Brigid rolled over and buried her head under a pillow. But the banging continued until she yelled, “I’m up, you sadist.”
Caroline’s laughter faded as she walked down the hall.
The door opened and shut quickly, and Grady stepped into the room, a blanket folded up in his arms. She sat up in bed and pulled the blanket up.
“Did you sleep okay?”
He shot a glance at her and laid the folded blanket on the bed. “Not really. You?”
“No.” She dropped the blanket. “Grady, we need to talk about this. There’s no need for us to be apart, for you to sleep on a couch or something. We’re adults. We’ve slept together before.”
He stared at her impassively for a time, and her words trailed off. Finally, he grabbed some clothes from his duffel. “Do you mind if I take a quick shower?”
Without waiting for a reply, he strode into the bathroom and she sat numbly on the bed, even more uncertain of their path.
* * *
By the time she made it downstairs, most of the household was gathered around the kitchen table enjoying coffee and sticky buns from a local bakery. Anna and Delaney seemed more at ease with each other, but there was an underlying tension in the room. Everyone focused on the television screen and the weather report.
“What’s going on?”
“Tropical storm. Headed straight for us.” Matthew said, face creased in lines of worry.
Delaney frowned. “I thought that was headed east of us.”
Ethan stood up and pushed through the small group, running his hands through his hair. “It shifted. Should be here tomorrow night.”
“Well, that’s good, right? The wedding should be fine.” Delaney looked from face to face, but everyone remained grim.
Caroline stood, tears sparkling in her eyes. “It’s an outdoor wedding at Oak Bluff Hotel. On the Gulf side of the island. It’s going to be destroyed. The gazebo. The tents. The gardens. All destroyed.”
Grady slipped past Brigid without touching her. He rested his hands on Caroline’s shoulders. “Look, the guys and I will head over and see what we can do to shore up anything they have. And anything that gets damaged, well, I can fix it. Don’t worry. The wedding will be fabulous. I promise.”
Brigid tried to catch his gaze and smile, but he avoided her. “Thanks, Grady. Can we help?”
“We’ll head over right now. I think we’ll be all set. I’ve been working on the island, so my tools are all here.”
“Really?” Caroline turned and looked up at him, arching an eyebrow. “Where are you working?”
He flushed and spoke vaguely, being deliberately evasive. “Your father gave my name to someone for cottage renovations. Been mostly coordinating the efforts but doing the historic preservation myself. I had planned on finishing up some touches this week.”
Caroline laid a hand on his arm. “And you gave up your work to play silly games with us. Thank you.”
“Anything for my favorite sister-in-law-to-be.” He hugged her briefly, then looked at the guys. “Let’s head out.”
The guys filed out after him after downing the rest of their coffee, leaving the girls staring at each other. Caroline flicked off the television. “Okay, well, we have a ton of things to do today. No rest for us!”
“What could be left? Shouldn’t everything be done already or handled by the wedding planner?”
“I’m insulted you would even ask that. What kind of fund-raiser would I be if I didn’t plan my own wedding? We have party favors, guest bags, and more. Ladies, to the dining room.”
* * *
The day passed slowly for Brigid. She always struggled with girl things, never taking the time to do her nails, get a massage, or engage in idle chitchat. She felt out of her element and instead remained quiet and observant for the day. After the third time she screwed up the ribbon for the favors, Caroline shooed her from the room.
“Go, do your lawyer stuff. I didn’t bring an infinite amount of ribbon.”
“Why does she get to leave?” Anna whined.