The Beach Wedding (Married in Malibu Book 1) (7 page)

O
nly Jason could have persuaded
Liz to go hiking on such a warm afternoon, especially when she had so much work to take care of back at the office. But as they made their way hand in hand to keep each other steady on the steep trail, she was so glad he had. Two waterfalls shimmered in the sunlight, and all around them the canyon was in bloom, the air perfumed with delicious fragrance.

Even better than their gorgeous surroundings? Getting to spend time with Jason again.

Neither of them had said much so far today, especially not when it was taking most of her lung power just to get up the mountain. But she loved being with Jason nonetheless, appreciated the way he noticed every bird, every flower, every brightly colored butterfly, and made sure she saw them, too.

Below them, Liz could still see the photographers who had followed them to the hiking trail. A few hardy souls had hiked with them for a while, but as the going got rougher, they soon gave up, leaving Liz and Jason to make their way to the top of the falls alone.

When they got to the top, Jason put his arm around her. It might have been just for the benefit of the photographers’ telephoto lenses, but she still felt warmed all over by his gentle strength.

“Oh my,” she said as she looked at the way the hills formed a natural frame around the view and the ocean shimmered blue and serene in the distance. “It’s beautiful.”

“I’ve always thought this is one of the most beautiful views in the world.”

“Really?” she asked. “After all the places you’ve been?”

His eyes were now on her instead of the view. “Yes, really. The most beautiful by far.”

Liz knew that they were just there to put on a show. Even so, she couldn’t resist putting her arms around him and holding on for a few precious moments. “Thank you. This has been wonderful. Exactly the kind of heart-pumping break I needed.”

“I’m enjoying it, too, Liz. A lot.”

As she drew back to look into his eyes, she wished that they could stay like this forever. But they couldn’t. Not only because the others were waiting for them back at Married in Malibu to help with a hundred and one different things, but because she should know better than to walk down this road with Jason again...only to end up heartbroken once more.

Slowly, she made herself move all the way out of his arms, then turned around and headed back down the hill toward the photographers.

“There are too many points where things aren’t connecting up,” Nate said, his legs tangled in wires in the alcove where he was working.

“Are you sure you should be doing this?” Margaret asked. “Liz seemed pretty insistent that you should get all the IT stuff in place before you worked on any more handyman jobs.”

“Hooking up these cables is part of getting the IT stuff in place,” Nate explained, then swore softly as he got a minor shock from one of the cables.

Margaret wished Travis and Daniel were there, because they were a lot better at talking Nate out of doing things that could electrocute him. But Travis was talking to the security team of one of Amber’s guests, and Daniel was on the beach taking shots of the cove. Kate was elbow-deep in soil, of course, and Jenn was busy at a wholesaler’s setting up an order for the wedding. Liz had left Margaret in charge, but since she was usually the one following orders, not the other way around, she honestly didn’t have a clue how to redirect Nate.

Fortunately, a few minutes later, Liz came back with Jason in tow. Margaret swore all it took was Liz’s confident, smiling presence for the room to seem instantly calmer.

“Thanks for keeping an eye on things, Margaret. Nathan, get out of there before you electrocute yourself—we’ll get RJ to take care of that when he’s done on the other side of the building. Margaret, do you still need Jason to run into town to collect Art Deco supplies for you?”

“Yes, I have a list.”

Things always seemed to go faster and better when Liz was around, but, at the same time, Margaret could see that there were good reasons why Liz needed to be away, too—and not just the ones that involved keeping the wedding a secret. It was easy to see just how much Jason cared for Liz.

Actually, it was obvious that he loved her, but Margaret was just Liz’s employee, and she hadn’t been working for her that long, so she didn’t feel it was her place to say anything. But as she went back to her office to get the list for Jason, she couldn’t help but hope that everything would turn out okay—not only for Amber and Robert’s wedding, but for Liz and Jason, too.

The Getty Museum had one of the most beautiful art collections in the world. People came a long way to see not only the works hanging on the walls, but the stunning building itself.

Today, as Liz and Jason walked through it, holding hands felt perfectly natural—not at all as though they were simply putting on a show for the photographers who had been outside snapping pictures of their every move.

“They have really strict restrictions on photography in here, don’t they?”

“Don’t worry,” Jason replied, squeezing her hand. “They’re wily. They know how to pretend it’s not for commercial use. I guarantee whatever pictures they take of us won’t have any artwork whatsoever in the shot.”

It was amazing how quickly teasing the paparazzi had become a game. A fairly fun one, actually. And as they headed over to the museum’s restaurant, where they had reservations for dinner, she realized she was enjoying herself at least as much as she had on any date with Jason ten years ago. Maybe even more.

“I like to come here sometimes for inspiration,” Jason told her. “For that feeling of being surrounded by the work of great artists. It reminds me that people have been doing creative work for as long as we’ve been on the planet and that, at one point, each of these brilliant works of art hadn’t even existed yet. It’s a really nice reminder that while there are always new ideas out there, the past is important, too.”

Again, it felt as though he was talking about the two of them, their past and their present—and maybe even their future—colliding.

Yet again, Liz worked to remind herself to keep a safe, emotional distance. But with every second she spent in Jason’s company, that reminder grew more and more difficult to heed...

For Jenn, the challenge with catering the wedding was that it wasn’t just one menu—she was effectively working on five different menus at once. There was the Art Deco wedding theme, which dictated most of the layout and the decoration of the food as well as several of the dishes. There was the need to produce several different specialty menus: gluten-free, dairy-free, even sugar-free for one of the guests. And then there was her goal of using as much farm-fresh organic local fruits, vegetables, and meats as she could.

She’d been trying different dishes all day when Daniel walked in with his cameras. “Mind if I take a few shots?”

She loved having him around. Who wouldn’t? Daniel was a great guy. But right now she was just stressed enough to say, “Why?”

Fortunately, he didn’t seem at all taken aback by her tone. “I’d like to take more photographs for the website and the brochures. The more images potential clients see of the food, the more evocative it will be, rather than simply saying what a great chef you are.”

She knew she shouldn’t be defensive, especially when she hadn’t made a name for herself in Malibu yet, but she still found herself saying, “I know Liz probably should have found someone with more experience, but—”

“That’s not what I’m saying at all,” Daniel said, cutting her off. “You’re perfect.” He flushed slightly before adding, “I’m just here because a picture paints a thousand words, right?”

She felt bad for jumping down his throat. She wasn’t normally like this, but she was so nervous about making sure everything was perfect for the wedding. “Of course it does,” she said, smiling at him. “What do you need from me?”

“Just samples of your food to photograph. In fact, it looks like there are a dozen good things out on the counter right now, so I can get started and stay out of your way.”

“You’re not in my way, Daniel. You know that.”

The smile he gave her lit her up from the inside out.

“How did you find this place, Jason?” They were in the middle of a beautiful Malibu spa, relaxing side by side while being expertly massaged. Liz hadn’t realized just how much tension she’d built up until it started flowing out of her. “Somehow I don’t see you as someone who spends a lot of time relaxing in spas.”

“I’d like to think I can still surprise you,” Jason said with a grin. “But the truth is that I found a promotion online for this spa. Mostly when I want to relax—or need to think—I go for a walk along the beach. But I thought with all the work you’ve been putting in for the wedding while also dealing with the paparazzi, you deserved a little more pampering than a walk on the beach.”

It occurred to Liz that discussing the wedding in front of the two masseuses wasn’t very secure. Then again, if the people at the spa did talk about it, that would only fuel the rumors about the two of them. Amazingly, the paparazzi had fallen for everything, and there were now rumors about Liz and Jason all over the Internet.

“I never thought my life would be interesting enough to warrant attention from the tabloids. You must be even more famous than I thought,” she teased.

“Actually,” he replied, his gaze intense as he looked into her eyes, “I think it has more to do with the fact that you’re so photogenic. If it were just pictures of me looking unkempt and writerly, they’d never print a single shot.”

Even the hot rocks the masseuse arranged along Liz’s spine couldn’t compete with the heat of one look from Jason. And if one look could do so much, then what, she couldn’t stop herself from wondering, would one kiss do?

Trying to corral her wild thoughts, she said, “I’m just amazed that so many people would take an interest in a total stranger’s life.”

“True,” he agreed, “but at least it means we’ve got everything for the wedding under control.”

Oh God, everything was getting out of control.

Liz had just finished reading a report from Travis about the photographers and paparazzi who had been hanging around outside the venue, hoping to see a famous face. Unfortunately, the blogger who had photographed her and Jason on that first day was proving particularly persistent. Nathan had told her about some equipment incompatibilities he needed to deal with. When Kate had come to her earlier with some suggestions for flowers, she also let Liz know that a wholesaler could have the perfect blooms on one day and that the next they could be gone. Margaret, meanwhile, needed to know exactly which flowers they were going to use so that she could pick out the perfect tablecloth to go with them.

Liz was so tempted to call Jason to suggest that they go for one of those walks along the beach that apparently did so much good for his stress levels, but how could she leave her office when there was so much to do? Especially when seeing Jason had started to feel like an addiction again—one that she couldn’t stop thinking about, day and night.

“Liz?” Jenn’s voice came from just outside her office. “You know how I was going to try to bake the wedding cake today? It kind of sagged…more fell apart, actually.”

“It fell apart?” Liz couldn’t keep a note of panic out of her voice.

“Maybe that makes it sound worse than it is,” Jenn said quickly. “It’s just that I’ve got to rebake the base, which will push back the decorations a little, and if the temperature isn’t right, then there might be an issue.”

“But you can do it, can’t you?”

Jenn nodded. “Yes. Of course I can.”

“Then I’m sure it won’t be a problem.” When she stepped back from her own worries for a moment, Liz understood that Jenn was simply looking for reassurance. “It’s going to be fine. You’re doing a great job.”

It was, thankfully, exactly what Jenn needed to hear. After she hurried off in the direction of the kitchen, Liz let herself slump back into the chair. Most of the time she thrived on decision-making and planning, but right now the stress of so many details and work to be done in such a short space of time was getting to be too much. Maybe she did need to decompress a little bit after all.

And if it felt like her feelings for Jason were starting to barrel out of control as she picked up the phone and called him, she promised herself she’d only let herself be weak this one time.

I
t was
hard to imagine anywhere more beautiful than the Malibu beach at sunset. Liz felt as though she were in the middle of a painting with the blue ocean in front of her, the bright yellow sand beneath her feet, and the reddening sunset overhead.

Although maybe part of the reason it seemed especially beautiful tonight was because Jason was beside her, the natural rhythm of his gait so perfectly matched to hers. And even though she knew they were holding hands for the benefit of any nearby paparazzi, she couldn’t help but be struck by how natural it felt to be this close as they slowly made their way along the beach.

He hadn’t said anything more about getting back together—not since that day in her office. She should be relieved. And yet, if she was being totally honest, she was more than a little disappointed by how quickly he’d given up.

“Take off your shoes,” Jason suggested once they were a yard or two from where the waves lapped at the sand. He was already kicking his off. “Feeling the sand between your toes is the best way to relax.”

Liz knew she should keep her shoes on to maintain at least some sort of professionalism, but how could she resist his urging to feel the sand squishing beneath her feet?

“You’re right,” she said after a few barefoot steps. “It really does feel better like this.” Earlier, she’d been able to appreciate the beauty of the beach around her—the lapping of the waves, the calls of the seabirds, and the sounds and scents of the sea. Now she could feel the way the sand gave way beneath her feet, tiny grains falling from her skin every time she took another step.

“Just one more thing,” Jason said with a smile.

Liz realized his intent a moment too late. Before she could protest, he pulled her a couple of steps sideways so that they were ankle-deep in the water. “It’s cold!” she exclaimed. But both of them were laughing together as they splashed along the edge of the surf.

When the light faded, the beach air would eventually cool, but for now it was still a typically warm Malibu afternoon. Out on the water, a handful of surfers were making the most of the waves, and a few couples and families were walking along the sand, but Liz barely noticed any of them. Instead, she was totally attuned to how good it was to be with Jason—and how she wished this moment could go on forever, a perfect little bubble of happiness under the setting Malibu sun.

“Do you want to talk about what’s got you feeling stressed?” Jason asked.

“Everyone is working so hard, but sometimes it seems like we’re all getting in each other’s way,” she admitted with a sigh. “And while I did manage to find a band who’s available—a great band—it took me three hours of going through all the possibilities online and talking to a dozen managers.”

“But you found them eventually,” Jason pointed out. “You made it work. You’ve always been good at finding ways to make things work.”

“Maybe,” Liz said, thinking about their relationship again. Because she hadn’t been able to find a way to make that work, had she? For so long, she’d wanted to believe she’d done the right thing.

But had she given up too soon?

“Definitely,” Jason countered. She was amazed that he had so much confidence in her, such a strong belief that she could achieve anything. “No one else would have taken this on. And no one else would have done such a great job. Which is why I arranged a bit of a surprise for you as a way of saying thank you.”

He led the way down the beach to a secluded spot hidden by the remains of an old wooden pier. There was a picnic cloth set out and a hamper on top of it.

“You arranged all of this in the time it took me to get here from the office?”

He grinned. “Actually, I was planning to do it soon anyway.”

“For another one of our fake dates?”

When he frowned at the word
fake
, she suddenly wondered if this beach picnic was meant to be more than just a thank-you or a paparazzi-fooling setup.

Was he trying to woo her again for real?

But all he said in response was, “Something like that.” It certainly wasn’t enough to answer any of her silent questions.

As he began to set out the picnic, Liz’s heart squeezed even tighter. There were a few of the standard elements, like a bottle of champagne, but what caught Liz’s attention were the herbed and toasted grilled cheese sandwiches, the hot dogs, and the muffins with chocolate sprinkles on top. How many times had they eaten exactly this when they’d been together? Not elegant food, not fancy food, just culinary experiments that had, more often than not, left them laughing in each other’s arms. Laughter that had always quickly given way to breathtaking lovemaking. Heck, everything they’d done together ten years ago had led to the bedroom.

But as glorious as those moments of passion had been, she couldn’t let herself forget that they’d been a big part of the problem, too. Because there hadn’t been nearly enough balance between pleasure and practical. She’d learned the hard way that a foundation built primarily of desire crumbled far too easily.

If only they’d started out more like this, she found herself thinking, with romantic dates where they really got to know each other before they let passion sweep them away. Because even if they were only dating for show, the time she’d spent with Jason this past week had been absolutely wonderful.

“Do you remember?”

His voice broke her out of her thoughts. “Of course I remember,” she said softly, her voice full of emotion she couldn’t wipe clean. She took a bite of one of the muffins, then smiled as she added, “Who could forget our combined genius that created muffins with leftover sprinkles?”

“They’re an addiction.”

Liz nodded as she devoured another mouthful. “I haven’t eaten a muffin with this many chocolate sprinkles in…” She trailed off for a moment before she said, “Ten years.”

“It has been a long time. Too long.”

It was nearly impossible for Liz not to give in to the urge to lean in and kiss him. Which meant that when a stranger intruded on their picnic, it was almost a relief to be saved from her foolish longings. It took Liz only a few moments to recognize the blogger who had forced them to start this game of cat and mouse with the paparazzi—Laurel Kingston. She wasn’t on her motorcycle, although Liz had no doubt it was stashed somewhere nearby for a quick getaway.

“It’s the blogger.” Jason had been so calm the first time they’d run into her, yet now she could hear a thread of anger in his voice.

“Jason, it’s okay.”

“No, it isn’t.” He jumped up from the sand, and he might have been one of the action heroes from his books, given the speed with which he covered the distance between them and the reporter.

Liz followed as quickly as she could, grateful for her bare feet because her shoes would have only slowed her down in the sand.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Jason said when he reached Laurel.

“What does it look like?” the woman said, snapping another shot of him and Liz. “I’m taking photos on a public beach where you don’t have any security guards to take my camera.”

“You think I couldn’t do it?” Jason said in a low, ominous voice.

Laurel gestured to the people on the beach around them. “This time, if you grab my camera, I’ll have witnesses.”

“Are you really planning to just keep standing there taking photos of us having a picnic?” Liz asked.

“If I feel like it.”

“And I might feel like taking your camera and throwing it into the sea,” Jason growled.

“Jason, don’t,” Liz said as she put a hand on his arm to try to calm him down. “If you do that, it will just be giving her what she wants.”

“And what do you think I want?” Laurel asked. She took another shot of Liz by way of emphasis.

“Attention, probably. A reaction, certainly. In fact, this whole thing is likely just a setup so that one of your friends can get pictures of Jason grabbing your camera and tossing it into the ocean.”

The woman shook her head. “You’re wrong. I don’t do that sort of thing.”

“You’re paparazzi,” Jason pointed out, making it sound like she was carrying the plague.

“I’m trying to be a serious reporter, but do you know how hard that is in this town? I won’t get anywhere until I get a decent story, and Amber Blakely getting married in Malibu is a huge story.”

“Except that she isn’t,” Liz lied.

“Everyone else might have bought you two being in love, but I have instincts and I know enough to follow them.”

“No, what you know is how to follow us around and make our lives difficult.” Jason’s tone was hard enough to make the reporter take a step back.

“All I know is that you and Liz are treating this like it’s just some big game. Besides,” the woman hissed, “I’ve never even seen you kiss.” She raised an eyebrow. “No, there’s something here that isn’t right.”

“And you’re planning to just keep following us around, intruding on our dates by taking pictures, until you find whatever it is you’re looking for?”

“Well, it’s a free country, and you two—I don’t believe for a minute that your engagement is real. You’re just acting like you’re a couple to distract attention from Amber’s wedding moving here from the château.”

Liz could have strangled the woman, but it wouldn’t have done any good. If anything, it would have only proved to the reporter that she was right.

Instead, in as calm a voice as she could manage, Liz said, “You’re deluding yourself. His niece’s wedding isn’t going to take place at Married in Malibu. How could it, when the venue isn’t even open yet?”

“And not that it’s any of your business,” Jason added, “but since I’m sure you already know that Liz and I were once engaged to be married many years ago...” He turned to Liz and reached for her hand before saying, “We decided we want to give the love we used to have another try.”

Liz’s breath caught on a gasp in her throat.

The blogger looked back and forth between them. “Prove it.” She pointed at Liz. “Kiss him.”

“I’m not kissing Jason in front of you just because you demand it.”

“Okay,” the woman said with a shrug. “Then you’re just proving me right about Amber having her wedding at Married in Malibu.”

“Are you kidding?” Liz’s voice exploded out of her chest, far louder than she’d intended. “You’re going to print a false story about his niece just because I won’t kiss Jason the way you want me to?”

Laurel smiled, although it wasn’t a very pleasant smile. “It wouldn’t be a problem if the two of you were actually in love. I mean, if I thought you guys were for real, I’d leave you alone and find another story. But I’m not going to stand here and let you lie to me, so—”

The next thing Liz knew, Jason was pulling her into his arms and kissing her. Except that was far too simple a way of describing ten years of lost kisses rolled up together.

All the kisses the two of them might have had if they hadn’t split up.

All the kisses Liz had tried so hard not to remember—and long for—while they’d been apart.

At the first touch of his lips against hers, she tensed slightly in surprise. But it didn’t take long for her arms to wind around his neck...and for her to start kissing him back. Slowly at first, but then with more and more hunger as she reveled in the scent, the taste of him.

It was a long time before they pulled back from each other, and even when she finally remembered that the reporter was still standing there, she couldn’t look away from Jason’s eyes.

“Wow, that was some kiss,” the blogger said as she lowered her camera. She at least had the grace to bite her lip and say, “Maybe I was wrong. Seeing the two of you together like that…” She shook her head. “Sorry. I’ll go and let you have your picnic.”

“Good idea,” Liz said, barely able to contain the triumph and the thrill in her voice, even if she was almost positive a shot of their passionate kiss would be online inside of the next hour. “I think you probably should.”

Meanwhile, she still hadn’t let go of Jason.

She didn’t ever want to let go.

Jason couldn’t stop smiling as Laurel climbed the cliff path. A few moments later, they heard the motorcycle start up and she drove away. “You were amazing. She doesn’t suspect a thing anymore.”

For a few minutes, Liz had completely forgotten that their relationship was supposed to be fake. But after Jason spoke about their kiss as if it was nothing more than brilliant acting on her part, she felt more foolish than ever.

Despite the ache spreading in her chest, she forced a smile as she made herself step out of his arms. “Like I said before, I’ll do whatever I need to do to make sure Amber’s wedding stays a secret.”