“Even her fiancé’s brother?” asks Rachel, desperately looking for a line that even Ali wouldn’t cross.
“I’m not saying he’d ever reciprocate…” says Paige. “But I just wonder if something has happened, because he’s definitely not the same when she’s around.”
Rachel pictures Ali scurrying across the landing from their room and feels like she’s being hollowed out with a spoon, her chest an empty chamber of rib bones. She wants to tell Paige what she saw, but she knows that instead of allaying her fears, she’ll ignite them; turning what could well be an innocent interaction into one that has Jack and Ali making love in the shower.
“In what way?” asks Rachel hesitantly.
“He just doesn’t seem able to look her in the eye,” says Paige.
“And we know why that is,” says Rachel indignantly. “Because she’s cheated on Will.”
Paige nods her head. “Yes, but I just wonder if it’s something more than that. She’s different with Jack too.”
“Well, maybe she knows he knows,” says Rachel, feeling as if she’s clutching at straws. “Maybe this Rick fella has told her that Jack knows.”
Paige looks away thoughtfully. “Yep, you might be right.”
“I am right,” says Rachel, resolutely.
Paige puts a hand on Rachel’s knee. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything,” she says. “It’s just that sometimes that girl brings out the worst in me.”
“I get that, but she’s not really our problem,” says Rachel, trying to convince herself more than Paige. “Once this weekend’s over and done with, I would imagine Jack will try to put as much space between him and her as he can.
Paige offers a tight smile. “Let’s just hope we can all get through this weekend then.”
7
“You look absolutely gorgeous,” says Jack, as he comes up behind Rachel as she stands in front of the mirror. He smells like he’s already had a drink or two with the wedding party up at the hotel.
His hands fall on either side of her waist, fingering the soft silk of her dress as he kisses the nape of her neck. Even after all this time, he still manages to ignite something deep within her with just a touch of his lips.
As if sensing her ardor, a grin spreads across his lips and he looks at her reflection with mischievous eyes.
Rachel swallows the unexpected threat of tears. “Are you happy?” she asks, through tremoring lips.
He laughs, though Rachel can’t help but wonder if it’s false.
“With you?”
She nods as she watches him carefully.
“Of course I am,” he says. “I can’t believe you even need to ask.”
She turns to face him. “If you were unhappy, or wanted something or someone else, would you tell me?”
He shifts, his eyes momentarily flickering to the side before snapping back. “I have never wanted anything more than I want you,” he says, kissing her cheek.
“Or … anyone?” Rachel asks hesitatingly.
“What?” he exclaims, as if the mere thought is so abhorrent and unnatural that he can’t believe she’d even say it out loud. His hands drop from her waist and he walks across the room, facing the floor-to-ceiling glass doors toward the ocean that is shimmering with gold as the sun sets behind it.
His pale-pink shirt is pulled taut across his back, his shoulder blades tense as he cricks his neck from one side to the other. Rachel can feel the tension emanating from him and steels herself for what he might be about to say.
What would she do if he suddenly decided to admit to something happening with Ali, either now or in the past? Would she tell Will what his bride and brother had done? Ruin his wedding … his relationship with his brother … his life? What if he called it all off? What would he say to the guests? The family would never be the same again.
Her mind whirs with the fallout of the hypothetical scenario.
“Well?” she pushes, desperate to stop the agony from wrapping its tentacles around her and squeezing her until she can’t breathe. She’d rather an answer she doesn’t want to hear, than be stuck in this state of limbo. “Is there someone else?”
Jack sighs so deeply that it sounds as if it’s been sitting there for months, waiting for the right time to be released. As he slowly turns around, Rachel can’t help but shut her eyes, in a futile attempt to protect herself from what he’s about to say.
“How ironic that you feel the need to ask me that,” he says, his tone tight and high-pitched.