The Wedding Date

Chapter Five

Amelia

I dug my toes into the beautiful white sand. The sun was beating down, at its highest point in the sky. I slipped my shawl from around my shoulders, uncovering skin to feel the sun. I listened to the waves for a few long moments I was almost able to block out the sound of the chatter behind me. I took a long slow sip of my margarita, savoring the tang of the tequila on my tongue. I let out a few slow breaths trying to release some of my pent up anxiety.

The next few hours were dedicated to let the new partners amoungst the bridal party get to know each other. Slowly, since the meeting spot in the lobby people had partnered up and broke away. There were those in the bridal party who were already married, they had it easy. They mingled seemlessly and enjoyed the endless actives avaliable to them. Those of us partnered with someone new for the wedding had to jump through the hoops of learning about each other. A process I have always loathed.

Colton had found Lizzie just as the group had decided to head to the sandbar for some drinks. We had just started walking lazily hand in hand tword the beach when he called out to her.

"Elizabeth?" he called out from afar awkwardly raising a hand. I almost laughed. Lizzie hated to be called by her government name, reminded her of her mother. Despite that the second she saw he was talking to her, her face lit up. The second I saw that look, the moment I saw her eyes shining, I knew there was nothing I could do to keep her away from him.

"You could just call me Lizzie." She told him reaching out a hand for him to shake confidentially. He gave her a strange look before taking her hand and shaking it. He let out a hearty laugh. After a few seconds of chatting I could feel them turn to me.

"Hey, Amelia. Long time no see. How have you been?" Colton asked with a boyish grin. Colton wasn't necessarily a bad looking guy but, definitely not my type. Tall, slender, still muscular but, not in a bulky sort of way. Brown hair chopped short, he had dark blue eyes. Something about him seemed different somehow, more mature.

I knew what he was really asking with his curious gaze. What the hell made you leave it all behind? It was the question behind all of their gazes but, some where more hostile than others.

"I've been good." I told him. "I feel better than I ever did before."

It was the truth. I had been feeling better than ever. The last few months on my own had taught me so many things I had not known about the world and myself. I had learned so many new things. I felt as if I could face anything.

Colton seemed to scan my face evaluating my answer.

"Well, you look good. Like you feel good I mean." he said with a goofy look.

Afterward as the couples broke away I found myself alone. Jack Priest, it seemed was too busy for mingling. That didn't suprise me. My father had been a CEO, I had experienced first hand how busy they could be. He was probably sitting in his hotel room doing some conference call or something.

As the next hour came and went the throng of wedding goers slowly seemed to filter away. A scavenger hunt, I had heard a couple chattering about their "clue". I watched as Lizzie marched off smiling pulling Colton by the hand.

After about thirty minutes of waiting for Priest I decided to say, screw it. I ordered another drink and marched down the beach to where the water met the sand. I put my shawl down on the sand before sitting on it. I couldn't help but, sigh as I put my feet into the path of the waves.

I was not disappointed that Jack Priest had not come to meet me. I had never met Jack Priest afterall, and had just been recently burned by a man of his similar stature. I was however disappointed I had not seen my sister or my mother. After my walk I had gone back to the dress shop to find in the short thirty minutes I had been gone, Abbey had come and gone. We just landed yesterday, I'm sure shes just busy with the wedding preparations. I tried to tell myself. I pulled my knees to my chest. I let my messy beach waves fall over my face like a mask.

"Ms.Anderson?" A soft girlish voice called pulling me from my thoughts. I pulled my hair from my eyes and looked up to see a pretty little blonde in a pencil skirt. I couldn't help but, laugh when I saw her. She looked so out of place in the tropical paradise. Like someone had just plucked her out of a bussiness meeting in New York and dropped her on the sandy white beaches of Jamaica. My father sending for me? I guessed. Or hoped?

"Yes?" I asked pulling myself reluctantly from the soft cool sand.

"My name is Jennifer. I'm PA to Jack Preist. Mr.Priest sends his regrets about missing you at the meeting spot. He was hoping you wouldn't mind coming to meet him personally." Jennifer wore an awfully short skirt, whether she had picked it because of the heat or because she was trying to 'bring the heat' was debatable. However, when I saw that her plain white button up was unbuttoned all the way down to the fourth button, revealing her huge t**s, I got my answer. One things for sure Jennifer was trying to attract the attention of the opposite s*x. Just men in general or just one man, is the question. I mused.

"Sure." I told her flashing her a small smile.

Jennifer turned out to be overly sweet. I had not yet decided if I thought it was just her personality or she thought she had something to gain by getting close to me. I knew it was likely the latter. This particular behavior was one that I had not noticed before everything happened. Some part of me had wanted to believe at least some of those girls actually wanted to be my friends but, that had never been the case. This echelon, the rich, I saw right through them now. Jennifer flashed her phony smile and kept up her phony monolog all the way to Priest's master suite.

The resort we are staying at for the wedding is one of the most luxurious in the whole world. That meant having a master suite not only had you spent the big bucks but, you also got things others didn't. Like a drawing room. A small meeting room for guests to chat formally.

The moment we turned down the hall I recognized where we were going. The layout of the resort had not changed since I was sixteen. Ten years ago my father had rented the same suite. I remembered the layout in my mind. I had run through this same room with my sister, we had been tipsy and hiding from our mother. Jennifer led me into the drawing room. I felt a strange sense of deja vu.

"Mr.Priest will be with you shortly," Jennifer told me. I noticed her sweet smiles had started to become not so sweet, probably because she had noticed I was not listening to her endless chatter. I smiled back at her making my smile obviously sickly sweet.

"Thanks, Jen." I told her. I don't know why these girls keep testing me. I may have started over for a better life but, that doesn't mean I'm not above putting you in your place.