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CHAPTER1
Tatum
“So, where are you heading?”
I looked up from my Long Island iced tea, which I’d been staring into while my mind was a million miles away, and saw the bartender waiting patiently for my answer as he wiped out cocktail glasses with a clean white towel.
There was only one other person in the airport pub, and it was a man in a business suit at the other end of the long bar, sipping on his whiskey and watching the baseball game highlights on the flat screen TV mounted on the wall.
When I came in here, I was glad to see that it was so empty, convinced that it was in my best interest not to be social while I drowned my sorrows. But now that the bartender had started the conversation, I found that I wanted to talk to someone about what was going on with me. And who better to do that with than an impartial stranger?
“Pompeo Island,” I said, lifting my drink and taking a long sip. “I’m going to a wedding.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?” he asked, his brow furrowed.
He must have picked up on my less than festive mood. I’d have to try to be cheerier when I reached my destination.
“Sure. It’sgreat,” I said, trying to sound upbeat. “My best friend is getting married, and I’m thrilled for her.”
That part was true. I adored Faith, and I was so delighted for her that I cried happy tears when she asked me to be maid of honor. The problem was that I didn’t expect to be dumped just three months before the wedding. Now, I had to spend five days at a destination wedding surrounded by romance and love and watching a blissfully elated couple that I was simultaneously happy for and jealous of.
Hence, the drinking. I figured I should get an early start here at the airport since the festivities were going to begin as soon as the plane landed on the island. A little alcoholic buzz would do me some good.
“If I’m honest,” I continued, “I’m not looking forward to being reminded of my hopelessly single status for the entire week.”
I really didn’t want to talk about my ex, Aiden. It was bad enough that I was still thinking about him, when I should probably have been long over the breakup. But I was having a hard time letting it go, and I knew why.
We were coworkers. Not only did I have to see him at the elementary school where we were both teachers every day, but he’d almost immediately started dating another coworker of ours. So, I constantly had to watch them fawn over each other, obviously ridiculously happy. I was sure that their behavior had nothing to do with hurting me, but that was what happened anyway.
Now, school was out for the summer, and I just wanted to forget about love for a couple of months and give my bruised heart time to heal. But that wasn’t going to happen with the wedding going on.
On that thought, I finished off my drink.
“You know, sometimes it’s fun to be a single person at a wedding,” the bartender pointed out, taking my empty glass. “You can always meet somebody there. Maybe more than one somebody, if you catch my drift.” He grinned.
I didn’t like the idea of a vacation hook up. It just wasn’t my thing, but before I could tell him that, a voice came over the speaker, announcing the boarding of my flight.
“That’s me,” I said, standing from the bar stool.
My head swam for a moment, the full effect of the two strong drinks I had hitting me at once. But I managed to grab my carry-on bag from the stool beside me and headed toward the gate. I just needed to get settled in my seat, and I’d be fine.
I boarded the plane, passing first class and finding my assigned seat in economy. There were two seats next to each other in this row, and I was next to the window, which I preferred. I shoved my carry-on bag under the seat in front of me and buckled the seatbelt before turning to the window and lifting the cover, allowing bright sunlight to stream in.
I pulled out my phone to text Faith, knowing that she’d want confirmation that I was on schedule. Planning a wedding was an overwhelming experience, and while she was nowhere near bridezilla status, she was dealing with a lot of stress while trying to pull off a destination wedding experience that would make everyone happy. Hopefully, it would all be worth it in the end when she was married to the love of her life at the end of a perfect week.
I was reading her reply on my phone when I felt movement beside me. Someone took the other seat, and I lifted my eyes to look at him, only to freeze and openly gape. The man that settled into the seat right next to me might have been the most gorgeous guy I’d ever seen.
His dark blonde hair was thick and a bit disheveled, and he had a sharp jawline. Full lips and a straight nose reminded me of a Greek statue’s chiseled features and when I looked into his deep brown eyes, my breath literally caught in my throat.
Holy crap.This guy could stop traffic.
“Hi,” he said, his voice deep and friendly. “I’m Ben.”
He held out a hand and I noticed the way the sleeves of his T-shirt stretched over his bicep. The man wasripped.I took his warm hand, feeling calloused fingertips. An electric tingle travelled up my arm, and I suppressed a shiver.
“Tatum,” I said, surprised that I could remember my name at all. “Tatum Graves.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Tatum.” He grinned, the full wattage smile making my stomach flutter with awareness. “You know, that name means ‘bringer of joy.’”
