny had been there to greet them when they arrived.
"Our parents aren't here yet. They're coming in tomorrow," Eric had explained as he and Liz gave her a tour of the house. There was a large, bright kitchen and a library that had huge windows looking out onto the back garden.
After a lunch of salads made from vegetables and fruits from the garden, Allie had changed and gone for a walk on the beach. On her way back to the house, she had been surprised by Carter.
It was a nice surprise, she thought, floating in the warm ocean. It was fairly clear, nothing like the brackish water near Les DesChamps. She surreptitiously checked the birth control implant in her arm. She was sure his family would kill her if Carter got her pregnant.
"Hey, Ginny," Carter said as he and Allie, reclothed, walked up the deck stairs.
Allie hoped they hadn't seen anything. Ginny smirked at her and bumped her hip. Liz gave her a thumbs-up, so they probably knew what had been going on. Allie tried not to blush.
"Grant and Kate are on their way from the airport," Eric said, waving his phone around. "We were going to walk over to the Holbrooks' house to see them."
Allie slipped on her shoes and something less revealing, then off they went.
"It's so hot," Liz complained.
"Not as bad as North Carolina," Allie said.
She and Carter snickered.
"We're laughing because it was so horribly awful there," Carter explained to their friends.
"So you have the bachelor party all planned out?" Eric asked Carter.
"What? I’m not supposed to be doing that."
"Yes, you are," Liz said. "You’re the best man."
"No, I'm not!"
"It's been decreed."
Allie smiled at the comical look on Carter's face.
"Allie's already started planning for you," Liz told him.
"Oh, thank God," he said and threw an arm around Allie's shoulder. "You always come through for me. Where are we going?"
"For the bachelorette weekend," Allie said, "the girls are going to Miami. Salsa dancing, warm weather, the beach, nice hotels, great food—it will perfect. I even have a yacht booked for us. For the guys, Fernando's uncle has a luxury yacht that you guys will be on the whole weekend. At the end, we'll all meet up for a nice meal. It's symbolic—a meeting of the friend groups."
"Except none of us are actually friends," Eric said.
"Try to be nice," Ginny told her husband.
Grant and Kate arrived as they walked up to the house. Eric and Carter helped them with their bags, and they all went inside, out of the heat, and hugged.
"Hi, Gus," Grant said, greeting the excited dog as he jumped all over them. "Did you have a good time? You look well taken care of."
Kate gave Allie a hug. "I can't thank you enough for helping Liz with Brandy. You're a life saver, especially since I really didn’t want to do it!"
"Not a problem," Allie said as she rummaged in the fridge for some refreshments and started making mojitos. "I couldn't leave Liz all by herself!"
As everyone dug into the food, Gus sat politely off to the side. Grant and Kate each took a bite, then they both simultaneously looked up from their food.
"What’s wrong with Gus?" Grant asked after a moment.
Carter snickered. "Allie’s been giving him some home training. He’s very polite now. He heels. He walks nicely on a leash. He even knows some tricks."
