Page 35 of Her Fake Island Wedding

Chapter Seventeen

Bryce spent all day worrying about how Lucy was getting on. Once the boat was out on the Reef, he had no phone signal so couldn’t text Olivia or Rosie to check in on her. He considered asking Jodie, the boat captain, to radio in, but she gave him a very old-fashioned look when he hinted about it, so he shut his mouth.

“You just concentrate on doing your job, sonny,” Jodie said dryly. “I’m about ninety-five per cent certain Lucy will still be on the island when you get back.”

“Only ninety-five?” Anxiety sent a crawling tension up Bryce’s spine. “Why wouldn’t she be? Have you heard something?”

“Did I say ninety-five? I meant a hundred. Oh look, that guy’s putting his fins on too early, what a dick.” Jodie deflected him smartly, grinning behind his back as he turned to check on the rookie diver automatically. They were almost up on the dive site and Bryce would be kept busy buddy-checking everyone’s tanks, hoses, connectors and regulators until they were in the water, then keeping an overall eye out once they were down. Hopefully, keeping busy would keep his mind off his wedding jitters.

Bryce could tell Jodie was trying to distract him, and he wasn’t ungrateful. Every minute today seemed to be dragging endlessly; whenever he looked at his watch the numbers on the digital display had barely increased at all.The dive group were barely competent and sorely trying his patience, too. He felt an intense relief when Jodie finally called time and the boat started back to the island.

“Bloody sit still, will you? You’re distracting me.” Jodie never took her eyes off the horizon or her hands off the wheel as she spoke.

Bryce stilled his bouncing leg and tried to take calm, slow breaths. “Sorry.” After a few minutes of desperately trying to stay still, he asked “Have you ever been married, Jode?”

The older woman shot an amused glance at him before returning her gaze to the sea. “Twice,” she replied eventually. “First time, I was young and stupid, got married right out of high school. We were separated before I turned twenty.”

“And the second time?”

“Married a Navy man.” A smile touched her lips. “The sea’s always been the third party in our marriage. Works just fine.”

“You’re still married?” Startled, Bryce looked at her left hand. He’d never seen Jodie wearing any rings, or heard her mention a husband.

“Twenty-seven years, just passed. He’s the captain on the HMASWangaratta. Coming up on retirement next year, and wondering what to do with himself. I’m trying to convince him to join me out here.”

“You must have spent a lot of time apart, over the years,” Bryce commented thoughtfully.

“More apart than together, really.” Jodie shot a sideways glance at him. “Don’t let anyone tell you marriage is all sunshine and roses, son. It takes hard work and a shit ton of patience, but at the end of the day, the rewards are worth having. Callum and I might not have a conventional marriage where we sit down to dinner together every night, but it works for us because we both have the will, and put in the effort, tomakeit work.”

“You do know Lucy and I aren’t actually getting married, right?” Bryce checked.

“The way I heard it, all you have to do is ask Luke to file the paperwork within a month and youwillbe legally married.” Jodie shrugged, not looking at him. “Guess you’ve got a month to convince Lucy being married to you is all she ever wanted, huh?”

Bryce opened his mouth, but no words came out. Finally, he nodded his head, and Jodie let out a quiet chuckle.

“Trust me, everyone can see how perfect the two of you are together. Oh, and Lucy’s just as head over heels for you as you are about her, if you were worried about it.”

“She is? Has she talked to you?”

Jodie shook her head, laughing more loudly. “No. She didn’t have to. Anyone with eyes can see it… except you, obviously. Have a little faith, Bryce.”

* * *

Without being able to see and talk to Lucy, all Bryce could do was stew on Jodie’s words all the way back to the island and all evening. He got a good deal of good-natured joshing from his friends as they sat around drinking excellent wine and eating pizza at Jace’s stunning villa, watching the sun go down over the ocean.

It occurred to him, about halfway down a bottle of wine, that none of this friends were acting as though the wedding was anything but real, even though they all knew very well the whole thing had at least started as a prank.

“Cory,” he grabbed at his friend’s arm as Cory came to sit back down, pizza slice in hand, “why’s everyone acting like this is a real wedding?”

Cory, rather the worse for wear on wine himself, had to consider that a while before shrugging. “Well, it pretty much is, isn’t it? Luke said all you have to do is file the paperwork.”

“Why’s he going around telling everyone that?” Bryce demanded plaintively.

“Why don’t you ask him yourself?” Cory responded with impeccable logic. “He’s sitting right over there.”

“Well, he and Jace are talking. I didn’t want to interrupt.”

Cory chuckled. “They’re not talking business. Go on, head over there!”

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