When Ozzy was still working at Orso, he found three pearls, one after the other, while shucking oysters. It’s extremely rare to find a pearl in an oyster, let alone three.
That’s the thing. Nothing is impossible when it comes to Ozzy and Jamie. Their love is so fated that Ozzy finding pearls in oysters feelsnormal—like just another sign from the universe proving that they are meant to be.
It’s sickening. And achingly beautiful.
“I don’t know …” she says, “Ozzy and I were maybe thinking of a joint party? Like maybe renting a cottage or something.”
“Oh, so you’re old and boring.”
Jamie bursts into a laugh, and I grin at my little jab.
“Why don’t we go somewhere?” I press, “My treat.”
Jamie waves her hands in front of her, shaking her head. “No, no, no, I don’t want you to pay, absolutely not.”
“Why not?” I say, a small whine in my tone. Resting my arm against the table, I press my chest against the edge as if trying to get closer to Jamie across from me. “Let me do this for you? As a wedding gift.”
Jamie continues to protest. “No way.” She tilts her head in that meaningful way of hers. “I don’t need anything big, I just want you there.”
Leaning back into my seat, I slowly shake my head, pretending to be disappointed in her, taking a sip of wine. “You’ve changed.”
Jamie snorts in her wine glass. “Bitch.”
We’re busy giggling like teenagers when Huxley appears holding a large bowl of paella.
His gaze finds mine, and his crooked grin makes my stomach flip.
While placing the steaming bowl in the middle of the table,Huxley calls for Charlie and Sophia to come sit. Ozzy follows from behind with two more dishes.
Everything smells incredible, as usual.
Expecting Sophia to sit beside me, my spine snaps straight when Huxley beats her to it and pulls out the chair beside me. Sophia gives me a knowing look that makes me want to shrivel up and die, and settles across from me beside Jamie.
“What are you doing?” I harshly whisper from the corner of my mouth.
Huxley’s smile widens as he looks at me. “Celebrating my sister’s birthday.”
He scoots his chair even closer, and I try to hide my full-body cringe. Just his good mood alone should be enough for his family to start getting suspicious.
“You never sit beside me.”
Thankfully, everyone is talking over each other, too busy passing around plates of food to overhear our exchange.
“Yeah, well,” Huxley says with a small pause, shoveling spoonfuls of paella onto his plate. “View’s better over here.”
I look away and sigh under my breath, hoping I can survive this without Jamie—or worse, Ozzy—picking up on our new dynamic.
“So the Remingtonis going good, I hear?” Ozzy asks.
He rakes a hand through his curls as he leans back into his chair, waiting for me to answer.
Dinner is winding down, plates cleared, dessert being eaten, and I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. I even stopped drinking an hour ago, so I can promptly leave when the opportunity arises.
I smile and nod proudly. “Yeah, really good, we did our first read-through last week, so that was exciting.”
“That’s great.” His smile widens. “And Hux isn’t giving you any trouble?”
Ozzy’s eyes crinkle, clearly just teasing.
