Page 12 of The Other Plan

With a dramatic eye roll, she waved her hand at me. “Pish-posh. Plans can wait. You’ve been working so hard on this wedding. You deserve a day to relax and enjoy yourself.”

I sucked the air through my teeth and gave her my best “aw shucks” shrug. “And I would if I could, but I really do need to stay on dry land today and work out some last-minute details.”

“You can take a few hours off,” she continued. “I’m sure you have everything well in hand.”

“Really, Aunt Tilly. I need to go—"

“I insist.” Her lips slowly pulled into a self-satisfied smile as her eyebrow lifted with it.

Insist. That was her code for “this argument won’t stop until you agree with me.” I’d been on the receiving end of it before, and I’d seen it in action with enough other people to know that no amount of excuses would get me off this boat.

After a glance around the crowd, I still saw no signs of Carter. Perhaps he really wasn’t going to be joining them today. I pursed my lips together and nodded. “Okay, okay. Anything for you.”

“I always knew you were a smart girl.” She winked and waved a hand toward the server coming by with mimosas. He caught the gesture and beelined straight for us. “All work and no play make Jenna a dull girl. For a few hours, relax and have some fun.”

I plucked a long stem glass from the tray and clinked it against hers. “Thank you, Aunt Tilly. I’ll do my best to relax.”

“You’d better,” she warned with a playful arch of her brow before calling to the crew to depart.

I passed through the mingling guests as I walked along the deck to the stern of the boat, then leaned on the railing. Maybe a few hours enjoying the fresh air and sunshine wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. I’d been looking forward to this all week until the idea of being stuck on a boat with Carter became a possibility. But now that I knew Carter wasn’t on board, I could take a deep breath and relax. I took a sip of my mimosa, and the bubbles tickled the back of my throat while I watched the waves start as the motor kicked into gear and pushed us away from shore.

“It seems you can’t run away this time unless you plan on getting that dress wet,” Carter said, and his voice sent chills rolling down my spine.

I nearly dropped my glass over the rail as I hopped up to standing and spun to face him. “Carter. What are you doing here?”

“I’m the best man. Why wouldn’t I be here?” His lip lifted into that crooked smile that used to make my knees go weak.

Okay... still made my knees go weak.

“I, uh... I didn’t see you, so I thought that maybe you’d skipped it or something.”

“So, you were looking for me, huh?” His smirk grew with the accurate accusation.

“No,” I lied, closing my eyes for a beat while I struggled to come up with an answer. “I, uh, I just meant that I didn’t notice you when I was walking around.”

“Because you were looking for me.” His eyes sparkled with the same mirth I’d used to love.

Straightening up taller, I lifted my chin. “I wasn’t looking for you.”

“You were always a terrible liar.”

I opened my mouth to answer, but when I saw the knowing look in his eyes, I looked away back toward the dock.

“You can still make it if you jump now. You’re a strong swimmer. Or at least you used to be.”

“I’m still a strong swimmer,” I answered in a huff while I thoroughly contemplated testing my swimming skills in a dress and heels.

“I was joking, but you really looked like you’re thinking about it.”

I lifted my eyes from the water below and met his playful gaze. His strong jaw tightened as he stifled his smile.

“I’m not going to jump.”

“You sure about that?”

No.

“Yes. I don’t care that you’re here.”