Page 39 of Falling for the Guy Next Door

“You’re right,” Isla said.

Aria put up a finger. “Hold that thought.” She motioned to the food.

We picked up our plates and glasses and headed out to the small front room to find our places on the sofa and on the floor sitting around the coffee table. Once we’d settled in and gotten comfortable, Isla took a sip of margarita—for fortification, it seemed. The suspense was killing us. Or maybe it was just me.

“Has something happened between you and Luke?” I blurted. I’d been working with her all week and hadn’t noticed a thing. I supposed I’d selfishly been too overwhelmed with my own problems.

“No, Luke is wonderful. We’ve never been happier. I still have to pinch myself occasionally to make sure this is all real. It’s not Luke at all, and I love Rachel and Hazel, but his parents—they’re so hard to like. Is that terrible to say?”

“Not at all,” Aria said. “And since they live eight hours away, you won’t have to see them much.”

“I know. It’s just that—you know—they’re his parents, and I’ll be marrying him knowing full well that his mother doesn’t approve of the match.”

“You know what?” I said confidently. “She might not approve of it right now, but once she gets to know you, our wonderful Isla, she’ll realize she was wrong and change her opinion.”

Isla laughed. “First of all, Margaret Greyson is never wrong, at least not in her own mind. And I don’t think she’ll ever learn to like me.” Isla gave herself a little shake. “You know what? My pity party is over. I’m marrying the most wonderful man in the world, and this wedding is going to be whatwewant. So, with that in mind—it looks like we’re going to have a small ceremony on the cove and”—Isla looked hopefully at Aria—“if the owner of the Whisper Cove Café approves, I thought it would be the perfect place for our reception.”

Aria’s eyes rounded with excitement. “Yes, of course, you can have your reception in the café. What about food? We don’t have much Mexican food on the menu.”

Isla smiled sweetly. “I’ve sort of been conspiring with a certain person about cooking up a feast for the reception.”

“So, you and Dex have been planning all this behind my back?” Aria tried to sound angry and insulted, but she was too excited about the prospect of hosting the reception. “Well then, I guess that settles it. Whisper Cove Café is officially the reception destination.”

I clapped first, and everyone else followed. I lifted my glass for a toast. “To Nonna, the wedding guest who’ll be there in spirit.”

“To Nonna!” we cheered. We sipped our drinks and paused the conversation to taste some of the delicious food.

Ella nodded. “Hmm, much tastier than baby pigeon.”

We all laughed and then the conversation turned away from the wedding and more toward everyday topics. I badly wanted to mention my new possible relationship with our handsome neighbor, but I decided it was best to keep it under wraps for now. After all, it could very well end up going nowhere. That thought dampened my spirits, which, in turn, made me worry that I was already heading toward heartbreak, and we hadn’t even started yet.

Ella thought she was being discreet when she leaned closer to me for her question. “Any more roses?”

My sister, Aria, had the hearing of a jackrabbit. “Roses? Who got roses?”

All focus turned to me. I shot Ella a glare. She shrugged and smiled briefly in response. “Uh, it wasn’t roses. It was a rose, a single stem. Someone left it on my bicycle seat when the bike was parked outside the cottage.”

Curious looks instantly turned to concern. “Was it Dustin?” Isla asked.

“I’m not positive, but I think so. I think it was his last-ditch effort to get back together.”

Ava put down her glass. “Are you considering that?”

I gave a fervent shake of my head. “Gosh no, never in a million years.”

“Maybe we need to send Dex to talk to him,” Aria said.

“No, please.” I shot another scowl at Ella for starting this topic. “I would never bother Dex with something so trivial, and frankly, I don’t think it’s fair that we expect him to always be the—” I paused, and as usual Ella filled in the gap.

“Henchman?” Ella asked.

I looked at her. “Really? That’s a word?” I waved my hand toward her. “What she said. It’s not fair to Dex. I love that he’s so protective over all of us, but this is something I can handle myself. Dustin was just more heartbroken than I expected after such a short time together. And with that—topic switch. I need to hear what’s happening in everyone’s relationship since I’m the sister on the outer edge of true love’s bliss.”

Everyone looked at each other to see who might start or have something interesting but not too personal to tell.

“Rhett told me he loved me,” Ella blurted awkwardly. She quickly picked up a chip and shoved it in her mouth, so she wouldn’t have to expand.

“Oh my gosh, El, that’s wonderful,” Isla said. “The important thing is—how did you react?”

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