Page 8 of Six Nights in Paradise

“I was actually thinking about getting my bathing suit and hitting the beach.” She stared longingly out the expanse of windows lining the back wall of the bedroom. We still had a few hours of daylight left, so there was plenty of time to enjoy the sand and sun.

“Sounds like a great idea. Mind if I join you?”

“Not at all.”

I hauled both of our suitcases into the room and we dug out our swimwear. She slipped into the bathroom to change and I quickly threw off my clothes and stepped into my board shorts. She came back wearing a flimsy, sheer, white cover-up over her floral bikini. I never understood why girls bothered with those. You could practically see right through them, a fact I wasn’t hating at the moment.

We made our way down to the water and I was pleased to see a couple of beach chairs already set up. The villas on this side of the island were spaced far enough apart to afford us a little privacy, so there wasn’t anybody else near our little section of beach. The sand was powdery soft under our feet and the water was just cool enough to be refreshing. We waded in waist deep and I fought the urge to reach for her. Instead, I headed in the opposite direction and dove under the water to cool my rapidly heating skin. I didn’t know if I was so hot because of the tropical sun, or as the result of Taylor’s close proximity.

After about an hour, we decided to head inside and get ready for dinner. I’d made reservations at one of the resort’s premier restaurants and couldn’t wait to dig into a pound of freshly caught crab legs. We took turns using the shower before Taylor commandeered the bathroom to get ready. She came out forty-five minutes later looking absolutely stunning.

Her light brown hair that faded into a dark honey blond at the tips fell around her shoulders in soft curls. Her makeup was light and natural, a hint of her freckles showing through. Bronzed skin, pink, pouty lips, and long, black lashes rounded out the look. Her simple cotton dress, a light yellow that made her skin tone pop, hugged her waist, accentuating her shapely hips and firm, round breasts. One thin spaghetti strap slipped off her shoulder, and I watched with rapt attention as she slid it back into place. She was exquisite.

I was in so much trouble.

Taylor

I studied my menu, trying to ignore the gorgeous man sitting across the table from me. He was dressed in khaki shorts and an aqua blue polo. It was simple, but he made it look like a million bucks.

Why did this feel like a date? Maybe it was because he slipped and told me how beautiful I looked when I came out of the bathroom. Or because he pulled out my chair, his fingers brushing over my bare shoulder and arm as he stepped around the table to take his own seat. Or perhaps it was the bottle of wine he’d requested that now sat perched in an ice bucket on our table.

Dalton laid his menu down and reached for the bottle of Sangria, pouring us each a glass. I grabbed mine and started sipping on it right away. I was tense. For the past eight years, I hadn’t been alone with this man, and now I’d spent the last thirteen hours with him. His mere presence had me on edge.

Once we ordered our food and the waiter took away our menus, I could no longer hide from him. I’d been using that menu as a shield and now it was gone, leaving me feeling exposed and vulnerable. I’d planned on giving him his space, but he hadn’t let me get far away from him since we arrived. He followed me out onto the beach when I tried to give him his space, and then he insisted we retain his reservation here.

I fiddled with my napkin-wrapped silverware as we waited on our appetizer. I had no idea what to say to him. We had nothing in common besides Aiden, and I really didn’t want to talk about my brother. I prayed he didn’t ask about school. I wasn’t ready to talk about that and doubted I ever would be. Gianna was a subject neither of us wanted to broach. So, I settled for the safe option.

“How’s work?” His eyes lit up a bit and my shoulders sagged with relief.

“Work’s great. We’re looking at some more environmentally friendly alternatives to several of our products. It took me a while to convince the team to invest in the research, but they’re finally coming around,” he beamed. “Consumers are becoming increasingly concerned with the environment and reducing waste. It only made sense to move us in that direction.”

My smile grew as he spoke. I loved it when a man was passionate about what he did for a living, when it wasn’t just a job. I’d thought that was how Jason worked, but it turned out he was only passionate about getting into my pants.

My smile fell and I shook that thought away. I wouldn’t think about him right now. I refused to let him ruin my evening or this trip.

The waiter returned and set a small plate in front of each of us. A steaming hot dish of crab-stuffed mushrooms was placed in the center of the table, and a serving spoon was dipped inside. Once we both had a mushroom on our plates and the waiter retreated, conversation resumed.

“How about you? You mentioned needing to find a job.”

“I was planning on working this summer. I’d like to save up so I can get my own place after I graduate.”

“Don’t you usually take classes during the summer?”

I tried to hide my wince at his mention of school. If he noticed a change in my demeanor, he didn’t let on.

“I’m just burnt out right now.” That wasn’t a lie; there was just a lot more to the story. “I needed a break. I’m close to graduating, so I don’t necessarily have to take any classes this time around.” I’d planned on graduating early, having enough credits to secure my degree by the end of fall semester. But now, with a university-mandated hiatus, I wouldn’t be graduating until next summer.

“Where were you thinking about applying?”

“I have a stack of applications,” I groaned. “Probably one of the upscale restaurants downtown. My friend Aubrey works at Exeter and makes really great tips, so I thought I’d try that route.” He flinched when I mentioned Exeter, but the look passed quickly. What was that about?

“Have you considered entering the corporate world? My company is always looking for interns.”

“I don’t know. Maybe.” I shrugged. The truth was that I wasn’t sure I was ready for something like that yet. I saw the strain on Aiden’s face when things weren’t going as planned. He’d stayed up into the early hours of the morning working on spreadsheets and proposals on more than one occasion. Waitressing was safe. It was hard, exhausting work and you had to deal with some real assholes, but at least when you went home, you could leave it all behind. It didn’t follow you into your personal space.

We settled into silence, enjoying our meals. When my glass ran dry, Dalton offered to refill it and I let him. It was a sweet gesture, but I had to remind myself this was temporary. We weren’t an item. This wasn’t a date. This was just two friends – no, not even friends, two acquaintances– who’d both been thrown into shitty situations, trying to find solace in each other’s company. When we returned home, everything would go back to normal. The only difference was, maybe now we wouldn’t have to try so hard to avoid each other.

When we left the restaurant after a delicious seafood dinner, we walked back to the villa along the beach. I took off my sandals and wiggled my toes into the cool sand. Dalton got too close to the water and the small waves splashed up onto his feet, soaking the soles of his brown leather thongs. He removed them and we continued along the moonlit beach barefoot. It shouldn’t have felt romantic. We weren’t two lovers walking hand-in-hand along the beach under a darkened sky full of stars, but I wanted to be.

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