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Chapter Twenty-Five

IZZIE

W e’re late because Mom insisted on inviting Colombo to tag along, and we couldn’t leave right away. He needed a tour of the ranch first. I could tell Jane was getting antsy, but saying anything to Mom would have just put her in a bad mood. She’s still unhappy about the last-minute invitation. Going with the flow isn’t something she does.

She insists that Colombo should ride in my car, because we can’t all fit in one vehicle. I can see through her matchmaking scheme from miles away.

“I’ll go with Izzie as well,” Jane chimes in, and on the way to my car, she calls shotgun.

Mom glares. “Don’t be silly, Jane. Colombo can’t ride in the back seat.”

“It’s okay, Marilia. I don’t mind the back seat.”

I see through your nice-guy facade too, buddy. I can’t put my finger on why, but I don’t vibe with this man. There’s something slimy about his personality. I’m glad Jane volunteered to be a buffer.

I slide behind the steering wheel and type Chad’s address into Google maps. It shows the drive will take us nearly an hour. Hell.

“Oh no. We’ll be so late,” Jane whines.

“It’s a barbeque, no? It will be fine,” Colombo butts in.

“Maybe in Spain it’s okay to arrive at a party an hour late, but that’s not how I roll,” I grit out.

He laughs. “Your mother warned me you had a strong personality.”

I bite my tongue. I want to ask why he’s talking with my mother about me, but I choose to rise above the situation. I need to remain calm for Jane’s sake. She’s already stressed enough about meeting Chad’s parents.

Colombo is in the mood to chat, and for the first ten minutes of the ride, he peppers me with questions. When a song I love pops up on the radio, I turn up the volume and sing along. Jane joins me, and that shuts Colombo up.

If my father wasn’t following me, I’d drive faster, not that it’d help much. We are very late, and even if I drove like a maniac, it wouldn’t make a difference. Besides, when we hit South Miami Avenue, traffic slows to a crawl.

Jane has been texting nonstop with Chad. She’s nervous, and I don’t blame her. She’s usually very punctual, just like me. I hate being late for anything. Without looking up from her phone, she asks me, “How much longer, do you think?”

I glance at the app. “According to Google Maps, we’ll get there in ten minutes.”

“Ah… we’re almost there,” Colombo pipes up. “Good, ‘cause I have to pee.”

I roll my eyes. Maybe you shouldn’t have drunk all that coffee before we left . I’m glad he didn’t ask to stop to go to the bathroom.

Twenty minutes later— Google Maps, you lied —I’m parking in front Chad’s house. It’s a nice pad, at least from the outside. The construction is modern, but it has charm.

Colombo whistles. “You hit the jackpot, Jane.”

Her brows furrow, and her lips flatten into a thin line. “I did, but not because Chad has money.”

He smirks. “But it doesn’t hurt, no?”

Shaking my head, I get out of the car. Dad parked behind me, and he’s getting out of his car as well. Mom stares at the house, but her expression reveals nothing. I wonder if she’s trying to guess how much Chad’s house is worth.

The front door opens, and Chad walks out. He makes a beeline for Jane, frames her face between his hands, and presses his lips to hers. It’s not a deep kiss, but no one can miss the passion. He’s completely unbothered by our presence, and that makes me smile from ear to ear.

“Get a room,” Lydia blurts out, and earns a pinch on her arm from Mom. “Ouch.”

Brat .

Chad steps back, and I see that he and Jane are both blushing. “Sorry. I couldn’t resist,” he says sheepishly.

“I’m so sorry we’re late,” Jane tells him.

Chad throws his arm around her shoulder and pulls her snugly to his side. “It’s okay, love. The important thing is that you’re here.”

Colombo clears his throat and takes a step forward. “I’m Colombo Gomez.” He offers his hand to Chad, and they shake. “Thanks for extending the invitation to me.”

“Of course. And nice to meet you.”

Mom approaches them carrying a large Tupperware container. “I brought dessert, but I fear it must go into the fridge as soon as possible.”

“Oh, thank you so much. You didn’t have to bring anything.”

“It wasn’t a problem at all. It’s only flan. I’d have made something more refined if I had known we were coming here today.”

I shake my head. Of course Mom had to make a comment about the last-minute invitation.

“Shall we go in before the flan melts?” I suggest.

“Right,” Chad replies. Poor guy looks completely out of sorts now. He and Jane walk in first, and I let Mom, Dad, and Lydia go in front of me. Colombo makes a motion to follow them and cut in front of me, but then seems to remember me and motions with his hand. “Ladies, first.”

Jackson has said that same line to me a couple of times, and I didn’t mind at all. But those words coming out of Colombo’s mouth makes me cringe. I smile tightly. “Thank you.”

My irritation with the man helps distract me from my nerves. Today is all about Jane and Chad, but I’m getting secondhand jitters. Meeting the parents is a big deal, and ideally, Jane should have met Chad’s parents first, before they were ever introduced to our folks.

I watch Chad attempt to make introductions, but he’s so nervous, he manages only to say Jane’s name before he gets flustered. His parents look like a couple of marble statues, showing zero emotion, and I understand now where Chad’s younger sister gets her personality. Jane did mention Chad’s parents were uber wealthy, and it shows in the manner they seem a bit standoffish. Both have fair skin and hair—although I’m sure his mother’s platinum blonde hair isn’t natural.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” Jane says, then finishes making the rest of the introductions.

After a couple minutes of social awkwardness—especially when Jane introduces Colombo—the worst is behind us.

“Would you like a tour of the house?” Chad asks our parents, and the answer is obviously yes.

I stay behind though. I don’t need to a tour right this second. I want to get a proper feel for Chad’s parents, but his father excuses himself and disappears down a hallway. His mother veers for the kitchen and resumes dressing a salad in a big, fancy glass bowl. I’m guessing Chad didn’t buy that.

“Something here smells delicious,” I say to break the ice.

“Ah, yes. It’s my old mac-and-cheese recipe. It’s Chad’s and Jackson’s favorite dish.”

When she mentions Jackson’s name, my stomach coils. I forgot he was going to be here. “You’ve known Jackson for a long time?”

She gives me a look that says I asked the wrong question. “Oh course, dear. I’m old friends with his aunt. I’m surprised you didn’t know.”

Oh come on, lady. How was I supposed to know that? I’m not the one engaged to your son. I have to be careful how I reply, because I think she just laid a trap for me. I decide to ignore her jab.

“Well, it smells fantastic. I can’t wait to try it.”

She smiles tightly. “It might not be my best. I put it in the oven too soon.”

Yeah, and then we were late. God, I’m not going to win any points with this woman. I’m glad I’m not the one marrying into this family.

“Hi Izzie, I thought I heard your voice,” Louisa says from the open sliding door, then walks over. Her sunglasses are perched on her head, and she’s wearing a bikini under a tunic-style dress.

“Hi, Louisa. How are you?”

She greets with me a quick hug then steps back. “I’m fine. Where is everybody?”

“Chad is giving them a tour of the house.”

“And you didn’t want to go?”

“Not today. Maybe another time, when it’s not as crowded.”

She links her arm with mine as if we’re old friends. I spoke to her only a couple times at the game last week, but that seems to be enough for her. “Come sit by the pool then. It’s lovely outside.”

I let her steer me to the pool area, and my eyes immediately zero in on Jackson in front of the grill. He’s wearing dressy shorts and a white button-down shirt with short sleeves. He looks good, and I hate how my pulse accelerates.

“The Bennets are finally in the house,” Louisa announces.

Her husband is in the pool with their daughter. “Welcome to the party, Izzie.”

“Thanks.”

Jackson looks at me, and suddenly I feel super awkward. The last time I saw him was in his hotel room in Vancouver. I didn’t forget the brief charged moment we shared, and how the evening ended. I’m beginning to suspect he never truly changed his mind about me. He probably only acted nice before to get me to help him. That should make me angry, but I’m actually sad.

He waves at me, and… is that a tiny smile on his lips?

Okay, I was not expecting that. The gremlins inside my belly come to life.

“Finally,” Caroline replies from her lounge chair. “Chad was getting on my nerves.”

“Shh, girl. Be nice,” Louisa retorts, then turns to me. “Do you want something to drink, Izzie? I made a delicious white sangria.”

“Oh, no thank you. I’m driving.”

“Come on. One glass of sangria won’t do any harm.” She smiles.

I glance at Jackson again, but his attention is back on the grill. It doesn’t matter, my heart is still beating like a hummingbird inside my chest. Hell. “Sure, I’ll have a glass.”

“I hope you brought a swimsuit,” she says as she pours the sangria.

“Uh… no, I didn’t.”

“Girl, didn’t Jane tell you my brother has a pool?”

My face becomes hot. My reason for not bringing a swimsuit was that I didn’t want to parade around in a bikini in front of Chad’s family. But perhaps I should have worn it under a cute dress like Louisa did. Oh well.

“Yeah, she did.”

“No worries. You can sit under the umbrella, or if you prefer, you can hang out with my mother inside.” The upcurl of her lips tells me she knows very well I’d rather stay out here in the heat than deal with her mother.

“The umbrella will be fine.” I start walking toward the table with the umbrella, which is close to the edge of the pool. My focus is on my final destination, so I miss Louisa’s son running in my direction with a cute golden retriever in tow until the boy almost collides with me just before he cannonballs into the pool. The dog unfortunately doesn’t miss me, and down I go into the pool as well.

Son of a bitch.