by Rachel Magee
“Me? Be your date? And here everyone was worried I was the one who hit my head.” Paige rolled her eyes and reached down to massage her ankle.
But this could work. The more he thought about it, the more brilliant this plan was. For both of them. He leaned forward and launched into his best persuasive mode. “I need a date, but I don’t want the hassle of anything romantic. And you need to get Brody back. So, be my date and help me put together this investors’ lunch, and I’ll pretend we’re together in front of Brody to make him jealous. At the end of the weekend, my investors will be ready to write me an insane check and you’ll have your boyfriend back. Win-win.”
Paige’s eyes narrowed. “We’re going to one of my best friend’s wedding. Your sister will be there. Everyone knows we aren’t together.”
Aiden waved her concerns off. “We’ll get Ciera to play along and everyone else won’t take much convincing. Jacob will be happy I’m committed, and Brody already thinks something’s up with us.” Maybe this was the piece that was making him feel hesitant about the whole deal. “It’s the perfect plan. Operation Wedding Weekend.”
Paige nibbled on her lower lip. “You really think making him jealous will work?”
“Nothing reminds you of what you used to have like seeing someone else have it.”
“Operation Wedding Weekend,” Paige repeated, seeming to consider the idea. “Do we have to use pet names for each other?”
Aiden relaxed in his chair. “Only if you want to sell it, Sugar Lips.”
Paige shot him a look. “Try again.”
“Cupcake?”
Her warning look intensified, creating a cute line between her eyebrows. This was going to be fun. If he had to pick a fake girlfriend, Paige was the perfect co-conspirator.
Aiden’s confidence surged. “Thing is, Smoochems, you don’t get to choose your pet name. It sort of chooses you.”
Paige chuckled. “That’s how we’re going to play it? Just be ready for the name that chooses you.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
Chapter Five
It was still dark when Ciera and Aiden picked Paige up outside of her townhouse. There was a ten-hour drive ahead of them to the picturesque beach town of Seacrest, and they needed to get there before the barbecue dinner that would launch the wedding weekend.
Paige hobbled out and tossed her luggage into the trunk of Aiden’s SUV before she climbed into the backseat.
“How’s the ankle feeling?” Ciera asked.
Paige fastened her seatbelt, then twisted to the side so she could stretch her leg out across the rest of the empty backseat. Even in the predawn darkness, the massive black walking boot demanded attention. “Who knew a sprain could cause so much trouble? But the swelling is finally better, and the doctor said as long as I wear the boot most of the weekend, I can downgrade to a small brace for the wedding.” She wiggled in the seat to find the most comfortable position while keeping her ankle propped to relieve the pressure from the swelling. “But no high heels for a while. Or maybe ever.”
Aiden laughed. Ciera punched his arm. “Be nice to Paige. She’s had a rough week.”
“It has been a hard week, but we’re on our way to the beach, and the ocean has magical healing powers.” It was the combination of the salt air and the sound of the waves rolling into the shore. The beach had always been her happy place.
Ciera pulled her phone from the center console and tapped on the screen. “Right? Georgia texted me a picture last night from the condos where we’ll be staying. It looks amazing.”
She handed the phone to Paige. Snow-white sand fading into sparkling water filled the screen. Eagerness to sink her feet into the powdery sand seized her, making her toes wiggle.
“I can’t wait.” Only ten more hours. She reached for her e-reader to help kill some of the time, mentally deciding which of the recently downloaded beach reads she should start with. “After last week, I’m in desperate need of some relaxation.”
“You can’t be too serene, Westmoreland. You still have plans to make.” Aiden eyed her in the rearview mirror.
Paige’s mind flipped back into full speed, recalling all the details of the business lunch she was helping Aiden plan. “Shoot, my laptop’s in the trunk with my bag. I’ll pull it out at our first stop, but it won’t take too long to go over. The major things are set. I just have a few questions about minor details to go over with you.”
“Not the lunch,” Aiden said. “The other half of Operation Wedding Weekend. Getting your man back.”
Heat burned her cheeks. “Oh, right. I almost forgot about that.”
Ciera twisted around in her seat and stared at her. “Forgot about it? Brody has been at the top of our conversation topics since he left town a year ago.”
So, maybe “avoiding that” would’ve been a more accurate statement. It was a lot easier to talk about winning Brody back when every part of her masterful plan would theoretically work the way it was supposed to. It was a different story when real limitations, like slick marble floors and gorgeous new girlfriends, made all of those plans backfire. Paige let out a weary sigh. “Fight for love, yada yada. The thing is, he’s going to be there with her. The last time I was around them I fell flat on my face and almost broke my ankle. I’m not eager to have a repeat performance.”
Ciera put her hand on Paige’s knee. The friendly gesture wrapped around her wounded ego like a warm hug.
“You missed the point the other night. You don’t have to dress like someone you’re not to remind him of how great you are. You’re amazing just the way you are.”
Paige was starting to consider the truth in her friend’s words when Aiden jumped in.
“That purple dress was nice, though. You should keep the dress.”
Ciera glared at him.
“What?” he said, looking innocent. “She looked good in it.”
Ciera rolled her eyes and flipped down the sun visor mirror to reapply her lip gloss. “You’re hopeless. I’m not even sure why we let you tag along.”
“Umm, because I offered to drive you. And Paige needs me.”
Ciera glanced at Paige in the tiny lighted mirror. “I can’t believe you agreed to pretend that this knucklehead is your boyfriend.”
Since Paige was an only child, she found the sibling banter between Ciera and Aiden to be fascinating. Watching it never got old. “He was already going, so it was more of a relationship of convenience.”
Ciera shook her head before she returned the sun visor to its stowed position. “Just so we’re all on the same page, how long have you two been together?”
“One month,” Aiden said.
“Two months,” Paige said at the same time. He looked at her in the rearview mirror.
“Two months is hard to believe. I haven’t dated anyone for that long in…” He paused, and Paige wondered if he was trying to remember the last time he’d been in a serious relationship. In the seven years she’d known him, no girl had gotten past the third date. After a second, he shrugged. “Well, it’s long enough that no one would believe it.”
“I thought a lot could change in a year,” Paige tossed back.
“I have to agree with Aiden on this one,” Ciera said. “There are too many people there who can disprove a long-term thing. But something new? I can support that.”
Aiden’s knowing eyes met Paige’s in the rearview mirror again and he nodded.
The faint tingling that pulsed through her caught Paige off guard. He was Aiden. Behind this fake relationship, they were just friends. Nothing more. She shook off the feeling and focused on the planning. “The official word is that it’s still fairly new. We’ll leave it ambiguous.”
Ciera nodded her head once. “It’s new. Got it.” She held up one finger. “So step one is to make Brody jealous with your new boyfriend.”
Aiden
glanced at Ciera. “He’s already jealous. You should’ve seen the way he looked at her at the wedding.”
“Then we should be ready to move on to step two rather quickly.”
“How many steps are in this plan?” Paige asked, equally feeling left out of a conversation about her and disappointed that she didn’t come up with a multi-step plan of her own. Planning was what she did best.
“Three. One is to make him jealous, and step two is point out the flaws in his current relationship.”
A small pang hit Paige somewhere deep in her stomach. It took her a second to register what the feeling was. Guilt, maybe?
“Do you really think I need to sabotage Sasha?”
“Not sabotage.” Ciera shook her head and her tight blonde curls swished back and forth. “Simply bring to light some of the ways they aren’t right for each other. Which, from what Georgia tells me, won’t be hard. She’s got the personality of a wet blanket.”
From what Paige had witnessed, that assessment wasn’t far off. She giggled. “That’s not nice.”
A smile spread across Ciera’s face. “No, but it’s true. You won’t have to point out her flaws. Four days with her standing next to you will do that all on its own.”
Paige pictured Sasha with her perfect body in her brand-new bikini standing next to Paige on the beach. Her spirit started to fall. “I’m not sure standing next to her will help.”
Ciera twisted her mouth to the side in her best schoolmarm way. “Don’t make me go back to my pre-plan pep talk. She held up three fingers. “Let’s move on to step number three.”
“You’ve put a lot of thought into this plan,” Paige said, a little impressed. Ciera was an artist and, generally speaking, more of an improvisor than a planner.
“I have. Because what is it you always say? Nothing great happens without a plan?”
“You’re right. Planning is imperative. So what’s step three?”
“Remind him of what you had when you were together.”
As soon as Ciera uttered the words, Paige’s mind flipped through snapshots of their happy memories. Laughing so hard their sides ached, intimate moments that still left her heart racing. The question in her mind wasn’t if what they had was great or not, it was how could he walk away from it? A fresh wave of sadness washed over her, along with the familiar ache of missing him. What they had was special. There was no debating it.
“How exactly am I supposed to remind him?”
Ciera looked confident. “Simple. After we get him primed with steps one and two, you find a time when you’re alone and bring up one of your happy memories.”
The thought of being alone with Brody on a moonlit beach sent shivers of excitement racing through her. He had been gone a little over a year, but she felt like it would be easy to pick up right where they left off. The hurt of being left behind, of seeing him with some other woman, would all melt away with one kiss. They were meant to be together. She was sure of it.
Paige mulled over the plan, figuring out the details of how to best implement it. “Three steps to get him back, huh? Sounds simple enough. What happens if it doesn’t work?”
“Trust me.” Aiden’s warm blue eyes met hers in the mirror. “He’ll never know what hit him.”
Nine hours and thirty-three minutes after they left Hilltop, Aiden pulled in to the beachfront condos where the girls were staying. Considering someone had to stop at least every two hours for a bathroom break, Aiden thought it was a travel-time worth bragging about.
But now that they were here, it was time to slow down and drink in the scenery. As usual, the picturesque town of Seacrest, Florida, welcomed them with a sparkling ocean, plenty of sunshine and a heap of traffic. Even the tiny parking lot in front of the condo building was already full. To be fair, Aiden wasn’t sure there were even enough parking spots for each unit to have one, but that was par for the course down here where parking was at a premium. He pulled into the handicap spot to help them unload, hoping he wouldn’t be blocking it too long.
“I was going to ask if you were sure you’d be okay without a car, but it would appear that having one would be more of a hassle.” Aiden shifted the car into park before he climbed out and walked around to the trunk.
“With all the traffic and parking problems around here, bikes are much more practical.” Ciera motioned to the fleet of brightly colored beach cruisers chained to the wooden fence. Signs with her name and Paige’s hung from two of the baskets. “And looks like the rental company already dropped ours off. We’re all set.”
“As long as I can pedal in my boot.” Paige held on to the side of the car and hoisted her leg up in the air to show off her hard, molded plastic boot.
Aiden eyed it, trying to decide if it was safe for her to ride a bike without any flex in her ankle, but if anyone could do it, it would be Paige. She didn’t seem to know the phrase “give up.” “If it doesn’t work out, I’m sure we can get one of those carts for kids to ride in and attach it to the back of Cici’s bike,” Aiden said as he pulled their suitcases out of the trunk.
Paige giggled, a happy tinkling sound that always filled the air with joy. “Now there’s an idea. Why didn’t I think of that?” She grabbed one of two matching garment bags with the dress designer logo emblazed on the front and threw it over her shoulder, then pulled up the handle on the small rolling suitcase he had set on the ground. Aiden watched as she arranged all her luggage so she could carry it up the four flights of stairs on her bum ankle by herself. Her determination was impressive.
He might not be able to help her out with the bike situation, but as long as he was around, she didn’t have to conquer the stairs by herself. Before she took more than a couple of steps, he stopped her. “Please, let me carry that up.”
Paige looked relieved. “That would actually be very helpful. Thanks.”
He snagged her suitcase in one hand and grabbed his sister’s in the other, then followed them up the steps.
“Will you be back for the barbecue tonight?” Ciera asked.
They stopped in front of a door on the fourth floor and Ciera typed a code into the keypad on the door. Aiden put the suitcases down while he was waiting and wiped the sweat off his forehead. They talked about the Hill Country being humid, but it had nothing on the Florida panhandle.
“Of course. I wouldn’t want Smoochems to have to brave it all on her own.” He slung one arm around her shoulders.
Paige gazed up at him and exaggerated batting her eyes. “I’ll miss you while you’re gone, Honey Bear.”
Ciera pushed the door open. “Seriously, this is the kind of relationship I’m pretending I knew about but haven’t thought to mention to anyone?”
“You’re just so thrilled we’re happy.” Aiden set the suitcases in the small hallway inside the door and gave his sister a quick squeeze. “I gotta run, but I’ll see you ladies in a couple hours.”
He backed out of the narrow hallway and trotted down to his car to drive to where he, along with all of the groomsmen, would be staying. Jacob Merrick’s beach house.
Back on the main road, he rolled down the windows letting the sea air blow through his car. Even in bumper to bumper traffic on the two-lane road, there was something about being on 30A that brought peace to his soul.
Most people said they loved this particular stretch of beach, which had been nicknamed after the two-lane highway that ran through a series of small towns, because of the powder-white sand and the crystal-clear ocean. Admittedly, those were two of the main reasons he loved it. But what he loved most were the memories.
This was where his family had always vacationed, long before the manufactured perfection of storybook beach towns starting popping up. Back when sea oats and weathered clapboard houses were native, not novelty.
He wasn’t complaining about the development, as long as the building codes continued to prevent mega-reso
rts from taking over the entire coastline and the tourist dollars supported the conservation of the beach instead of destroying it. Plus, the ever-growing list of places to eat was a benefit. It sure beat the single seafood shack with the greasy floors he remembered from when he was a kid.
Jacob’s house was a little less than a half a mile down 30A from where the girls were staying. It was a new community nestled in between two of the other small towns. As recently as two years ago, this space was nothing more than a wide lot holding some sea oats and two unpretentious beach houses. Somehow in that space they had managed to lay out a community that held fifteen houses and a central clubhouse/pool area. The houses were in rows, three deep, with the ones closest to the beach being the biggest and having the most room in between them.
Naturally, Jacob had an oceanfront house.
Aiden wound through the narrow streets lined with palm trees and old-fashioned street lamps to the Merrick’s house on the far end. He pulled into the spacious three-car driveway and, grabbing his bag from the back, mounted the stairs to the elevated main level.
The beauty of the sparkling Gulf of Mexico made him pause on the huge wraparound porch. He stood there for a second and marveled at the grandness of the emerald waters that stretched all the way to the horizon. The combination of its breathtaking beauty and raw power made it magnificent. How could one stand on the edge of the ocean and not be acutely aware of how small he was? He hoped he never got to the point where wonder wasn’t attached to this view.
“Aiden! Glad you made it.” Jacob strolled out the front door wearing the kind of expensive shorts and designer flip-flops that Aiden had started calling “preppy beach bum.”
“Glad to be here.” Aiden wiggled his toes in his own favorite, broken-in leather flip-flops. He couldn’t wait to get his feet in the sand. He adjusted the duffel bag hanging from his shoulder and nodded out at the ocean. “You’ve got quite the view.”
