‘Uh huh,’ Naomi said. ‘I think he’s a perfect match for our girl. What do you think, Sam? Is he your type?’
‘What kind of question is that?’ Jen asked. ‘He’s everybody’s type.’
Jasmine burst out laughing. ‘He’s a Type O universal donor.’
‘I need you all to calm down,’ Samantha said. ‘I’m here for a wedding, your wedding, Naomi. I’m not interested in starting anything or stealing your thunder.’
‘Darling, you can’t possibly,’ Naomi said. ‘I’m the goddess of thunder.’
Jasmine tucked a long, thin braid behind her ear. ‘Please don’t let the wedding stop you! Have fun! You only live once.’
‘Why do you think I brought Chris?’ Jen said. ‘It’s definitely to start something.’
‘Good luck to you,’ Jasmine said.
Naomi brought her hands together in prayer. ‘Godspeed.’
At a loss, Samantha blurted, ‘I’m focused on my blog.’
‘You’ve got a blog?’ Naomi asked. ‘This is the first I’m hearing of it.’
‘Writing about a budding romance is a great way to kickstart a blog,’ Jen said. ‘I should know. I work mostly with content creators.’
At her wit’s end, Samantha exploded. ‘Guys, did you forget? I’ve just got out of a relationship!’
‘There is the truth,’ Jasmine said. ‘I knew it would poke its head out eventually.’
‘Sweetie,’ Naomi said. ‘That was ages ago.’
‘That was literally days ago.’ She could count the days on one hand, OK, maybe two. ‘It’s still fresh.’
‘Little Timmy is out of the picture,’ Naomi said. ‘That leaves you wide open for Mr Roman Carver. Make your move.’
‘Life is short,’ Jasmine said.
‘Life is short,’ Sam repeated. ‘Is that from the Old Testament or the New?’
‘Don’t be a smartass,’ Naomi scolded. ‘Jasmine is right. Life is too short to go around moping over men like Timothy.’
‘I’m not moping. I’m taking a breath.’
‘Between breaths, take a look at Roman,’ Jasmine suggested. ‘I think he fancies you.’
‘You think so?’ Naomi was choking with glee. ‘Tell me everything.’
‘Little things. It’s the way he looks at her and laughs at everything she says. Didn’t you notice last night?’
How did Jasmine notice any of this? She’d only had eyes for Jason.
‘I love this for you,’ Jen said.
Jen’s enthusiasm and optimism was evergreen. Was this why Naomi liked her so much? Compared to her, Samantha was a black hole of scepticism and doubt.
The bus driver shut the door and fired up the engine. Everyone settled into their seats and nestled air pods into their ears. Naomi tilted her head back and closed her eyes, a smile tugging at her lips. Samantha glanced out the window and then, briefly, over her shoulder. Roman was a few rows back, deep in conversation with Chris. Even so, they locked eyes. Samantha tore her gaze away and willed herself to stare out the window at the lush green scenery and the homes built into the hilly terrain. In the back of her mind an electrical storm had begun.
A short while later they were in the heart of a nature reserve. Their guide, a stocky man named Jude, paid in advance by the wedding committee, was waiting to greet them at the park entrance. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Argyle Waterfalls and Nature Park.’
They were not a large group. Maya and Anthony’s cousin Ted and his wife had opted out, no doubt preferring to spend their day at the beach rather than trekking through a jungle for the pleasure of a cool swim, only to trek through the same jungle to get back to the car.