Page 34 of A Way Out
Maria’s room was on the second floor. There was a king-sized bed and glass doors leading out to a deck that ran the length of the house. Rocking chairs sat in clusters out there, with side tables in between. Perfect for sipping morning coffee or decompressing at the end of the day.
Holly pointed at a closed door. “That’s the bathroom. You have to share it with whoever claims the bedroom on the other side.”
What were the odds? Maria strode over and pulled the door open. At almost the exact same moment, the door directly across from her opened, and Oz stood on the threshold.
At least he was dressed this time.
She slapped a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. He just shook his head.
“Do you want to freshen up before we go back downstairs?” Holly asked.
“Yes, give me a minute.” Maria stepped into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. “This feels sort of like destiny,” she whispered to Oz, still standing in the doorway to his bedroom.
“Not really. I chose this room deliberately. Figured you and I were already comfortable sharing a bathroom, and you don’t really know anyone else here, except your sister, who is staying in a suite at the end of the hall.”
“Oh. Um, well, thank you. That was considerate.”
He nodded and then backed into his bedroom, pulling the door closed behind him. She turned to the vanity and pressed her hands to the marble countertop, staring at her reflection in the mirror.
Her cheeks were hot, and her hair was still tussled from sleeping on the plane. If her lips were swollen, she’d resemble a woman who had recently been ravished.
If only.
Once she composed herself and ran a brush through her hair and powdered her nose, she returned to her bedroom, where Holly was helping Riley into a frilly white dress.
“Riley agreed to be my flower girl,” Holly announced. “And look, I guessed her size correctly.”
Indeed, she had. Riley was utterly adorable in the little girl’s version of a wedding dress.
“I also brought a dress for you,” Holly said, waving at the bed, where a champagne-colored satin dress lay. “I sort of hoped you’d agree to be my maid of honor.”
Maria’s gaze flew to her sister’s. “Are you serious?”
“Of course I am.” Holly flung her arms around her and pulled her into a tight hug. “I cannot tell you how happy it makes me that we are now friends.”
Maria would have agreed, but her throat was momentarily clogged. Probably with those tears that were also stinging her eyes. She sniffled and nodded, and Holly gave a shriek that nearly shattered Maria’s eardrums.
“Try it on,” Holly demanded.
Maria stripped out of her travel clothes and slipped the dress over her head. It was smooth against her skin, with a crisscross design over her chest, and hugged her curves in all the right ways.
“Wow,” she said, staring at herself in the full-length mirror attached to the back of the closet door.
“No kidding,” Holly said. “You’re going to one-up the bride.”
Maria snorted. “Not even close.”
“Okay, you’re right,” Holly said with a giggle. “Roxanne at the dress shop in Roma picked out all of our dresses, so you know my wedding dress is stunning.”
Before Maria could argue that it wasn’t the dress that would make Holly look stunning on her wedding day, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in,” Holly called.
Oz stepped into the room. His eyes went comically wide and his mouth fell open.
Holly snickered. “That dress definitely works for you.”
Maria felt her face heat. Again.
