Barefoot by the Sea

this is to the business.”

“He’s right,” Lacey agreed, beaming at him. “If we don’t come up with a solution to this problem, we may never have this opportunity to impress the AABC again.”

Tessa nodded. “I mean…can’t it be…someone else?”

“I’ll do it.” Everyone turned at the sound of Ashley’s voice. At the attention, her face reddened. “I mean, if you want another stand-in bride, I’ll do it.” A few feet behind her, Marcus straightened from the wall he leaned against, his eyes wide.

“Why would you do it?” Lacey asked.

“Because.” She shrugged and took a quick glance over her shoulder. “It might be fun to, you know, be a bride.”

“No,” Tessa said, sitting up straight and adding some power to her voice for the first time since Ian had been on his knee. “No you won’t. I’ll do it. John and I will…do it.”

Ian understood her turnaround—she probably thought the girl and Marcus would make the ceremony real. Never mind that was exactly what he planned to do.

“You will?” Lacey asked, looking relieved.

“Mom, I want to do it.”

“They’d never buy a sixteen-year-old bride, honey.”

“Seventeen,” she corrected.

“And who’d be the groom?”

“I’ll find one.”

Ian looked over the girl’s shoulder again, but Marcus had disappeared back into the kitchen.

“It’s better if I do it,” Tessa said, her change of heart obvious even if only he knew the reason. “If you really think that’s better than having you handle the wedding feast.”

“We’ll make the logistics work,” he assured them all. And the logistics would somehow include a legitimate certificate.

But Tessa still looked entirely doubtful.

“Listen, Tess,” Lacey said. “We can iron out the details of this at a smaller meeting. Since we have all hands here, let me finish the rundown of the whole weekend and you two can talk about this.”

“Over dinner.” Without a word, he reached under the table and found her hand. Closing his fingers around hers, he gave her a soft squeeze, something dark and achy pulling inside him.

Why wasn’t he simply overjoyed at this perfect solution?

He glanced at her again, and a longing so physical and potent he could actually taste it welled up and seized him by the throat. Because he wanted to tell her the truth and he could not do that. Even though this gentle- hearted, child-loving woman would probably help him, with no questions asked.

But he couldn’t take that risk. So he’d fuck up her life instead of his.

“What did I just agree to?” Tessa dropped into the chair in Lacey’s office, the rhetorical question answered by an avalanche of female voices the minute all four of them were behind closed doors.

Lacey, the organizer, pushed her sweater sleeves back like a woman ready to dive into a new project.“We can totally make this work.”

Jocelyn, the analyzer, angled her head thoughtfully. “I think it says a lot about him that he came up with this idea.”

And the queen of a good time clapped like a kid who’d just won a trip to Disney World. “Dress shopping!” Zoe exclaimed.

Finally silent, they all stared at Tessa as she nearly choked on frustration. “Guys, do you really think it’s a good idea for me to stand out on that beach in a white gown and exchange wedding vows with a virtual stranger for the good of the business?”

They glanced at each other, then at her, still silent but communicating volumes. And Tessa didn’t like one unspoken word. She fell into the guest chair with a sigh of exasperation.

“It’s not like it’s real, Tess,” Lacey said.

What do you think I wanted to ask you? His words echoed. Was it…no. It wasn’t even remotely possible that was what he wanted to ask her. But now she’d never know.

“It’s crazy.” Tessa closed her eyes, shaking her head, looking for some sanity and seeing nothing but John Brown’s sexy eyes boring a hole right through her heart. “I said yes because Ashley was so determined and —”

“So was he,” Jocelyn said.

Yes, he was. Freakishly determined. “Okay, I’m going to pretend to get married, but you guys don’t have to blow it into something it’s not so I look like some kind of fool out there.”

“Tessa.” Jocelyn curled up on the couch. “There’s nothing foolish about love.”

“Love?” The word catapulted her back to her feet. “You guys are blind, I tell you. Just because you all won some kind of lottery or cracked the code or found the key to ultimate happiness, you think I should melt into a pool of helpless lust because some complete stranger drops onto the property and has a boner for me. That’s not how it’s done.”

Once more they exchanged knowing looks. Superior, self-righteous knowing looks, too, which fired Tessa up even more.

“Oh!” She balled her fists and double-punched the sky. “Don’t you see that I’m…I’m…I’m…”

“Terrified,” Zoe suggested.

“Looking for excuses?” Lacey added.

“So hung up on your own expectations you don’t see the possibilities right in front of you?” Jocelyn finished.

Oh, God. How could she fight this tsunami of friendship? “I give up.” She fell back into the chair and let her arms drape open.

“Thank God,” Zoe said.

Lacey kneeled next to her. “Listen, Tess, forget the fake wedding for a moment. And we all know it’s fake, even if we secretly hope that someday it won’t be. But, seriously, what exactly is wrong with this guy?”

“Nothing. And I told you, that’s the problem.” At their group look of dismay, she held up her hand. “Hear me out, okay? He’s…perfect. Everything he says, everything he does, every touch, every kiss, everything. And then he talks about ‘us’ like…like we actually might be an us.”

They let out a collective and sickening sigh.

“But we just met,” she insisted.

“So? What’s wrong with that?” Lacey asked.

“What’s right with that?” she shot back.

Jocelyn came closer. “Better question, Tess: What’s right with him? Obviously, there are things you like a lot.”

“Of course. He listens to me, he makes me laugh, he’s sexy, he’s smart, he’s kind, he’s…” Freaking perfect.

Three sets of wide eyes stared at her, stone silent.

“Well, don’t you see? It’s too fast, it’s too much, it’s too right to be real.”

“You’re too stupid to be real,” Zoe said.

“She’s not stupid.” Of course Lacey jumped to her defense. “She’s cautious and I understand that. And, for God’s sake, we don’t expect you to really marry him.”

“Thank you.” Tessa puffed out the words with true gratitude. “And I’m not so stupid that I’m not interested, Zoe,” she fired at the other woman. “I’m interested. But when I bring up my desire to have a—” A sudden punch of pain hit her chest.

The phone call. The surrogate. The disappointment. “Shit,” she murmured. “I forgot about that call from the clinic.”

“See?” Zoe said, her voice softening. “He’s good for you like that.”

She shook her head. “I don’t know. I have to get used to this wedding idea. It feels like a farce.”