When he looked like he was about to strike up a conversation, Lizzie leapt in front of him, pushing a finger to his lips and a hand onto his chest. His pecs felt like rocks, even with a crisp layer of white cotton stretched across them, and when he parted his lips, she wished she’d planted her mouth there instead of a single finger. He didn’t miss the flare in her eyes and he took a step closer. Damn it if there wasn’t a sudden gleam in his.
‘I’m just helping Anna with a…a wardrobe malfunction.’ She pushed him backwards. ‘Girl stuff. We’ll be back out there in a minute.’
‘Hey Dan.’ Lizzie wondered where Anna had found the cheery voice so quickly, but she didn’t turn to face him.
Dan checked his watch. ‘Lizzie, you don’t have a minute. I’ve been looking for you everywhere.’ He encircled her waist with his big hands, pulling her close. His lips were a breath away from hers. ‘Let’s go.’ His hands were so strong around her that it felt like he might pick her up and actually drag her away.
How Neanderthal, she thought. How goddamn sexy.
‘Why have you been looking for me? What’s happened?’
His sexy eyes answered her with a smile and a cocked eyebrow and he pulled her so close her breasts squeezed up against him, hardening her nipples. ‘What do you think? I’m here to drag you away from this circus so we can be alone.’
‘Now?’
He suddenly laughed and his eyes crinkled adorably in the corners. ‘I’m joking, Lizzie. While that is a brilliant idea, and one I definitely want to do something about later, we’re in the middle of a wedding celebration here and I have certain best man obligations.’ Dan’s hands moved from her waist to her wrists, sliding down to entangle his fingers with hers. The simple move had her belly tumble-turning.
‘Ry and Julia want us down on the beach for the happy snaps.’ He checked his watch. ‘Five minutes ago. And you’d better come now or Ry will start at Julia with the bridezilla gags again.’
Lizzie shot him a knowing smile. ‘Give me two minutes. I’m sure I need new lipstick.’ His eyes flickered to her lips and he leaned down, crushed them with a wet kiss.
‘They probably do now,’ she managed to say. ‘Two minutes. Go.’
Dan gave her hands a quick squeeze and before turning to go, called to Anna. ‘You owe me a dance, Anna. Don’t leave before I get it.’
When the door closed and it was quiet again, Anna dropped her handbag with a thud on the tile and met Lizzie’s reflection in the mirror.
‘Thanks,’ she said with sad eyes.
‘Will you be okay? I’d better go.’
Anna sighed, finding some strength. ‘I’ll be fine.’
‘Good. Dancing helps, you know. With the broken heart thing. Especially disco.’
Anna laughed, finally.
‘And so does Middle Point. With the broken heart thing, I mean. Think about it.’
Anna hesitated, then reached out to rest her hand on Lizzie’s arm, gave it a firm squeeze. ‘Thanks for this. I really appreciate it.’
‘You’ll be okay, I know you will.’
Anna nodded, crossed her arms under her breasts. ‘About Dan.’
Lizzie nibbled at her lip. ‘What about him?’
‘You don’t need me to tell you, do you, how he feels about you?’
Lizzie didn’t know what to say. In the middle of what she was going through, Anna was thinking of Dan’s happiness. And a woman she’d met twice and barely knew. Lizzie decided her first hunch about Anna had been right. She could really get to like this woman.
Anna smiled and held a hand to her heart. ‘Dan is truly one of the best guys I know. Please believe that I’ve wanted nothing more than for him to find the happiness he deserves. And he’s found it, Lizzie. I hope he’s the one to make you happy, I really do.’
Lizzie couldn’t help herself. She threw her arms around Anna and held her tight.
An hour later, Lizzie had face ache from smiling. Watching Ry and Julia pose and walk along the beach for their wedding photos had her beaming with happiness for them. Now, the official wedding party was back up at the pub and the reception was officially underway, which meant Lizzie’s bridesmaid duties were almost over. She loved the way The Market had turned out, decorated like a Hawaiian luau. Paper lanterns lit with tiny globes hung from the white canvas market umbrellas, each shading tables and chairs. The waiting staff, all young men, were clad in brightly coloured boardshorts and white singlet tops, plastic floral leis about their necks. They were also decorated with handsome smiles and deep tans, which didn’t go unnoticed by the guests of female and gay persuasion.
Everyone seemed relaxed. Except Lizzie. She was still teetering on the edge of a nervous explosion and she blamed Dan totally. They’d been circling each other like sharks for the whole evening and Lizzie wondered how all this crushing tension would resolve itself. It had to resolve itself or she feared she might burst into flames.
She sank back against the sandstone wall of the pub and looked around, realising there was one thing she could be proud of. Chilled champagne tickled her tongue and the laughter and happy sounds of the crowd wafted over her. Her staff had really come through with the look of the venue and she was so proud of them. The Market looked exactly like a perfect location for future beachside weddings. Her mind began to click into overtime and she made a mental note.
Joe sidled up next to her, nudging her with his shoulder. ‘Nice work, Mosquito.’
She nudged him right back with her hip. ‘Thanks, Stinkface.’
He glanced around the party, trying to appear vague and slightly disinterested. ‘Did you find the crying woman? Is she okay?’
Lizzie shot him a teasing look. ‘You mean a big-time Sydney investigative journalist like yourself, who practically noticed her shoe size, didn’t actually find out her name? Your game is slipping, Joe.’
He didn’t rise to the bait, which Lizzie found curious. Joe’s voice dropped to serious. ‘So, is she all right?’
Lizzie considered the question. She didn’t know Anna very well, barely at all, but she had a feeling about her. ‘She will be,’ Lizzie said, nodding. ‘Perhaps you can find out yourself when you ask her to dance later.’
Joe almost snorted his champagne. ‘When I what?’
‘When you dance with her. For a very good reason, which I can’t go into right now, she needs to have fun tonight. Frankly, so do you. You’ve been a misery guts since you came back to Middle Point. And while I totally understand why, I think you are in desperate need of some no-strings-attached fun.’
Joe stared at her for a moment, looked as if he might be considering it, then slowly shook his head. ‘Nope, not me Mosquito. I don’t need to dance. And anyway, I’m not really in the headspace to make small talk with a woman.’ Even as he was talking to his sister, he scanned the crowd.
Lizzie blew out a breath. ‘For God’s sake, Joe. I’m not suggesting you launch into a discussion about the size of the Federal deficit. It’s just dancing. Do it for me, if not for yourself.’
He looked down at her suspiciously. ‘Okay. For you.’
‘Thanks. Of course, I understand what a burden it is to have to dance with Anna.’
Joe’s eyes flicked back to his sister. ‘That’s her name? Anna?’
Lizzie simply nodded and enjoyed seeing her brother shift entirely out of his comfort zone. The little sister in her liked that a whole lot.
Joe took another sip of his champagne. ‘Okay, I’ll find her and ask her to dance. Later. Hey, I should have said, but I didn’t. You look pretty good in that dress, Lizzie.’
Her mouth dropped open in shock. Two compliments from Stinkface? He was mellowing in his old age. ‘Thanks Joe.’
‘Julia seems happy as a pig in the proverbial.’ They glanced over to the bride and groom, who were moving between groups of friends, giving and receiving kisses and congratulations. ‘Ry does, too.’
‘You’re not going to say something cynical here to ruin this moment, are you?�
�� Lizzie sighed. ‘Don’t turn into the journalist you, Joe. I want to enjoy this moment. Look at them, and how happy they are. No matter what happens after this, they’ve had today.’
Joe nudged her gently with his elbow. ‘What about you? You want all this one day?’
Lizzie shot him a sideways look. ‘Now you’re being sentimental instead of cynical?’
‘I don’t know if cynical sits well on me anymore.’ Joe shrugged his shoulders. ‘Hell, maybe I’m just older and wiser. I think being back here in Middle Point, in my reduced circumstances if you will, has done something to me. It feels like I’ve shifted gears or something. This place gets under your skin, strips away your bullshit, don’t you reckon?’
‘Yeah, I do. Funny that it’s taken so many years for you to understand that.’
Joe turned to look at his sister with serious eyes. ‘And I’ve realised something, since I’ve been back here. Watching you. Where’s your shot at all this, Lizzie?’
She swallowed. ‘My shot?’
‘You deserve to have a slice of this action, more than anyone I know. If you happen to find it, it’s knock-your-socks-off, the best thing in the world. If you’re lucky and you get it right, the person you marry becomes your reason for getting up every morning and your reason for going to bed every night.’
Lizzie tried to blink away fresh tears. She realised this was probably the most honest conversation she’d ever had with Joe. They’d never had deep and meaningfuls with each other, either as children or as adults, despite all the loss they’d shared. Their way of coping with disease and disappointment and death was by not talking about them. Maybe that’s where Lizzie had learned that particular skill.
‘You had it and look what happened to you.’
‘Just because I got it wrong, Lizzie, and our mother got it spectacularly wrong, doesn’t mean you will. You deserve your chance.’
Lizzie wiped a tear, linked her arm through Joe’s, and rested her head against his arm. ‘Who the hell are you and what have you done with my brother?’
He chuckled. ‘Look at everyone here. I think that despite our differences, deep down, people are all the same. Don’t we all want the happy-ever-after ending to be real?’
Her gaze, uncannily and automatically, found Dan. He was sitting at a table, across from Barbra and Harri. The flicker of candlelight danced across his face, and his dazzling smile was turned up full-bore to flirt with the two grand dames. As if he could sense her, he turned. Everyone and everything around Lizzie seemed to blur and all she could hear was her heartbeat in her ears. A teasing breeze cooled her burning cheeks and she could smell coffee. She watched him, shivered as he became aware of her attention, and she slowly let her eyes drift from his eyes to his mouth and down to his chest.
He stood up, so tall he had to crouch down under the market umbrella, and then he walked towards her, so handsome in that dinner shirt, his long-limbed stride commanding every bit of her attention.
Joe took his cue. ‘I’ll go find Anna.’
Then Dan was next to her, inches away. ‘Lizzie,’ he murmured, leaning in to press his lips to her cheek.
‘Dan,’ she said, shivering, clasping her hands together so they didn’t reach out to him. She wasn’t sure what they might do.
His eyes roamed over her and every single nerve ending in her body felt on the verge of exploding. ‘That dress. Not bad.’ He lifted a hand slowly and stroked her blonde hair, his fingers dancing across the top of her ear as he liked to do. ‘You look unbelievable.’ His voice was low and gruff.
She wanted him so much. ‘Not so bad yourself.’ How many kinds of handsome was he now, she wondered? Eleven? Perhaps twelve?
His dark eyes flashed and a hand was on her shoulder, the pressure sending heat through the fabric of her dress and right through to her skin.
‘Damn it, Elizabeth. I’ve tried to be patient.’ He leaned down to whisper in her ear. ‘But I’m done. I’m done waiting for you to need me.’
CHAPTER
31
Lizzie looked like she was about to choke. Her baby blues flew open and so did her mouth. That luscious red-lipsticked mouth that had been taunting him all night. Hell, what was he talking about? That mouth had been taunting him since the first time they’d ever met.
‘You’re…done?’ she stammered.
‘As soon as we’re finished here, with the rest of the wedding stuff we have to do, I need to see you. Alone.’
Lizzie lifted her chin high and looked him directly in the eyes. Her smile had vanished and her lips were pulled together in a line. Her eyes had turned a different colour, the palest grey maybe, and it threw him.
‘I need to talk to you too, Dan. I need to tell you—’
Whatever she’d been about to say went unfinished, as Joe had appeared by her side again, slapping Dan’s shoulder like they were players on the same football team.
‘Sorry to cut in here, Lizzie, but Ry wants to get the speeches underway. I think he’s keen to get on with the honeymoon portion of the festivities, if you know what I mean. He sent me over here to drag you away from my sister. You set to go, Dan?’
Lizzie’s eyes flicked from Dan to Joe and back to Dan.
‘Yeah, I’m good,’ Dan told Joe as he stepped back from Lizzie. ‘First dance. With me. It’s part of my duty as best man. And after that? I want the last dance. Just for me.’
Dan held the microphone, tapped it a couple of times, rock-star style, to make sure it was turned on, and took a sip of the champagne he was gripping in his other hand. He told himself it was purely for decoration, not there to calm his nerves or anything like that. He’d never been big on the whole public speaking thing, so he’d tried not to think about it too much before today. He’d kind of hoped Ry might change his mind and ditch the speeches, since the whole wedding seemed kind of low-key and non-traditional. But no, Ry had insisted. So now Dan found himself standing before fifty wedding guests in the middle of The Market behind the Middle Point pub on a Saturday night, winging it. Big time.
‘Ladies and gentlemen…and Ry.’ Dan took a deep breath. Open with a gag, he’d remembered someone say once. So far, so good. ‘Welcome everyone. I believe one of my officially listed duties as best man is to thank you all for coming. This is an amazing day for my best friend and frankly, the luckiest damn day of his life. Don’t you all agree?’ Another laugh. Excellent. Dan took another sip, tried to relax.
‘My second official duty is to propose a toast to the bridesmaids.’ He found Lizzie, standing at the front of the gathering, damned gorgeous in that movie star dress. She looked back at him, so beautiful that he had to shake off the feeling that they were the only two people in the place. The only two people in Middle Point. Maybe the only two people in the universe.
‘Except in this wedding, there is only one.’
And then the words that had been right there, on the tip of his tongue, vanished. He chuckled, tried to make light of his stumble. He blinked. His two seconds of hesitation became five and then longer. When he glanced from face to face, scanning the people in the crowd he knew – Lizzie, Ry, Julia, Barbra, Joe, Harri – he became painfully aware that the chatting had stopped and that a deafening silence had descended over the party. All he could hear was the distant crashing of the waves on the beach and his heartbeat in his chest as if through a stethoscope. Everyone was watching him, waiting.
And then he felt it. The acceleration in his chest cavity was on its way to becoming a pounding and he gulped in a lungful of air to fight it off. He exhaled slowly and sucked in another. This can’t be happening now. Dan’s fingers gripped tight on the mike and he cleared his throat. The laughter had left people’s faces, replaced by furtive glances, furrowed brows and concern.
He felt it before he heard anything above the noise in his head. Someone was next to him; a gentle arm was about his waist, pulling him close. The scent of fresh flowers. The soft curves of a body he knew, had dreamed about.
Elizabeth.
She prised the microphone out of his grip and smiled up at him like nothing whatsoever had happened.
‘Ladies and gentlemen,’ she began, and turned her attention to the guests. ‘Since this is not the most traditional of weddings, I figure I can butt in right here and mix things up a little bit. You don’t mind, do you, Jools?’
‘Take it away, Lizzie!’ Julia shouted happily and next to her, Ry smacked a noisy kiss on his wife’s cheek.
‘As most of you know, the road to wedded bliss has been a long and winding one for Ry and Julia. They did, after all, take a decade and a half to realise they were made for each other. And when they finally decided to get their act together and get hitched, did they do it in Melbourne, where Julia lived after she left Middle Point?’
Lizzie cupped her hand to her ear, waiting for a response.
‘Hate the place!’ Ry shouted.
‘Or up in Adelaide in a fancy cathedral with an elaborate ceremony and a big meringue of a wedding dress? Nope. Jools chose to wear her mother’s wedding dress and they’ve done it right here in a pub in the sleepy-but-we-wouldn’t-have-it-any-other-way coastal town of Middle Point.’ Lizzie waited as the crowd hooted and cheered. ‘I’m sure you all agree with me that it just feels…right… for them to do this here. Don’t you think?’
Lizzie had the crowd in the palm of her hand. Dan was in awe of her. The crowd lit up as she told the story. He lifted an arm around Lizzie’s shoulders and tucked her into him. She snuggled into the space it made and he could finally breathe again.
‘So, with all that in mind, I would like to propose a toast to…’ She turned her face up to him. ‘To the best man, Dan McSwaine.’ Her blue eyes slayed him and he found himself speechless for the second time in two minutes. But this time, it wasn’t from fear.
Ry’s shout of ‘Woo hoo’ was heard above every other cheering voice in the crowd.
‘I don’t know if everyone here knows, but Dan helped make The Market what it is today. We worked on this project together for a month and it looks absolutely gorgeous.’ Dan squeezed her shoulder and gazed down at her.
Someone Like You Page 29