Chapter 6
Lilah
“You did what?!”
Tessa’s screech draws the attention of nearly the entire ferry. I shush my best friend, my cheeks flushing hot.
“It was unexpected, to say the least.”
Tessa just stares at me. Her matcha from the stand at the Seattle Ferry Terminal is rapidly cooling—something she considers a mortal sin—but she’s frozen.
“Did I break you, Tess?”
She shakes herself, as though physically rebooting her brain.
“So all that happened.” She waves a hand, giving me a pointed look. “Then you just…disappeared into the ether?”
Sighing, I nod. It hadn’t felt the best, stealing away from Julian’s bed in the morning. I’d woken before him and knew if I lingered I wouldn’t be able to stay true to the one-night promise. He hadn’t seemed torn up about it when I’d set the boundary, so I figured I was doing us both a favor.
Not like he doesn’t have plenty of options.
Still, I’d found myself thinking of our whirlwind night together more frequently than was admittedly healthy in the last few weeks since it happened.
“Did you leave your number?” Tess presses.
“No.”
She narrows her eyes.
“We said just one night, Tess!” I throw my hands up. “I was sticking to the deal. I thought you’d be proud of me.”
“Fuck the deal!” she cries. “Deals go out the window when the sex is that good!”
“Oh my god, woman, hush!” I hiss, flapping my hand in front of her mouth. “There’s a reason I’m telling you before we catch up with the rest of the group. I have no desire to be the ‘project friend’ this weekend.”
I bracket the phrase in air quotes, raising one eyebrow for emphasis.
Tess rolls her eyes. “We mean well when we meddle.”
“Oh, I know.” I chuckle ruefully and shake my head, my eyes wandering to the view out the ferry window. “Doesn’t mean I want to be the latest victim.”
Tess scoffs. “Fine. I’m glad you told me. But what took you so long to spill?!”
She reaches across the table and shoves on my shoulder. I laugh, holding my oat milk latte out of the line of fire.
“I don’t know.” My voice trails off in a little whine, much to my horror. “I was processing, I guess. It was a lot.”
The experience and the feelings. Stupid, stupid feelings.
“I mean, yeah. It was bound to be when you’d bottled it up for that long.” Tess’s eyes pop wide. “I don’t know how you managed to hold out until now.”
“Just blame the crippling anxiety and massive professional ambition,” I deadpan.
She blows a raspberry at me and waves a hand dismissively. “Dime a dozen, girly pop. There’s no requirement to be celibate through all that.”
While she has a point, we both know one-night stands aren’t my usual MO.
If anything, she’s been the one encouraging me to take a chance and give casual a try, if only in an attempt to start letting all my past hangups go.
It’s taken me far longer than I hoped to feel like I’m actually beginning to heal from everything my ex put me through.
Of course, she follows my train of thought without prompting.
“He doesn’t have any power over you anymore, Lilah. You know that, right?” Tessa’s eyes bore into me, straight to my soul.
I smile, gripping the hand she’s offered across the table in thanks. After a final squeeze, Tessa nods.
“Fine. We won’t speak of it, even though I’m pretty sure the girls are gonna kill me when they inevitably find out.”
Touché.
“Now!” she barks, making me jump. “On to the mindless child-free festivities. I can’t believe we’re finally doing this little getaway.”
She rubs her hands together dramatically before picking up her matcha in glee.
I can’t tell if she’s in one of her evil genius moods or just excited. Probably both…yay, me!
As a single mom and recent divorcée, my incredibly talented and compassionate friend rightfully relishes every rare opportunity to just be a human.
“And at Island Brothers, no less! How did Nisha even swing that?”
I sip my latte, still impressed that our resident “it girl” managed to pull it off.
Tessa shrugs. “She’s got all those wild connections. Chick knows everyone.”
She really does. The winery we were headed to for our weekend getaway was booked out for over six months the last time we checked.
Yet somehow, Nisha was able to snag a booking for their last four-person villa a few months ago.
The dates worked for everyone, and here we were, on a ferry to one of the Salish Sea’s many islands for a long weekend of wine and relaxation… if the brochures were to be believed.
“You think it’s really going to be as nice as they say?”
Tess purses her lips and looks up to the side. “I’m always skeptical when anyone raves about something, but their reviews are pretty consistent. And apparently the brothers are super hot, so. At least we’ll have eye candy if they’re around.”
I laugh. “I thought you were in your anti-men era?”
“I still have eyes, Delilah!”
After meeting up with Nisha, Mallory, and Nisha’s fancy hired car at the island ferry terminal, and a quick fifteen-minute drive through the coastal rainforest, we arrive at Island Brothers Winery.
It’s an exclusive, private venue with just ten villas of various sizes nestled among the grapes.
At the center of the property is the communal space with two restaurants, the tasting room, a reception hall for larger events, and a group of insanely bougie boutiques.
Nisha’s going to burn through daddy’s plastic in no time out here.
We arrived a bit early for check in, so the bellhop took our bags and the concierge gave us our keys but asked us to come back in an hour to be escorted to our villa.
“See you in a bit!” The concierge, Madi, smiles brightly as we turn away from reception with our keys.
They’re real keys, actual metal with teeth. They look like antiques with burnished corners and heft to them, like they’ve been around for decades. Yet I know this place has only been open to visitors for the last few years.
“I can’t believe they just gave us these, even though the room’s not ready.” I turn the brass in my hand, my thumb stroking over the burgundy velvet ribbon around the bow.
Nisha makes a dismissive sound. “The villa is across the property and only accessible via one of their free golf cart shuttles. It would be hell to try and get out there without them.”
Makes sense, I guess.
“I can’t remember the last time I got a physical key somewhere,” Mallory trills. She holds the key up, examining it from all angles. “So quaint!”
“It’s smart marketing,” Nisha says in her matter-of-fact way. “Memorable and totally fits their whole unplug-and-be-present vibe. I’m into it.”
I kind of agree with her. Anything that reminds me of the here and now is a win in my book.
Being present was one of the reasons I left consulting.
It’s hard not to be in the moment when you’re surrounded by dogs, cats, birds, and whatever other creature needs caring for all day.
Animals don’t let you live in the past or the future, they always keep you grounded.
Sometimes in the most chaotic ways.
“We should hit the tasting room while we wait for our villa!” Mallory points toward the entrance across the lobby. “She said there’s usually a line this time of day, but I don’t see one.”
“Let’s get this party started!” Tessa throws a hand up in the air, leading the way across the marbled lobby.
This place really is exquisite. I’d expected something a bit rustic, like many of the casinos and resorts I’ve visited on the Kitsap Peninsula and in the islands.
Island Brothers is anything but. It’s modern without being unfeeling, elegant yet understated.
The sweeping vaulted ceiling is offset by huge wooden beams with black brackets, the juxtaposition of the raw wood and smooth marble oddly comforting.
As we reach the tasting room, there’s no line but the room itself is nearly full to bursting.
There’s one open table in the far corner that just so happens to be a four-top.
Nisha leads us over to it, striding through the crowd in her bright coral maxi dress like she owns the place.
Tess snags my hand and yanks me after her as we hurry after her, quite familiar with my tendency to lallygag and get left behind.
“This is perfect!” Nisha declares as she sweeps around the far end of the table and gestures for us all to sit. “I’ll go get us some flights.”
As we arrange ourselves around the table, she floats away with an airy wave.
“She’s going to do that all weekend, isn’t she?” Tess asks, her eyes trailing after Nisha.
Mallory giggles, bright and full, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder. “Of course she is! We’re on her turf here, anyway.” She leans in conspiratorially. “She knows one of the brothers.”
My eyebrows climb. “One of the Island Brothers?”
Mallory nods eagerly. “The very same. Met him on the set of some commercial a few months ago.”
“Is that how she got this booking?” Tess asks.
“I have no idea.” Mallory shrugs, then leans in with a salacious eyebrow waggle. “But she hasn’t shut up about Theo since she met him.”
Before we can ask any more questions, Nisha sweeps back up to the table. She’s wearing a wide smile, her dark brown eyes sparking.
“They’re all here this weekend!” she announces as she slips gracefully into her seat.
Mallory claps. “All of them?”
“The brothers?” Tess pipes up, glancing my way before turning to Nisha. “Is there a secret mission this weekend we’re unaware of?”
Nisha laughs. “No secret mission. I just met Theo a few months ago and am…eager for the chance to get to know him better.”
She shrugs delicately and fiddles with her phone.
“And he’s here this weekend?” Tessa’s like a shark in the water now, zeroing in on her prey.
Whether she’s out for Nisha or her mission is yet to be seen.
Nisha nods. “I didn’t see him at the counter, but his brother was there. He mentioned Theo would bring our flights when they’re ready.”
Mallory cranes her neck to try and see around the dozens of people between us and the tasting bar along the far wall.
“Is that the brother? The tall one with the hair?”
“Descriptive,” Tessa mutters, making me snort.
Nisha turns and looks, nodding once. “Yes. That’s him. He’s lovely, he introduced himself and welcomed us all to the winery.”
She smiles. “His name’s Julian.”