Page 33 of How Sweet It Is (Willow Shade Island #3)

I look in the mirror at my hair done up all fancy and turn to the stylist, a young woman named Selena. “I don’t know how you do it. It’s amazing. I look like a different person.”

She laughs. “It’s nothing. You have wonderful hair, Amelia. I’d love to give it a cut sometime. I think you’d look really good with short hair.”

“You do?” I look at myself again in the mirror. “I’ve always hated my hair, but if you can pull this off, maybe I should come back and let you cut it.”

She grins at me. “Oh, sweetie, just say the word.”

I eye her reflection. “You’re not from around here, are you?”

She shakes her head. “Just moved here. But I’ve been styling hair since I was a kid. I guess it runs in the family. My mom was a stylist.”

I stand and grab my purse. “You have talent. I don’t know what you’re doing here. You could do this in Hollywood.”

Selena stiffens, although I have no idea why. I didn’t mean it as an insult. She walks behind the counter. “You’re so kind. That will be an even hundred.”

I pull out the bills with an extra twenty and hand them to her. “Here, keep the change.”

I drive to my apartment and quickly get dressed. The hairstyling took longer than expected, and I’m running a bit late. At least Levi’s not here yet to pick me up. As I slip on the dark-blue dress that hugs my figure, memories come flooding back.

I’ve owned this dress since college graduation but never actually wore it.

My sister was receiving the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award for Volunteer Service the day of my college graduation, so my parents were at the White House with her.

I decided not to walk the stage since no one was going to be there to watch me.

After all, I was just graduating college at age eighteen.

That wasn’t nearly as impressive as a presidential award.

I shove aside the bad memories. Natalie left Ohio and never looked back. I’m the one who stayed. I’m the one who saved the shop when my parents were almost bankrupt. I’m the one they depend on now.

I smooth the fabric over my hips and examine my reflection.

The dress is elegant. It’s dark blue with a sweetheart neckline and cap sleeves.

It’s understated, but it fits me better now than it did when I was eighteen.

I tuck a curl behind my ear and reach for my earrings, small silver studs, the only thing I have left from my grandmother.

Just then, the sound of an engine cuts through the quiet. It roars, and I just know that’s got to be Levi. I frown and move to the window.

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.”

A low-slung electric-blue Lamborghini purrs into the parking lot like it owns the world. The sun glints off the chrome, and the thing practically glows. The door lifts like a wing, and out steps Levi Barrett, dressed in a tuxedo and grinning like a man who knows he’s about to cause trouble.

I grab my clutch and, after locking my apartment door behind me, head outside.

“What is that?” I gesture to the car, arching a brow.

Levi stops for a second, his eyes traveling over my dress, and his grin widens. He shrugs like he just picked it up with a loaf of bread and a gallon of milk. “My new ride. Pretty, isn’t she?”

“I told you not to do anything reckless with your inheritance,” I hiss under my breath as I descend the steps.

He leans casually against the car, all charm and dangerous smiles. “Buying happiness in the form of horsepower isn’t reckless.”

I cross my arms. “You do realize Kiki’s wedding is in Tobias’s backyard, right? We’re not pulling up to a Hollywood premiere.”

He opens the passenger door for me with a mock bow. “All the more reason to arrive in style. Come on, Spreadsheet. Live a little.”

I glare, but my heels are already clicking against the pavement.

He pulls me in for a quick kiss. “You look amazing,” he whispers.

A thrill runs down my spine. “Thanks.” I slide into the buttery leather seat with a sigh. “If you rev that engine even once, I swear.”

“I would never .” A glint catches his eye.

He shuts my door and climbs into the driver’s seat, then he revs it. Hard.

By the time we pull into Tobias’s driveway, I’m already regretting every decision I’ve made since waking up.

The car is a beacon of obnoxiousness. Tobias steps out from the porch in his usual calm-but-simmering dad mode and takes one look at the car before running a hand down his face.

“Levi,” he says in a low warning tone.

Levi kills the engine and hops out like he’s on a catwalk. “Told you I’d make it on time.”

Tobias’s eyes flash. “I told you not to do anything with the money yet. Micah can’t know.”

As if summoned, Micah appears from the side of the house, hands stuffed in the pockets of his suit pants, shoulders curled in like he’s shielding himself from the world.

He stops short when he sees the car, eyes widening.

Levi moves quickly, stepping between Micah and the Lamborghini like a human curtain. “Hey, little bro. Didn’t see you there. Lookin’ sharp.”

Micah frowns. “Whose car is that?”

“It’s a rental,” I blurt, my voice steady.

Levi shoots me a grateful glance then nods. “Yup. Totally impractical. Handles like a diva. I miss my bike already.”

Micah doesn’t look convinced, but he doesn’t push. He glances toward the backyard, eyes skimming over the white chairs, the trellis wrapped in flowers, and the people milling about.

“You okay?” I ask him gently. Levi told me the struggles Micah’s been having with social anxiety. I was hoping a small wedding would be okay for him, but he looks like he’s having issues already.

He shrugs. “I mean, I’m not really a people person.”

I reach out and touch his arm lightly. “I’m sorry. Levi told me you don’t like crowds.”

Cricket spies us from the backyard and comes to join us.

Gone are the oversized sweaters and worn jeans, replaced by a soft, flowing dress in a shade of dusty lavender that hugs her figure.

Her usual ponytail has been replaced by loose waves that spill over her shoulders.

She even put on makeup, just enough to highlight the freckles on her cheeks and the sparkle in her eyes as she looks at Micah.

She joins us and places a hand on Micah’s arm. “Hey, you doing okay?”

He quickly nods. “Yeah.”

My gaze bounces between the two of them—Cricket, her eyebrows pulled together in concern for him, and Micah, not even really seeing Cricket, and my heart instantly goes out to her. This is a heartache waiting to happen.

At that moment, Noah and Savannah emerge from the house. Noah’s dressed in a dark suit that hugs his broad frame, looking every bit the protective older brother, while Savannah practically floats beside him in a dress matching Cricket’s. They must be bridesmaids.

Savannah sees me and immediately lights up. “Amelia! Oh my gosh, you look stunning. That color is perfect on you.”

I wave her off, flustered. “It’s just a dress.”

“It’s not just a dress,” she insists. “It’s like… you’re glowing.”

Levi slings an arm around my shoulder. “Told you she cleans up nice.”

I elbow him, but he just laughs and presses a quick kiss to my temple.

“You guys look so cute together,” Savannah says, grinning.

Before I can respond, the door opens, and someone calls out, “Tobias, they’re ready for you! Time to get in place. The wedding’s about to start!”

Tobias straightens, smoothing the front of his jacket. “All right, everyone. Let’s go.”

Levi gently takes my hand. “You ready, Spreadsheet?” he says quietly in my ear.

“Just try not to call as much attention to us at this wedding as you did pulling up to it.”

He grins at me. “All right. I’ll behave.”

I roll my eyes, but a smile peeks out anyway. He most certainly will not behave. Thank goodness we’re hidden away on an island, and Victor Deluca is under house arrest, more than six hundred miles away from us.