the other stuff they’ve been writing about me.” They grimaced sympathetically. “Part of the reason I’m here is to get away from all of that, so I’d really appreciate you not telling anyone back home that I’m here.” Amy looked almost offended at the suggestion. “Of course not. You totally deserve a break from all that crap. We won’t say a word.” She looked at her friends for their agreement, glaring particularly hard at a tall, sultry looking brunette who frankly looked bored by all the talk. Her face was vaguely familiar, but Julie couldn’t place her.
“I’m getting married in a few weeks—this is my bachelorette party.” Amy quickly introduced the rest of her group and continued. “I know how caught up you get in the wedding stuff. It takes a lot of balls to stand in front of everyone and just say screw it, you know?” Julie couldn’t help liking Amy and her blunt but friendly manner. She’d never been good at sticking up for herself, and it was nice to have someone, even a total stranger, back her up.
“You’re here alone, aren’t you?”
Julie nodded. “Yep, taking an escape from reality while I wait for my annulment to be finalized.” PrivateParty
They all four alternately chuckled in understanding or nodded sympathetically.
Jennifer, an athletic looking redhead, patted Julie’s shoulder amiably. “Well, if you decide you want company, come find us. Amy can’t do anything,” Jennifer slanted a look at the group of four good looking guys gathering up their bags behind them, “but I guarantee you the rest of us will be having lots of fun.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Julie said with a grin.
Julie felt her breath hitch as she and the other guests proceeded down the dock, closer and closer to where Chris stood. Chris’s cousin, Carla, a pretty woman with dark, curly hair, stood next to him in a simple floral patterned sundress.
Quickly Julie stepped aside to check her appearance, allowing several more guests to pass her. She fluffed her hair and dabbed her nose with oil blotting papers. Sun or no, Julie didn’t want Chris to see her sweaty. Well, not yet anyway.
What would he say? He would be happy to see her, wouldn’t he? After all, like Wendy said, she was offering no-strings-attached sex, and what red-blooded man would say no to that? Especially when they both knew how absolutely awesome it would be?
Still, she wasn’t able to rid herself of the tiny, nagging, uncertainty that gnawed at her belly. Taking a deep breath for courage, she slipped the strap of her Vuitton Murimaki “Eye Love You” bag over her shoulder and started down the dock.
Chris struggled to maintain his polite, friendly smile as he greeted the twenty-five new guests who had just arrived. He was grateful for the sunglasses that hid the dark circles under his bloodshot eyes. He was supposed to convey an image of relaxed luxury, and it wouldn’t do for the guests to see him looking so haggard.
“Smile,” Carla, his cousin and the resort’s assistant manager, hissed through her own grin.
“I am,” he hissed back.
“No, you’re not. You’re baring your teeth.”
Chris pulled up the corners of his mouth.
“Better,” she said.
PrivateParty
Chris sighed and shook hands with a couple from London. The man was a musician or something. It didn’t matter anyway. Part of the appeal of Holley Cay for the rich and famous was that the staff never let on if they were star struck.
Cowboy up, he told himself. It wasn’t even the high season, and already he was beat. But in the ten days since his return from San Francisco, he’d lost both his bookkeeper and his catering manager. All while trying to plan the top-secret, lavish wedding of one of television’s most popular actresses. Both he and Carla had been pulling fourteen-hour days to try to keep up.
It didn’t help that when he finally fell into bed, exhausted, he couldn’t sleep. Not with images of Julie keeping him awake and
“I’m getting married in a few weeks—this is my bachelorette party.” Amy quickly introduced the rest of her group and continued. “I know how caught up you get in the wedding stuff. It takes a lot of balls to stand in front of everyone and just say screw it, you know?” Julie couldn’t help liking Amy and her blunt but friendly manner. She’d never been good at sticking up for herself, and it was nice to have someone, even a total stranger, back her up.
“You’re here alone, aren’t you?”
Julie nodded. “Yep, taking an escape from reality while I wait for my annulment to be finalized.” PrivateParty
They all four alternately chuckled in understanding or nodded sympathetically.
Jennifer, an athletic looking redhead, patted Julie’s shoulder amiably. “Well, if you decide you want company, come find us. Amy can’t do anything,” Jennifer slanted a look at the group of four good looking guys gathering up their bags behind them, “but I guarantee you the rest of us will be having lots of fun.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Julie said with a grin.
Julie felt her breath hitch as she and the other guests proceeded down the dock, closer and closer to where Chris stood. Chris’s cousin, Carla, a pretty woman with dark, curly hair, stood next to him in a simple floral patterned sundress.
Quickly Julie stepped aside to check her appearance, allowing several more guests to pass her. She fluffed her hair and dabbed her nose with oil blotting papers. Sun or no, Julie didn’t want Chris to see her sweaty. Well, not yet anyway.
What would he say? He would be happy to see her, wouldn’t he? After all, like Wendy said, she was offering no-strings-attached sex, and what red-blooded man would say no to that? Especially when they both knew how absolutely awesome it would be?
Still, she wasn’t able to rid herself of the tiny, nagging, uncertainty that gnawed at her belly. Taking a deep breath for courage, she slipped the strap of her Vuitton Murimaki “Eye Love You” bag over her shoulder and started down the dock.
Chris struggled to maintain his polite, friendly smile as he greeted the twenty-five new guests who had just arrived. He was grateful for the sunglasses that hid the dark circles under his bloodshot eyes. He was supposed to convey an image of relaxed luxury, and it wouldn’t do for the guests to see him looking so haggard.
“Smile,” Carla, his cousin and the resort’s assistant manager, hissed through her own grin.
“I am,” he hissed back.
“No, you’re not. You’re baring your teeth.”
Chris pulled up the corners of his mouth.
“Better,” she said.
PrivateParty
Chris sighed and shook hands with a couple from London. The man was a musician or something. It didn’t matter anyway. Part of the appeal of Holley Cay for the rich and famous was that the staff never let on if they were star struck.
Cowboy up, he told himself. It wasn’t even the high season, and already he was beat. But in the ten days since his return from San Francisco, he’d lost both his bookkeeper and his catering manager. All while trying to plan the top-secret, lavish wedding of one of television’s most popular actresses. Both he and Carla had been pulling fourteen-hour days to try to keep up.
It didn’t help that when he finally fell into bed, exhausted, he couldn’t sleep. Not with images of Julie keeping him awake and
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