Island Love Songs: Seven Nights in Paradise / The Wedding Dance / Orchids and Bliss

Shemar was Lawrence’s best friend. He’d been his best man for the wedding that never happened. He’d been there in the aftermath of Melanie’s no-show and had consoled him with tough talk about how he was better off not having married her because clearly Melanie wasn’t the woman for him. Shemar had assured him that there were many other fish in the sea, and that there were thousands of women in New York City who would appreciate a guy like him.

“We’re stockbrokers, man,” Shemar had told him. “We make a ton of cash. You know how many women appreciate men like us? They’ll be coming out of the woodwork for you, bro. Trust me.”

There were problems with Shemar’s theory, of course. The first one was that Shemar himself was still single, despite the fact that he saw himself as a hot commodity. The second problem was that the women who tended to be interested in them simply because of their careers were shallow. That breed of woman was more intrigued by their healthy bank accounts than by who they really were.

And it was easy to find the gold diggers when out with Shemar. He loved to flaunt like a high roller, buying drinks for beautiful women, waving cash at the bar, the whole nine yards. It was no surprise to Lawrence that women ended up being more interested in what Shemar’s money could buy them, than in the man himself.

None of that fazed Shemar, though. He enjoyed dating a series of beautiful women, enjoyed wining and dining and impressing them. And ultimately, leaving them when he got bored.

It was that kind of mind-set Shemar had tried to impart onto Lawrence, but without luck. Lawrence wasn’t like Shemar. He couldn’t move from one monogamous relationship to the next with ease. Shemar had set him up with a few girls back home after his disastrous wedding day, but Lawrence had ultimately compared all of them to Melanie.

Which was ridiculous. What was the point in comparing any woman to Melanie? She wasn’t the ideal woman. Certainly not the ideal woman for him.

He was still dealing with the pain of heartbreak. Lawrence’s funk was the reason Shemar had suggested they get away. Far away. They both loved the water, and Shemar had suggested Fiji for diving, snorkeling and water sports like kayaking. Lawrence had readily agreed.

Shemar had also joked that maybe they’d find some lovely ladies at the resort whom they could spend time with. He had hoped that would be the answer to Lawrence forgetting about Melanie once and for all.

And now, incredibly, Melanie was at the very same resort. Was fate playing some kind of cruel joke on him?

“Here you go, my man,” Shemar said.

Lawrence looked over his shoulder to see Shemar extending a bottle of Fiji Gold beer.

“Thanks.” Lawrence accepted the bottle and took a pull of the light-tasting ale.

“We’ve got just about an hour before Ratu comes to take us out on the dive,” Shemar said. “I’m gonna head to the room, get changed. You?”

Lawrence stood. “Sounds like a plan.”

And though he didn’t want to, as he started to walk away from the beach with Shemar, Lawrence threw a glance to his right, in the direction where Melanie had run off to.

He saw Richelle and Roy in the water in the distance, but he didn’t see Melanie.

She was gone.

But whether he could physically see her or not, she was back in his thoughts.

There was no doubt about that.

Chapter 4

Try as Melanie did to get a good night’s sleep, she couldn’t. Not with the exchange between her and Lawrence playing in her mind over and over again. Instead of feeling relaxed and at ease—as she initially had once on Fiji—her body was consumed with nervous tension.

She hadn’t seen Lawrence for the remainder of the day, but as she’d gotten dinner, and enjoyed a traditional Fijian show on the beach as night fell, she had been consumed with worry that Lawrence would make an appearance at any given moment.

He hadn’t, but she was still cursing fate and whatever joke it was trying to play on her by having Lawrence show up on the very island paradise where she had hoped to soothe her still-hurting heart.

The first thought that came to her mind as she got up that next morning was that she would see Lawrence again. In fact, she was half-paralyzed with the fear that she would run into him sooner rather than later.

“Ticktock,” Richelle chastised her. “We’ve got to get going if we’re to make it for breakfast.”

If not for Richelle, Melanie might be tempted to hide out in the room. But she knew that was an insane idea. She hadn’t battled her fear of flying long distances, traveled through how many time zones and gotten on a seaplane, only to stay in the room—despite how incredible the view from here was.

No, she had to leave the room sometime. For one thing, there was no room service, which meant Melanie had to go to the restaurant in order to eat if she didn’t want to starve to death. She and Richelle were going to enjoy breakfast on their own this morning since Roy, his brother, cousin and some other family members had gotten up at the crack of dawn to scuba dive. Richelle had opted to pass on the excursion, because she and Melanie had a spa appointment later that morning. Today would be a day for the two friends to relax and enjoy whatever the resort had to offer.

Now, if only Melanie knew that Lawrence had left the island...then she could truly relax.

“Mel—”

“I’m ready,” Melanie quickly said, pulling her hair into a ponytail as she looked in the bathroom mirror. “My beach bag is set. Call for a golf cart.”

Melanie and Richelle had donned bathing suits with summer dresses atop them, since they didn’t want to have to head back to their rooms to change. They’d also decided to pack small bags with towels, sunscreen and reading material. Thanks to Richelle’s work as an editor for a publishing house in New York, she had a number of novels for Melanie to choose from.

Minutes later, the golf cart arrived with a man named Henry, who already knew them by name because he’d driven them around the previous day. They rode the golf cart to the Fijiana, a restaurant overlooking the pool and the ocean. Melanie took in the stunning decor only briefly—then surveyed the place to see if Lawrence was anywhere in sight.

He wasn’t.

“Table for two?” a smiling woman asked them when they approached the restaurant’s entrance.

“Yes,” Richelle said.

The woman led them to a table close to the pool as a band played lively island music for the diners. Melanie took the seat that faced the ocean as well, and as she looked out at the view, she sighed happily. This place was truly stunning.

“I love how the pool looks as if it leads right into the ocean,” she said. “Maybe we can hang out at the pool instead of the beach until our eleven o’clock appointment?”

“Works for me. A couple drinks poolside? No crazy schedule? I’m going to hate to leave this place.” Her eyes narrowed as she stared at Melanie. “You left your phone in the room, right?”

“Yes. And you didn’t sneak one of your author’s manuscripts into your bag?”

“Not a chance,” Richelle said. “I’m thrilled to be able to use my free time to leisurely read a novel I’m not working on. I think I’m going to read that time-travel horror everybody’s raving about.

“But since I am getting married, maybe I should read something romantic.”

“Whatever you want,” Melanie said, lifting the menu. But Richelle suddenly frowned, so Melanie set the menu back on the table and asked, “What is it?”

“Here I am, worried about which novel to read.” She shook her head. “Shouldn’t I be doing something else?”

“What do you mean?” Melanie asked.

“Everything just seems so easy and peaceful and beautiful, and I feel like I should be a stressed-out bride. Am I missing something?”

“That’s the reason you came here, right? Because you didn’t want the stress. Because you wanted a simple yet incredible Fiji wedding.” Melanie smiled. “So here we are. And if your biggest decision right now is which novel to read, be grateful, not wary.”

Richelle drew in a breath and nodded. “You’re right. I don’t know why I keep expecting disaster.”

“Probably because, between the two of us, we’ve had two failed weddings,” Melanie supplied. “But this one’s different. This one’s gonna happen. Don’t you worry.”

The waitress arrived and offered coffee, then took their orders. They both opted for a plate of fresh fruit and omelets. As they waited for the breakfast to be prepared, they enjoyed the sounds of the Fijian music and the tranquil setting.