Page 8 of Her Fake Island Wedding

Chapter Five

Luke didn’t appear to have moved since their earlier visit, though the piles of paper had migrated around his desk somewhat. He looked tired as he lifted his head and nodded to them to come in.

“Still set on this, then?”

“Yep.” Lucy spoke for both of them, setting the completed forms down on Luke’s desk. He looked at her thoughtfully, swinging back and forth a little on his office chair, before nodding and picking them up to feed into his scanner.

“I’ll get them sent off straight away.” He smirked a little. “And you should stop by and see Terry and Jerome. They’re excited.”

“Oh God, Olivia got to them already!” Lucy looked at Bryce with open dread. He chuckled at her.

“Come on, let’s go see them now. Best start reining them in or you’ll find they’ve planned the most elaborate wedding the island’s ever seen and you’ll have no choices in the matter at all.”

The thought was so horrifying that she grabbed Bryce’s hand again and half-dragged him out of the office without even saying goodbye to Luke. Hurrying along the hallway to the large office Terry and Jerome shared, her mind was full of enormous meringue-like wedding dresses and bridesmaids in a hideous shade of tangerine.

By the time they reached the wedding planners’ office, she’d calmed down a little and remembered she didn’t evenhaveany bridesmaids. Which was something she’d need to arrange before her mother arrived. Maybe Olivia would agree to be a maid of honour.

Terry and Jerome were bent over the big planning table they used, arguing over something as they usually did. Lucy wasn’t sure she’d ever seen the pair of them when they weren’t bickering, though they were actually married. They’d been the very first same-sex couple married on the island when Australia legalised gay marriage, and their wedding photos were up on the website already.

“Lucy!” Jerome spied her first and straightened up, throwing his arms wide. “Darling girl! Come here, we have such plans for you!”

“Uh,” Lucy said, “not too big, I hope. I’ve never had visions of an extravagant wedding.”

“Told you not to get carried away,” Terry said snarkily, folding his arms. “Classy and simple has to be the way to go.”

Lucy shot him a grateful look and nodded. “That’s what my mum will expect, anyway. Well. Simple, if not classy.”

“Impossible mothers are a nightmare,” Jerome said sympathetically. “We’ll knock her socks off, Lucy. Don’t you worry. You and Bryce make an absolutely beautiful couple - look at them holding hands, Terry!” He nudged his husband and Terry chuckled.

“Actually that’s a point, we should make an effort to get some photos of you two together each day, so you’re wearing different outfits and look like you’re always in each other’s company. Put them up on the resort’s social media accounts so there’s evidence for your mother to find if she goes looking…”

“You’d have been a terrifying criminal mastermind, darling,” Jerome said. “But he’s absolutely right. Tell everyone to take snaps of you regularly.”

“There’s just the slight problem that I hate having my photo taken and I always look like I have a weird fake smile,” Lucy despaired.

“I’ll tell everyone just to take candid shots. They’re better anyway,” Bryce said, surprising her. “It’ll be good practice, looking at each other adoringly.”

“That’s the spirit,” Terry said cheerfully. “Now, Lucy, Olivia said she originally suggested lending you one of her designer dresses but we can do better than that - there’s a bridal shop in Airlie Beach we sometimes send customers to, and I’ve already spoken to their manager who would be delighted to dress you for free. Dress, shoes, accessories, it’s all yours.” He beamed at her. “And the jewellery shop right here in the resort will loan you an engagement ring until after the wedding, and two wedding bands to use at the ceremony.”

They really did have everything under control, Lucy realised as Terry barrelled on, talking about hair and makeup, flowers and catering, photography and videography. After a couple of minutes she tuned out, looking up at Bryce and seeing him apparently listening intently.

God, he’s so good-looking. Mum’s never gonna believe he’s in love with me.

As though sensing her scrutiny, he suddenly looked down at her and smiled. Holding her eyes, he lifted the hand still linked with hers and, to her intense surprise, pressed a gentle kiss to the back of her hand before lowering it again.

Lucy couldn’t help but wonder what Bryce meant by the affectionate gesture. Was it just more ‘practice’ as far as he was concerned? She tried to tell herself not to read too much into it, but the soft warmth of his lips against her skin left a tingling feeling long after they’d left the wedding planners’ office.

“Want to go get some dinner?” Bryce suggested as they headed back down the main staircase to Reception.

“Sounds good,” Lucy agreed. “I was too distracted to eat much lunch.”

“Yeah, I noticed.”

“Did you really?” came out before Lucy could stop herself, and Bryce looked down at her with a slight smile.

“I notice everything about you, Lucy.”

She hadn’t the slightest idea what to say in response to that bombshell, but fortunately was saved from having to come up with a response when Cory came out of a side pathway to join them.

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