Chapter 4

four

S helby waited until the house grew quiet, when she was certain her mom had left for work, before emerging from her bedroom. She stopped short in the kitchen doorway at the sight of Kate working on her laptop. "Mom! What're you doing here? Won't you be late for work?"

Kate looked up from her computer. "Morning, sunshine. I'm working from home today. I was hoping to see you last night before you went out. How did your interview go?"

To avoid her mother's inquisition, Shelby had gone to dinner with friends before hitting the clubs. "The interview was great. Unfortunately, I don't have enough experience for the position. But don't worry, I'm tracking down some more leads."

"Good. Keep at it. You'll find something." Kate eyed her swimsuit cover-up. "Is the pool open already?"

"Yep. Today's the second day." Shelby eyed the Keurig. While she desperately needed coffee, if she lingered, her mom would undoubtedly question her about other employment opportunities, which Shelby would have to answer with more lies. She lifted her hand in a wave. "Gotta run, Mom. See you later."

A cloudless periwinkle sky and temperatures in the low seventies greeted her outside—a perfect day for sunning by the pool. A little color on her cheeks always made her feel better about herself, even if that color made her freckles more pronounced.

On the short drive to the club, Shelby thought about her mom's job with the most prominent lighting distributor in Texas. The company sold seriously cool fixtures if that sort of thing drew your attention. Shelby never understood why her mother worked when her father made a fortune as a cardiac surgeon. When Shelby won Luke back, they would get married, and she would never have to worry about finding a job again.

The pool was surprisingly crowded, and Shelby had to circle the parking lot three times before locating a space. Fortunately, Emily had saved her a lounge chair.

"I wasn't expecting anyone to be here," Shelby said. "Aren't they supposed to be at work?"

Emily hunched a bony shoulder. "IDK. I overheard some people talking. Today is Alexis's twenty-fifth birthday. Everyone took off work to help her celebrate."

Shelby's face fell. "Oh."

"I'm sorry, girlfriend. We can leave if you want."

"Nope." Shelby pulled her sun hat out of her pool bag, tugging it low on her head. "As club members, we have as much right to be here as they do."

She slathered on sunscreen and settled back on her lounge chair. When she looked at her friend, Emily was peering over her Krewe sunglasses at the crowd. "What're you looking at, Em?" She followed her gaze to Luke, who was standing at the end of the diving board. "What's he doing?"

Emily shook her head. "I'm not sure, but I'm getting a weird vibe right now. Something's going on."

Luke clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. "Hey! Everyone, listen up for a minute."

"This isn't cool. We should go," Emily said, gathering up her belongings.

Shelby's hand shot out, grabbing her friend's arm to prevent her from getting up. "No way! We're not leaving."

Luke gestured at Alexis on the pool deck near the diving board. She was gorgeous, her toned body in a red bikini and her thick mahogany hair pulled high in a perky ponytail. "As you all know, today is Alexis's birthday."

The crowd broke into a chorus of "Happy Birthday."

When the singing ended, Luke jumped off the diving board to the pool deck. "And I'm the luckiest man alive. Alexis has agreed to be my wife."

"It's true," Alexis called out, raising her left hand and wiggling her fingers.

Even from a distance, Shelby could see the sparkling diamond engagement ring. "This can't be happening. That was supposed to be me. That's my ring."

Emily swung her legs over the side of the lounge chair. "Come on, Shelby. You don't need to be here right now."

"What I need right now is a drink. Go get me a rum punch."

"That's a bad idea, Shelby."

"I don't care." Shelby stared at her lap, the tears blurring the cover of her new Colleen Hoover novel. "Please, Emily. It'll be too obvious if we leave right now. I can save face if I act like I don't care."

"You have a point." Emily jumped to her feet. "One rum punch coming right up."

There was no line at the bar, and Emily returned within minutes with her drink. "I'm sorry, Shelby. But I have to go home. Mom just texted me. She's not feeling well. She's having a party tonight and needs me to help her prepare. Why don't you come with me? We can grab some lunch and talk. You shouldn't stay here alone."

"Nope. I'll be fine." Shelby waved her novel. "I'm gonna soak up some rays and read my book."

"Suit yourself." Emily packed her things in her tote bag. "Be careful with that drink. The bartender poured you a strong one. The last thing you want is to get drunk and make a fool of yourself."

"Don't worry. I won't," Shelby said, sipping the sweet punch through the straw.

Emily kissed the tips of her fingers and touched them to Shelby's cheek. "Stay in touch. I'll be at home if you need me."

Shelby waited until Emily was out of sight before guzzling the drink and ordering another from a passing server. She couldn't take her eyes off Luke and Alexis, who were surrounded by their friends, basking in the glory of their engagement. Shelby never stood a chance of competing against Alexis. Not only was she beautiful and smart—currently in her third year of law school—but she was also the daughter of a wealthy oil tycoon.

Shelby finished the second drink and stumbled to the bar for a third. The familiar voice in her ear sent a chill down her spine. "I'm sorry, Shelby. I didn't know you'd be here today. I hope you're not upset about the engagement."

Shelby spun around to face Luke, sloshing some rum punch on his white T-shirt. "Why would I be upset, Luke? You just gave everything you promised me to someone else."

When she stormed off, much to her disappointment, he didn't follow her. The third drink sent her from tipsy to hammered in a flash. She felt trapped on her lounge chair, surrounded by all of Luke's and Alexis's friends. She yearned to escape and order an Uber to drive her home, but she was afraid to get up. Closing her eyes, she passed out and woke hours later, her skin painfully crisp from sunburn.

She straightened her chair and took in her surroundings. The crowd had thinned out, but the few who remained were well on their way to being drunk. Alexis and Luke were floating on an oversized raft in the pool, their bodies pressed together with one of her long legs thrown over his.

Shelby gathered her stuff and left the club. She assured herself she was okay to drive. She hadn't had anything to drink in hours. She was rounding the corner, turning onto her street, when Lily, the little girl next door, came out of nowhere on her pink bicycle. Shelby jerked the steering wheel, and her car swerved, barely missing the child. Lily, seeming unfazed, waved at Shelby and continued down the road.

Shelby parked in her driveway and rested her head against the steering wheel. She'd come so close to running the child over. She knew better than to drive under the influence. She always took Ubers when she'd had more than one drink. But today, she'd been so distraught over Luke's engagement that she'd made a near-fatal error in judgment.

Shelby realized she was in trouble when her mom greeted her at the door. "How was the pool? Did you have a nice time? You're pink. I hope you didn't get too much sun."

Shelby stared at the floor, afraid to meet her mom's gaze. "The pool was okay."

Kate sniffed. "Have you been drinking?" When Shelby didn't answer, Kate lifted her chin. "Shelby?"

Shelby pressed her lips tight, hoping to minimize the smell of alcohol on her breath as she spoke. "I had a rum punch hours ago."

Kate looked past her through the open door into the driveaway. "Please tell me you didn't drive yourself home?"

Shelby swatted her mother's hand away from her chin. "I'm fine, Mom."

"You're in big trouble, young lady. I'm at my wit's end with you." Kate tossed a thumb over her shoulder. "Go to your room. And don't you dare leave this house until your father comes home."

Tripping up the stairs to her room, Shelby crawled into bed, buried her face in her pillow, and cried herself to sleep. When she woke, dusk had settled over the room. Rolling onto her back, she stared at the ceiling as the afternoon's events flooded her mind. Luke's engagement. Three rum punches. The near miss with Lily. Her eyes danced around, landing on the suitcase parked beside her bedroom door—the huge one, not her carry-on, but the one she had taken to Europe for her high school graduation trip.

What the heck? Shelby detangled herself from the sheets and got out of bed.

The sound of her parents' angry voices in a distant part of the house drew her to the door. They were probably in the kitchen, where most of their arguments occurred. Pressing her ear to the door, she couldn't make out what they were saying, but she was sure they were fighting about her.

Shelby plodded barefoot down the stairs. As she approached the kitchen, she heard her father say, "Why do we have to send her away? Why don't we just ground her?"

From the doorway, Shelby asked in a meek voice, "Where are you sending me?"

Her mom released a lungful of air as she turned to face Shelby. "To South Carolina." Kate retrieved a computer printout from the table and handed it to Shelby. "Here is your flight itinerary."

Shelby scanned the one-way itinerary. She was booked on American Airlines departing Austin tomorrow morning at seven, connecting in Charlotte, and arriving in Charleston just after noon.

While Shelby hated the idea of moving away from Austin, of leaving Luke, she could see herself working at one of the boutique hotels in Charleston's historic district. She looked up at her parents. "I don't understand. Am I moving to Charleston?"

Mom shook her head. "Not Charleston. Magnolia Shores. You're going to live with your grandmother. Izzy needs help opening the bed and breakfast."

Shelby let go of the printout, and the itinerary floated to the floor. "Magnolia Shores! Are you crazy? Izzy lives at the end of the earth."

"We've tolerated your destructive behavior long enough," Kate said. "You go out every night, sleep until noon every day, and you've done nothing about finding a job."

"I'm sorry. I'll try harder," Shelby pleaded.

Kate gripped Shelby's arm. "This is about more than a job, sweetheart. What you did today was unacceptable. You drove home drunk from the club. You could've killed someone. Or yourself."

The image of Lily on her bicycle flashed before Shelby. "I know. And I'm sorry. But Luke and Alexis got engaged and I was upset."

Dad's face tightened. "Luke broke up with you over a year ago, Shelby. Have some pride for crying out loud. You've wallowed in self-pity long enough. You need to move on with your life." He dragged a hand down his face. "Maybe your mom is right. Maybe you do need to get away for a while."

"How long is a while?" Shelby asked and braced herself for the answer.

"That's entirely up to you. Izzy will pay you a salary. If you don't like working at the bed and breakfast, you can save money and move to Charleston. But I've canceled your credit cards, and you're now on your own."

Shelby's jaw hit the floor. "You canceled my cards. How am I supposed to live?"

Kate handed her a wad of folded twenty-dollar bills. "This will hold you over until your first paycheck. I booked a driver to meet you in Charleston and take you to Magnolia Shores. His fare and tip are prepaid."

Shelby stared at her mom. Pain etched the lines on Kate's face. This was as hard on Kate as it was on Shelby. "But I'll need a car. How am I supposed to get around?"

"You won't," Mom said. "Not for a while. I'll let Izzy decide when to loan you her car to go to town."

"This is so unfair." Shelby fled the kitchen, dashed back up the stairs to her room, and slammed the door so hard that her framed poster of Taylor Swift fell off the wall. Her parents were sending her to Magnolia Shores Prison. By the time she was released, Luke and Alexis would be married.

Locating her phone in the twisted bedding, she texted Emily and waited five minutes for her friend's response.

Bummer. I'll miss you. But this could end up being a good thing. As the saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder. Luke will miss you and realize what he's lost.

Yeah, right! While he's planning his wedding to Alexis.