InHap*pily Ever After (Incidental Happenstance) (74 page)

            “Who wants to
join us?” Margo called.

            Tia spoke up.
“I can handle the power just fine,” she said, taking Dylan’s arm and heading
for the pier. “Let’s go.”

             Sean looked
at Gina and shot her his best smile. “What do you say?”

            “I say, lead
the way,” she smiled back.

            Lexi watched
as the group jogged over to the pier and Margo climbed on behind Bo, wrapping
her arms around him tightly and laying her head against his back. She was
suddenly overwhelmed by a confusing array of emotions that seemed to assault
her all at once. The spark of envy flared up in her again, and for one brief
second she pictured herself yanking Margo off the back of the wave runner and
tossing her out to the sharks. She shook her head to clear the image—she had
absolutely nothing against Margo—she was sweet and friendly and had a dynamic
personality; there was no reason at all to harbor ill-will toward her.

            When she heard
Margo’s shrieks of laughter as Bo spun the machine around the waves, she
decided that maybe what she needed was to take a walk and clear her head a
little. She had to try and get to the bottom of the odd feelings she’d been
having ever since she got to the island.

            Tony saw Jessa
sitting at the bar, looking out over the beach, watching the wave runners race
back and forth with amused interest.  He left the water and grabbed a towel,
rubbing it vigorously over his hair and chest as he approached her.

            “Hey,” he
began, “do you have a few minutes? I was thinking of going over some of what we
have so far, and making a list for some interviews at sunset…”

            Jessa scowled
at him. “Tell me you’re kidding, Tony,” she said flatly, as if the question was
ridiculous. “I’m not an employee today; I’m a member of the wedding party. This
is the best part of the day, everyone’s having an incredible time, the sun is
shining, and you want to go work?”

            He was
completely taken aback. It hadn’t occurred to him that she wouldn’t go, and he
didn’t know what to say, so he just stood there, dumbfounded.

            “Lighten up
and have a little fun, Tony,” she added. “Everything’s going beautifully—you’ve
already put in the work to make that happen.  Now you need to sit back and just
enjoy it for a bit.” And with that, she stacked the drinks on the tray and
balanced them on her forearm as efficiently as a waitress, and walked back over
to the girls’ cabana.

            Jessa could
feel Tony’s confused eyes on her as she walked back to deliver the drinks. The
look on his face was priceless—she figured that he was used to people jumping
every time he lifted a finger and didn’t often get no for an answer.
Get
used to it, Granger,
she thought.
I don’t take shit from people either,
and I’m not afraid to butt heads with anyone. Bring it on!

            It took Tony a
minute to come to his senses. He’d just been shot down by a little bit of a
woman—she couldn’t stand more than five foot two, and she’d left him completely
speechless. He tried to remember the last time he was put in his place, but he
couldn’t come up with anything in recent memory. She was on his island as his
guest and was technically his assistant as far as the wedding plans and filming
went—then why did he suddenly feel like she was actually the one in control? He
thought he should be insulted, but instead, he was intrigued. There was really
no need to work on anything at the moment, he realized, it was just an excuse
to spend some more time with her. Why, he couldn’t say, but there was no doubt
about it—Jessa had piqued his interest.

            He strolled
over to where she’d taken a seat in one of the oversized beach chairs,
surprised that his heart was pounding faster than he’d expect. “How about a
sail, then?” he asked as casually as he could muster. When she looked at him
over the top of her sunglasses, he shrugged. “What? You just said I should
enjoy myself, and you’re absolutely right. I’d love to get a view of the
festivities from the water; see the whole beach from a different perspective.
Care to join me?”

            For a moment
he held his breath, worried that she might say no. He exhaled when he saw the
smile spread slowly over her features. “Why not?” she said, grabbing her beach
cover and pulling it on. “Let’s go.”

            From the water
they did indeed have a completely different view. Around the beach, clusters of
guests were scattered about, taking part in a variety of activities. A group of
musicians was sitting around with guitars and bongos, sharing musical interludes,
a few older guests took shelter under palapas, sipping concoctions made of the
local dark rum, and a number of snorkels poked up from the water over the
little reef that hugged the island. Dylan’s and Tia’s families were sitting
together getting to know each other, and by the way their laughter rang through
the air, they were getting along just fine.  A few guys were tossing around a
football, and another group was sailing a Frisbee through the air. A group of
girls was building a sand castle, and a few couples were simply floating in the
water on inflatables, enjoying the combination of sunshine and calm sea. As
they flew by on the jet skis, Dylan raised his hand in a wave, but his arm
froze halfway up when he saw Jessa sitting with him on the sailboat. He pointed
a finger at Tony, likely to warn him again that Jessa was his, since Tony had
already hinted; maybe too many times; at how much he could use a person with
Jessa’s skills and work ethic on his team. Or maybe, he thought for a fleeting
second, a flash in his mind of her peeling off her cover and pulling the string
on her bikini, he could come up with a much more interesting use for her.           

            As he cut the
power and slid the water craft onto the beach, Bo looked automatically for
Lexi. He thought maybe he could talk her into a little ride—the whole time he
was on with Margo, he was thinking about how it would feel to have Lexi pressed
up against him as Margo had been; breasts flattened against his back and her
hands tight around his middle. He thought he’d talk her into taking the
controls for a while as well, so he could have a valid excuse to sit behind her
and wrap his arms around her smokin’ hot scantily clad body.  As his eyes swept
the beach, he noticed that she was no longer there and handed the machine over
to Leroy, who climbed on with his wife and headed out into the crystal blue
waters.

            Then he saw
her in the distance…just turning around the curve of beach that led to the
gardens and hiking trails. He took a deep breath to summon his courage and was
about to start heading in that direction when Margo came over with a glass in
her hand.

            “You’re a beer
drinker, right?” she asked, handing him a frosty mug topped off with a foamy
head.

            “Um, yeah,” he
said absently, taking the glass. “Thanks.”

            “No problem.
Hey, want to get a bite to eat? Gina told me they were setting up the buffet
for lunch.”

            Bo watched as
Lexi turned the final curve and disappeared from view. He wanted to ask her
about the look she’d given him at the end of the volleyball game—about the
confusion he saw in her eyes. It was maddening, really, the way he was feeling.
Now that he’d fully admitted to himself that he was more than crazy about Lexi
Summers, he found it hard to even talk to her—he wasn’t at all sure that he
could even look her directly in the eyes without her seeing the truth. He
feared that it must be written all over his face, but the suggestive hints that
Margo was throwing his way gave him some confidence that his secret was still
safe. She’d been pressed up against him much more than necessary on the wave
runner, and the way she was smiling at him right now left little confusion
about her intentions.

            It was
painfully clear that Lexi still had a lot on her mind. She’d been quieter than
usual, and now she was obviously looking for some solitude. Who knew? Maybe
being here, watching her best friend about to get married, reminded her of what
she’d lost in her own relationship. Perhaps she was missing her ex, wishing he
was here to share the romance of this place. Either way, it seemed pretty
obvious that she wasn’t in the mood for his company, which really bothered him.
Things were uncomfortable between them, and no matter how hard he thought about
it—for the past four months, truth be told—he couldn’t figure out just how to
fix that. He glanced in the direction she’d disappeared, wondering if the
timing would ever be right, or if he’d get up the nerve to tell her how he felt
about her. It sure as hell wasn’t now. “Let’s go,” he said, as Margo linked her
arm in his and led the way to the main porch.

            Lexi picked
her way over the little peninsula that served as a breakwater for the beach and
wandered into one of the gardens that sat just a small walk into the tree line.
It was blissfully quiet; just the songs of birds, the chatter of a couple
resident monkeys, and the sounds of the waves rolling onto the shore behind her
filled the air. She plucked a blossom off the hibiscus and absent-mindedly
pulled off a petal, nibbling at it. She’d read that the flowers had medicinal
properties; that they helped with stomach problems and helped soothe the
nerves. God knew her nerves could use more than a bit of soothing. She took a
deep breath through her nose and held it for a three count before pushing it
out through pursed lips slowly and deliberately. Yoga breathing wasn’t going to
make this any easier, but at least it might settle her thoughts enough that she
could put them in some sort of order.

            “Hey,” the
soft voice made her jump, and she turned to see Tia balancing a plate of food
as she made her way up the trail.

            Lexi gathered
herself and sat up, flashing her a warm smile. “Hi!” she said brightly. “Is
that for me?” she asked, motioning at the plate. Tia handed it over and Lexi
picked up a tiny sandwich and popped it in her mouth, chewing enthusiastically.
“Oh, thanks, I was starving!” she lied.

            “You can’t
bullshit me, you know,” Tia said, cocking her head. “I know you way too well
for that. Something is bothering you. Want to talk about it?”

            Lexi opened
her mouth to protest, but quickly realized the futility of a lie. She and Tia
had shared way too much over the years, and could read each other better than a
lot of sisters she knew.

“I don’t even know what it
is,” she said with a sarcastic giggle. “I honestly don’t.”

            “Are you
thinking about Ryan?”

            Lexi looked
her best friend right in the eye. “I’m really not,” she said. “I haven’t
thought about him much at all.” It was true. She’d given him one fleeting
consideration at the bonfire; and it wasn’t to miss him. She’d looked around at
the crowd gathered—her InHap boys, her best friend, the new friends she’d met
along the journey she’d hopped on and off of with Tia—and she knew instantly
that Ryan didn’t belong. He wouldn’t fit in here, and if he had come, she’d
have had to spend most of her time running interference for him or placating
his wounded ego.

            She realized,
too, that if Ryan were here, she wouldn’t be free to be herself—and that it had
probably been that way for longer than she cared to admit. He had lost trust in
her the minute he’d heard that she had met Dylan. Nothing she did or said made
the situation any better, so she found herself downplaying the whole thing for
his benefit, to the point of avoiding all conversation involving InHap so he wouldn’t
make a big deal out of it. She’d been furious with him when he postponed the
wedding, but sucked it up eventually and put everything she had into supporting
his career.
Yeah
, she thought bitterly,
and how did that work out for
you
? She had put herself in a self-imposed holding pattern for the past
year, and wasn’t even sure who she was anymore. Sure as hell not the same,
though.

             Without a
doubt she wouldn’t have been able to spend any time with Bo if Ryan were here;
not that Bo seemed to want her company anymore either. There were a lot more
woman here to catch his eye than there’d been on the tour, and it appeared that
maybe Margo had.

            Tia took a
seat next to her on the bench and took her plate, setting it on the little
table next to the bench. She took Lexi’s hands in hers and looked her straight
in the eye. “Oh honey,” she said sadly, “is it the wedding? Is it too much? I’m
so sorry.”

            Lexi jumped
off the bench, pulling Tia up and into a crushing embrace. “NO,” she said
firmly. “Absolutely not.” She put her hands on Tia’s shoulders and held her
gaze. “I am happier for you than I’ve ever been for anyone in the world,” she
said honestly. “You’ve found your soul mate and you’re going to have the most
amazing life together…this is the most incredible location—the perfect place
for the perfect wedding of the perfect couple.” She smiled, and the corners of
Tia’s lips twitched up in a grin. “And I couldn’t say that more perfectly.”
They sat back down, and Lexi threw her arm over her best friend’s shoulder and
gave her a squeeze. “I honestly don’t know what’s bothering me exactly,” she
said. “It’s like…” she looked hard at Tia. “Oh hell, can I just say that I’ve
learned a whole new respect for you over the past few months?”