“God, Bree--do you have any idea what time it is?”
Christy’s voice sounded in her ear, and even though she was annoyed, Bree was just happy she’d answered. At a time like this, when she needed to talk to someone who knew the background and was capable of saying the things she needed to hear, Christy was her go-to girl and had been ever since high school.
Dozens of hunky, shirtless guys on the beach, and all Bree could think about was one of them--the one she couldn’t have. The night before on the phone, Christy had asked if Matt and Dwayne were still hot. Now, seeing them in swimming trunks with the early light of morning illuminating a thin layer of sweat that dampened every rippling muscle, the answer was a resounding, “Yes!” Hank looked good, too, though it was apparent from his bloodshot eyes that he had gone back to his room to drink a little after he’d dropped her off the night before. Some of the cousins had come to play, too, and a few of them were also pretty good looking, not to mention all of the other random dudes out on the beach jogging, playing frisbee, walking through the surf. Yeah, a few
A long run on the beach at dawn hadn’t been enough for Trent to escape the uneasy feeling he had inside. After Monica had broken up the dance he shared with Bree at the club the night before, he’d laid awake most of the night thinking about her. He knew the fact that she’d wrapped her arms around his neck to dance had been partially the alcohol and partially Bree’s innocence. She certainly hadn’t meant to offend Monica, but that was easy to do, and once his fiancée was up in arms about something, it was difficult to get her to let it go. She’d been talking about Bree for the rest of the night.
The ocean waves rolled beneath the boat as Bree looked out the window at the setting sun. Normally, a dinner cruise would seem like a relaxing, romantic event. This evening, sitting in a dining room with the wedding party, romantic was the last word she would’ve used to describe it.Dinner was delicious. The lobster was buttery, the crab cakes flaky, and the wine was flowing. She sat with some of Trent’s family, aunts and uncles, a cousin, no one she’d met before. All of them had arrived earlier that day. The rest of them spent a great deal of time t
Trent found a quiet spot out on the boat deck. Like everything else, it had been Monica’s idea to take an evening boat ride for dinner. The sunset was beautiful, and the water was calm and serene, but Trent didn’t feel peace as he looked out at the horizon. He felt like a tempest was brewing under the surface, and he wasn’t sure how to put his finger on exactly why he was feeling that way.He wanted to ignore the tickle in the back of his brain that said it was Bree. He thought he’d moved on from her years ago, that he’d convinced himself
Despite her promise to Hank, Bree couldn’t stomach attending the breakfast Monica had organized Thursday morning. Instead, she was back on the beach. She had a lot to think about. Tomorrow night was the rehearsal, and then on Saturday, at 2:00, Trent would be a married man--unless Bree could figure out a way to speak the truth about how she felt about him in a way that made him realize he would rather be with her than Monica.He still had feelings for her. Not only could Bree see it in his eyes, she could see it in Monica’s. If Trent didn’t like her
Thursday evening was the lobster boil on the beach. Normally, Bree would be excited to attend, but under the circumstances, she didn’t want to go. Sure, it might be fun to eat lobster and corn on the cob, amongst other things, beneath the moon and stars and listen to the waves lap against the shore. But Hank’s words had played over and over again in her mind all day, so by the time she was supposed to be heading to the beach, she was sitting on the couch in her room instead, staring out the window at the descending sun, wondering what she should do.Her ph
“Play a song!” Monica insisted, sitting on a bench set back from the fire. After dinner, everyone had played on the beach until the sun went down, and now the wedding party was roasting marshmallows. It was a warm evening, so the fire was low, and the benches were nowhere close enough for the sticks to reach, so anyone who wanted a treat had to stand and approach the flames. Bree was content to eat the sugary snacks without warming them first.“Do you know ‘Unchained Melody’?” Monica asked as Bree considered whether or not to make a
It took a while for Bree to break free of playing the guitar. When Dwayne asked if he could play something, she gladly handed the instrument over. It seemed to her that he likely wanted her to sit next to him and sing along, but she made an excuse about stretching her legs and headed out after Hank.She found him sitting by the cluster of rocks he’d found her at a few times already that week. He had a beer in his hand--and he was crying.