Madelyn nodded absentmindedly, her eyes glued to the mirror as she took in the dress. “Of course. Thank you, Ella.”
Ella glanced back once before leaving the bridal suite. Madelyn looked so beautiful and happy that it made her heart ache. Ella would never have anything like that. She knew it deep in her bones. She wasn't made for that kind of simple joy.
Ella didn't pick up her cleaning supplies. She just left them tucked off to the side of the hall and hurried outside. She'd come back and finish her job later, but for now, she needed to clear her mind of the mix of emotions circling and tightening in her chest. Her mother's dress. Jace. Someone else's joy.
She needed some fresh air to refresh her heart and the gazebo by the lake was just the place she needed.
Chapter Five
Jace walked along the lake shore with quick, long strides. He was used to walking fast. In the business world, there was always someone to catch up to and someone to outrun. Life was a competition and only the strong and the fast survived.
He sighed. He needed to find a way to stop thinking like that. Madelyn was always telling him that he was becoming more and more like his father. He hated that. His father was a workaholic with no time for his wife or family. A brilliant businessman, but not a good parent and a terrible husband. Jace wanted to be better than his father. It was part of why he was going all out for Madelyn's wedding. The fact that he was putting in so much effort annoyed his father to no end.
He paused on the path, glancing around at the carefully manicured lawn and trees surrounding the lake. He hoped he hadn't missed it. He was looking for the small gazebo, the one Ella had mentioned last night. She had said the path was near the main gazebo, but so far he hadn't found it yet. To be honest, he wasn't really looking for the gazebo, he was hoping that he'd run into her again.
Ella.
Just thinking about her made him smile, which was strange. Jace was no stranger to women. The labels of “playboy” and “superficial” were justly earned. He'd had plenty of lovers and had enjoyed them all immensely. But Ella was different.
She was real. When she laughed, she threw her whole body into it. Her eyes sparkled when she smiled and when she was nervous, her blush was real, too. It was so different than the women he was used to. Plastic and born to manipulate, he was used to women who only wanted access to his pocketbook in exchange for a few good nights. He knew Ella was different.
She was honest. innocent, but not annoyingly so. Her smile and jokes had been real, and not just because he was a billionaire. If anything, for a moment, she had allowed him to feel normal. In just the hour he spent with her, she had him smiling and feeling more refreshed than any other company had in years.
Not to mention the chemistry. When she had fallen and he caught her, her body molded to his like she was made for him. She had felt so good in his arms, so right, that it was good they hadn't completed that kiss. Given how much dry hay was in that barn, any more sparks and the whole place would have gone up in flames. He'd never experienced such instant and strong attraction.
It was strange. And now, he couldn't seem to think of anyone else.
There were enough beautiful Hollywood starlets floating around the place that had he been his usual self, he would have had someone lined up to join him in bed tonight. Maybe even two. But he didn't want that. Not anymore.
He didn't want anyone but Ella.
And that was so unlike him that it made him question his sanity. The idea that a single conversation with a beautiful woman could rock his world so completely threw him off a little. He had always been a player, yet the idea of having only Ella was better than knowing he'd have a harem elsewhere.
A small dirt path caught his attention. It was just ahead and barely visible against the lush greenery of the lake. It could be the path that Ella had mentioned, but she hadn't said it would be so small. He paused, debating if the dirt path was better than the concrete one.
The sound of girlish giggles and the clack of high heels decided him. The guests coming around the bend could just be friends or possibly family, but the very real possibility of it being Rosalind and her gang of clones was too dangerous.
Even before he met Ella, Rosalind and her groupies would have gotten a “no” from him this trip. He'd dated Rosalind once upon a time, but had quickly learned that she was just as cold inside as the money she craved. She wasn't even supposed to have been invited to the wedding, yet here she was. The same with so many other guests. Business and politics ruined everything.
They were like sharks drawn to money instead of blood. Every one of them was husband hunting or searching for a pocketbook and he wasn't interested. He was smart enough to know the difference between a girl looking to put a famous notch in her bedpost and someone looking for a long con. He had given up on finding anyone who didn't want his money.
Again, just like his father.
He darted up the dirt path, hiding himself behind a tree as the gaggle of girls passed. It was definitely Rosalind. He shook his head and let out a sigh of relief as she passed without even glancing his direction. She was on the hunt and wasn't going to waste time hiking up dirt trails.
With a grin, Jace turned and saw the gazebo. It was exactly like the photograph.
Upon the announcement of the wedding, venues from all over the world had sent him requests and offers. The picture containing this small gazebo had fallen out of the envelope and Jace had felt in his bones it was the place for Madelyn to get married. It was this picture that had put Blue Lake Inn and Resort as the top contender.
He thought of the picture. A small, simple gazebo stood out against the bright blue of the lake. It was surrounded by greenery, but it was the couple inside that had caught his attention. A man was down on one knee, proposing to a very happy woman. It would have looked staged if the man's hand wasn't blurry from shaking or the sheer delight in the woman's eyes. The note on the back said it was one of the many hidden romantic getaways on the inn, and that the proposal was that of the original owners, Jonathon and Nancy McDaniels. If Love could have taken the image of a photograph, that was it.
The photograph had not lied about the beauty of the place, but it was the woman currently inside the gazebo that stole his breath, not the idyllic picture of the white wooden frame against the bright blue lake.
Ella.
His heart stuttered in his chest and his throat went dry. Somehow, she was even more beautiful than he remembered. He paused, just watching her as she looked out at the lake. She had let her hair down, and the gentle breeze from the lake played with it's dark blonde tresses.
Jace admonished himself for being creepy and just staring at her. He cleared his throat and willed his feet to move forward. She drew him to her like a magnet, his feet gliding along the soft dirt path rather than walking.