“Brave?” she said, adjusting her glasses. “I’m scared out of my mind right now.”
As she spoke, she turned to see a white van approaching about twenty yards down the hill. She could see Marcel waving wildly for them to stop. Alex dropped his hands as he saw the van approach.
She looked back at Alex. “But, I’ve come this far and nothing is going to keep me from going to this wedding.”
With that, she turned and began stamping down the hill.
.
Thirteen
Sydney
Sydney and Alex’s van pulled inside the circular driveway of an expansive resort. Long white buildings accented with pale blue tiles and arched doorways welcomed them with all the glamour of the Caribbean. As she stepped out of the vehicle, she took in the Spanish-style architecture that combined a clay tile roofline with modern glass windows. Carefully selected rattan furniture with plush white cushions was scattered throughout the front breezeway for guests to stop and have refreshing drinks. Giant potted palms, which were kept swaying by a collection of wooden leaf-shaped ceiling fans, seemed to wave hello. El Brillo Azul in Jamaica offered everything you would expect from stylish luxury.
Sydney took a deep breath as two bellhops quickly appeared and retrieved their luggage from the van. She brushed her long blond hair off her shoulders as they stepped outside. She had stashed her cashmere sweater in her carry-on, and her bare shoulders burned from the heat of the sun. Alex stayed close to her as they stepped inside the resort and approached the front desk. They were intercepted by a tall, thin black man wearing a tuxedo. He had thick creases around his eyes that deepened with his smile.
“Mrs. Evans and Mr. Birch, I presume?”
Sydney and Alex looked cautiously at each other. “Yes,” they said simultaneously.
“Welcome to El Brillo Azul.” He waved his arm wide as he spoke, gesturing to the lobby. He then bowed slightly in their direction. “My name is Maxwell. I will be your personal butler for the duration of your stay.”
Sydney and Alex both nodded and smiled as he spoke.
“We have upgraded you to a honeymoon suite so that you can be more comfortable together.” Maxwell smiled as he said this, making the implications quite clear.
“Oh, that won’t be necessary,” Sydney said, interrupting his accented speech. “We can just stay in a regular room with two beds.”
Maxwell frowned at this, as if he didn’t understand. “You are not together?” he said, pointing from Sydney to Alex and back again.
She felt Alex wrap his arm around her shoulders.
“Of course we are,” Alex said, giving her a little squeeze. “Sydney is just shy. We’d love to see the honeymoon suite. Please, lead the way, Maxwell,” he continued, extending his arm forward.
Maxwell smiled again, seemingly satisfied with his answer.
“My pleasure,” he said, bowing slightly again. He turned on his heel and began walking down the hallway on their right. Alex kept his arm around Sydney as they took the first few steps, then dropped them when Maxwell began gesturing to various spots around the resort, giving them a verbal tour of the space. Sydney glanced at him, expecting a reprimand, but he kept his eyes forward until they arrived at their room.
Maxwell opened the door to a large open room with a four-poster bed and modern accent furniture. The curtains were pulled back to reveal a sweeping view of the ocean framed by potted palms and a charming bistro set on the balcony. On the bed were rose petals fluttering from the wooden fan churning above. They were laid out in the shape of a heart. Sydney could feel her cheeks burning as they stood awkwardly at the foot of the bed.
“Sydney,” Alex began once Maxwell had closed the door behind him, “we need everyone to believe we are dating. Even Maxwell.”
Sydney didn’t respond. She couldn’t pull her eyes away from the flower petals. They were just like the ones that she and Jack had found in their own honeymoon suite, just a year ago.
Jack had surprised her with a last-minute trip to Aruba, a chance for them to break away from work. She had happily agreed to the trip and immediately began planning outfits and images for her social media feeds. Jack had a different idea.
“What if we just escaped everything, your job and mine? No photos, no interruptions, just you and me?” he had said. If it was anyone else she would have said no, but he had a way of sweeping any doubts from her mind.
“Yes,” she had said with a kiss.
It wasn’t long after their arrival that Jack proposed. He wanted to get married that evening, just the two of them in a small ceremony. The idea of eloping had not been on Sydney’s radar, but Jack’s enthusiasm was irresistible. At first, it felt crazy—she had always thought of having a big wedding. The photos alone would have gained her another thousand followers on her Instagram account. But there was something about eloping that also felt exotic and special, an intimate affair they alone were privy to.
And so she had agreed. She and Jack had married on a pristine white beach in Aruba, joined only by a small cast of employees from the resort where they were staying. They were deliriously happy, and Jack had carried her over the threshold of their hotel suite then dropped her on a bed covered in flower petals.
Just like the ones she was staring at now. She felt a ball of emotions harden in her stomach.
“Sydney?” Alex said, touching her arm. He startled her out of her thoughts.
“Yes, sorry,” she said finally looking his way. “You were saying?”
“I was saying that we need to be more convincing, as a couple.” He cocked his head, his grey eyes shimmering from the sunlit beach behind her. “The more people are convinced we are a couple, the more likely they will be to let their guard down. And help us find Lizzy’s killer.”
“You’re right,” she said, burying her thoughts of the past. “I’m sorry.”
She walked to the credenza under the wall-mounted TV and picked up a piece of gilded stationery that lay underneath. It was a printed itinerary for the weekend informing her that there would be a cocktail hour starting at 6:00 p.m., with light appetizers by the piano bar overlooking the ocean.
“The cocktail hour has already begun. But I know this crowd, I’m sure everyone will still be there for hours.” She looked back at Alex, who had walked over to the large glass doors overlooking the beach. “I think we have just enough time to shower. Mind if I go first?”
“Of course. Be my guest,” he said not turning around. She wondered what he was looking for as he faced the long stretch of beach. Sydney grabbed a few toiletries from her suitcase and headed to the bathroom on the other end of the room. After a quick shower, she wrapped herself in the fluffy white hotel robe and stepped back into the main room.
“You’re up,” she said as she stepped out of the bathroom.
“Thanks,” he said as he passed her. She noticed Alex had laid out his evening clothes on the bed. Sydney tossed her dress and accessories next to his. Something about their clothes laying side by side on the bed made her sad. It was too familiar, too similar. She wasn’t ready for another man in her life yet. She realized her hands were shaking slightly, as her nerves had started to get the best of her. Maybe a drink would help. She noticed a fully stocked bar near the door to the room.