Barefoot Bay: Hold On To Forever (Kindle Worlds Novella) by Maria Geraci Page A

discussing where to go for lunch.
    “What are you doing here?” his mom asked. “Where’s your father?”
    “He and Mitch are across the street at the Mexican place. We’re already on our second pitcher of beer and our third round of nachos. What’s taking so long?”
    “It’s Felicity. She can’t find a dress,” Nicki explained.
    “I just heard her say she’s going to take the last dress I handed her,” said Gussie, the wedding planner. “I’m going to work out some details with the salesgirl here at the shop. You all go on to lunch without me. We’ll figure out the head piece and hairstyles tomorrow morning.”
    Jack glanced around the shop. “Where’s Felicity?”
    “She’s still in the changing room. She said to go on to the restaurant without her, but I think we should wait,” Mom said.
    “I am going to faint if I do not eat soon,” Abuela said dramatically.
    Mom looked concerned. “Is it your blood sugar, Lola?”
    “Yes. My blood sugar must be high,” said Abuela, looking and sounding remarkably healthy for someone on the verge of passing out.
    “You mean low, right?” Nicki said.
    “Low. High. It is whichever one will get me in front of food the fastest,” she answered.
    Mom rolled her eyes.
    “You all go to the restaurant,” Jack said. “Felicity and I will catch up with you in a few minutes.”
    He waited till they’d left the shop then walked to the back of the store to the changing area. This actually worked out pretty good. It would give him a private moment to talk to Felicity and see if she was making any headway with Nicki.
    There was only one dressing room with the curtain closed. “Felicity?”
    “What are you doing here?” she whispered, like she was trying not to draw attention to herself.
    “Waiting for you.” He glanced around but there was no one nearby. “Are you decent?”
    “What’s that supposed to mean? You mean, am I dressed? Yes, but—”
    He drew back the curtain and stepped into the small dressing area, then closed it shut before anyone might notice him.
    “You can’t come in here!” she shrieked.
    “Calm down. You said you were dressed. How did things go with—” His mouth suddenly went dry. “What are you wearing?”
    “It’s supposed to be my maid of honor dress, but I don’t think it’s right.”
    “What’s wrong with it?”
    “You don’t think it’s too…much?”
    Yeah, but too much in this case equaled just right. He’d seen women wear tighter, slinkier clothes. The dress covered everything up that was supposed to be covered, but it also left nothing to the imagination. The green silk clung to every curve and plane of that tight little body of hers. The women he knew would be smirking at his reaction, but he could see from the uncertain look in her eyes that she was clueless.
    “I can’t be sure until I see it from all sides. Turn around.”
    She narrowed her eyes. “Maybe you should send in Gussie.”
    “Gussie’s busy. Look, never mind about the dress. It looks fine.”
    “You really think so?”
    “Yes. Now, did you get a chance to talk to Nicki?”
    Her face lit up making her brown eyes go wide. The harsh overhead light in the dressing room revealed a smattering of freckles across the tip of her nose that he hadn’t noticed before. He’d never thought of freckles as sexy. Until now.
    “Yep. And I think she’s totally on board with law school. How about Mitch?”
    “What? Just like that?”
    “My sister happens to be a very intelligent woman. It didn’t take but a few words to change her mind. I bet it’s Mitch who’s behind this whole lets delay law school thing. What did he say when you talked to him?”
    Jack wanted to deny it, but he couldn’t. “I haven’t gotten a chance to talk to him alone. There’s nothing planned after lunch so I figured I’d convince him to check out the town with me.”
    “Which means we could have this whole thing resolved by tonight.”
    “That we could,” he agreed.
    She