This evening was about Finn and Titus, and her grieving would have to be put on pause. She was glad to push it to the back of her mind because it wasn’t something she was looking forward to dealing with at all.
Her grief could wait.
She had all the time in the world…
28
WYATT
Wyatt was listening to Titus and Finn, while scanning the beach for Edith. He knew she was here; she was arranging it after all, but he hadn’t seen her yet. He nodded at something Titus said, then looked over at the marquee.
His breath caught.
There she was…
He gazed at her, half-hidden by the pole of the marquee. But he knew it was her. She was standing at the edge of a small group, smiling, glass in hand, looking… out of place. Alone. Isolated.
His heart lurched, and he wanted to hurry over and protect her, to make her feel that she mattered and that she was part of something.
He moved away from Titus, Finn, and the group they’d been with, but then he spotted another figure approaching Edith. A tall man with curly dark hair and what appeared to be a scar on his cheek. Edith smiled up at the man as if she knew him, and Wyatt’s stomach sank to his feet. Of course other men wouldnotice Edith and want to speak to her, to feel the warmth of her smile upon them and to spend time in her company. She was beautiful inside and out, so it was only natural she’d have admirers. Men who could offer her so much more than Wyatt could. Men who could make her happy.
A sudden commotion behind him made him turn back to the grooms. Titus was holding up an envelope that he handed to Finn, and people gathered around them.
‘OK then, friends and family…’ Finn said. ‘We have a surprise for you. This evening, we are having a treasure hunt around the village. A local company that organises activities like this for parties has arranged it. We’ll put you in small teams that we’ll draw from a hat.’
‘That’s right, folks. We put your names into a hat, and we’ll now select them. When you hear who you’re with, find your partner and/or the rest of your team.’
As names were selected from the large straw hat that a server had handed to Titus, Wyatt waited patiently. He kept glancing over at Edith, but she hadn’t looked his way yet.
When his name was called, he tensed, his pulse quickening as he wondered who he’d be paired with for the activity. The air across the beach seemed to ripple with electricity and anticipation.
Titus pulled out another name. ‘Wyatt’s partner will be… our very own wedding planner, Edith!’
There was a heartbeat of charged silence before Edith emerged from the marquee, her face pale, her mouth curved into a small, uncertain smile. But she was looking at Titus and Finn, not Wyatt. He felt insignificant. Invisible. Broken into shards.
If Edith couldn’t look at him, then how could he look at himself?
Titus leant towards Wyatt and whispered into his ear, ‘You’re a team, so try not to kill each other.’
Wyatt met Titus’ eyes and coughed. ‘Of course not.’
Once the rest of the guests were teamed up, Titus told them to collect their envelopes of clues from the bar, and they would begin the treasure hunt when everyone was ready.
Wyatt and Edith made their way over to the bar, falling into step with each other as they crossed the sand. He tried to think of something to say, anything to ease the tension between them, but he was at a loss.
What could he say that would make things easier between them? There didn’t seem to be any words that could make this feel right or even just a tiny bit better.
The treasure hunt was going to be a forced proximity nightmare for them both.
29
EDITH
When they reached the bar, Edith waited in line to receive their envelope with the first clue inside it. From what she’d gathered, the clues given to teams would differ but end up in the same place. She loved a treasure hunt, but in this case, she was not feeling it at all.
Being partnered with Wyatt was unsettling, and she didn’t feel like this was the best way to enjoy the party. However, Wyatt looked rather anxious himself, so she knew she wasn’t the only one with misgivings.
At the bar, she accepted the envelope, and they walked back to the sand where the teams were waiting. When everyone was ready, Titus and Finn counted down from five, and then it was all systems go.
