“It’s a stressful time, leading up to your wedding,” Shae said sympathetically. “You can snooze off again during your massage, I promise I won’t mind. It’s for relaxation rather than therapeutic, so you shouldn’t feel any discomfort unless you’ve got really stiff muscles somewhere.”
“Nothing in particular,” Lucy shook her head as Shae gently washed her off with a warm, wet cloth. “Are you married, Shae?” she asked, feeling a little awkward about being naked on the table in front of the other girl, despite Shae’s calmly impersonal manner.
“No,” Shae said, a little flatly, and then “I almost was, once.”
“How close is almost?” Lucy couldn’t resist asking.
“We were standing in front of the altar when he decided he didn’t want to go through with it.” Shae’s smile was a little tight. “Apparently, it was just me, though. He got married to someone else five months later.”
“Oh, that’s harsh. I’m so sorry,” Lucy said sympathetically.
“Thanks. I’m over it, though. Better to find out he wasn’t Mr Right before we said the vows than after.”
“Truer words never spoken,” Lucy agreed.
“Though I shouldn’t be telling you my sob story. You’re the one who’s getting married to your gorgeous sweetheart tomorrow. I’m jealous; Bryce is a darling!”
Shae didn’t know the wedding wasn’t real, Lucy realised as the therapist poured a warm, sweetly scented oil into her hands and began the massage at the soles of Lucy’s feet. It only took a minute for her to forget all about that, though, as Shae’s talented hands found pressure points and muscles she didn’t even know were tense began to relax.
“Oh God, that’s wonderful,” she mumbled, hearing Shae’s quiet chuckle as she continued her work.
“Relax, Lucy. Let it all go. I’m gonna massage all this stress out of you. Stop thinking about tomorrow and just focus on right now.”
Chapter Seventeen
Bryce spent all day worrying about how Lucy was getting on. Once the boat was out on the Reef, he had no phone signal so couldn’t text Olivia or Rosie to check in on her. He considered asking Jodie, the boat captain, to radio in, but she gave him a very old-fashioned look when he hinted about it, so he shut his mouth.
“You just concentrate on doing your job, sonny,” Jodie said dryly. “I’m about ninety-five per cent certain Lucy will still be on the island when you get back.”
“Only ninety-five?” Anxiety sent a crawling tension up Bryce’s spine. “Why wouldn’t she be? Have you heard something?”
“Did I say ninety-five? I meant a hundred. Oh look, that guy’s putting his fins on too early, what a dick.” Jodie deflected him smartly, grinning behind his back as he turned to check on the rookie diver automatically. They were almost up on the dive site and Bryce would be kept busy buddy-checking everyone’s tanks, hoses, connectors and regulators until they were in the water, then keeping an overall eye out once they were down. Hopefully, keeping busy would keep his mind off his wedding jitters.
Bryce could tell Jodie was trying to distract him, and he wasn’t ungrateful. Every minute today seemed to be dragging endlessly; whenever he looked at his watch the numbers on the digital display had barely increased at all.The dive group were barely competent and sorely trying his patience, too. He felt an intense relief when Jodie finally called time and the boat started back to the island.
“Bloody sit still, will you? You’re distracting me.” Jodie never took her eyes off the horizon or her hands off the wheel as she spoke.
Bryce stilled his bouncing leg and tried to take calm, slow breaths. “Sorry.” After a few minutes of desperately trying to stay still, he asked “Have you ever been married, Jode?”
The older woman shot an amused glance at him before returning her gaze to the sea. “Twice,” she replied eventually. “First time, I was young and stupid, got married right out of high school. We were separated before I turned twenty.”
“And the second time?”
“Married a Navy man.” A smile touched her lips. “The sea’s always been the third party in our marriage. Works just fine.”
“You’re still married?” Startled, Bryce looked at her left hand. He’d never seen Jodie wearing any rings, or heard her mention a husband.
“Twenty-seven years, just passed. He’s the captain on the HMAS Wangaratta. Coming up on retirement next year, and wondering what to do with himself. I’m trying to convince him to join me out here.”
“You must have spent a lot of time apart, over the years,” Bryce commented thoughtfully.
“More apart than together, really.” Jodie shot a sideways glance at him. “Don’t let anyone tell you marriage is all sunshine and roses, son. It takes hard work and a shit ton of patience, but at the end of the day, the rewards are worth having. Callum and I might not have a conventional marriage where we sit down to dinner together every night, but it works for us because we both have the will, and put in the effort, to make it work.”
“You do know Lucy and I aren’t actually getting married, right?” Bryce checked.
“The way I heard it, all you have to do is ask Luke to file the paperwork within a month and you will be legally married.” Jodie shrugged, not looking at him. “Guess you’ve got a month to convince Lucy being married to you is all she ever wanted, huh?”
Bryce opened his mouth, but no words came out. Finally, he nodded his head, and Jodie let out a quiet chuckle.
“Trust me, everyone can see how perfect the two of you are together. Oh, and Lucy’s just as head over heels for you as you are about her, if you were worried about it.”
“She is? Has she talked to you?”
Jodie shook her head, laughing more loudly. “No. She didn’t have to. Anyone with eyes can see it… except you, obviously. Have a little faith, Bryce.”
***
Without being able to see and talk to Lucy, all Bryce could do was stew on Jodie’s words all the way back to the island and all evening. He got a good deal of good-natured joshing from his friends as they sat around drinking excellent wine and eating pizza at Jace’s stunning villa, watching the sun go down over the ocean.
It occurred to him, about halfway down a bottle of wine, that none of this friends were acting as though the wedding was anything but real, even though they all knew very well the whole thing had at least started as a prank.
“Cory,” he grabbed at his friend’s arm as Cory came to sit back down, pizza slice in hand, “why’s everyone acting like this is a real wedding?”
Cory, rather the worse for wear on wine himself, had to consider that a while before shrugging. “Well, it pretty much is, isn’t it? Luke said all you have to do is file the paperwork.”
“Why’s he going around telling everyone that?” Bryce demanded plaintively.
“Why don’t you ask him yourself?” Cory responded with impeccable logic. “He’s sitting right over there.”
“Well, he and Jace are talking. I didn’t want to interrupt.”
Cory chuckled. “They’re not talking business. Go on, head over there!”
Easy for Cory to say, Bryce thought, but he got to his feet as Cory nudged him. Cory was one of the senior resort personnel as Activities Manager, after all, despite his relative youth. Bryce was just a dive instructor, senior to the others who held the position only by virtue of having been employed at the resort longer.
“Here’s the groom!” Jace toasted him as he approached, smiling broadly, and Bryce gave the billionaire a tentative smile. Jace just didn’t look or act like he’d been born with the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth, he thought privately. Right now he was slouched on a poolside deck chair with an almost-empty glass of red in his hand, wearing cargo shorts, a faded rock band T-shirt, and rubber thongs on his feet. “Are the wedding nerves kicking in, or is the wine helping take the edge off?”
“The wine is definitely helping. Thank you, by the way. I’m not all that knowledgeable but I can tell this is the good stuff
.” Bryce lifted his glass.
Jace waved off his thanks with a grin. “Can’t have you waking up with a hangover tomorrow. I haven’t met your bride but I don’t want to get off on the wrong foot by delivering a horribly hung-over bridegroom from a bucks’ party I hosted.”
And that was why Jace was different from other billionaires, Bryce was pretty sure. He’d met a few very wealthy men, since Sunfish Island was a playground for the well-heeled, and he couldn’t imagine any of those self-centred characters would give a shit what a woman they hadn’t even met might think of them.
“About tomorrow,” Bryce said hesitantly.
Luke lowered the glass he’d been about to take a sip from. “You crying off?”
“No!” The refutation was swift and emphatic. “I’d never do that to Lucy!”
Luke tilted his head to give him a thoughtful look, opened his hand in a gesture for Bryce to continue.
“I was wondering, uh, you told Lucy and I that it would basically be a real wedding, we just wouldn’t file the official paperwork.”
“That’s correct.” Luke nodded. “You have thirty days to file it if you change your minds and want to make it official, though.”
“Yeah. And um. I’ve been wondering why you’ve been telling everyone else about that?”
There was a distinct smirk on Luke’s lips as he took a sip of wine before answering. Jace was looking interestedly between the two of them, spoke to fill in the silence.
“Is the gossip I heard true… that you and Lucy were just friends when this started off but now you’re hooking up?”
Bryce winced. Hooking up seemed like such a crude way to put it. Lucy wasn’t just a hookup. She was far, far more than that. “We’re together. Yes.”
“Fake romance turning real, it’s a cute story.” Jace offered him a friendly smile.
Luke spoke up again, finally. “And if you want to make it really real, all you have to do is ask me to file that marriage certificate. I don’t deny I’ve mentioned it to a few other people, but I haven’t instigated the conversations. I think you underestimate the amount of interest your friends have in your future happiness, Bryce. Yours and Lucy’s.”
Bryce frowned and shook his head, not understanding.
“They want to see you happy. Both of you,” Luke clarified. “And it’s obvious to anyone with eyes that you make each other happy. Putting the thought in your minds that maybe actually getting married could be the best thing that you can do for your mutual future happiness?” He shrugged. “I’m not surprised they’re all but hitting you over the head with the idea.”
“Oh.” Startled, Bryce sat back and considered that. “Do you know if anyone’s mentioned it to Lucy?” he asked hesitantly.
Luke and Jace both laughed at that.
“Really?” Jace snickered. “The girls have spent all day getting their toenails painted and their legs waxed and God only knows what else together, and you think they haven’t been talking about it?”
“How could they? Her mother’s there, and Justine doesn’t know this is all a hoax.”
“Women always find a way. Hell, Nessa’s been filling my ear with how romantic it would be if you two really got married.” Jace finished his wine, seemed to consider going to get some more, and slumped down in his chair. “Nah, I’ve had enough,” he muttered.
“Maybe you and Lucy should just talk to each other about it,” Luke said pointedly.
Bryce had to laugh. “Yeah, you’re right. I mean… I knew we needed to talk, but I think we’ve both been putting it off until after Justine leaves. Put on a united face until then, you know? That woman.” He shook his head slowly. “I honestly find it hard to believe someone like her managed to raise a daughter as kind and loving and compassionate as Lucy.”
“You’re making me glad I haven’t yet had the pleasure,” Jace commented. “Luke filled me in on who she is, obviously.”
“She’s a viper.”
Bryce blinked at Luke in surprise. He didn’t think he’d ever heard the resort manager say anything so harsh about anyone before. “Took the word right out of my mouth,” he murmured.
“She’s very good at pouring on the charm when she wants to, but I like to think I’m pretty good at reading people. Justine Manning has the coldest eyes I’ve ever seen. There’s nothing but cold calculation behind them.” Luke shook his head. “Every interaction, she’s thinking what benefit there might be to her. She’s been posting photos on her Instagram and tagging the resort, we’ve had a distinct upsurge in bookings from the UK since she started, and she mentioned her activity to me yesterday and hinted heavily that she’d like another couple of weeks comped to her later in the year in exchange.”
“Please tell me you said no!” Bryce gaped in horror.
“I pretended to be extremely dense and not get the hint. If she wants to return, she can pay like everyone else. We’re booked up months in advance these days anyway; all those UK bookings are coming towards the end of this year and into next year, when we have vacancies. It’s not really like we’d lose out if she hadn’t done her little bit of promotion, and there’s no direct evidence that’s what caused the uptick anyway.” Luke smirked before finishing his wine and getting to his feet. “If looks could kill, you’d be looking for a new general manager by now, Jace. More wine?”
“What the hell.” Jace held out his empty glass. “Hit me up.”
“Bryce?”
“I’ve probably had enough.” He smiled apologetically. “Please don’t force any more down me. I’m really gonna need my wits about me tomorrow.”
Luke’s smile was wry. “Stick here with us, then. We might be the ‘less fun’ corner, but at least nobody will make you do shots over here.”
“Are you calling me old and boring?” Jace objected.
“Well, I didn’t use those words specifically,” Luke attempted to backtrack, but Jace cut him off with laughter.
“It’s perfectly fine. Hey, I’m so boring I retired from being a New York playboy billionaire!”
“Retired you may be, but you’re definitely not boring,” Bryce put in. “Believe me, I’m more than happy to hang out with you guys.” He toasted Jace with his glass, and Luke, returning with a fresh bottle, topped it up in passing.
“Sip on that. We’ll wrap it up in an hour or so anyway, Jace can kick everyone out.”
“I’m totally useless as a bouncer,” Jace protested, making both of them laugh. Bryce relaxed back into his chair, feeling a lot more comfortable now. Luke and Jace were his bosses, yes, but they were also both incredibly approachable and friendly. He could definitely see why Nessa, easily the best judge of character he knew, had fallen for Jace.
“So,” Jace said now, “I’ve never learned to dive and Luke tells me it’s the only way to see some of the best bits of the Reef. How about some private lessons?”
“Any time you like,” Bryce said. “After the wedding, of course!”
“I’ll be knocking on your day bright and early the day after tomorrow, then?” Jace teased.
“I wouldn’t advise it, to be honest. It might be only a fake wedding, but Lucy and I have planned some real days off, starting with a lie-in the day after. Knocking on my door early will mean you get to face an irate Lucy, and I wouldn’t recommend that. Not unless you’d like your balls rearranged, anyway.”
Jace roared with laughter and leaned over to tap his glass against Bryce’s. “To feisty women,” he said, still laughing. “May they never change.”
“Amen to that!” Bryce agreed.
Chapter Eighteen
“Rise and shine, princess bride!”
“Hurgh!” Lucy shot upright, disorientated at first to find herself not in her own bed. Nessa was standing over her, a broad grin on her face. Through the doorway behind her, she could see Rosie, Jill and Olivia already bustling around, and she was sure she could hear a male voice amidst the feminine chatter.
“It’s nine o’clock, sugar. Didn’t sleep well?”
>
“Appalling,” Lucy confessed, rubbing at her eyes. “I kept waking up because I couldn’t hear Bryce breathing.” She’d had trouble going to sleep even after a few glasses of champagne, and then kept waking up every few minutes.
Nessa’s smile was sympathetic. “I know exactly what you mean. Even though Jace was snoring like a chainsaw when I crawled in next to him last night, I still slept better than I did while he was away.”
“Bryce doesn’t snore.”
“Nor does Jace, usually, but considering the number of empty wine bottles in the kitchen I think it was quite a party.”
“Ha.” Rolling her head around on her neck, Lucy stretched her arms out to the sides. “Despite the crappy sleep, I feel good. Shae loosened out knots I didn’t even know I had.”
“She’s good. And she’s here to help you with your hair and makeup, so get your ass out of that bed and have a shower. Ten minutes or I’ll sic Terry and Jerome on you. You’ll mess up their carefully planned timetable if you take any longer.” Nessa gave her a laughing wink before closing the bedroom door and leaving Lucy alone again.
Quite sure Nessa would carry through on her threat, Lucy scrambled out of bed and ran for the bathroom. Her hair had been washed and styled the day before, so she stuffed it hastily into a shower cap to keep it from getting wet while she washed.
When she emerged, wrapped in a fluffy towelling robe, Shae was waiting with her gentle smile and quiet manner, a case of makeup ready on the dresser beside a croissant and a cup of coffee.
“I’m not big on a lot of makeup,” Lucy eyed the big case doubtfully as she sat down at Shae’s wordless gesture and reached for her breakfast. “Um. If I wear a lot of makeup, I… look more like my mother than I’m comfortable with.”
“I’ll keep it light and natural,” Shae promised. “It’s going to be hot today anyway, you don’t need it all melting off to leave marks on your dress.”
Gemma slid into the room to take pictures as Shae used a delicate, skillful touch to just touch up Lucy’s natural beauty. They’d already agreed Lucy would wear her hair half up, half down, with some intricate braids pulling the top section away from her face before Shae arranged the rest in an artful tumble of soft waves falling forward over her left shoulder. A strand of pearls on loan from the resort jewellery shop held the arrangement in place, more pearls in her earlobes and a single teardrop-shaped one hanging from a gold chain at the hollow of her throat completing a simple, classical look.
Her Fake Island Wedding (Island Escapes Book 3) Page 10