guy for you?”
“If I’d had doubts, I wouldn’t have married him,” Juni said. “Doubts are like the waves. They come back again and again, until they wear you down and you’re drowning in them. This is bad for a marriage.”
“I agree,” he said.
“Why do you ask a question like this? Is it because you are in love with Miss Serena?”
Ryan gasped. “Why would you think that?”
“It is quite clear. I can see it on your face when you look at her. But this is a dangerous game you play. She will break your heart. She is promised to another man.”
“What if she decides not to marry him?”
“And what if she does marry him?”
Arthur walked back into the kitchen, putting an end to their conversation. “It is all arranged. You will meet my friend at his shop in Nadi. Here is a map to help you find your way.”
“Where are you going?”
Ryan looked up to see Serena standing in the doorway. Her hair was windblown, and the color was high on her cheeks. He hadn’t expected her to be up and about so early. “Good morning,” he said.
She tipped her head, then sent him a shy smile. “Good morning, Quinn.”
“Can I get you coffee or tea, miss?” Juni asked.
“Tea, please,” she said. “Earl Grey tea, if you have it.” Serena took a spot on the opposite side of the table. “You’ve made plans for today, Quinn?”
“I was going to go surfing. Arthur says there are some good reef breaks off Nadi. I thought I’d check them out.”
“I’ve always wanted to learn how to surf,” Serena said.
“These breaks are not for you, miss,” Arthur said. “Very dangerous and only for experts. Try the beach break at Sigatoka. My oldest son learned to surf there.”
Ryan met her gaze. The temptation was too great to ignore, and this was the job he’d promised Perry he’d do. “Do you want to go?”
She tipped her chin up and nodded. “Yes, I would like to go, if you’d like to teach me.”
“I could do that,” Ryan said.
“Then, I’ll see if any of the others want to come along, as well. If not, we can leave right away.”
Ryan nodded. “Arthur, can you draw me another map? And cancel that boat.”
Arthur nodded. “Let me get the surfboards out. There is a rack for the top of the van.”
“We’ll probably take the Jeep,” Ryan said, well familiar with Serena’s bridesmaids.
Ryan and Arthur spent the next half hour setting up the rack and waxing the boards. By the time Serena returned, they were nearly ready to leave. Ryan hadn’t expected Serena would be able to convince anyone to accompany her, so he was surprised when Cecily appeared at her side.
“Just you two?” Ryan asked.
“Yes, just us,” Serena said. She hopped in the backseat of the Jeep and left the front seat to Cecily.
Ryan got behind the wheel. “Have you ever surfed before, Cecily?”
“Once,” she said. “I nearly drowned. It was a nightmare.”
“Really. And you want to try again?”
“No,” she said. “But Serena insisted that one of us come along, and I lost.”
Ryan glanced in the rearview mirror and caught Serena’s gaze. “Well, I won’t let you drown. And you may have fun. I’m an excellent teacher.”
“I think I’ll stay on the beach and watch,” Cecily said.
“Come on,” Serena said. “You have to give it a try, Ceci. Miles is going to come by later to take photos. Who knows, you could end up in
Us Weekly.
”
“I suppose I could try,” she said. “But I’m not going to get my hair wet. I paid seven hundred dollars for these highlights, and I don’t want the seawater to ruin them.”
Ryan smiled and winked at Serena. “That’s the spirit,” he said. “You’ll love it, I promise.”
A few minutes later, they were speeding along the coastal highway, headed into Nadi. Ryan wondered what was going through Serena’s mind. Was she really interested in surfing, or did she want to spend the day with him and this was her way of keeping her end of the deal? He glanced back
“If I’d had doubts, I wouldn’t have married him,” Juni said. “Doubts are like the waves. They come back again and again, until they wear you down and you’re drowning in them. This is bad for a marriage.”
“I agree,” he said.
“Why do you ask a question like this? Is it because you are in love with Miss Serena?”
Ryan gasped. “Why would you think that?”
“It is quite clear. I can see it on your face when you look at her. But this is a dangerous game you play. She will break your heart. She is promised to another man.”
“What if she decides not to marry him?”
“And what if she does marry him?”
Arthur walked back into the kitchen, putting an end to their conversation. “It is all arranged. You will meet my friend at his shop in Nadi. Here is a map to help you find your way.”
“Where are you going?”
Ryan looked up to see Serena standing in the doorway. Her hair was windblown, and the color was high on her cheeks. He hadn’t expected her to be up and about so early. “Good morning,” he said.
She tipped her head, then sent him a shy smile. “Good morning, Quinn.”
“Can I get you coffee or tea, miss?” Juni asked.
“Tea, please,” she said. “Earl Grey tea, if you have it.” Serena took a spot on the opposite side of the table. “You’ve made plans for today, Quinn?”
“I was going to go surfing. Arthur says there are some good reef breaks off Nadi. I thought I’d check them out.”
“I’ve always wanted to learn how to surf,” Serena said.
“These breaks are not for you, miss,” Arthur said. “Very dangerous and only for experts. Try the beach break at Sigatoka. My oldest son learned to surf there.”
Ryan met her gaze. The temptation was too great to ignore, and this was the job he’d promised Perry he’d do. “Do you want to go?”
She tipped her chin up and nodded. “Yes, I would like to go, if you’d like to teach me.”
“I could do that,” Ryan said.
“Then, I’ll see if any of the others want to come along, as well. If not, we can leave right away.”
Ryan nodded. “Arthur, can you draw me another map? And cancel that boat.”
Arthur nodded. “Let me get the surfboards out. There is a rack for the top of the van.”
“We’ll probably take the Jeep,” Ryan said, well familiar with Serena’s bridesmaids.
Ryan and Arthur spent the next half hour setting up the rack and waxing the boards. By the time Serena returned, they were nearly ready to leave. Ryan hadn’t expected Serena would be able to convince anyone to accompany her, so he was surprised when Cecily appeared at her side.
“Just you two?” Ryan asked.
“Yes, just us,” Serena said. She hopped in the backseat of the Jeep and left the front seat to Cecily.
Ryan got behind the wheel. “Have you ever surfed before, Cecily?”
“Once,” she said. “I nearly drowned. It was a nightmare.”
“Really. And you want to try again?”
“No,” she said. “But Serena insisted that one of us come along, and I lost.”
Ryan glanced in the rearview mirror and caught Serena’s gaze. “Well, I won’t let you drown. And you may have fun. I’m an excellent teacher.”
“I think I’ll stay on the beach and watch,” Cecily said.
“Come on,” Serena said. “You have to give it a try, Ceci. Miles is going to come by later to take photos. Who knows, you could end up in
Us Weekly.
”
“I suppose I could try,” she said. “But I’m not going to get my hair wet. I paid seven hundred dollars for these highlights, and I don’t want the seawater to ruin them.”
Ryan smiled and winked at Serena. “That’s the spirit,” he said. “You’ll love it, I promise.”
A few minutes later, they were speeding along the coastal highway, headed into Nadi. Ryan wondered what was going through Serena’s mind. Was she really interested in surfing, or did she want to spend the day with him and this was her way of keeping her end of the deal? He glanced back
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