Page 46 of Trust and Obey

I started to move off, but Sam’s gruff voice called me back. “If you want my advice, any one of our staff is here to help you. Not only Kendall.”

There was a certain weight to his words that I tried to ignore. “Thank you, I’ll keep that in mind.”

The docks were on the other side of the large resort. In the hot sun, it was a bit of a slog, and there weren’t many places to provide shade. I walked along the pier, glancing into all the nearby boats. Unfortunately, Kendall was nowhere to be seen. By the looks of it, no one had visited the docks recently.

I stopped, shielding my eyes. Not a soul in sight. Did that bartender intentionally mislead me? I wasn’t sure if I was being paranoid or not.

Well, Kendall was a masseuse. Maybe he was down at the massage tables by the beach? I turned on my heel and started off.

It was midday and the sun was beating down hard from overhead. No one was bothering to get a massage in the bright glare of day, and no extra masseuses waited by the tables.

Frustrated, I stopped and turned in place, a hand over my eyes as a shield from the sun-glare.

Where in the world could Kendall be?

I heard the shriek of children, and a slightly familiar voice gently chiding them. Turning, I saw the woman who had brought me my meal service a few times. I thought her name was Elle. She was chaperoning two children as they played in and out of the gently rolling waves.

Without thinking, I charged right up to her. Elle glanced up and stood from her crouch, her body language wary as if she were shielding the little kids for me.

“Can I help you, Mr. Helman?” she asked.

“Yes,” I said, starting to get ticked off. “You can tell me where I can find Kendall.”

Her eyes seemed to harden. “Sir, if you need to schedule an activity or order a meal, you can do that at the front desk.”

“I just want to talk to him for a minute.” I let out a breath in frustration. “For God’s sake, it should not be this hard. It feels like people are hiding him from me.”

The woman flushed bright red. She glanced over her shoulder to check on her charges and then took a half step closer, lowering her voice. It didn’t make her tone any less forceful. “You are not entitled to Kendall just because he is your attendant. He is at your service for meals and a scheduled massage. Nothing else.”

“Excuse me—”

“So, if you want to schedule something, you are more than welcome to do it from your hotel tablet or at the front desk. Now, if you don’t mind, I have to get back to my own duties.”

Then she turned her back on me.

I stared at her; my jaw dropped.

Then it occurred to me that this woman firmly believed that I was a creeper. And she hadn’t been the only one. That bartender, Sam, had given me attitude as well. I had no idea how that had happened, or why the staff had gained that impression.

Humiliated, I tucked tail and walked away.

* * *

I finally found Kendall at a rocky section of the beach not too far away from the tide pools. The sharp rocks made for unpleasant swimming, so there were no other guests within sight. Kendall’s white polo uniform stood out like a flag.

Quietly, I walked over and sat with him upon a rock.

Kendall glanced at me but didn’t say anything. For a few minutes, we were silent together, watching the gentle waves roll in and out again.

“Kendall,” I said, “have I done something to upset you?”

“No.” But his tone was flat and emotionless.

I couldn’t help the frustration in my voice. “Then why do you keep running away from me?”

“Deacon—”

“No,” I said before he could try to evade again. “You owe it to me to at least be honest. Even if the truth hurts. I need to know. Please.”

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