“My turn for what?” he asked, knowing that when his sister got that look on her face, he was in trouble.

“I got my happily ever after, so it’s only fair I do what I can to make sure my big brother gets his happy ending too.” She settled back on the couch. “We need to discuss your plan.”

“My plan?” Luke raised his eyebrows.

“For how to fix things with Julia, of course.” Penelope rubbed her hands together.

“I was hoping you could help me with that,” Luke admitted, scrubbing a hand over his face. “I really screwed things up.”

“Every romance has to go through a dark moment,” Penelope assured him. “The important thing is you have to be willing to put in the work to reach the light on the other side.”

Luke grimaced. “You make it sound like I’m dying.”

“You kind of are,” Penelope mused. “The old you, the person you were before you met Julia.”

“Jay’s proposal must have affected your brain,” Luke teased.

His sister ignored that comment. “What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know. I mean, what should I do?” He leaned forward. “I was thinking now’s the time to go big. I think I need a grand gesture.”

“I’m not so sure.” Penelope cocked her head, thoughtful. “I think what’s needed here is a sincere grovel.”

“Come on, Pen,” Luke said. “I’ve only got one shot at making things right with Julia before she leaves. I’ve watched enough rom-coms with you to know the best way to win her back is to apologize with a grand gesture.”

Penelope looked like she was going to argue, but then she shrugged. “It’s your call.” She sighed and crossed her arms. “Tell me your plan.”

CHAPTER 28

JULIA

Julia woke Sunday morning with a pounding head. She sat up, immediately regretting it as the room spun and the wine-soaked contents of her stomach sloshed threateningly. She closed her eyes and breathed slow and deep through her nose. The pounding continued and she realized the sound wasn’t just inside her throbbing head.

She braved opening one eye. When the walls stayed where they belonged, she opened the other. She was still in Kat’s suite, the bottle of chardonnay lying on its side, empty. Their wineglasses, also empty. Kat was asleep on the couch next to her, face smashed into the pillows.

Her friend was so quiet, Julia was tempted to check for a pulse. She settled for a pinch. She nipped Kat in the arm and her friend groaned, twitched, and went still. Well, at least she’d gotten a response. Kat wasn’t dead. The pounding continued and Julia growled. Kat might still be alive, but whoever was beating down the door was about to meet their maker.