Chapter 13
THIRTEEN
Leilani
It's Sunday afternoon and I'm in a long checkout line at Jack's Grocery.
There's an annual anime convention at the Magnolia Grand Resort this weekend, and I'm standing behind a yellow Pikachu, a woman dressed in a Sailor Moon outfit, and two dads in beach attire with their adorable little girl, who appears to be dressed as some sort of orange cat.
Probably, I should've gone to the con with my on-land mermaid costume — a blue wig, a sparkly catsuit, and lots of sparkly makeup — but I'd had so much to do in the past few days with the bar.
Opening night is coming up fast, and I have an anxious pit of dread in my stomach that I won't be ready.
I've even had nightmares that I've somehow missed my own bar's opening evening.
So, my plan tonight is to chill at home and hopefully relax.
Maybe see Remy later on; he'd gone out with his dad and brothers on the boat today, and has the usual Sunday dinner with his parents.
I've never told him this, but the fact that he hangs out with his family and that he actively likes them (and isn't constantly second guessing their life choices, like I do with my mom) is a terribly endearing quality.
I'm waiting to pay for a frozen pizza and a pint of my favorite ice cream — Ben their skin is lighter than their brothers'. They look like their dad.
Then I spot Tate, who I've seen before at the springs on that first day I laid eyes on Remy. He wraps his arms around Isabella and kisses her forehead. A pang shoots through my stomach, because I love it when Remy kisses my forehead.
And then suddenly, there's Remy.
His eyes nearly pop out of their sockets when he spots me. I slide off the stool and grin stupidly. All around us, the others chatter at each other, ignoring the two of us.
He's wearing a white T-shirt, which makes his skin look deliciously bronze. It looks like he got a lot of sun while out on the water today.
His eyes rake slowly down my body. I'm in a blue and white striped romper.
The shorts aren't too short, but the top stretches across my chest, exposing my shoulders.
I'm not wearing a bra, and wish I had worn a strapless one.
Or a different outfit. Of course, I hadn't planned any of this when I'd left my house.
I recall the last time I wore this romper around Remy. Things had gotten interesting fast. My face gets hot at the memory, and I grab a magazine on a nearby counter to fan my skin.
Remy stands in the doorway, not saying a word. Not smiling, not speaking, not moving a muscle to greet me.
Gah. Did I make a mistake by taking Natalia up on her offer to come to dinner?