The Laws of Attraction (Love is a Destination Book 2) Page 6

  “No,” she responded immediately. But then she hesitated. Would she? What were her plans once she no longer had Birdy Knows Best on her plate? She didn’t know. The only thing she knew for certain was that she wanted to work on something that would help others. She just wasn’t sure what that was yet. “I haven’t come up with a plan yet,” she admitted.

  “I’m sure it’ll come to you. Just give yourself some time.” He paused as they got in a line.

  The sign said that it was for Hawaiian shave ice. Without meaning to, a giant smile covered her face. “How did you know?” She let go and jumped up and down, clapping.

  He laughed, surprised by her outburst. “Have you ever had Hawaiian ice?”

  “Not yet, but hello. It’s shaved ice and flavored syrup. It has to be good.”

  “I’m not a big sugar fan, but not even I can resist this. What flavor are you going to choose?”

  She looked at the board. It all sounded so good with flavors like: Blue Raspberry, Cake Batter, Grape, and Mango. But she knew which one she wanted to try. “I’m going to get Pina Colada.” Birdy looked at him. “What about you?”

  “My favorite is Tiger’s Blood.”

  “Figures,” she said.

  It was their turn. Ares ordered for them both. Once they were made, he and Birdy sat at an open table to eat their shave ice. They sat beside each other so they could watch the ocean.

  Birdy took a bite. “Wow, this is amazing.”

  “Glad you like it.” He smiled, watching her.

  Birdy wanted to try his, but some people found that gross. Plus, they weren’t dating, not really. Or were they? Was this a date? Someone watching the two of them together might say so. It didn’t escape her that she hadn’t wanted to date while she was in Maui, yet there she sat with the most handsome man on the island. Before landing, she’d wanted nothing more than to hang out with Katie. Definitely not spend time with Ares. Yet, her heart had changed. She shook her head.

  “What?” Ares asked.

  “Nothing. Just thinking about how this must look to those around us.” While speaking, she saw that people kept looking over at them. She figured it was Josh and his camera. He walked around them, filming. Always filming.

  “Like how this might look like a date?” Ares said, between bites, eyeing her playfully.

  “Pretty much,” she said.

  “Does that bother you?”

  She shrugged. “Not really.”

  He tilted his ice toward her. “Want to try some?”

  Birdy’s smiled. “I’d love to. Want some of mine?”

  “Sure.” He scooped some of hers and she did the same with his.

  Birdy chewed thoughtfully. “It’s good, but I like mine better.”

  “Yours is really good,” Ares admitted.

  Once their ice was gone, they began walking back to the hotel. “Want to do something with me later?”

  Birdy’s heart flip-flopped. “We are doing something. You’ll be on the boat this afternoon too, right?”

  “I meant while we’re on the boat. I have an idea.”

  “Then, yes. I’d like that very much.” Her skin tingled at the thought of spending more time with him. And she realized at that moment she might be in serious trouble.

  “Great. See you at lunch,” Ares said.

  “Yep. And thanks again for taking me to get the shave ice. I had a lot of fun.”

  “Me too.”

  ***

  Birdy changed into a dipped hem tank dress the sales woman had described as watermelon in color. Then she blew out her hair, and pinned it back one side. She dressed up her outfit with Neiman Marcus ankle wrap sandals in green leather with a fuchsia flower band across the foot. More of the same flowers dangled from the wraparound ankle strap and at the heel. For jewelry, she wore a flawless pave diamond spike necklace.

  When she reached Ferraro’s, everyone else had already been seated. All eyes turned as she moved toward them, following the hostess. Never one to shy away from the spotlight, she smiled, not minding the attention, deliberately not allowing her gaze to linger on Ares.

  Everyone smiled back, except Toby. She couldn’t figure out what his problem was, but hoped to win him over during lunch.

  Katie had saved her a seat next to her. “Hey,” she said, as Birdy slid into her chair. “You look stunning. What’s the occasion?” She laughed at her joke since obviously the occasion was her wedding.

  “Thanks. You don’t look so bad yourself.” Katie wore a starfruit colored RACHEL Rachel Roy textured dress with a high neckline and a high-low hem. Birdy knew it so precisely because she’d helped Katie pick the dress out. Her best friend looked classy yet comfortable.

  “I wonder why,” Katie said, smirking. It was no secret Katie possessed zero fashion sense. But that was why she had Birdy.

  The hostess handed her a menu.

  “Everyone else has ordered, so go ahead and make your selections when you’re ready,” a waitress said, appearing at her side.

  “Sorry,” Birdy said to Katie with a grin. “I swear I’m not high maintenance.”

  “Don’t even worry about it,” Katie responded.

  Ares, who sat across from her chuckled.

  “What?” she asked.

  “Just your comment about not being high maintenance.” His eyes sparkled.

  “You think I am?” she asked, joining in on the joke. She knew she was high maintenance.

  “No,” he said, laughing behind his hand. “Not at all.”

  She made a funny face at him. “That’s what I thought.” Birdy perused the menu since the waitress still stood beside her to take her order. “Everything sounds so good. As an appetizer, can I have a Hawaiian Tuna Sashimi & Lobster California Roll? And for the entrée, I’ll take the Seared Big Eye Ahi Tuna Wrap. For dessert, I’ll do the Lime Granite.”

  Once the waitress had taken her order and left, Max, who sat on the other side of Katie, lifted his glass and stood. “Thank you all for coming.” He met the eyes of each person in the group as he spoke. “It’s an honor to celebrate this special occasion with you. I can’t imagine doing so with a better group of people.” He paused. “To family, friends, and the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen.” He raised his glass. “Cheers,” he said.

  “Cheers,” Birdy and the rest of the group responded, clinking each other’s glasses. When they were done, he set down his glass but remained standing. “Let me take a minute to introduce everyone.”

  He pointed to Ares. “My best man, Ares Devereux. He’s an amazing lawyer, can deadlift five hundred pounds, and he kicks my butt at the gym at every opportunity.”

  “I wouldn’t say that,” Ares said. “You kick my butt plenty.” He waved at everyone, looking a little self-conscious. “But I’m honored Max asked me to be a part of his wedding.”

  “You’re too modest, man, but since this is my wedding party, I’m going to take it.” He chuckled before going on. “Next is my brother Toby. He’s retired from the Army and currently owns and manages three flower shops in the East Village, Brooklyn, and uptown.”

  That surprised Birdy. Max’s brother just didn’t look like the flower shop type. To her, flowers equaled a man who believed in romance. Toby looked more like a Grinch. She shrugged internally, leaning forward.

  Toby raised a hand. “Hey,” he said in his gravelly voice that was similar to Max’s. “I’m glad to be here. It’s cool to see Max finally settling down, especially since he’s such a rock star, literally and figuratively.”

  Max made a face. “Finally settling down,” he repeated. “You’re not that much younger than me and you aren’t even close to getting married.”

  Toby flinched and something clicked inside Birdy. From the look on his face, she would guess he’d recently been in a serious relationship and it had ended badly.

  “Too true,” was all Toby said in response before taking a drink.

  Their appetizers came. When everyone had their food, Birdy took a bite. “This is
so good,” she said to Katie.

  “Yeah, it is. I love it. I’ll give you a bite of mine if you give me a bite of yours.”

  “Deal.” Birdy loved that she and Katie both loved food. It hadn’t always been that way. But since Birdy no longer modeled, she made sure to enjoy every opportunity to eat. Not too much, but there was nothing wrong with a little of everything.

  Max continued with the introductions while they ate. “This is Dean. He’s a flirt, probably because he’s the only blond in the family, and he likes to play soccer in his spare time. Not that he has much of it, because he works hard as the VP of acquisitions at our father’s company. From what I understand, he’s very good at his job.”

  Dean beamed at them all without a hint of modesty. “It’s true, I am awesome, but don’t hold it against me.” He chuckled, his eyes finding Georgie’s.

  She seemed to be mesmerized by the man. Birdy thought it was adorable.

  “Next is August. He recently finished medical school and will be doing his internship at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, specializing in pediatrics. I can totally see him being great in that job. Children love him and he loves them.”

  August smiled shyly. “Nice to meet you,” Birdy said.

  “You too,” August returned, standing so that they could shake hands.

  “And then this is Matthew.”

  Matthew came around and hugged Birdy. “We’ve kind of met.”

  “True,” Birdy laughed.

  Max grinned and pointed at Matthew’s chair. “But she knows nothing about you. Sit back down and let me brag a little.”

  “Fine.” He went back to his seat.

  “Matthew is doing something our dad thinks is nuts, but I find awesome. He’s working to become a veterinarian.”

  “That’s so cool,” Katie interjected.

  Max nodded. “It really is. A funny story I remember about Matt. When he was five or six, we were driving home from a vacation at the Cape.”

  Matt and his brothers began to murmur and laugh. Max’s smile grew impossibly bigger.

  “You guys remember this?”

  “I still have the scars. I couldn’t forget even if I wanted to,” Dean said, holding up his arm where one long scar ran nearly the length of his arm with another smaller one next to it.

  Max laughed. “You definitely got the brunt of it, that’s for sure.”

  “What happened?” Katie asked.

  “Our nanny stopped at a friend’s house. She had the four of us wait in the car. We were parked under a big tree, and we kept hearing this noise. It sounded a little like crying. Matt and his tender heart couldn’t take it, so he got out of the car and walked toward the sound. At the base of the tree, he looked up. ‘It’s in the tree,’ he said.’”

  “You really don’t need to tell this story,” Matt interjected.

  “Yes, I do, because it was at that moment you found your path in life, even though you didn’t know it yet,” Max said.

  “Yeah, for the longest time he wanted to be Spider-Man. Remember the webs he created and slung all over the house?” Dean said. “I’ve never seen Dad so mad.”

  “He really was ticked. I think I hid up in my room for days after that.” August chuckled. “Survived on bread and water and cookies that Cyra snuck up to me.”

  Matt laughed, slapping August on the back. “I forgot about Cyra.”

  “I haven’t,” August said, blushing.

  “You still keep in contact with her?” Max sat back down.

  August didn’t respond right away because the main course came. Waiters took their appetizer plates and put their food in its place.

  “Oh, my goodness.” Birdy picked up her fork, glancing up to see what Ares got. It looked like a pizza. She’d debated getting that, too.

  “Seriously. One of the main reasons we chose the Four Seasons was for the food,” Katie said around a bit.

  Max agreed. “It’s true.”

  For a few minutes, everyone ate in silence.

  Finally, August said, “Finish the story, Max. I’m sure Birdy is dying to hear it.”

  “I am,” Birdy said.

  “Me too,” Katie added, tucking her arm around Max’s.

  “So, Matt climbs the tree. And the rest of us are in the car and then suddenly there’s a thud on the car’s roof.”

  “Scared me to death,” Dean said.

  Matt looked affronted. “Hey, I’m the one who fell out of the tree.”

  Max ignored them both. “We get out and there’s Matt, lying on top of our car, stunned, and in his arms is a baby kitten.”

  “You’re kidding,” Birdy said.

  “How did it get up in the tree?” Katie asked.

  “We have no idea,” August said, taking over the telling of the story. “Max helped Matt down. Thankfully he hadn’t broken anything and he didn’t land on the kitten.”

  “It was so sweet,” Matt said.

  “Sweet is not the word I’d use,” Dean said, rubbing his scar. “I bled for hours after Grizzly scratched me.”

  “Grizzly?” Katie asked, laughing.

  “What a great name,” Birdy said.

  “What did Dad do when he found out?” Toby, who’d been silent up until that moment, asked.

  Max glanced over, his expression falling. “You know what he did.”

  “Yeah, I’m sure I have a good idea,” Toby added.

  “He yelled at our nanny until she ran from the room crying and then made her take us and the kitten to the nearest pound,” Matt said to Katie, his face sad.

  “Yeah, but she didn’t take it to the pound,” August said, patting his brother on the back.

  “She called her friend, the one she’d been visiting. Turned out her cat had had kittens and the mama cat was beside herself that one was missing. Our nanny drove the cat back to her friend’s,” Matt said.

  Matt’s expression lifted. “Yep, and her friend kept it and kept the name too. We got to visit Grizzly every summer until our parents divorced.”

  “Well, at least it ended happily,” Katie said.

  “True,” Matt agreed. “But it would’ve been better is our dad had let us keep it.”

  “It would have,” Max said. Then he cleared his throat. “Okay, enough stories. The gorgeous woman with red hair is my sister Marcy.” He motioned his hand toward her.

  “Stepsister,” she clarified.

  Max’s smile never faltered. “Right. My sister by marriage only, but I’m happy you’re here.”

  “Me too,” she said, smiling shyly back at him.

  Max continued, “Marcy is beautiful, single, and an artist. She’s been hailed as modern-day Monet.” Birdy perked up at that, listening as Max described Marcy’s work. It was clear he was very proud of everything his stepsister had accomplished. Turned out Birdy had actually purchased one of her paintings, though she hadn’t realized who Marcy was because she went by a pseudonym.

  “And last but not least, my sister Thea, who started and sold an organic baby food company and who now lives with her husband and their children on a farm outside New York. They have a nanny taking care of the kids while she is away, so she’s enjoying her week off, right sis?” Everyone laughed at Max’s joke, except for Thea and Toby.

  “I am enjoying myself,” Thea said with a small smile.

  Birdy watched Thea as Max continued to speak. The woman was reserved, but kind. Birdy remembered Katie mentioning that of all his siblings, Max was closest to Thea, but seeing them together, she wouldn’t have known it. Though she was never impolite to Max, Thea treated him like a near-stranger. Birdy wondered what had changed to sour their relationship. Or if that was just how she was.

  After Max finished with his family, Birdy introduced Josh, Georgie, and Meredith. She allowed them each to tell a little about themselves because she didn’t really know what to say. Along with being an excellent cameraman, Josh was also an award-winning poet. In addition to working as Birdy’s personal assistant, Georgie was also working on her
first novel. And Birdy’s eyebrows met her hairline when Meredith announced she was married. Based on the other woman’s actions, she never would have even guessed. In fact, Birdy had had no idea about any of it and vowed to be more involved with the people around her.

  Once introductions were finished, conversation broke out around the table. The whole meal was relaxing and enjoyable. Even Toby lightened up a little. For some reason, he and Meredith seemed to get along really well and Birdy wondered what they found in common. The food was amazing and two hours later, they went to their rooms to change before riding together to the dock where Katie and Max had a boat.

  Chapter Eight

  It was more like a yacht than a boat, Ares thought as they approached it from the dock. The name on the side read King Fisher. It looked fit for any king, fisherman or otherwise, and he told Max as much.

  “This is impressive,” he said, following Max up the plank.

  “Thanks, my record label owns it. It’s my first time on it as well.”

  The captain stood at the top of the deck, facing Max. Nine other men and women stood behind him, all dressed in white pants or shorts and a light green button up shirt. The captain was dressed similarly, though he wore a white jacket and hat as well.

  “I’m Captain Quick.” He stuck his hand out toward Max.

  Max shook it. “Max Legend. Thanks for doing this for us.”

  “It’s my pleasure.” Captain Quick took the next few minutes to introduce the rest of the crew and run over safety procedures. Then he said, “Ella, please show the group around and get them comfortable.”

  “Yes, sir.” Ella was a petite young woman with fiery red hair. She seemed immediately taken with Toby and when she spoke it was directly to him. “If you’ll follow me.”

  He smiled. Ares was shocked. He hadn’t seen the man smile before, but that gave him hope that he would be all right with Max getting married.

  “Wasn’t lunch delicious?” Birdy asking, coming to stand beside him.

  Ares’ heart leapt. She’d sought him out. It made him want to run up and down the deck, screaming like a love-struck teenager.

  “The stone baked pizza was amazing, that’s for sure,” he responded, hiding his grin.