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Chapter one

The Wedding

I was thrilled to be invited to the wedding.

Danny had been a friend for a long time, and he deserved to get married on the beach.

What a dream.

Especially at The Don CeSar.

Elegant to the extreme if you liked the pink palace in the background.

Aside from the hotel, the staff had set up an arbor with gorgeous flowers in front of the seating area, looking out to the water.

They skipped an aisle as they weren’t going to do the walking up it part.

The white chairs all faced the area where they would stand and had a view of the water, sand, and sky behind them.

Danny and Lee were walking around with the photographer in the sand, getting all kinds of different poses while the guests started trailing in.

Me included.

They looked cute, and both wore gray slacks and vests, as well as white linen shirts with sleeves rolled up.

Handsome.

And they were barefoot, so very Florida.

Danny had everything.

A great career, this wedding, and the man, who was also his daddy.

I wasn’t a Little like him, but I maybe wouldn’t mind having a daddy too.

Someone to take care of me after having spent most of my life worrying about others.

I had great friends and the same career as Danny, but I didn’t need a wedding since my dating life was non-existent.

No daddies or anyone else for me.

Levi, Danny’s best friend and also a Little, was Danny’s best man, but I didn’t know the guy standing up for Lee.

He might have been a relative, brother, or cousin.

I didn’t know Lee all that well, truthfully.

Although, I credited myself for having the balls to call the sexy daddy and hook him up with Danny way back when they first met.

I watched from a second row of seats as the photographer posed them and checked my watch.

I needed a drink, and that wouldn’t happen until the reception, so they needed to move this along.

I still had about ten minutes or so.

I could wait.

Other guests filtered in and sat around.

A few older people picked chairs in the front, and I had to assume they were parents or other relatives.

I wasn’t close enough to either of them to know their family though, so some of my assumptions could be off.

It didn’t matter.

It was too lovely an afternoon to worry about who was who.

The sky was a perfect blue—royal or azure or some shit—and spectacular, cloudless over the sugar-white sand.

The rolling waves made a soothing soundtrack playing along in the background of the whole event.

Before my mind could wander much more, the wedding party approached.

Yay!

We were doing this.

Danny and Lee stood under the arbor thing, and each of the best men stood to the side.

The photographer circled around like a shark, getting more shots of them from various angles until the music started.

Mr.

Photo-dude disappeared, and the official walked up to them.

After saying something to the grooms, he made his way around to the back of the arbor and started his wedding speech.

The ceremony flew by super-fast after that.

And they were kissing their husbands.

Very romantic.

I did love it, and I was incredibly happy for my friends.

But I was also a little sad and lonely.

I didn’t even have a plus-one.

What was wrong with me and my life?

Drew, our boss, often told me I worked too much.

He wasn’t wrong, but it filled the time void.

And when that wasn’t possible, I could be found hiding out at home, usually reading but occasionally binge-watching something or other.

The truth was I was boring.

And even though I wanted a special someone in my life, I wasn’t going anywhere or doing anything to meet that someone.

We were directed to the back patio for the reception.

Pink, orange, gray, and coral flagstones made up the patio floor, and small cocktail tables with white tablecloths flanked the side between the walkway and the pool.

The other side had more formal seating, with six tables with floral centerpieces and about eight chairs per table.

Most of the guests were heading for the tables, but I went the other way for a drink.

A bar was set up on the far side of the pool, and it was calling my name.

“G et a drink, Skyler …”

I ordered a double martini and a draft beer, then took them both back to the tables.

I walked around slowly, sipping the martini, until I found the place setting with my name on it.

Thankfully, it was one of the tables closest to the walkway, so I could hit the bar again without interrupting everyone if I needed to.

I swapped the name card with someone to ensure and easy out.

And why did I need to drink?

Oh, right, yeah, I was alone while Danny had just married his daddy.

I hated the way that sounded in my head.

I was feeling sorry for myself, and I shouldn’t go there.

I drained the martini then sipped my beer.

And then.

Everything got worse.

Nelson Crowell sat across from me.

He smiled.

“Well, hello. It’s been a while.”

“Not long enough.”

Nelson scowled.

“Yeah. I’ve apologized, Sky.”

“Sorry, not enough. And it’s Sky ler .” Emphasis on the part he left off.

The jerk.

“Excuse me, Mr. Crowell.” I would have sat next to anyone else in the world.

Why him?

Why was he speaking to me after the shit that went down?

“Do you think you can sit somewhere else?”

“No. And it’s Crow.”

Stupid nickname.

He’d asked me to call him that before, but I never cared much for it.

I never cared much for him, especially after he tanked my case.

For no reason.

Except maybe because he could.

I rolled my eyes, wishing I had another martini.

I drained the last of my beer instead.

“That was a long time ago, Skyler . Can’t we put it behind us?”

I didn’t want to put it behind us.

We knew each other because of the lawsuit that Nelson messed up for me.

And I hated the guy.

“I don’t think so, Mr. Crowell.”

“Call me Crow, please.” He held his hand out, pleading.

I wasn’t having it.

“No. I’m not calling you anything. I don’t like you. I see through you.” And his bullshit.

Rich guy can do whatever he wants, play games, fuck up people’s lives like they were nothing to make him feel more important.

I didn’t need that.

God, why?

Anyone but him.

The wait staff started serving salads, and once they placed a plate in front of me, I pushed my chair back and headed to the bar.

I’d rather have another drink than sit there eating grass with that traitor.

I ordered another martini and sipped it when I wanted to slam it.

I wasn’t going to get stinking drunk and embarrass Danny, but I no longer wanted to be here.

Nelson—Crow followed me to the bar.

“Hey. Skyler. I’m trying to be cool. To apologize. And this is a special day for our mutual friends.”

“About that. How exactly do you know the grooms?”

“I kind of know Daniel. Drew actually—”

“Thought so.” No one who knew Danny called him Daniel.

Even if that’s what he put on the invitation and announcements.

Danny and I worked at Drew’s law firm, and Crow was apparently still a client, which surprised the hell out of me because Drew had principals, and Nelson Crowell did not.

“Thought so what?”

I grunted.

How did he not get it?

“You really did a number on me and nearly fucked up my career. You may take that casually, but I do not. I’ll tolerate you since, apparently, you’ve fooled Drew somehow, but that doesn’t make us friends. Got it.” I lifted my eyebrows.

He had better get it.

“ Crow .”

He held his hands up.

“Got it.” He ordered an old-fashioned.

Was that pretentious or what?

Then he took it back to the table and I ordered another double vodka martini.

I didn’t have to drive after the reception since I had a room booked at the hotel.

An expensive room that I would be enjoying.

Alone.

I took my drink back to the table and made myself stick around for the main course.

I needed to soak up some of the alcohol.

Thankfully, I wasn’t a lightweight.

After the admittedly delicious dinner, the music started, and the whole party moved to the cocktail tables.

I got another martini and sat beside the pool.

I took off my loafers and rolled up my slacks so I could stick my feet in.

Crow plopped his sorry ass down beside me as if he belonged there.

“Is it heated?”

I threw my hand toward the giant hotel looming above us.

“Would this place not heat their pool?” They were one of the top luxurious beach hotels in all of Florida, not the bay area alone—all!

“Good point.” He had switched his hard alcohol for beer, and I probably should too, but I hardly cared.

“Are you staying at the hotel? You’re not driving, right?”

“Don’t judge me.”

“I’m not. Just thinking of safety.”

I made a raspberry.

Well, he wasn’t wrong.

“Yes, staying here. And I’ll probably have another drink, then head up.”

“You have to wait for the cake, Sky.”

“I do not. And don’t call me that.” Something about him shortening my name, as if he were a friend, grated on my nerves, making me want to grind my molars.

He held his hands up again as if exasperated.

Behind us, the party cheered and clapped, and the music shifted to something slow.

The DJ said, “Ladies and Gentlemen, our grooms for the evening. Mr. and Mr. Carpenter. Their first dance as husbands.” Danny took Lee’s last name.

I hadn’t expected anything else from their dynamic.

Then they stepped out into the open space and danced.

It was nice.

Their pants were still rolled up—still barefoot.

But they’d lost their vests.

They looked fantastic.

And happy.

I wanted that.

Two more drinks later, I ordered another when I shouldn’t have, so I took the last drink up to my room.

I planned on crashing, passing out, and dealing with life in the morning.

But as I hit the bed, I was still thinking about one Nelson “Crow” Crowell.

Crow was such a stupid nickname.

And why was I still thinking about him?