AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“She’s not here.” Ivy says, looking amused. “Brooke dragged her off earlier, she didn’t even get a chance to eat.”
“Uh oh.” I eye the pastries on the table. “Blueberry or chocolate? You know what, I better take her both.”
“Good instincts.” Ivy says, giving me a long, assessing look. “Bring her some coffee, too, and you might be going places.”
I grin. “That’s the plan.”
I load up on snacks and coffees for her and the team, then make my way to the conference center. But before I can even reach the doors, Hazel comes flying out, bolting past me in the other direction.
“Whoa, there,” I laugh, as she almost sends me flying into a bougainvillea bush. She’s dressed in another one of her professional outfits, with a pair of loose silk pants and a tank top, gripping that iPad of hers to her chest like it’s a shield. “Where’s the fire? Wait, there isn’t a fire, is there?” I ask, struck with a sudden worry. Because the way this wedding has been going so far…
“It’s worse!” Hazel blurts, and now I can see the panic on her face, her blue eyes wide and darting around. “She’s gone!”
“Who is?” I ask, distracted by the way her hair is falling out of her sleek bun, framing her face and lips.
God, that mouth…
“Avery!” Hazel cries. She looks around worriedly at the guests just up ahead, and drops her voice to a hissed whisper. “We can’t find her anywhere, and the ceremony is in three hours! Hair and makeup is here, the bridesmaids are all getting ready in the suite, but she’s nowhere to be found!”
Oh shit.
“She’s not picking up her cell?” I ask.
Hazel shakes her head. “Straight to voicemail. I’ve texted a million times, but…”
Anna comes rushing up. “Still no sign of her,” she says breathlessly, just as frantic. “I checked the spa, and the beach, and the kitchens, in case she finally broke and needed to wolf down some carbs but… nothing.”
“Stay calm,” Hazel orders her, but it sounds like she’s talking to herself. “She’ll be here somewhere. She has to be. It’s her wedding day!”
“I’ll go talk to Larry the concierge,” I offer. “He knows everything. If any of the staff have seen her…”
“Good plan.” Hazel nods. “Me and Anna will do another sweep of the resort. Brooke’s running interference with the bridesmaids, she said she’d call the minute Avery shows… I’m sure she’s just taking a moment to herself,” she adds, looking anxious. “To get away from all the cameras and attention.”
Avery, shying away from the cameras on her special day? I’m not so sure, and once we’ve searched every inch of the resort,twice, my doubts grow. After the show she’s put on this week, I’d expect Avery to be broadcasting every moment of the event live to all her fans, not hiding out somewhere away from the crowd.
“I asked around with the staff.” Larry comes to join us, discreetly steering us away from the wedding guests who are arriving for breakfast –oblivious to the fact that there might not be an actual wedding. “A car picked her up, late last night.”
“Where did she go?” Hazel demands. “Please don’t say the airport.”
Larry shakes his head. “The Royal Sands. It’s the only other five star resort on the island.”
Hazel exhales in a rush. “Oh, thank God,” she says, before snapping into action. “OK, I’ll go and get her, you keep stalling the bridal party,” she instructs Anna. “Say that she’s… doing a private meditation with that shaman, some kind of crystal cleansing thing. Keep the champagne flowing, get the photographers started on the ‘getting ready’ shots. With any luck, they’ll all be too busy posing to notice until she’s back.”
“Got it.” Anna bolts.
“It’ll be OK,” I try to reassure Hazel, but she just strides fast through the lobby and out to the main entrance.
“This is because of Karina,” she says, flagging down one of the hotel cars. “Because of your little surprise at dinner last night.”
Ouch.I feel another stab of regret that Past Josh was such an idiot – and so effective.
“I talked to my uncle, he’s not calling anything off,” I tell her, piling into the backseat with her. Hazel directs him to the other resort, and we pull away with a screech of tires. “He’s all set for the ceremony. He’s sticking to his word.”
“Because that’s what every woman dreams about on her wedding day,” Hazel gives me a look. “A man marrying her out of obligation.”
“Better than leaving her at the altar to run off with a woman twice her age,” I point out.
Hazel lets out a noise of frustration. “Why did I even take this job?” she wails, sinking her head against the backseat. “’Come plan the wedding, Hazel. It’ll just be a week. More like a vacation than real work – that’s what she promised me!”
