Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

Luke

I finally found a few minutes alone inside. I slipped behind the bar counter and poured myself a shot of whiskey. Most of the guests had left the veranda to make their way downstairs for the party. Bryan had followed Hazel into her favorite room, the library. I’d checked on both of them. She stroked Bryan’s hair as he slept with his head in her lap. This might set my baby brother back a few cocky notches. Facing your mortality will do that to you. My mom looked shaken right after, but she was once again flitting around the house shouting orders and stressing out the staff.

I sat down with my glass of whiskey. The chair was tucked in a dark corner of the room, so Rachel didn’t notice me sitting there. She released a huge sigh as she strolled across the room and headed straight to the bar.

“If you’re sighing because you thought you finally found some time to yourself, I’m sorry to disappoint you. And I released the exact same sigh just minutes ago.”

“I guess if my solitude has to be interrupted, then I’m glad it’s you.” Rachel walked over with a splash of whiskey in her glass. She plopped down next to me. “I missed the whole trauma. Is Bryan all right?”

“I saw him curled up a like a little boy with his head in Grandma’s lap.” The liquor felt smooth as it went down my throat.

“Thank goodness you decided to pull this little prank on Mom. Otherwise, it could have been a very different ending to the night. Where is Isla now?”

“I left her in the kitchen. Gretchen was giving her vanilla tea and chocolate tarts. Grandma came in and hugged Isla. She was very emotional.” I decided not to mention the scolding she gave me. I was still trying to untangle it from my own feelings.

We both sat in silence, the silence we’d both been craving when we ducked into the room, finishing our drinks.

“I might need a second go.” Rachel hopped up. She put out her hand to refill my glass as well. I handed it to her readily.

“I wish I hadn’t done this,” I said.

Rachel poured the whiskey and returned with the glasses. “Done what?”

“I wish I hadn’t dragged Isla into this world. You know—bizarro world.” I lifted my glass, and we clinked them together.

“It does seem kind of unfair. Not like you, really.”

I shot back the rest of the whiskey and even had thoughts of a third round. “It’s Mom’s fault. She pushes and she’s relentless and she’s—she’s such a constant thorn.”

“She is and I’ll be glad when this wedding is over, so we won’t have to have our wedding meetings anymore.” She pressed her hand against her stomach. It was concave because she’d lost so much weight for the wedding. “I think she gave me an ulcer. What kind of mom gives her daughter an ulcer?”

“Once you and David get settled into the new place, you won’t have to see her as much.”

My mention of moving into the new house with David made her sink lower into the cushions. I looked over at her. There was no radiant, smiling glow, the kind you’d expect from a bride-to-be. “Rach?”

“What have I done?” she said so quietly I wasn’t sure I was meant to hear.

“It’s not too late,” I said.

“Yes, it is, Luke. You don’t understand. You stay far away in your bachelor bubble and barely take notice of this family.”

I sat forward. “How am I suddenly the villain?”

“You’re not. Sorry. I’m just tired. Mom overbooked this weekend. I’m going downstairs. Are you coming?”

I was still stinging from her rebuke. It seemed I was in the line of fire a lot tonight. “I’ll be down soon. Might go for thirds.”

Rachel walked out. I pulled my phone out of my pocket. All I could think about was finishing this damn weekend and heading back home. I texted Isla. “How are you doing? How is the cheek? No one will blame you if you decide to skip the party tonight.”

There was no response. I couldn’t blame her. She was sick of this whole thing and of me. And that made me feel even worse. I definitely needed that third round.

T he party was already in full swing and the singing had started. My Aunt June’s clear and slightly off-tune voice carried along the corridor. I instantly looked around for Isla, hoping she’d come down anyway. She was tiny, but she was still easy to spot in a crowd because she carried a sort of glow with her wherever she went. I didn’t see her, but Mom zeroed in on me the second I stepped into the room.

“Lucas,” she said and leaned to look past me. “Did she come with you? I haven’t seen her yet.” I was stunned by her interest. Was it possible my mom was seeing what everyone else saw in Isla? It seemed a far stretch but then Isla did save her youngest child from a traumatic death. Maybe that was enough to chisel through the granite hard exterior.

“I think she’s still in her room.”

Mom’s face lit up at something behind me. “No, here she is.”

I spun around and realized I was an idiot. She’d been asking about Alexandria. Alex and her mom strolled toward us. Alex had changed yet again. She was wearing a skintight denim sundress, cowboy boots and a white cowboy hat.

Mom sidled past me to greet them. “You look gorgeous, Alex. Everyone is waiting for you to sing.” Mom turned back to me. “Luke, doesn’t she look gorgeous?”

I smiled. “Like the hat.” Suddenly the notion of Isla sitting alone in her room with her bruised cheek made my chest tighten. “Excuse me, I need to go find Isla.”

“She’s already here,” Mom said sharply and waved her hand toward the room. She even added an eye roll.

I stared hard at her for a second, but that never phased my mom. She was almost impervious to other people’s show of emotion. I nodded to the Carltons and headed farther into the party. I glanced around and still couldn’t find Isla. Then someone who’d been standing in a circle of people moved to the side, and I spotted her silky blonde hair. Isla was standing in the middle of a group of guests apparently giving a small demonstration of how to save someone from choking.

“Brilliant,” my mom’s cousin, Linda, said as I reached the circle. She went on to tell the others a story about a woman choking in a restaurant and how it took a dozen tries to get her to cough up the piece of steak that was caught in her throat.

Isla smiled at me from center circle. The bruise had gotten darker, but it didn’t take away from her beauty.

“Luke.” Uncle Jim was part of the group. He apparently preferred the first aid training to listening to his wife sing. “She’s quite something. Pretty, too,” Jim muttered in my ear. “I hear her family is in flour and sugar. General Mills?” he asked.

I shook my head. “Nope. If everyone will excuse me, I’d like to talk to my girlfriend.” I reached through the crowd, found her hand and pulled her free from her fan club. We managed to find a place to talk near the bar. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine, although a little charged up on dark chocolate tarts and vanilla tea. But really, this doesn’t look great, but it doesn’t hurt.”

I found myself just gazing at her and thinking how was I going to just let her walk out of my life. “Isla, I hope you can forgive me. I don’t think I can get on with my life knowing that you hate me for putting you through this.”

“First of all, you’re far too good looking and charming to hate. In fact, I think I find you still quite tolerable, in spite of everything.” Her smile morphed into more of a frown. I glanced back to see what had changed her expression. Alexandria was garnering a wave of attention as she sashayed with a sassy hip swing toward the stage. She tapped her hat down on her head.

“I guess she went country, too.” Isla looked down at her short boots. “Wish I’d brought a hat.”

“You look adorable, and I can’t wait to hear you sing.”

Alex reached the stage and did a quick little Texas-two step before picking up the microphone and signaling she was ready. The music started. It was The Chicks, “Cowboy Take Me Away.”

“No way,” Isla muttered. “That little …”

I turned to her. “Everything all right?”

It was the first time I’d seen Isla look deflated, as if she’d hit an obstacle she couldn’t find her way around. Alexandria started singing. It was good. Good enough to bring more people toward the stage.

“I’ll be right back.” Isla headed back toward the bar area.

Alex knew how to wow a crowd and keep all the attention on her. She sang and danced and kept the audience captivated.

“She’s amazing.” Mom was suddenly at my side. “You’ll regret it if you let her get away.”

I looked back toward the bar. Isla was looking at something, a song list, I assumed. It seemed she’d changed her mind about her song.

“Have you thanked her yet?” I asked curtly.

Mom looked at me. “Who?”

“Seriously? The woman saves your youngest from death, and you haven’t even taken the time to thank her? You might think your manners are impeccable, but you’d be wrong.”

“Lucas, I’m very stressed this weekend. It would be nice to have support from my eldest, rather than constant contention. You’re just angry because you know I’m right about Alexandria, and you hate it when I’m right.”

“You might be getting ahead of yourself there.”

“You know I’m right.” She took off toward the stage. Mom always had to get in the last word. The song ended and everyone cheered, Mom the loudest.

Isla returned looking far less cheerful than a few minutes earlier. And then it hit me. “Alexandria took your song,” I said.

“Yep. Crossed it out and wrote it next to her name. It’s all right—”she started.

“No, it’s not.”

“No, really, it is. I found a new song.” She smiled up at me. “I’m fine.”

I sighed dejectedly. “There’s that word again. If there was ever a more overused word in the English language. For the hundredth time, Isla. I apologize for everything that’s happened since we arrived. But not for the Morbid Curiosity Museum. That was entirely on you.”

Isla laughed. “Then we’re probably even now because—well—human skin lampshade.” She shook her head. “Do you think he really had one?”

“Don’t know. I’ve tried not to think about it since my car hit the highway to leave that place.”

Isla’s name was called. She grabbed my arm. “That was me. They called my name.”

“You’ve got this, angel .”

Her worried brow smoothed, and she peered up at me with those incredible blue eyes. “You called me angel, but no one was around to hear.”

“Maybe I’m tired of putting on a show. Now go up on that stage and wow them.”

She took a steadying breath and walked toward the stage. Alex had left the stage and was standing and accepting all the accolades as if she was a rock star. I half expected her to pull out a pen to start signing autographs.

My gaze was pulled back to the stage as I moved closer. Isla had hold of the microphone. She looked nervous, and I felt it all the way through my chest. I wanted to hold her right then and tell her she had everything it took to be a superstar, with or without a song.

She cleared her throat loudly into the mic, but Alex was still holding court just below the stage. Isla waited for a second. Her gaze found me. I nodded to let her know I was listening, and as far as I was concerned that was all that mattered.

Isla nodded to the DJ, and he started the music. I had to strain to hear what the song was. It was Adele’s “Someone Like You.” Isla’s voice got lost in the peripheral noise at first but then an impossibly beautiful sound floated through the speakers. Seconds later, the entire room fell silent. Everyone’s attention was on the stage and on the incredible woman singing in a voice that made my throat tighten. Her blue eyes found me again, and I kept my gaze steady to let her know I was with her through every note. I swallowed hard as I listened to every lyric, every word. I was so caught up in her performance, so overwhelmed by it, I hadn’t noticed Alex joined me.

She reached over and took my hand. “Luke, I really need to walk outside and get some air.” Her words were barely registering. She squeezed my hand harder. It took all my will to pull my gaze from the stage. Alex was frowning and fanning herself with one hand. “Please, Luke. I’m suddenly feeling faint. I need fresh air. Could you please walk me out to the gardens?”

I turned back to the stage. People had moved even closer to hear the performance.

“Luke.” She wrapped her hands around my arm. “Please, before I faint.”

“Right.” She held my arm. Isla’s unbelievable voice followed us out of the room. We got to the elevator. I could still hear her singing.

Alex gripped my arm tighter. “Please, let’s hurry.” We stepped into the elevator, and she wrapped herself around me. “Just hold me. I think the dizziness will pass soon. It was just too crowded and stuffy in that room.”

I led her out to the veranda. She was amazingly recovered by the time we stepped into the cool night air. “I’ll get you a glass of water,” I said.

“No need. I feel much better. Let’s just take a walk.” She reached for my hand. “I just need some fresh air in my lungs.”

I looked at her. She was in every sense a perfect beauty, but there was something lacking. “You took her song,” I said.

Alex’s eyes rounded innocently. Her smile bordered on wicked. “What are you talking about? Uh, last I heard, The Chicks wrote that song, not your little friend, Isla.”

“You know what I mean.”

She waved her long pink nails. “Nonsense. I’d never do something like that.” She wrapped her arm around mine again. “Please, a short stroll and then I’ll be ready to head back inside.”

My feet moved forward reluctantly. My mom and her matchmaking.