I’m coming, Birdie.
“Miss Montclair, we’re beginning our descent into Coconut Beach,” a flight attendant says as she lightly touches my shoulder.
I open my eyes and sit up, realizing this was, in fact, not just a bad dream. It’s real life, and it really sucks.
“Oh, thanks,” I croak out, voice hoarse from sleep.
Heat floods my cheeks as I, once again, take in my current state. I’m still wearing my wedding dress, mainly because I knew I wouldn’t be able to get it off by myself, and my face is a mess.
Thank God this is Dad’s jet. His staff is paid well to be discreet. It’s not lost on me that having the Montclair name comes with certain privileges. Getting to sit on a plane, half-drunk and looking like a racoon who stole a wedding dress and not get openly judged for it is one of those privileges.
Holy shit. It’s beginning to truly sink in. I really left my own wedding, downed a bottle of champagne on the way to the airport, and slept all the way to Florida. I sit up and look out the window as the plane changes angles, just enough that the world outside opens up.
I press my forehead to the cool glass, soothing my throbbing head.
The bright blue ocean stretches out far as the eye can see. Every shade of blue possible. Navy blue farther out. Teal and aquamarine are closer to shore. Pale, sandy beaches where sunlight makes the sand sparkle like glitter. Palm trees lining the small beachy town, making it feel like paradise.
Paradise, also known as Coconut Beach, is home to my Birdie.
Birdie was our family nanny since I was born. She moved here and retired to Coconut Beach when I went off to college. And we’ve stayed close ever since. So close, it always made Mom jealous, though she’d never admit that. Birdie didn’t come to my wedding because my mother wouldn’t allow it.
I should have fought for that. Gone against my mother’s control. Argued for somethingIwanted for once. But I didn’t. Story of my life.
Until now…
I know Birdie would have hated the wedding anyway. She doesn’t like my mother or Belladonna either. Today, she was missing out on what was supposed to be one of the most important days of my life, but now I’m here with her. And somehow that makes sense.
Coconut Beach looks smaller than I remember. Birdie brought me here on spring break in college. There were also a few Christmas breaks that weren’t celebrated because my mom was off at a spa, so I’d spend them here as well. It was always a special place to me. If I close my eyes and picture home, Birdie’s cottage comes to mind.
I spot the marina with the boats bobbing in neat rows, their wakes drawing faint white lines behind them like scribbles.
I swallow, and tears prick the edges of my eyes. I’ve missed Birdie, and I need her. It isn’t lost on me that I’m not crying over losing Tyler. Sure, there have been times where I’ve been crying over what he and Belladonna did to me, but not because he broke my heart. I’m emotional at the thought of seeing Birdie. It feels like coming home. And I haven’t had that feeling for such a long time. I spent my whole life in places with people who expect things from me. A specialversion of myself who meets their expectations. Work hard, go to college, and be next in line to take over the family company.
I’m done being pulled by their strings. I’m no one’s puppet.
Birdie genuinely wants to spend time with me, and she loves me. And I need this. I need her.
The wheels touch down on the runway with a solid thud. I sit up and stretch, still agitated that I’m in this suffocating dress. As soon as I find a big enough bathroom, I’m going to make changing my next priority.
By the time I make it to the ride share pickup, my feet hurt in the ridiculous wedding heels, my head hurts from downing champagne and not having enough water, and my phone will not shut up with constant notifications. The worst part is that some of them are reporters reaching out for comments. Thank God they don’t know where I went. Hopefully, it stays that way, and I can fly under the radar for a while.
I shove the phone into my purse. Future Silvie can deal with the fallout. Present Silvie is wearing a wedding dress in the Florida heat, and that feels like enough ridiculousness for one day.
The ride share smells like coconut air freshener and salty beach air through the open windows of the retro Bronco with no top. I give the driver Birdie’s address, then sink back against the seat, watching Coconut Beach slide by through the window.
“Is that Birdie’s address?” the driver asks with a smile. He looks to be in his fifties, wearing a palm tree-print shirt and looking laid-back.
I look up at him. “Do you know her?”
He grins. “Everyone here knows Birdie. She’s one of the Bees.”
I wrinkle my brow, not remembering Birdie mentioning anything about that. “What’s a Bee?”
He chuckles. “It’s a group of older ladies in Coconut Beach that basically, unofficially, run the town. In fact, tonight is their monthly bingo night. It’s a big deal. Goes on until midnight, and she’ll be there. She never misses bingo with her fellow Bees. Should I take you there, instead?”
I inwardly groan. I can’t go to bingo, face the town and embarrass Birdie. Plus, I don’t want her to think she has to stop what she’s doing with her friends just for me. I didn’t come here to be a burden. I guess I could just wait for her at her cottage.
“Just take me to her place,” I say absently, marveling over the beauty of the palm trees silhouetted against a violet sky as the sun begins to set.
