Page 59 of Rum Sips and Salty Lips

“Right, congratulations, Haley.” I turn to her.

She waves me off. “Really, no one needed to make a big deal of this.”

The other women launch into a clearly repeated argument of how awesome she is. I flag a server to get a drink.

“You should try the Southern Captain Potion,” Carina says.

“The what?” I ask.

“It’s the special for the night,” Sienna says. “I’m pretty sure Alex uses a random name generator.”

The name is nonsense. The server lists the ingredients and I pass, opting for what has become my usual.

I shouldn’t be annoyed, but I am. I don’t understand how Carina will let me into her body but won’t share anything else with me. Not this party and not that her friend is visiting. I know how much work she does for her business. These side projects must be killing her. When does she get to rest?

She must be barely holding herself together.

“How long are you in town?” I ask Sienna. After my sister’s wedding I know better than to ask a bride about wedding planning. If she wants to talk about it, I’ll give her the opportunity and smile along with everything she says. If it’s a source of stress for her, then I don’t want to bring it up and kill the mood.

“I leave Sunday night to be back at the university on Monday morning,” she answers. “Any chance you have time for a boat trip?” Carina elbows her. “What? He’s coming to my wedding. I can ask him for a sail.”

“I’m fully booked,” I say. “If I had known in advance you were coming…” I give Carina a bit of side-eye. I shouldn’t be so pleased that I did come up in conversation with Sienna, since Carina had been adamant I wasn’t worth bothering her.

Sienna laughs. “Carina barely told me I was coming for this. She’s the absolute best person at keeping secrets.”

I notice the blush across her cheeks. Do her friends notice it? Do they think it’s the alcohol?

“We don’t really have time,” Haley says. “We’ve almost scheduled every minute of the next three days.”

“We’ll be inseparable,” Carina says. “Oh! We should have a sleepover at my place! Like in college.”

“Yes! It’ll be fun!” Haley agrees.

Sienna grimaces. “As fun as that sounds, I haven’t slept in the same bed as my fiancé in weeks.”

I look around the bar for Beckett. He’s in a corner booth sharing a scorpion bowl with people I don’t know. He looks like he’s trying to drink the whole punch himself. I can’t tell if him giving Sienna space with her girlfriends is noble of him or if he’s wasting his chance to be with his fiancée. If I’m ever able to convince Carina to be with me, I’ll need to be pried away from her side with a crowbar.

“We’ll do it the week before the wedding,” Carina suggests. “One last girls’ night.”

I wonder if she has feelings about her friend getting married and her perpetual single status. She’s always insisted she’s not concerned about finding someone to date. But everything she says is filled with layers of the lies she tells herself.

“Are you taking him suit shopping?” Sienna asks, nodding toward me.

I could be intruding on friend time. Maybe I should have said hi and congratulations and moved on. But they’ve made space for me around the high top and the server has dropped off my raspberry and rum cocktail.

“No,” Carina says. “He claims to have a bespoke suit that can be worn on the beach.”

Sienna and Haley look me up and down.

I answer their unspoken question. “I never know when I have to fit in with rich people.”

“Interesting,” Sienna states. “So have you two been hanging out a lot?”

I’m saved from whatever explanation of half-truths Carina wants to tell by Christian clapping me on the back. He pulls me away to introduce me to some other locals. I expect the conversation to turn to boats since that’s what it usually isaround me. People asking if they can come out on my sailboat or wanting to compare boats. As if the size of one’s boat is some sign of the size of one’s masculinity.

I’ve put that toxicity behind me. I’m more than happy to discuss the mechanics of sailing or destinations with someone who is interested. Usually in these situations, people only want something from me. I didn’t mind Sienna asking. She’s one of Carina’s best friends. And since I’d do almost anything for Carina, I’ll take her friends out for a sail if it will make her happy.

The conversation touches on boats for a second before turning to rum. According to Christian, I have a refined palate and can tell these guys exactly what is wrong with their opinions. A fair amount of pirate jokes are tossed in, and Christian gives me a side-eye. I get the feeling he doesn’t like these guys any more than I do, and only brought me over so he didn’t have to talk to them by himself while they complain about a whiskey brand they think is too politically active. He ends the conversation by informing them he’s friends with the owner.

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