Page 11

Al’s face brightens and he rubs his hands together. “Excellent! I’ll join you. I want to talk to Jake anyway.”
“What do you need to talk to Jake for?” I ask. We head out in the warm afternoon sunshine and walk to Noah’s car.
“Magnolia Day is coming, and we need to make sure the Everton wines are featured,” Alistair says. “We’ll have our own booth of course, but it’s important for the local bars and restaurants to showcase them too.”
Magnolia Day is the celebration of the founding of Magnolia Bay. It’s a huge festival at the end of the summer with live music and dancing, where all the local businesses get to show off their wares.
“That’s great, Al,” I say. “Seems like you’re really taking to this PR job.”
“Yeah, well, you know how Dad likes to keep things in the family.” My brother’s expression turns wistful. “Remember how Mom would always make us help set up the booths? It was the first taste of manual labor I ever had. Well, first and last.”
I think about all the Magnolia Days Mom has missed and my hand clenches into a fist.
By summer’s end, I’ll find the man who took her away from us.
CHAPTER FOUR
ISLA
I enter the Thorn’s roomy kitchen and instantly relax.
This is where I feel the most comfortable. The wide counters are made of smooth, pale wood, the old refrigerator wheezes away, the ceramic blue-and-white jars full of flour and sugar and salt sit at attention on the small kitchen island. My fingers itch with the excitement I always feel when I’m about to create a new confection. I want to lose myself in the careful measurements and preciseness that comes with baking, in the scent of sugar and flour, and the sound of a whisk against a glass bowl.
I decide to make my favorite—macarons.
It’s always been my dream to go to Paris, to eat my way down the Rue de Bac, feasting on French delicacies from millefeuilles to Paris-Brést to pain au chocolat. I shared that dream with Caden once. He even told me he’d take me to Paris. I swallow and push the thought aside. Luke can take me to Paris. I’m only thinking about Caden because of the new wedding locale. But really, I’m starting to be genuinely excited about getting married at Everton Estate. The late summer roses will be blooming, the vines heavy with grapes. And it will be so much easier for my friends to attend—they won’t have to trek all the way into the city. I see myself in the beautiful dress I chose earlier, standing with Luke among the vines, the sky a cloudless blue, the air scented with earthy richness.
I hum to myself as I get the carton of eggs out of the fridge. Technically, I should age the egg whites for twenty-four hours, but I didn’t realize I’d want to make macarons so badly and I don’t have that kind of time. I grab the almond flour from one of the cabinets. I’m just reaching for the confectioner’s sugar when the front door to the Thorn opens. At first, I think it’s one of the guests, but then I hear Charlotte’s voice.
“Isla?”
“In the kitchen,” I call back.
She comes in and wraps me up in a hug. We’d all been in our nicest attire for the dress fitting but she looks more herself now. Her thick dark curls are tied up in a messy bun and she wears cutoff jean shorts and a baseball tee. “Okay seriously. Getting married at Everton. Tell me the truth.”
“I’m fine,” I say, laughing.
She raises an eyebrow.
“Would you like me to swear a blood oath?”
“You know I faint at the sight of blood.”
I grin. “I know.”
“Okay fine, I believe that you don’t care that you’ll be getting married to your new man on your ex’s property.”
I sigh. “He wasn’t my ex, Charlotte. We weren’t…anything.”
“Right. And that’s why it took a year for you to get over him. Because he wasn’t anything.”
I frown at her and she holds up her hands.
“I’m your best friend, it’s my job to speak the truth.”
“Well, darling best friend, you have nothing to worry about.” I start to crack the eggs, carefully separating the whites into their own bowl. “I do appreciate you looking out for me. But I’m really fine. I’m excited actually—this will be so much easier for my side of the aisle to attend, don’t you think?”
“Ooh, that is an excellent point. You know I like to be able to make a quick exit.”