Also in attendance was Aaron and Gemma. A bunch of regulars from the shop—most of whom had shown up for a coffee as the party was taking place on the back deck of The Siren. Nick, of course. And my dad, Kelli, and Alesha had all come into town for a visit as well.
“Thanks for the party, Carly,” Holly said, coming to stand beside me as I mixed up a picture of fresh lemonade at one of the small bistro tables.
“Of course, darling!” I replied. “I’m just so happy you’re back! For good!”
“Me too,” she sighed. “Germany was a lot of fun, but I think another year would have done me in.”
I laughed. “I bet. Hunter and Princess seem to be just as happy to be back.”
We both looked over at the sand where Jack and Holly’s two dogs were chasing a pack of seagulls from the surf. Hunter—now a fully grown chocolate lab—couldn’t seem to decide if he was more interested in chasing the birds or Princess, the yellow lab and his doggy girlfriend.
“Yeah, they didn’t get a lot of beach time over there, that’s for sure,” Holly said. “Poor things were stuck in an apartment with me most of the time.”
“Well now they have a huge house to take over!” Holly and Jack had moved back to Holiday Cove from a naval base in Germany and had decided to settle down in Holiday Cove. They’d purchased a large beach house on the outskirts of the small town with killer ocean views and a slice of the beach right off the back deck.
“Take over being the key phrase there…I swear Hunter acts just like he did when he was a puppy sometimes.”
“I know how that goes,” I said, glancing to where Alesha was standing with Aaron and Gemma. Gemma was busy going gaga over Lady who was slightly bigger than the last time I’d seen her, but still very much in the middle of puppydom. Alesha took her everywhere with her and the pair of them, Lady nestled against Alesha’s rapidly growing baby bump was a heartwarming sight for sure.
“Let me see the ring again,” I said, setting down the stirring spoon and turning back to Holly.
She flashed the diamond solitaire at me, wiggling her fingers to make it sparkle even more.
“Damn, Boomer did good!”
She laughed. “Right? I still can’t believe everything that’s happened. It’s like some kind of dream.”
My eyes drifted over to where Nick was standing, talking to my dad and Kelli, and I couldn’t help but add a contented sigh along with Holly. She was right. It did feel like a dream. Things had changed completely from two years ago when Holly and I had first met.
“Nick seems like a great guy,” Holly said, following my eyes.
“He is.” I couldn’t help but beam from ear to ear. “He’s a keeper, for sure.”
“Oh?” Holly giggled.
I gave a half-hearted roll of my eyes. I was in love and I didn’t care who knew it. In the past, those googly-eyed couples had always annoyed the shit out of me, but since becoming one of them, I understood the struggle to not make everyone in proximity nauseated. Luckily, Holly was a fellow lovesick lost cause and didn’t judge me for it.
“Hey, Holls? Come here for a second!”
Holly and I turned at the sound of Jack calling for her. He was across the patio, standing at the edge of the deck, making sure the dogs didn’t wander too far off.
“I’ll be back,” she said, giving my arm a squeeze.
“You better be! I still need to hear the proposal story! I still can’t believe you’ve been keeping it a secret all this time.”
Holly laughed as she drifted off toward Jack. He’d proposed a month before they came home from Germany but she hadn’t told me about it until I’d gone to pick them up at the airport a few days earlier. There was so much going on over the past few days between them moving into their new home and me setting up the party that we hadn’t had a chance to get any one on one time for her to tell me the full story and I was dying for the details.
With the lemonade mixed, I took the iced tea pitcher inside the shop to get a refill and add more ice. On my way inside, I glanced around and didn’t see Nick anywhere among the other guests. I shrugged it off and figured he’d wandered down the beach to play with the dogs or something. As I stood at the counter, I heard footsteps enter the side door. I glanced over and saw Alesha. “Hey, sis. How are you feeling?”
“I’m good,” she patted her belly. “Baby Joy is doing good.”
I smiled. “I can’t wait to meet her.”
Alesha had found out a few weeks ago that she was having a girl and decided on the name Joy. “Me either.”