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“Oh, she doesn’t know?” Carmela asked rhetorically as she chuckled.

As soon as Carmela chatted with Vera long enough to make it clear she enjoyed her company and wasn’t trying to get away from her due to jealousy, Carmela excused herself and made a beeline for Rhiannon.

“Can I borrow her for a second?” Carmela asked as she hooked her arm around Rhiannon’s elbow. Jackie’s mom nodded and smiled, allowing them to make a quick escape.

“Everything okay?” Rhiannon asked, her eyes shimmering.

In her presence, Carmela’s pulse raced. “Do you want to get out of here?”

A slow, mischievous grin curled up one side of Rhiannon’s mouth. “I’ve only been waiting an hour for you to say that,” she replied with a full-fledged smile. “One of Vera’s colleagues told me we can rent jet skis. Interested?”

The prospect of ditching the forced pleasantries was exhilarating. “One condition. I drive. You’re way too slow on land. I can’t imagine how cautious you’ll be on the water.”

Rhiannon laughed before circling her arms around Carmela’s waist. “A wild ride, huh?”

Lost in the murky place between truth and fiction, Carmela tilted her chin up and wrapped her arms around her neck before pulling Rhiannon down to her waiting lips. Her kiss was sweet from the fruit she’d been eating and more intoxicating than the champagne she’d passed up.

As the tip of her tongue scraped Rhiannon’s bottom lip, the sound of other conversation melted away. She didn’t care if anyone was looking. The kiss wasn’t for appearances. It was for her.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

WHEN CARMELA AWOKE the next morning, she didn’t freak out that the barrier pillow was on the floor again. Rhiannon’s face, nestled in the crook of her arm, didn’t cause any panic.

Instead, she remained motionless and enjoyed the scent of Rhiannon’s shampoo and the rhythm of her light snoring.

When Rhiannon rolled away onto her side, Carmela slipped out of bed and headed for the kitchen without changing out of her satin pajama shorts and matching button-down shirt. Using the moment of peace, Carmela caught up with the mounting emails and voicemails she’d acquired overnight.

The scent of brewing co ee lured Rhiannon out of bed a few minutes later.

“Good morning,” Rhiannon greeted, still groggy as she scratched her scalp. Her long, brown hair landed in waves around her shoulders after having spent the day before in a braid. “Is your butt sore?”

Carmela chuckled as she pulled out a second mug from the cabinet after setting her phone on the counter. “You’re the one who insisted we chase boats to ride their waves,” she reminded.

“It was fun at the time,” she replied as she rubbed her lower back as she padded toward her.

Carmela was still smiling when she poured co ee into Rhiannon’s mug. “There’s always a price to pay.”

“Thanks.” Rhiannon accepted the mug and stirred sugar into it. “So what’s on the itinerary today?”

“If you can believe it, the benevolent event planner has given us the day o . Well, at least until five when we have to get down to the beach for the wedding,” Carmela replied as she closed the fridge with her foot after getting the cre

amer.

“And we’re trusted to entertain ourselves while the brides are o preparing for the nuptials?”

“Oh, don’t you worry. There are suggested activities along with a note that everything will shut down after lunch to make sure we have plenty of time to prepare and arrive at the ceremony promptly,” Carmela explained, rolling her eyes.

“Then I’ve got a few ideas for you, Ms. Bravo,” Rhiannon decided as she sipped her steaming co ee.

Rhiannon’s plans included kayaking on the ocean after breakfast before parasailing in the afternoon, which gave them just enough time to get ready for the wedding. Napping would have been possible, but there was always work to catch up on.

Carmela showered first before locking herself in the bedroom. She didn’t trust Rhiannon not to waltz in naked and she was already using all her self-control to sleep next to her.

As Carmela dried her hair, she found herself smiling at her newly tanned reflection in the mirror. She looked like herself, of course, but brighter somehow. Like someone had taken a pressure washer to her soul, leaving her gleaming and nearly new.

I probably just needed a vacation, she thought. It was a lie and she recognized it immediately. She’d been dreading her ex-wife’s wedding for months and expected it be worse than

the time she had a cracked wisdom tooth pulled with nothing but a little numbing agent and a pair of pliers. But the wedding hadn’t been painless. It had been entirely delightful.