Kacey winked. “Wouldn’t dream of it. He’s still an ass, Char. I hope you know that.”

Char laughed with Kacey.

Jake wasn’t laughing.

Not at all.

Was he a giant joke to everyone?

“So.” Kacey pulled Char onto the couch. “I’m glad I get to say this to you face to face so I can see your reaction.”

“You’re pregnant!” Char yelled.

Travis spit out his drink and began to cough.

“Uh, no.” Kacey glared at Travis. “Make that two asses.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time she’s accused both of us.” Jake lifted his champagne in a toast to his brother and took a long sip.

“Do you remember Jace Munroe?” Kacey asked.

Char’s eyes widened. “The Jace Munroe? The quarterback at our rival school who looked like a hotter version of Justin Timberlake?”

“Um, yeah, that one.” Kacey laughed. “I invited him to the wedding.”

“Not following.” Char pulled off her shoes and tugged her legs underneath her on the couch. Pity, because Jake was watching her shapely legs quite closely. “Why would you invite someone you barely know to your own wedding?”

“Travis plays golf with him.”

“So?”

“They hang out, they’re friends, and he’s single.”

Jake sucked in his champagne too fast and began coughing but hid it with a laugh. Even though he found nothing about the situation amusing.

Char cringed. “I don’t want to be set up like that.”

“Don’t think of it like that.” Kacey put her hand on Char’s arm. “Besides, he remembers you.”

“He does?” Char’s face lit up. Aw, hell. How could she be so blind to her own charm? The girl was gorgeous. Of course that tool would remember her; the ass had probably dated a hundred women in his lifetime and was finally ready to settle down with the one. Which was exactly what Char was. Bastard.

“We kind of told him you’d be there and, well, I don’t know, you should go for it!”

“I’m sorry,” Jake interrupted. “ ‘Go for it’?”

“Um, yeah?” Kacey pinched his arm. “She needs to get out there and start dating. At the rate she’s going she’s going to end up buying a hundred cats and living in a trailer in our backyard.”

“Not true.” Char blushed. “I’m just picky.”

“I blame junior high.” Kacey sighed. “I swear, ever since eighth grade camp you’ve sworn off most men who even look twice at you.”

Char blushed and looked down at her folded hands.

“Eighth grade?” Jake repeated. “Hey, I was at that camp with you guys.”

Char lifted her head and smiled. “Right. I forgot.”

Jake sure hadn’t. He’d made out with tons of girls that summer. It had been the best summer ever. He’d even had a small crush on Char before she started going all crazy on him: one day they were friends and the next, sworn enemies.

Until that fateful night he’d slept with her.

Then they’d been more than friends for a few hours.

Which begged the question, what were they now? It wasn’t like he wanted her dating anyone else. No, he’d kill any other guy that touched her.

Not that he wanted to be the guy that got to touch her.

Then again. His eyes scanned her face, lips, eyes. Shit, maybe he wanted to try to be that guy she giggled with Kacey about. You know, if girls still did that at twenty-three.

“Please?” Kacey begged. “For me? Just keep an open mind when you meet him, okay? And if anything happens—” she shrugged—“it happens.”

Jake came to Char’s rescue, at least in his mind, when he added his two cents. “Don’t pressure her, Kace. Being alone isn’t a terrible thing. I know lots of single girls who are perfectly happy with their careers and lives. Not everyone wants to get married and have kids.”

“Right.” Kacey pointed at Jake. “And if you want to end up like him, then by all means, Char, be my guest.”

“But…” Jake shook his head. “I’m just trying to say it’s her choice.”

“Just like your choice is to whore around.” Kacey slapped his back. “To each his own, right?”

Why was he suddenly embarrassed by his past? And why the hell was he letting Kacey browbeat him?

Char was looking at him as if she expected him to say something or defend her, but he didn’t know what he was supposed to be saying or doing. The only thing he noticed was that her color was high. Was she embarrassed, too?

“Finally!” Grandma burst through the front door with tons of bags in her hands. “Do you even realize how hard it is to find a good firework in Seattle?”

“Um, should we be concerned?” Sure enough, Char pointed at a bag labeled “Fireworks”.

“Not unless she has matches.” Travis answered just as Grandma pulled out enough matches to burn down the whole of Alkai Beach.

“I told you it would be the best birthday!” Grandma smiled, dropped her bags, then walked over to Char. In an instant she was in Grandma’s arms. “You’re a special girl, and you deserve a special day with family.”

A tear ran down Char’s face when she pulled away from Grandma and said thank you.

The room fell silent again, and then Grandma began barking orders about a cake, fireworks, and margaritas. 

If someone had told Char when she woke up this morning that she’d be having the best birthday of her life in a million-dollar condo on Alkai Beach, she would have laughed. It was hard to believe it even though she was living it.

Grandma had bought a ridiculously good cake from downtown. It was red velvet with sprinkles and had the most amazing frosting she’d ever had in her entire life. She’d even brought the makings for margaritas, Char’s favorite.

Since Grandma’s arrival, Jake had been distant, almost cool. She only hoped it wasn’t because of all the kissing. She’d been upset, and he was just trying to be nice. Like he’d said before, it wasn’t real. It didn’t count because it was her birthday. Right?

“How you holdin’ up?” Jake said, taking a seat by her. “Best birthday ever?”

Char laughed and clinked her glass with his. “Best birthday ever. That is, unless Grandma sets someone on fire, then that would trump it.”

“We’ll be lucky if no one ends up in the ER tonight,” Travis said from their spot on the beach. He and Grandma had been fighting a losing battle with the fireworks for the past hour while everyone else drank margaritas and watched.

“I’m glad we did this,” Kacey said. “Before all the crazy wedding stuff. It’s nice just to be with everyone.”

Grandma snorted as she pulled out another match. Travis backed away while she waved it in the air. “Crazy wedding stuff is right. And don’t think I forgive you two for inviting Petunia.”

Travis groaned. “She’s your sister.”

“She’s a disappointment!” Grandma thrust her fist into the air.

“What did she do?” Char asked, even though Jake was shaking his head no and Travis was waving frantically behind Grandma.

“What did she do?” Grandma asked. “What did she do?”

“She’s repeating herself.” Jake groaned. “Bad sign. Quick, get her another margarita.”

Grandma smacked him on the back of the head and approached Char. “My sister called me a harlot.”

Char bit her lip to keep from laughing.

“At my own wedding!”

Jake raised his hand. “Grandma, you do realize she only called you that because you were on the table—”

“Ssh!” Grandma waved him away. “She’s a prude and she only wears white.”

Char frowned. “Why only white?”

Jake groaned next to her but she ignored him.

Grandma threw the match into the bonfire and shook her head. “She says red’s the color of the devil.”

“And black?”

“The color of hell.”

“Blue?” Char had to ask.

“Sadness.”

“Well, that’s silly.”

“It is,” Grandma agreed. “What she needs is to get a man, but she’s so terrified of them that she’s stayed single. All those years.” She shook her head and tsked.

“All those cats,” Kacey sang from behind Grandma.