Page 30 of Marrying Chrissy

“Early bird most of the time. But I think having the chance to sleep in a little would be nice.”

He smiled. “In that case, how about I knock on your door at nine?”

“That’ll be great.” She looked around the room. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Good night, Chrissy.” He paused a moment before smiling again then followed the bellhop outside. The door closed, blocking her view of him.

Chrissy allowed herself to fall backward onto the large bed. A groan escaped her lips. “Oh, yeah.” She wondered how badly everyone would think of her if she just slept through the day tomorrow. Whatever kind of mattress this was, it was going on the top of Chrissy’s bucket list of things to own one day.

She was still holding the schedule and took time to look at the activities lined up for tomorrow. After breakfast was beach volleyball, followed by a scavenger hunt. It sounded like basic shorts and a t-shirt would be good for that. Hopefully she could just observe and cheer because volleyball was never one of the sports she’d taken to.

It was almost ten o’clock. Not really all that late, but she was already exhausted. She changed into a pair of knit shorts and t-shirt before collapsing on the bed again. She called Mom who put her on speaker so that Emma could hear the conversation as well.

An hour later, she’d finished telling them about the drive, how fancy the resort was, and her trip to the coast. The one thing she refused to mention was the kiss. They ended the call with Chrissy promising to take and send more pictures.

Fifteen minutes later, she crawled under the covers, relaxed between the satin sheets, and tried not to stress about the unknowns of tomorrow.

She’d only be there for about thirty-six hours. That wasn’t so long. She could handle pretending to be Wyatt’s girlfriend, especially if it made his grandmother happy. Enjoying the amazing amenities at this fancy resort was another perk. She just had to keep her game face on.

Oh, and make sure she and Wyatt didn’t kiss again.

~*~

Wyatt stepped onto the back deck and took in a deep breath of ocean air. Much better. Breakfast had been fine, but there’d been something about all the people milling around that made him feel claustrophobic.

Chrissy had been exceptionally quiet during breakfast as well. She’d sat beside him, exchanged pleasantries, and happily spoke to several members of his extended family. But there was something about her demeanor that made him wonder if she was more unsure than she let on. Was it because of their kiss? More likely it was because of the crowd of people she didn’t know. Just because he couldn’t quit thinking about being close at the beach didn’t mean she was having the same problem.

He glanced at her as she picked up a brightly-colored beach blanket from the folded pile on the deck and tucked it under one arm. Over the other shoulder was a large, canvas bag filled with an umbrella, a sunhat, and some other items he couldn’t quite see.

Chrissy pulled the sunhat out and put it on her head. The cream-colored fabric did a good job of blocking her face from the sun. Between the hat, the brown shorts, and floral-patterned sleeveless shirt she was wearing, she looked like she was meant to be on the beach.

They made their way down the well-kept path that led from the steps of the deck halfway to the beach. Chrissy glanced at him. “I have to admit, I was surprised when you said you’d be playing volleyball.”

Wyatt chuckled. “It’s an acquired sport. My sisters all played it growing up, so I did, too.” Ahead, people were gathering near the volleyball nets and reserving places to sit.

“Is it super competitive?”

“We’ll keep track of points to see which team wins. As for how competitive everyone is, it entirely depends on which team you’re talking about.” Wyatt flashed her a grin.

“I’m glad I decided to just sit on the sidelines and watch.” She shifted her bag on her shoulder.

Wyatt instinctively reached for it. She seemed surprised but allowed him to carry it for her. “Good idea to bring an umbrella. I hope you put sunscreen in here, too.”

“I did.” She held one arm out. “I don’t get a whole lot of sun. I’d rather not go home looking like a boiled lobster.”

He led the way to a spot close enough to the volleyball nets to see, but far enough away that Chrissy shouldn’t have to worry about stray balls. They worked together to spread out the large blanket. She took her bag from him and set it down before lowering herself to sit on one edge. Immediately, she kicked her sandals off and buried her feet in the sand. Her toes, complete with purple nails, peeked out like colorful little seashells.

Wyatt had never really thought of feet as attractive until now. Then again, he couldn’t think of anything about Chrissy that wasn’t beautiful.

Realizing he was still staring at her toes, Wyatt blinked to clear his head and focus on his uncle who was relating details about which team he was going to be on.

The games weren’t starting for another half hour, so Wyatt took the opportunity to sit beside Chrissy and relax for a few minutes.

Lucy stopped at their towel, crouched down with her Canon in hand, and snapped several pictures. Chrissy’s head lifted. There was only a momentary look of surprise on her face before she smiled brightly for the camera. Lucy then focused on Chrissy’s feet, her toes still sticking out of the sand.

“You’re not wasting any time this morning,” Wyatt commented.

His sister only shrugged as she snapped some more photos. “The candid pictures are always the best. The one time I don’t have my camera out is the time I’ll miss the best shot of the weekend.” It was all said while looking through the eyepiece.

---