“So, when should I meet the family?”
“How about in a half an hour? We’re all supposed to meet up for snorkeling and lunch before Faith takes the bridesmaids on a tour of the local wineries. Are you up for putting on a show?”
“Hell, yeah.”
This wedding was getting more interesting by the minute.
CHAPTER5
Sage
As Briggs and I headed back to the hotel, I wondered if this whole fake boyfriend thing was a little extreme. I knew that I should probably just stand up to my mom about her meddling in my love life, put my foot down and demand that she back off. I was an adult, and I didn’t need her help finding a man.
I would be completely justified in saying all of these things, but I couldn’t do it. At least not here. My whole family was going to be on this island for the rest of the week and I didn’t want to be at the center of any family drama. Not only did that sound like a nightmare, but it would definitely impact Faith’s wedding in a negative way and I just couldn’t do that to her.
And if I were honest with myself, I would have to admit that Imightbe intrigued by the idea of pretending to be Briggs’s girlfriend. I didn’t know him well yet, but I liked the guy. And he wasn’t bad to look at either.
We didn’t talk much as we walked back into the hotel and rode the elevator up to the eighth floor. We went to our separate rooms with a plan to meet downstairs in ten minutes. That didn’t give me much time to get ready, but we were going to be in the ocean, so I wasn’t planning to do much with my hair or makeup anyway.
Opening my suitcase, I grabbed my one-piece swimsuit, the one that I knew my mother would approve of. She always liked to say that a woman with a few extra pounds shouldn’t show too much skin. But just beneath that swimsuit was the other one I brought along. I liked this one more; it was a two-piece with a tankini top. It was more revealing, showing just a small strip of skin at my waist and more cleavage than the one-piece.
Normally, I would just wear what my mom approved of to keep her happy, but I was already going out of my way to be accommodating of her. I was faking a whole relationship, for God’s sake. I wanted to wear my two-piece swimsuit.
Heading into the bathroom, I put it on, admiring myself in the mirror. The base color of the swimsuit was black, but there were big pink flowers on it, making it fun and flirty.
I gathered my long dark hair in a messy bun at the top of my head and pulled on a flowy, white cover up that fell to mid-thigh. Sliding on my big, round sunglasses, I left the room with my canvas beach bag that had my wallet, blanket-sized beach towel, and sunblock inside.
When I arrived at the lobby, Briggs was already waiting for me. He’d replaced his shorts with black swim trunks, and his head was bent low over his phone as he texted someone. But he looked up as I was heading toward him as if he could sense my presence, and the frustrated look on his face transformed into something more intimate.
Was I imagining the way his eyes darkened with desire at the sight of me? Maybe he was just getting into character. I didn’t want to make assumptions about anything that happened today. We were playing a part, I reminded myself, and it would be worth it in the end to keep Cole away from me.
“You ready?” he asked, seeming completely at ease as he tucked his cell phone into the side pocket of his swim trunks. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that he was looking forward to this for some reason.
Honestly, so was I. “Yeah, let’s go.”
The place we were meeting my parents was about two miles away, but Briggs had a rental car, so we got there in about five minutes. The company that Dad had signed us up with was called Snorkeling Adventures and had a white tent set up on the beach. I saw my parents standing next to it, and the presence of Cole and his parents was no surprise. For once, I was glad they were here. They were going to get to meet my “boyfriend” for themselves.
“Is that Casanova?” Briggs asked as we got out of the car, and I saw a muscle tick in his jaw.
I nodded. “Yep. That’s Cole.”
“Then, let’s do this.” He reached out and boldly took my hand, intertwining our fingers. My heart went into triple-time, and I reminded myself that this was just an act.
My mother spotted us first, and the stark shock on her face was a little insulting. I’d told her plenty of times that I could find myself a man. I didn’t know why she was so surprised to see me holding hands with one.
By the time we’d reached the small group, everyone was staring openly, and I felt self-conscious. Briggs squeezed my hand as if he sensed my discomfort.
“Sage, you’re late,” my mother said, her eyes darting back and forth between the two of us. “And who’s your friend?”
I hadn’t really thought up a story ahead of time, so I decided to wing it. “This is Briggs, my boyfriend.”
“Boyfriend?” she repeated, disbelief coating the word in a way that made me feel defensive and angry.
“Yes,Mother.We’ve been dating for a few weeks. We met through Faith and Michael. He’s one of the groomsmen.”
“You’ve been dating for a few weeks? Why didn’t you mention it?”
This question came from my dad, who seemed more confused than anything. He had a point. I was close to my parents, despite the trouble I had with my mother’s attitude and meddling. It was unlikely that I would have kept quiet about a relationship up until now.