Page 70 of Always a Roommate
But I couldn’t get what she’d said out of my mind.
Once we finished going through the ceremony, I sat at the long table, letting others take their time. The Club was providing an extravagant lunch, but no plates had come out yet.
The chair beside me screeched as it was pulled back. “You don’t look like someone who has just successfully corralled these boys.” It was Lola, and I instantly felt guilty. A wedding planner’s job was to make sure this was the most exciting time of a bride’s life. She shouldn’t be worrying about me.
“It’s nothing.”
“Hm.” She pursed her lips. “My momma used to have a Spanish phrase she’d say to me, but I don’t remember it exactly. It was something like ‘it’s not nothing if it’s something you feel.’”
“And if you don’t feel anything?”
“That’s not possible. Even being numb to an event is feeling something. There’s somewhere else you’d rather be, isn’t there?”
I sighed. “Am I that obvious?”
“Well, I saw you looking down the beach earlier. And you sort of sped through the rehearsal.”
I gasped. “Oh no, I didn’t realize, I’m so sorry.”
She waved a hand. “It’s stupid anyway. I’m guessing wherever you want to be isn’t stupid.”
Shaking my head, I looked at the beach again. “A friend’s business was damaged during the hurricane. People are coming together today to help him.”
Lola jumped from her chair. “Then, what are you doing here?”
I looked up at her. “My job.”
“Oh, forget the job. Is there a guy too? Please tell me there’s a guy.”
I couldn’t keep the smile from my lips, even though I hadn’t talked to Shane in days. “He’ll be there.”
She bit her lip, considering the table and those surrounding it for a moment. Her thoughts were interrupted by a line of waiters walking out with platters of food. Lola’s eyes sparked, and she turned to them.
“Change of plans,” she said. “Box up the food. We’re taking this meal on the road.”
Confused murmuring spread through the group before Drew popped out from between two people. “Are we going on an adventure?”
Lola laughed. “Yeah, babe. Just don’t get lost.”
I couldn’t quite comprehend what was happening, but before I knew it, I’d led a gang of rock stars from the private, secluded Beach Club area of the beach across the sand to a group of people who had no idea what was coming for them.
28
SHANE
I looked around at all the people here to help Tanner and smiled, my first real smile in days. I knew I’d made the right decision, even if I basically had to twist Tanner’s arm and force him to do this.
“You’ve done good, brother.” Finley bumped her shoulder against mine.
I shrugged. “It wasn’t anything you guys wouldn’t have done if you could. Plus, I’m not the only one who took the day off work for this.”
I glanced up at Tanner and Johnny, who were on the roof with Johnny’s roommate, Aidan, and his roofer father, fixing the issues up there. Inside the Hut, my mom was directing people in sanitizing and cleaning. That would take a while.
My dad and Rae’s dad stood with a window guy we’d hired, measuring the opening for a new window we’d have to order. Mariana had closed up shop and was here with her one employee.
Trevor had skipped school, something I couldn’t officially be okay with, but I was glad he was here.
Finley and I were in charge of supply runs. We’d already been to the hardware store a few times after the initial run.
