The Best Man by Ella Ardent Read Free Book Online

decor was
neutral in color, which just made the sea look more vividly blue.
    The
architect had really worked with the landscape and the effect was perfect.
    Christine
would love it.
    Jake
dropped his bags and opened the sliding glass doors, pushing them back. They
slid into pockets on either side so that the wall could be completely opened.
He took a deep breath of the ocean air and went out on to the deck. It was only
accessible from inside the cottage and from the lip of it, he could look down
into the sea. The brilliant turquoise water looked to be about twenty feet deep
beneath him, and was active with fish.
    He
couldn’t see any of the cottages to the left and right, and couldn’t hear the
sounds of the resort behind him. There was just sky and sea and wind, the
lapping of the waves against the stilts and the cries of the gulls.
    By
moonlight, it would be magical.
    Jake
smiled, knowing he’d had the perfect location for one fantasy seduction.
    But
first, they’d meet on the beach.
    He
showered and changed, before heading to the beach to find the right spot.
     
    * * *
     
    Much
later in the afternoon, Christine got to her room, feeling wilted and burdened.
They hadn’t yet located the bag, but she’d finally persuaded Jess to go to her own
room and have a rest. Fiona was in their room when Christine arrived, animated
and well-rested. She’d had a nap. Christine bit back a snarky comment, knowing
that her disappointment in Jake was coloring her mood. She unpacked a few
things as she tried to ignore Fiona’s running commentary on every man she’d
seen so far.
    “This
place is teeming with gorgeous men and I’m going to try them all.” Fiona
concluded, then surveyed the room. “We need a signal, in case one of us is...busy.”
    Christine
put her hands on her hips and confronted her roommate. “You’re not going to
lock me out at night.”
    “But
I might in the afternoon.” Fiona held up a red ribbon. “Tie this on the outside
door knob if you don’t want to be disturbed. Or I will. Three guesses who uses
it first?” She smiled when Christine didn’t answer, then hooked the ribbon over
the latch for the closet door.
    Instead
of commenting, Christine locked the sliding glass door that overlooked the
beach. To her surprise, Fiona marched across the room, pushed past her,
unlocked the door and flung it open. “It’ll get stuffy in here. I can’t stand
that.”
    Christine
was starting to think that this could be a long week. She reached for the door
to shut it again. “Then we’ll leave the air conditioning on.”
    Fiona
pushed her hand away. “No! I hate the smell of that recycled air.”
    “Then
whoever gets back first can open the door. We’re not leaving the door
unlocked!”
    “Forget
it. Leave it open now.”
    “But
we have to lock the door!”
    “Against
what? Chameleons?” Fiona propped her hands on her hips. “You are so uptight. I
can’t even believe it. Do you ever relax? Do you ever loosen up? Do you ever
have fun , Christine?”
    “This
isn’t about fun. It’s about security...”
    “It’s
about controlling every single little thing to ensure that you’re safe and that
life is predictable,” Fiona retorted, her eyes gleaming. “Start taking some
chances, my friend, or you’re going to end up withered and alone.”
    Christine
gritted her teeth, but didn’t reply in kind. The week would only feel longer if
they started to argue. She took her valuables to leave them in the safe at the
front desk, and kept her money with her. It was unlikely someone would break
into their room to steal her shoes.
    If
a thief wanted that frilly peach confection of a bridesmaid dress, he or she
could have it.
    She
consoled herself with the knowledge that her day had to improve, instead of
sliding relentlessly downhill.
     
    * * *
     
    It
didn’t.
    In
fact, their first dinner together as a group was a disaster. Jess had a fit when
she discovered that Ryan had been drinking all afternoon while