Day Six

My pulse is racing as I pace around the lobby with gritted teeth. All of the wedding party is sitting in the lobby with their hastily packed suitcases. Some people look like they just got up. Lucas is still in his pajamas.

“Let me go!” Megan screams as Ethan, Julia, and Lucas struggle to hold her back. Her skin is a fiery red, and she’s got murder in her eyes. “I’ll rip every strand of her hair out, one by one!”

Cynthia and Chase look miserable as they knock on the owner’s door. I hurry over to join them. If the owner wants more money, then I’ll happily pay to stop him from ruining my sister’s important day. I can’t help but feel partly responsible since I was the one who invited Stephanie here in the first place.

Although, I did uninvite her, and something tells me that she would have showed up no matter what. Even if I’d never met her.

Chase opens the door and barges in when he doesn’t answer. “I’m busy,” Lars says, jumping out of his seat. “Please leave my office at once.”

“You’re not hiding in here,” Chase says, storming up to him with fire in his eyes. “You owe us an explanation. We’re paying customers!”

Lars gulps as he backs away from the muscular man in front of him. “You’ll get a full refund for the wedding and half of your money back for the week.”

“That’s not good enough!” Cynthia shouts. “I’m supposed to be getting married. Today! Why are you people doing this to us?”

Chase pinches the bridge of his nose, trying to control his temper. “Look. Stephanie is my cousin. I’ve known her since she lit her parent’s garage on fire. You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into, man. She’s nuttier than squirrel shit. She’s certifiably insane!”

“That’s my fiancée you’re talking about,” Lars says, trying to play the tough guy, but one look at Chase’s furious face has him cowering backward.

I step forward, trying to calmly explain. “She dated me under a fake name just so she could get invited here to ruin the wedding. I’m sorry, Lars, but she doesn’t care about you.”

He’s not buying it. “We’re in love,” he says, staring at me with hearts in his eyes.

These two deserve each other.

Cynthia slams her fist onto the desk, glaring at him like a crazed gorilla. “Stephanie is incapable of love,” she screams. “She’s pure evil in human form. She will eat you alive. Why can’t you see that?!?”

Lars straightens his back and lifts his chin in the air. “Our decision is final,” he says in a firm voice. “My fiancée wants you out, you’re all out.”

Cynthia is turning green as she stares at him. Either she’s going to turn into the She-Hulk, or she’s going to puke all over the desk.

It’s the latter. She vomits all over his laptop and the papers on his desk.

“Your bus is here,” Lars says, cringing as he steps away from the puke. “It will take you anywhere you want to go on the island.”

“Oh, thanks,” Chase says as he holds Cynthia’s shoulders. He starts guiding her to the door. “Where the hell are we supposed to go?”

“I suggest the airport,” Lars says. “Most resorts are fully booked this time of year.”

Chase just shakes his head as he opens the door. Julia comes running to get the sick bride. She gives me a concerned look before helping her walk away.

“Shit,” Chase mutters when we’re outside of the office. He looks at me with blank eyes. “What the hell am I supposed to do?”

I pull out my phone and point to the bus. “Just grab a seat and take care of your girl. I’ll take care of this.”

* * *

“You want me to get married at a nudist resort?” Cynthia asks, staring at me in disbelief.

“No one will be naked,” I say, swallowing hard. I hope.

“Except maybe Irving and Yanina,” Julia adds.

“Who?”

Uh-oh. She looks like she’s going to puke again.

I glance out the window of the bus at the thick vegetation. We pass the spot where my rental car broke down and it’s gone. Either the rental car company got it going again, or the huge insects living in the rainforest devoured it.

“I’m getting married in a nudist resort,” Cynthia says, staring at the roof of the bus. “This can’t be happening.”

“Trust me, Cynthia,” I say, putting a hand on hers. “Do you trust me?”

“I trust you,” Chase says, locking eyes on me.

“Thank you. I won’t let you two down.”

I hope.

* * *

“This is it?” Cynthia asks when we finally arrive at the Sunnyside Resort. “But there are no naked people.”

“I told you,” I say with a hard swallow. Hopefully Yanina and Irving haven’t booked any guests in the past few days who will ruin the wedding photos.

“It’s a beautiful spot,” she says, looking around at the sun sparkling over the turquoise water. “But there are no tables or chairs or food or anything.”

“Not yet,” I say, grabbing her arms. “But I have a few hours and a team of Navy SEALs at my disposal. It’s going to look great.”

She’s biting her bottom lip as she looks around, but she’s nodding and looking less stressed than I’ve seen her all day.

“Come,” Julia says, hooking her arm around my sister’s. “Tucker called and reserved the entire inn. We’ll all have to share rooms, but it will be fun. Like we’re back at summer camp.”

“Don’t worry,” I say, smiling at her. “You and Chase will have your own room. The biggest one they have.”

“Thanks, Tucker,” Cynthia says, finally looking better. “It’s going to be great.”

“It will,” Julia says, winking at me. “Megan! Tanya! Would you guys bring up the dresses and makeup?”

“On it!” Megan shouts before darting to the storage area of the bus.

“Let’s go get you ready and have some fun,” Julia says, pulling her away. She turns and looks at me over her shoulder. “You sure you have this covered?”

“You won’t recognize the place,” I say confidently, although my stomach is rolling with nerves. I’ve never planned a wedding before, let alone one in two hours.

Julia smiles at me one last time before bringing the bride to the inn. Yanina is all smiles as she rushes out to greet the girls and show them up to the honeymoon suite.

I find Irving, and we make a quick plan to set everything up. They have all the tables, chairs, and decorations necessary for a wedding in storage, but we’ll still be missing flowers, food, and alcohol. Luckily, I know all of the caterers from planning my date with Julia.

Chase walks over, looking relieved. “Nice place,” he says with a nod. “Thanks, Tucker.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” I say, grinning as the guys swarm around me. “We have a lot of work to do.”

“What do we do, boss?” Ethan asks with his hands on his hips.

I start barking orders at all of them, telling half of the Navy SEALs to get the stuff out of storage and order the other half to start decorating. Luckily, they’re used to following orders and do everything I say without complaining.

I send Lucas and Ethan off into the nearby rainforest to pick flowers, and I grab my phone to start making some calls. “I need a DJ with speakers, food, drinks, and a minister.”

“I can marry them,” Irving says proudly. “I’m an anointed minister. I took an online course.”

“Will you keep your clothes on throughout the ceremony?” I ask, pointing my finger at him.

“Just this one time,” he answers.

“Sold!”

“What can I do?” Chase asks, rubbing his palms together.

“Your job is the most important,” I say, locking eyes on him. “Change into your bathing suit, go into the kitchen, grab a couple of Coronas, and relax by the water. This is your wedding day. You’re not doing anything except saying ‘I do’ and sliding a ring on my sister’s finger.”

He laughs as I start dialing the phone. “I was all wrong about you,” he says, shaking his head.

“That makes two of us,” I say, grinning at him as the phone rings. “Hello? Yes! I need a DJ who knows a shit ton of 90’s hip hop.”

* * *

Three hours later and the place looks spectacular. Well, most of it.

“What the hell is that?” I shout, pointing at the ugliest centerpiece I’ve ever seen.

Lucas shrugs. “I’m a dentist, not a florist. I’m trying my best here.”

“This looks like poison ivy,” I say, laughing at it. “I said flowers, not weeds.”

“We used all of the flowers for the bridal bouquets,” Lucas whines. “I’m not going back in there. I was eaten alive by mosquitoes.”

“It looks great,” Chase says, nodding in approval.

“See?” Lucas says, looking exhausted. “The groom likes it. They’re staying.”

Luckily, the Navy SEALs take much more pride in their work. The place really does look spectacular. The head table is set up facing the ocean with smaller round tables for the guests in front of it. The chairs are decorated with white cloth and ribbons, and the tables look gorgeous with white table cloths, fancy dinnerware and the mediocre centerpieces that Lucas put together.

They’ll be married under a beautiful arch in front of the water on the flat rocks. Cynthia is going to love it.

I check on the DJ who is setting his speakers up in the corner. “You’re sure you know 90s hip hop?” I ask, grilling him for the third time.

He nods. “I’ve got it all from Coolio to TLC to Salt-N-Pepa.”

“What about the Notorious BIG?”

“Who?” he answers. “Kidding, kidding,” he says when he sees my panicked face. “I have you covered.”

I hurry into the kitchen to check on the caterers. There’s about a dozen cooks and waiters in there preparing the appetizers and the desserts. There’s five crates of live lobsters on the floor which will be cooked when it’s closer to dinner.

“Are we on schedule?” I ask the head boss.

“Ahead of schedule,” he replies.

I hope so. I’m paying these guys enough. They could sense my desperation on the phone and charged me a large fortune for the last-minute service. Oh well, as long as Cynthia is happy, it’s worth it.

I head back outside and make sure the bar is stocked (it is) before going to check on the girls.

“It’s Tucker,” I say after knocking on the door.

I hear giggles than footsteps before the door creeps open. It’s Julia. Her makeup is done and she’s dressed up in her baby blue bridesmaid dress. I gasp when I see her, not expecting that.

“Oh, man,” I say, swallowing hard as I look her up and down. My heart is pounding like a jackhammer as I try to find the words that will tell her how beautiful she is, but all I can do is stare with my mouth hanging open. There are no words to describe her. She’s beyond this world.

“You are magnificent,” I say as I drink her up with my eyes. It’s not enough, but I still have to say something. “You look stunning.”

It seems to be enough for her. She’s got a smile from ear to ear.

“How is it looking out there?” Tanya asks.

Julia lets the door swing open, and I get a pain in my chest when I see my beautiful little sister all done up in her wedding dress. My throat burns as my eyes well up.

“Wow,” I gasp, staring at her in disbelief. My little sister is all grown up. She’s a gorgeous woman now. “It’s not looking as good as in here.”

The girls laugh as I step in. “Cynthia. You look beautiful. You all do.”

“Did you come to hang out with the girls?” Julia asks with a grin.

“We have wine,” Megan says, holding up the almost empty bottle. She closes one eye and peers into the bottle with the other. “Well, we did.”

“We’ll hang out soon enough,” I say. “Can you ladies be downstairs in an hour?”

“It’s a date,” Julia says, smiling up at me.

“Good luck, girls,” I say before heading back to the door. “And Cynthia. Absolutely stunning. Chase is a lucky guy.”

“Now out!” Julia says, pushing me out the door.

I step into the hallway, grab her arm, and pull her out with me. She grins as I pull her in for a kiss.

“You’re amazing,” she says when we pull away. “I can’t believe you saved this wedding.”

“That’s what big brothers are for. I even got Yanina and Irving to promise to keep their clothes on.”

Julia laughs. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

I give her one last smile and then head for the stairs.

“Tucker,” she says, following me down the hall. “You said we only have to be downstairs in an hour?”

“Yeah.”

She grabs a fistful of my shirt and pulls me into the hall closet. “Good,” she says, closing the door behind me and plunging us into darkness. “Then let’s get this party started early.”