Craved Mate: Cybermates by Ayers, Candace (good short books .txt) 📕

Ingrid held me the tightest and then kept a grip on my arms as she pushed back and stared at me. “You’ve a tan already! And you look positively glowing! What is going on here?”

Pierce grunted. “You should be wearing sunscreen.”

“I was, Mom.”

He ruffled my hair and started loading their things in the trunk. “You do look good, sis.”

“I don’t know how that’s possible. I barely slept a wink last night. My eyes feel like they’re filled with sand.”

“You been partying too hard?” Ben put his fingers just under my eyes and pulled down, making me jerk back and blink to get rid of the weird sensation.

I slapped his hand and rolled my eyes. “Hardly.”

I let Pierce drive, and Ingrid and I sat in the back.

When Pierce gave us a glance in the rearview mirror, Ingrid wiggled her hips closer to me and squeezed my arm. Her eyes were on the back of Pierce’s head. She’d been head over heels for my brother since the day we met. That was in second grade, so that was saying something.

Once on the road, she lowered her voice so the guys wouldn’t overhear. “I want to hear all about your firefighter.”

As soon as we got to the island, Ingrid and the guys checked in at the Bogart & Bacall Inn on Toucan Boulevard, then Ingrid and I went to a local salon to get our hair and makeup done for the wedding. It was a splurge that we didn’t usually make, but we were on vacation. The salon, Jammie’s, was packed.

As we waited for our appointment times, Ingrid told me all about the last few days at work and how cranky Adam had been. She also demanded even more details about Mac. I gave her a few. I fought to keep from telling her about the polar bear I’d seen. That would have to wait until we were in private.

The minute Parker walked in, I went silent. I forced a smile when she waved and came our way. I was still annoyed that she’d set me up like that, but I was polite. “Ingrid, this is Parker Pettit. Island matchmaker extraordinaire—beware. Parker, this is my best friend, Ingrid.”

Parker and Ingrid greeted each other before Parker sat beside me. “I’m sorry. You’re probably angry with me and I deserve it. I do, however, think I’m right about you and Mac. There’s so much chemistry there I wanted to douse myself in an ice bath just watching the heat you two put off.”

Ingrid choked on her saliva and instantly butted in. “Do tell, please. Everything, and I mean everything. I want to know all about this heated chemistry.”

I held up both hands and put an end to it before it even got started. “No, we are not talking about this. I’m with someone else. There is no chemistry.”

That served to change the subject for the time being but didn’t stop the two of them entirely. I saw Ingrid and Parker sneak off to a back room while I was getting my hair curled. I had no doubt those two were gossiping like a couple of old hens.

The Richardson-Bennett wedding was being held at a local floral garden rather than in a church, and it was a big tadoo. The reception would take place right after at the same venue, and there were Beluga caviar canapes, jumbo shrimp cocktail, foie gras on crostini, champagne fountains, and lots and lots of flowers.

We arrived, set up, and checked our sound system before the guests started appearing. Then, there was nothing to do until the reception but watch the ceremony.

As I watched the happy couple exchange their vows, a lump formed in my throat, and I dabbed away tears that leaked from the corners of my eyes.

Ingrid wrapped her arm around me and sighed. “It’ll be our turn one day.”

Involuntarily a vision of Mac popped into my head, and I rubbed my forehead, begging my brain to release that thought.

“Can you envision yourself walking down the aisle…to meet Adam?”

The thought brought an unexpected wave of nausea, and I turned away to focus on smoothing my dress. My hands brushed over the red silk, and I blew out a slow breath. My chest felt tight. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Didn’t think so.”

I shot her a warning side glance that said I wasn’t in the mood. Except, maybe I did need to talk some things out—Adam, Mac, the polar bear, there was a lot on my mind. But I shouldn’t. I had a boyfriend. That was that.

“I love you. I just want you to be happy.” She hugged me and then walked back to her drum set, tapping away at it quietly, as she ran through the playlist in her head.

Our gig at the reception went well. I introduced the newlyweds, and the crowd seemed to enjoy our performance. The newlywed couple was one of the happiest I’d ever seen. I sang through their first dance and the father-daughter dance. And we played for almost three hours straight until Mr. and Mrs. Flynn Bennett danced the last dance and the party broke up.

Much to Ingrid’s dismay, Pierce was ready to hit Sunkissed Key like a college boy on spring break. A group of guests at the reception invited us all to meet up with them at Mimi’s. Pierce gave an immediate yes, which was followed by a yes from Ingrid, and a polite decline from me. I hadn’t had much sleep, and I knew better than to burn the candle at both ends, especially with my diabetes.

Apparently, Ben had already met a woman earlier, when Ingrid and I were at the salon, that he was interested in. He had her number and she invited him to stop by her workplace. He was hoping to invite her to tag along with them to Mimi’s.

He begged me to accompany him to assure the woman that he was a nice, safe guy to