She pulled me all the way to the bar, which she reached across to retrieve a drink menu. Katie held it in front of her for both of us to look at.
“What do I want? What do I want? Ah ha! That looks good.” Her finger landed on a gin and tonic cocktail special garnished with a twist of orange and a slice of pineapple.
“Make it two,” I said.
Three minutes later, we were strolling out of the bar with our drinks in hand, and Katie led the way through the lobby and into the gardens. We passed the same space where Rhys and Vanessa had been married less than forty-eight hours prior. It looked as though a wedding had never transpired here. There wasn’t a single white rose petal in sight.
That’s an impressive cleanup crew, I thought mindlessly as I sipped my refreshing cocktail.
It wasn’t immensely warm outside, but it wasn’t terribly cool either. We were stuck in that in-between Californian weather where the temperatures were beginning to cool off as we closed in on the middle of autumn.
Soon, locals would be walking around in puffy ski vests like psychopaths.
In my mind, LA never got cold enough to warrant such things. Canadian tourists came down here in the dead of winter and wore shorts, sandals, and linen shirts. Surely, it couldn’t be that cold.
We wandered through the grounds and returned to the veranda where the cocktail hour had happened the night before the wedding. We stopped there to claim a cushioned bench overlooking the pools, where dozens of guests were enjoying the water and the swim-up bar. The family-friendly pool was on the other side of the resort.
Katie slid into her seat and polished off the last mouthfuls of her drink. “I wonder how much money Rick spent at the art gallery today.”
“Doesn’t he already own tons of this guy’s work if they’re friends?”
Katie shrugged. “I would imagine so. But he has vacation properties all over the place. I’m sure a guy like him can always afford more art, especially if it’s in the name of supporting a friend’s business. I’m telling you, if I could have afforded to walk out with one of those masterpieces, I would have.”
I wished I had the money to buy it for her.
“How was Hailey today?” I asked.
Katie looked into the depths of her empty glass. “She was okay. She’s uncomfortable. Very uncomfortable. I think she just wants the pregnancy to be over so she can meet her little one and start the next step, you know?”
“Sure.”
Katie smiled and shook her head. “My poor brother. I can tell he’s totally out of his depth right now. He wants to help her so badly and ease her pains but everything he does only seems to piss her off more.”
“Your poor brother? Please. Part of you must be amused that he’s struggling. Or are twins different than other siblings?”
Katie laughed. “No, you’re right. Some of it is amusing. He tried to give her a massage at brunch and she nearly bit his hand off. I’ve never been afraid of Hailey before. Usually, she’s so sweet and bubbly and innocent. But today? Oh man, I wouldn’t have wanted to get on her bad side. She’s going to be a fierce mother.”
I wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. “I’m sure you will be too one day. If you want to be, of course.”
You’re saying a lot of things, Peter. Be careful.
Katie’s smile evaporated. My gut churned.
Had I said the wrong thing? I had a bad habit of not realizing the weight of my words but I felt like we were in relatively safe territory. Katie loved babies. I’d heard her gushing over them more than once, so I knew that for a fact. And she was so excited about her brother having a child of his own.
Where had I messed up?
“I’m sorry,” I said, rubbing her shoulder, “I didn’t mean to be one of those assholes who pushes the baby-making agenda on you.”
“I know that’s not what you meant.”
I frowned. Something was definitely wrong. Her demeanor had changed significantly. She wouldn’t even look at me.
“Katie? What’s wrong?”
She pulled her bottom lip into her mouth. “I’ve been thinking a lot. About us.”
“Us?”
“Yes, us.” She grinned shyly and nudged me in the ribs with her elbow. I pretended it hurt and recoiled and she rolled her eyes at me. “I like you, Peter. And I like where this is going. I guess I just want to