The Birthday Fantasy Read Online Free Page A

through his waffle cone. “I’m sorry I let him talk me into this, Jamie.”
    On the deck of a small yacht docked near the edge of the marina, a couple kissed passionately as if they didn’t have a care in the world. As they pulled apart, the woman laughed and her joy stabbed Jamie’s heart. God, the woman practically glowed. Had she ever felt so happy with Robbie?
    She was sure she had. Before all the hectic wedding plans absorbed her time and dealing with her future mother-in-law concerning every decision gave her headaches. Robbie had been busy closing big deals, and many nights, he hadn’t been home. When he left last week for the trip to Las Vegas to work some deal with a group of investors, she’d packed a bag and had come home to the ranch.
    She pulled her gaze from the man and woman on the boat. Robbie should be here with her now. Not the man who had been her best friend for the past fifteen years.
    “It’s okay.” She finished off her ice cream, not tasting it, and sipped her cooling latte. “I’ve been feeling a little stressed lately. Maybe a vacation is exactly what I need. Robbie’s on a business trip this week and his mom is the kind of woman who likes to take over. She dislikes the whole idea of having the wedding at the ranch. She wanted to have some big shindig at some Dallas country club.”
    “Your dad hasn’t said much about the wedding plans.”
    She shrugged and looked at her Starbucks cup. “I haven’t told him much of the details. Norma—Robbie’s mom—and I have been batting heads. I figured I didn’t need Daddy in on that, too. Dealing with both of them would be as fun as staring down a cattle stampede.”
    He chuckled. “Sounds delightful.” Looking around, he leaned back in his chair. “You know, this place is probably the fanciest place I’ ve ever been to. Hard to believe you’re connected to it.”
    “Yeah, I know. My grandparents were rich and escaped France with their fortune before World War II. After making more money running a hotel in New York, they moved here and bought this lake.”
    “Holy crap!”
    She laug hed at the way his eyes bugged.
    He looked around. “The whole damned lake?”
    Smiling around her cup, she finished her latte. “Yep, and a lot of the mountain property, too.”
    He looked around again. “Does Robbie know about this place?”
    She shrugged. “Probably. Though, I don’t really talk about my mom’s family. Or their fantasy resort.” She stood and gathered their trash. “I bet he’d love it. Not because of what goes on here, but because he’d like to copy it somewhere. What time’s dinner?”
    Standing, he glanced at his watch. “I think the website said they sta rt serving at five and it’s that time now. We still have to check in and change. What time did you want to eat?”
    The tangerine sun was high over the western mountain like a diamond-encrusted crown, turning the blue of the water a burnished yellow. She stared at the beauty for a moment, then shook her head and met his gaze. “Think we can be ready by seven?”
    He nodded and picked up her bags. “Hell, I can be ready in five minutes.”
    She laughed and followed him down the sidewalk toward the main building aptly called The Lake House. “Even getting dressed in a money suit, as you put it?”
    He wrinkled his nose as if theq thought of a suit smelled bad. “Well, I might need ten. But if my memory serves me correctly, you’ll take at least an hour.”
    “ What can I say? Perfection takes time.”
    “Smart-ass.”
    ****
    They arrived at T he Lake House a few minutes later. From Tate’s Internet search after Hank talked him into this craziness three days ago, he discovered the main building wasn’t a hotel. The Lake House held the formal restaurants, theater, casino, full spa, and large rooms where weddings were held. The rooms were actually private beach houses lined up around the shores of the lake with a lot of private space between them.
    The lobby was an