HisMarriageBargain (4 page)

I can think of a few ways to dirty up the sheets.

“If it doesn’t get dirty you didn’t have any fun.” He winked
and wanted to stuff the words back in his mouth.

“You’re so bad.” Autumn tossed her head back and laughed.

“Yeah, I know.” He kept his smile firmly in place but a
little bit of him withered. He’d lived his life with the focus on enjoying
himself, and he had. But at what cost?

“I’m going to go start getting things lined up for the
wedding. Any other requests?” She leaned against the couch and curled her legs
under, propping her chin on his knee.

Fuck me.

“No. Just you, me and someone to sign the license.”

“I’m on it.” She flashed a smile and rose to her feet.

I wish you were on it.

Sammi sighed and rubbed his head. He had to get himself
under control. Now, not later. But first he just needed to rest for a few
minutes.

This was going to be torture. Fucking torture.

He leaned his head back against the couch and slowly drifted
off to sleep.

* * * * *

Autumn stood outside the suite door. The hallway was the
same marble she’d seen throughout the resort. The walls the same white wainscot
paneling and peach-colored wallpaper.

Everything looked the same.

This was the tropics. There should be bursts of color, a
riot of flowers, something that captured the eye.

Instead, she’d barely stepped out of her suite and was lost.

An adjacent door opened and a maid backed out, pulling a
cart with her.

“Excuse me?” Autumn nearly grabbed hold of the woman and
clung to her for dear life.

The woman turned to face her. “Yes ma’am?”

“Oh my goodness.” Autumn’s jaw dropped.

“Is something wrong?” The woman glanced around.

“No, sorry. You just have the most beautiful eyes. The color
is stunning. Wow.” She resisted the urge to grab the woman’s face and hold her
just so under the lighting to study the way the colors mingled to create a
unique shade of tawny gold. Against her chocolate skin the effect was stunning.
How was this woman not a model?

“Oh. Thank you.” The woman’s shoulders eased and she smiled.

“I’m sorry to bother you, but we just got here and I have no
idea how to get downstairs. I’m supposed to be figuring out how to plan my
wedding tonight and I can’t even find the elevator.” She shut her mouth with a
click and pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

Autumn, stop talking. You sound like an idiot.

“Getting married? Congratulations.” The woman put her hand
on her hip and grinned. “Wait, did you say tonight?”

“Yeah, we’re kind of eloping.” Autumn’s nerves started to
kick up. She was doing this. Really doing it. And there were fifty different
details to iron out. Now!

“Oh honey, go downstairs.” The maid grabbed a pad of paper
and a pen and began drawing a map. “The elevator is going to be a left and the
second right. You have a corner suite so it’s the farthest you can get. Go
downstairs, cut through the courtyard diagonally and you’ll hit the smaller
customer service desk. There’s a woman named Marie. Ask for her and tell her
Eleri told you so. She’s my cousin’s wife and can help you get it all squared
away.”

“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I could kiss you.” Autumn
clutched the paper to her chest. She’d never have found it herself.

“Not a problem. If you need anything at all, don’t hesitate
to ask. Enjoy your stay.” Eleri waved her off, dazzling her with another smile.

Autumn followed the instructions, clutching the paper with
both hands, turning left at the first chance she got, which was another hall
that looked just like the one she’d left behind. She walked for an age before
finding her next turn that led almost immediately to the elevator.

“Good thing I’m not in a hurry or anything,” she muttered
under her breath as she waited for the elevator.

She made it all the way to the first floor without mishap.

The lower level of the resort seemed to be built on open archways
and colonnades open to the ocean breeze. The courtyard she was able to strike
through on a direct path complete with signs pointing her to customer service
was a mini tropical forest. Birds flitted overhead and blossoms perfumed the
air with a fresh fragrance. It was almost a pity to leave the glass-domed
courtyard behind for the indoors.

On her left, a long, mahogany counter separated Autumn from
three uniformed staff. She had arrived at her destination!

Autumn sucked down a deep breath and marched up to the desk.
A friendly-looking woman with cocoa skin and blonde-streaked hair in a bun
glanced up.

“Hi, I’m looking for Marie,” Autumn said.

“I am Marie,” the woman said with some hesitation.

Luck.

She had it today.

“Hi, Marie. I met your cousin Eleri and she said you could
help me.” Autumn set her clutch purse on the counter. The tote had been too
much to haul around with her on these errands.

Marie shook her head. “I’m sorry, I cannot help you get a
job here.”

“A job?” Autumn straightened and tried not to laugh.

“You can fill out an application online if you like.” It was
clear by the way Marie kept her gaze on her computer and tapped the F and J
keys repeatedly that she simply wanted Autumn to go away.

Why was it that everyone under the sun here thought she was
anything except an honest vacationer? Okay, Eleri hadn’t, but she was special.

Autumn could envision herself turning around and fleeing to
the farthest point possible and hiding there.

It was time to put on her big-girl panties. She needed help,
and this poor woman had been volunteered for the job.

She sucked in a deep breath, pushed her glasses up yet again
and tapped the desk to get Marie’s attention.

“I’m sorry, no, that’s not what I’m here about.” She laid
her cardkey on the counter. “I’m actually a guest here. Staying in the North
Star Suite with my fiancé.”

“Oh.” Marie’s eyes fluttered open wide. “I’m so sorry,
ma’am.”

Yeah right. You got caught with your nose up in the air.

Autumn kept her smile firmly in place. “Accidents happen.”

“What can I do for you?” Marie folded her hands on the desk
and gave Autumn her undivided attention. It was cute, in a grating way. Why
shouldn’t Autumn command the same kind of service as another guest? Did the
colors on her skin really matter that much?

Autumn shook it off. How people treated her didn’t matter so
much as how she lived her life.

“My fiancé and I are eloping and want to get married
tonight, around sunset on the beach. I have a list of things I need to figure
out. Rabbi. Photographer. Makeup and hair. The whole nine yards, and I need a
push in the right direction.”

Marie’s brows were trying to crawl off her face and her jaw
seemed to have come unhinged. “Tonight?”

“Yeah, short notice I know.” Autumn leaned against the
counter and shrugged. “Then again we’ve only been engaged for maybe forty-eight
hours.”

“Okay.” Marie gave herself a little shake. “Do you have a
list? Let’s see what the most difficult item is and work on that first.” She
snapped her fingers at the other two customer service representatives who’d
been listening to the unfolding drama. “I’m going to need your help.”

“Here you go. And thanks.” Autumn slid her hastily scrawled
list to the woman. “I think the hardest thing to do will be to find a rabbi.”

“A Jewish rabbi?” Marie asked.

What other kind of rabbis are there?

Autumn kept her thoughts to herself.

“Yes, a Jewish one. Preferably.”

Marie grabbed the arm of the other female associate working
with her. “Make the future Mrs. Zimmerman an appointment at the spa for two o’
clock, let the girls know she’ll need full wedding prep in half the time.” She
pointed at the man. “Call Tony Reisz and see if he’s still on the island and
will consider photographing the wedding.”

Autumn watched as all three picked up phones. It was as if
she had her own personal wedding army, except none of them were wearing white.

Also, how had Marie figured out who she was so fast? The
woman had mad skills.

“What can I do?” Autumn asked.

Marie tucked the phone receiver under her chin. “I’m calling
the island’s tourist office. They have an excellent list of resources.
Hopefully a rabbi will be on the list.” She switched her attention to the phone
and repeated their needs to the person on the other end. Autumn breathed a sigh
of relief when Marie began jotting down a name and number, then a second one.

“Thank you very much.” Marie hung up the phone, but despite
her success she did not appear enthusiastic. “There are two rabbis on the
island.”

“Great.”

Marie tapped the top of the paper. “I just want to warn you
that I know this first man, and he’s not pleasant.”

“I don’t have to like him for him to do a ceremony, do I?”
Autumn shrugged and dug out the prepaid cell Sammi had given her. They’d
promised no contact with home until they got married, so the replacement phone
was for organizational purposes only, besides communicating with Sammi.

She punched in the phone number and listened to it ring.

And ring.

And ring.

And ring.

“No one’s answering,” she whispered to Marie.

Marie’s brow creased and the corners of her mouth turned
down.

After twelve chimes Autumn hung the phone up and blew out a
breath. Everything couldn’t fall into place on the first try. It just wasn’t
natural. She jabbed in the second number and listened to it.

“Hello?” a female voice said on the other end of the line.

“Hi, I’m looking for Ezra Golden. Is he available?”

There was a pause. “Who is this?”

“He doesn’t know me. I’m a guest at a resort and my fiancé
and I were wanting to get married during our trip. He’s Jewish—”

“My husband doesn’t perform weddings for anyone not part of
our community.” The way the woman spoke made Autumn imagine her with her nose
in the air.

Autumn curbed her initial desire to tell the woman to fall
off a cliff and reminded herself that this was for Sammi. “Are you sure he
wouldn’t reconsider? These are special circumstances, I promise. My fiancé,
he’s—he’s dying and we want to get married as soon as possible.”

That gave Mrs. Snooty Pants pause. “I’m sorry, but no. Good
luck to you.”

The line went dead.

“Oh my god.” Autumn rolled her eyes. “One no answer and one
hard no.”

Marie stared at her, eyes gone large. For a moment she
didn’t speak or move. She seemed to shake it off. “We could have the chaplain
perform the service or call in one of the Christian churches. Their clergy are
always willing to help.”

Autumn shook her head. “I have to try to get a rabbi.”

She dialed the first number a second time and crossed her
fingers. Marie crossed both of hers and bit her lip.

“Hello?” a gruff voice said on the other end of the line.

“Hi. Hello. Um, I’m visiting the island with my fiancé and
we were going to try to get married while we’re here. The hotel gave me your
information because I was looking for a rabbi to perform the service.” She
squeezed her eyes shut and prayed he’d help them out.

“Why the rush?” he asked, but from the tone he didn’t seem
interested in her answer.

Did she tell the truth or give him a platitude?

“We just want to get married as soon as possible.”

“Are you both Jewish?”

Well, crap.

“Sammi is. I am not.”

“No. We do not do interfaith marriages on the island. Good
day.”

“You don’t understand—” The line went dead. She pulled it
away from her face and gaped at it. “He hung up on me. The old toad.”

“I’m sorry,” Marie said, cringing.

“Not your fault.” Autumn set the phone on the counter.

She doubted Sammi’s dream wedding didn’t involve a rabbi. He
wasn’t overt about his family faith, but it was clear in the little comments he
made every now and again that it was important. And she was failing him.

“I guess if there’s a chaplain, could we have him do a
ceremony for us?” Maybe she could do something religiously neutral or
incorporate something Jewish. Not that she knew Jewish from not-Jewish, but she
was grasping at straws.

“Yes, I’ll give him a call right now.” Marie grabbed the phone
receiver and started jabbing in numbers.

“Okay. I’m going to get some lunch. Is there a café or
something close by?” Her stomach was settled and now she was starving. Maybe
she could change her attitude after a sandwich or something.

“Yes, back into the courtyard and to the left along the
outer walk. I’ll call the chaplain and get him to come up and meet with you
before your 2:00 p.m. appointment. Does your gown need to be ironed?”

“Um, yeah, it probably does. My fiancé is resting though.
I’ll have to go up and get it later.” Another detail Autumn would never have
thought about.

“Do you want me to send a maid up for you? I can get Eleri.
She should still be on that floor.”

Autumn shook her head. “No, he really needs to rest. Thank
you though.”

“Not a problem,” Marie insisted.

Autumn plodded off to the café. The day had lost some of its
luster. Sammi had said to go for simple arrangements and she’d tried to make it
elaborate. But shouldn’t weddings be what you wanted?

She ordered a grilled turkey sandwich and pulled up a seat
to wait for her order. There were a few things to figure out still. Dinner and
flowers, for example, but they were low on her priority list.

It was a lot to consider. She took her glasses off and
buried her face in her hands. Maybe she was in over her head.

“Autumn!”

Autumn jerked her head up and blinked at Eleri walking
purposefully toward her with a young couple following closely behind.