Page 19

Eleven

A fter hanging up with Roberto, Julia uncorked her AirPods from her ears. The vacationers’ low chatter in the lobby replaced the cozy calm of her photographer ex-boyfriend’s deep voice. And there was Carson, who’d come after her.

Her attraction to him was an increasingly big fucking problem.

Hence the call to Roberto.

She rummaged in her bag for the AirPod case to avoid meeting his striking green gaze. His big golden-retriever smile flipped her stomach. It shouldn’t have, but for the past two days he’d said nice things that made her warm and tingly in places that hadn’t tingled for a long, long time.

“All settled with Holly?” She looked up, and whoa .

Carson’s golden-retriever smile was gone

“Yes. What’s fantastic? And who’s Roberto? Couldn’t help but overhear.”

He stood close enough that she caught a whiff of his cologne, something cool and crisp that evoked skinny-dipping at midnight. Argh. More stomach flippiness. She’d prefer food poisoning to this. At least food poisoning eventually passed.

“Roberto’s a photographer friend. After the florist and favors, we’ll head to his studio.”

Carson held the door for her, and they stepped into the sunshine.

The light ocean breeze should’ve been a relief from the dense heat, but ugh, it carried the sargassum smell with it.

On their way to the parking lot, they passed a natural stone wall emblazoned with Azul Caye Resort .

Over it rippled a gentle waterfall. Nothing compared to the real deal at Secret Sex Falls, but it was a nice decorative touch.

“Why not use the hotel’s photographer?” Carson asked.

Because Julia had history with Roberto. History she could tap to satisfy her distracting horniness. The ego boost wouldn’t hurt, either. Hookups with Roberto provided the same carefree bubbly boost champagne gave her…right before it made her sick.

For a brief window, though, she’d feel great.

“Roberto’s really talented. I want our parents to have the best available options.”

Options with whom she could also hook up.

Carson opened the driver’s-side door for her. “You’re the boss.”

Damn straight she was.

She poked the Start button as he circled the van to his side. The breeze lifted his hair’s dark waves. If possible, his profile, shaded with stubble, was hotter than his full portrait.

Julia blew a puff of air from her lips.

She needed to get this out of her system.

The car bounced a bit as he hopped in and buckled up.

Jesus, sometimes she forgot how large he truly was.

He might not have played baseball anymore, but Carson clearly didn’t miss a gym day.

This giant man-slab could probably pick her up and pin her against a wall without breaking a sweat, and then—

Get a grip, Julia.

“Where to first?” he asked.

“Everything’s in the same neighborhood. We’ll bop around to whichever is open. People here don’t take schedules as seriously as they do in the States. Time is more of a suggestion than a social contract.”

Great, so now she was babbling.

He chuckled. “That must give you heartburn.”

“I deal.” She lifted a shoulder. “It helps me let go a bit while I’m here. Reminds me that checklists and timely turndown service are not life-and-death.”

Julia flicked on the radio. Reggae thumped through the speakers, periodically interrupted by the DJ bragging about the music festival. She tapped her fingers against the steering wheel.

He gestured toward her fidgety hands. “Should we go? You obviously love the music.”

During the summers here, she’d loved going to all-ages shows, especially with Alex.

The communal, ephemeral vibe was special.

The scene was different in LA. A little more desperate, a lot less relaxed, so she skipped it there.

Ithaca boasted a handful of live-music venues, but she’d been too immersed in grad school to make them a habit.

Now that she was back in Azul Caye, though…

“Maybe,” she said.

The ride to the Fort Harold neighborhood was brief. Impossible parking, but that was standard for the city’s center. The might-not-be-legal gap she squeezed into was next to one of their destinations. Luckily, the sign on the Mara’s Flowers door was flipped to Open .

The sweet scent of fresh-cut flowers greeted them as Carson opened the door. Without air-conditioning, the potpourri was more funeral parlor than wedding.

“This one’s all yours,” Carson said. “I know squat about flowers.”

As if who was in charge was up for debate.

“I’ll be with you in a moment.” The slight woman wrapping a bouquet behind the counter barely looked up.

It had been a few years, but that woman must be…

“XoJo?” Julia asked.

Short for Xiomara Junior, the nickname their summer crew had given the daughter of Xiomara Gutierrez, owner of Mara’s Flowers.

It was natural that XoJo worked here. Seventy percent of Belize’s businesses were family owned and operated, and most handed them down to the next generation.

Like Alex had taken over Stone Adventures.

Julia clenched her jaw. Which she could help run if her sister let her.

“Jujubee? Oh my gosh, it is you.” She bounded around the counter and caught Julia in a hug. “Alex didn’t say you were coming to town.”

“She probably didn’t know. Our mom’s getting surprise-married here this weekend.”

“Another wedding?” Xio exclaimed. “Classic Michelle. And is this your boyfriend?”

“God no,” Julia protested. “My future stepbrother, Carson Miller. Carson, this is Xio. She and I ran with the same crew when I spent my summers here.”

Xio’s curls bounced as she pumped Carson’s hand. “Nice to meet you. How long are you both here?”

“Through the weekend,” Julia said.

Then, back to reality, job-hunting, and upstate New York’s chilly fall. Alone. Thrillsville.

Xio let go of Carson. “We should go dancing. Julia memorized the choreography to ‘Oops!… I Did It Again’ when we were kids. She’s amazing.”

He grinned. “This I’ve gotta see.”

His attention was like a heat lamp.

“No, you do not. So, about the whole wedding thing?”

“Fine, fine, if you must conduct business.” Xio popped her hand on her hip. “Short notice means limited options. What’s your pleasure? Bouquets? Boutonnieres? Petals for flower girls? Table arrangements? Smaller bouquet for the bride to toss at the reception?”

“Yes, except for petals and the bouquet toss. Now that Alex is engaged, I’ll be the only single lady at the small reception. Mortifying.”

“Alex is engaged ? Stop it.” Xio held up a hand. “I swear, eligible bachelors are snapped up faster than paletas melts in August.”

She flicked her gaze toward Carson. A bolt of back the hell off flared in Julia’s chest.

“He lives in LA, Xio.”

“True,” Carson said. “But I’m here for the week.”

What the fuck? “And you will be very busy.”

He held up his hands. “Sorry. She’s the boss.”

Julia grinned. Goddammit, she couldn’t help it. She loved him calling her boss.

“Shame,” Xio said. “What do we want? Bright multicolored tropical? Something with a black orchid to represent Belize?”

Julia sighed. “Roses, I’m afraid.”

“Boooo.” Her friend flashed a double thumbs-down. “Roses are basic.”

“Agree, and if it were me traipsing down the aisle, I’d go with plumeria. But Mom loves roses. Four bouquets with a mix of colors.”

“Symbolizing all the things,” Xio said.

“Yep, because…” Julia imitated her mother’s breathy enthusiasm. “Jim is her everything .”

“For now.” Xio caught herself. To Carson, she said, “Sorry. I’m sure your dad’s great.”

Ever the gentleman, Carson dismissed her concern. “He is, but don’t feel bad. They’ll prove everyone wrong.”

“I bet you’re right.” She winked.

Jesus, women couldn’t control themselves around Carson.

“What’s plumeria?” he asked.

“There’s some in the corner,” Xio said. “I’ll be back in a sec—I have a sample bouquet and boutonniere so you know what you’re getting.”

As she pushed through the swinging door to the back of the shop, Carson ambled to the corner. He plucked up a pretty pink blossom from the bucket. “Is this plumeria?”

“Yep.” Julia’s phone buzzed against her hip. Mom.

“It looks like a star.” He inhaled. “That’s nice. Almost like citrus.”

“Right? Hey, it’s my mom. Can you handle this? Do whatever Xio recommends.”

“Yeah, sure.”

She shouted toward the back. “Catch you later, Xio!”

Xio would definitely text their old friend circle to let them know she was in town with her handsome almost-stepbrother. By tonight they’d be taking bets on whether she and Carson had hooked up. Not in a judgy way, in a small-town-entertainment way.

Her cheeks heated as she stepped out to the sidewalk. “Hi, Mom.”

“How are you, sweetheart? Alex said you were depressed at dinner last night.”

She pinched the bridge of her nose. “I wasn’t depressed. I was…”

Surprised her sister was engaged, and bummed she was out of the loop. She couldn’t say that, though, since Alex wanted to tell their mother herself. God, she hated being a secret-keeper.

Julia settled on “Jet-lagged.”

“Really? Belize is only ahead by an hour.”

“I was up late the night before.” She yawned to prove her point. “Things are good here, but there’s a slight issue at the beach you should—”

“Good, good, good.” Her mother interrupted in the way that meant she was only half listening. “Don’t be alarmed, Julia, but I have a slight scheduling update. The airline’s changed our flight, so we’ll be arriving the day of the rehearsal dinner.”

Julia sucked in a breath. “That’s cutting it so close.”

“We’ll do our best to get there earlier. Now, what’s Alex’s boyfriend like? He seems so nice when we video chat. What did you talk about? You can tell a lot about a man based on the way he talks about his family.”

Once again, Mom prioritizing love-life discussions above all else.

“He talked about his mother and sister a bit. They seem close, even though he lives here now. And he cooked dinner.”