Page 45 of Before You Say I Do
“I’d love it if you’d have a glass of wine with me and relax. It would definitely aid my ankle’s recovery.”
Jordan paused, then tilted her head. “I don’t normally drink on the job. But I’ll have a glass with you. Just keep it a secret, okay?”
Abby mimed zipping up her lips and throwing away the key.
“Sit down and wait there.”
She gave Jordan a salute. “Yes, Ma’am.”
When Jordan reappeared, she was carrying two glasses of white. “How’s your ankle?”
Abby rotated it right, then left. “Feels much better.”
Jordan put down the drinks, before moving a chair and placing Abby’s foot on it. “Keep it elevated. That should take the swelling down.” She frowned. “Should I get you some ice?”
Abby shook her head, taking her foot off the chair. “I know that’s what I should do, but you know what I really want to do?” She had no idea where this daring was coming from.
Jordan stilled. “You’ve already got me drinking.”
Abby hesitated. Her pulse raced. “How about we take those drinks into the hot tub? Seems a shame to waste such a gorgeous warm evening sitting here when the view’s just as good down there.” Abby assessed Jordan’s face. Getting semi-naked in water again with Jordan was a risk.
She knew that.
And yet, she couldn’t seem to stop herself suggesting it.
“If you don’t, I won’t write you such a glowing review for your website.”
Jordan flicked her gaze to Abby’s face, a ghost of a smile crossing her own. “We can’t have that, can we?”
Ten minutes later, Jordan held out a hand and Abby stepped into the hot tub, treading carefully to avoid more injuries to her body. She still wasn’t sure about her heart.
Jordan was wearing a one-piece black number, a far cry from her red bikini of earlier. She still managed to look stunning, though, causing Abby’s throat to thicken with want.
She was trying to get her mind back in the game as Jordan passed her wine, which she’d decanted into plastic glasses for the tub. She really did think of everything. Abby leaned over and pressed a large white button. In seconds, the water began to bubble all around them.
“Eight days until the big day.” Jordan sipped her wine, before resting the glass on the lip of the tub. “You think this is going to be you and Marcus on your honeymoon in the Maldives?”
Abby nodded, ignoring the sinking feeling in her stomach. She focused on the gentle stream of bubbles currently massaging the small of her back instead. “I guess so.”
“I’ve always fancied going to the Maldives, but it’s very much a honeymooner destination. I have a friend who went on her own but she said it was tricky travelling solo and being surrounded by couples. She had to invent a husband with food poisoning to ward off couples inviting her to their tables.” Jordan turned up her smile. “But you’ll pass the honeymooner test first time. Handsome man plus gorgeous woman.”
Abby’s stomach flipped. Jordan thought she was a gorgeous woman? “Thanks, I think.”
She recalled a conversation she and Marcus had recently about names for their first-born. Marcus had wanted what Gloria would refer to as “up yourself” names. Abby hadn’t wanted to argue, but she knew once they were married, they’d have to work this stuff out. But would they? Would she end up with children called Penelope and Jasper, rather than Harper and Luke? She couldn’t imagine it. But maybe it all started by having a honeymoon somewhere she didn’t want to go in the first place.
Small decisions with big implications.
“You don’t look very happy about going on honeymoon, if you don’t mind me saying.”
Abby reached for her wine before replying. “I am, it’s just the Maldives isn’t where I wanted to go. I suggested Paris, but Marcus and Marjorie both said that wasn’t grand enough. The Maldives is where everyone goes, like you said. But it’s also far away and requires a plane. The less air travel I have to do, the better for my nerves and my life.”
“Have you told Marcus how you feel?” Jordan frowned as she spoke.
Abby nodded. “I did, but he didn’t listen. He’s excited, and thinks this is what all women want. The funny thing is, he always told me he fell in love with me because I wasn’t like any other girl he’d been out with. But as soon as I agreed to marry him, all of that flew out the window. Now he’s doing everything by the book: wedding venue, cake, massive hens and stags. He’s got caught up in the whole thing, and it’s not what I ever imagined. When I think about the ceremony, which I have a lot over the past few months, I guess I would have liked something in St Albans, where my parents are. Or perhaps in Scotland, where it all started. Maybe even in a castle on a loch.”
“But it’s actually happening in a manor house in Surrey.”
Abby’s shoulder slumped. “It is. Ceremony in the nearby church where Marcus’s family go. Then back to the manor house for the reception. All because of Marjorie and Marcus joining forces and being persuasive.”
