Page 114 of The Accidental Honeymoon

"She’s beautiful." I mean it, too. "About Gonzo… he’s found his forever home on a farm with a great family. Aaaand I offered to pay for his expenses for a year."

“Oh god. That could be a lot of money.” He smiles as he shakes his head.

I grab his hand and flutter my eyelashes. “It’s a good thing the bakery is doing well.”

“And your husband is a very successful businessman.” He cups my cheek, kisses me gently, then draws my attention back to the kitten. “So? What do you say?”

“I say YES!” I announce. I squeal and throw my arms around his neck. “Let’s do it, Bird.”

“You got it, Lily.” He picks me up and twirls me around.

“Gah, get a room, you two,” Wren mutters as she walks by. “You’re embarrassing the family.”

I crack up as Jay picks up the carrier with sweet, baby Pocket. We walk over to Ellie, announcing our new family member.

“Look who’s coming home with us!” Jay says.

Pocket stretches her paw out, batting at my hand through the carrier door. I open the door and pull her out, laying her against my chest. She looks at me with eyes that are so big they should be illegal.

“Miaow?” she trills.

“I can see who has all the power in this relationship from the start,” I coo. “Isn’t that right, my little Hot Pocket?”

Pocket settles against me and starts purring. Jay puts his arm around my waist and nuzzles my cheek. I realize that I’ve never felt quite so content as I do in this moment, right here on the sidewalk in the middle of the town square.

forty-two

WREN

“Okay,everyone. These are all good ideas for the shoot next month.” Marcus White, the director of the new reality show, Heartbreak Island, sits back in his chair and peers down the long conference table. “Mostly, I just wanted everyone to meet and mingle. Get to know each other before we fly to a tiny island and film for six weeks. We’ll all be on top of each other there. To avoid tension, I’d like you to pair off into same sex room assignments. This is not summer camp, so you can pick whoever you’d like. Anyone who doesn’t pick will get randomly assigned a roommate.”

“Elena?” He looks to his left at Elena Pérez, the show’s head executive producer. “Is there anything you’d like to add?”

“No. You have done a wonderful job of that, Marcus.” Elena speaks with a strong Spanish accent, so when she says his name it sounds like Marc-yus. She stands up, her bright yellow power suit doing all the talking for her, and spreads her hands wide. “I really look forward to working with youall. Make sure you get some rest so that you can be at the top of your game when we touch down in the Bahamas.”

She’s so confident and cool. She announces what she thinks. The best part? She is very powerful, so when she talks, peoplelisten.

God, I so want to be her when I grow up.I look down at my baggy, retro Killers T-shirt and worn-out checkered Vans. I have a long way to go.

The meeting breaks up, everyone talking amongst themselves. There are a handful of young producers like myself, both guys and girls, that seem to be deciding who will sleep where. A lot of the older producers, sound engineers, and camera crew are walking out of the conference room already.

They have been on a set before. Likely, they’re working with the same people as they have on previous shoots. Rooming with one of them is… unlikely. I swallow.

A little bit of my brother Jay’s gregariousness would go a long way about now. But he got all the charm and outgoing-ness. I’m much shyer and more introverted. One of my friends described me once as “looking like I’m perpetually on the way to the library”. I feel like that’s apt.

The library is, in fact, one of my favorite places to be. What’s not my favorite? Being here, right now, staring awkwardly at the young producers as they chat.

Say something. Anything.

Yeah, no. I pick up the packet of paper that was distributed during the meeting and flee the room.

As I’m leaving, a young woman with fiery orange hair, black leggings, and an oversized Echo and the Bunnymen T-shirt raises a pierced eyebrow at me.

“…bye?”

I stop at the door, flushing, and give her an awkward wave. “Uh, bye.”

She stares at me for a few more seconds then turns back to her conversation. “What was I saying?”

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