Tropical Heat Read online

  For a moment the foursome merely stood there staring at each other. Finally, Lucas said, “Bummer, man.”

  “Yeah,” Jesse and Josh agreed.

  Josh’s gaze snapped to the door where Ethan had disappeared inside the resort. “Do you think we should go see how Ethan’s doing?”

  Jesse looked in the same direction. No one had come in or out of the door since Ethan had disappeared inside. “He’s probably still talking to Gracie.”

  The officiant had come back across the bridge and stood awkwardly in the middle of the patio, also watching the door.

  Lucas reached for another glass of champagne from a passing waiter. “Think she’ll change her mind?”

  Jesse shook his head. “No. But we should probably give them a minute.”

  Lucas threw back his champagne. “Just glad that’s not me in there.”

  Josh nodded in sympathy.

  ****

  A few minutes later, nothing had changed. The hotel door remained shut and whatever was happening inside remained hidden.

  Sighting the group of groomsmen standing together, the officiant approached them. He was still wearing his robes and sweating heavily in the heat. He pulled out a white handkerchief and wiped his face. He jerked his chin toward the closed door. “Does anyone know what’s happening in there?’

  Jesse shook his head. “No one’s been in to see.”

  The officiant studied the door, as if it might reveal the secrets of what was going on inside. “I can understand you might want to give the couple some time to work this out, but I really need to know if there’s going to be a wedding today.” He glanced at his watch. “I have another service to perform at another resort. I’m going to have to leave shortly. But I don’t want to leave yet if those two have changed their mind. If there is going to be a service, we’ll have to make it a quick one. I can go in there and ask them, but considering the delicate nature of the question, it might be better if it’s a friend.”

  Josh and Lucas glanced at each other in obvious panic. Neither volunteered. Jesse put his glass down on a nearby table. “I’ll go see what’s going on.”

  He was probably the worst person for the job, but the officiant didn’t know that. Squaring his shoulders, he walked across the patio and opened the door.

  Chapter Eleven

  The inside of the hotel building was dark after the bright sunshine outside. It took Jesse’s eyes a moment to adjust.

  He found Gracie seated in a rattan chair, her dress spilling out around her like a fancy confection. Ethan kneeled on one knee before her, as if he was proposing. Her bridesmaids hovered in the background like fluffy orange birds.

  “Please, Gracie,” Jesse heard him say. “It’ll all be fine. None of that stuff meant anything to me. I was only having a bit of fun before the wedding.”

  One of the bridesmaids had located a box of tissues, and she stepped forward to hand one to the bride.

  Gracie dabbed at her eyes. “It’s not just that, Ethan. We’ve discussed this. I honestly don’t think we should get married. We’re not ready. I don’t know if we’ll ever be. But this is the rest of our lives we’re talking about here.” She blew her nose. “All our friends are here. It’s a beautiful day. We were getting married in paradise and I … I did want to. Until I got up there, I thought I could do it—that I could put aside all my reservations and hope for the best. But I can’t.” She gave Ethan a searching look. Jesse knew her mind was made up and wouldn’t be changed. Poor Ethan didn’t understand that yet, he reflected. But he was about to.

  “Gracie, please. I love you. I want to marry you.” Ethan stared up at her with an expression Jesse had never seen on his face before. Fun-loving Ethan had always seemed above it all, like nothing truly touched him. Now he appeared heartbroken. He shouldn’t be watching this, Jesse thought. It was far too intimate. He’d come inside on the officiant’s behalf to ask a question he already knew the answer to.

  “I’m so sorry, Ethan,” Gracie choked up. She stood and her bridesmaids helped her gather her skirts and together they disappeared into the nearby ladies’ room.

  Ethan took the chair Gracie had been sitting in and put his head in his hands.

  He should leave now, Jesse thought, before Ethan saw him. He should send the officiant in to fend for himself.

  Ethan glanced up, noticing Jesse for the first time. His expression darkened from morose to hostile. “This is your fault.”

  He reared back as if Ethan had struck him. “My fault?”

  The groom rose to his feet. “Yeah, your fault. We had it all worked out, Gracie and me. We were going to get married today. But she had to go talk to you. You, of all people!”

  Jesse opened his mouth to protest he hadn’t said anything about him, but Ethan continued, “And now this is what happens. I’m not getting married today. I hope you’re happy. I hope you got what you wanted.”

  “I wanted you two to be happy. That’s what I told Gracie.” He waved at the closed ladies’ room door. From inside came the sound of sobbing and murmured voices.

  Ethan gave him a look full of anguish. “You just couldn’t let her go, could you?”

  “None of what you’re saying is true,” Jesse began, but Ethan turned his back and walked away. He stopped at the ladies’ room door and knocked. No one answered. “Tell Gracie I’m going back to my room. I’ll be there if she wants to talk.”

  One of the bridesmaids called an answer from inside. Ethan walked away. Turning a corner, he disappeared from Jesse’s sight.

  ****

  Sydney sat at a table on the patio, a glass of flat champagne in her hand. The officiant had been checking his watch every five seconds. Josh and Lucas hovered nearby, nervously drowning glasses of champagne.

  Everyone kept glancing at the door from which Jesse had yet to emerge.

  She couldn’t help feeling bad for everyone. Even hard-partying Ethan. It seemed he’d finally made up his mind about whether he really wanted to get married. Unfortunately, he’d made up his mind too late.

  Finally the door opened and Jesse walked back onto the patio. From the look on his face, she could guess the answer.

  The officiant approached him, his expression mirroring Jesse’s.

  “There won’t be a wedding today. I’m sorry.”

  The officiant nodded. Reaching into a pocket, he pulled out a business card. “Then I must move on to my next ceremony, but if anything changes, here’s how I can be reached.”

  He took his leave.

  The door opened again and a woman in a black dress crossed the patio. The wedding coordinator. Sydney had seen her talking to the wait staff when they’d arrived. She walked toward Jesse, apparently deciding he was the one in charge.

  The group turned toward her.

  She clasped her hands in front of her. “The groom and the officiant have departed and the bride is barricaded in the ladies’ room with her bridesmaids. Am I correct in assuming the wedding is off?”

  “You better talk to the bride,” Jesse said.

  “And what about the reception that was supposed to be here tonight?”

  “Again, you should probably talk to the bride.”

  The coordinator nodded. Taking a deep breath, she turned and disappeared inside.

  Sydney looked up at Jesse. He appeared completely tormented. “Maybe we should go back to the resort as well.”

  He glanced from Josh to Lucas. The groomsmen merely shrugged.

  Turning back to her, he said, “Maybe we should.”

  Back at the resort, even the bright sun seemed dimmer, Sydney reflected. How could an afternoon so full of hope turn out so badly? Sure, the entire week had not boded well for the nuptials. But once the wedding began she’d been hoping for the best for Gracie and Ethan too.

  They changed out of their wedding clothes and into more casual wear and headed out to the beach bar.

  The party on the beach was in full swing. Singles Week, it seemed, was a hit. Partiers had broken off in
to couples who sat together at the white plastic tables as well as larger groups sitting on the stools around the bar.

  A couple got up to leave and they commandeered their table. Jesse went to the bar to get them drinks. He was looking a little more cheerful, Sydney thought. Now the botched wedding was over. She could tell whatever Ethan had said to him affected him deeply. She hoped once some time had passed that Ethan, Gracie, and Jesse would remain friends.

  So she was surprised to see Ethan crossing the sand and heading right toward them, while Jesse was returning from the bar with their drinks.

  Ethan pulled up a chair and sat down at their table.

  Sydney rose to leave. “I’ll, um, let you two talk.”

  Ethan motioned for her to sit down. “It’s okay. You can hear what I have to say.”

  Jesse sat in the other chair and pushed a blue blender drink toward Sydney. She took a cautious sip and regarded Ethan over the rim of her glass.

  Ethan regarded Jesse soberly. “I’m sorry about what I said earlier. None of this is your fault.”

  Jesse took a long pull on his drink. “Forget it. I know it’s been a tough day.”

  “Yes, it has.” Ethan’s gaze strayed to the blue water behind them. “When you broke up with Gracie, well, you know, we ended up spending a lot of time together. She confided a lot of stuff in me. And we grew close. She was different than the women I was used to dating. I liked that I was dating someone so kind and intelligent. I felt like I’d achieved something important somehow. I hate to say this, but I felt like I was the better man. And I wasn’t. I never should have asked you to be part of this wedding. It wasn’t fair.”

  “Nah, it’s fine,” Jesse said, though Sydney could tell by the strained tone in his voice it clearly wasn’t.

  “I wanted to show off in a way. To hold it over you, kind of. And for that, I’m truly sorry.”

  Jesse gave him a straight look. “I never knew you felt that way. I thought you and Gracie had found each other. And no it wasn’t cool, you moving in so fast. But after a while, I thought well, if you’re both happy, then I had no right to stand in your way. Thing was, I thought it was about you and Gracie, not you and me.”

  Ethan was quiet for a moment. “Like I said, I’m really sorry, man. I knew it wasn’t right, me being Gracie’s rebound guy, so I tried to pretend it was okay. I wanted to be with her, so tried to move things forward. And that was a mistake.”

  Jesse sucked in a deep breath and let it go. “Well, okay, whatever, apology accepted. I’m sorry things didn’t work out for you guys today.”

  Ethan nodded. “Yeah, me too.”

  “Any idea how Gracie’s doing?”

  “Gracie’s doing okay. Once we took the pressure to get married off, she seems a lot more relaxed. We had a chance to have a long talk.”

  “Really?”

  Ethan’s eyes lit up. “She came over to this resort, actually. And we talked, just the two of us without the wedding thing hanging over us. And maybe there’s a little hope things might still work out. We’re going to get together and talk again once we’re back home.”

  “That’s great,” Sydney said, jumping into the conversation. “I hope things work out for you, whatever you decide to do.”

  “Thanks. Me too.” He looked at the beach party going on around them. “Thing is, we’ve already paid for a wedding reception over at the other resort. Gracie and I talked and we decided even though there isn’t going to be a wedding, it’s a shame to let a great party go to waste.” His eyes lit up. “All that booze. All that food…”

  “That would be a damned shame,” Jesse agreed.

  “And all our friends are here. It’s going to be a good party. That is … if you’ll come?” His tone was filled with doubtful hope. “It wouldn’t be the same without you.”

  Jesse raised his glass. “Sure, I’ll come. Like you said, it promises to be a great party.”

  “What about you, Sydney?” Ethan asked. “Are you going to come too?”

  “Absolutely. Wouldn’t miss it.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Sydney stepped onto the patio deck and uttered a small gasp of awe. Small tables dotted the patio, each decorated with a huge floral arrangement bearing a flickering candle. The effect was stunning, Sydney thought as they joined the rest of the wedding party for the reception. The floral arrangements gave off the scent of tropical flowers. Candles glowed against the night sky and the dark water beyond. Behind them, the hotel building was lit up like a birthday cake, lights shining in nearly every window. A row of potted palms hid the first couple of floors of the building in a frothy wave, making it look like it was wearing a skirt.

  It would have been a lovely wedding reception. Now it was just going to be a party. But a pretty amazing party at that.

  Everyone had changed out of their wedding clothes. No one wanted to remind the bride and groom of the botched wedding ceremony. Josh and Lucas had changed back into shorts and t-shirts. Sydney had debated wearing the sundress again, but opted for her tank top with the most sequins and a pair of loose trousers. Jesse wore his least creased t-shirt and a pair of trousers. The setting was formal, the guests casual.

  It was still beautiful, Sydney couldn’t help reflecting. A beautiful and relaxing way for the bride and groom to simply be friends and to renew their friendship with others. She glanced around the party, searching for Ethan and Gracie, but they had yet to appear.

  Jesse looked around as well. When he didn’t see his friends, he fidgeted nervously. “Do you think they’re coming? Maybe they changed their minds.”

  “Ethan sounded pretty sure the party was going to go ahead when we talked to him earlier.”

  “Still, it must be tough coming out here to face all your friends when you just got ditched at the altar.”

  “I’m sure they’ll be fine. They talked. They agreed together this was what they wanted to do.” Sydney said the words with a certainty she didn’t feel. Would she be courageous enough to face all her friends after a wedding gone so wrong? Friends were friends, though. After such a stressful time, it would be comforting to be with friends, people who loved you.

  A murmur ran through the guests as someone new stepped onto the patio deck. All heads turned to see who it was.

  All Sydney could see was the top of a dark head moving through the crowd until she caught a glimpse of her face.

  Brittany.

  She wore a white sundress that skimmed the tops of her knees and a pair of sparkly copper-colored sandals. She’d put her hair up in chignon. The effect was surprisingly elegant and sophisticated.

  “Did they really invite Brittany?” Sydney whispered.

  “No idea.” Jesse warily watched her walk toward them.

  “She wouldn’t crash an event like this, would she?”

  Seeing them, Brittany gave a little wave and walked past to where Josh and Lucas were sitting at a table nearby.

  When he saw her, Josh’s face lit up in delight. He leapt to his feet and pulled out a chair for her to join them. Brittany gave him a light kiss on the cheek before taking the seat he offered. Lucas said hello and discreetly excused himself.

  Sydney eyed the couple who were now sitting with their heads together, discussing something that appeared incredibly important to both of them. “Brittany and Josh?”

  Jesse ran a hand through his hair. “Who would have thought?”

  “I guess you never know.” She cast another discreet glance in their direction, noting that a lot of the party-goers were also doing the same thing. “They seem happy together, though.”

  “They do.”

  “It’ll be good if someone leaves this week happy.”

  “I’m happy.” Jesse drew her close and gave her a kiss that left no doubt about his mood.

  Sydney offered him a kiss of her own, to show him how happy she was too.

  Lucas passed them on his way to the bar. “Hey, break it up.”

  They pulled apart reluctantly. “I guess we sho
uld save it for back at the room,” Jesse said.

  Sydney cast a glance past his shoulder. “Josh and Brittany sure aren’t.”

  He turned to look and gave a low hoot in their direction. Not that they noticed.

  “Guess we’re good then.” He lowered his head for a slower, more enticing kiss. One that made her want to run back to their resort immediately.

  “Do you think they’ll notice if we’re not here?” Jesse asked when they’d surfaced.

  “In a word, yes.”

  He sighed. “I guess we should at least stay until they arrive.”

  She elbowed him in the ribs. “That would only be polite.”

  “Hmm, but I don’t want to be polite. I’ve spent this entire week trying to do what was right. Now I only want to do what I want.”

  “And what is it that you want?” She put her most teasing tone into her question.

  Jesse sobered. “What I want is you.”

  He stepped back slightly and reached for her hands. “Look, Sydney. You should know Ethan and I—we’re not so different. I very much regret what happened with Gracie and me and…” He gestured to the party going on around them. “And all the repercussions.”

  “Gracie and Ethan’s botched wedding wasn’t your fault.”

  “No,” he agreed. “But I—” He stopped for a moment, seeming to consider his words. “When it came to love, I got it wrong a lot of times. Until I met you. And I know we haven’t known each other for very long, but I think we have something. Something pretty special. And I’d like the opportunity to explore how wonderful we can be together.”

  She smiled up at him. “I know how wonderful we can be together.”

  Her words brought a ghost of a smile. “Well, there’s that.” He still seemed incredibly serious. “But I mean in every other way, too.” He was serious, she realized. He hadn’t said it, but it sounded like he was talking about something more long term. Something maybe … permanent.

  When she searched her heart, she found she wanted the same thing too. She imagined going home to the cold winter that seemed to stretch forever. She envisioned long nights with Jesse cozied up before the fire after hours of lovemaking. She could conjure images of them having brunch together on Sunday mornings and getting together after work for romantic dinners. She could envision … a future.