InHap*pily Ever After (Incidental Happenstance) (72 page)

Read InHap*pily Ever After (Incidental Happenstance) Online

Authors: Kim DeSalvo

“Come and have
a tour!” Tia exclaimed. “Paradise is the only word for it—I couldn’t have
imagined a more perfect place for my wedding!” Dylan pulled her to him and
kissed her tenderly.

The place was
nothing short of spectacular. Tony met them on the main plaza; a huge open-air
deck that would play host to the wedding reception, and took everyone on the
grand tour. “Everything on the island was designed to blend into the natural
environment,” he said, “and the entire resort is self-sustaining and
ecofriendly. It has its own desalination plant on the far side of the island to
provide pure water, solar panels to generate electricity, and gardens to
provide all the flowers and organic fruits and vegetables. The workers are all
locals, and have their own comfortable living quarters on the other side of the
island. They’re paid a fair wage, and are sequestered here for the duration of
any stay to assure the anonymity of the guests; plus there’s uncompromised
security—cameras all over the island are monitored constantly so anyone can
stay here and maintain total privacy.” He smiled. “At least that’s the plan.
This is the first test of the whole place, really.” A cameraman wearing a
Travel Channel shirt recorded Tony’s words as well as the reactions of the
guests.

“Every part of
the wedding is Tony’s gift to us,” Dylan explained. “He’s planning to open this
place next month to paying guests, and wanted to do a test run to make sure
everything’s working the way he wants it to before he starts taking exorbitant
amounts of money from people.”

“Yeah, well,
there’s a little more to it than that,” Tony added, waving off the looks of
amazement from the little tour group. “This is a business venture, too, and I’m
going to get a lot more out of it than I put in. I consider it a personal favor
to me that Dylan and Tia agreed to have their wedding here. It’s obviously the
event of the year, and I get first dibs on all the pictures and videos for my
show and a magazine where I hold a majority interest. Then, when the Travel
Channel approached me and wanted to do a show about the island, I knew I
couldn’t do it with paying guests, but that it would be a lot more interesting
if there were actually people here. This is a big deal—the fact that they’re
letting me film some of the wedding—which will keep their fans happy and still
let them have a private celebration; plus the fact that Dylan and his new bride
are the very first ones to stay here; it will make this a sought-after
destination for a long time to come. Dylan and Tia maintain control not only of
their wedding, but of any images or videos that go out. Everybody wins.”

“Everyone but
me,” a voice behind them said as Tony turned toward the main building.

“Jessa!” Lexi
exclaimed, wrapping her arms around the tiny woman and lifting her off the
ground.

“About time
you got here, Lex, I need another strong woman to help me control this
asshole,” she teased, pointing at Tony. “The man doesn’t want to do anything
but work, and he thinks I’m at his beck and call. Tia’s hopeless—no help
whatsoever. Now that you’re here, I can finally relax a little bit. Where’d you
get those frosty drinks?”

Tony looked
surprised, just for a moment, before he got the joke. “I’m a task master?” he
laughed. “I can’t even keep up with you! Really,” he said, turning to Dylan,
“how do you put up with her? She’s bossier than all my ex-wives put together.”
He shook his head at Jessa, but in the same motion, waved to an employee behind
the desk who rushed to get Jessa one of the frozen concoctions.

Tony led them
then through the main building, well-appointed with marble, chandeliers, and
comfortable seating, glaring once more at Jessa before continuing. “Now if I
can pick up where I left off before I was so rudely interrupted…” Jessa
scratched her cheek very deliberately with her middle finger, making a face at
Tony before graciously thanking the stunning woman who’d appeared with a pina
colada. “The Wi-Fi can be turned on or off, depending on the guests’
preferences, but there’s a hard-wired computer in here and phone communication
with the main islands. Dylan and Tia have opted not to allow the use of cell
phones to make sure there aren’t any breaches of the location before the
wedding.”

They walked
out a set of French doors back onto the huge wooden deck; where the beach and
Caribbean Sea greeted them.

“Well, that
concludes my tour,” Tony said, smiling. “I really hope you all enjoy your stay
here, and remember—you’re kind of my test audience. I want to know if there’s
anything that isn’t perfect—any little thing at all—so I can make sure
everything’s in working order before I open next month. It’s great to have all
the rooms full so that everything can be put to the test, and I want to know if
there’s not enough hot water for the showers, if doors squeak, if your towels
aren’t the softest ones you’ve ever used—seriously, anything. It’ll really help
me a lot.”

He lifted his
hand and spun his index finger in a circle, and four Bahamian men appeared
within seconds. “These gentlemen will show you to your rooms,” he said, “and
will bring your bags up right away so you have a chance to freshen up. Feel
free to explore the island at your leisure; there are some brochures in your
rooms that tell about the many amenities of the resort, and you’re free to use
all of them. You can ask any of the staff if you have questions; in fact, I
encourage you to. They’ve all been trained, of course, but it would be great
practice for them to interact with the guests.

“We’ve set up
a spot on the beach under one of the cabanas to do some preliminary interviews
for the Travel Channel show. It’s completely voluntary, of course, but I sure
would appreciate if you’d consider it…you can go as couples, if you want to.
Since it’s a small group tonight, we’re going to have a barbeque on the beach
in a few hours. Until then, they’ll be setting up a little buffet here in just
a bit. I hope you enjoy your accommodations, and I’ll see you all back here for
lunch.”

As Tia and
Dylan’s families waited for everyone to gather on the comfortable deck, Jessa
breezed through with a notepad and a pen, scribbling notes and then tucking the
end of pen in the corner of her mouth. She was in her business mode, and didn’t
stop to make small talk; telling Lexi and Tia she’d be done in about a half
hour. She orchestrated the placement of silver trays laden with fresh tropical
fruits, cold salads, fresh breads, and deserts, and then buzzed out with a look
of concentration on her face.

Tony turned
to Dylan and asked, “Does she ever quit?” Dylan just laughed and shook his
head.

“She’s the
best there is,” he stated simply. “I’m lucky to have her.”

Tony watched
her retreat, and smiled. “I could use someone like that, you know.”

“Don’t even
think about it,” Dylan said. “She’s mine.”

Lexi was just
scooping some crab salad onto her plate when she heard his voice. “It’s about
time you people showed up for this little shindig!” Bo said as he strolled out
from the main building.

Her heart
skipped a beat; it wasn’t just the sound of his voice that sent a shiver down
her spine—the man looked
good.
Bo had always been a big guy—Lexi often
described him as being “built like a football player,” but the Bo who strutted
onto the deck looked more like a Marine drill sergeant; except for the pencil
thin dreadlocks that framed his face and just brushed his shoulders. Broad
shoulders, she noticed, which led into thickly muscled arms that threatened to bust
out of his shirt.
Buff
was the first word that came to her mind.

His face
though, was the same old Bo—big genuine grin, dark chocolate eyes that crinkled
when he smiled; skin the color of a perfect cup of morning coffee. Four months
ago she would have been the first one to leap into his arms but now she held
back, unsure of her place.

Dylan’s mom
was the first to wrap him in an embrace. “Bo Collins,” she said after a warm
hug and a loud smack on the lips. “You had us worried for a while there.” She
stepped back and looked him up and down. “I don’t know why. We all know you’re
the most stubborn man ever born and that you would pull through. It does my
heart good to see you looking so well. I’ve missed you.”

Bo pulled her
back into his arms as Steve shook his hand and other members of the group lined
up to say their hellos. “It’s been too many years,” he said fondly. “I missed
you, too.”

Lexi stood at
the back of what could only be called a receiving line feeling like an idiot as
her heart threatened to burst out of her chest. Something she couldn’t explain
shadowed Bo’s eyes when they finally fell on her. “Good to see you, Lexi,” he
said.

“You too, Bo.
I’m really glad to see you fully healed.” He didn’t call her beautiful, or
princess, or any of the other pet names he’d had for her in another lifetime,
and his embrace was awkward, at best. It was just as she’d feared it would be,
but she pasted on a smile.

“It’s gonna
take more than an earthquake to keep me down,” he said. He opened his mouth as
if to say something else, but Margo jumped in and wrapped her arms around his
neck.

“I’d say you
healed brilliantly,” she smiled, fluttering her eyelashes just the slightest
bit. She tucked her hand into his elbow and led him toward the spread of food and
drink. “Join me for lunch? I’m dying to catch up with you.”

He looked at
Lexi once more, the shadow even more pronounced, before she turned away and he
let Margo lead him to the buffet table.

They spent the
afternoon catching up, hiking the beautiful grounds, and splashing in the
crystal sea. As the sun began to dip, they enjoyed an incredible dinner at
elegantly-set tables on the beach, overlooking the water and a near-perfect
sunset. Tomorrow would bring the rest of the guests, and there would be a
flurry of activity. For tonight, they had a small intimate group, and they
enjoyed an evening sail and local live music; and of course, the company of
friends and family. Dylan pulled out his guitar and played enthusiastically
with the local musicians while the group danced around the bonfire; the sea
breezes blowing gently and the full moon hanging heavy in the sky. Tia saw
Dylan whisper something into the singer’s ear, and they shared a laugh before
bursting into “Brown Eyed Girl.” Tia giggled, remembering the evening they’d
spent in Northampton when Dylan had shimmied over to her and pulled her into a
seductive dance. Dylan remembered it as the night he’d finally realized that he
was hopelessly in love. Lexi and Jessa let out little squeals and ran for the
bonfire to join in the dance. Margo grabbed Bo immediately and Lexi found
herself paired up with Max, who turned out to be a pretty good dancer.
Everyone else found partners and spun around the beach—even a surprised Jessa
found herself in Tony’s arms.

As the evening
wound down, the music got softer until it was just Dylan with his guitar. Tia
sat in the sand near his feet, always ready to enjoy the smoky tones of Dylan’s
unique voice. “I’ve got something for my fiancé,” he smiled, plucking a few strings
to check the tune before strumming a low chord. Then he sang the first words,
and Tia found herself mesmerized by the lyrics.

Across
a crowded room like great romances

First
eyes then smiles then halting glances

From
the very first tentative hello

I’m
wrapped around your finger…

got
nowhere else to go.

You
danced with me around the world

The
universe was ours

And
even in the brightest day

You
filled my head with stars

So
now we make a solemn vow

Here
beside the sea

No
hesitation, dive right in