Chandra, her sisters, and Alex met with their friends Georgina Price, Ruby William-Chan (soon to be Ruby Hasting), and Isabella Robertson at a Thai restaurant at exactly seven. After their greetings and hugs, they settled down and began their catch-up session at the bar.
“I’ve got one for everybody,” Ruby announced, grinning from ear to ear, her eyes twinkling with delight.
“What?” Soriya couldn’t help asking with excitement. She loved receiving gifts, and any little thing would make her day.
Ruby dug her hands into her bag and took out a pile of pink envelopes. “Tada!” she said, waving the thing for everyone to see.
“Oh my God, are they what I think they are?” Dara shrieked.
Soriya nodded. “Oh, yes. They’re invitations!”
Ruby laughed as she handed them out. “One for Alex and, of course, Jayden.”
“Your wedding invitation,” Isa shrieked in excitement.
“It’s about time,” Georgie said, smiling, taking hers from Ruby’s hand.
“And of course, one for the Chandler sisters,” Ruby said. “Chan, you and your sisters have to come over to Scotland. You just have to. Dara, it’s your job to make sure she does.”
Soriya chimed in. “Don’t worry. We’re coming. It’s in, like, a castle, right? Your wedding?”
With Ruby’s nod, Soriya clapped her hands. “Oh my gosh! A wedding in a castle. That’s like the best. I can’t wait. I bet all your sisters are going to be bridesmaids?”
Ruby sighed. “Unfortunately, yes.”
“It’ll be fun.” Alex laughed after seeing Ruby rolling her eyes.
“Do you have any idea how troublesome it is with my sisters? It’s like none of them agree on anything, from flowers to the color of the gowns to hair and makeup. Ugh! I’m so glad I have time out from that to visit you guys.”
“That means I have to start saving up,” Isa said, chuckling.
“Yeah, us, too.” Chan agreed.
“Me, too. The jobless scientist here,” Georgie said with her hand up.
Ruby shook her head with a smile. “Don’t worry. Alec and I have decided you guys are coming for free. We’ll be arranging flights and accommodation and transportation for you guys.”
Soriya blinked. “Really?”
Ruby laughed. “Really. Roundtrip, two weeks' accommodations, transport, and tour guide. Everything is paid for.”
Dara said, “Oh my gosh! This is going to be like a holiday for us.”
“Yep. All you need to do is bring your bags. And of course, spending money. Food will be provided.”
“That sounds like heaven.” Soriya sighed softly. “Pure heaven.”
The girls laughed.
In fact, this would be the Chandler sisters’ first real holiday ever, since their parents had passed away and then their beloved grandmother, of course. They couldn’t wait.
Chan was quite excited at the prospect of going to Scotland as well. It’d be a wonderful journey for her. She hoped she’d get loads of pictures and inspirations for her books she had in mind to write for her next series. More importantly, she hoped the holiday would ease her mind about her fear of Dave and his threats and, of course, make her forget about Lilly’s father.
“I still have one more envelope left. Where the hell is that Nikkita?” Ruby muttered loudly.
“She’s always late,” Isabella said.
Just as that comment was stated, the figure of Nikkita Buchanan appeared at the door, dressed in her sexy black dress and heels.
“Oh my,” Chan said. “She’s here.”
“And she looks gorgeous,” Isa said with delight.
Nikki—slim, short brunet hair, and tan skin—rushed to her friends with an apologetic look in her eyes. The girls gave her a group hug before releasing her.
“I’m so sorry, guys. I’ve had the most horrible traveling experience ever. I literally just got here about an hour ago. I had to rush to Nick’s apartment to get changed, and everything was just so—” She gritted her teeth and made a very angry and frustrating noise.
Alex laughed. “Tell us about it.”
“Yes, definitely,” Nikki said. “But first let us get our table and have some food, because I’m starving.”
The girls nodded in agreement, and a moment later, a hostess took them to their table.
Nikki took a seat beside Dara and Chan, which was facing the door. The others took their seats around the table.
“Who’s Nick?” Dara asked. “Just wondering.”
“Nikki?” Soriya teased. “Nikki and Nick. Sounds so cute together, right?”
Nikki saw the mischievous look in Soriya’s eyes and knew where this was heading. “Young lady, I know what you’re trying to get at. Nick is my half-brother, darling. He’s twenty-one, and we’re not a couple.”
The girls laughed.
Soriya blushed and said, “I didn’t know you had a half-brother. Let alone one the same age as me.”
“Well, I don’t talk about the other side of the family much. And blast that Nick. I mean, I love him to bits, but he looks too much like me. It’s creepy,” she commented with a dark frown.
“On a happier note,” Ruby said loudly, “here’s yours.”
Nikki took the envelope in Ruby’s hand and said, “Ah, wedding invitation. I thought I was the only one who didn’t get one.” She teased. “I can’t wait. I can’t wait.”
“Anyway,” Chan said, “tell us about your drama.”
Nikki didn’t need to be told twice. “Honestly, I’ve had the most horrible month ever. Like ever! I have never met a more horrid man in my life. My dad is so annoying. My stepsister is a bitch, and this new boss of mine… he’s literally killing me with work. Just look at my hands.” She spread out her hands for her friends to inspect. They were brown and calloused.
“What happened?” Georgie asked, staring at the tortured skin curiously.
“I have to work on a farm,” Nikki said. “Ruby, you remember that stupid Australian bastard we met months back in Dunedin? That day you did my teeth before leaving for Scotland for your first OE trip? Before you met your awesome, hunky fiancé Alec?”
Ruby cocked her head to one side and thought for a moment. Then it clicked, and she laughed. “The hot Asian dude who drove into you at the supermarket?”
Nikkita nodded with a depressed look on her face.
Ruby couldn’t help herself. She chuckled away merrily, which pissed Nikki off and confused the hell out of everyone else.
Soriya put up her hand. “I don’t get it.”
“Care to share the joke?” Dara chimed in.
“Stop that. It’s not funny, Ruby,” Nikki said. “You’re a mean friend.” She turned to Chan. “Chan, make her stop.”
Chan shrugged her shoulders. “Sorry, she’s enjoying herself on your benefit. And I don’t know how to stop her.”
Both Alex and Georgie managed to hide their smiles while Isabella looked a little lost.
Ruby finally was able to stop her mirth somehow and said, “I’m sorry, Nikki, but it’s fate. You hated the guy’s gut and now he’s your boss. It’s fate.”
Nikki glared. “It’s not fate, and I still hate his guts. I mean I don’t mind hard work. I’ve work in farms before, right, Alex?”
Alex nodded. “Yeah, us four every summer, fruit pickings in central Otago. Cherry. Strawberries. Everything.”
With that, Isabella and Ruby nodded as well, for they remembered those times long ago when they’d been in their teens, working hard to save up toward their university fund.
“But this asshole… Pardon my German,” Nikki said, looking both at Soriya and Dara in apology.
The girls just waved it aside.
“This asshole is a pain in the butt. Guys, he’s a slave driver.”
“Why don’t you just quit?” Dara asked. “If it were me, I would, and report it, too. Maybe even sue him for harassment or something like that.”
“I wish I could,” Nikki said.
&n
bsp; “What does that mean?” Georgie asked. “You’re like the coolest and toughest out of all of us. I mean, you don’t take shit from anyone.”
“It’s my dad. That asshole is my dad’s friend. They have this joint venture thing going on with the farm, and Dad said it’s my job to learn it because he’s giving the whole thing to me.”
“I bet that’d make your stepsister flip,” Ruby said. “What’s her name again?”
“Kelly,” Nikki replied. “She didn’t flip. It was her idea. I know she wants to torture me, knowing how much Dad wants to give the farm to me, which I don’t want. Kelly gets to operate and, eventually, will inherit the real estate business Dad has been working on for years. Screw her, but I guess he loves her, so… Anyway, moving on.” She turned to Chan and gave the friend a nicely wrapped box. “Happy belated birthday, Chan. Baby of the twenty-five bunch.” She laughed.
“Aww, thanks, Nikki,” Chan said.
Then they all urged her to open the box, which she happily did. When she was finished, she found it was a set of scented candles.
“Cool! Scented candles,” Soriya said.
At that moment, two waitresses came over with their ordered food.
The girls chatted about almost every topic under the sun while they had their delicious meal. They did a buffet, the mains consisting of red and massaman curry, Pad Thai, tom yum, yum talay, laab, beef stir-fry with Thai basil leaves, and deep-fried fish with hot-and-sour sauce, all served with steamed jasmine rice.
* * * * *
CHAPTER 19