Yeah, much better to call tomorrow or the next day, once they’d had a chance to get over their irritation.
“Did you know they planned to split us up when we got here?” Jas gave me a healthy dose of side-eye as Prue and I walked over. “I had no one to gossip with or start a food fight with or anything.”
“A food fight?” I laughed. “That would’ve been a no from me, for sure.”
“Well, you know what I mean.” She mock-pouted. “I expect both you and Muriel—and Prue, too—in my little bungalow within the next fifteen minutes to make up for it.”
Prue shook her head while Muriel also declined the invitation.
“Sorry, Jas, but it’s a no from me. I’m tired, and so I’m gonna head back to check out the comfort of my hotel bed.”
“See,” I turned to my sister. “You’ll have to tell Mom and Dad that I can’t possibly make it. Her Royal Highness has summoned me to her bungalow, and I can’t let her go back there alone.”
Prue gave me an exasperated look. “Are you seriously not coming with me? You’re going to make me drive back in this storm by myself?”
Oh my God. Now a guilt trip, too?
“I don’t expect you to drive back, sis. You’ve also been invited to Jas’s bungalow for a nightcap. And you’re more than welcome to sleep in my room tonight.”
“Mom will make your life hell until you visit,” she sighed. “And my life, too. So... please? Just for a couple of hours, and then you can be on your way. Get it all over with upfront, and that way they can quit bugging me, too.”
I didn’t blame her for the guilt trip or the dramatic insistence that I go with her. I knew perfectly well how relentless our parents were when they both had their hearts set on something.
“Fine.” I huffed out a short breath. “But no more than a couple of hours. And either you must bring me back here, or I’ll call a cab, and I’m not joking.”
“I know, I know.” She nodded, suddenly all smiles, as she took my hand and started pulling me toward the door. “We need to hurry, though. I think the storms are getting worse, and I ain’t the best driver even on a good day.”
“Oh, God.” I looked back at my friends. “If you haven’t heard from me in two hours, you’ll seriously need to send out a search party. And even though my parents seem nice when you don’t really know them, remember they should be the number one suspects.”
“Poppy!” Jas and Muriel gasped and grinned at the same time.
“I’m not saying they’d kill me. But I’m just saying... well, whatever.”
We said our quick goodbyes to Muriel and Jasmine before Prue practically dragged me out into the night air, where the burgundy canopy that was fighting for its life mostly covered us from the rain.
The wind had picked up considerably.
A few other people huddled under the canopy with us, but Cooper and Nolan captured my full attention, although I tried hard not to show it.
Suddenly, they stood literally three feet away from me. There was absolutely no way to pretend I hadn’t seen them when they both turned around to meet my gaze.
“Shit,” I muttered under my breath. “The hits just keep on coming, don’t they?”
“Poppy,” Cooper’s expression was serious, and I’d almost forgotten how much I loved hearing his deep voice say my name. No matter what else had changed between us, that part hadn’t. “We hoped to catch you out here. Can we talk?”
“Please?” Nolan added, his expressive brown eyes full of... what? Pain? Regret? Or were those just the things I wanted to see when I looked into his eyes? “We’ve been trying to get your attention all night. Can we step back inside for a few minutes?”
Prue watched me. All the other conversations around fell silent, but that might have been only in my overactive imagination. Or my own thundering heartbeat had drowned out everyone else as I stood staring at the men who had wronged me so severely.
“I don’t have anything to say to either of you.” I kept my voice quiet but firm. “My sister and I are about to leave, so you must excuse us.”
Prue looked as surprised as the two men did at my harsh rebuke.
I took her arm and started toward the edge of the dry sidewalk in front of the building. Just before we made it out from under the safety of the canopy, Cooper caught my hand.
“Don’t leave like this, Poppy.” His grip was strong enough to get my attention but not so strong as to prevent me from breaking away if I wanted to. “If you’ll please give us a few minutes. In private?”
For a split second, I imagined myself giving in.