Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Nate slept like the dead that night. Between the drive and burning the midnight oil on Zach’s project, he was so exhausted he could have slept anywhere.
Let alone in his brother’s insanely comfortable beach house, next to the one person in the world he felt safest around.
With Tamara there, it was as if nothing else mattered.
As he lay in bed, slowly waking up, he remembered how somewhere on the edge of sleep last night, he thought he’d heard sounds—Tamara talking, then, much later, the sound of the shower, and the rustle of a bag being unpacked.
Nate opened his eyes. Tamara was just finishing getting dressed.
His next thought was that she looked stunning.
She was wearing a long flowy yellow dress, not quite wedding wear, but it was bright and perfect for brunch and the beach.
Somehow, it was different from her usual casual look.
It suited her, but then, if there was anyone who was going to look great getting ready for the beach, it was Tamara.
Nate pinched himself, realizing that seeing Tamara first thing in the morning was not a dream.
“Good morning,” Nate said, smiling. “Sleep well?”
“Fine,” Tamara said. “Well, I slept okay once I got to sleep.”
She sounded different this morning—sort of polite. Maybe it was the absence of coffee.
“You’re up early,” Nate said.
Tamara shook her head. “It’s not me who’s early,” she said, and again there was the feeling of something being just a little off. “It’s you who’s almost late.”
Nate checked his watch. “Is that the time?” He jumped out of bed and began to scramble to get ready. His family would already be gathering downstairs for brunch.
He grabbed his shaving kit, but before he headed into the shower, he looked at Tamara and said, “Is everything all right? You seem… I don’t know. On edge?”
There was a pause of several seconds.
“Tamara?”
She looked as though she might say something, but then she shook her head and smiled. “No, Nate, everything is great.”
“Look, I’m sorry I slept in. I should have set an alarm,” Nate said. Then he added, “Please let me know if anything is bothering you.”
“It’ll be fine. We’re going to have a fun day.”
“Then I should get ready?” Nate asked, even though he wasn’t entirely sure he believed that smile and those words.
“Relax, they’re not going to have the brunch or the wedding without you,” Tamara said. “Go get ready, and I’ll wait for you.”
Nate showered and then rushed around throwing on a shirt and some casual pants. No need to get dressed up for the ceremony right now. At all his big family celebrations, there was a lot of food and a lot of joking and fooling around.
He turned to see if Tamara was ready to go and caught her watching him.
They smiled at each other. He felt so drawn to her this morning, but there was something about her that seemed a little…
different. If they weren’t already so late, he’d insist they have a talk.
There was a lot he was leaving unsaid… But they had to get moving, and it wasn’t worth tormenting himself with the bunch of what-ifs running around his brain.
Like, what if last night had been different?
What if he’d told Tamara how he really felt about her?
What if he’d told her that he loved her?
And what if he’d kissed her, and she’d kissed him back?
He just hoped she wasn’t upset about something this morning.
“Sorry again for the holdup,” he said, spraying a light mist of aftershave. “I guess we should get going.” He reached out to hold her hand as they left the room and went downstairs.
Holding hands felt so natural, so simple, and so obvious.
As far as he was concerned, they should be in physical contact all the time.
On the stairs, they had to press close to each other to let one of the housekeepers get past, but Nate didn’t even think about breaking contact.
Instead, he simply enjoyed the pressure of Tamara against him and the scent of her hair.
He wished the moment could be drawn out forever.
Most of his family were already seated in the dining room.
Brunch was well underway, and the caterers had everything on offer, including an omelet station and a coffee bar.
One of Nate’s cousins said, “Look at the time. Where have you guys been?” From the tone of his voice, the innuendo was obvious.
Tamara blushed but returned Nate’s smile. He squeezed her hand as he led her to a spot at the table close to his parents. A waiter came by with mimosas, and they got themselves settled.
Nate’s mother smiled as they sat. “Here’s our sleepy couple. Late for breakfast as usual, Nate.”
“You assume they were sleeping,” Nate’s father added, only to be shushed by his current wife. A couple of the others around the table laughed.
Obviously, unmarried couples were fair game with this crowd.
“Well,” Nate declared, “if everyone has finished with their potshots, I’m going to take Tamara over there to get a coffee and some food.
” He held her hand as he led the way, and he could tell she was more relaxed than she had been up in their room.
Her smile was genuine, and she was holding her own with all the jokesters in his family.
She wasn’t fazed one bit. It was obvious she fit right in.
“Nate, let me buy you a coffee,” Tamara joked as she ordered up two double Americanos. “This should wake you up, sleepyhead.”
Nate laughed. It felt so right to be here with Tamara.
More than that, it felt normal to be coming down to breakfast with her.
His family wasn’t very good at being “normal”—in relationships, anyway—but everything was perfect right now.
The whole group was having a wonderful time, and he could tell the bride and groom were so happy, although Tim did look a little nervous and kept his eye on Florentine.
When she left to dress for the ceremony, he looked as if he missed her already.
They sipped their coffees while perusing the buffet table and then both decided to go for the Eggs Florentine—a sweet tribute to the bride.
As they tucked in, all kinds of family stories emerged at the table.
Nate had heard them a thousand times before, but having Tamara here made them so much fresher.
The weird part was that she actually seemed to be enjoying the stories.
Or, if she wasn’t, she was doing a good job of pretending.
His uncle Geoff used to be a fisherman and had lots of funny anecdotes about his time on the boats and working on the docks.
He was telling a long story about losing power out on the water, but Tamara seemed perfectly happy to listen to the details.
She even asked questions about commercial fishing and mentioned the great prawns they’d had yesterday.
Uncle Geoff knew the Thai restaurant and the captain of the boat that supplied their seafood.
Tamara seemed to be enjoying herself in a way Nate wouldn’t have guessed.
Even though his family embarrassed him plenty of times, it didn’t matter.
Not to him and apparently not to Tamara.
“Okay,” Tim said, standing next to his mom.
“I don’t want to break things up, as I can see that everyone is having a great time.
I just want to remind you all we’re trying for a two thirty p.m. start, so you’ve got some time to hang out if you want.
I’m going to go get ready now, or there isn’t going to be a wedding. ”
Nate could hear the nerves in his voice. His brother really was worried about making sure the day was perfect, even though it was a casual affair.
Soon, everyone left to get ready in earnest. The bridesmaids practically ran out of the dining room. Nate turned to Tamara and asked, “Would you like to take a little walk and explore the beach? We’ve probably got at least an hour before we should be back here to get changed.”
“That would be great. I need to walk off that breakfast.”
Holding hands, they made their way down to where the waves were breaking near the shore.
It was a warm day, but the sea breeze cooled them off.
As they strolled, Tamara collected pretty seashells, telling Nate she would make a wind chime with them when she got home.
He helped her gather more shells, and before they knew it, Tarmara was using the skirt part of her dress as a basket.
When they returned to the beach house, they saw a green-and-white-striped awning had been set up on the sand, close to the property. Balloons and banners fluttered in the breeze, creating a simple but charming area for the ceremony.
Nate and Tamara hurried upstairs with their beach treasures to get cleaned up and changed. They both decided to have quick showers to clean off the sand. Nate went first, and five minutes later, Tamara had the bathroom to herself.
Thirty minutes later, Nate heard the door to the bathroom open and looked up from his phone.
Tamara took his breath away. She was wearing a soft pink silk dress that showed off her curves to perfection.
Her hair was up, but still messy, the way she often wore it, and green teardrops hung from earlobes.
Nate was virtually speechless. Finally, he managed to say, “Wow, Tamara, you look beautiful.”
She smiled at him as she slipped on a strappy pair of sandals.
“Thanks, Nate,” she said, blushing. “You look pretty handsome yourself.” Knowing he’d be Tamara’s date, Nate had chosen his outfit carefully.
He wore a pale green linen blazer with a white linen shirt and linen trousers.
Casual but sophisticated. His dark hair was still wet, and he hoped his glasses somehow added to the overall effect.
Taking her hand, he felt a little nervous at first, but once they got downstairs, they both began to relax. They made a striking couple, and several people commented on that.