Beach Blanket Bridesmaid (Necessity, Texas)

by Bond Collins,Margo

  At a loss, Seth glanced back and forth from his fiancée to his sister and his best friend.

  “Go ahead and go out,” Ava said. “I want to stay here and…” She racked her brains for a reason other than money to stay behind. Seth and Kristin had already paid for enough. She flicked a look toward Grant, who was watching her interestedly.

  I can’t very well say I want to stay here and seduce the best man.

  “And go for a walk on the beach at night,” she finished, more lamely than she had begun.

  “Are you sure that’s safe?” Seth’s brow furrowed.

  “I’ll go with her.” Grant turned to Ava. “If that’s okay with you.”

  Well. This whole seduction thing might end up being even easier than I expected.

  “If you’re sure.” Kristin didn’t press the other two to join them. From the way her eyes sparkled when she glanced at Seth, Ava was fairly certain the bride was looking forward to some time alone with the groom.

  “Sounds like a plan. Now that we’ve got all the wedding stuff straightened out, what’s everyone doing tomorrow?” Seth took a long drink of his Wadadli, the Antigua Brewery’s flagship beer. Kristin waved a waitress over to order a second rum punch.

  “I’m going snorkeling,” Ava announced. “It’s the one thing I’ve wanted to do since I found out we were coming, and I want to do it soon so I can spend the rest of the time helping with wedding stuff, since we only have a few days to deal with anything else that crops up.”

  And then she and Grant would be heading back to the U.S., leaving Kristin and Seth alone for a week of honeymooning.

  “Oh, snorkeling. That sounds fun.” Kristin clapped her hands. “I have the best idea.”

  Don’t say a snorkeling tour. Please don’t suggest a tour. I can’t afford one.

  “I saw a snorkeling tour advertised at the activities desk. We could all go together.” Kristin beamed at Ava.

  Of course.

  Ava worked to keep the anxiety off her face. She could hardly blame Kristin. The other woman had no idea what it was like to have to live on a budget, and it’s not like Ava had exactly announced that her funds were limited.

  Even Seth didn’t know how much she had been helping Grandma Jordan lately. The cost of almost everything in Necessity had increased lately, from property taxes to electricity to rent, and the two of them had been pooling their resources. Ultimately, though, Gran’s fixed income and Ava’s tips from her job at The Chargrill weren’t enough to cover all their bills easily, so after this trip, Ava was almost certainly going to have to give up her apartment and move back in with Gran.

  This was supposed to be her last little taste of freedom before she settled into the rest of her life in Necessity. Until recently, Ava had been perfectly content—she might not have much, but she had her own space and her own life, and she liked it that way.

  Now, though, the rest of her life spent living in her family home stretched out in front of her, long and unchanging.

  Not that living on her own was a crazy party. In fact, not much would be different at all, other than her address.

  She glanced around the table. Kristin was watching her eagerly, waiting for an answer. They were just beginning to build something resembling a friendship, and Ava hated to do anything that might put a damper on it.

  Anyway, if she was going to have a last hurrah, this was it.

  If she used all the money she had budgeted for souvenirs, she could probably manage a snorkeling trip.

  Besides, in order to seduce Grant, I have to be around him.

  Assuming she didn’t manage the seduction portion of her wild island fling during their walk on the beach tonight.

  Taking a deep breath, she said, “A snorkeling tour sounds great.”

  * * *

  “I’ll go see what I can find out.” Grant waved everyone back into their seats as he stood up. “Wait here. I’ll report back.”

  He didn’t think anyone else had seen the flash of panic cross Ava’s face when Kristin had mentioned the tour, but Grant suspected he might have some idea what that was about.

  Even if, as Grant suspected, Kristin had covered Ava’s flight and resort stay, the incidental expenses of this trip were beginning to add up, and Ava had always been careful with money in a way Seth wasn’t. It really was for the best that Seth was marrying into the richest family in Necessity. Grant loved his friend, but he also knew that it wasn’t in Seth’s nature to economize.

  Seth was a dreamer. Ava, on the other hand, was eminently practical.

  He had seen the same look on Ava’s face when they were young and she had been put in the position of spending her carefully saved allowance money to join the other kids at the movies. She wanted to go, but she had to calculate what it meant giving up.

  Seth remembered the trip to the Dallas mall for Ava’s prom dress as a trek from store to store to store as Ava searched for something perfect.

  Grant remembered it as Ava searching for the best deal—something that was both pretty and affordable.

  He didn’t know how yet, but he would figure out a way to make sure she didn’t feel compelled to pay for a snorkeling trip she couldn’t afford.

  And the walk on the beach tonight would give him a chance to have that talk with her he’d been promising himself all afternoon.

  * * *

  Am I really going to go for a moonlit walk on the beach with Grant?

  Ava leaned her elbows on the patio railing. What she wanted to do was watch the sun set over the ocean, but she was on the wrong side of the island for that.

  Not that she would want to watch that sunset with Grant, of course. Or go for a sunset walk, either. No, a walk on the beach with a gorgeous man during a beautiful sunset was a little too greeting-card cute for Ava.

  At least, that’s what I’m going to tell myself.

  She had been glad when Grant returned to their table at the bar that afternoon to announce that the next day’s snorkeling excursion was sold out—until she had seen the disappointment on Kristin’s face. Then she had felt guilty for wanting to save her pennies.

  If I go for that walk with him, I could seduce him tonight.

  Moving back inside the room, she took the Floral Floozy minidress out of the closet where she had hung it earlier and draped it across the bed, smoothing one hand across the fabric before taking a step back to regard it.

  If she met him wearing it, would he know what she wanted? Could she convince him to have sex with her on a moonlit beach?

  The thought made her shiver.

  Maybe I could invite him up here for dinner. Skip the beach altogether.

  Her stomach twisted at the thought.

  Why was this so terrifying?

  Because I don’t want him to say no.

  The thought surprised her. She had known that his rejection of her eighteen months ago had stung, but she didn’t realize she hadn’t gotten over it. If nothing else, his reaction to her wearing the dress suggested he was unlikely to turn her down.

  History, however, suggests he’ll probably leave before I’m awake the next morning.

  Clearly she needed to think about this more.

  Hanging the dress back in the closet, she considered her remaining options.

  She would cancel with Grant, have room service on the balcony, and listen to the night-song created by the tree frogs and cicadas on the resort grounds.

  If I want to take a walk on the beach at night, I can go by myself.

  While she was on that walk, she could work on figuring out how to seduce the only man she had ever really wanted.

  Chapter 5

  The morning sun didn’t bring any more answers than her nighttime stroll had—though they both ended up with Ava in the same beach chair, staring at the waves splashing against the shore.

  The guide at the equipment rental shack a few dozen yards down the beach had told her that noon was the best time for snorke
ling—the jellyfish tended to come out in full force in the mornings and evenings, but at midday, she could avoid getting stung more easily. He had also assured her that she was unlikely to get stung at all, but she preferred not to take chances.

  And that’s the story of my life.

  At any rate, she had the whole morning to herself, and a new romance novel to read.

  If I’m too chicken to seduce a man on a beach at night, I’ll have to settle for reading about it on the beach in the morning.

  Smiling wryly and settling back into the reclining beach chair, Ava pulled her enormous, floppy-brimmed straw hat over her face. She could doze here for a little while, soaking up the heat and the sheer nothing-to-do-ness of it all.

  A glorious day in paradise.

  “So what’s the point of lying in the sun if you cover yourself in SPF-one-million sunscreen?” Grant’s voice interrupted Ava’s contemplation of what she might see in her snorkeling later that day.

  She pulled her wide-brimmed straw hat off her face enough to peer at him through one squinted eye. “I’m enjoying the warmth.”

  “Can’t you get that at home?” Grant sat down in the empty chair next to her, picked up her sunscreen—only SPF 100, actually—and was turning it around in his hands, ostensibly reading the fine print on the bottle. Apparently her tone hadn’t been repressive enough to ward him off.

  “At home, I have people demanding my attention all day.” She settled back onto her chair, tilting her hat back over her face. Maybe he would take the hint and go away.

  No such luck.

  “Just because they demand your attention doesn’t mean you have to give it to them.”

  Yeah, right.

  How could she possibly begin to explain to Grant—a man who had always, as far as she could tell, done whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted—what it meant to feel responsible to other people?

  She opened her mouth to justify her response, then changed tacks at the last minute. “I don’t have the sound of the waves at home.”

  “You could. All you need is your phone and some earbuds.”

  Ava was beginning to wish she had those things now. Then she could block out this whole conversation.

  What was he doing here, anyway?

  “What is it about the ocean that draws people to it, do you think?” His tone was contemplative, and this time when she moved her hat to look up at him, he was staring out across the waves.

  Apparently he didn’t even need her to carry half a conversation. “You think maybe it’s something about how immense it is?” he continued.

  After a long, silent moment, he spoke again. “Have you seen the people out there learning to wind-surf?”

  Struck by a sudden insight, Ava sat up, knocking her hat into the sand next to her chair. “Grant, are you bored?”

  “Maybe a little.” He shrugged, the muscles of his shoulders rippling in the sunlight.

  If he doesn’t get some sunscreen, he’s going to end up burned.

  Ava shoved away the image of her hands smoothing lotion over his broad back.

  “I didn’t really think about Seth being too busy to go do stuff while we’re here,” he continued.

  I’m going to regret asking this.

  “What kind of stuff?”

  Grant’s eyes brightened, and Ava was reminded of what he had been like when they were much younger—always eager to try new things, willing to take risks in ways that had impressed the tagalong little sister of his best friend. “Well,” he said, “there’s another island nearby—Montserrat—with an active volcano, and they do tours of the last eruption site. The whole place is nearly deserted these days, and you can see the houses all filled with volcanic ash.”

  “That sounds”—she paused, searching for the right word—“kind of depressing.”

  “There’s also an eighteenth-century fort and Old Town and old sugar plantations.” Grant watched her carefully, gauging her reaction. “Or there’s always snorkeling or scuba diving.”

  “Don’t we have to have a license to dive?”

  “Not if we go with a certified guide. If you don’t want to do that, we could always… I don’t know… go shopping in St. Johns.”

  He must really be desperate—Ava knew another shopping trip was almost the last thing Grant would do. Once, the summer before Ava started junior high, Seth had been tagged to take her to pick out a new pair of school shoes. Her brother had convinced Grant to go with them, and he had spent the whole time shifting from one foot to another, rolling his eyes and heaving huge sighs.

  Apparently, though, lying on the beach for an afternoon was dead last on his list of desirable activities.

  Adult Grant wasn’t quite so blatant as his teenage self, but under his recitation of possible activities, Ava sensed that teenager, impatient to be off doing more interesting things.

  “Or there’s a cruise around the island. It takes you to all the best spots for diving. And includes lunch.”

  Finally, she couldn’t hold back a laugh. “You’ve been hanging out at the excursions counter in the lobby since the last time I saw you yesterday, haven’t you?” She had seen the desk this morning and done her best to avoid temptation by avoiding its rack of brightly colored brochures.

  “Maybe.” Grant ducked his head a little sheepishly, but grinned as he glanced up at her through his dark fringe of lashes.

  Ava did a quick calculation. One of the reasons she had been able to come at all was the ability to stay in the all-inclusive resort, where her food and drinks were already paid for.

  She had already put back the cash for her transfer to the airport at the end of the trip. If she didn’t buy herself a souvenir and waited until a week or two after she got home to get Seth and Kristin a wedding gift—rather than buying them something memorable on the island, as she had originally planned—she might have enough left over for one day-trip.

  One of the cheaper ones.

  Of course, that would mean giving up her snorkeling plans.

  But Grant looked so damn hopeful sitting there.

  By all rights, I should hate him.

  But even the memory of that one night—and its aftermath—didn’t outweigh his presence. Everything about Grant drew her to him.

  He’s exuding pheromones, or something.

  It had to be something chemical, right? Ava couldn’t actually identify a smell associated with him, but she would know his scent anywhere. Warm and enticing and entirely male.

  She drew in a deep breath, then realized Grant was still watching her.

  But as usual, he hadn’t actually asked her for anything.

  Well. The days when she would jump in to offer whatever he needed were long gone.

  He can damn well ask, for once.

  “Those all sound fun,” she said, tilting her face up to the sun for a moment before leaning back into the chair and letting the hat settle over her face, covering a mischievous grin.

  “I thought so,” Grant said hopefully.

  Ava let the silence draw out.

  She bent one knee and stretched out the other leg slowly, rotating her ankle luxuriously, and buried her toes in the sand. Then she lifted up her foot just high enough to let the sand run back off them when she tilted it a little.

  “So,” Grant said after a while, “do any of them sound especially interesting?”

  Ava tried to keep the smile out of her voice, working hard to sound unconcerned. “I think you should do whatever appeals to you most.” She straightened her other leg and began digging it into the sand, too.

  If he wanted her to go with him, he would have to be more specific.

  From now on, everything with Grant Porter would be spelled out beforehand.

  Ava would never again be surprised when he didn’t want the same things she wanted. She closed her eyes and continued running the sun-warmed sand over her feet.

  Dig. Lift. Tilt. Again.

  “Would
you be interested in going with me?” he asked.

  “I might be interested,” she replied airily. “Depends on what you do.”

  Cracking one eye open, she glanced at Grant. He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, his dangling hands clasped loosely together. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously, then said, in an overly precise tone, “If I pick an activity that interests me, would you be willing to go with me to do it?”

  Unable to contain her laughter any longer, Ava sat up. “Yes. Of course. Go pick something. Then come back and tell me where we’re going and when.”

  Grant jumped up to leave, a smug smile on his face. “You got it,” he said.

  As he walked away, Ava couldn’t help but wonder what, precisely, she had agreed to.

  Chapter 6

  Ava gave the dive instructor a thumbs-up. He nodded and moved off to check on the rest of the group. Grant waved at her, his eyes bright and happy behind the clear plastic lenses of his dive mask. He pointed down at something on the ocean floor beneath them.

  Ava scanned the dirt and rocks, but saw nothing. With a grin that crinkled his cheeks but left the regulator mouthpiece firmly in place, Grant waved her closer. She fluttered the fins on her feet and moved closer to the bottom, past long, wide fronds of seaweed waving in the ocean currents.

  When she swam up next to him, Grant clasped her hand in his and then, so softly she wasn’t even sure it had made contact, he brushed the sand with their knuckles.

  The sea-floor erupted in motion, the outline of an almost completely flat fish rising up and rippling away from them, its mottled brown coloring a perfect camouflage. Ava made a noise that on the surface would have been a squeal, but here produced little more than a squeak and a stream of bubbles.

  Glancing around to find Seth and Kristin, Ava realized she couldn’t see anyone but Grant. Even in the clear, blue Caribbean water, visibility was limited. But the dive wasn’t deep, and Ava knew all she had to do was surface and one of the boat’s crew would help her.

  She realized that she would feel safe even if there had been no one here but Grant. Even in this alien, underwater world, she trusted him to protect her. At least physically.