Page 16 of Searching for Sunshine (Crestbrook Cove #1)

“Uh, same. I don’t think I slept more than an hour or two last night. Every time I settled, I started thinking of things I needed to do this morning and before I knew it, it was time to get up.”

“Ugh, same. I finally gave up around five this morning and went for a run through town,” I tell her.

“Of course you did,” Avery says, rolling her eyes at me. “Either way, I’m super grateful for strong coffee this morning, because without it I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to keep my eyes open right now.”

“God, I still don’t know how you drink that shit. It literally tastes like dirt.”

“Yeah, yeah. I know how you feel about it. You stick to your runs and orange flavored energy drinks, and I’ll drink my coffee in bed like a normal human,” Avery teases, and I stick my tongue out at her.

“Are you sure you don’t want to join me on my run tomorrow morning? We can go early enough that it shouldn’t be too hot.”

“Stels, I love you, but the last time you convinced me to go with you I thought I was going to pass out by the time we made it to mile two. And you made me keep going for five. There’s no way in hell I’m making that mistake again.”

“I told you I was sorry about that,” I say defensively. “Plus, no matter what, you had to do two more to get home, so it made the most sense to just finish it.”

“Yeah, I can feel how apologetic you are from here,” she teases. “But I think…”

We both freeze at the sound of car doors opening and closing outside. “Oh my god, they’re here,” I whisper, and Avery stares back at me with wide eyes.

“Where should we stand?” she mutters back. “We definitely should have practiced this!”

“Uh, let’s both go behind the counter,” I suggest, and we scamper across the lobby to stand behind the check-in desk.

We’ve both just managed to sit down when the door opens and a group of ten girls pile in.

They squeal at the sight of the pink lobby and the glasses of rosé we sat out for them, and Avery squeezes my hand under the desk.

“Good call on the welcome drinks, Stels,” she whispers, just before the group turns our way.

“Hi, ladies. Welcome to the High Tide Hideaway Hotel. I’m Stella and this is Avery. We’ll be taking care of you this weekend. We can get you all checked in when you’re ready.”

“Yes, that would be wonderful,” one of the girls says, stepping closer to the check-in desk.

“I’m Penelope and I’m the maid of honor. I think everything should be under my name,” she says, and Avery nods at her.

“Yep, we’ve got you all ready to go. And who’s our bride?” she asks, turning back to the group.

A girl with long blonde hair steps forward.

“That’s me! I’m Mia. And oh my god, I was so excited when I came across your Instagram account and saw you had openings this weekend.

We were supposed to go out of the country, but there was a last-minute issue with some of our passports so we had to pivot. ”

“Welcome, Mia. And yes! I’m so sorry to hear that, but I’m so glad that y’all were able to join us.

We’re here to help with anything you all may need during your stay.

We have the basic itinerary that comes with the bachelorette package here but feel free to look over it and we can make any changes you’d like,” I tell her with a smile, holding out the itineraries Avery and I made yesterday.

“Wait, this is incredible. Pool party, boat day, and dinner on the beach at sunset? This is going to be so much fun!” she squeals, and the other bridesmaids crowd around to look at the list.

“We’re glad you’re excited. But like Stella said, if there’s anything you want us to change we’ll be happy to accommodate that.

I also have cards here where you can mark any food allergies or dietary restrictions.

Just let us know if there’s anything else we can do to make sure you all have the best stay possible,” Avery adds, handing Penelope and Mia a small stack of the cards we printed right before the girls showed up.

“Nope, I think all of this sounds perfect. You two really made the maid of honor job a hell of a lot easier,” Penelope teases.

“Wonderful, I’m glad we could help. As for your rooms, we upgraded the bride to our largest suite upstairs so you would have a sitting area if you want it, and we put the rest of you on either side,” I say, reaching down and grabbing the keys I sat aside earlier this morning.

“Y’all are in rooms 308, 310, 312, 314, and 316. The suite is 312.”

“Perfect. Thank you both so much. You really thought of everything. I guess you’re are used to doing these though, huh?”

Avery and I make quick eye contact and I have to fight the urge to giggle.

“Actually, it’s a long story, but we actually just took over the Hideaway earlier this month.

You are our first bachelorette party, so please let us know if there’s anything we can do to make your stay more comfortable,” I say with a nervous smile.

“Oh my god, we’re your first? Y’all are absolutely killing it so far,” Penelope says, giving us a wide smile as she passes out the keys.

“You’re too kind,” I say, before addressing the rest of the group.

“We’ll give you all time to get settled and unpacked, and the pool party will be set up for you whenever you’re ready.

And Crestbrook Cove is pretty limited on food options for dinner but we can place an order from The Sand Bar nearby or y’all are obviously welcome to go out if you’d rather do that. ”

“Honestly after spending the last few hours traveling, takeout by the pool sounds like a perfect way to end the day. Do you have menus?” Mia asks, and Avery nods, pulling out the paper menus she collected from Everett yesterday.

“Perfect! Okay, ladies, let’s get this party started!”