The driveway to the hotel wrapped around a sparkling fountain that housed the statue of Lady Lavinia, as Lovina came to be called, and the white colonial-style building rose up against the backdrop of the sea. The enormous terrace that held the hotel pool overlooked the ocean, and of course, Kaavi had booked out the whole terrace and the attached restaurant. The Fonsekas had booked out the whole hotel, come to think of it, but I thought that was from tomorrow.

Kaavi and I both loved the Mount Lavinia Hotel as children. The Fonsekas would usually come here on Sundays, first to have lunch at the exquisite Sunday lunch buffet, followed by us jumping in the pool or hanging out down by the beach. Mrs. Fonseka would not sway from under a large beach umbrella, chiding us girls for being out in the sun and “getting dark,” but we would ignore her and run along the private beach, reveling in how empty it would get the farther we moved away from the hotel. Tehani would try to follow us sometimes, but Kaavi would threaten to lock her in one of the changing rooms that dotted the shore until she left us alone. Mr. Fonseka would play with us sometimes too. I remember how he helped us dig a huge hole once, and then I jumped in and they buried me in the sand, leaving just my head out. We couldn’t stop laughing. I wonder if there was a picture of that somewhere?

I had hoped being early meant that I would have a chance to speak with Kaavi before the festivities began. I wanted only that—one last chance to speak to her. She had brushed me off before, at Andre’s, but maybe with everything that had come to light about Spencer, she’d be a little more open.

And today was probably my last shot. Tomorrow was the Poruwa—the traditional Sinhalese part of the wedding, though they wouldn’t be signing the marriage certificate until the church ceremony, which would take place the next day, followed by the reception, of course. I’d heard whispers that the guest of honor that was delaying the signing of the papers was the highly celebrated captain of the Sri Lanka cricket team. Thank goodness it gave me an extra day to work with, and that was what is important right now.

I went to the bathroom and locked myself in a stall. The Mount Lavinia Hotel was old-school, which meant they had actual walls in between cubicles—no sneaking a peek underneath to check if anyone was inside. Once you were in, you were safe.

I pulled the seat down and took out my phone. I had typed out everything I wanted to tell Kaavi, from what happened between Spencer and me to everything I had regretted since. I should have never just walked away. I know that now. I just wished it would have been easier for me to fix what happened.

I ran through the conversation I hoped to have in my head. Rehearsed the little script I had planned out for myself. My brunch friends laughed at me when I told them that I like to be prepared and know what I’m saying before I have a conversation, especially a difficult one.