Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Lexi
Mornings on vacations were supposed to be sacred.
I believed that, right up until we arrived at the Orchid Royale’s breakfast buffet, where hungry guests converged over warm croissants while greeted by overly cheerful waitstaff.
“The breakfast buffet is nonnegotiable,” Gwen declared, piling fruit and pancakes onto her plate with alarming enthusiasm. “It’s Atlantic City. You survive on caffeine, carbs, and drama.”
“I prefer caffeine, cryptography, and avoiding people,” I muttered, but I had to admit the waffle station looked pretty good. “And it’s a miracle you’re even awake, Gwen. You slept through your alarm three times.”
“I got up at the third one,” she protested.
“After Basia whacked you on the head with a pillow. You could sleep through a nuclear blast.”
“Hardly. But sleeping deeply is a sign of good health, so I’m taking that as a compliment.”
Basia, looking radiant in designer maternity wear, walked toward us carrying a glass of orange juice and approximately twelve miniature muffins. “The baby is hungry,” she announced, utterly unapologetic. “Where are we sitting?”
Gray jerked her head toward an empty table with four chairs. She held a plate of eggs and bacon in one hand and a coffee mug in the other.
She and Basia headed that direction while Gwen added another pancake to her stack. I picked up a plate and headed for the waffles. After I filled my plate and got some coffee, I joined them at the table. Basia had already finished her twelve mini muffins and was getting up to get more food.
“The baby is still hungry,” she said, as if daring us to contradict her.
Wisely, we didn’t.
“It feels weird not to be at work,” I said, taking a bite of a waffle.
Gray lifted her mug of coffee at me. “I have to give it to you, Lexi. I was surprised you didn’t bring your laptop.”
“I did bring it.” I dumped syrup on the waffles and cut myself a bite. “I just haven’t taken it out of my backpack yet. I’m sure the casino Wi-Fi is a security nightmare, and I just don’t feel like dealing with it right now.”
Basia returned to the table with a plate loaded with bacon and bacon only. “Protein for the baby,” she said, staring at us. “And, Lexi, did I hear you say you don’t feel like dealing with the casino Wi-Fi?” she asked sitting down. “That doesn’t sound like the girl I know.”
I sighed and leaned back in my chair. “Okay. Full disclosure. Slash and I made a bet.”
Basia perked up immediately. “Oooh, I love a good marital wager. What are the stakes?”
“Bragging rights,” I said. “The deeply satisfying knowledge that one of us is objectively more fun than the other. Also, two weeks of dinner duty.”
“Now, there’s the prize I’d want. And the wager?” Gray asked.
“Guys’ versus girls’ weekend,” I replied. “Who has more fun. Obviously, Slash thinks the guys will win by default because they’ll be completely unsupervised by women, eating, drinking, playing poker, smoking cigars, and probably farting…or making whatever body noises guys like to do.”
Gray nearly spit out her orange juice but managed to lift the glass to me. “Wow, that image isn’t going to leave my mind any time soon. Bold strategy, Lexi. I commend you.”
“Yeah, but how will you measure fun?” Gwen asked. “That seems to be a pretty vague and unscientific criteria for you and Slash.”
“The parameters are flexible,” I admitted. “But the spirit of the bet is simple: Whoever has more fun this weekend wins. And I don’t want Slash claiming I cheated by spending the entire trip behind a screen.”
Gray seemed like she was trying not to laugh when she nodded thoughtfully. “So, the laptop stays buried unless the universe absolutely forces your hand.”
“Exactly,” I said. “If I pull it out too soon, Slash wins. And I refuse to let my own husband use my coping mechanisms against me.”
Gwen looked at me in surprise. “So, you’re intentionally handicapping yourself for fun?”
“Yes,” I said. “Which should tell you how seriously I’m taking this.”
Basia raised her eyebrows. “I don’t know whether to be impressed or deeply concerned.”
“Both can be true, you know,” I said, reaching for another bite of waffle.
“Good point,” Gray said, grinning. “But since the bet now includes us as part of that girls’ weekend, we’ll have to work hard to up the fun. Especially if our reputations are at stake, too.”
“Well, I’m starting with bacon,” Basia said, lifting a piece and shoving it in her mouth. “What can be more fun than bacon?”
We all laughed until Gwen suddenly cleared her throat. “Guys, I know a way to up the fun meter. I have something to tell you.”
Basia gasped, her mouth full of bacon. “OMG! You’re pregnant!”
“What? No!” Gwen nearly choked on her juice. “Please, one major life event at a time. I’m talking about the wedding.”
Basia sighed dreamily. “Oh! You found a dress?”
“Not yet, because I need my bridesmaids to do that.” She paused, nearly bursting with excitement. “I’m assembling my bridal party. And, after careful consideration, I want all three of you to stand beside me on my wedding day.”
My fork froze halfway to my mouth. It also got Gray’s attention as she slid her phone away, looking at Gwen in surprise.
Basia clapped her hands in delight. “Oh my gosh, Gwen, how wonderful. Yes, I’d be honored to be your bridesmaid.”
“I’m so glad.” Gwen beamed. “I’m thinking flowy bridesmaid dresses in a blush pink for a Valentine’s Day wedding.”
“Blush pink?” Basia squealed. “Oh, that’s so adorable, Gwen.”
“Right?” Gwen turned her focus on Gray. “So, what do you think, Gray? I know we haven’t been friends for long, but I’d really like you to be a bridesmaid, if you’re interested.”
“Wow,” Gray said, clearly taken aback. She tucked a strand of brown hair behind her ear. “That’s really kind of you to include me, Gwen. Yeah, I’d love to be your bridesmaid.”
“I feel like we’ve all really bonded,” Gwen said, glowing. “Like sisters. Right, Lexi?”
I only had brothers, so I wasn’t sure what it felt like to have a sister, but somehow it felt right. “Sure, like sisters.”
“And that leads me into my final question,” Gwen said. “Will you be my bridesmaid, too, Lexi?”
I appreciated her asking, especially since she knew the danger that came with including me in any activity. “Are you sure you want me in the wedding party, Gwen? You know I come with a little black cloud.”
“I know.” She leaned forward, eyes sincere.
“And I don’t care. I’ve looked up to you forever.
I literally created a fan club for you. I’m the original Lexicon.
I don’t care about your black cloud. It would be weird without you there standing beside me and Elvis, especially since I feel like you’ve been a big part of our romantic journey.
” She reached across the table and touched my arm.
“Besides, if trouble shows up, I know exactly who I want on my side.”
I smiled. “In that case, of course, I’d be honored to be your bridesmaid, Gwen.”
Her face lit up even more. “Oh my gosh. It’s going to be the perfect wedding,” she said, clasping her hands together.
“So, who’s going to be your maid of honor?” Basia asked eagerly.
“Angel,” Gwen said without hesitation. “What do you guys think?”
“Awww…your baby sister,” Basia said. “That’s so sweet.”
“I haven’t asked her yet, though,” Gwen said. “I wanted to do it right now with all of us together.” She pulled out her phone, tapped it, and put it on speaker and then camera so we could see and hear Angel.
“Hey, Gwen!” Angel said. “What’s up?”
“Hi, Angel,” Gwen said. “I’m in Atlantic City with the girls. Do you have a few minutes to talk?”
“Sure,” Angel said. “So, who’s there with you exactly?”
“Lexi, Gray, and Basia, of course.” Gwen panned her phone toward us and we all waved.
“Oh, good, Lexi is there,” Angel said. “Just the person I needed to talk to. Hey, Lexi, can I show you something quick?”
“Uh…can it wait until another time?” I replied. “Your sister really wants to talk to you.”
“One minute, tops, I promise. Gwen, you okay with that?”
Gwen exchanged a glance with me and then shrugged. “Sure. Go ahead.” She angled the phone toward me so I could see Angel.
“So, there’s a new AI app I’ve been playing with called Dreammaker Pro Plus,” Angel said excitedly. “It’s ace.”
“AI?” I said warily. “You know how I feel about that, Angel.”
“Trust me,” she said. “It’s super cool. You’ll see. Now, stand up.”
“Excuse me?”
“Stand up, Lexi. Just humor me for a minute.”
Reluctantly, I stood, and Gwen pivoted her phone camera to follow me.
“Good,” Angel said briskly. “Now turn to the side. Naturally.”
I rotated. “This feels like I’m being cataloged.”
“Yes, but respectfully. Now, give me your other side.”
After I did that, Angel’s brow furrowed. “Okay, now I need motion. Just walk across the room and back. Normal walking. Not in a hurry, just a regular canter.”
“That’s…alarmingly specific.”
“Just do it. Gwen, hold your phone still as Lexi walks.”
I walked as instructed while Gwen held her hand with the phone steady. I went forward, backward, and swung my arms as naturally as I could. “Is that good enough?”
“It is,” Angel said, delighted. “One last thing. Walk, stop abruptly, and then look at me as if I just stole the last piece of bacon.”
I sighed, but did as she asked, and when I stopped, I glared at the phone. Hard.
There was a pause before Angel laughed. “Perfection.”
“Good, because I’m done.” I returned to the table and sat down. People at the breakfast bar had started to look at me weirdly.
“Okay, stand by,” she said. “I’m building something.”
“I thought you said one minute,” I reminded her. “We’re entering three-minute territory now.”
“Chill,” Angel said, her fingers tapping on the keyboard. “There, I’m done. I just sent a video file to Gwen. Open it, Gwen.”
Gwen’s phone buzzed, and she clicked open the file.
Gwen pushed the play button, and we all watched.
I saw myself walking around in ways I hadn’t actually done.
The background of the video started with the casino restaurant, then quickly morphed into a beach scene where my clothes seamlessly changed into a sarong and sandals.
As I strolled across the beach, the expressions on my face and my mannerisms and walk were perfectly me.
“Wow! You generated an excellent video loop,” I said. “In three minutes with two scenes. That’s impressive.”
“I’d never know that wasn’t a real video of Lexi on the beach,” exclaimed Basia. “That’s cool and also super scary.”
“Right?” Angel said. “The good news is that the program is easy to use. I’ll show you more when you get back, Lexi. I’m just excited that the younger generation—me—finally has a chance to show the older generation—you—a new program. Something you didn’t even know about yet.”
“I’ve known about this kind of thing, I just hadn’t had a chance to play with it yet,” I said. “And are you calling me a dinosaur?”
“If the little hands fit…” she replied with a laugh.
“Hey, I am not that old,” I protested, even if I kind of felt like it. I’d been so busy lately, I hadn’t had much time to experiment with the new and fun tech stuff. I made a mental note to myself to remedy that sooner rather than later.
“Okay, now, Gwen, why did you call me?” Angel asked her sister. “What’s up?”
“Oh, nothing much. I just have something important to ask you, Angel. Really important.”
“Oooh,” Angel replied. “This sounds serious.”
“It is,” Gwen replied and took a deep breath. “Angel, will you be the maid of honor at my wedding?”
There was dead silence.
Angel had a stunned expression on her face. “Wait. Like…actually?” she finally asked. “Out of all your super-cool friends, you want me to be your maid of honor?”
“Of course,” Gwen said. “I can’t imagine doing this without my baby sister next to me.”
Angel took a deep breath. “I’m stunned, Gwen. I don’t even know what to say. I’m so honored you want me. But you know I don’t love crowds, or standing in front of a lot of people, or dresses that make me look like a lampshade.”
Gwen smiled. “I know. But you don’t have to love any of that. You just have to stand next to me on the most important day of my life.”
“You really want me to be your maid of honor?” Angel asked in disbelief. “Mom didn’t put you up to this?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Gwen said. “You’re my favorite sister. My only sister. I wouldn’t want anybody else.”
Angel swallowed, and I thought she might cry. I’m not sure I’d ever seen her that emotional before. “Heck yes, Gwen,” she said. “I’ll be standing right there next to you on your big day. That day and every day, because that’s what sisters are for.”
Gwen’s smile was brilliant. “I’m so excited. Thank you, Angel. I’m thrilled to have my perfect wedding party. I’ll talk to you when I get back.”
They said their goodbyes and Gwen clicked off. She set the phone down, her eyes a little shiny. For once, we had a quiet group moment.
No immediate danger.
No existential crisis.
Just watching two sisters choosing each other. It was really sweet. I felt a little choked up myself.
“I can’t believe it,” Gwen said quietly. “Everything is coming together so perfectly. This is the most fun I’ve ever had in my life.”
“I’m so happy for you,” Basia said, beaming. “We’re going to be sisters-in-law. I might cry.”
“Please don’t cry,” I said quickly. “I love you guys, but I may be at the max of my emotional bandwidth. If you make me cry, I’ll use Angel’s video software and create a virtual stand-in for me at the wedding.”
Basia laughed, dabbing at her eyes with a napkin. “I’m not actually crying, Lexi. I’m just so happy…for all of us.”
“Do you guys want to see some ideas that I have in mind for your dresses?” Gwen asked.
“Of course,” Gray said, so Gwen immediately started swiping her phone. She showed us dress photos in pink, blush, rose, and other variations I couldn’t tell apart even if I tried.
Everyone ooohed and aaahed as she went through her favorite dresses. I simply nodded at all of them, accepting that I’d look like a tall stick of cotton candy no matter what she chose.
And honestly? I was okay with it. Really okay, which surprised me. Standing beside Gwen and Elvis on the biggest day of their lives, and being part of their joy and ridiculous happiness, was all that mattered. They showed up for me, and I’d show up for them.
Because that’s what friends did.
Maybe my little black cloud would show up. Maybe it wouldn’t. But looking around the table, at these women, my new sisters, I knew something else, too. It didn’t really matter if my black cloud showed. We’d handle it together.
Just like we’d always handled it before.