Page 42 of Blue Hawaiian
Jess refrained from rolling her eyes. Typical Gabi. Acting insecure when she knew damn well she looked fabulous.
Her mom beamed at Gabi. “Of course not. The pink goes so well with your tan.” But when she appraised Jess, her brow creased in disapproval. “You’re wearing black? Is this a Chicago thing?”
“You don’t think it’s appropriate?” Jess said.
“It’s fine. A little tight, maybe. Have you put on weight?”
Jess flinched. Too many carb binges, too many nights of Chinese takeout, and she was ten pounds heavier than when she’d left California. She forced a smile. “I was thinking of joining a gym, but my budget’s stretched thin right now.”
“Did you figure out your living situation in Chicago?” her mom asked. “You can’t stay at your friend’s apartment forever.”
Jess didnotwant to be having this discussion. Not when she’d be spinning more lies. “Don’t worry. I’ll work something out.”
Her mom shook her head sadly. “That Simon—I never liked him. He treated you so poorly.”
“I’m okay. Gabi’s probably sick of hearing about him by now.”
“I wish you’d left him sooner,” Gabi said. “Every week, it was something different—you were worried he was acting too distant, or losing interest, or cheating on you. You were right about the last one.”
“Simon’s over and done with,” Jess said. “I’ve moved on. Besides, it’s hard to be sad when you’re in a tropical paradise. Right? Isn’t this place fabulous?”
Her mom didn’t smile. “It’s a shame Carmen and Elena aren’t here to enjoy it. Or the rest of your cousins. They’re so disappointed they’re missing out on your big day.”
Now it was Gabi’s turn to look uncomfortable. “I’m sorry. But this is my wedding. And I wanted it to be somewhere special and memorable, not boring old Riverside.”
Ouch. Not an ideal choice of words, since the last few family weddings they’d attended had been in Riverside.
Rather than allow her sister to dig an even deeper hole, Jess stepped in. “But everyone’s invited to your big celebration in August, right?”
Gabi flashed her a grateful smile. “Right. This way, no one will feel left out.”
“And you’re sure Marc’s parents will pay for this celebration?” her mom asked.
“His parents will cover everything, just like they’re paying for the wedding here. It’s already decided.”
When Gabi shot her a “save me” look, Jess responded quickly, grabbing her phone out of her purse. “Oh, wow. It’s five after seven already. We should get going.”
But their mom wasn’t willing to let the subject drop. “It’s good you’re marrying someone who can take care of you, Gabriela. But make sure you keep up your career. You don’t want to be stuck where I was, a single mother, working two jobs just to bring home enough food.” She turned to Jess. “You need to be able to take care of yourself, too, no matter what a man does to you.”
“Got it.” More than ever, Jess dreaded telling her the truth. That she’d lost her job, run out of money, and was back to square one. That she’d be retreating home to Riverside in a month’s time and moving back into her childhood bedroom.
For now, it was best not to think about the future.
Once the wedding was over, she could deliver the bad news.
Chapter 16
Blackwood family dinners usually required formality, but Connor had gotten a text from Victoria, reminding him the dress was “island casual.” Perfect. He picked out a light blue Hawaiian shirt and a pair of khakis. Not his style but loads better than a business suit.
He headed down to the lobby, whistling. No matter what happened at dinner, he had a reward waiting for him at the end of the night.
Even in his wildest fantasies, he never would have imagined Jess coming to his room and asking for no-strings sex. In principle, he should have turned her down. Or tried harder to dissuade her. He didn’t want her to get hurt. And, given that they were both trying to behave like mature adults, a secret fling seemed highly irresponsible.
But after spending the day with Jess, he’d been unable to resist her. Damn, if it hadn’t been the hottest, most satisfying sex he’d had in months.
When he reached the Sunset Terrace, he took a deep breath to center himself. Two round tables, decorated with candles and colorful tropical flowers, were set up on an ocean-facing patio. Overhead, crisscrossing strings of white lights and paper lanterns illuminated the area. The steady rumble of the surf, breaking onto the shore, created a soothing soundtrack.
It would have been the perfect setting for an intimate dinner with Jess. Too bad the rest of his family had to be there.
