Page 1 of Inked Beasts

LEXY

“Lexy?”

No one outside of my family has called me that in several years. I turn to see a tall, beautiful woman smiling at me. It takes me a moment to recognize the girl I once knew.

“Ava! Oh my gosh, how are you?”

“I can’t believe it’s you,” she says as we hug. “How long have you been back in Vegas?”

“I just got here a couple of days ago.” I gesture at the reception hall of the Golden Star Hotel, where the staff are scurrying about on last-minute tasks. “For my father’s wedding.”

“I thought it was you I saw at the ceremony! I’m here for the bride; Belinda’s an old family friend.”

Before I can respond, one of the staff interrupts me with a question about the wedding cake. I answer him and turn back to Ava with a smile, to find her staring at me. “Are you the wedding planner?” she asks.

I laugh. “Yeah, can you believe it?” We move aside as a team of decorators hurries past with mounds of flowers. My father has spared no expense for his second wedding, in stark contrast to when he married my mother, which I’m told was a no-frills event at the county clerk’s office.

My inner twelve-year-old is only a little bitter.

“It’s hard to picture you doing weddings.” Ava gives me big eyes. “I mean, we talked a lot right before you left, while—” she glances around and lowers her voice— “your parents’ marriage was imploding.”

“That is absolutely the right word. Here, have a seat.” I point to the nearest round table. “I have a few minutes before all the guests show up.”

“You swore you’d never get married. You were the ultimate cynic about relationships.” She glances around again and leans in to whisper, “And youhatedyour father back then.”

“I was really, really mad at him.” I shrug. “I was also a child. I understand a lot more now about what makes relationships work, and what makes them fail. My parents weren’t good together, but neither of them is a bad person.”

“Look at you, all mature and stuff.” Ava’s smile turns sly. “So, have you seen your boyfriends yet?”

I laugh again, even as my heart squeezes. “My friends who were boys? No, I haven’t.”

“You know all the other girls were jealous of you.”

“Really?” I shake my head. “It wasn’t like that.”

“They were the coolest boys around, and you had them all to yourself.”

“We all lived on the same street. We grew up together.” A pang of longing hits me so hard that for a moment, I can’t breathe. “They were my friends.”

My best friends. My soulmates.

And then I left them.

Guests start to trickle in, and I summon a smile for Ava. “That’s my cue; time to get busy. I’ll catch you later, okay?”

As I stand, a tall, blond, immaculately-dressed, perfectly-groomed man approaches. He looks around the reception hall and nods. “Not bad, given the space.”

I suppress a tiny spike of irritation. My boyfriend’s family owns a chain of upscale hotels, so of course Scott is critical of everyone else’s properties. “Yes, I did do a fantastic job, thank you.”

He smiles then. “No need to fish for compliments, Alexandra. You are our most sought-after wedding planner, after all. We’re well aware of your abilities.”

My inner twelve-year-old pipes up.Does he have to treat you like a commodity? You’re his girlfriend, not a pricey piece of software.

I tell her to pipe down. Grownup me has a much more nuanced view of the world and the people in it. Scott isn’t perfect, but he loves me, and I’m almost certain that before too long, I’ll be planning my own wedding.

I survey the room. The staff have carried out my instructions to the letter, and the space really does look lovely with all its white and gold, and touches of autumn elegance. I allow myself a moment of satisfaction as the guests begin to fill up the tables surrounding the dance floor. My dad and Belinda wanted everyone to mingle, so there’s no assigned seating.

A lot could still go wrong between now and when the happy couple leave for their weeklong trip to Bermuda: cold food, inebriated guests, the DJ not showing up … and where is the DJ? “Grab a seat,” I tell Scott. “I need to see to a few things.”

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