Run For the Hills

by Carla Caruso

  Mentally, Bridie shook her head. She didn’t know why she’d panicked before about any of the guests, beyond Rory, recognising her. The crowd were too busy checking out their own reflections in anything shiny or scowling at whoever deigned to dress in a more attention-grabbing manner.

  A staffer like Bridie, still in disguise, was of little interest to them, beyond fetching them a waiter with another bottle of Veuve Clicquot or pointing them in the direction of the powder room. She really didn’t know how she’d put up with the snooty crowd for so long, why she’d ever thought them worth it—

  ‘Oh my god. Bridget! Is that you?’

  Her innards shrivelled. Famous last thoughts. Unfortunately, there was nowhere to run this time. But at least her game of hide-and-seek would soon be over. One person spotting her didn’t have to be a drama.

  She swung around to face Joni, her former marketing assistant, who looked as ‘city’ as always with her dark brown choppy ‘do and puffy black frock. Trust Joni to pick her out in the crowd. It was the first time Bridie had seen her old workmate all night; she’d thought she hadn’t made it.

  Rather than try to keep up the act, Bridie squealed in return. ‘Joni!’ Then she fell into her friend’s outstretched arms, Joni’s dress noisily crinkling against her frame.

  Joni pulled back, ending the embrace. ‘So this is where you’ve been hiding all this time. At an old manor that moonlights as a wedding venue! Bloody hell.’

  Bridie shot her former workmate a sheepish smile. ‘Yeah. Though it won’t be a secret much longer. The media’s had a tipoff about my location.’

  Joni shook her head, her eyes round. ‘Well, if it wasn’t the media, someone else surely would have spied you here eventually. Even with those dodgy glasses. I got here late or I would have been onto you sooner.’

  Bridie had to laugh. ‘I think everyone here is too busy worrying about getting the perfect selfies to be concerned with me.’ It felt so good to joke around with her old colleague, to be open about who she was. ‘Anyway, what have you been up to lately? As you might appreciate, I could not be more out of the loop.’

  ‘Oh, nothing as exciting as you obviously.’ Joni bumped Bridie with her hip. ‘Although I did get a pay rise finally. And a promotion.’

  ‘Aw, congratulations. You deserve it. That’s amazing. So, go on, what’s the new role?’

  Joni’s smile faltered for a nanosecond. ‘Um, actually, I’m doing your old hotel job, of course. Marketing communications manager. Ironic, huh?’

  ‘Wow … of cours—’

  Bridie was cut off by Tilda sauntering over to air-kiss Joni’s cheek. Somewhere along the line Tilda had lost her princess bride. Poor Vance, in work mode, hovered behind her.

  ‘Joni!’ Tilda trilled, her features looking even more pointed under the lights and garlic prawns on her breath pervading the air. ‘We haven’t had a piccy together yet. But fashion photographer extraordinaire Vance here can make us look like Kate Moss. He’s even shot her before.’

  Joni tittered. ‘Kate Moss, hey? Where do I stand?’

  The duo shifted into position, their arms wrapping around one another as Bridie shrank back. While the camera flashed away, she found herself looking from Joni to Tilda, and back again, though she really should have sped out of there while she had the chance. For some reason, though, she was drawn to how the pair looked side-by-side, the ease they displayed around one another. Her stomach turned to ice.

  Shit. No way in hell.

  As Tilda wafted on her way again with Vance, Bridie found herself staring at Joni, her mouth hanging open. Finally, she found the words.

  ‘It was you … in that picture.’

  ‘Sorry?’ Joni frowned, but the tops of her ears had turned pink. A dead giveaway.

  Bridie spelled it out for her anyway. ‘You were in that photo sent to me on my wedding day. You and Tilda. In bed with Rory.’

  Joni twirled a dark strand of hair around her finger, looking like she was debating whether to deny it or play it cool. Finally, she shrugged a shoulder. ‘Tilda was just curious to see what it’d be like to be with a man before she got hitched, and I was royally drunk. These things happen. It was just a bit of fun.’

  A bit of fun. Bridie had heard that one before, even used it herself. The problem was ‘fun’ always ended up crushing someone.

  She stepped closer, waves of anger rising up. ‘If it was just “fun”, why send me the photo? On my wedding day? It was either you or Tilda who did it. One of you must have gone to a lot of trouble setting up a camera with a tripod to get that shot. Rory must have been royally drunk himself not to stop you.’

  Joni edged back, though she feigned self-assurance. ‘Maybe I wanted to warn you about him before you tied the knot. If this was how he acted when you guys were engaged, how would he behave when you were married?’

  Engaged. So she and Rory had been together at the time. The liar. He’d been pretending as much as her.

  In a weak moment, he’d once told her his dad had had mistresses, but she’d chosen to forget the information back then. She should have seen the writing on the wall, though, with that kind of a role model. What killed the most, in truth, was Joni’s betrayal.

  ‘So you were protecting me?’ Bridie snidely pressed Joni. ‘Or really, is that the lengths you’d go to in order to steal someone’s job and get them out of the picture? I always knew Tilda was a social climber, but I never picked you for one.’

  Joni’s eyes narrowed to slits. ‘I wasn’t going to be a lady-in-waiting forever. You had it easy once you caught Rory’s eye. But you were never really cut-throat enough for the business world.’

  Bridie sadly shook her head. ‘I thought you were my friend, Joni.’

  Joni lifted her chin. ‘You’ve still got to look after numero uno.’

  Bridie had heard more than enough. Did everyone from her old life—bar her aunt, uncle and Megz—have to have an agenda? With angry tears stinging her eyes, she spun on her heel, deciding to call it a night.

  She was over this crowd, ironic considering how hard she’d fought to get ‘in’. Having fulfilled her duties to the Belshaws, she couldn’t wait now to head indoors and have a hot chocolate with her rellies and her real best friend, who’d extended their stay and smartly avoided this soiree. Just a few more steps and she’d be on the back porch and out of harm’s way—

  Oof. She could have watched where she was going at least; she’d just collided with someone tall and broad. Stumbling back, she peered up, all set to apologise to the stranger, but was rendered speechless. She should have sensed it earlier. Towering over her was the man who’d been avoiding her all week, despite residing on the same property. Cody.

  ‘Hey, what’s wrong?’ he asked, his deep voice suffused with the warmth she remembered from a week ago.

  Her tears finally spilled over onto her cheeks.

  * * *

  Cody glanced at Bridie as she hunched in the gazebo, blowing her nose on the pocket square he’d handed her. A Veronicas track and the party hubbub were more subdued out there.

  ‘Feeling any better?’ he asked, at last.

  Bridie slowly nodded, the end of her nose Rudolph-red. He’d draped his suit jacket over her shoulders when he saw her shivering earlier in her floaty pink dress despite the warm night. The glasses were gone.

  ‘So what happened?’ he pressed.

  As much as he’d told himself he shouldn’t get involved, that their relationship was as good as dead, he couldn’t walk away when she was upset. For better or worse, she’d got under his skin, and letting go wasn’t as easy as planned.

  Bridie shook her head. ‘You know how I was sent a picture of my ex in a “compromising position” on my wedding day? Well, he was actually in bed with two other women. And I just worked out the ladies were former colleagues of mine, here at this party. One was a good friend, or so I thought. She sent the picture to me, in effect, to kill the marriage and steal my job.’

  ‘For real?’ Cody’s h
ands clenched into fists. ‘Such nice people. Not.’ He hissed out air. ‘I saw your ex in the crowd before too. What a wanker.’

  ‘Rory’s a bit of a lost soul,’ Bridie conceded, scrunching up Cody’s navy-blue pocket square in her hand. ‘But mostly I’m just as mad at myself for being so stupid and naïve. For looking at the world through rose-tinted glasses.’ She let out a self-conscious laugh. ‘It really is taking my love of pink too far … Do you know who tipped off your agency about where I was hiding? My mother. My own greedy, self-serving mother.’

  Other descriptions for her relative sprang to mind, but Cody kept them to himself. ‘She sounds like a piece of work,’ he offered mildly.

  In no way did Bridie—sweet, innocent Bridie—deserve to be surrounded by such shithouse people. Deep down, he’d always known she was nothing like Paloma, that she’d just faced some challenging circumstances. The thing was allowing himself to accept that fact.

  He turned to face her. ‘There’s nothing wrong with you wanting to see the best in people, though. To be a glass half-full kind of girl. Just because you’ve come across some bad eggs, don’t lose that positive outlook. It just means you were raised right by your aunt and uncle.’

  Bridie shot him a soggy grin. ‘They were pretty good surrogate parents.’

  He pressed on. ‘Take it from me, having an open heart and being genuine is better than putting up barricades. I’ve realised a few things about myself recently. Like that I knew I could never find anything real—really real—in Hollywood. But by living that lifestyle, I could protect myself against the heartbreak of losing someone, like my dad did. I know now, though, that it’s true what they say. It’s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. As cliché as it sounds.’

  Bridie issued a wide-eyed nod. God, she was beautiful, and not in a fake Hollywood way. Her goodness almost seemed to shine out of her. Actually … He glanced behind. Countless guests had stopped to check their phones in unison, their devices glowing like fireflies in the night. That might have also aided Bridie’s luminescence. The scene reminded him of something out of Gossip Girl—Paloma had once had a bit part.

  ‘Think the word just got out about you coming out of hiding,’ he guessed.

  Bridie followed his gaze, slapping a hand to her mouth. ‘News really does travel fast.’

  ‘What did you end up saying in your statement?’

  Bridie put aside the pocket square and fiddled with her hands. ‘Um, I didn’t hang Rory out to dry or anything. Nothing had been confirmed yet anyway. I just said I realised I wasn’t really in love, that I was living a lie—’ she looked down, ‘—and that I’d met someone else. Someone I truly cared about. The exclusive in-depth interview will be out in Women’s Day on Monday, but they did say they’d plug it on their website in the lead-up.’

  Cody was still stuck back on three words she’d said earlier, adrenaline thundering through his veins. ‘Hold on. You met someone else?’

  Could there have been time for her to meet another guy after their fling, or … or—

  ‘Yeah, I met someone.’ Her chocolate-brown gaze held his. ‘You. I thought I’d take a risk, lay my heart on the line one more time. I know I just ran from a wedding and that you’re moving back to LA, that our fling was only meant to be just that, but I still had to give it a try. I still believe in love, in you. If anything, the whole debacle with Rory has made me clearer about what I really want in life and who I want to be with. And I don’t care that we’ve only known each other for a month, Cody Belshaw. I love you, and I’ve never been surer of anything else in my life.’

  Blood pumped through his veins, making him feel more alive than ever before. He reached to brush a strand of caramel hair from her shoulder, relishing the chance to make contact again, to break down the invisible walls.

  ‘Thank god you’re such a Pollyanna. You’ve opened my eyes since arriving here. I’ve tried to hold back from you, but you’re too bloody infectious. Not being able to be close to you this past week has been unbearable. I love you too, Bridie Porter.’

  Saying the words out loud felt unbelievable. Without another second’s delay, he swept her off the bench and into his arms, his jacket on her shoulders falling away. Then he kissed her like his life depended on it—which maybe it did—enjoying the feel of her lithe, fragrant body crushed against his. Nothing was more important in life than love. Ol’ Valentine had been on the money all along. Fireworks exploded overhead as if choreographed, but really they had Tilda’s bankcard to thank for them.

  While they still had to work through the finer details of their relationship, how they’d manage the distance thing, Cody was a happy man. It didn’t even matter how his meeting with Russ went tomorrow in deciding the property’s fate. The real loss he’d dodged was Bridie, and ensuring she stuck around.

  * * *

  ‘So the past month went fast,’ Russ remarked to Cody and his brothers from the other side of the desk in Goldlake’s library. ‘Or at least it feels like it to me.’

  Bridie was perched behind them all on the Chesterfield sofa at the Sunday morning meeting. Seeing as she’d been with the wedding business since the beginning, Cody didn’t think she should miss out on hearing Goldlake’s fate. Not that his brothers knew she and him were together yet. That was next on the agenda; her real identity had been enough news earlier.

  ‘Four weeks have flown by,’ Cody agreed with Russ. ‘In which time we’ve managed to host four weddings. A number Dad would have been happy with, particularly for our first month.’

  Russ held up a finger. ‘Not technically four weddings. One was a commitment ceremony and one a wedding vow renewal.’

  Cody leant forwards, indignation building in his chest, sensing his brothers’ silent encouragement. ‘They were still events we photographed right here on this property, and they still revolved around love, whatever the stupid law has to say.’ He stuck out his jaw, daring Russ to defy him. ‘Dad would have been proud, I reckon.’

  Russ fixed Cody with his own piercing-blue eyes. ‘What he might not have been so proud to hear about is you and your brothers’ plans to head back to LA, New York and wherever else now the month’s up. I may be getting old, but I’m not deaf.’

  Far out. The geezer was playing hardball. Like he actually wanted the place to go to the dogs.

  Cody levelled his gaze. ‘Well, you might have overheard something along those lines, but I have to tell you, things have changed. And I’m not just saying that. I’m planning to stay on in Balkissoch and continue Dad’s legacy. I know my brothers here might not want to join me and that’s fine. But I’ve since realised the wedding business is in my DNA, whether I like it or not. Whatever happens with this property, I’m not leaving town.’

  Vance glanced his way. ‘Actually I’ve been thinking about staying on too, weirdly. You kind of forget how much you miss the fresh air and wide, open spaces out here.’ He shot Cody and Jaxon a half-smile. ‘Okay, and you guys. Figure I can still follow my other photo passions in my own time.’

  Jaxon rubbed his hands together, his dark eyes gleaming. ‘Well, shit, you know I always wanted to make this work.’

  They all turned to look at Russ in unison, like true triplets.

  The old guy clasped his hands together on the desk and cleared his throat. ‘Well, I spoke to your father about his will before his passing and—’ The twinkle was back in Russ’s blue eyes, ‘—this was exactly the outcome he was hoping for. Of course you were always going to keep the property. He just prayed, with time, you’d fall in love with the wedding business and the idea of working together. Guess the gamble paid off, though he did put us all through hell and back first.’

  Cody mock-shook his fists at the ceiling. ‘Damn you, Valentine!’

  There were congratulatory high-fives and claps on the back all around, then Cody headed for the sofa where Bridie was wearing a dreamy expression. She shot up and into his arms, melting into his kiss. He’d already discussed his plans with he
r, of course, earlier on. And she was also happy to stay put.

  When they resurfaced, their arms still entangled, he found the other three gawking at them. ‘Didn’t I mention me and Bridie are an item now?’

  Jaxon threw back his head and laughed. ‘The Love Shack’s worked its magic again.’

  * * *

  Bridie jumped forwards in her oversized Santa sack, trying to outrun Cody, Vance and their young cousins in a race on Christmas morning. The lake sparkled enticingly to her left and festive tunes on the digital station, Elf Radio, filled the air. Megz, Aunt Raelene and Uncle Jim had returned for the festivities and were cheering all the racers on from the sidelines, among the hordes where the Belshaws’ side had gathered.

  Cody had said his dad would have wanted him and his brothers to continue the annual tradition of inviting the extended family over at Christmas. And it was exactly the kind of festive, family-filled birthday Bridie had always dreamed of. She continued jumping, the oxygen zinging through her lungs and the smile etched onto her face.

  Halfway to the finish line, which Jaxon was keeping a watchful eye on, Bridie felt muscular arms wrap around her waist, tackling her to the ground. Sandalwood cologne drifted up her nose.

  ‘I could have won,’ Bridie protested, rolling away from Cody’s grip as the other racers flew past. Her Santa sack was now tangled around her ankles.

  ‘I never said the Belshaw Christmas games were fair,’ Cody teased as the cheering upped in volume. Sitting up, he pointed ahead. ‘Look, young Amelia won and you have to admit the grin on her dial is priceless.’

  Bridie sat up too, following his gaze. ‘Okay, maybe you’re right.’

  While everyone was distracted, she seized the chance to kiss Cody on the lips. As she was enjoying losing herself in the sensation, something thunked on her head. Vance being cheeky? She pulled away, but no-one was looking on, laughing.

  A little wooden reindeer, however, lay at the end of her sack. Bridie reached for the old-fashioned, prettily painted ornament. ‘I wondered what hit me. This must have fallen off the tree Jaxon decorated.’