Home to Stay by Terri Osburn Page B

see.”
    Sid yanked the curtain aside. “What the hell is this thing made of?” She swayed from side to side. “Every time I move, it flaps around. One stiff wind and I’ll be flashing the entire crowd my underwear.”
    Beth put Sid in chiffon? Will never would have thought of it, but damn if the bride wasn’t right on this one as well. The dress was strapless, with draped material making what looked to be a large bow across the bodice. Not in an obnoxious or little girl way, but as accent on the otherwise simple dress. The bow even offered more coverage and played down the breasts behind them, which was not an easy task.
    “The woman knows us better than we know ourselves,” Will said, twirling one finger in the air, directing Sid to spin. “She even got the colors to match.” Sid’s dress was also navy, slightly darker than Will’s, but close enough to look good together.
    “You’re killing me!” Beth hollered from across the store. “Get over here already.”
    Sid yanked at the top of the dress. “I guess it is kind of pretty.” She swirled her hips, sending the dress into motion.
    “It’s gorgeous. You’ll be lucky if we get to the ‘I dos’ before Lucas carries you off somewhere.”
    A naughty smile lit her friend’s face. “That’s a nice thought,” Sid said, turning to lead the way to Beth. She even walked like a girl. That dress was a miracle worker.

    Randy walked through the front door of Dempsey’s with a sigh of relief. His official duties as island tour guide for Prime Destinations magazine were almost over. They could have been over fifteen minutes ago, but instead of dropping Rebecca back at the hotel, he’d insisted they stop at Dempsey’s so she could experience the island nightlife on a weekend.
    The crowd wouldn’t come close to what they’d see in July and August, but it would be lively enough to show the place didn’t close up at night. They’d barely made it two feet inside the restaurant when Jude veered off to the bar. Will smiled as she popped the top on a bottle of beer, then slid it his way. Her hair was pulled into two low ponytails behind her ears, the gold bangles chiming at her wrist as she did her job with grace and confidence—two qualities Randy admired, but wished she’d display a bit more around him.
    “I see some of your friends in the corner,” Rebecca said. “Who’s the one sitting beside your sister?”
    Randy followed her gaze to the table at the back of the room. “That’s Lucas Dempsey. Joe’s brother and Sid’s fiancé.”
    “Really?” Rebecca’s cat eyes lit up. “Maybe this little stop wasn’t such a bad idea after all.”
    Well shit. He hadn’t brought the woman here to drill his friends and cause a scene. “Let’s stop at the bar for a drink first.” He steered the reporter to where Jude was flashing his pearly whites at Will. “I’ll take the usual,” Randy said, nodding a greeting as he did so. “What will you have, Rebecca?”
    To his surprise, Rebecca took the stool next to Jude. The two had mixed as well as oil and water all day. When they weren’t avoiding each other, they were making snide, passive-aggressive comments that did little to hide whatever rift had simmered between them.
    “Since we’re experiencing the nightlife, I’ll have a gin and tonic.” As Will moved to mix the drink, Rebecca asked, “Do you have any siblings?”
    The question was aimed at Will and seemed to come out of nowhere. Without missing a beat, the bartender answered, “Nope.” She filled a glass with ice, then measured out the gin into a tall, skinny shot glass. “You have preference for lemon or lime?”
    “Lemon,” Rebecca said, leaning her elbows on the bar. “Where did you learn to mix drinks?”
    Will picked up the soda dispenser and pushed the tonic button to fill the glass to the brim. “Where did you learn to be a reporter?”
    Randy felt as if he were watching a tennis match and Will had just scored a point.
    Rebecca