Page 12 of Bound to You

“I just need a little something extra…” My eyes survey the space around us and catch on the white ribbon that was tied around the neck of the wine bottle we’ve finished. Perfect. I grab the discarded fabric and move over to the mirror. I pull half of my hair up out of my face and fasten it with the white ribbon. There.

Marina sighs. “You lookamazing, Isla. Both of you do,” she nods to May. “Everyone’s attention will be on you two all night—the mysterious and sexy newcomers.” She waggles her brows in a way that reminds me of May. I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot of Marina while we are here.

May throws her shoes off the edge of the bed and flips onto her stomach, kicking her feet around behind her. “So what should we expect tonight, exactly?”

“It’s pretty laid back compared to some of the other stuff hosted here. It’s still in the ballroom though, and Caio gets the place done up?—“

“Wait, there’s a ballroom here?” May’s eyes widen.

Marina laughs. “Yeah, Caio hosts this thing every year so that all the local business owners can get together to have some laughs and catch up, so it’ll be a perfect opportunity for you guysto meet everyone. It’s almost like the Christmas party for the town, but in the middle of the year.”

“Oh good!” May grabs my hands, getting her serious face on as she looks me in the eye. “You need this. With everything that’s been going on back at home, you’ve been buried under a shit pile of negativity. It’s time for you to emerge out from under there and let go for once. Think of it as your coming-out party introducing you back into society.”

“It’s not like I’d been kidnapped by a cult and was living in a bunker, completely separated from society.” I laugh at her enthusiasm.

Now it’s her turn to roll her eyes at me. “I mean, with the way that Brandon treated you sometimes, some might say that’s not so far from the truth.”

I narrow my eyes at her.

“You know what I mean.” She throws her hands up.

I do know what she means, but now isn’t the time to talk about my shitty ex.

Eager to change the subject, I turn my focus back to our new friend, and we hang around the room for a while learning all that we can about Marina and Ruby Cove. We somehow manage to sink the rest of the rosé while making the finishing touches to our makeup.

Marina swapped her relaxed fit for a black bodycon dress with a V neck and mesh cutouts. She looks like a Victoria’s Secret model with her hair down and bound into tight curls.

May pops her mascara wand out of the tube. “Oh, Isla, did you hear us talking about the bar earlier? Marina is short staffed, so she could use a few extra sets of hands around the place…” Her eyebrows quirk up in question at me through the mirror.

“Wait, really?” Now that we can’t stay with Miles, we’re going to need to find work to pay our way for the summer.

Marina smiles. “You know how to work a tray without spilling drinks over my regulars?” I nod. May and I did a six-month stint at a dive bar just outside of campus for some extra cash in our final year of college. It was nasty, but it was our place.

“Then the job is yours if you want it.”

Perfect.

“When can we start?”

chapter five

ISLA

As we walkthrough the lobby, impeccably dressed people filter through the front doors one after another. There’s already more people here than I had anticipated, and we haven’t even made it to the ballroom yet. I let out a nervous breath as we head down the hallway in the direction of the music and chatter.

Why did I agree to this again?

I shake out my hands as we reach the door and Marina talks to the bouncer.

May grabs one of my hands. “You ready?” She smiles at me. Despite the nerves, I can’t help but smile back at my best friend. This morning it looked like we might be spending the night on a park bench, not in a five-star hotel dressed in six-inch heels and walking into a ballroom.

I let out a breath. “Ready.”

The crowd in front of us parts as we enter the room.

“Wow,” May breathes from beside me as we gaze around the enormous space. It looks like most of the town must be here, with groups of people dressed up in glitz and glamor surrounding the cocktail tables dotted around the room. Glassjars sit in the center of each table with tea lights inside, illuminating the spirited conversations around the table.

“I thought you said this was low key.” I pin Marina with a look.

---