“Oh, stop, Tommy. You rascal,” Courtney said before walking over and planting a loud, smacking kiss on his grandfather’s cheek. “You better save a dance for me tomorrow!”
“You know it!” he called out and Dean swore the old guy was blushing.
Before he could even process where Courtney was going, their meals were being served. Conversation around the table flowed and once everyone was done eating, speeches were made by both Scarlett and Mason–thanking everyone for coming and to talk about how excited they both were for the wedding tomorrow. Honestly, Dean was happy for them. Never in a million years did he imagine his sister marrying into one of the wealthiest families in town, but he knew that had little to do with their relationship. Still, he was happy that Scarlett would hopefully never have to struggle again.
They’d done that enough while growing up.
He raised his glass with everyone to toast the happy couple, he enjoyed a celebratory cupcake when they were passed around, and was more than a little thankful that the night was coming to an end. Tomorrow would be even longer and, no doubt, more draining, and right now the only thing Dean was looking forward to was going home and enjoying a little peace and quiet before going to sleep.
Yeah, just call me Mr. Excitement…
Walking across the room, he wanted a chance to say goodnight to Scarlett and Mason. As he got closer, however, he could see his sister looked upset.
Again.
Damn pregnancy hormones. He swore his sister had cried more in the last seven months than she had in her entire life.
When he was beside her, he carefully asked, “Hey, what’s going on? What are you upset about now?”
Mason was the one to answer. “Scarlett feels like Courtney had a little too much to drink and is worried about her driving home and…let’s just say things got a little tense.”
“Dean,” Scarlett began pitifully, “you have to make sure she doesn’t drive! She won’t listen to me and I realize she doesn’t have far to go, but…you have to go after her! She’s probably still in the driveway. It’s a little chaotic even with the hired valet and…”
“Isn’t she sleeping by you tonight?” he quickly interrupted before she got herself even more worked up. “I thought that was the plan–Courtney was staying with you at your place.”
“She is, but she’s mad at me and said she’s not staying over!” she sobbed. “How could she do that? She’s my maid of honor and…and…”
Dean looked at her and then Mason before he nodded. “Okay, okay, don’t worry. I’ll make sure she safely gets to your place.” Then he paused. “Wait, when we say your place, do we mean your old place or your place on the beach–Mason’s place?”
“The place on the beach is our place,” Scarlett corrected. “But yeah, I mean my old place. We wanted one last night to hang out there like old times, and now she said she changed her mind!”
And she was crying again.
“I’ve got this,” he said firmly. Shaking Mason’s hand, he added, “Take care of her and I’ll…I’ll deal with Court.”
“Thanks, man.”
With a quick kiss on Scarlett’s cheek, Dean made his way across the room and out to the large entryway while trying to find Courtney. He hadn’t seen her leave, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t stopped to talk to anyone on her way out.
“You leaving too?” Hunter asked when he spotted him in the foyer.
“Uh, yeah. Have you seen Courtney?”
“I think I saw her go out the back door. How come?”
Dean quickly relayed the situation before excusing himself and walking back through the house. With no other choice, he stepped outside and headed down the to the yard. Several people were still milling around and he scanned the property to try to figure out where she went.
A lone figure on the pier caught his eye.
Courtney.
Her shoulders were hunched and shaking and he knew she was crying. With a muttered curse, he started walking across the yard and down the pier. When he got to her side, he stood there and looked out at the Sound like she was.
“You want to talk about it?” he quietly asked.
“Not particularly.”
Her words were spoken so softly he could barely hear her. Turning his head to look at her, he wasn’t sure what to say.
“I don’t need a babysitter, Dean,” she said after a minute. “You don’t have to stand here and watch over me. I’m not a kid anymore.”