I stared at the ground, kicking a few rocks and hoping for a brief distraction from my reality. I looked at the busy bar, and the image drove home the crushing loneliness. I focused on the horizon, the far-reaching water, and forced myself to breathe long, slow breaths. The tears didn’t stop, but I was reasonably sure my voice would work now that the sobs were under control.
I interrupted the clerk's apologies. "I'm from out of town. I have somewhere to be."
"At least you're not stuck in a turn-out," the young man said. "Where exactly are you?"
I closed my eyes and rubbed my forehead hard. "I have no idea. The last sign I remember said Michel's Beach."
"Oh, hey! They have a really nice brewery in Michel's Beach."
I hung up and jammed my phone in my purse. Then I tugged out a compact and flipped open the mirror. I looked like hell, with tangled hair and red-rimmed eyes. I snapped the compact shut and decided that what I really needed was a drink.
Chapter Two
Landon
I could hear the lecture coming, the way my cousin’s heels cracked against the tiles as she marched across the foyer. I slipped into the kitchen and almost fell over a large delivery box. The kitchen had turned into an obstacle course of decorations, catering equipment, and extra staff. The staff looked up and smiled at me, but then they heard Lyla coming, and their smiles fell.
"Landon, please tell me you are not planning to go out," she barked as she burst into the kitchen.
The staff scattered like cockroaches as she approached. Everyone pretended like they were busier than they really were, just to avoid her.
"You caught me, Lyla. It's a beautiful, sunny afternoon, and I was planning to go out and live a little. How about you?"
She tugged her linen suit coat into place. "You know there’s a difference between reality and what you are trying to call 'life,' right? One's a fantasy that adults have to give up, and the other is the real world."
I gestured to encompass the grand kitchen, the glittering crystal serving sets, and the fresh exotic flowers. "Most people wouldn’t call this reality."
"The reality is that this is your event to host, and you are not going anywhere." She put her hands on her hips.
"I know we all get a little stressed during gala time, but you handle it so much better." I held up my hands in surrender as I inched backward and prayed I wouldn’t trip over a box. "I'm sure you've got this all under control."
Lyla's eyes were icy, as if she was trying to freeze me in place. "Landon, it is your responsibility to make this the event of the season."
I tripped and twenty abalone shells skittered across the kitchen tiles. "It will be. I have faith in you. That's why I hired you, Lyla.” I picked up an iridescent shell. “I mean, I have no idea why we even have these?"
Lyla snatched the shell from my hand. "These are for the centerpieces."
"What are centerpieces?"
"For god's sake, Landon. What would you do without me?" My cousin shook a few curls loose from her perfect ponytail.
I took my chance and headed for the back door. "Exactly. I need you, but you'd be better off if I wasn't in your way."
Lyla caught me on the steps and her polished nails dug into my arm. "Where are your priorities?"
I gritted my teeth. Far off over the manicured lawn and carefully cultivated gardens, the ocean was misty and calm. "Let's not do this today, okay?"
"Landon, you hired me to run this and the company for you, but that doesn't mean you’re off the hook. I'm sorry you don't like it, but people have high expectations of you."
I looked down at her hand on my arm and frowned. She let go of me and clenched her fingers into fists. We used to be playmates, but that didn’t mean I’d let her boss me around like this. I let her get away with too much, only because she was family. The only family I had left.
I looked up from her tight fists to her sharp green eyes. "Anyone who expected anything of me is gone, Lyla, you know that. Why can't I just be left in peace now?"
She softened, but only a little. "Your guests have expectations. Think about the people who have had this on their social calendars their whole lives. Or how about the people that strived to get an invitation and now they've finally made it? This event really means something to people. And think about the town."
I waved my hands in a shooing motion. "The town's overrun with tourists. I bet everyone is happier when this is over."
"Not ‘tourists’. Guests. Guests who come from all over the world and expect to see you. Guests who spend millions of dollars on charities that you suggest. Think about all those charities, Landon."
"That is low. Even for you," I snapped. "What are you going to do next? Pull out a picture of a starving child and tell me to do it for them?"
She crossed her arms. "If I have to."
I took a step down so we were eye to eye. My patience had worn thin as my eyes locked on hers. "I seem to recall I hired you to run all of this. I signed off on the army of staff, the cleaners, and decorators, and that obnoxious duo you assured me were the most elite event planners in the U. S. What I did not do was give you permission to scold me like a child."
A faint smile chased across my cousin's face before she forced her lips back into a stern line. "Let's just call that one of the perks of being family."
My laugh was laced with frustration. Lyla was the only real family I had left. That, combined with the fact that she was five years older than me, usually gave her the upper hand, when I allowed it. We’d spent summers and vacations together in the midst of our parents’ busy lives. Lyla was used to bossing me around from childhood when she was in charge of every camping trip and fun adventure my friend, Andrew, and I planned. It did not help that my cousin was the type of person who wanted to be permanently in charge.
"Are you happy, Ly?" I asked.
She swayed back on her heels. "What? Why would you ask something like that? Of course, I'm happy."
I studied her face, noted the frown lines around her mouth, and sighed. "Do you know what happy feels like?"
"You're one to talk," she snapped. Her eyes widened and she blew out a frustrated sigh. "Sorry. Fighting with you just gets too childish."
I shrugged. "You're right, as usual. I don't know what happy feels like, but at least I'm trying to find out."
"And I'm not?" Lyla covered her mouth with one hand and blinked hard.
I winced at the pain in her eyes but couldn’t take back what I’d said. I looked up to her; she was impressive in so many ways. She was first and foremost a professional. She was always impeccably dressed with her hair in a sleek ponytail. Her plain, dark brown hair was countered by emerald-green eyes and an elegant, heart-shaped face. She was attractive, ambitious, and dedicated. Just not happy.
"I worry about you, Ly. Just as much as you worry about me," I said. "I benefit from all your hard work, but do you ever turn it off and give yourself a break?"
She sniffed. "You of all people know this is an all-day, everyday, kind of job."
"But it doesn't have to be."