Chapter 40
After a better shower back at the villa ( better is subjective here), I put on my white dress and head down to the beach, where the hotel staff is setting up for the farewell white-out party.
Isaac is there, shouting out orders.
“What are you doing?”
He glances over his shoulder, raking me up and down with his gaze before actually looking me in the eye. “Since I’ll be in charge of the next event like this, I thought I’d come down here and check how things are going.”
“Thank you, but your assistance isn't needed, especially since you aren't familiar with the specifics of this particular party.”
“It’s not my first rodeo.” He gives me an arrogant smirk. “Or did you forget I was the one who taught you how to run an event?”
I wish I could forget.
I have too much to do right now to engage in this power struggle.
“Fine,” I say, realizing there’s no way to get rid of him. “I just need to find Samorn and get the weather forecast before they set anything else up.” I glance around, looking for my hotel client service manager.
“I already did the weather sign-off with Samorn.”
“When?”
“About an hour ago, when we returned from the elephant sanctuary.”
My brows crease. “Why would you do that? It’s not your call.”
“Relax,” Isaac sneers. “The forecast was fine. It showed rain beginning at eleven p.m., well after the farewell party ends.”
“You can’t just sign off on the weather. That’s my job.”
Isaac laughs in his mocking way. “You just like to control everything. You can’t stand someone else taking charge.”
“No.” I attempt to keep the irritation out of my voice. “Voyager Travel has a strict policy of being cautious about weather. We don’t want to risk twenty thousand dollars on decoration rentals that our client would have to cover if they get ruined by rain, especially if we can move the event indoors.”
“What’s done is done. I signed off on the weather.” He gestures around at the beach. “The hotel staff is already setting up, so just say thank you and move on.”
I clench my teeth and walk away, eyeing the gray clouds in the distance.
The giant white teepees we rented are being decorated with flowers. White couches and pillows are also being arranged on the beach, creating little conversation corners. Then, there are the white tables and chairs in a semi-circle facing the ocean and the small white stage in the middle. Above, the staff works on stringing lights running from one pole to another.
All of this could’ve been moved inside if Isaac hadn’t already gotten the ball rolling. I just pray he knows what he’s doing, and the rain holds off.
“Phwwwwwhht!” Nate places his hand over his heart as he walks toward me. “You look amazing."
I smile, feeling the tint of a blush. “It’s just a simple white maxi dress.”
His head shakes as his eyes roam. “There’s nothing simple about it.”
“You don’t look half-bad either.” Half-bad is me seriously downplaying how good Nate looks in his white linen shirt, rolled sleeves, and light khaki pants.
“What can I do to help?” he asks.
“Well, I’m a little nervous about the weather.”
Nate glances up. “Should we move the event inside just to be safe?”
“I might’ve, but Isaac signed off on the weather, and they’ve already started setting up.”
“Isaac signed off on it?”
“Right when we got back from the tour.”
“If the party gets rained out, it will be on him.”
“Yeah, but it will also cost your dad’s company a lot of money and make us look bad.”
“No, it will make Isaac look bad.” He throws his head back, examining the sky again. “What did the weather report say?”
“It forecasted rain at eleven p.m.”
“Then let’s hope it stays that way.”
Even though the farewell party is my responsibility, I give Nate a few tasks to oversee, and for the next two hours, we work together putting the finishing touches on the event. This trip has shown me that Nate isn’t lazy; he simply finds ways to work smarter, not harder. It’s different from my style, but it’s not ineffective.
As the sun hangs low in the sky, guests begin to trickle down to the beach. Soft music plays while waiters circle with trays of spiked island juice. People lounge on the couches and oversized pillows, mingling and laughing.
But every slight breeze gives me anxiety as I closely watch the sky.
I’m surprised when Mack Farnsworth walks toward me.
“I wanted to say thank you for taking over the trip on such short notice.” He extends his hand out. Under normal incentive trip circumstances, the gesture would feel on par for company execs, but since Nate and I complicated everything with our fake-dating charade, a handshake feels a little too formal. “This was a very well-planned and thought-out trip.”
“Thank you. I hope you and your employees enjoyed it.”
“I think everyone had a great time.” He glances around the beach before meeting my gaze. “Connie says I’m too hard on Nate. I always have been. But I’m especially tough on him regarding his career choices. I worked hard to build something with Pureskin, believing I could pass it down to my sons..." His thought lingers between us for a moment before he huffs. “But if Nate is passionate about travel, I can try to support that, especially since it brought him to you.”
Pangs of guilt rattle through me.
“You’re good for Nate.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that.”
“I was skeptical when Nate told us he was dating someone seriously. It just seemed like another crazy idea of his that wasn’t well thought out, but now that I’ve seen you two together, I know it’s more than that.”
My mouth opens to reply, but what can I say? This is Nate’s family to come clean to. Not mine.
“Anyway, thanks for a wonderful trip.” He turns to leave but stops to add, “I’m sure I’ll see you next weekend at Dawson’s engagement party?”
“Uh…yeah.” I force a smile. “Of course.”
One last nod, then Mack walks away.
I find Nate and pull him from a group of people so we can talk privately.
“What’s up?”
“What’s up? Your dad thinks we’re dating.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Like dating dating. He invited me to your brother’s engagement party next weekend.”
“So?”
“So! How long are we going to keep this lie going? Until I’m pregnant with our first child?”
A teasing smile lights his face. “I was thinking more like our fourth child.”
“Nate!” I flick his arm with the back of my hand. “This is serious. We never discussed how we’d handle the aftermath of our lie.”
“I’m not worried about it.”
“You’re not worried about it?”
“No.” His shoulders lift. “It will all work out.”
“It won’t all work out, because you’ll show up to your brother’s engagement party alone.”
“What if I don’t show up alone? What if you come with me?”
“Nate, at some point, you’ll need to tell your parents that this was all fake. Or you could blame me and say I cheated on you. You’re totally heartbroken. That might earn you some sympathy. But whatever you decide, you have to address it. This relationship can’t last forever.”
“Maybe it could. Maybe it could be real… forever .”
“Nate,” I whisper. It’s more than his name. It’s a plea.
His brown eyes search mine. He says nothing but also so much at the same time.
Mack and Connie walk over, interrupting our serious conversation. Honestly, their timing is perfect because I don’t have a response to what he said or implied. My heart is so confused.
“I’m worried about the rain.” Mack glances at the sky. “Those clouds don’t look good.”
“Maybe we should begin dinner and the program to stay ahead of the weather,” I offer with a smile, even though I feel the same anxiety he does.
“Do you want to get things started?” Nate looks at me.
“You go for it. I’m afraid all your fans will be disappointed if I’m the one who steps up to the mic.”
“Okay, then.”
Nate walks to the front while I hang back and watch.
“If everyone can find their seats, we’ll get this party started.” Nate waits as the music fades, and people make their way to their tables. “It’s been an incredible week in Thailand. The Pureskin family is so much fun and very close-knit. This trip has become one of my favorites, and I’m not just saying that because I’m related to half of you. I truly mean it.” The crowd laughs. “I’d like to take a moment to thank someone very special.” My heart pounds in my chest as Nate turns his gaze toward me. “This event wouldn’t have been the same without the hard work of Carly Catterson. She did so much behind the scenes, planning and prepping for this trip, all on short notice. Everything she touches turns out amazing. I’m convinced there’s nothing this woman can’t do.” His lips curl into a smile that softens my heart. “So let’s take a moment to give Carly a round of applause for her work, because we all know I didn’t do anything to make this trip what it was.” All eyes turn to me as everyone claps.
I smile, feeling stupid having so much attention on me, but also, there’s a weird satisfaction that comes with it too.
“Okay, we’ve got an incredible dinner planned for you guys, followed by an amazing program.” A gust of wind blows through, prompting everyone to look up at the sky. “So let’s get to it before we all get drenched.”
Nate puts the microphone back as the waiters start delivering food.
“Nice speech,” I say when he finds me in the back. “But you didn’t have to say all that. You worked just as hard on this trip as I did.”
“Nah.” He grins. “I’m done taking credit for your work.”
I laugh, knowing what he’s referring to, but in the back of my mind, I can’t help but wonder what things will be like when we return to the office.
There’s nothing for us to fight about anymore.
Except maybe our feelings.