Day 7: Saturday
As Vanessa exited the cab and walked through the main entrance of the Mau Loa, she felt like the worst worst best friend in the history of worst best friends. She’d called Lucie and ditched the rehearsal dinner last night because she couldn’t deal with seeing Jackson. She knew he’d try to talk to her, and she wouldn’t have any way to escape without making a scene.
In fact, she’d just barely escaped him at her hotel yesterday afternoon. The guy who worked the front desk third shift told her the girl who worked before him mentioned a guy calling in to ask for a Vanessa MacGregor and a bunch of other names he thought might be aliases. Good thing she’d used something totally off the wall or he may have found her.
So her plan was to show up at the last possible minute, get through the wedding, and get shit-faced drunk with Fritz and her friends Eric and Kyle at the reception. She was calling it Operation Avoid Jax (At All Costs Because He Has the Power To Utterly Destroy My Resolve, Not to Mention Completely Shatter My Heart).
Okay, so the title was a little lengthy, but it was also more than a little accurate.
Passing the front desk, she noted Jillian wasn’t working. Happy, smiley, exotically beautiful Jillian. Vanessa bet she wasn’t a neurotic mess when it came to relationships. She probably charmed men with her customer service smile and took everything in stride, rule-free.
Vanessa took a turn down the hallway on the right toward the wing with the ballroom and bridal suite. Her palms grew damp and her heart beat a staccato rhythm behind her ribs. She prayed Jax wouldn’t be in the next hallway waiting to pounce. Another twenty feet…ten feet…five…taking a deep breath and holding it, she rounded the corner…
Her heart sank. No Jax.
Wait, her heart wasn’t supposed to sink. It should be buoyant. Like, super-mega-extra buoyant. Stupid heart, get with the damn program. Before she did something truly stupid, like knock on the groom’s room to the left and ask to speak with him, she opened the door to the bridal suite, slipped inside, and closed it with her back like the hounds of hell were on her heels.
“Nessie!”
She caught Lucie’s gaze in the vanity mirror, mid-application of moisturizer, in the back of the room. Surprise melted into joy on her friend’s face before the dark-haired woman spun on the padded bench and launched across the space. Vanessa met her in the middle and embraced her for several long moments.
“Lucie, I’m so sorry.”
Lucie pulled back and held Vanessa’s shoulders. “Stop. You don’t have to apologize. What matters is that you’re here now.”
“Well, hello, Vanessa.”
Looking past Lucie, Vanessa found a very stern-faced Robért dressed in white, cradling a clipboard in one arm and rocking a pencil in the air between his first and second fingers of the other hand. It wasn’t until that moment that she realized the jig was up. She’d been so wrapped up in her own shit, she’d forgotten all about the switcheroo they’d pulled on Robért.
“Uh, what are you doing here? I thought you couldn’t make it.” That’s it. Avoid the real issue. You’re good at that.
“Oh, that?” He waved his hand dismissively. “Turns out instead of renewing their vows, that couple decided to get divorced. So my friend was able to cover for me after all. Imagine my surprise when I showed up for rehearsal to find an entirely new bride and groom.”
She placed a hand on her forehead. Whether it was to make sure the rise in temperature she felt wasn’t actually a fever or to brace herself for the headache that was surely on its way, she wasn’t certain. “Jesus, Robért, I’m sorry. I never wanted to deceive—”
A huge smile broke over his face. “Honey, please, I don’t care if you pretended to be as many people as Cybil had personalities. I’d still rather work with people like you over ninety-nine percent of my clientele. Jackson already spoke to me and took full responsibility. Now get over here.”
Relieved, she did as ordered and stepped into his arms for one of their customary hugs. Then a flurry of let’s get readys had them scurrying to their separate vanities. They only had about an hour before the sunset ceremony.
A knock sounded at the door, pulling Vanessa’s stomach into her throat, until she heard, “Girl coming in!”
Jilli strode in pulling a rolling carry-on behind her and wearing a simple white sundress and her ever-present Employee of the Month smile. “Hui, everyone!”
Lucie and Robért greeted her with a “Hi, Jilli” and “Hui, girl” respectively as Vanessa blurted out, “What are you doing here?”
Real nice, MacGregor. Could you be more of a bitch, maybe? Her cheeks flushed and she muttered her third apology of the day.