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I glance over at James, leaning on the barrier looking out at the view, and feel a sharp stab of guilt. I shouldn’t have said that in front of all his friends. I wanted him to feel bad, but as soon as I saw the hurt on his face, I wished I hadn’t said it. Ultimately, all he did was fall asleep—it’s not like he harmed me in any way.
I should go over and apologize. But even as I get to my feet, Damon’s fiancée, Belle, says, “Girls, come on, I want to show you my dress,” and Gaby catches my hand, and there’s no time to talk to him before I’m walking up to the house with the others.
We ooh and aah at Belle’s beautiful gown and talk for a while before we eventually make our way back to the terrace. Lunch is being served, and I look around for James, but can’t find him. Eventually I ask Tyson where he is.
“He caught an Uber to the hotel,” he informs me. “He said he was tired and wanted a rest before the activities this afternoon.”
It’s the day of Belle’s hen party and Damon’s stag party. Neither of them wanted to go to clubs or have strippers, so the girls are having a beauty spa followed by a movie, and the guys are going to play a game of paintball and then have a party around the pool before we all meet up later for music and dancing.
Disappointed that I won’t get to apologize to James, I help myself to some lunch, then join the others while we eat. I feel tired and irritable and out of sorts. It’s been a horrible few days. Mum and Dad have tried to put on false jollity, but Christmas has fallen flat for me, and it’s been hard to summon the enthusiasm to open presents you shouldn’t have bought and food you shouldn’t have paid for when you know you’re going to be broke for the foreseeable future.
Once my siblings went to bed, Mum, Dad, and I talked for ages about how we’re going to dig ourselves out of this hole. Dad promised he’ll find himself another job, even if it’s just cleaning floors, and Mum said she’ll work every evening after he comes home. In the end, though, that’s not going to be enough to pay the bills. I told them I would move back home, and that I’m going to give them all of my wages.
They both got upset at that. I know they feel bad for putting this pressure on me. But it’s what families do, right? You support each other when times are bad. You put them before yourself.
So I gave notice to the other girls in the house, and because one of them had a friend who was looking for a room I was able to move out yesterday. Depressed and low, I didn’t really feel in the mood for a wedding, but in the end I thought that the least I can do is escape my situation for a few days, travel up on a private plane, stay in a hotel that’s been paid for, and eat the food that’s been cooked for me.
Now, though, I wish I’d been stronger and refused to go. Seeing James on the plane was hard, and I upset him with my comment about him falling asleep, and now we’re tiptoeing around each other as if we’re surrounded by landmines that might go off at any moment.
But I’m here, and there’s no point in shutting myself away. I need to enjoy this wonderful opportunity to eat and drink and dance, because it won’t be long before I’m back in my old life, with all the struggles that entails.
After lunch, I go with the others back to the hotel, check in, and go up to my room. I don’t know where James is—I assume he’s on the same floor as everyone else, unless he checked himself into a suite.
My room is apparently a standard one with a king-size bed, a small kitchenette, a sofa and a TV, and a separate bathroom, but it feels luxurious to me. I make the most of the bath, soaking in it for over an hour, as I don’t have one at home, and then take my time to get ready for the hen party. Damon’s mum is apparently putting on some kind of beauty spa, but later there’s going to be music and dancing. I opt for a loose summer dress that’s easily removable for the various beauty treatments, but I take a bag with me that contains my jeans and my favorite black-and-white top for the evening, and a pair of silver sandals with a small heel that I don’t get to wear very often.
At 2:45, I wander down to the lobby to join Gaby, Juliette, and some of the others, and climb aboard the minivan, ready to head back to Brooklyn Heights. Behind us is another minivan that’s going to take the guys into the city for their paintball game. I turn in my seat just in time to see James climbing aboard. He’s wearing a pair of cargo pants and a long-sleeved tee, but he still manages to look wealthy and sophisticated.
I turn back as he disappears into the van, feeling a tad miserable. I wish I’d had a chance to talk to him.
“Aw,” Gaby says, reaching over to hold my hand. “Come on, sweetie. Don’t let him get you down.”
“I feel bad,” I murmur as the van pulls away.
She snorts. “It’s his fault for dozing off when he has the most gorgeous girl in the city in his bed.”
“Don’t start feeling sorry for him,” Juliette says. “He deserves everything he gets.”
I smile, but I still wish things were better between us. Oh well. Maybe later I’ll get to smooth things out.
It turns out to be a fun afternoon. Damon’s mum, Mae, has turned the whole of the top terrace into a beauty spa, bringing in a dozen beauticians to pamper all the women Belle has invited to her hen party. It’s nice to be on the other side of the table. I have a hot-stone massage, which is heavenly, and bits and pieces waxed, and then a manicure and pedicure. The beds are grouped so we’re all able to chat, music’s playing, and they’re serving champagne and cocktails, so it’s a very merry atmosphere.
I’d promised myself I wouldn’t drink too much after the debacle on the twenty-first, but it’s hard not to imbibe when you’re surrounded by so much lovely food and drink. I limit myself, though, and make sure to have a glass of water or orange juice in between each cocktail, so by the time we retire to the movie room to watch Mamma Mia!, I’m just relaxed enough for my problems to take a back seat.
The food is delicious, and we have great fun singing to all the songs. Afterward, we sit outside for a while as the sun goes down, chatting and laughing, until finally Gaby announces it’s time for some special entertainment, and we all head to the lower terrace, where several rows of seats have been laid out.
It turns out to be Alex who comes onto the stage and entertains us with a comedy routine, which I did not expect, especially when he announces he’ll take off a piece of clothing if he can’t make us laugh. But it’s what happens afterward that really makes my jaw drop.
As he finishes his routine, music starts and lights flash around the stage, and the rest of the guys come out. They’re all wearing black suits and white shirts, and they stand in a line as Paua of One’s I Scream rings out, and Damon begins singing into the mic.
Oh my God, James is there, looking absolutely devastating. Man, that dude knows how to wear a suit. My jaw drops, along with everyone else’s in the audience. I know he can dance because he spun me around the floor on the night of the Christmas party, but now he really shows his moves as the sexy lyrics of the song make me melt.
“Take it, take it, take it inside,
Gonna take what I give you, gonna open wide…”
James is looking at me as he sings that! Or am I imagining it?
“Gonna melt on my tongue, gonna taste so sweet,
