Chapter Twenty-Six – Katie
Twenty-Six
PRESENT DAY
KATIE
Two days later
Agusty wind whipped across the beach, sending my notebooks flying to the ground.
Sighing, I stooped down to pick them up and flipped to the page where I’d left off.
The Amari and Clyde Wedding.
It was eight months from now, but I’d rather spend my remaining time here focusing on things in the future. Anything to prevent my mind from looping through my last argument with Asher or trying to figure out why the hell he’d switched so hard.
How could his anger just come out of nowhere like that?
I shook away the thought and clicked my pen.
Peach and ivory accent flowers with hints of eucalyptus…
“Um, is there a reason you’re not getting ready for the ‘friends and family’ night?” Madison blocked my sunlight.
“Because I’m not going.” I flipped a page. “Have a good time, and tell me how it goes.”
She didn’t move.
She stood there, glaring at me, continuing to block the light.
“Is there something else I can help you with, Madison?” I asked. “I’m focused on helping one of our very high-profile clients.”
She groaned and moved closer, snapping my folder shut.
“Let’s go,” she said. “Now.”
“Or else what?”
“I’ll tell the team where you’ve really been for the past several nights.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“Guess what, guys?” She crossed her arms. “You know the guy that has sabotaged a good chunk of our work over the years? Yeah, our boss has been in his room every night, and I don’t think they’ve been swapping apologies…”
“You promised me you would never say a word.”
“And you promised us—all of us—that you would always keep it together.” She gritted her teeth. “Keep it together.”
I held back a sigh and stood to my feet.
She motioned for me to start following her, but my feet felt like anchors.
“Come on, Katie,” she pleaded. “You know I wouldn’t really tell anyone about Asher, but—”
“We’re done with each other.” I interrupted. “For real this time… I was a fool for ever thinking we could be anything real.”
“I’m sorry…” She moved closer. “Dare I ask what happened?”
“Only if you let me have one more hour out here,” I said. “I’ll go to the dinner—I just need some more time alone.”
“Okay…” She nodded, and as if she could tell I was struggling with what to do next, she pulled me into her arms.
I sobbed against her chest for far longer than an hour…
* * *
Later that night, I settled into my seat at a long white-clothed table that was set with a fluffy green and ivory rose garland cutting through its center.
Wedding photographers snapped pictures every few minutes, focusing on Chris and Michelle at the far end.
Unfortunately, I was only four seats away from Asher, and his perfect face was far too close for me.
“Would you like another drink, Miss Elizabeth?” A waitress held out a tray of strawberry and orange martinis.
“I’ll take three, thank you.” I grabbed them off her tray and downed them within seconds.
“Asher, Asher, Asher…” a redhead woman squealed across the table.
My eyes darted over to her against my will, and I saw her staring at him like he hung the stars in the sky.
“I can’t believe I keep running into you at this resort,” she said. “Isn’t that a crazy coincidence?”
How? We’re all here for the same reason…
I signaled for the waitress to bring her tray back over.
“I guess,” Asher said. “I haven’t really hung out with the guests much since I’ve been here. Just the wedding party…”
“Exactly, and now I’m seeing you everywhere!” She hugged him. “It’s a sign. Where are you staying?”
“In the villas,” he said.
“I’m close by that area.” She winked. “I have a solo swim-up suite… I’m in number twelve if you want to stop by.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said, looking my way.
“Is it too late to be your plus-one?” she asked. “You don’t have someone you’re here with, do you?”
“I don’t,” he said. “Dating isn’t really my thing.”
I can’t believe I slept with you…
“It’s not mine either, so we can totally use each other for the rest of this wedding!”
I looked away from him and downed my new drink.
Then I grabbed the wine glass from the empty place setting next to me and downed that, too—because apparently humiliation went down easier with alcohol.
“Wilma, you and Asher would be amazing together!” some lady—who was definitely not invited to be here—squealed from across the table. “Y’all both have that deep green eye and dimple thing going on.”
“They’ve been hanging out all day today,” another uninvited guest said. “Don’t let them fool you.”
My chest ached, sharp and sudden, like something inside me had finally cracked open—and no matter how hard I tried to pretend, I couldn’t un-feel it.
I pushed back my chair and stood up amid everyone laughing at a joke I didn’t catch.
Slightly wobbling on my heels, I walked to Michelle’s chair at the head of the table.
“I’m sorry, Michelle,” I said. “I can’t bear to stay for the entire dinner.”
“Are you feeling sick?”
“Yes.” I nodded. “Very fucking sick.”
“I’ll call the resort’s doctor.” She picked up her purse. “Just give me one—”
“Sick of sharing air with that fucking asshole over there.” I pointed at Asher. “He’s the worst, you know? And somehow, I was stupid enough to forget that.”
“Um…” Her eyes widened. “Can you, like, lower your voice?”
“I can’t stand being around Asher for another second, and I hope you won’t mind me leaving early.” I spoke slowly. “If not, I’ll sit back down, but I’ll be spending the rest of the night thinking about the ways I’d like to strangle him.”
“You can’t possibly be this dramatic about everything, Katie.” Asher’s voice suddenly cut across the room. “Have a seat and grow up.”
I turned around, seeing him glaring at me from his seat.
“I wasn’t talking to you, Asher,” I said. “Mind your business.”
“Well, maybe if you finally learned how to whisper while drunk, everyone wouldn’t have to hear the ridiculous words dripping from your mouth.”
“What part of ‘I wasn’t talking to you’ was difficult for you to understand?” I raised my voice even louder, and all the conversations around the table fell into a hush.
“Oh, wait,” I said. “I’m sure you struggled with the entire concept, because for whatever reason, no one can ever tell you what to do, right?”
“Have a seat, Katie.” He pointed to my chair. “We’re here to celebrate my brother tonight.”
“Now you care about this wedding?” I arched a brow. “Events going well actually mean something to you?”
He gritted his teeth.
“Does everyone here know what this man really does for a living?” I picked up Michelle’s “Bride” glass and took a long sip. “Spoiler alert: He’s not in real estate, and he doesn’t do any day trading.”
“Katie…” He glared at me. “Stop talking.”
“This man makes his living hurting people at their most vulnerable moments,” I said. “He gets a high out of it, and he honestly thinks he’s serving the greater good.”
The bridesmaids glanced back and forth between us. Everyone else simply looked confused.
“If you ever feel the need to break someone’s heart before you marry them, call this guy.” I pointed at Asher as he slowly stood up. “He’ll not only ruin everything you and your bride-to-be worked hard for, he’ll ask you to send him referrals so he can do it all over again.”
Asher walked toward me, but I didn’t stop.
“Can you believe that?” I asked aloud. “Referrals for men—and some women—who are too chickenshit to have a conversation and would rather humiliate their spouse on the biggest day of their lives.”
“You’re drunk, Katie.” Asher suddenly grabbed my wrist. “Stop…”
“Stop what?” I shrugged. “Telling everyone the truth about you? Or about us?”
I leaned back to look at the woman he’d been flirting with minutes ago.
“Just so you know,” I said to her, “we’ve had sex in my suite, his suite, and all over this resort this past week—which, in hindsight, was a terrible decision on my part—so…
you should probably pick your suite if you want someplace new.
But, between you and me, it was just okay. I’ve had way better.”
“Okay.” Asher let my wrist go. “Fuck you, Katie.”
“No thanks,” I said. “The previous times were regrettable enough.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
“I don’t have to convince you.” I felt my blood boiling. “It was mediocre at best.”
“Don’t make me rattle off the receipts…”
I tossed what was left in Michelle’s glass at him, letting the red wine splatter all over his shirt.
The entire room went dead quiet. Not awkward. Not tense. Just… silent.
“Katie…” Asher breathed slowly. “I let you get away with doing this the first time we met, but—”
“But what?” I shrugged. “Are you going to retaliate? Find a way to make me feel shittier than I already do?”
He said nothing.
He just glared at me.
“It’s only fitting that we end things the way we started,” I said. “Except this time, I can guarantee you’ll never see me again…”
I turned away from him and left, feeling the intense stares from everyone on my back.
Tears streamed down my face faster than I could restrain them, and something in my chest splintered with every step back to my suite—this time, I wasn’t sure it would piece itself back together again.