“He also gave me this,” Leona said, handing her a laminated five by seven piece of cardstock.
Drea took it from her best friend and looked at it. She recognized it immediately and couldn’t help but laugh out loud. It was bright yellow and had a winged version of Mr. Monopoly in his tuxedo flying out of an open birdcage on it, reading “Get out of jail free.” She’d given him the actual card from the family’s set of the board game when she was thirteen and had accidentally ripped a sail on one of the boats, hoping that it would buy her some grace with her uncle. He, too, had laughed when she gave it to him, and told her that it was an acceptable use of the card, and to expect that someday he would return the gesture. She flipped over the card and found his handwriting on the back.
My turn to cash in? Groveling and begging shall commence once coupon is accepted.
-G
Drea sighed and shook her head. Sometimes it was really difficult having family members who could charm the pants off anyone. Just like Miller’s apology yesterday, it did little to temper her anger at this moment, but overall it softened her resolve. He wasn’t really the one she was incensed with. Was she mad that he kept the secret? Yes. But he’d never been the type to stick himself into other people’s business, so she knew that if Miller had said he told her, Grayson would have trusted that and let it drop. He’d also come to her and Kyle’s defense. That had to count for something.
Over the next few days, Vaughn had tried to seek her out a number of different times. Each time she either zagged when he zigged or she flat-out excused herself from the conversation. She had no desire to cause a scene in front of guests, so she kept herself as scarce as possible if she knew he’d be around. Other than Friday morning, when they met with the lawyer to officially add Simone as the fifth owner to the resort paperwork, and the same evening at the rehearsal, Drea had managed to only have to be in his company a couple of times since that breakfast. Simone had told her that if she didn’t feel comfortable being her maid of honor because of what happened, she’d understand. Drea had considered the offer, but she knew how much it meant to Simone to have her in that role, so she opted to stay.
“I just don’t make any promises to be entirely nice to the groom,” Drea told her.
“I think that’s perfectly acceptable,” Simone had responded.
The whole resort was abuzz with wedding prep come Saturday morning, on top of all the normal weekend chaos. Everyone around her was smiling and laughing, so excited for the happy couple, but it was really all she could do not to act like a zombie. Having been in the guest service industry her entire life, she could fake a smile like no one else, but today it was draining her faster than she thought she could ever replenish.
The nail salon on site was quiet, other than the sound of the faucet dripping in the little sink not far from the pedicure chairs. It wasn’t quite the water feature Drea had in mind, and was actually starting to annoy her. With Simone to her right and Leona to her left, along with Simone’s mom, sister, and aunts over at the manicure tables, Drea knew she should be a lot more relaxed than she was.
Her tears seemed to have dried up yesterday afternoon, although that might just be from sheer dehydration. Because she certainly still felt like crying. Every time she thought about how just a week ago they’d been exploring the streets of Old San Juan, she wanted to curl up in a little ball and die. In her mind, that day seemed like yesterday and forever ago, all at the same time.
Kyle’s words still rang out in her head. Have a good life. How could he be so cold? He’d been so sweet and loving just a couple of hours earlier in the shower. Had she known that would be the last time they were together, she would have made the moment last. She certainly wouldn’t have rushed them to get dressed when she saw what time it was, or told him that he was a bad influence on her punctuality. Thinking back on it, she hated herself for saying that and wished like hell she could take it back.
“So, how exciting will it be to have a proper spa? I think we definitely need to take that trip to Bora Bora now to check out the Thalasso,” Simone said, cutting into Drea’s internal pity party.
“Um, yeah,” Drea agreed, half-heartedly.
“A spa?” Leona asked. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Oh, um, I guess I didn’t realize it was a go,” Drea answered.
“Vaughn told me the other night that if that’s what you want—to create and manage a spa at the Indigo Royal—that he’s absolutely in support of that.”
“I’m sure he is,” Drea said sarcastically. “Trying to buy my affections.”
“There are worse ways to do it than a spa,” Leona muttered.
Tears pricked her eyes and started to fall before she ever realized what was happening. She sniffed loudly and wiped away at them, trying to collect herself, but it was no use. Thinking about the spa—creating it, running it, and building it into the mini empire she’d dreamed it could be—would never not be tied to Kyle now. She’d been so self-conscious in telling him as they were sitting sharing secrets in the sun, but not only did he not laugh, he encouraged her. She pictured him in there with her, picking her up after work or the two of them sneaking off into one of the treatment rooms for some alone time. But now it all just seemed so hollow, like his ghost would forever haunt something that had been her dream.
“Sorry,” she sniffed. “I don’t mean to ruin your day.” She wiped away more tears with the back of her hand.
“Oh honey,” Simone said, reaching out her hand. “Don’t be sorry. You’re heartbroken. It’s okay, you’re allowed to be upset.”
“I guess I was just being a stupid girl, but I really thought we had something.”
“You did, honey. If it hadn’t been real, he wouldn’t have celebrated with you the way he did in the moment at breakfast.”
“She’s right, Drea,” Leona added. “He could have just been talking out his ass that morning before he left. He was upset about your uncles, and Dalton said he got a text about his mom being sick, so he was probably just stressed.”
“He told me to have a nice life! That’s not talking out your ass!” Drea exploded.
“Girl, I don’t know if you’ve figured this out yet, being raised by three men and all, but guys are dumbasses. Not some of them—all of them. Some more so than others, but they are all dumbasses on some level or another. Sometimes they come to the realization of their dumbassery on their own, other times they need help realizing it. Have faith he’ll come around.”
“It’s over. He won’t ‘come around.’ He’s gone back to Florida, for crying out loud. I wasn’t important enough to fight for. I was just a convenient fuck.”
“You were not!” Leona exclaimed. “Sweetie, I know it sucks because you pined after him forever, but you can’t seriously think that’s all you were.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter now, does it? Besides, today is Simone’s day, and I’m going to smile and be happy if it fucking kills me.”
“I can’t believe he actually booked you guys the honeymoon suite,” Leona said to Simone, as she wrapped her hair around a curling iron.