The Truth About Ever After by Rachel Schurig Read Free Book Online

preoccupied.
    “What?”
    “That
waitress. She just appeared with drinks for us, didn’t charge us, knew us by
name. And I didn’t see her offering anything to anyone else.”
    I
looked across the lobby. Sure enough, there were several other clusters of
people standing and sitting around the room, and none of them had champagne
glasses. I shrugged.
    “We’re
suite guests, Eric. It’s probably just a perk.”
    He
shook his head, looking bemused. “You know, it doesn’t matter how often stuff
like that happens, I’ll just never get used to it.”
    I
raised an eyebrow at him, taking a sip of my bellini . It was delicious. “Would you rather we
didn’t have the yummy drinks in our hands right now?”
    “No,”
he said quickly. “I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with it. It just…it
seems like a lot.”
    “Eric,”
I said, trying to be patient. “Places like this always go out of their way for
suite guests. Repeat business and referrals are everything in this business. Daddy’s
staff at the hotels does the same thing. Sure, it’s a little much, but it’d be
rude to make a big deal out of it. All we can do is be polite and gracious. And
tip really good.”
    He
smiled at me, before his face turned serious. “You handle it all so well.”
    I
felt a little uncomfortable. I knew he was referring to my family’s wealth. “I
didn’t really have a choice,” I said, not mentioning all the times that I hadn’t handled it well, not well at all.
People didn’t like to hear about that, didn’t want some poor-little-rich-girl
story. It made you look spoiled and ungrateful.
    Before
he could respond, I saw Annie and Nate heading across the lobby toward us,
holding hands. I had to smile. They were so cute together, even though they
seemed mismatched. Annie’s style fit her personality—quirky, bold, and
dramatic. Just looking at her you could tell she was an artist, as if she
emanated creativity. Nate, at first glance, was much more straight-laced. He
worked as an engineer for Ford, and was every bit as comfortable in suits as he
was in polos and shorts. He was your more typical,
all-American guy. It was for this reason that Annie had resisted his affections
for so long, convinced he wasn’t her type.
    Love conquers all , I thought to myself, grinning at the
thought of what Annie would say if she could hear me being so corny and
sentimental.
    “Are
we late?” Nate asked as they approached.
    “Nope,”
Eric said. “Kiki was a little overeager to get going, if you can believe it.”
    They
all laughed and I stuck out my tongue at Eric.
    “Ginny
called,” Annie said. “The sitter just got there so she was going through some
instructions before they headed down.” She rolled her eyes at that, and I
pictured Ginny badgering the poor sitter with a million instructions.
    “How’s
Danny feeling about being left behind?” Eric asked.
    “Kid’s
pissed,” Annie said.
    “Oh,
poor Danny,” I said as everyone laughed.
    Annie
smirked. “He’ll cheer up once he realizes he can wrap the sitter around his
little finger.”
    “Oh,
God, don’t even say that,” Josh said, coming up behind us. “Ginny is terrified
of leaving them here as it is.”
    “The
childcare staff at this resort is top-notch,” I assured them. “The kids will
have a blast.”
    “I
hope so,” Ginny said as she joined us. “Do you think my cell phone will work
out on the boat? God, maybe I should just stay here.”
    “Stop
worrying,” Annie said, exasperated. “The kids will be fine.”
    “The
boat is chartered through the resort,” I told her, thinking kindness might help
more than exasperation. “If they need us for anything they can get a hold of
the captain through the radio.”
    “Really?”
Ginny said, her face relaxing. “Well, that makes me feel better.”
    “We’re
just waiting on Eric’s cousin…” I said, peering around the small group. I could
make out our van, waiting for us in the circle drive at the front