by Rachel Magee
Jacob took a sip from the lowball glass in his hand and looked out at the water as if noticing it for the first time. “A million-dollar view. Or, if we want to get technical, a three-point-seven-million-dollar view. The wife had a hard time reining it in with the decorator. Do you know the Brazilian blue marble in the master bathroom has a semiprecious stone rating and had to be purchased through a specialized dealer in Japan? Because the composition of marbles that could be purchased through North American import companies didn’t match her color scheme.”
Aiden didn’t know how to respond to that, so he made some generic humming sound and nodded.
“Well, no need to melt out here all day. Let’s get into some air conditioning.” He threw open the door and motioned for Aiden to enter first.
Aiden took one last look at the beach. He could stay out here all day, heat, humidity and all, but he headed inside with his host. “Thanks for the invite. Last time I was here this place was still under construction. I’m excited to see the finished product.”
Jacob led him through the great room to the open-concept kitchen behind it. “Glad we got it finished on time. Watching your son get married is a crazy thing. It’s a good weekend.” He pulled a glass out of the cabinet and fixed Aiden a drink before he topped off his own. Aiden took this to mean they were going to chat a while, so he dropped his bag on the floor next to him and leaned against one of the bar stools at the massive granite island. He briefly wondered from which continent this piece of stone was imported.
“Your son’s marrying a great girl. Georgia has been one of my sister’s good friends for a long time.”
“Indeed. We have a lot to celebrate. Cheers.” He slid the drink across the counter to Aiden, then held up his own drink in a toast. There was a pause as they both took a sip before Jacob continued.
“Unfortunately, this weekend isn’t only about the wedding festivities. We have a deal to close.” Jacob’s expression turned more serious. “There are four partners in the investment firm, and they all have to agree on the purchase. Which means we have four different people to convince that Cedar Break deserves top dollar.”
Aiden didn’t hesitate. “Cedar Break is worth every penny of what they’re offering.” Five million was a staggering number, even for Aiden, but there was something about the restaurant that resonated with him.
Sure, he’d been attached to the last three companies he sold. Watching them get purchased and developed into megacompanies was like watching a baby bird find its wings and learn to fly. There was a sense of pride at the end of those deals.
But this sale felt different. There was something about the restaurant that made him protective. It made him want to have the investment firm prove they were worthy of buying it instead of the other way around.
It was just a building, he reminded himself. Selling big ideas was what he did, and this should be no different.
Jacob slapped him on the shoulder. “That’s the kind of attitude I’m talking about. Having total confidence in your product. Anyway, they all have their wives here. You said you’d have a date with you this weekend? Someone to help entertain the ladies?”
Aiden was still lost in thought about the sale when the last question registered. “Yes. My, um, girlfriend is here.” Nothing about those words came out naturally. Aiden hadn’t had a girlfriend in a very long time, and even then it wasn’t serious.
Jacob gave him a questioning stare before his eyes darted around the room, in search of the missing date.
“She’s actually in the wedding party. One of Georgia’s bridesmaids.”
Jacob nodded, looking impressed. “A bridesmaid? Nice. Sometimes I forget how much younger you are than the rest of us. It’s been a long time since I’ve gotten to date one of the bridesmaids.”
The way he made Paige sound like a prize instead of a person made Aiden want to defend her.
“Paige is an amazing woman. Everyone who meets her loves her.”
“Sounds like she’ll be a great asset. I look forward to meeting her.” He took one last swig from his drink, then plunked the glass down on the counter with a loud clank. “But we can’t sit around here chatting all day. We have a barbecue to get to. Let me show you to your room before we need to take off.”
Aiden picked up his bag and followed Jacob up the flight of stairs, thankful for the break in the conversation.
Chapter Six
“I can’t believe you’re getting married!” Paige flopped down on the bed next to Georgia, who was dressed in a worn button-down shirt and her favorite pair of shorts, and stared at the white dress hanging from the top of the closet door.
“I know! Isn’t this so exciting?” Ciera lifted the veil from the box on the chair and tucked the comb into her hair. She stood in front of the mirror to admire her reflection before she turned to Georgia. “Lane is one lucky man.”
Georgia beamed, her bright blue eyes sparkling, and she pulled her long blond hair up into a ponytail. “I’m so glad you guys are here with me. Thanks for making the drive.” She squeezed Paige’s hand.
“We wouldn’t have missed it,” Ciera said.
“Not a chance,” Paige added. “But I have to admit, your choice of venue is pretty amazing. Does it get any better than a condo on the beach with your best friends?”
“Seacrest has always been the place where perfect memories were made. And now everyone I love is gathered here.” Georgia clapped her hands together and sighed, looking blissful and romantic. Seeing her best friend in love was uplifting to Paige’s soul. But then Georgia’s face fell as she clasped her hand around Paige’s
“I’m so sorry about Brody. Are you sure you’re okay with him being here?”
Just hearing his name made her pulse quicken, but she tried to keep her expression nonchalant. “Of course. He’s one of Lane’s friends. He deserves to be here.”
“The better question is, are you okay that he brought her with him?” Hadley, the final member of their best-friend quartet and the third bridesmaid in Georgia’s wedding, appeared in the doorway. She leaned against the doorframe, still dressed in her business suit from work with her long brown hair pulled back into a neat knot. A garment bag identical to Ciera and Paige’s was slung over one shoulder, and she had a small rolling suitcase behind her.
“You made it!” Ciera, who was closest to the door, hugged her.
Hadley played with the tulle veil that was flowing down over Ciera’s shoulders and gave her a questioning look.
Ciera grinned. “Just trying it out.”
Hadley left her luggage at the door and walked over to embrace Georgia first. “Happy wedding weekend!” Then she hugged Paige. “I heard about the ankle. Sorry.”
Paige waved it off. “It feels better already. This new accessory is to remind me not to wear shoes I have no business wearing.”
Hadley sank down on the bed and grasped Paige’s hand. Her eyes were filled with concern, which was unusual for Hadley, who always kept her emotions in check. “But, seriously, I don’t know what he sees in her. She’s not you.”
A lump formed in Paige’s throat, but she refused to let herself cry over him. Okay, sure, she’d shed a few tears after that horrid night when she discovered he was back, looking better than ever, and had some new girl with him. But that was to be expected. She was past that now.
“For the record, she was not invited. I had to rearrange the entire rooming situation to accommodate her.” Georgia had a guilty look, and glanced both ways before leaning in, as if she were sharing a secret. “She’s sharing a room with my cousin who snores like a dragon. Ever since her days at summer camp as a kid, Elle’s had a hard time finding a roommate.”
It wasn’t much, but it did make Paige feel a little better. “She’ll look good with bags under her eyes,” Hadley declared. The whole room giggled.
“Honestly, I’m fine.” Paige tried to s
ay the phrase with as much confidence as she could muster. She should be fine, after all.
Apparently, it wasn’t confident enough for the three people who knew her best in the world. Georgia’s head cocked to the side with a worried expression, Hadley crossed her arms and glared like an investigator trying to rattle a witness, and Ciera looked amused.
“She has a plan to win him back,” Ciera reported to the other two.
“A plan? Do tell.” Georgia sat up on her knees and focused all her attention on Paige.
A nervous energy buzzed through her, making her jittery. She stood up to keep herself from bouncing on the bed. “I don’t know that you would classify it as a plan.” Since the details were still vague and it was far from being foolproof, Paige considered it more of an idea than a plan. The thought made the nervous buzzing intensify.
She could feel the heat of three pairs of eyes burning into her, but she tried not to let it rattle her. She walked over to the dresser and busied her hands with straightening all of Georgia’s jewelry that was lying on top of it.
“It has three steps.” Ciera held up three fingers. Paige could feel the warmth from her cheeks work its way down to flush her neck. She was a firm believer in planning. Her life motto was that nothing important happened without a plan. Reclaiming her soulmate and the life she’d imagined for herself was important. After Gram’s pep talk, Paige was convinced that fighting for love was noble. But now, when she heard it reported from someone else, coming up with a plan to get Brody back sounded a little juvenile.
“A three-step plan? This we have to hear.” With all her patient attention focused on Paige, Georgia crawled to the end of the bed and sat cross-legged like she was one of the kindergarteners she taught.
“I just thought, you know…” Paige fingered the string of pearls she knew belonged to Georgia’s grandmother. “Maybe he needed to remember what we had.”
The only sound in the room was the hum of the air conditioner. Paige moved her attention to lining up the bracelets that had been dumped in a pile. Several of them sparkled as the overhead light hit them, and then there was one plain bracelet that seemed like it didn’t belong. A tarnished silver circle that looked unimpressive, out of style and dull.
“How are you planning on sparking his memory?” Hadley asked.
Paige took a deep breath and turned to her friends. “You’re going to think this is ridiculous.”
Georgia’s eyes got wide, but she shook her head. “Honey, we’d never think your plan was ridiculous.”
The nervous buzzing ramped up again, so high this time that she wondered if she was visibly vibrating. “Well, I’m going to…” She paused and took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. “We’re acting like Aiden and I are together to make Brody jealous.” She blurted out the words as if spitting out something that didn’t taste good. She nibbled her lip and studied her friends’ faces to gauge their reaction. Georgia and Hadley exchanged a look she couldn’t quite read. Instead of waiting for them to comment, she launched into a further explanation.
“He needed some help putting together a business thing, and Brody has already seen us together several times. With how much he’s been around and how much time I’ll be spending with him this weekend, it seemed like it made sense.”
She stopped and held her breath, bracing herself for the ridicule that was sure to follow.
For a second the room was completely silent. Finally, Georgia nodded in her typical, understanding way. “Sounds like a perfect plan.”
Hadley looked a little more smug, as if she knew a secret that Paige wasn’t privy to. “A relationship with Aiden? I think it’s brilliant.”
“Fake relationship,” Paige reiterated.
“Right. Fake relationship.” Hadley nodded.
Her three friends smiled confidently at her, but Paige couldn’t help the feeling that this “plan” had a lot of contingencies she couldn’t control. “I don’t know. I guess we’ll see.”
Georgia squeezed her hand. “Don’t worry, sweetie. I have a feeling everything is going to work out just the way it’s supposed to.”
The sun was dropping toward the horizon as the luau was starting to heat up. The wedding guests who’d spent the day traveling were gathered on the beach in front of the condos dressed in shorts and leis. Tiki torches flickered against the dusk sky and reggae music drifted through the air, mingling with the happy hum of conversation.
Paige had just stepped up to the plates in the buffet line when Aiden sidled up next to her. “Did you miss me, Smoochems?”
“More and more with every tick of my watch.” Her voice had the same flirtatious note that his did, but her words matched his sarcasm.
He waggled his eyebrows and his eyes twinkled in the dusk light. “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”
He leaned closer to the lineup of smoked meats, closed his eyes, and drew in a deep breath. The look on his face echoed the way the rich, spicy scents of Texas barbecue made her feel. Comfortable and nostalgic. The way Hilltop had begun to feel. Like home.
Except tonight the delicious smoky scent mixed with the fresh salt breeze, elevating it to a whole new level. Everything about the scene, from the sound of the waves to the friends that were around her, made exhilaration bubble up inside her and she felt almost buoyant.
“This smells amazing.” Aiden opened his eyes and reached for a plate. As he did, his arm grazed hers, which intensified her euphoric feeling. Strange. Since when did Aiden have the same effect on her as all of her favorite things?
Aiden grabbed the serving tongs next to the first tray of barbecue. “Makes me think we need to add some new barbecue dishes to the menu at Cedar Break.” He scooped a couple of pieces of beef from the first tray and held them over Paige’s plate. “Brisket?”
Paige glanced over her shoulder at the long line of hungry guests stretched out behind them. “Seriously, you’re going to cut in front of all these people like that?” She tried to give him her sternest look, but his charming grin made it impossible to do anything but smile at him.
“You’re right. How rude of me.” He placed the two slices on her plate and scooped up two more. Turning to the lady behind him, he flashed another one of his charming looks. “May I serve you some brisket?”
He instantly won over the woman Paige knew to be Georgia’s aunt. Paige shook her head but couldn’t manage to hide her amused smile. “You’re incorrigible.”
“If that’s your fancy way of saying adorably sensitive, then thank you.”
Paige laughed and stepped up to the next station. “Are your—what did you call them? Money men?—here tonight?”
Aiden spooned some sauce over his brisket. “Nope. All four couples arrive tomorrow. Tonight is all about fun.”
“Lucky boy. Whatever do you plan to do with all your free time?” Paige grabbed a silverware roll from the end of the line and turned to wait for him to finish filling every inch of his plate.
“Eat this, get seconds and flirt with you.” He winked.
“Solid start to your vacation.” She motioned to the mountain of food on his plate. “Although I think you could’ve gone bigger with your first helping. Your plate could’ve held at least one or two more ribs before it buckled under the weight.”
“Good to know.” Aiden reached over and took the only rib on her plate and moved it to his. “Thanks for the tip.”
“Hey, I was going to eat that.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll share my coleslaw with you.” He shot her a playful grin as they walked over to the table where Ciera and Hadley were already sitting.
“Well, if it isn’t the happy couple,” Hadley said as Paige and Aiden set their plates at the two places across from her.
“Hadley, lovely to see you as always.” He sat and forked a giant bite of food into his mouth. “Hey, sis,” he managed through his mouthful.
“He stole my rib,” Paige reported, sliding into the chair next to him.
Ciera shook her head. “It’s as if he was raised with no manners. Watch your desserts. He has a tendency to come after those, too.”
“Sample,” Aiden said, cutting a piece of brisket. “I just like to sample everything that’s available, so I can confirm you made the very best choice.”
The whole table was laughing at their back-and-forth banter when Paige was distracted by another sight.
Brody strode down the wooden steps that led from the condo down the bluff to the beach. He wore blue cotton shorts and a V-neck t-shirt. His casual outfit matched his casual confidence.
Sasha walked next to him, her flirty sundress fluttering in the sea breeze. She looked like she was on some photo shoot for a dream vacation destination.
Why did she always see them walking down from the top of the steps? It was ridiculous, like they thought they were some royal couple gracing the crowd with their presence. For the first time since he’d returned, Paige found Brody’s presence slightly annoying. She’d been enjoying the light-hearted conversation with her friends, and then he showed up and disrupted it. Still, she couldn’t make herself look away.
“Paige.” Hadley’s voice pulled her out of her daze. Three pairs of eyes stared at her.
“Sorry, did I miss something?” She tried to focus on them, but it was impossible with the royal couple still floating down the stairs behind them.
“We were asking you about the plans for the bachelorette party,” Ciera said.
Hadley’s eyes narrowed on her before she turned to look over her shoulder in the same direction that was distracting Paige.
“Ahhh. He’s arrived.” Everyone at their table turned and watched the couple walk down the final short flight of steps and onto the powdery sand. Sasha paused at the bottom and grabbed Brody’s arm for balance as she slipped out of her sandals. The flickering torches highlighted the definition of his toned forearms. The sight scattered every logical thought in Paige’s mind, and she had the irrational desire to swat Sasha’s hand away from him.
