Katie gave me a tight-lipped smile. “See? Not terrible.”
“I should have had five cups of coffee first.”
She snickered. “It wouldn’t help. Believe me. Jackson is always on that level.”
“Oh my God, Katie!” A feminine squeal split the air, and Katie was being ripped away from me by a flock of women who wanted to get a look at her hair and her dress and her shoes.
They inspected her like they were inspecting a new car, and I couldn’t help but chuckle with amusement as she shot me a wide-eyed, this-will-only-take-a-minute look. I didn’t catch any names, but it seemed that Katie knew them all pretty well, and one of them, a curvy, short, dark-haired woman in white gave me the impression that she was the bride-to-be.
Someone tall who smelled like roses stepped up beside me and sipped on a glass of white wine. “You must be Peter.”
I turned to the woman Jackson had pointed out to me and smiled wryly. “And you must be Kim.”
She turned her red-lipped smile to me. “You don’t miss much, do you?”
I hooked a thumb over my shoulder in Jackson’s direction. I couldn’t see him, but I could hear him. “I might have been given a heads-up by Katie’s brother.”
“Ah,” she said knowingly. “That makes more sense. It’s nice to finally meet you in the flesh, Peter. We’ve all heard good things. How’s St. John treating you?”
“Good. I don’t know if I can ever leave now that I’ve seen what all the fuss is about.”
“Leave the island or the girl?”
I shot a look at Katie as she swept her fingers through her hair and laughed with her friends. “Both?”
Kim drummed her red nails on the side of her glass. “So you like my friend a lot then?”
“Yes?”
“Why do you sound unsure?”
“Erm, I’m not. I just—” I broke off. I’m not good at talking to beautiful and intimidating women like you.
“Just what?” Kim asked.
I cleared my throat. “I’m a little out of my depth here.”
Kim gave me a warmer smile. “Don’t let me ruffle your feathers, hun. I’m just asking questions. Katie is a special girl and we all love her too much not to show interest in who she’s seeing. I just want to know your intentions, is all.” She paused and turned directly to face me. “For instance, are you planning on up and leaving the island when your vacation time is over and going back to normal life?”
I blinked. “I hadn’t thought ahead that far.”
“What about Katie?”
“We’ve talked about it.”
“You have?”
I nodded.
“What have you spoken about?” Kim asked.
I almost answered, but then I closed my big fat mouth and shook my head. “I’m sorry, Kim. I’m sure your intentions are in the right place but I’m not going to share private conversations Katie and I have had. She’s lucky to have friends like you.”
Kim was stoically silent for a moment. Then she smiled like she was a grade-school teacher awarding me a gold star. “I like that.” Her eyes flicked down to my empty hands. “You need a drink, Peter.”
Within seconds, she’d flagged down a server and there was a glass of wine in my hand. Katie had been torn away from me and ushered off to say hello to other people, but I didn’t feel like I was totally out of my depth as Kim introduced me to others who approached us. Everyone seemed to like her, and now that her guard was down, I liked her too.
She introduced me to her partner, Rick, who had a bear claw of a handshake. I also met Hailey, who had a round belly and was sipping on cucumber water with an air of disappointment that she couldn’t party like the others. I met a short elderly woman in a sparkly mauve dress whose ninety-year-old eyes twinkled when she smiled. Kim informed me she was the grandmother of the groom and possibly the most badass guest at the entire wedding. Based on the woman’s impressive grip when she shook my hand, I didn’t doubt Kim’s word.
Lastly, I met the bride herself, Vanessa. She enveloped me in a big hug, pulled back, kissed my cheeks, and thanked me for coming.
I chuckled and shook my head. “No, I’m the one who owes you a thank you. I appreciate you letting me be at your wedding. It’s a big day and I’m glad I can be here with Katie to celebrate with you all.”
“For Katie? We would do anything.” She nudged me in the