“I
think we need practice, though.”
“How
much more practice.”
“A
lot.” Christine sounded grim but her eyes were sparkling. “It could take a
lifetime.”
“In
that case, we’ll need dinner first.”
Jake
bent down to plug the phone back into the wall jack as Christine laughed. The
message light began to blink immediately, but before he could pick up the
receiver to get the messages, the phone rang.
“Finally!”
Ryan said when Jake answered. “I’ve been trying to hunt you down all day.”
* * *
“No
pity for the wounded?”
Laura
turned on her way into the restaurant, only to find Mr. Smooth with a major
shiner. She tried to hide her smile and failed. “Ouch.”
“You
probably think I got what I deserved.” He considered her over his coffee. “Or
did you take care of that before?”
“Guilty
as charge,” Laura admitted. “How’d it feel to strike out every time?”
“Terrifying,”
he admitted with a shake of his head. “I thought I’d lost my mojo forever.”
“Oh,
that would be terrifying,” Laura agreed, enjoying the conversation more than
she’d expected.
“Mark,”
he said, offering his hand. “It’s Mark.”
“I
kind of liked Mr. Smooth.”
“Not
Prince Charming?”
She
laughed. “No. Not you.”
He
winced theatrically. “Tough crowd. You wouldn’t want to bolster my confidence
by having a drink with me later?”
Laura
laughed in her surprise. “I seriously doubt that your ego needs the help.”
“Not
even a pity drink?”
“No.”
Laura started to turn away, then caught a glimpse of his disappointment. “But
you know, there is one thing you could do.”
“What’s
that?” Mark was watching her avidly and she smiled, knowing she’d surprise him.
“I
love weddings.”
“I’m
not sure there’s going to be one.”
Laura
rolled her eyes. “That man is not leaving this island before she marries him.
Trust me. I’ve never seen such determination.”
“Does
that make him one of the good guys?”
“Pretty
much.”
Mark
drained his coffee and set the cup back into the saucer before he stood up.
“Okay, you’re on. And I’d better go help him win the day.”
“You?
Helping with a wedding?”
“Hey,
it’s my only chance of a date with a beautiful woman for the next week. I’m not
stupid enough to blow that kind of opportunity.” Mark’s smile flashed before he
strode away.
“I
didn’t promise you anything!” Laura said and he paused to wink at her.
Then
he winced because it obviously hurt and she laughed.
“I
know. I even need to endure pain to win a smile.” He turned to leave again.
“Don’t worry, I’m up for it. You like determination: I’ll show you some.”
“Because
you have nothing else to do.”
Mark
stopped. He turned to look at her, then strode back across the restaurant to
pause right in front of her Laura’s mouth went dry as he looked down at her.
His voice softened as if he was telling her a secret. “Maybe that’s not quite
all of it, Laura.”
“No?
Then what is?”
He
smiled a little. “Do you know how long it’s been since I didn’t know what a
woman was going to say next?”
“Not
long enough, I guess.”
He
cocked a finger at her. “I saw that one coming. Don’t disappoint me now.” He
smiled at her for a long sweet moment, then he was gone.
And
Laura found herself smiling as she cleaned her section. She did like weddings,
that much was true, and she knew there was going to be one.
But
Mark wasn’t the only one who liked people who kept him guessing.
* * *
Ryan
left and returned several times during the day, tormenting Jess with pleasure
each time he returned to the cottage. She found herself curiously content to
laze around, eating whatever he brought, and enjoying his company.
On
Thursday morning, he was gone again.
Jess
stayed in the cottage all day, lounging around in her pajamas. Fiona came to
visit in the morning, but Jess wasn’t going to take relationship advice from
the one friend who was unlikely to ever have an enduring relationship. They
chatted for a while, then Fiona said she had something to do. Jess had expected
Ryan to come back at lunch, but he sent room service to her with a cute note.
Afterward,
Jess had stood on the deck and watched the rain on the ocean.
The
day she’d anticipated for months had arrived. It was supposed to be her wedding
day.
But
she wasn’t getting married, by her own choice.
Was
Ryan avoiding her on this particular day for a reason?
She
loved that Ryan had come back to talk and make love to her. She wished they’d
talked more, even though she didn’t regret one second of their lovemaking.
She’d assumed that he would come back to the cottage to talk about the future.
Maybe they could have figured out exactly what their future was. But as the
hours passed and there was no sign of him, Jess began to fear they didn’t have
a future.
Was
he in the bar with his buddies, having fun again?
The
possibility wasn’t encouraging.
Maybe
she’d just pushed him too far by trying to make their wedding perfect.
Maybe
she’d pushed herself too far in her quest for perfection. She thought about
Ryan’s insistence that it was the joining of their lives together, not the
details, that was most important and could see his point. She loved him. He
loved her. They wanted to be married to each other. But over the past few
months, she’d lost sight of that simple goal in her pursuit of the perfect
wedding.
It
wasn’t about the dress or the flowers or the food. It was about the man who
would take her hand in his forever.
Even
if Jess was realizing as much a little bit later than would be ideal.
If
this event cost her the man she was sure she wanted, then Jess had really made
a huge mistake.
She
pivoted, intending to get dressed and find him, but someone knocked on the
door.
It
was her mom.
“I
suppose you’ve been here all day, feeling sorry for yourself,” Arlene said. Her
tone was both cheerful and practical, warning Jess that she wouldn’t be
remaining alone for long.
“Not
exactly. I’ve been thinking.”
Arlene
smiled. “Good. The rain is clearing and we’ve just enough time for a walk on
the beach before dinner.”
“Mom,
I want to find Ryan and talk to him.”
“Of
course,” her mom said with force. “But first we’ll go for a walk on the beach.”
Jess
knew the sound of an argument she wouldn’t win. “I hope that journalist isn’t
out there, waiting to pounce on me.”
“What
if she is? Hiding isn’t going to fix anything, and looking your best will give
her something to worry about.”
Jess
smiled at that.
“Put
on that pretty dress and some lipstick and let’s go. A glass of wine will do
you the world of good.”
Her
mom was right.
Jess
put on the dress her mom had mentioned, the one she’d been saving for after the
wedding, then a bit of make-up.
“Why
don’t you put your hair up?” her mom prompted. “And wear those pretty earrings
you brought. I like those and they look good on you.”
“Do
I have a choice?” Jess asked with a smile.
Her
mom smiled back. “Looking your best makes you feel better.”
Jess
spared a glance for her mom’s dress, which was new and flattering, and those
sandals that her mom adored. “Seems I came by that honestly.”
Arlene
laughed. “Maybe you did.”
Jess
did feel better as they left the cottage. She took a deep breath of the wind
coming off the ocean. It was sunset, her favorite time of day, and the sky was
painted in glorious colors. The clouds were almost gone and the stars were
coming out. Far down the beach, someone was lighting a row of torches that
burned brightly in the shadows. She tried not to think about what should have
been happening, but it was tough. They walked toward the central area of the
resort, and Jess noticed that they were setting up the big dining room for a
function.
Their
wedding reception had been booked for that room. The walls were open to the
view of the sea and beach, and it looked magical with a thousand burning
candles.
“It
didn’t take them long to rent the room out,” she said, trying to keep her tone
light.
Her
mom nodded. “A place like this is always in demand.”
“Mom,
I really have to talk to Ryan.”
“A
short walk on the beach won’t hurt,” her mom said, continuing in her bossy
tone. “I’ve been sitting for two days with this rain. I need a stretch before I
can manage another meal in this place. I don’t want to go home fat.”
“You’ll
never get fat,” Jess said.
Her
mom shook a finger at her. “Only because I try to get my exercise. Come on.
We’ll see what those torches are for.”
“If
it’s a private party, we don’t want to intrude...”
“We
won’t be. We’ll be walking on the beach with our eyes open.” Arlene gave Jess a
quick smile, then turned their steps in that direction. In a way, Jess was glad
to be heading away from the restaurant and bar, where that journalist was sure
to be.
But
where would she find Ryan?
“Tiki
torches,” she said, unable to help herself.
“Maybe
it’s a luau,” Arlene suggested. She pretended to dance a hula and Jess smiled
at her mother’s antics. “You think they’re tacky?”
“You
know they are.” Jess didn’t mention that she’d intended to have votives in
holders. They would have glowed against the beach, giving a warm and romantic
light.
The
tall lit torches with their high flames defined a section of beach. A number of
people stood inside the square space. The volleyball court on the next patch of
beach was deserted, against all expectation.
It
was only when Arlene and Jess came closer that Jess realized the people
gathered there were all watching their approach. She might have suggested to
her mom that they turn around and not disturb the event, but a woman in a white
sundress began to walk toward them.
It
was Christine.
She
was carrying a veil and she was followed by Fiona, who carried something else.
Jess
felt her mouth open in surprise. It couldn’t be.
The
group parted, leaving a center aisle, and two girls began to strew petals on
it.
Like
a wedding.
Jess
caught her breath. A man stepped forward to stand at the other end of the
aisle. He turned to face her, folding his hands before himself, and her breath
caught when he smiled at her.
Ryan.
He
was dressed casually, not in his tux—probably because it was hanging in
the closet in the cottage. She realized then that the two girls were his two
youngest sisters, Aislinn and Moira. Jess scanned the group and saw Jake
standing beside Ryan, Ryan’s parents and his brothers, all of their friends.
He’d
done it.
For
her. Her heart squeezed tightly, then began to pound.
“Something
old,” her mom whispered. “Like the fiancé you brought to this resort.”
“He’s
not that old,” Jess whispered.
“Well,
he’s not borrowed or blue, either,” her mom teased. “Thank goodness.”
Jess
smiled and held tightly to her mom’s hand.
“Something
new,” Christine said when she stopped in front of them. She lifted the veil to
place the combs in Jess’s hair. It wasn’t the veil Jess had brought, but was
sheer and pretty. Christine arranged it over her shoulders and smiled at her.
“Beautiful.”
“Something
blue,” Fiona said, handing a small bouquet to Jess. Three white roses were tied
in a nosegay with sapphire ribbon and surrounded with deep blue anemones. “I
think these are the only roses in the place,” she confided. “But at least they
aren’t lilies. Ryan said they had to find roses for you.”
“He
did?”
“You
should hire him,” Christine said. “Seriously. That man is impressive when he’s
on a mission.”
“What
mission, exactly?” Jess whispered.
“Fixing
every item on your list,” Fiona said. She cast a look at the sky and shook her
head. “Even I’m impressed that he managed to stop the rain.”
“That’s
the power of love,” Arlene interjected.
“He
did all this?” Jess asked, incredulous and delighted.