appeared.
‘Did U bring work?’
She sipped her drink and looked at her phone a moment before answering:
‘Yes.’
Seemed he wasn’t put off by her one-word texts, because the next one appeared a moment later.
‘Not allowed. This weekend is about having fun.’
Fun and Jake …? A shiver tingled down her spine. He was a man who definitely knew how to have fun. She texted back:
‘Is she a blonde?’
‘I have a certain brunette in mind. Meet me downstairs 4 a drink.’
The shiver spread to her limbs.
‘Spending evening with sister. Remember her? 2moro’s bride.’
She switched her phone off, shoved it back in her pocket.
‘Who are you texting?’
‘Jake.’ She threw Stella an accusatory glance.
‘Anything wrong?’
‘He asked me to meet him for a drink.’ She felt Stella’s gaze and looked away, out over the darkening valley and the gold-rimmed purple clouds in the distance.
‘Something you’re not telling me, here?’ Stella asked behind her.
‘No.’ She had the niggling feeling she was being set up by her sister.
‘Jake likes women, but he’s a good guy. Nothing like the love rat. He’s not into commitment right now and, as you’ve clearly pointed out, neither are you … so are you going?’
‘Of course not.’ She turned around and met her sister’s scrutiny full-on. Stella had a half-smile on her lips, as if she didn’t quite believe her. Emma glared back. ‘This is our last night together—you and me.’ And she wanted to place some orders and research some alternative suppliers on her laptop at some stage.
‘Well, I’m going to have a long soak in that to-die-for spa tub.’ Stella rose, collected their glasses and walked towards the door. ‘I won’t miss you for an hour or so if you want to change your mind.’
‘Nope.’ Emma followed her in. ‘I’ve got my music to keep me company.’ So much for placing orders. Right now she couldn’t remember a single item she needed, and music seemed a more soothing option.
The hotel’s phone rang as Emma closed the balcony’s glass doors and Stella stretched out on her bed to pick up. ‘This is the bride’s room,’ she announced, with a bounce in her voice. ‘You’re speaking to the bride, who’s just about to enjoy her own candlelit spa bath.’ She grinned over at Emma, then rolled onto her back, listening to whoever was on the other end of the phone. ‘Uh-huh. In the lobby. Ten minutes. Okay.’
Emma’s pulse blipped. She sat on her own bed and unravelled her earphones. ‘No.’
‘But it’s Ryan.’ She hugged the phone to her chest. ‘The guys had Chinese take-out and he has a fortune cookie for me—isn’t that sweet of him?’
‘It’s not sweet, Stell, it’s subterfuge.’ Emma lay back and closed her eyes. ‘Jake put him up to this, and I’ll bet you your fortune cookie that it’s Jake, not Ryan, down there.’
‘Please, Em. You have to go to make sure. I can’t see him now before the ceremony. It’s bad luck.’
‘And Ryan would
know
that.’
‘Pleeease?’
‘Fine,’ she huffed, and sat up, clipping her iPod to her jacket.
‘She said fine,’ Stella told her caller, and hung up then grinned. ‘Thanks, bridesmaid.’
Emma grabbed an elastic band from the nightstand and dragged her hair back into a tight ponytail. ‘Only for you, and only because it’s your wedding day tomorrow. Then I’m going for a run.’
‘Take your time,’ she heard Stella call as Emma let herself out of the room and headed for the stairs.
Jake disconnected with a satisfied grin. ‘You don’t need me for a while, do you, Ry? She said yes.’
Ryan was stretched out on the couch, checking out their honeymoon destination on his tablet PC but he glanced up as Jake pulled on a clean T-shirt. ‘You’re a sneaky devil.’
‘Make that
smart
and sneaky.’ He stuffed his wallet in his jeans. ‘And your fiancée’s as much to blame as me.’
‘Then she’s a sneaky devil too.’ He tapped the screen. ‘I
‘Did U bring work?’
She sipped her drink and looked at her phone a moment before answering:
‘Yes.’
Seemed he wasn’t put off by her one-word texts, because the next one appeared a moment later.
‘Not allowed. This weekend is about having fun.’
Fun and Jake …? A shiver tingled down her spine. He was a man who definitely knew how to have fun. She texted back:
‘Is she a blonde?’
‘I have a certain brunette in mind. Meet me downstairs 4 a drink.’
The shiver spread to her limbs.
‘Spending evening with sister. Remember her? 2moro’s bride.’
She switched her phone off, shoved it back in her pocket.
‘Who are you texting?’
‘Jake.’ She threw Stella an accusatory glance.
‘Anything wrong?’
‘He asked me to meet him for a drink.’ She felt Stella’s gaze and looked away, out over the darkening valley and the gold-rimmed purple clouds in the distance.
‘Something you’re not telling me, here?’ Stella asked behind her.
‘No.’ She had the niggling feeling she was being set up by her sister.
‘Jake likes women, but he’s a good guy. Nothing like the love rat. He’s not into commitment right now and, as you’ve clearly pointed out, neither are you … so are you going?’
‘Of course not.’ She turned around and met her sister’s scrutiny full-on. Stella had a half-smile on her lips, as if she didn’t quite believe her. Emma glared back. ‘This is our last night together—you and me.’ And she wanted to place some orders and research some alternative suppliers on her laptop at some stage.
‘Well, I’m going to have a long soak in that to-die-for spa tub.’ Stella rose, collected their glasses and walked towards the door. ‘I won’t miss you for an hour or so if you want to change your mind.’
‘Nope.’ Emma followed her in. ‘I’ve got my music to keep me company.’ So much for placing orders. Right now she couldn’t remember a single item she needed, and music seemed a more soothing option.
The hotel’s phone rang as Emma closed the balcony’s glass doors and Stella stretched out on her bed to pick up. ‘This is the bride’s room,’ she announced, with a bounce in her voice. ‘You’re speaking to the bride, who’s just about to enjoy her own candlelit spa bath.’ She grinned over at Emma, then rolled onto her back, listening to whoever was on the other end of the phone. ‘Uh-huh. In the lobby. Ten minutes. Okay.’
Emma’s pulse blipped. She sat on her own bed and unravelled her earphones. ‘No.’
‘But it’s Ryan.’ She hugged the phone to her chest. ‘The guys had Chinese take-out and he has a fortune cookie for me—isn’t that sweet of him?’
‘It’s not sweet, Stell, it’s subterfuge.’ Emma lay back and closed her eyes. ‘Jake put him up to this, and I’ll bet you your fortune cookie that it’s Jake, not Ryan, down there.’
‘Please, Em. You have to go to make sure. I can’t see him now before the ceremony. It’s bad luck.’
‘And Ryan would
know
that.’
‘Pleeease?’
‘Fine,’ she huffed, and sat up, clipping her iPod to her jacket.
‘She said fine,’ Stella told her caller, and hung up then grinned. ‘Thanks, bridesmaid.’
Emma grabbed an elastic band from the nightstand and dragged her hair back into a tight ponytail. ‘Only for you, and only because it’s your wedding day tomorrow. Then I’m going for a run.’
‘Take your time,’ she heard Stella call as Emma let herself out of the room and headed for the stairs.
Jake disconnected with a satisfied grin. ‘You don’t need me for a while, do you, Ry? She said yes.’
Ryan was stretched out on the couch, checking out their honeymoon destination on his tablet PC but he glanced up as Jake pulled on a clean T-shirt. ‘You’re a sneaky devil.’
‘Make that
smart
and sneaky.’ He stuffed his wallet in his jeans. ‘And your fiancée’s as much to blame as me.’
‘Then she’s a sneaky devil too.’ He tapped the screen. ‘I
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