Page 42 of Always a Roommate
“We can just be there for him.”
She nodded. “And in the meantime, I’m going to make us all tea. Want some?”
I stepped back. “I think I’ll go hide from everyone in my room.”
“Smart boy,” she said with a smile.
I managed to get to my room without notice, I hoped, and when I shut the door, I leaned against it, wondering when this got so hard.
Oh, right, I thought. When some idiot decided to kiss his roommate.
17
RAE
Gulf City got lucky. I guessed the few people who faced damage to their homes and businesses probably didn’t agree, but for a town sitting precariously near the water, the destruction was pretty minimal.
A row of offices that sat like little cottages on the edge of the water had lost their roofs entirely. I knew one office belonged to a psychiatrist. I didn’t know of the others.
There was flooding down many of the side roads, yet it only invaded a handful of houses. If that kind of flooding happened anywhere other than Florida, there might have been a lot worse repercussions simply because of basements. Most houses in Florida didn’t have basements. The water table was too high.
My house, my little oasis so near the beach, was missing some roof tiles I’d found broken on the lawn, and the foliage had been stripped bare of all greenery.
All in all, we were able to return to normal life rather quickly. Even if I would never forget that night.
Normal life for me meant planning the biggest wedding of my career. The one that would put me in all the magazines, on the news. If I did this right, I’d have all sorts of clients picking up the phone.
I had to get it right.
Which is why I let Finley do the whole starstruck thing when meeting Lola’s bridesmaids, and I’d kept my professional demeanor. She could squeal for both of us and get their autographs.
What had to matter to me were their dress sizes, not their signatures. They already had bridesmaid dresses arranged from the previous wedding planner, but upon her firing, she’d called to cancel the final order. So, two of the women had matching dresses and the last one did not.
That wouldn’t do.
It was a good thing Gulf City was a small town. If I lived in a bigger city, I’d be just another wedding planner waiting in line. But here, people wanted to help others.
There was also the fact that everyone in Gulf City knew this wedding was putting us in the spotlight, and we’d make sure we looked darn good.
I smiled at Mrs. Branson, owner of the Gulf City Brides wedding boutique. “You are my savior.”
She clucked her tongue, her eyes narrowed. “You save that for church, missy.” She scanned the measurements and the details for the exact dresses the girls had picked out. “I’ll get started on these right away. Don’t you worry, dear. Gulf City won’t let you down.”
This was why I loved this town. It loved me back. I shared a smile with the older woman as I hiked my purse higher on my shoulder. “Thank you again.”
“Lola Ramirez is going to be wearing my dress. No thanks needed.”
I thought about what she said as I walked down the street toward the bakery. Lola and Drew were the local kids who made good. Even the people who knew them spoke with a kind of awe. They weren’t just beloved, they were loved.
I was about to push into the bakery when movement across the street caught my eye. A teenage kid walked down the road with a ragged-looking brown mutt at his side.
I recognized him instantly. My meeting with Mariana to finalize the cake details could wait. I jogged across the road.
“Trevor!”
The kid stopped but didn’t turn. I could imagine the thought process in his mind. Should he let the crazy lady calling his name catch him?
It was the middle of a school day, so he shouldn’t be here anyway. “Trevor, wait.”
