“What’s the matter?” Darren asks me.

“I…I just feel like the luckiest person in the world,” I reply. I almost feel like crying. I wish my grandmother or Coretta were here. They deserve an extraordinary place like this after how hard they’ve worked.

Darren walks up to me and cups my face in both hands. His tone is slightly threatening. “Your job is to enjoy it all.”

I nod. I want to thank him for picking me for this trip, but the words are caught in my throat. He brushes his lips over mine. The kiss deepens. My head, already swimming from taking in everything so far, drowns in awe.

“Now about your punishment…” he murmurs atop my lips.

A squeal surprises us apart. A slender young woman with long, shiny black hair with bangs over thick-lashed eyes steps through the balcony doors.

“It’s so good to see you!” she cries as she throws her arms around Darren.

Behind her follows a young man with a quiff cut, what look to be expensive shades, and a bronzed tan. He and Darren shake hands.

“Bridget, this is the bride and groom,” Darren introduces. “Andrea and Preston.”

I shake hands with the couple. They’re friendly enough but don’t seem that interested in me. I wonder if they think I just happen to be Darren’s flavor of the month?

Andrea turns back to Darren. “I heard your mother might not make it, but tell her we’re saving a seat anyway in case she can. Tomorrow’s the rehearsal dinner, which you’re of course welcome to attend. Just let Sarah, the wedding planner, know. And we’ll probably go clubbing over in Patong tonight. That’s the one drawback of this beach. Not as much nightlife.”

“Where will the wedding take place?” I ask.

“On the beach. We decided to keep it small, with only two hundred guests. If you want to join us for dinner, we have reservations at seven.”

After Andrea and Preston leave, Darren grabs me over to him and continues where we left off. But JD and Amy show up next.

“My dad’s up in one of the cliffside villas,” JD tells Darren. “Want to come with? He hasn’t seen you since your father…”

JD looks at me briefly, maybe thinking Darren hasn’t told me about his father’s passing, though I don’t understand why that would be an issue regardless.

After the men are gone, Amy lays down on the bed and appears to do snow angels. “Can you believe this place?”

I sit down next to her and run my hand over the super-soft linen. “No, I can’t.”

“I don’t think I can go back to Cal after this. Simone and Kat are going to be so jelly when they see the photos.”

I go get my phone. “That reminds me, I promised Coretta I’d take lots of pics.”

Amy sits up. “What do you think of Andrea?”

“She seems nice.”

“Yeah. We didn’t talk much, though.”

“As the bride, she probably has a million and one things on her mind.”