Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 101254 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101254 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
I bite my lip and let my gaze fall to my lap. “What if I can’t?”
“What are you talking about can’t? Do your legs work?”
“Of course.” There was a time when they felt like they didn’t, because the depression was so bad. Some days I couldn’t move if I tried. But that isn’t where I am anymore, thank goodness.
“Then you can, Tessa,” he says gently but firmly.
He’s not wrong. When I’m having a bad day, I always feel a little better when I do something productive. Even if it’s just taking Rita on a short walk. Sometimes it’s as simple as taking the trash down to the dumpster.
“Do it for Skye,” Ben says. “Like you said, she needs you to be happy.”
“I don’t believe in faking it, Ben.”
“I don’t, either. Faking it can lead to bad things. It can lead to people not knowing you’re in pain, and then… Well, let’s not go there. I’m not asking you to fake it. I’m asking you to, when you’re feeling bad, get up and do something. It doesn’t matter what it is. Get your ass out of bed and do it. You said you didn’t want Skye and Braden to worry about you this weekend. This is how you accomplish that.”
He lets my hand go then, and I absently place it against my own heart.
My heart still beats.
And that, alone, is a reason to be grateful.
Is it a reason to be happy? Ecstatic?
Yeah, it is.
So why am I not feeling that way?
“I’m just saying, Tessa, at least for these four days, if you’re having a particularly bad time, get up. Walk across the room. Take a shower. Get dressed. Go outside.”
I swallow.
“You can do this,” Ben assures me with a smile. “And if you find that you’re having trouble? Call me. I will be at your side. I will drag you out of your room, if you ask me to. I will do whatever it takes to help you make this long weekend perfect for Skye and Braden.”
“All right,” I tell him.
So I’ll suck it up.
I’ll feign emotion.
And I will make sure that my best friend has the best long weekend of her life.
Chapter Twelve
Ben
One smooth landing in Montego Bay and a two-hour limo ride to Ocho Rios later, we arrive at the beachside resort. The three luxury suites have been divided among Braden and Skye, Tessa, and me, as best man and maid of honor.
My suite has a masculine vibe. The living area is decorated in black lacquer and burgundy leather furniture. The kitchenette includes a small dining table, and the bedroom sports a king-size bed covered in royal-blue silk. Even the bathroom is decadent, with a tub and separate walk-in shower and a double vanity in blue-and-white marble.
For a moment I think about how wonderful it would be to share this with someone. Apple Ames would hate this place. It’s too done up for her hipster tastes. Most of the women I’ve dated recently would love it, of course. But none of them were born for this.
Tessa Logan, though?
She was born for a place like this.
My baggage has already been delivered, and the housekeeper has unpacked for me. No formalwear this time. That’s for the wedding itself. Mostly nice jeans with button-down shirts and flip-flops for dinner. All other activities? Trunks and—hopefully—bikinis.
I’ll bet Tessa looks luscious in a bikini. A white string bikini would perfectly accent her tan skin.
And all that beautiful dark brown hair.
I should check on her.
Her suite is right across the hall from mine, so I leave, making sure I have my key card, and I knock on her door.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me, Tessa. Ben.”
“Just a moment, please.”
She opens the door, her hair piled on top of her head.
“Getting ready to go down to the pool or the beach?”
“I was planning a quiet night inside,” she says.
“How about a quiet walk on the beach instead?”
“Well…”
I gesture toward her window. “We’re in Jamaica, Tessa. Let’s make the most of it.”
She crosses her arms. “You’re certainly welcome to make the most of it without me.”
“What did you promise me on the plane?”
“That I would make sure this is a wonderful weekend for Braden and Skye. But we don’t have any plans with them tonight, and I’m sure they would prefer to be alone.”
“Maybe… But whether they want to be alone or not, I don’t want to be alone.”
“There are many young women here who I’m sure would be happy to spend the evening with you.”
She’s no doubt right. But I want to spend the evening with her. Something about her has gotten under my skin. I’m attracted to her, of course. Who wouldn’t be? But there’s something more.
In fact, I’m not sure I would’ve gone for the old Tessa. From what I understand from Skye, she was wild and flamboyant, always living in the moment.