“Is that all that’s bothering you?” presses Rachel, keen to get to the bottom of his disdain for a woman he used to quite like.
He shrugs his shoulders, as nonchalantly as he can. “I just don’t think she’s right for my little brother and it pains me that he might be about to make the biggest mistake of his life.”
Rachel takes hold of his hand. “But I’ve never seen Will this happy,” she says. “And it’s your duty as both his brother and his best man to play your part and make this weekend the best it can be.”
Jack kisses her on the nose. “You’re far too accepting,” he says.
“It’s easier than being cynical all the time,” she says. “That must be exhausting.”
He playfully smacks her on the behind.
Despite standing up for Ali, Rachel can’t help but feel relieved when she spots Will at the end of a long line of holiday reps holding clipboards in the arrivals hall. Thankful that she no longer has to be the responsible adult, she points him out to Ali and watches her zig-zag over to him, feeling like she’s handing a naughty child over to their long-suffering parent.
“There’s my baby,” shrieks Ali as she runs into Will’s arms.
They all stand there awkwardly as Will and Ali exchange saliva for far longer than feels necessary.
“Give it a rest,” says Jack, jokingly, but Rachel can hear the tension in his voice. If Will knows his brother well enough, he’ll hear it too.
“Sorry, it’s been a couple of days,” says Will, breaking away.
“It’s been three!” declares Ali, as if it makes all the difference.
“Hey, bro,” says Will, hugging Jack and looking at the group. “How are we all? Good?”
Jack smiles half-heartedly.
“Well, I will be when I get out of these trousers,” says Noah, laughing.
“Had an accident, have we?” asks Will, clearly amused by the wet patch spread across Noah’s groin.
“Don’t even ask.”
“So, are we all set?” asks Jack. “What’s the villa like?”
“You wait until you see the place,” says Will, his eyes dancing. “Man, it’s insane.”
The tension in Rachel’s shoulders dissipates. When Will had told them one of his surfing mates had offered him a villa, so the six of them could stay together, her initial reaction was Hell, no. She’d rather be in the hotel with all the other guests than with an already hyperactive Ali in the build-up to the wedding. But Ali had insisted that Rachel be there, “as the sister she never had,” to help her get ready and keep her calm. Without a valid excuse that didn’t come across as petty, Rachel had resigned herself to it. But her next worry—not wanting to sound like a snob—was that the villa on offer wasn’t going to be of the standard she and Jack were used to. He had a rule that they never went on vacation to anywhere that wasn’t as nice as their home.
“What’s the point?” he’d say. “Where’s the sense in me working my arse off and earning good money, to spend the precious time I get off in a place worse than where we live?”
She’d imagined Will’s surfer friend having a shack that hung precariously off a cliff, giving a whole new meaning to sea views.
“So, it’s okay?” Jack asks again, no doubt aware of the vast difference between his “insane” and his brother’s.
“Trust me, it’s off the charts.” Will smiles.
And Rachel has to hand it to him, as just over an hour later, they pull up at a villa perched on the edge of a clifftop, overlooking the Portuguese fishing village of Nazaré. The imposing glass-and-white walls preside over the terracotta roofs of tightly built houses that line the beach below. The villa’s modern, angular features, softened by a swathe of warm light, create an awe-inspiring silhouette against the darkening skies.
“Oh, baby, it’s beautiful!” squeals Ali as the minivan moves slowly up the inclined driveway—the lit chrome bollards making it look like a little runway from which they’re about to take flight. Rachel nervously grabs Jack’s hand as her eyes follow the cal?ada paving until it seems to disappear into the abyss.
Thankfully, the van stops short, though not in time to stop Rachel’s hand from growing clammy. Jack gives her a reassuring smile, as if he knows that her mind momentarily saw them all going over the edge.
Noah whistles appreciatively through his teeth as the oversized front door swings open onto a breathtaking double-height room. An open fireplace sits in the middle, its stone-clad chimney reaching up into the vaults of the ceiling.
Rachel feels Jack relax beside her as he looks around the vast space, his fears at what his nomadic brother could have had them staying in immediately allayed.
She’d often wondered how two boys who were brought up together could have such different outlooks. While Jack needed to check his schedule several times a day, and was known to call restaurants to confirm an already confirmed reservation, Will didn’t know where he was going to be from one day to the next. If he woke up and felt the need to go to a kibbutz in Israel, he could well be at one by that evening. He’d just throw his meager belongings into a backpack and head to wherever he felt the calling. He was at his happiest spending the night under the stars, with nothing but a stretched piece of tarpaulin separating him from the elements. Hence why Jack—and she, too, she has to admit—are so relieved to be standing here, in front of glass doors that wrap around three of the walls, looking out onto an azure-blue swimming pool lit by underwater spotlights.
Will excitedly pulls back one of the patio doors and invites them to step out onto the polished concrete terrace. There’s a saltiness in the air that tells Rachel she’s close to the ocean, but it’s the crashing of the waves that proves just how close. It’s so difficult to get your bearings when you go somewhere new, especially in the fading light, but she knows that, once morning comes, she’ll be able to explore and get a feel for where she is. Right now, the roar of the Atlantic resounds in her ears, making her shiver involuntarily.
Jack puts his arm around her shoulders. “It’s stunning, mate, it really is.”
Will smiles, seemingly relieved by his big brother’s appreciation.
“Which one’s our room?” asks Ali, hanging onto Will’s arm like a limpet. “I hope we’ve got the honeymoon suite.”
Will’s eyes light up. “You’re not going to believe it,” he says, taking Ali by the hand. “Let me show you.”
“Well, this is all right, isn’t it?” says Jack, taking a deep breath of sea air and stretching his arms up.
“This is better than all right, mate,” says Noah jovially.
“It’s like something out of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills!” Paige laughs, unable to disguise her glee.
“See, I told you it wasn’t going to be all bad,” muses Rachel as she bumps her shoulder into Paige.
“Let’s see if the groom’s managed to get any sundries in,” says Jack as he walks back into the house.
“Does red wine fall under that category?” asks Noah, following him.
“I bloody hope so!” Jack laughs. It’s the first time that he’s seemed genuinely relaxed.
“This really is something,” says Paige, as she and Rachel stay where they are, looking out into the darkness. The moon is shrouded in thin clouds, casting a sliver of light across the inky-black sea below, and Rachel can’t help but shudder again at the proximity of the ocean, and all that lies beneath its surface.
“Here, do you want this?” asks Paige, pulling her pashmina from her shoulders and offering it to Rachel.
“Thanks,” she says, gratefully taking it.
Paige pulls the shawl up onto Rachel’s shoulders. “You’re very forgiving of her, you know,” she says.
“Who?” asks Rachel, unnecessarily.
“You know who.”
Rachel shrugs. “What else am I supposed to do? She’s going to be family soon and you know what they say…?”
Paige looks at her with raised eyebrows.
“You can’t choose your family…” Rachel goes on.