Chapter Twenty Eight

Amelia's POV

Was I dreaming? I had to be dreaming, because in what world did Ray do things like apologize to me? I hadn't known her for long, but I had known her long enough to understand that she preferred to take on the role of victim in every situation.

So for her to be saying this right now… the history books needed to record this moment.

"Um… Bella?" she called.

That was when I realized that I had been staring at her without saying anything.

"Oh!" I said. "Uh… you said I was right? What was I right about?"

That sounded like the safest thing to say at the moment.

"Well, that Julian Lake doesn't belong to me just because I have a crush on him," she replied. "He's a person capable of making his own choices, so it's not fair for me to claim that you stole him."

"Oh," I said. "Okay."

"So we're good?" she asked hopefully.

"Of course," I replied.

She was acting weird, yes, but I didn't see the point in dragging out our ridiculous rivalry.

"Cool," she said, looking genuinely happy.

"So, since there's no bad blood between us now, does that mean you won't mind coming to my picnic?"

"Picnic?" I repeated.

"Yeah. My parents are letting me use their holiday cottage, so it's going to take place in the garden. You should totally come."

"When is it happening?" I asked.

"This Saturday," she replied.

'That happens to be the same day Julian and I are going on our second date,' I thought.

Not that I could say that. Whatever. I'd just spend a short time there and then go on to the date.

"Alright," I said. "I'll be there."

"Sweet!" she said, standing up. "See you there."

She waved, and I waved back. When she was gone, I stared into my coffee and took a moment to process the strange encounter I just had.

"Oh well," I said, pushing it out of my mind.

Ray might have her annoying flaws, but she was also very nice. I had learnt that much from our first interaction. And nice people typically didn't like to hold grudges.

I would know, because there was no one nicer than Nancy.

'No need to think too deeply about it, Amelia,' I thought. 'You have a bachelorette party to prepare for."

……

Genevieve Lopez's bachelorette party was a shock. Since it was a party strictly for the bride to be and her friends, I had imagined that it would involve five to six women in a small celebration. But there were over forty women here, and the celebration was the very opposite of small.

She had rented an entire beach for the day. And the stars were just twinkling to life as I walked into the space. It was kind of like bonfire night. I watched the women chasing each other around and kicking up sand with their feet, swimming in the ocean or lying on the cooling sand with their faces lifted towards the sky.

"Wow," I breathed, "I didn't think the beach could be fun after sunset."

"I know, right?" a pretty woman spoke beside me. "Who would have thought? It's Genevieve's favorite time to be at the beach, you know."

"I didn't know that," I replied. "Wow."

"You're Isabella Domitia, right?" she said. "We've all been waiting for you. Your story is supposed to be the highlight of this evening."

Before I could respond, she linked her arm through mine and began to walk me forward.

"C'mon," she said, "you should meet Genevieve right away."

We walked till we got to the bonfire. There were seven women, chattering with their heads bent together.

"Genevieve," she said, "the guest of honor is here."

They stopped talking immediately, and all turned at once to get a look at me. I smiled and waved my hand awkwardly. Then Genevieve stepped forward, her rich brown skin glowing in the moonlight.

"Oh la la!" she exclaimed. "Ladies and ladies, we have in our midst the one who has done the impossible!"

Cheers filled the air, and I felt myself flush from head to toe. I knew they were talking about winning Julian's heart, and I had no idea how to tell them that I hadn't, actually.

'You don't have to tell them,' I thought. 'Their assumption that you did is the only reason why they let you come here. Disappoint them, and that's the end of your dreams of climbing the ranks.'

I just had to make sure I handled things in a way that wouldn't cause trouble for Julian or for me.

"So how did you do it, girl?" someone asks.

"Yeah, give us the tea!" another woman shouted.

"How do you know I did anything?" I asked, giving them a teasing smile. "Maybe I'm just his type."

As I had hoped, they all laughed like I just told the funniest joke.

"Julian Lake doesn't have a type," one of the women said. "But I always knew that if any woman could teach him to love again, it would be Isabella Domitia. Everybody falls for her."

The other women had noticed my presence, and soon everyone was sitting around the bonfire with me in the middle like a storyteller. Somebody was passing around roasted marshmallows on sticks, and I munched on one while they all waited eagerly for me to start.

"Well, we met in a bar," I began.

"And he was instantly swept off his feet?" a voice called.

"Um, no," I laughed.

"Let me guess, one of you got drunk and fell into the other's arms?" another called.

"You know what?" I said jokingly, grinning at them. "You're absolutely right!"

They all laughed, and I felt on top of the world. These were some of the most important women in the country, and right now, I had their full, collective attention.

So I spun them a story that was neither fiction nor fact, but somewhere in-between. They wanted drama, so I gave it to them.