“My brother thought it would be better in first class. He was wrong.”
“Everything is better in first class.”
The pilot announced their descent, and Lucas inhaled sharply and closed his eyes, but didn’t release her hand. She wasn’t even sure if he was aware he held it. The wheels touched down with little more than a bump, and Felicity nudged him. “It’s over.”
“Thanks.” He finally let go of her.
She missed the warmth of his hand the moment it was gone. “Well, good luck with the wedding.”
“Can I have your number? Maybe we can get together for a drink or something this week.”
“I thought you were on a dating break.”
“I didn’t give up drinking with friends. After being stuck next to me while I was in a panic, I think I can call you a friend.”
She thought for a moment, and then stopped herself. What was there to consider? If he called and she changed her mind, she didn’t have to answer. She pulled out her phone and asked for his number and called him so he’d have hers.
Felicity followed Lucas off the plane and to baggage claim, where he kindly lifted her bag from the carousel for her. Then she ended up following him to the car rental counter. One attendant took his name and looked up his reservation. “Your car will be pulled around in a few minutes.”
The other clerk asked her to spell her name three times. “Are you sure you booked with us, miss? I’m not showing any reservation.”
“Yes, I’m sure.” At least pretty sure. “Just book me something now then.”
“I can’t. We’re out of cars. It is spring break. Can I call you a taxi?” The girl’s sweet southern drawl couldn’t even cover the sting of information.
Felicity was beginning to think this trip was cursed.
Lucas stood there staring at her, then he sighed. “Take my car. I can have someone from my family come get me.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Sure you can. I’m probably going to be at the hotel most of the time.” He leaned over the counter and flashed a sexy smile at the clerk. “You can change that reservation, right? I’d like to give my friend Felicity here my car.”
The girl’s face brightened. “Of course, we can do that.”
Felicity pulled out her credit card. “Thank you.”
Lucas had stepped away from the counter and pulled out his phone. She watched him and knew she should do or say something.
Thank you didn’t quite cut it. She thought about Layla and Charlie and even her mother and what they would do in this situation. “Don’t call your family. I’ll take you to your hotel.”
“You sure?”
“It doesn’t make sense for someone to drive thirty miles to get here and then have to turn back. It’s the least I can do.” She signed the paperwork, and they walked outside to get the car. Felicity slid her sunglasses on her face as Lucas stowed their bags in the trunk. He climbed in beside her, looking no more comfortable than he had on the plane. “I’m a safe driver.”
He jiggled the handle to adjust the seat and shoved it back to allow more legroom, and then he relaxed. He typed his hotel information into the onboard GPS, and Felicity began driving. Lucas made call after call while they drove. From what she could hear, he’d been roped into taking care of a bunch of wedding details, but nothing seemed to bother him.
When he finally clicked his phone off and tucked it back in his pocket, she knew she should say something.
“Sorry for all the calls. My family was a little panicked that I wasn’t going to make it on time.”
“Okay.” In the silence, she thought about what she’d wanted to get out of this vacation, besides time with her two closest and oldest friends. She wanted to have fun. She’d been counting on Layla and Charlie to help with that. It was bad enough that Charlie refused the trip, but now Layla was late. As they neared Lucas’s hotel, she blurted, “Okay, I’ll go to the wedding with you.”
“You make it sound like it might be torture.”
She laughed. “After you see me in a big crowd, you might think that way too.”
“It’ll be fun.”
Ha! Volunteering to put herself into a group of people she didn’t know didn’t sound fun at all, but being with Lucas did. He made her laugh, which was something she didn’t get from most guys.
Lucas relaxed his shoulders. He had a date for the wedding. This would be perfect. Felicity would be able to keep Becky from clawing at him, and he might actually have a shot of enjoying this week.
Felicity pulled up in front of his hotel. “Give me a call and let me know what time I should be here tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? No, I need you now.”
Her eyes widened, and he realized how his words sounded. “I mean, there’s rehearsal in a couple of hours and then dinner after. My family will expect my date to be there. Plus, you’ll need a crash course on me and my family if we’re going to pull this off.”
Felicity’s brows furrowed, and a cute wrinkle waved along her forehead. “Pull this off? I thought you just needed a date.”
He released a slow breath. “I need a date to keep my ex away. If she knows we just met on the plane, it’ll be like waving a red cape at a bull. She needs to think we’re in a relationship.”
Felicity swallowed hard.
“We don’t need to make them believe we’re getting married or anything, just dating, but that means we need to know about each other.”
“But . . . but I have to check in at my hotel.”
“Call and tell them you’ll be late. You can go there after dinner tonight.” Lucas waited patiently, like he did in the classroom when a student needed time to develop an answer.
Felicity faced forward, staring out the windshield, looking like she was carrying on a conversation in her head. She blew out a breath and shook her head. “Fine. Get the bags from the trunk and I’ll park. I need to change before dinner.”
“Thanks. I could kiss you.”
She turned, and one eyebrow arched up above her sunglasses. “Is that part of our deal?”
He smiled. “Only if you want it to be.”
He waited a beat for her reaction, but she offered none. He climbed from the car, pulled their suitcases out, and waited for her at the curb. They would need a cover story about how they met and how long they’d been dating. The fact that Felicity seemed to be a quiet person would work in her favor; his family loved to talk.
Walking back toward the front door, Felicity looked younger than she was. Her backpack was slung over one shoulder, and she kept her eyes down, shielded from everything. He bent over, grabbed both bags, and followed Felicity into the lobby. He checked in and got her a room key in case he had to go deal with some family crisis before the rehearsal, which was likely to happen. If he let her go to her hotel, she might not come back. She looked more spooked than he’d been on the plane.
In the elevator, she said, “So what do I need to know?”
“It’s my older brother, Andy, getting married to Kelly. Kelly’s best friend is Becky, my ex. Unfortunately, since I’m best man, I have to spend some time with her, but I decided to show up later than everyone else to limit that engagement. I also have a younger sister, Mia. She’s a sophomore at Northwestern.”
“Do I get a cheat sheet for this?”
“You won’t need one. My family is really friendly. The wedding isn’t going to be too big. Most of my extended family isn’t making the trip, so the guests are mostly friends, and they won’t care if you can remember names. They’ll be too busy dancing and drinking.” They stepped off the elevator and he started speed walking down the hall.
“In a hurry?” Her short legs had a hard time keeping up.
“The wedding party has a block of rooms here. If we don’t hurry, someone will come out and see us before we’re ready.” He dropped the bags with a thump at the door and slid the key card in. He held the door open for Felicity and followed.
She walked slowly through t
he room and settled at a chair by the window.
“Your turn,” he said.
“I’m an only child.”
“And?”
“And what? I live with my parents when I’m not at school. My dad owns a cosmetics company, and after graduation, I’ll work for him.” She sat, straight-backed like she was reciting a story.
“Relax. I’m just trying to get to know you. What’s your favorite color? What do you do in your free time? Tell me about your friends.” He sat on the corner of the bed closest to her and leaned his elbows on his knees.
She studied her hands in her lap. “I make my own perfume. But you already know that. I don’t have a favorite color. Maybe blue? I own a lot of blue, so it would make it my favorite, right?”
“Tell me about Layla.”
Felicity looked up with a smile on her face. “You’d love Layla. And Charlie—Charlotte. We’ve been friends since high school. Layla’s a math geek at MIT, and she was just offered a job at the NSA. That was the whole purpose of our trip. To celebrate. Charlie . . . Charlie’s fun. She’s into video games and computers. She never left Chicago, though.” She paused and closed her eyes. “I really wish they were here.”
He felt bad for her. The only time she looked at ease was when she spoke about her friends. He wished they were here for her too. He reached out and touched her hand. “So, science, math, and computers. Did you guys form your own nerd club?”
She opened her eyes and smiled again, but kicked his shin. “We’d make one kick-ass nerd club.”
“Is that how you all met?”
“In a nerd club? No. We actually all had English together as freshmen. We just clicked. Which in case you’re really dense isn’t something that happens easily for me.” Her smile didn’t quite make it to her eyes.
There, he still saw fear, but she hadn’t brushed his hand away. “We clicked.”
“But you’re easy.”
He jerked back exaggeratedly. “Should I be offended?”
She covered her face. “That’s not what I meant. See, this is never going to work. I do things like that all the time. You’d be better off taking your chances with Becky.”
“I was kidding. You’ll be fine.” He thought for a moment. She was a science major, who liked formulas. The idea struck. “What if I give you a plan, a step-by-step plan, to get you through the wedding?”
“What?”
“You like science. I’m guessing you like the answers, knowing things have to work out. The rules of it. I’ll give you the rules.”
She looked thoughtful for a minute, almost like she planned to argue. “So give me rules.”
He stood and paced the room. “Rule one: When someone asks a question, keep your answer simple, but detailed.”
“At the risk of sounding stupid, I need explanation.” She shifted and pulled one leg under her in the chair.
“If someone asks who you are, you don’t just say ‘Felicity.’ You answer, ‘I’m Felicity. I came with Lucas, the groom’s brother.’ This gives the person enough to ask a follow-up question and keeps you from sounding rude.”
She opened her mouth and then snapped it shut without comment.
“That leads us to rule two: If they don’t ask a follow-up question, you should. Ask something simple. Think in terms of ‘And you?’ So if I ask how you’re doing, you answer and then say, ‘And you?’ ”
Felicity stood in front of him. “I’m Felicity. I came with Lucas, the groom’s brother. And you?” She narrowed her eyes. “I sound stupid.”
“I said think in terms of ‘And you,’ not that you should only use those words. You’re at a wedding. You can ask which side of the party they’re there for, bride or groom. You can ask where they’re from, what they do for a living.” He began to feel like maybe he was crazy for attempting this. She would never be able to sell this to Becky.
“Wait. That’s it.” She pushed past him and went to the nightstand. Grabbing a pen and pad of paper, she said, “Give me a list of appropriate questions. I can memorize anything in record time.”
Lucas crossed his arms, not sure how a list would help.
“I may be socially inept, but I can figure out not to ask someone what they do for a living when they’ve asked where I go to school. It’ll be like my own multiple choice test in my head.”
She stepped closer, and the scent of her perfume grabbed him again.
“I can do this,” she whispered.
He wondered if she was trying to convince him or herself.
Chapter 3
Armed with a list of appropriate questions for small talk with family and the bridal party, as well as mental images of Lucas’s immediate family, Felicity rode the elevator down to meet up with Lucas at the rehearsal. She tried to convince him that she didn’t need to be there for the rehearsal and showing up for dinner would be enough to convince everyone that she existed, but once his mother heard that he’d brought a date, she insisted that Felicity join them for the actual rehearsal on the beach.
She walked through the lobby and out the back entrance of the hotel, which led to the beach. Nerves fluttered in her stomach, but she swallowed hard and ignored them. After a few steps into the sand, she stopped and removed her sandals. Whoever thought dress shoes and the beach mixed was sorely mistaken. A crowd gathered near the water, but not so close that they’d get wet.
At the edge of the circle of people, she waited patiently, having no idea what she was supposed to do. Lucas looked over his shoulder. His gaze met hers and he smiled. Something warm tumbled in her chest, and she looked behind her to see who that smile was meant for because surely it wasn’t her. But she was alone. He winked and her nerves fled.
Even while he watched her, he carried on a conversation with the bride and his mother. Whatever it was, they were serious, and as Lucas spoke, Felicity could almost see the tension dissipate. People lined up and walked, and shuffled around as directed by the reverend.
Felicity always thought of wedding ceremonies as quiet affairs, but not with Lucas’s family. Their voices carried over the waves and children playing nearby. It was like yelling was their normal mode of communication. She followed Lucas’s every move, his presence keeping her calm, even though he only spared a glance in her direction every now and then, like he needed to make sure she was still there.
As the group started the second trial run, a girl moved to stand beside Felicity. Felicity scanned her memory. This had to be Mia, the younger sister.
“Hi, you must be Felicity, Lucas’s date.”
“I am. And you’re Mia, right?”
The girl nodded, her dark hair blowing in the breeze. She had the same blue, friendly eyes Lucas had, and her smile was every bit as engaging.
“Lucas told me you go to Northwestern, but he didn’t say what you’re studying.” So it was more of an observation than a question, but it worked. Yay, Felicity!
“English. I want to teach or maybe write. I haven’t decided yet.” She tilted her head and studied Felicity’s face. “Harvard, huh? What are you doing slumming with my brother?”
“Slumming?”
“It’s a joke. Kind of. He’s not exactly Ivy League material.”
He was better than most Ivy League guys that Felicity had hung out with. Felicity didn’t have a follow-up question for that. She didn’t know what to say, so she shrugged. Mia plopped down in the sand, so Felicity figured the conversation was over.
No one else seemed to take notice of her, so she stepped away from the crowd to call Layla. As the phone rang, she dug her toes into the sand, hot on top, cool beneath. It was the opposite of how she usually felt.
“Hey, Felicity, hang on a minute.”
Although Layla covered the mouthpiece, Felicity could hear her having a conversation with a guy. Probably the one she’d sent a picture of.
“Hi. Thanks for getting back to me so quickly.”
Layla’s voice held an unusual quality. “Hey, Layla, are you okay? What happened?”
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br /> “My car broke down. The transmission needs to be rebuilt. It’s going to take a few days. Then as I was trying to drown my sorrows in a beer, someone stole my wallet. I have twenty bucks to my name.” She paused. “Make that forty bucks.”
For someone whose life just crashed, Layla didn’t sound too upset. “Tell me what you need.”
“I have a new credit card being sent. It’ll be here Tuesday. In the meantime, I made a friend. His name is Phin. I sent you his picture. Did you get it?”
“Hell, yeah, I did. He’s hot. Are you with him now?” Felicity tried not to be jealous. Layla hadn’t even been trying to find a guy and she did. Made a friend, just like that.
“Yeah, he’s here.”
“Do you want me to book a hotel for you?”
“Uh, no, I’m gonna stay here. Phin has a spot for me.”
There was more shifting on the line, and Layla sounded out of breath. “Are you sure you’re okay? You sound funny.”
“Yep. Great. Reeeeally great. I’ll call you later, okay. Have fun.”
Felicity finally put the pieces together. “Oh, you’re getting busy right now, aren’t you?”
Layla giggled. Yeah, she’d made some friend all right.
“Jeez, that’s just wrong. Call me later.” Felicity disconnected and rolled her eyes. When she turned around, she crashed into Lucas.
“Hey, everything okay?”
Felicity shook her head. “My friend’s car broke down, and it’s the transmission. She’s stuck in Georgia for at least a few days.”
The reality of that hit her. She was going to spend half her vacation alone. “But she made a friend. So while she’s off having fun with some guy, I’m stuck here alone at a wedding full of people I’ve never met.”
Lucas put his arm around her like it was the most natural thing. “You’re not alone, babe. You’re with me.”
So, she had something to do with a bunch of strangers for today and tomorrow. What then? She supposed she could sit on the beach and read. Her e-reader was packed with juicy books, things that would take her brain far from formulas and equations. Lucas led her back to the group and introduced her to everyone he’d told her about earlier and then some.
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