“All the expected deliveries have arrived,” Helene says, as composed as always. “The officiant as well. I believe the ceremony furnishings have been assembled. You can be assured everything has been handled.”
Except for your boss, by me, I can’t help thinking. “Good,” I say. “Thank you.”
Helene offers a tip of her head and a soft smile as I turn to go. “My best wishes to your friend.” She sounds like she means it.
There. If even Helene is rooting for Brooke, this day has to go off without a hitch.
I return to find Brooke pacing. At least her jitters seem to be more eager anticipation than anxious nerves now. “Chocolate or almonds?” I hold up the snacks I stashed. “Or, best of all, chocolate almonds? Super emotional moments plus an empty stomach is a bad combo.”
“Okay, okay.” She points at the bag of almonds. “I feel like I’m already stuffed full.”
“As long as it’s with happiness, we’re good,” I say. She gives my hand a brief squeeze.
While she snacks, I consult my phone once more. I’ve had it on silent, but no new messages have come in anyway. I suppress a frown. I’d better be seeing you soon, I tap in. Groomsmen aren’t allowed to get cold feet. Wink.
Still, I can’t help feeling a tremor of nerves. What is Will doing right now? Hopefully Trevor didn’t pull a Brooke, and have any second thoughts about this.
“Is it time yet?” Lulu bobs on her feet. Her glued-on heel has been holding up so far, I note with some satisfaction.
“Five more minutes,” I report.
The ceremony is being held on one of the property’s few stretches of manicured grounds: a trimmed lawn toward the north end of the beach. Ribbons festoon the trees along the path that leads us there. We huddle up by the side of the archway where the procession will start. Brooke’s dad is already waiting there. His eyes light up when he sees her, and her cheeks turn pink. He kisses one of them and hugs her close.
“My little girl.”
“Oh, Dad,” Brooke says. “Don’t start. I can’t be crying before I even get to the altar.”
He chuckles and hugs her again before letting go.
Will ambles up to the other side of the archway. My heart leaps at the sight of him. He’s here, everything is fine. He is fine, in more ways than one. I like him best rumpled and coming undone, but he still cuts an awfully striking figure with his dark hair slicked back and that gorgeous body decked out in a formal suit. Excuse me while I fan myself.
Brad is up front waiting with Trevor, but Will and Colin, who’s just behind him, will be walking up paired with Maggie and Lulu. Will heads straight to Maggie with a smile and a word of greeting . . . and without so much as a glance at me.
The flutter in my chest dulls. I angle my head to try to catch his eye, but it’s as if I’m invisible to him.
Something’s wrong.
My stomach clenches, but I don’t have time to push the issue. The music that’s our cue is lilting through the air. Brooke sucks in a sharp breath.
I focus all my attention back on her. “You’re good. You’re beautiful. You’re going to rock this.” I give her full skirt one last smoothing and tuck an errant strand of her hair back into its pin.
“Thank you,” she says, her eyes glittering despite what she said to her dad. I know she means not just for right now, but for last night too.
“Any time,” I say. Colin and Lulu pass under the archway. I glance at Will again as he and Maggie follow, but his gaze is fixed straight ahead. Maybe he doesn’t want to distract from the ceremony with any overt flirting?
But he didn’t even say hello.
I ignore the dull panic inside and fix a bright smile on my face as I head down the aisle next. The decor the resort arranged makes it easy to smile. Chains of flowers line the aisle and bloom across the larger arch behind the altar. The sun is still beaming down, its warmth offset by a light ocean breeze. It’s the perfect day for a wedding—and Brooke is the perfect bride. The sunlight sparks off the tiny crystals woven into her gown. She glows as she walks down the aisle arm in arm with her dad. My breath catches. She looks spectacular.
She takes her place in front of Trevor. A brilliant grin stretches across her face as she looks into his face. He grins back, and I know with total certainty that I did the right thing last night.
These two belong together.
“We are here today to honor the devotion these two people offer to each other,” the officiant begins. He keeps his talk short and sweet. Then Brooke and Trevor say the vows they prepared.
“I know that with you by my side, I’ll be the happiest and the best person I could possibly be,” Trevor says at the end of his. Brooke blinks hard, and my eyes start to tear up too. I can’t help it—my gaze slips past them to the line of groomsmen. To Will.
He makes me the happiest, best person I am.
The thought slips into my mind, and I have to push it back.
“You may kiss the bride!” the officiant says. Brooke throws her arm around Trevor’s neck to pull him in. The guests in their rows of seats cheer. Then everyone hustles over to congratulate the newly marrieds. As I step aside after hugs and gushing, I notice Will has drifted off to the side of the crowd.
My nerves jitter as I walk over. “Hey,” I say brightly. “Wasn’t that a gorgeous ceremony?”
“Lovely,” Will replies. His tone is as emotionless as his face.
I swallow hard. What the hell is going on? It’s as if someone stole the hot-blooded man who was groaning my praises less than twenty-four hours ago and replaced him with a cold metal robot.
“Last night,” I say, “there was just so much going on, I really couldn’t get away—”
His shrug cuts me off. “It’s not important. What’s one more hook-up, or not?”
Something about his phrasing sends a prickle down my spine. “I did want to meet up with you. We can still—”
He shakes his head, already taking a step away. His eyes are blank, like he doesn’t even know me. Or care. “Really, don’t worry about it, Ruby. There’s no future here anyway, right? You had a little fun, and now you can move on. I wish you well.”
He walks away before I can even say a word, leaving me frozen there in shock.
No future. Had a little fun.
His heartless words sink in, and I realize in a terrible flash, that’s exactly what I said to Brooke last night.
A chill washes over me. Oh my God. I thought I saw Will outside. It must have been him. He must have come by, maybe even looking for me, and heard me saying all those things to her—that he was just a fling. That it wasn’t real. Talking as if what we’d been doing together hasn’t meant anything to me at all.
I watch Will mingle. He’s got a wide smile, but I know him better than that. He’s tense: his shoulders rigid, and his jaw clenched as he talks.
He thinks I don’t care about him, and it couldn’t be further from the truth.
Chapter Twenty-Five