Lacey squeezed my hand. “Jules, you can’t beat yourself up?—”
“Can’t I?” I interrupted, a bitter laugh escaping me. “I knew better, Lace. I knew the score from day one, but I jumped in anyway. I let myself believe it could really work out. And now look where we are.”
I glanced around the picturesque park with its swaying plumerias and laughing families. How many times had I lectured clients about calculated risks? And here I was, the supposed expert, having taken the most reckless gamble of all with my heart. I took a deep breath, trying to regain my composure. But it didn’t work. The frustration that had been simmering since that awful confrontation with Helen and Eli’s phone call after finally bubbled over.
“You know what really gets me?” I said, my voice low and tight. “He didn’t even try to fight for us. Not one bit. He just told Helen we weren’t serious and it was no big deal.”
Lacey’s brow furrowed. “Oh, Jules…”
“I mean, I get it. I do. Eli’s always been the guy who drifts in and out like the tide. It’s part of his whole… thing.” I waved my hand vaguely as if I could conjure his easygoing charm out of thin air. “But part of me thought… I don’t know. That maybe this time would be different.”
The realization hit me like a punch to the gut. “God, I’m such a cliché. Thinking I could change the commitment-phobic guy.” Lacey opened her mouth to speak, but I shook my head. “No, you know what? It’s fine. Really. This is exactly who Eli is. I knew that going in, and I can’t blame him for being true to form. At least now I have clarity, right? No more wonderingwhat if.”
Chase shifted, his gaze thoughtful and measured. “To be honest, I wondered, too. About whether Eli was changing this time.”
His words hung in the warm, tropical air, weighted with possibility. I looked up, surprised. Chase wasn’t one for casual observations, and his carefully chosen words carried more significance than a simple throwaway comment.
“What do you mean?” I asked, my fingers absently tracing the edge of my Solo cup.
“He was different with you,” Chase continued, his eyes distant. “More focused, even serious. When we’d grab beers together, he’d talk about you in a totally new way. Not just as another casual relationship, but like you were something substantial. Something real.”
A complicated knot formed in my throat. The last thing I wanted was false hope, and I couldn’t see any light at the end of this dark tunnel. “I did too. Looks like we were both wrong.”
“Helen finding out about you two—that wasn’t a small thing,” he continued. “For Eli, family dynamics are complicated. Always have been.”
I bristled, my armor sliding back into place. “Helen’sdisapproval isn’t exactly a new concept for Eli. He’s been navigating her expectations his entire life.”
Daniel gave an awkward little shrug. “Family expectations are rough. And the Coleridges aren’t exactly known for their boring, easygoing lives.”
Chase nodded. “True. Helen’s always been protective of the resort, of the family legacy. And I’m sure he was pretty crushed at her reaction. Maybe he just needs a little time to process what happened.”
Sitting up straighter, I shook my head. “I’m not going to be his secret. If Eli can’t work this out with Helen, there’s no way forward for us.”
Chase held out a hand. “And you’re completely right to feel like that. All I’m saying is if you give Eli enough time to stew, maybe he’ll see that too.”
We’d avoided each other this past week, not speaking at all. Harper had been sympathetic, but I hadn’t seen Helen at all. “Well, as of now, he’s not even trying. So that’s where it stands. Nowhere.”
Lacey’s eyes were full of sympathy, and I couldn’t bear to see it. Not now. I straightened my shoulders, plastering on a smile that felt more like a grimace. “Enough about my disaster of a love life. We’re here for you, remember? Your wedding is the priority.”
“Jules, you don’t have to?—”
I cut her off with a hug, squeezing perhaps a little too tightly. “I want to. Your happiness means everything to me, Lace. And you too, Daniel. I’m not going to let my drama overshadow your big day.”
As I pulled back, doubt flickered in Lacey’s eyes. I doubled down on my false bravado. “As maid of honor, it’s my job to head off trouble at the pass. Now, tell me all about the seating arrangements. Any last-minute family feuds I should know about?”
Monday morning hitme like a hangover, minus the fun of actually drinking. I shuffled into the resort’s lobby building, the familiar scent of coconut-vanilla air freshener offering little comfort. My heels clicked against the polished floor, each step a reminder of the professional mask I needed to don.
As I approached my office, voices drifted from Harper’s open door. I froze, recognizing Helen’s authoritative tone.
“You’re right, Harper. We need to move forward. It terrifies me, thinking about that kind of loan… But seeing the state of those roofs, hearing Chase's plan, I need to face that controlled risk is better than guaranteed decline.”
My breath caught. Helen agreeing to renovations?
Harper’s voice followed, softer but equally determined. “I’m glad to hear you say that, Mom. We need to move forward, for the resort’s sake. And for the family too.”
I inched closer, guilt twisting my stomach. This was the very thing Eli and I had pushed for, but now it felt tainted by our ill-fated relationship.
Helen sighed. “I just hope this whole situation with Eli and Jules hasn’t complicated things further.”
