InHap*pily Ever After (Incidental Happenstance) (71 page)

            In the past
couple months, it had been Lexi fighting the internal battle—trying to focus on
her best friend’s happiness rather than wallowing in self-pity. At times it had
been hard—twice she’d found herself at the same restaurant as Ryan and his new
girlfriend, and had fought the urge to pay an informative little visit to their
table—but she’d managed to hold her head high, give Tia the full support and
enthusiasm that their friendship deserved, and plan her own reinvention along
the way.

            She had two
more months on her lease, and she didn’t plan to renew it. Once the wedding was
over she’d have an obscene amount of free time, and she was going to narrow
down a location and start looking for jobs and new places to live. She was even
considering hanging out her own shingle and starting up a small firm. Although
she hadn’t nailed down a final destination, she had decided that she’d go west;
somewhere with better weather and fresher air for her new life. It felt good to
finally be in a place where she was really looking forward to it.

           
Just four
more days
, she thought,
and I can work on making my own happily ever
after
. She had dubbed Tia’s romance her “InHappily Ever After,” and the
thought now gave her heart pause. The thought of the wedding thrilled her; but
she was  apprehensive about seeing Bo, and it reminded her that she’d never
have an InHappily ever after of her own. Even though Tia had told her that Bo
wasn’t bringing a date, and had even laughed at the idea that he had a thing
going with Joi, Lexi was still saddened about the way she’d royally screwed up
her relationship with him. At some point over the weekend she knew that she was
going to need to at least clear the air with him, but no matter how many times
she’d tried to picture it in her mind, she still had no idea how to even
approach the conversation.  She had no doubt that they would both handle things
with all the appropriate pomp and circumstance, but Lexi hoped deep in her
heart that they could fix things between them; or at least make amends. Either
way, she couldn’t help but look at this weekend as her last hurrah; at least
where InHap was concerned. She took a deep breath and reached into her bag,
fingering the custom drum sticks she’d gotten Bo for his birthday.
We’ll
always have London
, they read.  

            Lexi hoped
that the sun and fun of the weekend would also help her burn the dark spot from
her heart—she hated once more having to carry a secret that threatened to make
things difficult for her best friend. She had decided from the start that she
could never tell Tia the real reason Ryan had thrown away their
relationship—could never allow her to know that it was because he couldn’t
handle the daunting depth of Dylan’s shadow and the fact that he’d never be
able to give Lexi the life her best friend was getting. People would ask, she
knew, and she really didn’t have a good answer. She’d just have to tell them
she didn’t want to talk about it. Almost as much as she wanted this weekend to
get started, a part of her looked forward to it being over, and she hated
herself for that.

            She took a
deep cleansing breath as the car turned onto the frontage road that led to the
little airport and pushed the thoughts from her mind. Her demons were her own,
and she planned to keep them that way. Ah well, she was going to enjoy the hell
out of this weekend, and now that it was finally here, she couldn’t wait to get
it started. 

            She saw the small
group standing around the tarmac as the car pulled up, and she hopped out to
hug Tia’s parents and grandparents. “So, what’s the final prediction?” she
asked with a smile.

            Danielle
grinned. “I’m going with Hawaii, and Will’s thinking St. Lucia. How about you?”

            “I’m going to
go with Aruba,” Lexi said. “I’m definitely thinking Caribbean—or maybe I’m just
hoping, because I really want some palm trees and crystal blue water.” She
turned to Tia’s grandparents, Russ and Loretta. “Do you have a guess?”

            “I haven’t
even tried,” Loretta said. “I’m still trying to get over the fact that I’m
getting on an airplane! Seventy-three years I’ve been on this earth,” she said,
“and my feet have never left the ground. I thought I’d keep it that way, but I
wouldn’t miss this wedding for the world.” 

             They all
looked up anxiously as the small jet touched down and taxied up the runway
toward them. Lexi bounced restlessly on the balls of her feet as she grinned at
Tia’s parents and shared in their mounting excitement. When the plane came to a
stop, the steps came down and Ty stepped through the open doorway.

            “You folks
need a ride?” he asked excitedly.

            “Ty!” Lexi
exclaimed, dropping her bag and running over to hug him. “It’s so good to see
you!”

            Tommy hopped
out next and then Angelo, both pulling Lexi into friendly hugs. “Thought we’d
stretch our legs for a few before the second part of the trip,” Angelo
remarked, pushing his palms toward the sky and stepping up on the balls of his
feet.

            Lexi looked to
the stairs once again, hoping, but Bo did not appear. 

            “Ah, Bo went
out yesterday with Dyl and T,” he said, interpreting her look.

            “I thought he
might,” she said with a forced smile and she wrapped her arm around Ty’s waist
and turned to introduce the boys. “Ty Waters, Tommy Fletcher and Angelo Isely,”
she said, indicating each man in turn, “these are Tia’s grandparents, Russ and
Loretta. You remember Will and Danielle.” 

            They exchanged
greetings and turned as they heard the clatter of feet on the steps once more.
“Good morning,” a petite brunette in a flight uniform said brightly, “and
welcome aboard. My name is Leigh, and I’ll be taking care of you today.” She
held a plastic tote in one hand, and a box of storage bags and markers in the
other.  “As you know, I’ll need to collect your cell phones before you board;
just a formality; they’ll be returned to you when you head for home.”

             They’d
already been told that this would happen, and had their devices in their hands,
in bags already labeled with their names. Each of the guests introduced
themselves to Leigh, and handed over their phones before stepping onto the
plane.

            The jet was
opulent—that was the only word Lexi could conjure as she took in the interior
of the Gulfstream. There were several plush leather chairs and long couches
along the sides to accommodate groups of people. Tables of heavily polished
dark wood shone like glass, and a well-appointed bar was set up just inside the
door. She heard the low whistles of Tia’s parents as their eyes swept the interior
of the aircraft.

            “Well, it sure
ain’t United,” Will said. “This is some serious first class!”

            “If you’ll all
take your seats,” Leigh informed them, “we’ve been given clearance for
take-off. I wish I could tell you where we’re going, but they haven’t shared
that information with me just yet. Once we get in the air, I have champagne for
all of you—I understand this is a celebration!”

            The excitement
on the plane was palpable—the champagne flowed freely, they nibbled on hors
d’oeuvres, and the group enjoyed getting to know one another. The layout of the
plane made it easy—all the chairs swiveled so that they could all be involved
in conversation, and the chatter never stopped. The boys turned on their
natural charms, and Lexi felt all the stress slide from her body as she enjoyed
the company of some of her favorite people in the world.  They were just over
two hours into their flight when Loretta exclaimed, “We’re over water!”

            They all
turned to the windows and peered out. Sure enough, there was nothing but blue
below them, with tiny whitecaps that could only be waves.

            “So we are
leaving the country, it seems,” Will said. “I can’t wait to get another stamp
on my passport—but really, I can’t wait to find out where we’re going.”

            “Oh!” Lexi
exclaimed. “I’m so hoping for palm trees, turquoise water, and warm sand! Now
that’s a perfect setting for the wedding of the year.”

            Danielle
smiled wide. “I still can’t believe my baby’s getting married—and in such grand
fashion—I’m positively giddy!”

            Will laughed
and put his arm around her. “You don’t think that maybe the champagne has
anything to do with that, do you?” he asked rhetorically.

            “Oh, maybe,”
she answered, “but who cares? I am just loving life right now. Here we are, on
a beautiful private jet, sipping Moet, heading for an unknown tropical
destination—who wouldn’t be at least a little bit giddy?”

            “Here’s to
that!” Angelo offered, holding up his glass. They toasted the happy couple, and
watched the window for the arrival of what they hoped would be a lush island
rising up from the ocean.

            “Welcome to
the Islands of the Bahamas!” Leigh said as the plane touched down. They’d
watched in anticipation from the windows as the island came into view—the
indescribable colors of the Caribbean Sea swirling below them and the palm
trees taking shape. “You can just keep your seats—immigration will come aboard
and clear you all, and then there’s a van that’ll take you the rest of the
way,” she explained.

            “Where exactly
is our final destination?” Will asked.

            “I honestly
don’t know,” Leigh answered, “but I sure wish I was joining you. Along with the
rest of the world, I’ll be watching the TV, hoping to catch a glimpse of the
wedding—I imagine it’ll be spectacular. Could you please give my best wishes to
the happy couple? Not like they’ll care, but it’s kind of cool only having two
degrees of separation between me and Dylan Miller.”

            The van
dropped them at a long pier that jutted out into the ocean, dotted on both
sides with spectacular vessels. Several Bahamian men in white suits rushed over
to take their bags, and led them down the pier to the end, where the most
amazing yacht of them all was docked. “No way!” Lexi whispered to Ty. “Is that
for us?”

            Tommy shook
his head. “Leave it to Dyl to make sure his guests arrive in style.”

            Sure enough,
they were led up the ramp into what could only be described as complete and
utter luxury. It was almost unbelievable—absolutely no detail was spared. There
were three decks, and as they wandered around the incredible spaces, it was
hard to believe they were on a boat. They made their way up to the top deck,
where a group of people were already chatting and nibbling from platters of
fresh fruits, shrimp cocktails, and other culinary delights.

            “Hello there!”
A beautiful blonde woman with a heavy Australian accent broke from the group
and rushed over to them. Lexi guessed that she must be Dylan’s mother; she
could see the resemblance immediately. She headed straight for the boys and
pulled them into a warm group embrace as the rest of the group turned to
welcome them. Lexi hadn’t expected to feel such a rush of emotion, but her
heart soared when she saw Dylan’s friends from Northampton waving frantically
and making their way over for hugs and hellos. They all gushed over introductions
and raised their crystal glasses in toasts as the boat pulled away from the
dock and made its way out to sea.

            They had
barely left the port when a local band fired up some pure Caribbean music and
they were dancing within minutes; laughing and changing partners as the
mainland grew smaller and smaller in the distance. It was nearly an hour before
they approached another, smaller island, and the yacht glided effortlessly up
to the pier. They hung over the deck railing to read the sign that greeted
them: “La Bienvenida a Isla Lujoso.”  Below that, in smaller letters, it read,
“A. Granger, Proprietor.”

            “I should have
known!” Ty mused. “Why didn’t I think of it?” He knew that Granger had his own
freaking island, and that he and Dylan were good friends—why hadn’t he guessed
that the secret location of the wedding might be here?

            By the time
they made their way down to disembark, Tia and Dylan were jogging down the pier
hand in hand to greet them, with a woman balancing a tray of fruity tropical drinks
following behind them. Cameras on floating rafts were on either side of the
pier, capturing the reactions of the first group to arrive.

            “Welcome to my
wedding in paradise!” Tia exclaimed, rushing to hug everyone and welcome them
to the island. “It’s so amazing here, I can’t wait to show you!”

            “It’s just
breathtaking!” Danielle gushed, taking in the scenery. A powdery beach sprawled
off to the left of the main pier; dotted with cabanas, palapas and colorful
beach chairs. Tropical flowers burst from artistic pots, and lush foliage rose
up over rolling hills in the background. To the right, a number of smaller
piers jutted out over the turquoise water, playing host to jet skis, kayaks,
paddle boats, small sailboats, and several other vessels. Many of the piers
featured little gazebos at the ends, overlooking the sea, and Lexi tried to
gauge in which direction the sunset would light up the sky. In the distance
they could see the rise of a few buildings, thatched roofs that blended
beautifully with the surrounding landscape. There was a feeling of seclusion
and privacy here, and they were all excited to see more.