Mom sniffed. “Someone could have told me. And I’m still bitter I wasn’t invited to the dress party.”
“And I said I was sorry, but it was the only time all the girls could get together to make the trip. If you hadn’t been on the cruise, you know you would have been there.” Rosie slid a wink in my direction.
That was a heavy dose of bullshit. We’d deliberately planned the dress party to coincide with my parents’ cruise.
I didn’t need to explain why.
I closed the trunk and pulled out the handle of my suitcase. “Can I check in before we descend into drama, please?”
“There’s no drama here,” Mom sniffed, looking every bit as annoyed as she sounded.
“Yes. Let’s get you checked in.” Rosie grabbed my arm and tugged me toward the steps. “Now.”
I couldn’t agree more.
***
“This is your room,” Rosie said, tapping the sensor with the keycard. “I made sure our families got the best ones, so it’s actually more of a mini-suite.” She pushed open the door, revealing a huge room with floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out onto the beach.
“Holy—”
My sister grinned.
There was a TV and a sofa, and an open door led to a giant bedroom with giant patio doors that led out to a balcony.
“So, your room,” Rosie said. “There’s an en-suite and a walk-in closet just off the bedroom. The phone is on the bedside table. They do room service twenty-four-seven for when you’re avoiding Mom—”
“You get me.”
“—Just set up your card at the main desk and they’ll charge it all to that, okay?”
I nodded. “Sounds good.” I wheeled my case into the bedroom. “How is everything going?”
“It was going well until Mom showed up.” She sighed and perched on the arm of the sofa. “I swear, I’m going to be Bridezilla in the next twenty-four hours if she doesn’t chill the fuck out.”
“Oh, God. I was afraid that would happen.”
Rosie shook her head. “Don’t. You’d think it was her wedding. She’s constantly trying to tweak things, and she forced me and Mark to have dinner with her last night.” She met my eyes. “It was torture. Pure torture. I texted Celia and made her fake Rory being sick just so I could get away.”
“And you left Mark with them?”
“Look. I’ve grown up with her picking. He’s marrying into it. Think of it like a warm-up.”
Cruel. So cruel.
“Then, this morning, she showed up at our suite when we were having breakfast. She freaked out that you were showing up today without your plus one, and because you were showing up alone, she’s certain your plus one will desert you and not come.” She ran her hand through her hair. “He is coming, isn’t he?”
“He said he was.” I shrugged. “I can’t reach up to Orlando and drag him down here, can I?”
“Oh God.”
“He’ll be here, okay? Don’t worry. I promise.”
Rosie stood and clasped my hands. “Phew. Okay. Will you call me when he arrives? I want to meet him.”
“Of course.” I smiled. “Do you need me to do anything?”
She shook her head. “Mom has your weekend itinerary. I’ll text Dad and see if he can get it from her to bring up to you, but if not, you can get it tonight. All you need to do is get your plus one here and show up in the Palm Ballroom for tonight’s pre-wedding reception, okay?”
A pre-wedding reception? Whose wedding was I attending—my sister’s or a British royal’s?
“Got it. What time?”
“Seven on the dot. Six-thirty would be even better.”
“I’ll be there at six,” I smiled wryly.
“You are the best!” She hugged me again. “Okay, I have to go find Celia and Rory. I promised her she could spend the afternoon on the beach since she’ll have Rory all night.”
Ah, yes. Their live-in cleaner-slash-nanny who was the most adorable woman. Not to mention she was from Alabama and made the best peach cobbler I’d ever tasted.
“Okay. No problem. I think Adam should be here in time for the party, but I can text him and check.”
“Okay, good. Cool. Awesome.” She took a deep breath. “This is the most peace I’ve had since yesterday morning.”
With that, she gave my hand one last squeeze and left me alone in the suite.
I pulled my phone out of my purse and texted Adam.
Me: Hey. Do you know what time you’ll be here?
His response came much quicker than I thought it would.
Adam: I was just about to text you. My meeting got canceled, so I left early. I’ll be there around four. Is that good?
Oh, thank God.
One: he’d be here in time for the party.
Two: he was still coming.
Me: Perfect. See you then!
Adam: See you then, Red.
CHAPTER FOUR - POPPY
Friday Night Frights
Adam: I’m in the parking lot. Which room are you in?
I texted him back the room and floor number and tossed my phone on the sofa. Butterflies fluttered through my stomach, and when I pressed my hands against my tummy, I realized I was nervous as hell.
I was insane. Truly, truly insane. Why did I ever think asking a one-night stand to be my weekend date was a good idea?
And why the hell was I nervous to see him? And why right this second, knowing he was here? I hadn’t felt this way all day. Granted, I’d spent the entire day on the beach with my nephew, Rory, and Rosie, but still.
Ughhh.
Every second that passed felt like a nightmare. Where was he? Was he on the elevator? Down the hall? Downstairs? Still in his car?
Three knocks sounded at the door. I jumped and stared at it for a minute before moving to open it.
He was just as handsome as I remembered him. That dark hair, that stubbled jaw, those bright eyes…
“Hey,” he said, voice dipping at the end of the word.
“Hi.” I smiled, my cheeks flushing a little, and opened the door completely wide. “Come in.”
“Thanks.” He stepped into the room and glanced around. “Nice. Great view, too.”
“Definitely. I think my sister is buttering me up for having to deal with our mom,” I said, grabbing my water off the table in the middle of the room. “The bedroom is through there. There’s a walk-in closet if you want to unpack.”
“Got it.” He pulled a slate-gray case into the bedroom. “Hey, Red. Do they do room service? I need a shower and I’m starving.”
“Yeah, they do. Want the menu?”
“I got it.” He strolled back into the room, pulling his shirt over his head. “Sorry. I’m sweaty.”
Yeah. Well. If only being sweaty made him look a lot less worse, because from where I stood, sweaty or not, he was hot as hell with his tight abs and rippled muscles.
“Don’t worry about it. It’s not like I haven’t seen it before.”
Adam glanced up from the menu to shoot me a sexy half-grin. “True. Are you hungry?”
Actually, I was.
I nodded.
“Do you mind ordering while I take a shower?”
“No,” I said. “I don’t mind. What do you want?”
“I’ll have the bacon cheeseburger with a Pepsi,” he replied, handing me the menu. “Give me fifteen minutes.”
I took the menu, nodding and smiling. He disappeared into the bathroom, and I blew out a long breath.
Well, that hadn’t been too awkward. Except for that second where he ripped his shirt off.
I scanned the menu, quickly deciding that the bacon cheeseburger and Pepsi sounded perfect and called through to room service to place the order. The sound of the shower running filled the room, and I dropped onto the sofa with my water. I picked up my phone and texted Rosie that Adam was here, so she could stop freaking out, and sighed.
First things first: when Adam got out of the shower, we needed to figure out the things my mother was going to ask. If we were going to pass him off as my boyfriend, the very basics needed to be nailed down before it could go horribly wrong.
My mother was like a bloodhound. She could sniff out the tiniest lie if you didn’t cover your tracks adequately enough.
The shower stopped running, and I tapped my fingers against the soft material that covered the sofa cushion next to me. How did I bring it up? Did I just go straight to the point, or mention it gently?
“So,” came Adam’s voice. “Have you given any thought about how we convince your family we have a real relationship?”
I turned my head, then froze.