cordially invited to attend an informal gentlemen’s evening of tapas and music, seven tonight at the Ty Warner Bungalow. If you require directions, please contact the concierge or ask one of the staff to direct you. I hope you will honor us with your presence. Respectfully, Luis and William.
“Amorcito,” Epic scoffed. “What do you suppose his fiancé thinks about that?”
“Mm.”
“Are you going to go?”
“We, you mean. The invitation is for both of us.”
He gave an eyeroll. “Sure. What could go wrong?”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“For one thing, this feels a little Machiavellian.” He laid his key card on the table and headed for the bathroom. “I don’t know the players, so I’m not sure I trust the game.”
“Luis does like a bit of intrigue.” My hair was almost dry, though I needed a shower to rinse off the chlorine. “You want to shower first?”
“On it.” He stepped inside the bath, and seconds later, I heard water running.
I slipped my trunks off, tied my towel around my waist, and studied the note. Expensive paper as always. Exquisite penmanship as always.
Luis teased me about my handwriting, which was as unlovely as it was serviceable. Anyone could read it, but it wouldn’t win any prizes. Luis’s writing was the result of years of painstaking practice. He wrote with a fountain pen. Even if he was writing on a Post-it, his notes always seemed like mementos of a bygone era.
Lost in the past, I didn’t realize Epic was near until he was standing over me again.
“What?” I glanced up.
He smiled softly. “Shower’s yours if you want it.”
I met his gaze. “Do you really think we shouldn’t go?”
“I’m not sure I’m the one who should decide.” He picked up the note. “He writes like it’s a royal decree.”
“It’s not. We always have a choice.”
“You could go on your own.”
“I’d prefer not to.” I could just imagine how much fun that would be. I’d be relegated to sitting in the corner, barred from interacting with some of the guests, who I knew from experience pretended not to understand my Spanish. To William the fiancé, and others, I’d simply be the ex, to be studied and found lacking by comparison.
“It’s going to be super bougie, though, isn’t it?”
“Beyond bougie and into the absurd probably. The food will be outstanding.”
He rubbed his hands together gleefully. “You’ll help me pick an outfit? I don’t want to look like I’m trying too hard, but I don’t want them to look down on me.”
“They’ll probably look down on both of us no matter what we wear.”
He shrugged. “I’ve been thrown out of better places.”
“Good to know.” There was the irrepressible boy I’d met outside Nacho’s Bar. “Me too.”
We ended up wearing variations on the same theme. I put on a white linen button down that was so translucent it was almost like gossamer, while Epic wore a French-blue oxford cloth that suited his schoolboy looks. We both wore jeans and loafers.
Ordinarily I didn’t wear jewelry, but I put on a watch, rings, and a chunky silver chain. Epic accessorized with leather and steel. We stood side by side in front of the mirror.
“I feel like we’ve armed ourselves to dine socially,” he murmured.
“A necessary evil. There will probably be cigars.”
He made a face. “Of course there will.”
“What does that mean?”
“This sounds like it’s going to be an old-dude thing.”
“Yes, I think it’s sort of a boys’ night out, only in.”
“Why only men?” Epic asked. “Where will the ladies be?”
“Luis is probably taking this opportunity to spend time with the older men in his family and his groomsmen.”
“Like a bachelor party?”
“Yes and no. Much more reserved is my guess.”
“This should be fun.” I doubted he believed that.
“This is a good thing for Luis. His family is traditional and Catholic as fuck, yet they’ve come to celebrate his wedding. I don’t know much about William’s family, but for Luis this is a very big deal.”
Epic softened. “It’s nice they support him.”
“Very.” I’d found a map. The Ty Warner bungalow had a gated entrance past the putting green and the croquet lawn. “Ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
We walked from our suite along brick paths strewn with tropical plants and through a second building to get to Luis’s luxury accommodations. I had nothing to compare it with in my experience. A butler answered the door and led us to the patio, past a buffet of rich-smelling, spicy dishes. On one side of the lap pool, a guitarist played flamenco while a couple in traditional dress