Chapter 16
Nerves popped inside Eliza like hot grease on a frying pan but she did her best to ignore them. Today was the big day. Not her big day, but it seemed she had butterflies racing around in her stomach anyway.
She sat on the balcony of Becca’s suite for the second time this morning and watched the sunlight glitter off the surface of the lake. It was shaping up to be a beautiful sunny spring day. Today’s weather was the epitome of what people thought of when they thought of the quintessential outdoor wedding.
Seeing how bright the sun was reminded her that Aunt Wendy had told them that they were free to wear their sunglasses if they wanted to. Apparently, at the time of the ceremony, the sun would be directly in their eyes. When she had mentioned it, Eliza thought that it would be rude to do so, but now, seeing just how strong the rays were this morning made her rethink her plan. Etiquette was one thing, having a migraine for three days was entirely another.
I need to stop back by my room before heading downstairs, she made a mental note.
As she took the last sip of decaf coffee, she knew that her quiet time of reflection had come to an end. One would think after her lack of sleep last night she would’ve gone for caffeinated java, but she was so wired she was afraid she’d be bouncing off the walls.
She had totally given up the notion of sleep around four a.m. So, she’d quietly rolled off the pullout couch she was sharing with Haley and tiptoed out to the balcony to do one of her favorite things, watch the sunrise. She’d sat and watched the beautiful colors and it gave her the same feelings it always did. A sense of security and renewal. In the silence of the early morning hours, her mind reflected that no matter what was going on with her, what drama or joy, the sun still rose this morning and it would set tonight.
That was six hours ago and now everyone was awake and in full-wedding mode. After breakfast, she’d snuck out here once again for a few moments alone. She’d wanted to clear her head and settle her nerves.
Last night had been…well, she didn’t know how to process or put into words what it had been. Even after she spent her whole night trying to do just that, she was still at a loss. It was better than she ever could’ve imagined it to be, and that was quite a feat. She’d dedicated hours, weeks, months, maybe even years to this fantasy. Imagining what it would be like to be touched by Nate, kissed by Nate, made love to by Nate.
She’d been replaying every moment they’d shared over and over. The feeling of his lips on her mouth, her neck and her breasts. The sensual authority in his voice, in the way he held her, the way he moved inside of her. Still, she was anxious.
They hadn’t had a chance to talk after and she couldn’t decide if that was a good or bad thing. In the moment, she’d been so freaked out, she hadn’t really thought about the repercussions of her hasty exit. After she’d rushed upstairs, she’d been so lost in the afterglow that it took hours before she’d realized that the next time she saw him, she would be walking down the aisle towards him. Well…towards Brian technically, but still.
Inside there was a soft buzz of laughter, music and talking as all the bridesmaids were gathered, getting their hair and makeup done for today’s festivities. As much as she was trying to be present for Becca, she was just not succeeding. After her one cup of decaf and some more soul searching, she was no less on edge now than she had been ten minutes ago.
Her phone buzzed and she looked down, hoping that it was a text from Nate. Since she’d never given him her phone number, logically that was unlikely and she knew it.
The message was not from Nate, it was from Leah, who co-owned Bones, Balls & Bellyrubs with her sister Bea. She sent a picture of Farmer next to a poodle that looked like it was not having the best day and captioned it #moralsupport.
She loved that Farmer was able to calm dogs that were anxious about being at the groomers, but right now she wished she could have brought him to Whisper Lake. She needed hashtag moral support.
Her fingers were typing back a response when Aunt Wendy stuck her head out onto the balcony. “They’re ready for you, lovely!”
Yep. Time’s up.
She sent the message and stood. She stepped into the room and she was pointed towards a director’s chair that sat in front of a makeup station complete with a mirror that was framed with lightbulbs. There were several identical setups scattered throughout the large suite, all filled with the female half of the wedding party.
She took her seat and the stylist introduced herself as Jess. Eliza took a moment to appreciate the girl’s vibrant tattoos that jumped off her olive skin, long dark hair and aqua blue eyes accented by perfectly applied cat eye makeup, and a nose ring that on her would look ridiculous but on Jess looked sexy.
Jess reminded Eliza of one of those girls that was born with their own unique sense of style and was confident enough to express it. She envied people like that. She’d always taken the safe route when it came to her hair, makeup and clothes. Minimal was always her rule of thumb. Partly because she was always so busy with school and then work that she just never took the time. Also since her mom never really wore makeup and she didn’t have sisters, she never learned how to use it. If she was a teen now, with all of the YouTube tutorials, maybe it would be different. But in her day, the best she had was trying to follow directions from magazine articles.
A phone buzzed and Jess jerked her head, looking down at the device sitting on her table. The alarm on her face melted to irritation as she sighed and silenced it. “I’m so sorry. I would turn it off but I’m waiting on an…important call.”
“No worries,” Eliza assured her.
Jess smiled widely as she cleaned off one of her brushes. “So, what were you thinking for today? Dramatic? Natural?”
“Whatever Becca wants is fine.” Eliza told her. “I’m easy.”
The phone buzzed again and again Jess’s eyes shot to it. This time her irritation was notched up to anger. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” she mumbled under her breath as she picked up her phone with one hand and held up her forefinger with the other. “Just give me one sec.”
She lifted the device to her ear and walked to the far corner behind her makeup station. Eliza did her best not to eavesdrop, but it was kind of difficult. She heard Jess tell Ethan that she didn’t need his help. She was fine. And Ethan needed to stop calling and texting her and go protect and serve someone else. Then she hung up.
When Jess returned, she apologized again. “I’m so sorry. If I didn’t answer, he would just keep calling me.”
Eliza wanted to make sure that she wasn’t being harassed. Jess looked like she could take care of herself, but looks could also be deceiving. “Is everything okay?”
“I don’t know.” Tears formed in Jess’s eyes, but she blinked them back as she rolled her shoulders and stood up taller. Her breath was shaky as she exhaled slowly. “But, he’s not the issue. He just needs to understand I don’t need him hovering. I can take care of myself. He’s driving me crazy.”
“Oh, got it.” Eliza sensed there was no real threat here, unless you counted Jess’s sanity, which seemed to be at risk. And from the sound of it, Ethan’s was as well.