As Timeless as the Sea

by Serenity Woods

  A tear ran down Sandi’s cheek. They were beautiful words, full of sincerity, and Sam said them looking into Ginger’s eyes, his own filled with love.

  Sandi had once thought she would do this with Brodie. Now, she couldn’t imagine ever saying them to a man.

  How wonderful it would be to have a guy look at her the way Sam was looking at Ginger. But it was never going to happen. Because for that to happen, she would have to look at him the same way. And right there, right then, Sandi knew she was done. Fred had called her a coward, but she was wrong. It wasn’t cowardice. It was self-preservation. If you jumped out of an airplane and broke your leg, was it cowardice never to want to jump again, or was it commonsense? If you’d been injured, there would always be a weakness in the bone, and if you jumped again, you’d be even more likely to injure yourself.

  And of course, if you’d broken your leg, you were bound to be fearful of leaping out of another plane. Cowardice was being too afraid to do something of which you had no experience. Being wary of something that had hurt you was being sensible—it was an inbuilt guard that made humans refrain from putting their hands into fire.

  Over the past two years, she’d been in a limbo world, gradually healing, but suspended in emotional turmoil as she tried to move on to the point where she could bring herself to love again.

  Now, coming to the decision that it wasn’t going to happen, and she didn’t have to open her heart again, a strange peace settled over her, a peace she hadn’t been able to find for a long time.

  She watched Sam place a ring on Ginger’s finger, and felt a contentment she hadn’t thought she’d feel, having assumed she’d be overcome with jealousy at the notion that she was the only one as yet unattached. Her sisters were happily married, and it was great to know they were going to be cared for. She would be around when they had their children, and she’d be able to play auntie and have all the fun of cuddling the babies and being there when they grew up, without having any of the responsibility.

  And she’d be able to live out her life here, in Blue Penguin Bay, as selfishly as she wanted. She could continue to make the B&B into a beautiful place to stay, and possibly, if the others didn’t object, she’d think about adding a spiritual touch to the place—possibly running the occasional retreat. She could hire yoga teachers or meditation gurus to come and run classes, and get Ginger to offer a few days of healthy and vegetarian food options. It was the perfect place to come to escape, with the view of the sea and the occasional cry of seagulls. Maybe the lure of a good Merlot or Chardonnay wasn’t the best aid to a spiritual awakening, but after saying that, Sandi didn’t personally see how one glass of wine with your evening meal was a sin—wasn’t red wine supposed to be good for the heart?

  She’d be able to concentrate on her work, on her hobbies, on the friends she was starting to make in the town, and on just being, without worrying about all the hassles that came with having a partner.

  She’d miss never having sex again. But she’d buy herself a new vibrator, and that would do the job just as well. She didn’t need a man. Men were unreliable and untrustworthy. She’d never have to worry about them again.

  Closing her eyes, she let the afternoon breeze brush across her skin. Fred wouldn’t like it, and neither would Ginger, but she’d deal with her sisters. They’d be too caught up in having their own families and running their businesses, and they’d eventually lose interest once they found out she wasn’t going to change her mind.

  She was finally free...

  A shadow fell across her face, and she opened her eyes to see Jace Hart standing before her, his huge frame blocking out the sun.

  “You dozing off?” He flicked back the tails of his morning coat and slid his hands into the pockets of his trousers.

  Sandi looked around with alarm—the service was over, and Sam and Ginger were busy signing the official papers. Wow, she’d really zoned out.

  She gave Jace a wry look. “No, not quite. I was lost in thought.”

  “You looked it. Busy planning your own big day?”

  “Ha!” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Fred looking at her, but ignored her teasing grin. “I’m never getting married,” she said firmly. Ignoring the huge paw that he extracted from his pocket and held out to help her up, she got to her feet and straightened her dress.

  “You’re a fan of living in sin,” Jace commented. “I approve heartily.”

  Sandi tipped her head to the side, giving him an exasperated look. God, the guy knew how to wear a suit. She’d wondered whether he’d look like a gorilla in a tux, because sometimes big men were uncomfortable dressed up, but he just looked like an extra-large James Bond. He was big all over, from his shoulders to his hands to his... feet.

  She wasn’t going to think about the size of other pieces of his anatomy.

  Unperturbed by her remonstrative glare, he grinned, and his gaze slid down her figure in the flimsy bridesmaid dress in a most un-politically-correct display of male approval.

  “You look good in that dress,” he said.

  “Haven’t you listened to the news lately?” She poked him with her posy of flowers. “It’s not the done thing to praise a woman for her looks anymore.”

  “And the world is such a better place for it,” he said in a tone that suggested he didn’t think anything of the sort. “How about if I tell you that you have a beautiful brain? Would that do?”

  “I don’t think brains are particularly beautiful, but you’re on the right lines.”

  “You have a very sexy hypothalamus,” he said. “Promise me a dance later on?”

  Fred, who’d been half-listening to their exchange, laughed. “Smooth talker,” she said to Jace. “Yes, she will dance with you later, but first we have to have our photos taken. Come on.”

  Sandi opened her mouth to protest, but Fred was already spiriting her away to where the photographer was directing Sam and Ginger beneath the archway. For the next thirty minutes or so they posed and hugged Ginger and posed again, first with her and Sam and Jace, and then with all the other guests, until finally the photographer was satisfied.

  Sandi managed to avoid talking to Jace, but her heart picked up its pace every time she remembered his request for a dance. She didn’t want to be rude, but the man was surprisingly persistent. How could she persuade him that no meant no, not maybe?

  “I’m married!” Ginger made the announcement to her sisters when the guests started to head over to the restaurant. She held up her hand, admiring her wedding ring. “He can’t escape me now. Mwahaha.”

  “Foiled again.” Proving he had no intention of trying to get away, Sam slid an arm around her waist, pulled her against him, and caught her lips in a long smooch.

  “Not in public,” she complained, flustered and with pink cheeks, when he finally released her.

  “As you said, we’re legal,” Sam pointed out. “I can kiss you anytime I want and you can’t stop me.” He nuzzled her neck. “I’m going to chain you to the kitchen sink.”

  “Only if they’re real handcuffs,” she murmured, turning her head to meet his lips.

  “Good grief.” Fred rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.

  “I’ve so gotta get me one of those,” Jace said, gesturing at Ginger.

  “I don’t think it’s your style,” Mac told him. “Oh, sorry, I assumed you meant the dress.”

  “The empire line does suit me, but I was referring to obtaining a wife.” Jace gestured to the bridesmaid at his side. “Sandi’s informed me that she’s okay with living in sin, though, so that’s something.”

  “I did nothing of the sort,” she told the others as they all smirked. “Stop teasing me,” she scolded him.

  “Aw,” he said. “But it’s such fun.”

  Blowing out a breath, she left the group and walked across the lawn toward the restaurant.

  For once, Ginger had left it in the hands of her capable sous chef, Phil. They were laying on a light and summery three course meal, and then la
ter on a finger buffet as a few more guests joined them for the evening. There was no hall at the vineyard, so they’d just opened the inner doors to the restaurant’s spare room, and also the sliding doors to the outer courtyard. White-clothed tables spilled out onto the tiles, shaded by the vines that had been trained to grow on the overhead trellis work, providing a natural indoor-outdoor flow.

  Currently, they were serving drinks while Sam and Ginger had more formal photographs taken on the lawn. Sandi took a glass of wine and went to check the round table in the center of the restaurant, which was where she would be sitting with Sam and Ginger and the others. She checked her place setting—between Sam and Mac, that was good. Jace would be opposite, between Ginger and Fred, so although he wasn’t a million miles away, there would be no intimate conversations going on.

  “Sandi!” It was her friend Ally, who came up and gave her a hug. Ally had worked in Sam’s bakery in town before a cyclone had destroyed it earlier in the year. Now, she worked in the recently finished patisserie he’d had built next to Ginger’s restaurant. She was working as a waitress today, and wore smart black trousers and a white shirt. “Oh my God, you look amazing.” Ally took a step back and admired Sandi’s dress. “You look like a Greek goddess. You’re going to have every single guy here drooling all over you by the end of the evening.”

  “That sounds gross. I hope there won’t be drooling of any kind anywhere near me.” She grinned nevertheless. “Everything going okay?”

  “Yep. Everything’s fine. Hey, come and look at the cake—we’ve just brought it out. It looks fantastic.”

  Sandi knew that Sam had been working on the wedding cake for a while, but he hadn’t let anyone see it until now. She followed Ally over to the long table against one wall. Ginger and Phil had come up with the idea of an iced tea bar—there were jars of different iced teas in beautiful jewel-like colors, along with mason jars, color-coordinated straws and napkins, and bowls of lemons and oranges picked that morning and cut into slices. There were even gourmet ice cubes, containing berries, herbs, and flowers. Next to these sat the cake—a fantastic construction consisting of three tiers of round sponges in decreasing sizes, with smooth white icing, trimmed with ribbon, and covered in edible flowers that must have taken him days to create.

  “Oh, it’s wonderful.” Sandi knew Ginger would love it. “God, he’s so talented, isn’t he?”

  “You should see the croquembouche he’s made for dessert,” Ally said. “You’ll fall off your seat.”

  “Croquet-what?”

  “It’s French—it’s choux pastry balls piled into a cone with threads of caramel all around them. If we make it out of here today without putting on at least six pounds, I’ll be amazed.”

  “I can’t believe he made his own wedding dessert,” Sandi said. “At least we managed to get Ginger out of the kitchen for the day.”

  “Yeah, but she had to clear every course Phil came up with,” Ally pointed out. “She and Sam are certainly made for each other, don’t you think?” She picked up a bottle of Merlot and a bottle of Pinot Gris. “Anyway, I’d better get serving.” She gestured behind Sandi. “The best man is a bit of a hunk, isn’t he?”

  Sandi turned to see Jace, who was talking to Sam, but staring at her. She pursed her lips. “That, Ally, my friend, is a man who is going to leave Blue Penguin Bay this evening very disappointed, unless he doesn’t get the hint very soon.”

  “Aw,” Ally said. “He looks yummy. Can I have him?”

  “By all means,” Sandi replied, squashing the strange flicker she felt inside at the notion of Ally asking Jace for a date. She turned away, determined to put him out of her mind.

  She spent a while talking to a couple who ran another B&B in Paihia, taking them on a tour of her own rooms, then got distracted with a couple of friends, and went for a walk with them down to the vines to show them the different kinds of grapes they grew at the vineyard. By the time they returned to the restaurant, everyone was taking their seats for the wedding breakfast, and there was only one seat left at her table, between Sam and Jace. Mac was now sitting on the other side. Someone had switched nameplates.

  She put her hands on her hips. “How did you wangle that?” she asked Jace.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He took a big mouthful of wine and met her gaze innocently. She gave him another exasperated glare. He just raised his eyebrows, then grinned and winked.

  Oh dear. Now she had to spend the next hour or two making polite conversation with a guy who was determined to get into her knickers that evening. She should have bought herself a chastity belt.

  Chapter Three

  JACE WATCHED SANDI roll her eyes and then take her seat. He blew out a silent sigh of relief. He’d half expected her to admonish him in front of everyone and swap their nameplates back, but she appeared to have decided it wasn’t worth making a fuss.

  For some reason he hadn’t figured out yet, she seemed determined to avoid his advances. He’d asked her out twice, and both times she’d declined. Normally, he’d have backed away at that point. He had some pride; plus, although many guys professed to enjoy the chase, it wasn’t his idea of fun to have to talk a woman into bed. He much preferred them willing. Usually, he would have done his best to put her out of his mind.

  The reason he’d chosen to persist was that although her mouth said no, her eyes replied with a completely different answer.

  She looked gorgeous today. The wine-colored dress appeared to be made from the kind of material he imagined nymphs wore, clinging to her curves in a way that sent his mind wandering down all sorts of sexy paths. She had pale skin with a scattering of freckles across her nose and blonde hair the color of sunshine. She was very English, not at all like the tanned, outdoorsy Kiwi girls he was used to. He loved her accent, and the way she normally dressed, in boho-style skirts or long, flowing tunics over leggings or jeans. He hadn’t had much chance to talk to her yet, but he bet she was into alternative stuff—yoga and meditation, that kind of thing. She fascinated him, and he was determined not to back down, not until she gave him a very good reason as to why she was refusing him.

  He could think of worse things to do than sit next to a pretty girl on a warm Saturday afternoon, eating good food and drinking wine with friends. Since moving to the area, he’d gotten to know Sam through the rugby club, and Mac through Sam. They’d all become good friends, and he’d been touched when Sam had asked him to be best man at his wedding.

  The guys’ wives were pleasant, too. When Mac had first asked him to represent him regarding his father’s illegal rewriting of Harry Cartwright’s will, Jace had never imagined that Mac would have fallen for Harry’s eldest daughter. It had seemed like a recipe for disaster when Mac had suggested marrying Fred to gain access to her inheritance. Jace had advised them legally but had refrained from sharing his personal opinion, thinking that tying yourself to a woman you hardly knew for two whole years seemed like a ridiculous idea just because you felt guilty that your father had tried to steal her land. It wasn’t Mac’s fault, after all, and privately he’d thought Mac sentimental and maybe even weak for making such an offer.

  But then Mac had brought Fred into his office to sign the pre-nup agreement, and Jace had seen the way Mac looked at her when he thought she wasn’t looking. Even though Mac hadn’t realized it at the time, he’d fallen in love with the girl at first sight. He’d wanted to put things right to please her. And even though Jace thought he was being over-generous, he’d understood. It had obviously paid off for them, because their arrangement had turned into a true marriage, and the two of them looked sickeningly happy.

  Ginger and Sam’s relationship had been a bit more traditional. Brought together through a love of food and cooking, they’d eventually given in to their feelings for one another, and now they’d married they were going to invest Ginger’s portion of her inheritance in the restaurant and patisserie they’d had built beside it. They were also building a house next to Mac and Fred
’s, which would be finished fairly soon. Everything seemed to have worked out well for them.

  Which made Sandi’s predicament even more of a puzzle. She must be in her late twenties, he thought. Not exactly old, but not that young either. Why hadn’t she settled down with anyone yet?

  All of them were beautiful, and yet they also had quirky little differences. Fred was quiet, gentle, and determined. Ginger was feisty and fun. Sandi was quiet like Fred, but Jace sensed some of Ginger’s spark in her, too. He hadn’t yet seen it in full blaze, but he suspected she had a temper, because he’d seen it flash in her eyes once or twice, and had watched her chin lift defiantly as she’d reacted to his teasing. She was a firecracker deep down—he just knew it, and he was convinced her fiery spirit would extend to the bedroom.

  He could be wrong. It needed further investigation.

  “Are you going to give a speech?” Sandi asked as the waiters brought around the first course of appetizers.

  Jace studied the printed menu and discovered that these were Caprese Salad skewers consisting of tomato slices, mozzarella cheese, and basil, skewered on a twig of rosemary; watermelon cubes with aged balsamic vinegar; seafood platters with shrimp, calamari, and mussels prepared in various ways; and a host of other tiny nibbles. He popped a whole green-lipped mussel into his mouth and chewed before answering. “Yep. My public speaking skills are legendary.”

  “As is your modesty.”

  “I don’t see any point in hiding one’s light under a bushel.”

  She slid a toothpick into a square of watermelon and considered it thoughtfully. “That’s an interesting phrase, isn’t it? I wonder where it comes from?”

  “It’s from one of the parables of Jesus. It’s in Tyndale’s translation of the New Testament. Don’t put a candle under a bushel but put it on a candlestick so everyone can see it. Or something like that. Jesus is telling his followers not to hide their faith.”

  Sandi stared at him. “Wow. I didn’t expect that.”