CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Clara
“That was hands down the best proposal,” Pippa exclaims.
“An empty box?” Summer taps her manicured nails on her cocktail glass, as if assessing the merits of the tactic.
“Creative.” Alice nods, fighting a yawn. She and Nate flew in yesterday from London, and she’s still fighting jet lag.
“Oi, stop comparing how amazing your men are. We single ladies here are starting to get jealous,” Caroline says. Penny and Summer clink their glasses with her. “Hear, hear.”
Ah, this is one hell of a bachelorette party. All the Bennett women, whether by birth or marriage, are here, plus Caroline, Penny, and Kate—who flew in yesterday too. We started with a lazy spa day, which was lazier for the girls, because I received the head-to-toe bridal treatment, complete with foot massage and pedicure.
Right now, we’re in a lounge bar in the Marina district, sitting on a round, comfy couch. Behind us, the glass wall of the establishment offers a clear view of the city lights blinking in the night, the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance.
I’m listening intently to the girls’ chatter when Beanie kicks me hard. Whoa. Hand on my huge belly, I gently rub where I felt the kick. Since neither Blake nor I wanted a quick, shotgun wedding, we took our time, and now at seven months, I look like I’m going to have a baby elephant. Nope, no twins here, though I am asked that question about twice a week. I just eat a lot and Beanie is huge. Soon, Bean Bag will be more appropriate. We’re having a boy, and choosing a name is still an ongoing fight. At this rate, Beanie might go on his birth certificate.
When we went in for the ultrasound, Blake kept his eyes eagerly on the monitor, but his smile faltered for a split second when the doctor pointed to the heart. After a thorough interrogation—I might have resorted to underhanded techniques and a little emotional blackmail, but I’m not even sorry—he admitted he was hoping we’d have twins.
“Maybe we’ll get lucky next time. If not, we can practice until it happens. With my family genes, we’re bound to get lucky eventually.”
I agree one hundred percent with his plan. After Beanie is born, I will take a few months off from my job, and then I will work from home almost exclusively. At the end of the training period, I was one of the three illustrators the Ayaks team chose. So, surreal as it might sound, I—the woman whose middle name was practical, and didn’t put much stock in dreams—illustrate for a living. Then again, taking a leap of faith and fighting for my dream is much easier with a glorious man who believes in me by my side.
“I wonder what the guys are up to,” Pippa says, bringing me back to the present.
“I’m surprised Blake didn’t want to have his bachelor party in Vegas,” Alice comments, “considering how hard he lobbied for it for everyone else’s parties.”
I smile to myself. When I asked Blake why he’s not flying out to Vegas for a weekend, his exact words were “No way in hell am I going to be away from you and Beanie for a weekend.”
As we order a new round of drinks, Summer touches her earlobe, and Pippa nods almost imperceptibly. Aha, we’re entering the meddling part of the evening. Our target: Caroline. The operation shouldn’t be too complicated because we’re only looking for a confession—though a hint would also suffice—about her feelings for Daniel, see if there’s still something there. Summer and Pippa said that a bachelorette party is the perfect occasion for getting the scoop. Alcohol is involved, emotions are all over the place, secrets might be spilled...or lured out.
Of course, since I love meddling, I was completely on board with their plan. Gives me a chance to see the sisters at work on someone other than me, and sharpen my own meddling skills. Who knows when they’ll come in handy?
Plus, I’ve picked up a few tricks, and this is my moment to shine. While sipping on our drinks—just orange juice for me—I do my part, guiding the conversation toward everyone’s college days. Nostalgia should kick in any second now. As soon as everyone brings up fond memories, I stir them to college flames, since Caroline and Daniel were together during their senior year.
Caroline holds up her hand. “I say we talk about the wedding.”
Aha, that’s an evasive maneuver if I ever saw one. She also narrows her eyes at me, which pretty much means she saw right through my tactic.
Ahem, I still have a lot of sharpening to do when it comes to my meddling skills. Summer winks at me, as if saying, Don’t worry. We have a plan B.
I’m pretty sure the girls have as many plans as there are letters in the alphabet, and if not, they’ll make one up on the spot, because they’re creative like that.
Speaking of creativity, there’s something I meant to ask them, and I seize my opportunity, moving next to Summer.
“One question: Did you two have something to do with my building not being ready in time?” I’m still renting out the condo, and Blake and I broke down the wall between our apartments. We’ll keep living there until our little family becomes not-so-little.
Summer forms an O with her mouth. “Of course not. We’re matchmakers, not mean girls.”
I elbow her playfully. “Hey, I was just curious, that’s all.”
Just as I wonder what their plan B implies, Pippa turns to Caroline. “Speaking about the wedding, we still need to put someone in charge of handing out the thank-you gifts to the guests at the end. Daniel’s on it, but he needs assistance. Could you help him, Caroline? Or would it be too uncomfortable for you? You’d be doing us a huge favor.”
“When you put it like that, how can I say no?” Caroline sighs, a dreamy expression on her face. Pippa smiles triumphantly, and I bow to the master.
Epilogue
Clara