They were supposed to be back an hour and a half ago. I look around, hoping to spot one of Simon’s ushers in the crowd. If I had my colour-coded binder with the contact details, I could call around, find out where they are, but it’s tucked away safely in the suite upstairs. I’m just about to spin around and head for the lifts when I bump into Simon’s sister, Rachel.
‘Oh, God! Thank goodness I’ve found you!’ she says, her eyes a little wild. If Simon is a bit extra at times, Rachel takes it to the next level. ‘I’ve got a dire emergency!’
Of course she has.
Because that’s just what I need right now – another emergency.
Even so, I’m looking forward to being her sister-in-law. Simon’s the youngest of five. Being effectively an only child, I’ve always envied him his large, sprawling family, even if they hurl insults at one other as often as they hug. This is the reason I pause my hunt for her brother and ask her what the matter is.
‘It’s a disaster! The hotel has booked us the wrong rooms.’
‘You haven’t got the balcony overlooking the river, away from the marina?’
She waves a dismissive hand. ‘No, no … We’ve got that.’
Good. Because I had to wrangle hard with the hotel to meet my soon-to-be sister-in-law’s exacting specifications.
‘But there’s no door!’
I blink. ‘No door?’ How can that be? A hotel room has to have a door, doesn’t it?
‘Yes. No door between the rooms.’
‘An interconnecting door?’
She nods. ‘I can’t leave Poppy and Rufus on their own in a room, can I?’
Nope. She’s right about that. Even a single gal like me knows it’s probably wrong to leave a four-year-old and a two-year-old unattended overnight. But Rachel didn’t mention needing an interconnecting door until now, and it didn’t occur to me. I feel awful. With my background, it’s the sort of thing Ishouldhave thought of.
‘So that means Leo and I will have to split up and share with a kiddo each rather than leave the door open at night, which is hardly ideal.’ She grabs hold of my hands. ‘Will you help me sort it out, Erin? I’ve tried myself, but the flaky boy behind reception just started crying.’
I glance towards the doors that lead out to the hotel’s reception area, but I don’t need to see the receptionist to tell what sort of state he might be in. Rachel can be pretty forceful in full flow. It’s probably something to do with being the only daughter among four sons. ‘Uh …’ I begin. I want to help her, but I’ve also only just arrived at my party and I haven’t found my fiancé yet.
‘Oh, thank you so much! I knew I could count on you. I’m thrilled you’re going to be part of our family. Us girls will have to stick together!’ With that, she plants an emphatic kiss on the side of my head and chases down a waiter with a tray of flute glasses.
I turn and begin walking towards reception, but before I reach the doors, there’s a metallic click and thump, like a PA system being turned on, and Simon’s voice comes out loud and clear. ‘Where’s my bride-to-be?’
CHAPTER SIX
Five years ago
She considers stewardess uniforms something to be endured. Oh for a pair of trousers! But no, once again, the basic daytime uniform on this yacht is a skort. When on charter, it’s teamed with a white shirt with epaulettes, or a polo shirt when not. At least it has pockets, a secret place where she can stash her phone. Not that she’s supposed to check it when on duty, even if the full-on nature of her job would allow her a second to do so, but every time she feels a notification come in, she has to hide a smile. It’s another message from him. Each time her pocket buzzes, she feels she’s floating a little higher above the deck.
She smiles as she delivers Espresso Martinis to the four guests sunning themselves on the bunny pad on the sun deck, then nips back down the stairs to the main salon, where the bar is, and starts mixing up another batch. These guests arethirsty.
Two hours later, when she takes her break, she hurries back to her cabin tucked into the bow on the lower deck, and closes the door behind her. She’s left her cabin mate and second stew, Marisol, tending to the guests, so for once she’s all alone.
She really should sleep because she’s utterly exhausted, but of course she’s not going to.She pulls her phone out of her pocket, almost dropping it she’s so excited, and wakes it up so she can read the messages. It’s been buzzing constantly.
Hey, gorgeous!
Just wanted to say hi. I’m thinking of you.
And then a couple of minutes later:
Are you thinking of me too? I hope so.
There’s a gap of a few minutes and then another flurry:
