“Or the Wedding Odyssey.” Alexa felt a surge of parental pride. She had solved a major issue for her adult child without making it obvious she was solving a major issue. And the way Penny said “our new business avenue.” Did that mean they might be a team again? Alexa hoped so. She would wait until after the buddymoon to ask her about work. But from that moment on, the wedding planning was smooth sailing.

Now, at the mothers’ tea, surrounded by the women in her life who had gotten her up, gotten her going, and gotten her through all those years as an only parent, a business owner, and an outsider in an insider’s town, Alexa felt at peace.

So far, everything had gone to plan. Her family was ensconced in Roxanne’s beach cottage, already treating it like their own real estate by hosting an impromptu dinner last night. Abigail’s family and guests were taking up every available room at La Mariposa. Simon, Hazel, and the twins had arrived from England before Christmas and swore they might never leave, nestled in a rental house near the beach but with its own heated pool. Simon and the boys spent hours on the beach, kicking the soccer ball or flying kites. Hazel, with the help of a list from Mitsy, mapped out all the shops and restaurants that the local royals were said to frequent in hopes of a sighting to impress her friend in Ledbury. No luck yet, but in the meantime, she had acquired an entirely new wardrobe of beachy separates and flowing dresses. At the tea, Hazel was wearing some sort of floral maxi dress that made her look ten years younger and like she was on vacation in Mallorca. Alexa even spotted her and Simon in a steamy embrace as they parted ways earlier—she for the tea, he for the tee. There was some magic in the Montecito breeze.