Barefoot in White (Barefoot Bay Brides) (26 page)

* * *

He needed a beer. Hell, after what Misty Trew had told him, Nick needed a few of them. Silent, he walked to the refrigerator and pulled one out along with another cold bottle of water for his guest. She’d downed the first one during her rapid-fire confession that had just knocked him on his ass.

After a swig, he rounded the counter to give Misty the bottle, but didn’t sit down.

“So there’s no wedding.”

“There’s a wedding, sort of. But it won’t be mine. It’s a very small, private service for Ona and Donny to renew their vows.”

He let that sink in. “So I’m here…why?”

“To write a book, as far as I understand it.”

But that wasn’t why he’d originally come here. “You had me fly to Florida for a weekend to preview a wedding site even though you knew there wasn’t going to be a wedding? Did Jason know this?”

“It was Jason’s idea,” she said. “He thought you could use the break and wanted to help you. He thought you were getting depressed over the medical leave and thought the trip would be good for you. Honest, he did.”

She had to claim honesty, because everything she’d told him before today had been a lie.

“And when you decided to stay and make a month of R&R out of it, Jason was so sure he’d done the right thing.”

So sure he didn’t tell me the truth.
Nick ran his thumb over the label on the bottle, thinking how much that sounded like something Trew Blue would do. Always worried more about the next guy and thinking he knew what was best. And, to be fair, the experiment worked. Nick had been happy, writing, and…falling for Willow.

His heart dropped at the thought of her and all she’d confided about her parents. Who would be here to renew their vows in less than two weeks. “I have to tell Willow.”

Misty shot up instantly. “You can’t, Nick! I promised Ona. This is so important to her, you have no idea. She’s been planning this, moving heaven and earth to make it happen.”

“I understand she’s a master manipulator.”

Misty shrugged, unfazed. “Ona knows what she wants and goes after it, that’s true. But what she wants is to reconcile with her estranged daughter. How awful is that?”

“It might be very awful, for the estranged daughter.”

“Or it might be wonderful and make everyone happy.”

Doubtful, after all Willow had told him. Even if it did end up as one big family love fest, was it his place to hide what was going on from her? Absolutely not. “She’ll be furious if she finds out I knew and didn’t tell her.”

“Not if there’s a happy ending and she and her mom are close again.”

Again? “From what Willow has said, they’ve never been close. In fact, there’s a lot of hurt between them.”

“Exactly!” Misty exclaimed. “Trust me, Ona knows that. She’s desperate to fix it. She’s not doing this on a whim. She nearly drowned, and when she was saved, she decided there was nothing more important than to have a relationship with her daughter. A good, solid relationship. She’s even tried, but Willow always has an excuse why she can’t see her parents.”

“That’s her right, Misty. I can’t step in and change that.”

“No one is asking you to, just not to stop it from happening.”

“Telling her isn’t stopping it. She has to be here for the event, whatever it is.” But even as he said the words, he could see the look in Willow’s eyes when she talked about her determination not to see her mother or anyone from her past. She would find a way to leave, he knew it.

“It could ruin the most important moment in either of their lives,” Misty said, the amount of compassion in her voice surprising him.

“Why is this so important to you?” he asked. “You don’t know Willow, and it’s a pretty big inconvenience for you.”

She looked at him, not answering right away. “Hasn’t my brother told you about our parents?”

Had he? “Your parents”—searching his memory banks, all he could come up with was a reference to a stepmother—“are divorced?” he guessed.

“He didn’t tell you about what hell it was living with Brenda?”

“Your stepmother? Hate to break it to you, Misty, but Navy SEALs don’t generally sit around and whine about their stepparents.”

She didn’t smile. “Well, let me whine for him. We were raised by a horrible, selfish, hateful woman after our mother died. Jason went into the military to escape. I started modeling, and when I met Ona, it was like finding the mom I never had. She’s been so good to me, so kind and supportive and wonderful. I had no idea a mother could be like that.”

It was Nick’s turn to stare and be confused. “Why wasn’t she like that with her own daughter?”

“That’s the point,” she insisted. “She
knows
she was wrong not to try to accept Willow as she is—or was. She wants to take all the blame. That’s why she’s coming here, to beg for Willow’s forgiveness and start a new relationship.”

“Why make it so complicated with this big fake wedding and secret…service?” he asked. “Or whatever it is they’re doing.”

“Renewing their vows,” she supplied. “Ona wants everything to be perfect, like a chance for the three of them to bond and become a family again.”

What kind of lunatic was this woman? He already despised her based on what Willow told him. Why would he help her? “Sorry, Misty, but I don’t owe her any loyalty, so I’m going to tell Willow and let her decide what to do.”

Misty’s shoulders fell, and raw disappointment darkened her expression. “Jason told me I could count on you. He said you’re dependable and—”

“He’s right. You can depend on me to tell Willow.”

“He said you owe him a favor.”

Damn it. “I’m doing it by being here.”

“You were doing it by coming here for a weekend, but staying here and getting involved with Willow and ruining everything for someone I love is not a favor to anyone.” She crossed her arms and let out a huff of a sigh. “I’m only asking you to let it go. If you weren’t here, if you had gone back when I did, this wouldn’t be an issue. But Jason called me and told me I had to tell you so you weren’t pissed off when the time came and there’s no wedding, and he also promised me you would keep the secret.”

“But he doesn’t know”—
that I’m about to relieve Willow of her virginity—
“that we’ve grown close.”

“I gathered that. What if you grow even closer?”

“And?”

“And…you fall in love. And get
married
?”

What
? He couldn’t even think of a response to that.

“She won’t have her own family at her wedding,” Misty said smugly, certain her argument made sense, only nothing made sense right now. “Or what if one of them gets sick and is in the hospital? She won’t visit them. What about when she has a baby? Ona and Donny can’t be grandparents?”

All of that did sound pretty brutal. “But—”

“All the more reason for you to want her to reconcile with her mother, Nick. Don’t you see? You’d be helping her and me. Mostly her. Every woman wants a relationship with her mother, and doesn’t Willow want her mother to see how great she looks? How she’s lost weight and conquered her demons?”

He had to agree, except for the fact that her mother
was
the demon. “I’ll think about it,” he finally said. “I can’t promise anything, but I’ll…I’ll put out some feelers, and if I think there’s a chance that this might be the right way to go, I won’t say anything. But, damn it, Misty, she’s going to hate me if she finds out I knew about it.”

“Then pretend you didn’t. I certainly won’t tell her.”

He closed his eyes and took another long pull on the beer. “I’m not going to lie.”

“And wait until you meet Ona and Donny! They are the best.”

“I always wanted to meet him,” he admitted. But not like
this
.

Misty scooped up her bag. “Then meet him. Come to dinner with us right now over in Naples, where they’ve been staying all month. I’m sure they’d love to meet you.”

He didn’t think twice about how to answer that.

Chapter Twenty-two

“Looking at your phone doesn’t make the texts magically appear.” Gussie elbowed Willow and added a grin. “Go over there. He’s expecting you.”

Willow put her phone down and picked up some table coverings to fold. Around them, the Casa Blanca staff broke the beachfront dining area after the last of the Peyton-Orinson wedding party left to finish the night in the bar or walk the beach.

“He didn’t reply to my text. If he’s deep into writing, I don’t want to bother him.”

Gussie rolled her eyes as she disassembled a seashell centerpiece. “Yeah, ’cause guys hate to be bothered by a booty call.”

“It’s not a…” Willow laughed. “Yeah, okay, it is. Except…”

“Except what?”

She sighed and lined up the linens. “I really like him, Gus.”

“That makes booty calls all the more pleasurable.”

“That makes the booty calls all the more…not bootyish, if you know what I mean. It makes it
real
.”

“Ahem.” They turned at the sound of Ari’s fake throat-clearing from behind them. “I know what you mean.” She held out her hand to Gussie. “Root Beer Barrels, you are mine.”

Willow sighed, fighting a laugh. “Why do you two gamble on my love life more than I do?”

Ari snapped her fingers and pointed at Gussie. “Hah! I told you. She didn’t say ‘like life.’”

“It’s an expression, Ari, she’s not in love.”

Willow’s jaw dropped as she followed the volley of the conversation, not believing it. “You guys are betting whether or not I
love
this guy?”

They looked at each other, silent and guilty. Finally, Gussie shrugged. “I’m betting against it, if that counts for anything.”

“I’m certain that even if you don’t now, you will,” Ari said. “I believe the universe has preordained this.”

“I don’t know what’s worse,” Willow whispered on a sigh. “That you believe the universe preordains things, or that you”—she turned to Gussie—“have bet against me.”

“Against love,” she corrected. “I’d bet my life on you, Willow, and you know it. I don’t think you’re…” Her voice faded out, and Willow leaned closer, dying to hear the rest.

“I’m what? Ready? Worthy? Lovable?”

“Willow!” That came at her in unison.

“How can you say that?” Gussie set down the centerpiece and came closer. “You’re the most lovable person I know.”

Willow angled her head, communicating her doubt. “Then what do you think I’m not that Nick Hershey could or should have?”

Gussie shook her head, reaching out her hands to place them on Willow’s shoulders. “Before you tackle love or a mega-serious relationship or, hell, even a casual fling, you need to deal with the devils on the inside, and not just the ones that you slayed in order to lose weight. I mean the ones that keep you entirely shut off from your past.”

Willow stared at her, letting the words fall over her heart, and knowing exactly what—and
who
—Gussie meant. She turned to Ari. “What do you think?”

She lifted a shoulder. “I think that what’s going to happen will happen, and you can’t change that, but…” She gnawed her lower lip, carefully choosing her words. “I do think that you’ve built a wall around yourself for protection and that man might take it down. Are you ready for that?”

“A wall? What kind of wall?”

“One built out of Wasa crackers and determination,” Gussie cracked. “With a little denial to keep it standing.”

“Denial?” Willow sputtered the word. “Because I denied myself chocolate cake?”

“I don’t think chocolate cake caused you to be unhappy, Willow. I think you were unhappy and turned to chocolate cake.”

Like that took Gussie
or
a shrink to figure out. Willow swallowed the retort since they were obviously trying to help, no matter how much she didn’t like it. “And what does this have to do with my having a fling or relationship or whatever you call it with Nick?” she asked.

“Look, you can ignore all this. It was a silly bet,” Ari said. “We love you and want you to be happy.”

“I am happy,” Willow insisted. Why did people seem to doubt that? “Although I’d be happier if I were naked with Nick and not having this conversation.”

“Then forget what I said,” Gussie said. “Just go over there.”

Willow handed Gussie the last tablecloth and looked down the beach toward Nick’s villa. From here, it looked completely dark. Her heart rose up to her throat as she imagined him in there, alone. Asleep? Writing? Underwater? Waiting for her? Didn’t matter. She was going.

She scooped up her phone and snagged her shoes and bag from another table where she’d left them. “The safest bet?” she asked with a smile. “I won’t be home tonight.”

The privacy gate was locked, so she walked around the side of the villa to the front entrance on the path, glancing in windows. Pitch black in there.

Had he gone somewhere with Misty? Was that why he hadn’t texted back?

At the front, she knocked and waited. And remembered that, in her bag, she had a master key that she’d used to put the welcome basket in Jill Peyton’s villa. Without giving herself time to think too much about it, she pulled out the card key and unlocked the door.