Safari Island Shifters: The Complete Collection(18)

He laughed. “Don’t worry. It’s going to be great. You’re going to love the island, and Ward can’t wait to hook you up with a job.”

Addison sighed. “That’s great, but now I have to tell Lily. She’s going to be so pissed that I’m staying here while she has to go home.”

“She’ll get discount tickets from now on. I think she’ll live.” He rolled back on top of her. “We have some time. Ready for round two?”

Addison kissed him. “I’m ready for anything.”





Epilogue


“We’re engaged!” Addison screamed into the phone.

“Yes. I knew it!” Lily screamed.

She could hear Lily jumping around the apartment they had once shared, and smiled as she looked down at the sapphire engagement ring Chet had given her. “I know. You called it right from the beginning. You know what this means, right?”

“I get to come back to Safari Island. Girl, you don’t know how bad I need a vacation right now.”

“You were just here three months ago.” Addison laughed. “You don’t typically get this much vacation time a year.”

“My boss couldn’t possibly keep me here,” Lily said. “I’ve been working eighty-hour weeks for the last three months. This guy owes me. Plus, I already told him I would need two weeks for your wedding.”

“Yay! I can’t plan this whole thing without my maid of honor.”

“You won’t have to. We’re going to Skype and call each other every day.”

“For sure,” Addison said.

“Please tell me that the company is picking up the tab.”

“They are,” Addison squealed. “We agreed that they could use our wedding photos in a catalog and that was it. No expense is going to be spared.”

“I’m jealous.”

“It’s a little overwhelming, really,” she admitted. “Everything has to be perfect. They hired some big-time event planner and Parker Travers is doing the reception food. It’s going to be massive.”

“I can’t wait!”

Then, Addison made the calls to her parents. She was going to have to pick a few more bridesmaids, but she took a moment to pause. She couldn’t believe how fast it was all moving or how happy she was. Her life was a dream. She only hoped the wedding would go as smoothly.





Between Two Crocs





One


“If those papers aren’t waiting for me Monday morning, you’re fired,” Mr. Angelsen said.

“Fine,” Lily Aris mumbled as she looked for her bag.

“Good. I look forward to hearing from you on Monday. Have a nice weekend.”

Lily pushed the call end button and made a face at the blank phone screen. “You have a great weekend too. Jerk.”

She spotted her bright purple luggage on the carousel and rushed to pull it all down. It took a little effort but soon there was a pile of bags at her feet.

“It looks like you need a little help.”

Lily looked up to see a familiar pair of green eyes. She nodded. “That would be great.”

Max Nunez lifted her bags into the back of his waiting tram. “I thought I might run into you today. Addison hasn’t stopped talking about you all week. I swear she’s more excited about your visit than her own wedding.”

Lily laughed. “You’re being very sweet, Max. Thanks for the help.”

She was honestly surprised and happy to see the crocodile shifter. The first time she’d visited Safari Island, she’d gone on a date with Max and his twin brother. It had been a disaster. While the men were incredibly handsome, she didn’t have much in common with them. Finn Nunez had spent most of the dinner and the drive home fuming and Max had been quiet. While the men weren’t overtly mean or rude, they just weren’t right for her.

Lily’s best friend had had much better luck. Her date that evening had turned out to be the love of her life. Lily and Addison had gone on vacation together, but only Lily had returned to the United States. Addison had moved in with Chet in Safari Town and the rest was history. Now, Lily was returning to the island for the big wedding. Unfortunately, her boss wasn’t very thrilled about her needing to take time off again so soon. She had more than enough vacation time banked to cover this trip and then some. But he was being a major jerk and threatening to fire her if she didn’t finish his project.

He had handed her all the files for a major account right before she left and told her she needed to fix his mistake ASAP. He had no idea what he’d done wrong, but if she didn’t fix it, she wouldn’t have a job to come home to. She’d had a stomachache the entire flight to Safari Island. She needed her job. It was a tough economy, and she didn’t have much experience. Not to mention the fact that Angelsen was paying her three times the market rate for her position and experience.

She would be able to pay off all her student loans if she worked with Angelsen for only two years. She’d already managed to pay off three of the five loans. All she had left now were the two largest private loans. Getting fired at this point would ruin all her careful planning and sacrificing. She hadn’t had a Frappuccino in over a year, and she’d slashed her clothing budget in half. She had been lucky enough to win a vacation to Safari Island last summer and this trip was free of charge since she was in the wedding.