Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 68247 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 341(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68247 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 341(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
“Eating for two,” Avery said as she settled into her seat.
“At some point, that’s not going to be an excuse, right?”
Avery shrugged. “Milk it for all it’s worth. When else can you just relax and indulge?”
“That’s what Meg said. She seems more relaxed about this whole thing than me.” Olivia picked up a glass of ice water and took a long sip.
“Meg is further along and has had more time to get used to the idea of having a baby. Relax. You’ll be a natural.” Avery knew it was easy for her to reassure her sister when she had no idea what Olivia was going through. She did, however, know that her older sibling would be a wonderful mom.
Before Olivia could respond, Avery caught sight of Sienna and waved. She was twenty-two and the youngest of Robert Dare’s children. Like her mother, she had blonde hair, which she’d pulled into a pony tail, and brown eyes. She had a lace cover-up over a bikini, and she joined them, tossing her bag onto an empty chair.
“Hi!” Sienna said, settling into a chair. “Sorry I’m late.” Her skin glistened with perspiration from the heat and a healthy tan from the sun.
“You aren’t. We haven’t even ordered drinks yet,” Olivia said, waving to a waiter.
A few minutes later, they’d ordered unsweetened iced teas, and they each chose different salads for lunch, then played catch-up with each other’s lives as they ate. After they finished and the plates were cleared away, they sat with refills on their tea and began to discuss the prom event.
Avery pulled a pad from her purse. She already had notes from the meeting at the hospital and the places she and Ella had contacted for help.
“So we have the venue, since the hospital agreed to host there,” Avery said. “We can’t use flowers, because I don’t want to worry about allergies, but I was thinking about using Mylar balloons instead. And what do you think of letting the kids pick the color scheme? We can do a poll or something? Let them be part of things.”
“Good idea,” Sienna said. “I have a friend who works in party planning. I’m sure she could either get the balloons at a great price or donate them. And I know she has the helium machine. I’ll see what she thinks she can do for tablecloths and things.”
“Awesome.” Avery made a check next to decor.
“Does the hospital have silverware, or do we need to handle that ourselves?” Olivia asked.
Avery responded, and they went back and forth on details, each offering their own ideas.
“What about music?” Sienna finally asked.
Avery bit down on her cheek. “That’s the big expense I haven’t figured out yet. We can always resort to an iPod and speakers.”
“Or my sister, who’s dating a rock star, can ask him to sing,” Olivia said, then began whistling and looking around innocently.
“Oh my God, yes!” Sienna squealed and practically flew out of her seat at the idea. “I saw the picture of you and Grey Kingston in the paper. That is so cool!”
Avery winced and grabbed her sister’s wrist. “Sit and shh.” She glanced around to make sure nobody was paying attention.
“Sorry.” The younger girl lowered herself into her seat. “But it really is cool.”
“Yeah, so cool his stalkers are now my stalkers,” Avery muttered under her breath.
“What do you mean?” Olivia asked, leaning across the table.
Avery closed her eyes and sighed, then explained the morning’s events and Grey’s offer for her to move in with him.
“Crap,” Olivia said helpfully.
Avery shot her a look.
“What are you going to do?” Sienna asked.
“I don’t know. Ella’s away on business, which is good, because I don’t want to have to worry about her getting hurt. I also don’t want to be alone in my apartment right now, but moving in with Grey? Isn’t that . . . I don’t know. Extreme?”
“I’d do it in a heartbeat.” Sienna shrugged, but Avery knew that was a young mind speaking.
Sienna had missed a year of school thanks to her illness, and she was just going into her senior year of college now. All she was thinking about was Grey Kingston, rock star. She didn’t have a clue about the damage Grey could do to Avery’s already shaky sense of trust.
“You can always stay with us,” Olivia said, reaching out and clasping Avery’s hand.
Avery shook her head at Olivia. “Thank you. But I don’t want to bring trouble to your door. Same with Mom. Scott and Tyler offered me a place to stay too, but I think I’d kill them both within a day.”
Olivia snickered. “Point taken.”
“You could take a room here,” Sienna suggested.
Avery mulled over that idea, then discarded it. “I think Grey’s feelings would be hurt if I chose a hotel over the apartment next door to him.”
Olivia pursed her lips and met Avery’s gaze.