Page 12 of Searching for Sunshine

“Yeah, I mean, have the two of you stayed in touch? How did you even find out about all of this?” Everett asks.

“No, I haven’t seen her in years either. But when I was walking over here, I ran into her. I could tell she was upset, and once we started talking she told me everything. So I just suggested we get married.”

My brothers and best friend all stare at me again, before Everett asks, “Wait, wait, wait. So not only are you getting married, but it was your idea?”

“Uh, yeah…” I answer, hoping they’ll let this go but knowing that’s pretty unlikely. The three of them are my best friends in the world and I can appreciate why they’re worried about such a big announcement out of the blue, but I’m not in the mood to spend the rest of the night defending my decisions. And to be honest, I’m still not really sure why I offered to go through with all of this, but seeing Stella reminded me of everything my grandmother did for my brothers and me—andI know that this is something Betty and my grandmother, Meredith, would have wanted. Plus, if I’m being truthful with myself, I always liked Stella, and I couldn’t stand to keep seeing her as upset as she was earlier tonight when I knew I could fix it.

“So you saw this girl for the first time in ten years and immediately offered to marry her and move in with her? The same guy who hasn’t been on a date in over a year?” Trent asks incredulously.

“Yeah, I mean I know you’re trying to help her out, and I think that’s great. But you’re also pretty much the least spontaneous person I’ve ever met,” Bennett says, and I have to admit he’s right. “Are you sure this is something you want to do?”

“Yeah, I’m sure. Listen, I’m not trying to make light of the situation, but it doesn’t have to be a big deal. We spend the year married as friends, and then as soon as the year’s over we get a divorce and she keeps the Hideaway,” I tell them, taking a sip of my beer.

“Okay, that’s your decision. And I always liked Stella. I think we’re just surprised,” Everett says, and the others nod in agreement.

“Yeah, it’s safe to say that none of this was really on my bingo card for the year either,” I mutter under my breath and all three of them chuckle before I continue. “But I promise I’m good. I think this’ll be good for all of us.”

“Okay, well, if you’re happy, we’re happy,” Bennett tells me.

“Good, because I'm going to need a favor or two from y’all to make this work.”

All three of them look at me, waiting for me to elaborate. “Yeah, man, whatever you need, we’ll make it happen,” Trent says, and I don’t miss the uncertainty in his voice.

“Cool. In that case, I’ll let y’all flip a coin to decide which one of you is getting ordained online to marry us. Oh, and we’ll probably need help getting moved into the Hideaway later this week too.”

“Damn, I hate moving shit,” Bennett says then adds, “but sure. Between all of us, I’m sure it won’t take us too long to get it knocked out.”

“God, you were right earlier. The people of Crestbrook are going to lose their shit when they hear about this,” Everett says, and I groan at the reminder.

“Shit, I’m not looking forward to that. I just wish everyone in this damn town would mind their own business,” I mutter. I’m already imagining Miss Agatha, the town's busybody, tracking me down for all the details as soon as the news starts to spread. I love Crestbrook, but despite living here my whole life, I still don’t think I’ll ever be used to how fast gossip spreads around this place.

“Yeah, right. We all know better than that. You’ll be lucky if you make it through this dinner before Miss Agatha has a marriage announcement onThe Cove Column’s social media page,” Trent teases.The Cove Columnis the local newspaper that Miss Agatha runs, but she likes to drop some other town gossip on slow news days on the social media pages.

“You know, for being in her seventies, she’s incredibly tech-savvy,” Bennett muses.

“Okay, enough about weddings and Miss Agatha. Can we talk about something else now?” I ask, shifting my attention to Everett. “Also, can I get a burger or something? I’m fucking starving.”

“I put your usual in the computer when I grabbed your beer. It should be ready in a few minutes. Trent and Bennett already ate since you took forever to show up.”

“Thanks,” I mumble, tipping up my bottle for another sip of my beer.

“So, Wyatt, Trent said that you’ve been having problems out on theFin and Tonic. Do you think she’s good to go now?” Bennett asks.

“Yeah, I hope she’s good to go for a little while because I sure as shit don’t have the extra cash to fix anything major,” I admit as I pull my phone out of my pocket.

“Sure, now you decide to check the damn phone,” Trent mumbles. I flip him off in response before turning my attention back to my cell. I have a text from an unknown number, and it takes me a moment to realize it’s from Stella.

Stella: Hey, it’s Stella. I realized when I got home I never gave you my cell number. Just wanted you to have it in case you come to your senses and realize this plan is probably a terrible idea. Either way, thank you for taking care of me today.

Wyatt: Hey, Stella. I have no intention of changing my mind, but I’m glad you texted. And no worries. Did you make it home okay?

Stella: Yeah, I’m home now. About to start packing our apartment. Another plot twist— my best friend is going to move down to Crestbrook too. She’ll be living in the hotel for a little while.

Wyatt: Oh, that works out. I’ve already got a moving crew ready to help y’all when you get here.

Stella: Look at you swooping in and saving the day again. I guess that’s the theme of the day, huh?

Wyatt: No problem.

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