Page 62 of Fake It For Love (Faux Love)
CLAIRE
“Ahhh!” I grabbed the sunhat I’d been wearing as it skipped across the cement. I caught it just before it could hit the pool.
“My sunglasses!” Norah cried out. “Not my Gucci’s!”
I lunged and caught them just as they nearly blew past me. “What the hell?” I muttered.
A resort worker in all white was rushing toward the beach. Another followed behind him. Another gust of wind whipped through the pool area where we had been relaxing.
“Watch out!” someone yelled.
I moved out of the way just in time to avoid being hit by an umbrella that had been ripped from one of the chairs. One minute, things were great. The next, it was like someone turned on a wind machine. My hair whipped around me as I walked back to my seat to collect my things. Norah was frantically trying to keep her lightweight coverup from blowing away. It had turned into a windsail in her grasp.
More resort staff were rushing outside to secure umbrellas and direct guests inside. Norah and I went into the lobby. The place was buzzing with excitement. Everyone seemed to be shocked by the sudden uptick in the weather. The day had started out peaceful enough, but now there were clouds on the horizon.
“This is terrible!” Norah groaned. “My wedding is outside! I don’t want to go airborne!”
“It’s just a minor storm,” I assured her. “You still have a few days before your wedding. This will blow right through. I bet it will be cleared up in a few hours.”
“I hope so,” she pouted. “My hair will not hold up in that wind. I should talk with the event coordinator. I want to make damn sure there is a backup plan. My wedding is not going to be canceled because Mother Nature got her panties in a wad!”
“I’m going to my room to change,” I said.
She waved a hand and walked away. The doors leading to the pool opened with more people rushing inside. They were propelled forward by a gust of wind. Once again, I grabbed my hat and held on. The quickie storm was a good excuse to go back to my room and rest for a bit. It was exhausting relaxing all day.
I checked my phone and found a message from Ryan. Despite being angry with him when he left, I was happy to know he’d be back soon. I shouldn’t have gotten mad at him earlier. My anger came from my own frustration with this situation. I hated that I had to do this whole escort thing at all. It wasn’t really the way I imagined my life turning out.
I changed out of my swimsuit and into a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. The bed looked too good to ignore. I would take a short nap, then go find Norah. My maid of honor duties required me to keep her from spiraling out of control. I needed to make sure she wasn’t pissing off the staff in her panic about her wedding being ruined by bad weather. This was the Caribbean. She had to know storms in the middle of storm season were pretty common.
I closed my eyes and thought about my own wedding. Would I ever have a wedding? It seemed almost impossible to think of it. I had no man and no prospects of having a man. A hundred years ago, I’d be on the shelf. Another couple of years, and I would feel very much on the shelf. Ryan’s face appeared in my mind. I was not in the same league as he was. Ryan was destined to marry someone rich and beautiful.
When I woke up, it was to the sound of a raging storm. I popped up out of bed and rushed to the window. The palm trees were practically bent in half. I opened the window and could hear the ocean crashing angrily into the rocks. “Shit,” I whispered. I looked at the clock to see what time it was. It was almost six.
The first thing I did was call Ryan’s phone. It went straight to voicemail. I had no idea if he would have service in the air. Maybe he was already on the ground and at the resort. I slipped on my shoes and made my way to his suite. I only knew where his room was because we’d come by his room for him to grab a different pair of shoes.
“Ryan!” I called out and pounded on the door. “Ryan, are you in there?”
He didn’t answer. Maybe he was in the lounge or one of the restaurants. I headed toward the smaller of the two lounges. He wasn’t sitting down and sipping a scotch. The lounge was abuzz with chatter about the storm. I made my way to the bigger lounge that seemed to be the favorite hangout for everyone. I spotted Tony and Norah and rushed to talk to them. “Have you guys seen Ryan?” I asked.
Norah shook her head. “No.”
“Maybe he’s in the restaurant,” Tony suggested.
“I’ll check,” I said.
I almost ran all the way to the restaurant, which was packed. With the storm raging, no one was leaving the resort and going into town. I scanned the tables, walking through the restaurant and searching for his face. He wasn’t here. Feeling scared and defeated, I went back to the lounge. Norah and Tony were still sitting down. I sat down next to Norah. “He’s not here.”
“Where is he?” Tony asked. “It’s an island. There’s only so many places he can go.”
“He flew up to New York earlier,” I said. “He texted me a few hours ago and said he would be back by dinner.”
Tony grimaced. “I heard that storm was pretty wild. We’re not supposed to leave the resort. I doubt he’s flying in this.”
I nodded. “You’re right. He probably had to land on the mainland and wait out the storm.” I pushed aside the fear and dread. “So, did you guys ask about what happened if the weather was bad for the wedding?”
“The weather should be just fine,” Norah said. She looked at me with concern. “Let’s get you a drink. You need to settle your nerves.”
“What was he doing in New York?” Tony asked.
