I was sitting on the edge of one of the beds, rubbing lotion on my legs, when they showed up.
Savanna and Hanna swept into the room, frowning when they saw me sitting on a bed. But I wasn’t hurting anything. “Hi.”
“Oh, it’s you, Maggie,” Hanna said.
I didn’t bother to correct her. She wasn’t worth it.
“We just came back to get dressed for dinner,” Savanna said. “Do you need to use the bathroom?”
Wow. That was the first friendly thing either one of them had said. “Thanks, but I already did. You go ahead.”
She sniffed. “You mean, that’s what you’re wearing? It’s a formal dinner at a luxury resort, not a potluck at the trailer park.”
My stomach sank, more because of my own naiveté than her cruelty. “Good to know,” I said lightly, “because I didn’t have time to make my world-famous sloppy joes.”
Hanna curled her lip, seeming unsure if I was being sarcastic or not. Spoiler alert: I was.
“You go ahead,” Savanna said. “I’m sure they could use someone like you to help them set things up. We’ll be a bit longer… we know how to get ready for dinner.”
Vaguely, I wondered what kind of extradition policy the Caribbean had with the US. How much time would I do if I picked up Hanna and clobbered Savanna with her? They weren’t very big. I bet I could do it. But right now I needed to channel my inner mean girl and get the hell out of there. “I’ll see you there—that is, if the guys ever let me take a break from dancing with them.”
It wasn’t the best parting line ever, but I could see it pissed them off. As far as I knew, none of the guys had ended up dancing with them last night. Yet two out of three had danced with me, and we’d hung out together the rest of the night.
My hands shook slightly as I exited the cabin and pulled the door shut behind me. What the hell was their problem? Were they that mean to everyone or did I just have really bad luck?
I made my way slowly to the main lodge, both because I needed to calm down and because I didn’t want to get sweaty and mess up my makeup. But there was a cool breeze blowing from the water, and it felt better out here than it had in the cabin.
Tables were set up in the outdoor area where the reception had been last night. They were bigger this time, round tables set for six or eight. Food was piled on a long buffet table instead of on small stations scattered about. Everything looked amazing. Apparently, buffets at a place like this were a lot different than in my small town. Thank God.
About two dozen people were already there, talking and mingling, but few were eating yet. I scanned the crowd—no sign of the guys.
I ran into Doug’s parents and spent some time chatting with them. They were nice people. It was hard to believe that such normal, friendly folks were footing the bill for this amazing place. They also introduced me to a few of their relatives and family friends I hadn’t met yet.
Eventually, I ended up at a table with my parents. I got food for my mom so she could stay put. She had one of her frequent headaches.
As I walked over to my parents, I was glad the evil stepcousins still hadn’t shown up yet. The last thing I needed was them making jokes about me taking two plates of food.
God, how was I going to stand being in the same room with them tonight? Because I had to, I knew. I couldn’t very well stay with the men again. What would people say if they knew? My current plan was to beg, borrow, or steal some extra pillows and blankets so I could make a little nest on the floor. No way was I going to try to climb up to that damn loft.
“Are these seats taken?” A deep masculine voice cut into my thoughts.
My dad answered before I could. “They’re free. Please, join us.”
Brock set his plate down and then introduced himself, shaking hands with my mother and father. With a quick wink to me, he sat down next to me. A moment later, Kincade and Jessie showed up with their plates and repeated the ritual.
I couldn’t quite decide if I was horrified or delighted. It felt odd to be sharing a table with my parents and the three men I’d been lusting after for the better part of a day. It was surreal, and it messed with my appetite. Or maybe it was the fact that Brock was so close to me that did that. He was wearing black slacks, and I could feel how near his leg was. For once, he wasn’t wearing all black, though. His shirt was a silvery blue and was open at the neck.