Chapter 7
chapter seven
Luke
Luke
My plane just landed. I will see you soon.
Mia
Okay.
Luke
Cat got your tongue or in the middle of baking me a welcome-home cake?
Mia
You wish.
Luke
Another short response from my talkative bestie. Still mad at me?
Mia
Getting ready to go to the engagement party with the girls. Crazy level: 99/100.
Luke
Not due to our love match, I hope?
Mia
Nope. We’re all just trying to look hot for all the men tonight.
Luke
Um, did you forget you’re taken, Mia Bishop?
Mia
Ha-ha. Doesn’t mean I can’t look for when we break up.
Luke
Ouch, already planning on the end, eh?
Mia
No, but I am looking forward to finally meeting my Mr. Right. Not my Mr. Fake Right. :P
Luke
brUTAL!
Mia
Just being realistic. I hope we can pull it off for even the two weeks, seeing as we haven’t been able to discuss in person … yet …
It is apparent to me that Mia is far more pissed than I initially thought when I spoke to her previously.
Staring out the window at the familiar structure of the Coconut Beach Airport makes me smile.
I am back home. Even if it is for Rex’s wedding.
I am still excited to see everyone, especially Mia.
I’ll have to buy a bunch of books from her mobile bookstore to make it up to her.
The sky is a clear cerulean blue, and I can smell the salt in the air as I deplane.
Mia
BTW, I got an anonymous note in the mail today. We need to discuss.
Luke
Oh? What did it say?
Mia
Some sort of treasure hunt.
Luke
Are we going to be Goonies?
Mia
Maybe.
I smile as I make my way to baggage claim. I knew she couldn’t stay mad at me forever.
The Goonies was one of our favorite movies as kids, and we used to take my dad’s old metal detector to the beach and search for hidden treasure.
We never found anything valuable, but it was a lot of fun.
Maybe we can have some movie nights while I am back in town—if I have time after working and participating in the wedding festivities.
My phone pings with alerts, and I know that I will have to work tonight. My mind immediately goes to the merger and all the work I have to do, but I dismiss the thoughts. I will work after the engagement party.
It seems to me that it is an odd thing to have an engagement party right before a two-week pre-wedding celebration, but I am no expert.
I am not even close to getting married. There hasn’t been one girlfriend I’ve ever thought about marrying, but then I’ve never had a strong relationship with anyone other than Mia.
There were times in my teenage years when I wondered if she would ever be interested in me, but it has been clear to me that she’s never even entertained the thought.
I grab my suitcase and head toward the rental car station, rolling up my sleeves as I walk.
The heat is brutal, and I already regret packing so many slacks.
I am definitely going to wear shorts to as many activities as I can.
Knowing Rex, I bet most of the planned fun will revolve around the beach so that he can show off his muscles, so I am pretty sure that isn’t going to be a problem.
“I’m home,” I whisper to myself as I pull my rental onto the highway that takes me toward the beach and my grandparents’ house. I wonder if I should buy a car and keep it at Mia’s so that if I start coming to town more frequently I don’t have to keep renting.
I’m going to stay with them for the first two nights and then check in to the hotel room that Rex has booked for all of his guests. He has spared no expense and booked a number of rooms at the Grand Palm of Coconut Beach—the nicest and only five-star hotel on the island.
I make my way down the coastline, my eyes taking in the beauty of the island.
The ocean is a turquoise blue and calm today, though I can still see some paddlers out in the water with their surfboards.
Coconut trees line the streets as I take my exit and pass Oceanside Market.
I think about stopping at Salty Sirens for a coffee, but I know my grandparents are waiting for me.
I will barely have time for a quick shower and change before we head out to the party at Cocktails & Chaos. Though I’ll head to Sunrise Beach Park first to meet Mia under the gazebo. Excitement buzzes in my veins as I think about seeing her in person for the first time in years.
My grandma is waiting outside as I pull up the driveway and that familiar tug of love pulls at my heart strings as I gaze at her waiting there for me with some happiness.
I feel guilty for not coming home often enough.
I feel guilty for not keeping in better contact.
I know she has a full life, but I know she misses me something horrid.
I park the car, turn off the ignition and jump out eagerly.
I feel like I did when I was a little boy and going to visit her.
“Luke Haverbrook, you are a sight for sore eyes.” She looks just as I remember her, with her shrewd blue eyes, white-blonde hair, and bright-colored dress. She hurries over to me with open arms, and I give her a big hug.
“How I’ve missed you, my boy.”
“I’ve missed you as well, Grandma.” I kiss her on the cheek and allow her to look me over with her curious eyes.
“You’ve lost weight.” She frowns, her lightly lined face telling me that she is going to do her best to fix that. I see lots of freshly baked cookies and pies in my future, and I am not mad about it at all. “Do they not feed you in New York?”
“They feed me plenty.”
“Is the boy here yet, Bitsy?” I hear my grandfather’s voice before I see him, walking around the side of the house.
His white shirt is muddy, and I know he’s been planting something in the ground in his good clothes.
“Oh, Luke.” His impassive face splits into a wide grin, and I meet him halfway for a big hug. “Why, look at you, Lucas.”
“Luke, Granddad.” I laugh and correct him. “It’s always been just Luke, Granddad—you know that. Unless Mia’s trying to get on my nerves.”
“And I’ve always been just Joseph, but people call me Joe.”
“What are you saying, Joe?” Grandma walks over and stares at his dirty clothes. “Oh, Joe, you can’t wear that. You need to change.”
“Again? Hmmph.” He looks at me, a twinkle in his eyes, and wraps an arm around my shoulders. “Shall we go inside and get ready?”
“I want to hear all about you and Mia Bishop,” Grandma interrupts. “Lucille and I were shocked to hear you were in a relationship. Why didn’t you tell us?”
And it starts. I should have known the questions would be rapid-fire.
I feel utterly unprepared, even though I came up with so many different responses.
Now that I am here, I have no idea what to say.
All of a sudden, I understand what Mia went through and why she was so peeved with me. This is not going to be easy.
“We wanted to see how the relationship panned out before we announced anything, but when Rex invited us to the wedding—which was very sudden, I will add …” I look to my grandparents to see if they are going to offer any information as to this sudden wedding.
“What is Andi like, by the way? I don’t really know anything about her. ”
“Neither do we.” My grandfather looks clueless. “I can honestly say I never even heard her name until three weeks ago.”
“Joe, shh!” My grandma pats him on the shoulder. “It’s not our business. We’re just happy that Rex has met the love of his life.”
“I suppose so. Wasn’t he interested in that Summer girl as well? I remember him talking about her.” He looks at Grandma, and she nods, eyes wide, a small smile on her face as she looks at him.
“Yes, I was talking about it with the busy Bees the other day.” She lowers her voice and presses her finger to her lips.
“But neither of you are to say anything about that. I don’t know if Andi knows that Rex was also trying to date Summer, Silvie, and Wendy earlier this summer.
Well, at least, that’s what the other Bees and I think. ”
“How do you know this information?” I cock my head to study her as we walk onto the wraparound porch of my grandparents’ grand white beach house.
Memories of sitting on the wide wooden porch swing, rocking back and forth, while eating grapes with Mia flood my mind as we walk through the open doors into the wide foyer.
I can see the ocean through the floor-to-ceiling windows that make up the entire back of the home.
The air is chilly as I make my way through the open-plan house and toward the back, where the oversize gray sectional couch sits, right next to the French doors that lead to the back porch.
“Grandma?” I look back at her and wait for an answer.
“We Bees know everything.” She offers me a secret smile. “Would you like some iced tea before we get ready? The festivities start in an hour, but I’m sure you can’t wait to see Mia.”
“You’ve got that right.” I laugh, though she doesn’t know why we need to see each other right away. “And I’d love some tea, please.”
I push open the French doors and step onto the white woven rug that sits on the wooden floor.
The fine white sand beckons to me, and I slip my shoes and socks off and head down toward the water.
I pass the tall, towering hibiscus plant that Mia loved as a kid and smile, thinking about the time we attempted to crossbreed different hibiscus plants to make our own variation.
My feet sink into the cool sand as I look down the long stretch of beach.
The houses on this side of town have fairly private beaches, as the tourists prefer to spend their days on Sunrise Beach, as that is right next to the food trucks and the pier.
It is also were they can charter a boat from Captain Smitty at Ocean’s Calling and go swimming with dolphins—an activity that Mia and I both loved, though we’d go in my parents’ boat. Those were the days.