Chapter Twenty-Four
Liam
After Vivi gave her the apartment to use, Jo doesn’t want to put anyone else out. Calypso swears her family is excited to have us, and I’ve gotten to know them well enough to believe it.
Calypso said, and I quote, “It’s not a secret society, Jo.”
That made my sister laugh and relax enough to agree.
I open the liftgate while Calypso answers a call from Gavin. He doesn’t call on Sundays, so it must be important.
Jo is standing next to me and asks, “What are they like? I’ve only met Vivi.”
“And Lexi,” I say. “She’ll probably be here too. They’re all nice. Really nice.”
She nods, looking unsure. “I feel… dumb. I don’t know.”
Turning to look at her, I rest against the side of the SUV. “You’re not dumb, Josephine. Where is that coming from?”
She shrugs and kicks at a pebble. It’s the most youthful I’ve seen her appear in a long time. “I’m the dumb girl who got cheated on, then ran away so her brother can take care of her. It’s not really the phase of my life I want to meet people in.” She eyes me. “People who matter to you.”
“You matter to me,” I say and lightly knock one of her fidgeting feet. “More than anyone else in that house, okay? I wouldn’t bring you somewhere if I thought it was only going to beat you down.”
She lets out a deep breath and sets her shoulders. “Yeah, I know. I’m just being dumb.”
This time, she says the word playfully rather than deprecatingly. So, I smile and hand her the box of scones she was insistent on carrying.
By the time Calypso comes around the back of the car, Jo is back to her bubbly persona. I’m worried about her, though.
“Sorry about that,” Calypso mutters. She comes around the back of the car, shaking her head softly. All night, she was much calmer than I anticipated, but there’s a frantic energy to her now.
I’m torn on what to do, quickly glancing between my sister and my… Calypso.
Between Jo and Calypso.
Half of me wants to pull Calypso to the side and ask what the call was about; the other half knows I should focus on Jo since I dragged her to this dinner, and talk with Calypso when we have time and privacy.
Still, I’m hesitant until Calypso catches my eye and mouths, later.
Whatever it is, she doesn’t want to talk about it here either. That makes it easier to turn back to Jo, who is clutching the sides of the box. It reminds me of a raccoon caught in the trash.
“Are you okay?” Calypso gently grabs the box out of Jo’s hands.
“Hm?” Jo perks up, looking around. “Oh, I’m fine. Just hungry.”
Calypso gives her a sympathetic smile. “I promise things will be fine. My mom and Selena are excited to meet you.”
My sister takes a breath and nods, steeling her shoulders. “Okay. I’m great. This will be great.”
“That’s the spirit,” Calypso encourages with a chuckle. There’s no malice in her tone, and I could happily dedicate my life to her just for the fact that she’s been so amazing to Josephine.
With a wink in my direction, Calypso gives Jo a run of who’s who and guides us inside.
By the time I got home on Friday, Calypso was asleep. I knew she would be busy with the next round of cookies, like she has been over the last couple of weekends, so I didn’t wake her. Instead, I woke up at five the next morning and offered to help.
Neither of us were confident in how much help I would be, but after a few trials, I picked up the seal design easily. It’s similar to coloring with acrylic pens, which isn’t my preferred medium, but one I have experience with.
When we got home, I was the first one in bed and passed out. A full day of cookie decorating is no joke. We were both off today, and she wanted to skip the farmer’s market to sleep in instead.
I hope tonight I can finally take her the way I was fantasizing on Friday, when she was coming all over my face.
Following them through the door, I’m immediately pulled to the side by Asher. Jo doesn’t have a moment to look back for me before Calypso hands the greetings off to Vivi, who is more than happy to introduce her “new friend” to the rest of their family.
As I promised her, Calypso’s family is welcoming toward her.
Jo usually has more confidence in herself, but everything with Megan has dimmed her spirit recently. I understand there’s a lot she isn’t telling me, even if I wish she would. More than that, I just want her to talk to someone. Anyone.
I’m relieved when I see her sitting with Grady’s younger sister, Blake, while we wait for dinner. Blake is quieter and more reserved than any of the other women in this group, but I’m not surprised that Jo was drawn to her first.
Blake is the baby of the family, like Jo; she doesn’t have that authoritative energy Calypso often exudes.
She’s not as high energy as Lexi, who is one of my new favorite people, and I sometimes wonder how Vivi keeps up with her.
Between Lexi and wedding planning, I don’t assume Vivi has a lot of spare time.
“I don’t know,” Lexi says in a quiet but frustrated voice.
I haven’t been paying attention to her conversation with Calypso, too worried about my sister. They’re talking about Vivi’s wedding, though. Lexi is the maid of honor, and Calypso doesn’t seem to mind.
“Knox and I don’t know what to do,” Lexi continues. “We need to plan a trip within the next month and a half, but there are so many conditions.”
Taking a sip of sangria, Calypso asks, “What are they?”
Lexi lets out a sigh. “They want to have a joint bachelor/bachelorette party, which is fine and expected. We can’t go more than five hours away because they don’t want to fly.
If it’s not during the school’s fall break, then it has to be no longer than a weekend because of Grady’s girls.
And they don’t want to do anything like Vegas.
They want something fun, something different, for us as a group.
Somewhere we can all spend time together rather than get drunk in a club. ”
I raise my brows at the list but stay quiet.
“Yeah, that’s about what I would expect,” Calypso muses and starts tapping her lips. “What about a wine tasting?”
“Grady doesn’t like wine,” Lexi reminds her. “So Vivi doesn’t want to do that.”
Calypso nods, thinking through a few other options. With only a month and a half to plan, a lot of things are booked out.
Jo comes over and sits on the arm of the chair Lexi is in. Their body language confirms the two have been friendly, but they aren’t as quick of friends as I expected.
“What are we talking about?” Jo asks.
“Bachelor and bachelorette parties,” Lexi says before giving her the list of conditions.
As Lexi comes to the end, Jo looks at me and a light bulb goes off when she shrugs a little, silently suggesting the obvious choice. I wait for her to make the suggestion but she tilts her chin, offering me the potential win.
“How about a yacht?” I muse.
Lexi’s head dramatically turns in my direction. “A yacht? I’m sorry, I didn’t think I needed to mention that the budget of a small business owner and high school teacher doesn’t include chartering a yacht.”
Jo snorts.
“My stepdad owns a charter company,” I say easily and smile at her surprise. Lexi’s mouth falls open and there are newfound stars in her eyes for me. “I’m sure I could get us a discount. And I wouldn’t mind helping pay for it.”
Grady invited me on the trip when we watched the game a few days ago, so I’m happy to put my share into it.
“I could kiss you.” Lexi leans forward in her seat.
“Don’t.” Calypso points, slightly sneering at her.
Lexi laughs and gives me an amused look. “This one is jealous.”
Reaching out, I cup the back of Calypso’s neck. I wink when she rolls her head in my direction. “Just how I like her.”
“I’m my dad’s baby girl,” Jo chimes in and holds her arms out like it’s such a hardship. The little shit has always been spoiled. “Let me call him, and I can maybe get it for free. No promises.”
Lexi turns in her seat. “I swear I’m kissing a Maddon sibling tonight.”
I know the clever, little brunette well enough to realize she’s joking.
Lexi’s in a relationship, but I’ve never gotten the impression that she’d be unfaithful to someone, which Calypso has confirmed.
However, I can see her girlfriend’s side and why someone would struggle to accept this part of her.
Jo laughs, amused but not lured in by Lexi’s teasing. “My last name is Bernard.”
I have our mother’s maiden name, along with the twins, Ava and Amara. Piper and Josephine have their dad’s last name.
“Stop killing my dreams,” Lexi says and shakes her head.
Selena steps onto the deck with a large salad bowl in hand, calling everyone to dinner.
The patio table only seats fifteen, but Grady and Vivi set up a picnic on the grass for his daughters and their cousins, leaving a couple extra seats. It feels cozy, and I understand why Grady and Vivi have planned their wedding here.
Lexi waits until the small talk has died down and everyone fills their plates before she says, “So, great news!”
Everyone turns toward her. She doesn’t shy away from the attention.
“Liam and Jo—” she waves a hand in each of our directions, “—are helping us charter a yacht for the trip.”
Excitement sparks across the table. Most of the group is here, with the exception of Lucas and Knox and their kids.
“Really?” Vivi asks, perking up.
Jo quickly explains that her dad owns a charter company and one of the hubs is in San Diego, so we have the connection.
“Let me know the weekend, and I’ll see what strings I can pull,” she says. “How many people are going?”
Lexi starts counting everyone off on her fingers. Calypso, her three siblings, Grady, Blake, her husband Adrian, Lucas, Knox, and me. “Do you think Mia would want to go?”
I shrug. “She might.”
“Lord knows she needs a break,” Jo jokes.
“So eleven plus Mia, her husband, and Jo. Fourteen total?”
Lexi doesn’t mention her girlfriend, and no one else does either. It’s only a matter of time before it ends.
“Oh,” Jo says in surprise. “No, you don’t have to invite me.”
“Of course you’re invited,” Vivi insists. “Even if you weren’t our yacht connection, we’d want you there.”