Page 74 of Love and Other Trials
“I know.” She blew out a breath. “Thank God. I’ll catch you later.”
With that, he took off for the beach, hoping to run into Rob coming back. He spotted him about two minutes into his own jog, hampered some by his flip-flops. Rob increased his stride when he spotted him and came to a dead halt when he reached him, wiping the sweat from his brow with his forearm. He’d changed T-shirts, thank God, and seeing the simple Navy emblazoned across the front gave Dax the additional punch he needed. Teamwork. He and Rob were trained in that. It would guide them through this mess.
“Thanks for coming,” Rob bit off, wiping his brow, and as a start, it wasn’t bad. “You heard?”
Dax nodded crisply. “It’s a shitshow, but we have a working plan. Ariel is going to talk to the event coordinator or whatever they’re called. If they can find the leak ASAP, we can dig out the mud and resod before the wedding. You, me, Carson, Perry, and the staff here.”
“It’s a good plan.” Rob rubbed the back of his neck. “Jesus, when Tiff first told me about the Deverell wedding curse, I thought she was being dramatic. But now? Shit, it’s been one thing after another. I still don’t even know why she was so upset before. Why she pulled the disappearing act. She wouldn’t say.”
Dax knew a fishing expedition when he heard it. He clamped his teeth together.
“I take it from your stance that you’re not going to tell me.” He turned to fully face him. “Never mind. I probably don’t want to know. I only know that when I told Tiff we could get married downtown at city hall and then have a party at a restaurant somewhere, she lost her mind. This wedding…”
Dax watched his friend kick at the sand and felt his frustration.
“This wedding means more to her than I can understand, but I love her, so I’m…doing the best I can.”
Dax understood that, and he put his hand on his friend’s shoulder to tell him so. “That’s all any of us can ever do.”
He cracked his neck. “One thing I want to know is why you’d help dig out a bunch of mud—and put in fresh dirt, because we’ll have to do that too—and then resod the whole damn thing for a wedding you’re so dead set against.”
Dax’s jaw locked. Sure, he might have decided to help because of Ariel, but as he gazed at his friend, a hundred good memories flashed through his mind. Suddenly he knew he wasn’t only doing it for Ariel, and that was okay too.
“Don’t be a dick. You know why. Now, can we head back and get things going? You clearly need something to do, or you’re going to go crazy.”
Rob joined him as Dax started walking back to the resort. “Thanks, man.”
He flipped him the bird.
When his friend laughed, some of the tightness around his diaphragm lessened.
Maybe he and Rob could get through this wedding and still be friends.
SEVENTEEN
She wasn’tsure they were going to make it.
Ariel finished her meeting with the event manager and slumped against the wall after leaving the office. Felicity had put on her fake smile, assuring Ariel they would do everything they could. Then she’d started talking about acts of God and their contract and how this was an impossible situation, one they would make the best of, but that they couldn’t guarantee anything.
Her mind had turned red at that, and she’d stood up, telling the woman the company needed to find the leak ASAP. She then outlined the plan they had in mind to dig out the mud and resod the field—with some of their own guests!—pointing out that the resort probably had another wedding the following week, right? They wanted to take care of this problem as quickly as possible, or they were going to have another irate wedding party and a blast of terrible reviews.
Felicity’s mouth had thinned, but she’d picked up the phone and called the irrigation company again, demanding an emergency crew. Then she’d called maintenance. When she’d finished, she’d told Ariel they would bring in extra people to help, but the wedding party’s assistance was welcome.
You betch your ass it was.
When she and Sherlock reached the cottage, she was jittery from not eating. Entering the cottage, she stopped short at the sight awaiting her. Dax was having a mint julep with one of her favorite people ever.
She gave a cry and ran across the room. “Jeffrey!”
He thrust his copper cup at Dax and stood up quickly, looking dashing like usual in a spring blue suit with a lavender Hermès scarf around his neck. Her arms were around him moments later, Sherlock giving him a nudge of greeting as well.
“I took an earlier flight, sensing you might need some support since it’s been worse than we could have imagined. From what Captain Hotpants told me, I’m glad I did.”
She smelled the familiar scent of the leather and citrus soap he bought from some boutique men’s store and felt her heart trip in sheer joy. “You’re the best! The absolute best!”
“Damn right I am.” He pulled back and touched the ends of her hair. “I know you sent me a photo of your hair, but seeing it in person, I adore it! It’s so Myrna Loy on you.”
“Why, thank you.” She hugged him again because she was so happy to see his beloved face, those deep brown eyes framed by emerald green Gucci glasses and his short layered hair combed back in perfect waves. “Now, I need a drink. I’ve been remiss with my flask.”
