Page 78 of Always a Roommate
“Why would he be here for Rae?”
Lola patted his cheek. “I can’t believe I just married someone who is so oblivious. Go look pretty for the camera. I’ll be right there.”
Drew gave her a dazed smile and bent to kiss her. “Sure thing, Mrs. Stone.”
She pushed him away with a laugh. The others followed Drew, but Lola turned to me. “Our guests are enjoying cocktail hour on the upper deck, but Rae is in the reception hall, making sure everything is ready.”
I nodded, suddenly wondering if I’d made a mistake coming here.
Lola grasped my arm. “It’s not as scary as it seems, you know.”
“What isn’t?”
“Being in love.” Her eyes drifted to where Drew was doing a handstand at the edge of the water. He fell, his expensive suit getting covered in sand. Lola rolled her eyes. “As long as you let each other be yourselves always, it’s like the opposite of frightening. Which I guess would be safety. Peace, maybe.”
Peace. I smiled. “Congratulations.”
“Oh.” Her cheeks reddened. “Thank you.”
With one final look, I ran up the stairs. Wedding guests stared at me as I hurried through the crowd, and I wished I hadn’t taken my shirt off.
Out in the lobby, security was everywhere. I hid in a doorway, waiting for the nearest guard to turn away from the door to the giant conference room that had no doubt been turned into an extravagant reception.
The door opened as a member of the catering staff walked out. That was when I saw her.
31
RAE
“Will it be done on time?” I spoke into my headset, talking to one of the coordinators for the caterer. I wanted everything to happen at precise times, and now they were telling me they were slightly behind.
Dinner needed to be served at exactly five after six.
I listened to the response, my shoulders relaxing. Everything would be okay. There would be no mistakes. I needed this to go perfectly. The people who’d soon flood this room were influential. They could make my business boom or bust.
I caught sight of a flower display that wasn’t right. The larger flowers needed to go near the center and look like they tapered off. Tucking my tablet under my arm, I started moving flowers around before stepping back and examining my handiwork.
I felt eyes on me but assumed it was one of The Beach Club staff members I’d kicked out of the room because they were in my way.
“Sarah,” I said into my mic. “How is cocktail hour going?”
Sarah was the head of the security team. “Ms. Brooks, we’ve had a breach in security.”
“How could that happen?” This place was crawling with guards.
“We aren’t sure, but he says Mr. Stone allowed him to come in. I have him apprehended in the lobby, but he doesn’t look like a guest.”
“I’m on my way.” With a sigh, I headed toward the lobby to find out what the issue was. If a reporter had gotten in and lied about getting Drew’s permission, heads were going to roll.
The man was shirtless. That was the first thing I noticed. The guards had wrestled him to the ground—something that could be an issue if he was truly a reporter. But then, he lifted his head, and I swore my heart stopped beating altogether.
I’d had no time to think about my confession to Shane or what he’d possibly say back to me, and now, my brain couldn’t seem to process that he was here.
“Let him up,” I ordered. “This man isn’t a threat.” At least not to Drew and Lola. To my heart? Definitely.
I pointed to him, not amused by his presence. “You, come with me.” My tone was hard, harder than it should have been, but this was the biggest day of my career. I couldn’t afford to have him mess it up.
He followed me wordlessly into the reception hall.
