I woke up early again the next day and immediately got groceries and then hid in my house before the rest of the world could wake up and bother me. I still felt grouchy, and crowds were the last thing I wanted to deal with. I was giving very strong consideration to simply becoming a shut-in and never having to deal with human beings again when Marissa called. "Hey you! Allie and I are coming to get you at five-thirty to go to Zoo Brew with us, so you'd better be ready," she said into the phone. She had been texting me nonstop from the moment she thought I was awake until well after lunch when she decided to finally just call. There was no doubt in her voice that I was going to go whether I wanted to or not. "Marissa, I don't know... I mean I'm still jet lagged, and.." I said, trying to get out of it. "And there is beer and wine at the zoo. Allie and I already bought your ticket. We had such a great time last year when we went, remember? Come on, animals and alcohol? What could be m
My head buzzed as I sat up, the room unfamiliar. Slowly, I realized I had fallen asleep on the floor in front of the TV. The menu of a DVD was on loop, the instrumental song starting over every twenty seconds. I hit the power button, the pain in my head decreasing as the annoying song went away. I glanced at my watch, glad to see it was a little past ten instead of hours before dawn. Maybe my jet lag was finally wearing off. Marissa was snoring peacefully on the couch, the slight wheeze and chuckle rather endearing. I looked around for Allie, finally finding her curled up in the papasan chair, a blanket draped over her head. I smiled at my friends, then frowned as I looked around at the mess they had made. Pizza boxes littered the floor, empty beer cans hiding among them. Three empty wine glasses sat on the coffee table, a row of shot glasses lined up neatly beside them. How the shot glasses got there was a complete mystery to me, but I was sure I would hear about it once the girls
I awoke with a start, nearly falling off the couch as the front door buzzed. I hadn't meant to doze off and the afternoon crept up on me. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, glancing out the window. It was raining again, the room bathed in a gray light. The intercom buzzed again and I got up to answer it. I hit 'answer' only to be met with static. Right, I remembered, the buzzer's broken. Have to go down and answer it in person. I pulled my hair up into a messy ponytail, not even bothering to put on shoes for the quick trip down the stairs. I hurried down and pushed open the locked main entrance door, not expecting the wind to rush out of my body and my heart to jump in my chest. Owen stood in the entrance. He was wearing just simple jeans and a white button-up short-sleeved shirt, but he looked like a knight in shining armor to me. He gave me a crooked smile as I opened the door. "Hi, Kaylee," he greeted me, running a hand through his rain soaked hair. Little droplets of water wen
Emma laughed gently and touched Jack Saunders' shoulder. He smiled and seemed to unconsciously reach for her hand, the two of them leaning closer to one another. They looked so happy together, so perfectly in love that it was impossible to look at them without feeling their happiness. Jack leaned over and whispered something into Emma's ear. She blushed and giggled before reaching for her wine glass. Emma looked radiant. I didn't know if I'd ever seen my little sister look so happy, and that happiness was translating into an inner beauty that shone out across the whole ocean. People on the other side of the world were probably wondering what was making that joyful glow. Jack matched her elation in a masculine way, his sandy hair blowing softly in the Caribbean wind as we finished the last of our dinners. They were the perfect couple. The entire wedding party for Jack and Emma sat outdoors at a large wooden dinner table, the evening breeze blowing warmly. If the wedding dinner was an
"Thank you for a lovely evening, but it is time for us to retire," Mrs. Saunders said as Emma sat down. She rose and stood behind Mr. Saunders' chair. The old man was struggling to keep his eyes open, seemingly exhausted by the dinner and toast. Emma jumped up and gave Mrs. Saunders a friendly hug. She was determined to win Jack's mother over eventually. Mrs. Saunders returned the affection and Emma bent to give Mr. Saunders a kiss on the cheek. He beamed up at her, and waved as Jack's assistant, Rachel, wheeled his chair away. The table watched quietly as they disappeared around a perfectly manicured hedge and into the deepening night. "I think we'll hit the hay too," my dad said as he pushed his chair out. He stood and shook Jack's hand before giving Emma a kiss. Mom gave them both a hug, her eyes bright. Her baby girl was getting married, and she was so incredibly proud and excited. She kissed my head as she walked past. I watched my parents walk hand and hand down the stone path,
As the guests filed their way to the reception area, Owen continued to walk with me toward the head table. When we reached it, he pulled my chair out without a word. I smiled and nodded at him. "Thank you, sir." "You're welcome, ma'am," he replied, a warm smile on his face. He turned and walked to his chair, waiting for the rest of the party to begin. I smiled to myself. His overt sexuality hadn't worked, so now he had decided to be a gentleman. I'm onto your little games, Mr. Parker, I thought to myself. I had to admit though, it was cute. The bride and groom stood at the entrance to the outdoor reception area, thanking each guest who came in. Jack had invited a lot more people than Emma had, and my parents still hadn't arrived at their table. I looked for someone to talk to and suddenly found myself looking in Owen's direction. He was looking right at me, smiling. I blushed and looked away quickly. It couldn't hurt to talk to him just a little bit... Suddenly, the DJ's voice cam
The next morning, I awoke a sweaty mess. Owen had invaded my dreams, and I had a feeling he would occupy my thoughts for the rest of the day as well. Still, I had taken my first flight on an airplane in order to be here, and I was going to make the most of this vacation. Tomorrow evening I would be back on a miserable flight to Iowa, so I might as well make some memories while I was here. I knew that Emma would probably be exhausted from partying and everything else that goes along with a wedding night, so I just grabbed a book and headed out to the beach. It was quiet on the resort, as all the guests were sleeping off the party. A tree caught my eye as I wandered toward the water, and I went to investigate. It was a funny little tree, with bunches of beautiful five petaled flowers. I picked one blossom from a branch, and held it to my nose. It was the sweetest flower I had ever smelled. I tucked one behind my ear, feeling very pretty. I went down to the beach, not terribly interest
He opened the huge oak door to his house and ushered me inside. I stood at the entrance for a moment, not wanting to track sand all over, but he just kicked his sandals off near the wall and walked right in. I followed suit. I knew that Jack had been staying here when he met Emma, and that he had stopped sleeping here to stay in her cabana house by the beach. I'm sure if Emma had known what he was giving up to be with her, she would have insisted on living here instead. Owen took me on the grand tour, showing me the kitchen, the living room, the dining room, and the backyard where he hosted parties. A beautiful gazebo stood in one corner, and I thought about how much I'd like to have a gazebo like that in my backyard someday. An open door revealed some stairs leading downward. "What's down there?" I asked. He shrugged. "Nothing really. Just where I hang out when it's just me and close friends." I waited. "Well, can I see it?" He looked at me quizzically. "You want to see my Man