32. Chapter 32
thirty-two
Two days to the wedding
Rowan rapped her pen on the clipboard, her eyes on the long driveway, waiting for the shuttle carrying the first batch of guests who arrived on the noon ferry. In her head, she ticked off the tasks listed on the clipboard once more.
Rooms, ready. Cottages, ready. Refreshments, ready. Staff, ready. Me, I’m not ready.
In a few minutes, a bunch of her relatives would roll in. The older cousins had beautiful memories of Bright Head, and the younger ones had expectations of making beautiful memories of their own. Rowan hoped she could deliver for them.
“Relax,” Chris whispered into her ear from behind her. He stroked her arm with one hand while the other took the pen and clipboard from her and handed them over to Walt, who then walked away, leaving them alone on the porch.
“I’ve been working for over two months for this weekend. And everything that could go wrong happened. So, no, I won’t relax,” Rowan said. “I can’t.”
“You can’t let your guests see you nervous,” Chris said gently, now rubbing both her arms. “You look beautiful, by the way.”
Rowan had put on a cotton summer dress for once. And instead of sneakers or work boots, she wore a pair of leather sandals. She even put up her hair in an artful twist with Rae’s help and finished the look with a pair of earrings and light makeup.
Chris dropped a light kiss on her exposed neck, sending involuntary shivers down her spine. “And you smell incredible. You think we have time for a quicky?”
Rowan couldn’t help but laugh. “How are you so calm?”
In a pair of dark jeans and a white linen shirt, Chris looked relaxed. But his casual attire didn’t detract from the confidence oozing out of him. He looked like a man who had opened many businesses and greeted thousands of guests at his establishments.
“Because we have prepared ourselves to the best of our abilities,” he answered. “Even if we hit glitches, we’ll figure it out. It’s part of the business. Just remember, service and comfort are the top priorities in hospitality. If anything fails, we always go back to those two things.”
Rowan fretted with her empty hands as she turned her gaze back to the driveway. “I’m more nervous about the non-hospitality matters. This weekend is supposed to be about Meredith and Sam.”
As if he read her mind, Chris took one of her hands to soothe her fidgeting and said, “Like we agreed, we’ll keep it simple. We don’t need to say anything about the engagement unless it’s necessary.”
“How about Rae?” Rowan said. “One look at her, people could see the resemblance between us.”
“You’re overestimating people’s attention to details. They probably won’t even notice Rae if you don’t bring attention to her.”
“You don’t think anyone will recognize her?” Rowan asked.
“Rae has a vast audience, but not even her fan base recognizes her often on the street,” Chris said. “But again, we’ve discussed all this. If anyone notices, she’s here to write about Bright Head. It’s close to the truth.”
“How did my life become this complicated?” Rowan laughed. “It used to be so ordinary. Lately, I’m lucky if something doesn’t break or if I don’t injure myself. Add in a feud with an old, crotchety misogynist, a fake engagement, and a secret half-sister I just met. Sometimes I don’t recognize this life at all.”
“You forget you live in this beautiful house you helped create and wake up to this view every morning.” Chris moved her head to look at the cove. “And though it is a lot of work, keeping this inn must be more satisfying than…”
He frowned and asked, “What did you do before this?”
Rowan chuckled. Sometimes, she forgot they’d only known each other for ten days. “Store merchandizing. But you’re right. I’d rather be here.”
She turned to him and looked into his tranquil, multicolored eyes. “Thank you for reminding me about the good things.”
“I wasn’t done.” Chris looped his arms around her waist.
“There’s more?”
“You also met this awesome guy who plays the role of your fiancé to perfection.”
The laugh that came to her was automatic, but so was the tightness around her chest. The urge to pull him in for a kiss was strong. And leaning into his embrace had become a habit. Though there was nothing else she wanted to do more right at that second, she resisted. He was leaving in a few days. It was time to wean herself off Chris Sullens.
She started stepping away and saw the shuttle emerging from the woods in the distance. “Here they come.”
Chris didn’t let her go. Instead, he said, “Hey, look at me.”
Rowan turned her gaze back up to his face.
“We got this,” he assured her again.
Rowan nodded. “Yeah, we got this.”
As the shuttle approached the house, they stood side by side like a unit.
Yes, for now.
The first guests that arrived were mainly the wedding party. Chris and Rowan greeted Meredith, the bride, and Sam, the groom, and their respective parents together. But it quickly turned hectic that they had to divide and conquer.
Rowan went into hostess mode while Chris managed the intake. Alex, also a good friend of Meredith, helped with the greetings and pleasantries while moving people along toward the refreshments she and her team had prepared. There were some confusion among the hastily trained staff, but things went smoothly once they found their groove.
Nobody even wondered about who Chris was. Today, he was just one of the staff. He simply introduced himself as Chris when he checked people in and told them he would be happy to help with everything they needed. Rowan had nothing to worry about.
Once they’d settled the rooms and luggage delivery, Rowan took Meredith, Sam, and their parents to tour the garden and the gray barn where the ceremony and reception would take place. They’d had excellent weather the past week. It should hold for this weekend, but Jane had made sure they were ready for a contingency plan if necessary.
A few more people would arrive on the last afternoon ferry. Chris had checked the reservation program and sent Tim for them with the shuttle about a half-hour ago. Now he was just waiting while checking for tomorrow’s arrivals.
“Here.” Alex suddenly showed up at his side, pushing a small plate with mini sandwiches and savory pies they’d served as snacks, and a glass of lemonade. “Have some food while you can. You haven’t had anything since breakfast.”
“Thanks,” Chris said gratefully and accepted the plate.
“Sit down for a minute, for god’s sake.” Alex pushed him to the sitting area next to the lobby. She sat down with him and watched him eat the food.
“These are great, Alex.” Chris polished off the first pie and picked up a sandwich. “They’re the perfect afternoon pick-me-up. The guests love them.”
“They’re always popular when we cater an event. A little taste if you just need a nosh, but you can pile them up if you want more.”
“You’re ready for tonight’s service?” Chris asked.
“Oliver is managing the preparation as we speak. My team is doing great, but tonight will be the real test.”
“I wouldn’t worry. I’m amazed at how fast you whipped up this mix-match team,” Chris said.
“You mean us?” Alex corrected. “We are pretty randomly and hastily put together. Rowan, Oliver, you, and I. I could be generous and include Kieran in the mix, but the four of us are really pulling this team together. ”
"We are repurposing Kieran's team," Chris pointed out the farmer's big role.
"Yeah, I guess." The blue-haired chef nodded with a grin. “I’m just glad I can help my girl. But I’m worried about what’s next for Rowan, y’know. I have to go back to Portland.”
“Would you consider staying on and helping Rowan establish Bright Head as a destination resort with great dining?” Chris asked.
“I’d love to.” She shrugged. “But as of now, I have to go back to Clover. Making the Bright Head vision happen would take serious money and experience. Not that I doubt Ro’s capabilities, but she’ll need all the help she can get.”
“She needs people. She can’t run this place on her own,” Chris noted. “But Rae is on board now. She can bring the people in. If you stay, that’ll be another attraction for vacationers to come. I know great small luxury inns that attract diners from all over the world. Why not Bright Head?”
“For one, it’s on a small island,” Alex said.
“It’s all about the experience. If we create a compelling enough experience for guests, they will come. I have a resort in a desert, Alex. It takes effort to get there, but they come because I ensure their trip is worthwhile.”
“We?” Alex looked at him with raised eyebrows. “Are you staying?”
Chris gazed back at Alex, feeling perplexed.
“She needs someone like you to help her take this place to where she wants it to go,” Alex said. “You two work well together. If I didn’t know better, I would think you were partners for real and had been doing this for years.”
Chris had noticed that himself. But a thing about partnership was both sides needed to want it.
“I can help, of course. If Rowan asks me to,” he said.
But that’s it. She didn’t ask you.
In fact, Rowan had never broached the subject of staying in touch after this week. Instead, Chris had felt her pulling away from him. To be honest, it shouldn’t bother him. They were, in fact, not really engaged. Perhaps he’d taken this pretend relationship too seriously. She had been clear from the first time they’d slept together that it couldn’t go anywhere. And he’d agreed.
I need to remember that.