Chapter Seven
“Welcome to Rainbow Sands!” A young woman with gorgeous spiral curls and perfectly smooth, russet skin handed Kayla a single orange hibiscus flower. “Please follow me this way.”
Kayla and Mack followed in her wake away from the curving driveway and the shuttle bus’s exhaust fumes.
The front of the resort was an open arch ten feet wide leading into a tiled lobby dotted with plush couches, armchairs, and carved wooden end tables.
Rather than leading them to the reception desk bustling with activity, their guide steered them off into a smaller, quieter side room.
“Thank you for celebrating your wedding with us. Juliana will assist with your check-in.”
Juliana stood from behind her desk and held out both hands to them. Everyone they had met on their brief time on the island had the same wide smile, but most looked as forced as those in Kayla’s photographs. Juliana’s ruby-red lips split wide, in what was unquestionably a genuine smile.
“Ms. Kayla, how lovely to meet you at last.”
“It’s lovely to meet you, Juliana,” Kayla said.
“Are you two old friends?” Mack asked with a wink.
Kayla released Juliana’s hands to take Mack’s. “Juliana, this is McKensie.” At the last minute, she remembered to add, “My fiancée.”
“Ah, yes, Mack. A pleasure to meet you at last. Congratulations on your impending marriage.”
“Thanks, Juliana.”
They settled at either end of the desk and suddenly, Juliana was all business. “I hope you had a pleasant flight. Your room is ready for you, of course. We have you in one of our Oceanview Suites. I personally selected the room with the best view of the cove just for the two of you.”
“You’re just too wonderful. We couldn’t have done any of this without you,” Kayla said.
“It was nothing.” Juliana’s smile was professional, but also a little conspiratorial.
If only Juliana knew the extent of her part in the conspiracy.
The very moment Kayla left what she thought had been a coffee date with Skye a month ago, she had called Rainbow Sands to put her plan into motion.
Since then, she and Juliana had spoken nearly every day.
First, she had cajoled Juliana into bending the rules and splitting the two-week wedding package into two separate one-week packages.
Then she had sweet-talked her into sharing all the details of Skye’s arrangements.
Then she had convinced Juliana to fit her and Mack into the same week.
The information she had asked for was not strictly a violation of Skye’s privacy since the package was still under her name, but it was certainly flirting with the line.
How lucky had she been that Juliana had answered the phone that first day?
She’d stumbled upon the most agreeable partner in not-quite-crime.
As Juliana clacked away at her keyboard, entering their passport and flight information, Kayla tested to see how far she could push for one more tidbit. “I don’t suppose you could tell me if our friends have arrived yet? We hoped to have a room close to theirs.”
Juliana’s smile didn’t falter a fraction. “Ms. Skye and Dr. Amy have indeed checked in. They arrived very early on the first flight this morning. Unfortunately, I cannot get you a room close to them.”
“Oh no? That’s disappointing.”
So Skye was trying to marry a doctor. That wasn’t surprising.
She was a consummate charmer, and with all her extreme sports, she was constantly finding herself in emergency rooms. Whoever this Dr. Amy was probably got her claws into Skye while she was injured and unable to defend herself.
Wasn’t that some sort of ethics violation?
“Are they at least nearby? Maybe we’ll run into them on the walk to the room?” Mack said.
Speaking of charmers, Mack had come to the rescue. She was leaning in, leveling her most devastating smile at Juliana. Kayla congratulated herself again on securing such a sharp partner for this mission.
Like so many women over the years, Juliana was clearly blinded by Mack’s smile.
“Ms. Skye upgraded their room to a Honeymoon Bungalow, so they won’t be in the same building.
The bungalows are right in front of the suites, though.
Between you and the beach. You’ll no doubt see them during your stay. ”
“A Honeymoon Bungalow?” Kayla’s voice was hollow, but she tried to hide her shock.
She wasn’t even sure what gave her pause.
Was it the ostentatious wealth of upgrading to a bungalow?
They were several thousand dollars more a week than the suites, which were already outside Skye’s normal price range.
If she stayed in hotels, they were usually the roadside variety with large insect populations.
More often, she packed a ratty old tent and a rattier old sleeping bag or slept in the back seat of her car.
But really, the hard part of hearing that Skye was in a Honeymoon Bungalow wasn’t the bungalow part.
It was the honeymoon part. Kayla had checked out all the room types on the Rainbow Sands website years ago when they’d won the package at the charity auction.
The bungalows promised maximum privacy, including a soaking tub on the balcony overlooking the lagoon.
The four-poster bed was enormous and surrounded by the sort of gauzy curtains that featured heavily in tropical fantasies.
Intellectually, Kayla had known that Skye and her fiancée had sex.
Skye was a passionate woman and unlikely to date anyone very long without going to bed with them.
Considering that they were engaged, it was obvious she and this doctor had been intimate.
Still, she could know a thing without truly admitting it to herself.
Somehow, sitting here in this rattan chair in Juliana’s stuffy office, serenaded by the Caribbean Sea smashing against the shore, Kayla finally understood what that meant.
Skye hadn’t cheated on her. After all, they had been broken up over a year.
Right now, however, it certainly felt like a betrayal.
Juliana, oblivious to the way Kayla’s world had jolted off its axis, continued along with the logistics of their stay.
Kayla dimly noted discussions of a private pool for the wedding guests and the need for reservations at a handful of the fifteen restaurants within the resort.
Fortunately, Mack was more attuned to her mood than Juliana.
“Could we circle back to this later, possibly tomorrow morning?” Mack slid her fingers between Kayla’s and gave her a little squeeze. “We’re a bit tired from the flight and I think we both need to rest a bit before we make any decisions.”
Juliana’s smile was just wicked enough to acknowledge that they were on their wedding trip while remaining professional. “Of course. Although we do need to speak about the wedding ceremony as soon as possible.”
This time it was Kayla who read the room. Or rather read the meaning of how Mack’s whole body tensed beside her. Before Juliana could dive into the ceremony details she said, “Tomorrow. First thing, we promise.”
Juliana’s mouth closed into a thin line, but she smoothed it over with her words. “Of course. This week, you are the boss. Whenever you are ready, please come to me here.”
As though summoned by mere thought, the woman who greeted them was back, this time carrying a thin paper folder with a pair of key cards. “Your luggage has already been delivered to your room. If you’ll please follow me.”
Mack’s hand settled onto the small of Kayla’s back as they strode down a curving staircase of pale stone. The possessive pressure pushed away the last of her discomfort, and she was finally able to focus on the view.
They passed an open-air restaurant and a meandering pool dotted with a dozen or more couples and half as many swim-up bars.
At first, the hand was a comforting pressure clearly meant to soothe her frayed nerves.
As they continued through the meticulously manicured grounds, however, Mack was essentially keeping Kayla from tripping over her own feet.
She was too busy studying every chair and swimmer, looking for Skye’s round cheeks and streak of green hair.
Considering how many other queer couples had been lured in by Rainbow Sands’ aggressive public relations campaign, the task required her full attention.
Before she knew it, however, they were climbing a narrow set of painted concrete stairs, and their guide was explaining the room amenities.
A scrawny tortoiseshell cat waited for them at the top of the steps, sitting regally on the stoop for all the world like a feline doorman.
At a flick of the wrist and a click of the tongue from their guide, the cat leapt easily onto the flat railing and returned its haughty stare to them.
Mack reached out and scratched under the cat’s chin, earning a loud purr. “I didn’t realize the room came with private security.”
“We used to ask guests not to feed them in hopes they would leave the grounds, but they proved very effective beggars. Don’t let her fool you, though. She is well cared for.”
While their guide opened the room, Kayla joined Mack to shower their new friend with love.
She was more of a dog person, of course, but she would take any fluffy companion she could get.
They split their focus, Mack scratching cheeks and chin while Kayla lavished the cat with long pets that made her stand up and wiggle her haunches happily.
Mack said, “She reminds me of Princess.”
Kayla couldn’t help laughing. “She’s spoiled enough, that’s for sure.”
Princess had been her mother’s cat when they were teenagers and had been nothing short of a domestic terrorist in their home.
She had decided she owned the house and that Kayla and her parents weren’t paying nearly enough rent to justify their presence.
Then Mack had moved in and the dynamic snapped completely.