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wedding party and guests had rooms in the
two-storey main building. Christine and Fiona were sharing a room, which Jake
guessed would mean that Christine would have the room to herself most of the
time.
    The
resort was sprawling and the beach was private. It was lined with palm trees,
lounge chairs and cabanas. In addition, there were four pools scattered
throughout the gardens, half a dozen restaurants and numerous bars. The gardens
were so extensive that he imagined it would be easy to forget how many guests
were in residence, even possible to not see some fellow guests for the duration
of a stay. Jake would have to do some quick exploration this afternoon, decide
on locations and make a plan for tonight.
    Everything
was coming together perfectly.
    Except
the happy couple. Ryan headed to the bar with his pals, abandoning a stricken
Jess in the lobby.
    “Oh,
God, I should do something,” Christine murmured. “But what?”
    Jake
touched her elbow. “Don’t worry. They booked a cottage. They’ll work it out.”
    Christine
sighed and smiled for him. “I hope so. I really want them to live happily ever
after.”
    He
flicked a fingertip across the tip of her nose. “Romantic.”
    “Guilty
as charged,” she agreed cheerfully.
    That
worked for Jake.
    “Well,
here’s hoping your fantasy man delivers.” He gave her a thumbs-up. “I’ll be
cheering for you.”
    Then
he marched off, a whistle on his lips, pretending her crestfallen expression
hadn’t stabbed him in the heart.
    He’d
make it up to her before the day was through.
    With
interest.
     
    * * *
     
    Jake’s
quick departure was disappointing, as far as Christine was concerned. She’d
hoped for a kiss, but no such luck. He apparently was going to take his mom’s
warning seriously. He’d headed off to his room in a hurry, as if he couldn’t
wait to get away from them all.
    Or
from her.
    She’d
been so sure that it had been Jake kissing her on the plane, not a dream, so
his denial confused her. Had she murmured something incriminating in her sleep?
Had she put him off?
    “What
do you mean, my other bag isn’t here?” Jess demanded from the concierge’s desk.
“Where the hell is it? My wedding dress is in that bag!”
    “Here
we go,” Fiona muttered. “And here I go.” She grabbed her bag and headed
determinedly toward the room Christine would be sharing with her.
    Mom
winced, everyone else scattered, and it was left to Christine to try to console
the bride.
    She
squared her shoulders, smiled and went to Jess’s side. When she slid her arm
around her friend’s shoulders, Christine could feel her shaking. “What can I do
to help?”
    To
her dismay, Jess broke down into tears. “Is it so evil to have a dream?” she
wailed and Christine pulled her into a hug. “My beautiful dress! My dream
wedding! The man of my dreams! Why does everything have to get fucked up?”
    Christine
nodded at the concierge, who looked alarmed by Jess’s reaction. “Do you think
we could ask the airline to trace the bag?” she asked. “Perhaps they can just
put it on the next flight. The wedding is Thursday, so we have a little bit of
time.” He nodded, then picked up the phone with obvious relief that someone reasonable
had appeared.
    Christine,
meanwhile, prayed that the bag would be found.
     
    * * *
     
    Christine’s
confession echoed in his thoughts as he walked and Jake strove to recall every
detail. He wanted to get this completely right.
    A
narrow wharf led from the beach out over the water to his cottage, and he
guessed that in high tide, the entire length of it would be needed. The roof
was thatched and the walls on the resort side had only high windows.
    He
unlocked the door and froze in awe. It was essentially one large room, with a
sitting area to one side and the bed on the other. The bathroom and kitchenette
were on the wall closest to the resort itself. The ocean side wall was all
glass and could be opened to the sea and the wind. As elsewhere, the