Paige nudged his bare calf with her toe. “Speaking of honeymoons, I don’t suppose you want to give me any more details other than the destination?”
He tapped his chin in thought before shaking his head. “I don’t think so. It will be better as a surprise.”
“I hate surprises.”
She really did and he knew it.
“This isn’t a surprise appendectomy, darling. It’s a honeymoon to Paris. Happiness and fun are pretty much guaranteed. Even if I told you where we were staying how would that help you? You’ve never seen it before.”
That was true. “I could look it up on the Internet.”
“And the restaurants?”
“Ditto.”
He leaned closer, a mischievous smile on his lips. “I’ll give you a little preview. They’ll be speaking French.”
Carrie hid her face behind her planner but Paige knew she was laughing.
“It’s like you’ve never met me before.”
Carrie peeked over the book. “It’s like he doesn’t even want to have sex on that honeymoon.”
Nate stood and dropped a kiss on top of Paige’s head. “Now that the two of you are ganging up on me, I’ll head upstairs to take a shower. What time do we have to be at the restaurant?”
They’d rented out the backroom of a fancy restaurant on the water for tonight’s shindig. Just dinner and some fun for all the guests so they could get to know one another.
“Six.” Paige checked her phone. “Are you heading to the hotel to see your mother and sister after your shower?”
They’d arrived yesterday and had been quite enthusiastic about the weather and the beach. They’d talked about staying a few extra days and going to Disney.
“I am,” Nate confirmed. “Unless there’s something you need me to do here.”
Paige shook her head but Carrie – who was the epitome of organized – checked her list.
“Who is picking up Max at the airport? He arrives at noon. I’d do it but Paige, her mother, and I have spa appointments at eleven. We’ll be there all afternoon.”
Dammit, she needed to go get dressed. Leaving the house required more than pajama pants and a tank top.
“I’ve got that covered,” Nate said, checking his texts. “He didn’t want to be a bother when he knows we’re busy the day before the wedding so he’s ordered a car to take him to the hotel. By the way, I’m taking Jason with me. I think he’ll be more comfortable with the men than hanging around here with the ladies.”
Nate and Jason had bonded and were now best pals. Nate had even given her son advice about dating, which had scared Paige a little bit but it seemed to be working out. Jason was planning to fly back to Princeton for summer semester on Sunday but she and Nate were already discussing getting a new house in London to accommodate their growing family. She wanted Jason to feel welcome wherever in the world she and Nate might live.
“He’s talking about becoming an actor instead of a doctor,” Paige huffed at the man she loved. “I don’t suppose you know anything about that?”
“It’s just a phase,” Nate declared with a smirk. “You know you did forget one thing on your list. The dress.”
Nate had been snooping around the house all week trying to see her dress before the big day. Little did he know it was at Carrie’s, away from his prying eyes. Lace and organza, it was simple but not plain.
“I didn’t forget. It’s bad luck to see the bride’s wedding dress before the wedding.”
Scowling, he shook his head. “Actually, I think it’s bad luck to see you in it before the wedding.”
She gave him a breezy smile. “Just in case, I’m covering all the bases.”
“Speaking of covering all the bases, can I file my objection one more time about tonight?”
Paige took a fortifying drink of her iced tea. Nate was like a dog with a bone on this subject.
“You may file your objection,” she replied calmly. “But you won’t win. Even your mother and sister agree with me.”
He wasn’t a happy camper. “We’re going to spend the rest of our lives together so explain to me one more time why we have to spend tonight apart?”
They’d mutually decided not to have sex this week, thinking it would make the anticipation of the wedding night more special, but Nate thought this was taking things too far. He’d been complaining all week about how he couldn’t sleep without her next to him and although she didn’t sleep great without him either, it was a tradition. One last night in a bed alone.
“It’s our last night of being single. You and Max can stay up all night and talk if you want. You can read, drink, or watch television. Whatever. It’s your last night of freedom.”
Nate had already promised her no strippers or a bachelor party and she’d promised the same.
“But I don’t want my freedom anymore. That’s why I’m getting married, and I can do all those things with you.”
He was making too much sense but this last night was, for some reason, important to her. One night wasn’t too much to ask.
She pressed her fingers to her temple and sighed. “Nate, it’s just a silly tradition, okay? Can you just go with it?”
He rubbed the back of his neck and nodded, although his expression was glum. “Yes, I can. I’ll just miss you, that’s all. I guess I better get in the shower.”
He jogged into the house and Paige admired the rear view as he went. She was actually marrying this wonderful man. She hoped she would never take him for granted a single day in their life.
Carrie closed her planner with a decisive snap, pulling Paige from her daydreams. The assistant had a huge grin on her face. “Stop mooning over him and get dressed. We have a spa day with your mother.”
“This is really happening, right? I’m really getting married. To Nate.”
Carrie hopped up from her chair. “You are, you lucky dog, even though I think he’s luckier. You’re going to be happy. Not all the time because that’s unrealistic. But you two are going to make it. I can tell.”
Paige smiled at her best friend and maid of honor. “I think you’re right.”
“Haven’t we come a long way since the day you met Nate?” Carrie teased.
She had, and she was ready to be happy.
CHAPTER FORTY
Max wanted to bang his phone repeatedly onto the bar until it was smashed into a million tiny pieces. Then maybe his soon to be ex-wife wouldn’t be able to get a hold of him. She’d randomly called him this evening to let him know she had a truck backed up to the house they’d shared in London and was loading it full of their belongings.
The house she’d abandoned months ago, along with him.
Instead of losing his temper, he’d coolly responded that he was glad to see all the rubbish go that would have reminded him of her. Now he could start fresh and she could have the castoffs from their marriage and think of him every day.
However, when he’d hung up it was all he could do not to sling his mobile into the nearest brick wall. He didn’t give a shit about the furnishings. It was only things and he could buy more. It was the feeling that he would never be free of Alana. If it wasn’t her calling him to brag about something shitty she was doing to him, it was the press taking sides in their divorce. He supposed he should be happy that most were on “Team Max” but it was small comfort that so many people felt sorry for him. Like he was a stray dog without a home or a family. A mutt nobody wanted.
He’d thought about going out to the London clubs and picking up some lovely young thing but that wasn’t what he wanted. He’d long grown tired of the single life. He wanted to settle down, have a family. Sleeping with a woman he barely knew wasn’t high on his list of things he wanted to do.
He shouldn’t have even come to Nate and Paige’s party tonight but he was the best man. Max had to make sure that Nate and Paige actually tied the knot. Knowing one or both of them, there was a very real possibility that someone might get a case of cold feet. If they needed a pus
h down the aisle Max would be there to do it.
Stepping outside the back door of the restaurant for a cigarette he shouldn’t be smoking but desperately needed, the warm breeze tousled his hair and he pushed it out of his eyes. It was longer than he liked it but he needed it for his next role.
He lit his cigarette and looked out at the water, realizing he wasn’t alone. Soft crying was coming from the end of the small dock that overlooked the water. At first, he thought to turn around and leave whomever it was in peace but then he recognized the sapphire-colored dress as belonging to Paige’s assistant Carrie. A sweet and efficient young woman with expressive light brown eyes that contrasted with her fiery red hair. Paige swore up and down Carrie was a miracle in human form and kept her organized and on time.
“Are you okay?” Max approached the woman carefully, not wanting to pry but not feeling comfortable just leaving her here by herself. “Do you want me to get Paige for you?”
Carrie’s head jerked up and she shook her head. “No, please don’t. I don’t want her to know that I’m out here crying. I don’t want to ruin her wedding.”
“I’m sure she wouldn’t think you were ruining her wedding. Are you sad that Paige is moving to London?”
Max was aware that their future domicile had been a bone of contention between the happy couple and he was glad they’d come to some sort of compromise.
“I’m happy for her,” Carrie said quietly. “This doesn’t have anything to do with her.”
He knew enough about women to guess. “Is it some bloke? Your fiancé? I’ll go inside and tell him he doesn’t deserve you.”
He’d thought he might get a chuckle but instead she burst into a fresh spate of tears, her shoulders shaking with sobs. Startled and worried, he placed his arm around her shoulders and tried to say something soothing.
“It’s okay. It’s going to be alright. Do you want to tell me about it?”
Sniffling, she dabbed at her cheeks with a tissue but there were already tracks of mascara under her eyes. “I don’t have a fiancé. Not anymore.”
He glanced at her left hand which was still wearing a ring. “You two probably just had a little row. It will be okay in the morning.”
She snorted rather indelicately. “It won’t. He’s left me for his ex-wife. They’re getting back together. I’ve suspected something was going on with him for quite awhile. He told me last week but tonight he called me.” She held up her phone. “He wants his ring back so he can exchange it for another one. You know, for her.”
Clearly this fiancé was an idiot. Plus, the infidelity was a personal pet peeve with Max. If a person wanted to be with another person, they needed to man up and just say so instead of sneaking around.
“What a horse’s arse,” Max growled. “That’s a man that doesn’t deserve to have a good woman. You’re well rid of him.”
“I know that. I really do. But now everyone–”
She broke off and turned back toward the water.
“Let me guess, you think everyone feels sorry for you,” Max said. “I know exactly how you feel.”
Looking over her shoulder, she frowned. “You think people feel sorry for you?”
He shoved his hands in the pockets of his trousers. “Are you Team Max or Team Alana? Jesus, I hate that shit. I’ve seen the way people look at me, like I’m a big fucking loser because I couldn’t keep my wife happy.”
He’d made her smile although he wasn’t sure what she found so entertaining. “Max, I’m not sure that people feel sorry for you. I think they feel sorry for her.” She held up her hand when he started to protest. “In that, they think she’s been an idiot for leaving you and going to him. That relationship has trouble written all over it, let me tell you. Personally, I think you’ve escaped and should be celebrating. Whatever the divorce is costing you, it’s worth it.”
He straightened at her words. It was Alana’s loss. He’d treated her like a queen and she’d never appreciated it. “It’s not so bad. We had a prenuptial but as we speak she’s loading up all our belongings from our home and taking them away in a truck.”
“You could send your lawyers after her.”
“I could…but frankly I just want to be done with it. I never wanted this war in the press. That was all her. She wanted to humiliate me.”
Carrie looked at him curiously. “That seems harsh. What happened?”
Lifting his chin, he shook his head. “Everything seemed good until after the wedding. Then we started arguing like cats and dogs over the littlest things. She did say I drove her to cheat.”
“Ouch,” Carrie replied, her brows pulling down. “That’s a shitty thing to say. You know, I never liked her acting and this publicity can’t be good for her career.”
It was through his contacts that Alana had landed her last two movie parts. “You might be right, although she’s of the opinion that all press is good for her career.”
“Then she should be winning an Oscar this year,” Carrie said sarcastically. “She’s all over TMZ with that skeevy guy. If that was her type, what was she doing with you?”
Max highly suspected marrying him had been a savvy career move. “Availing herself of my moviemaking contacts. Good luck to her.”
Carrie stepped toward him. “I’m sorry you’re going through this. It makes my problem seem kind of small.”
Rubbing his chin, Max shook his head. “Hardly. Your problem is important to you. Besides, this isn’t a competition. Who’s the most miserable tonight? That’s not a contest you want to win.”
She laughed and blew her nose with a fresh tissue from her purse. “True. So we both are trying to hide something from Nate and Paige. Neither one of us want them to know how unhappy we are. Well, your secret is safe with me.”
Max inclined his head. “And yours with me. We make quite the pair, don’t we?”
As soon as the words came out of his mouth, a lightbulb went off in his head.
An idea.
Maybe a terrible idea.
But it would benefit them both greatly.
Did he dare?
Would she even agree?
He was tired of being the object of pity, and she didn’t want that either.
He could help her. She could help him.
He liked the idea more with every passing moment.
“Carrie, I’d like to talk to you about something. You’re familiar with the word showmance, right?”
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
Paige couldn’t sleep. It wasn’t all that surprising. Tomorrow was her wedding day, after all. They would set off for Paris the day after then make their home in London, although now that the West End play was done they’d be jetting off to Los Angeles so Nate could work on a new movie. Carrie would be staying at their London home while they were gone. She would be searching for her own flat nearby so they could continue working together.
Throwing back the covers, she slid her slippers on before heading downstairs. Maybe some hot chocolate would help her sleep. Warm milk and all that. Jason was a heavy sleeper so he was probably snoring in his room with his earbuds still in. Carrie, who had been acting strangely since the party tonight, had gone home to sleep despite her protests. She’d volunteered to stay in the guest room but Paige had been adamant. She’d be fine. One last night as a single woman.
Opening the refrigerator, Paige grimaced at the crammed shelves. Since people were in and out of the house all weekend, she and Carrie had cooked and baked up a storm in case anyone got hungry. It meant that everything had been re-arranged and the milk was now in the old fridge that was located in the laundry room.
Flipping on the light in the utility room, she was blinded for a moment and had to squint until her eyes adjusted to the brightness. Her gaze landed on the doorframe and it felt like a fist squeezed her heart until she had to gasp for breath. Reaching out, her fingers lightly traced the pencil markings on the wood.
Jason – 8 years old.
Jason – 9 years old.
Jason – 10 years old.
A sob caught in her throat as she remembered each birthday as if it were only yesterday. Every birthday morning after moving into this house, she’d hustled Jason right to this spot and measured his height. With the pencil she’d marked how much he’d grown and labeled it. Why had she stopped doing it? Was it when he’d towered over her?
Allowing her fingers to caress the marks one more time, she smiled. She had a whole new future ahead of her and it was fantastic. What she’d had here would never be forgotten but nothing she did would bring it back. The only constant in life was change—or something like that. She had so much to look forward to. They weren’t planning to sell this house. If she wanted a walk down memory lane she could come here anytime. Nate had promised they would visit as often as possible.
Snapping off the light, she closed the door to the laundry room and stood in the center of her kitchen. Hot chocolate didn’t sound as appealing as it had. She knew now why she hadn’t been sleeping and it wasn’t bridal nerves. It was excitement. She didn’t want to miss a minute of her future.
Was Nate sleeping? He’d swore he wouldn’t if she wasn’t beside him but then he was a trifle dramatic on occasion. Maybe he and Max were drinking and laughing, talking about fun times. The past. What was it about milestones that made one ponder their life and choices?
Nate had been right. Sleeping apart was stupid. There was only one thing she wanted. Him.
Decision made, she turned and headed back, past the washer and dryer and into the small mud room where she shoved her feet inside her tennis shoes and wrapped a light jacket over her pajamas. Her purse and keys were also hung up on a hook so it only took mere moments before she was in the driver’s seat of her car and backing out of the driveway.
She pressed the accelerator and the car exited the garage but didn’t get far. Bright headlights appeared in her rearview mirror and she slammed on her brakes just in time.
A Kiss For The Cameras Page 26
