by Ali Parker
It felt good to hear her say that. Her words validated something inside me.
“Can I ask you something personal now, Dallas?”
I shrugged. “Sure.”
“Roy’s mother? Were you ever married to her?”
I nodded. “Yes. As per my father’s arrangement and meddling, of course.”
“Where is she?”
“She passed away.”
Elise drew away. “Oh, Dallas. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have—”
I held up a hand to stop her. “Don’t worry about it. It was a long time ago.”
She licked her lips. “Do you have a picture of your son?”
I nodded and pulled out my phone. Roy was the wallpaper on both my lock and home screen. I turned the phone around and slid it to her across the table. Elise leaned forward and smiled down at the bright image of my son from the past summer.
He was in the sand at Eagle Lake. Behind him was the sand castle he and I had built for the two hours leading up to the picture. He was wearing his neon orange bathing suit and matching wide-brimmed hat to protect him from the sun. His eyes were closed, and he was smiling so big that his cheeks were puffed up to double their size.
“He’s absolutely adorable,” Elise said.
“Yeah, he’s all right.” I chuckled.
She slid the phone back to me. I smiled down at the picture of my son before slipping the phone back in my pocket.
“Where on earth is our server?” Elise asked, peering around the restaurant.
“Probably taking a selfie in the employee bathroom.”
Elise threw her head back and laughed. That was a sight to see. Her cheeks flushed pink, and her eyes closed. She was, without a doubt, the most beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes on. When she recovered from her laughter, she opened her purse and put on some lip gloss.
She had no clue how torturous that was for me to watch.
She put the tube of gloss back in her purse and peered around the restaurant.
“You eager to get out of here or something, Billingsly?”
She peered at me out of the corner of her eye. Then she smiled. “I’m a little curious what you have planned for the rest of the day.”
I rubbed my hands together. “You’re going to love it.”
“Cocky,” she mused.
I shook my head. “Confident.”
Elise tucked the loose strands of hair behind her ears. I couldn’t help but think that the body language of it all was a bit bashful. Nervous.
Almost flirty.
Don’t get ahead of yourself, Dallas.
Chapter 16
Elise
Even though I pestered him for an answer the whole time we waited for our bill at the diner, Dallas refused to come clean and tell me what we were doing for the rest of the afternoon. It was like pulling teeth.
I threw in the towel once we got in the car and he started driving up the coast. It was a bright sunny day, just like yesterday, and I was thankful that it was a bit warmer. I hadn’t had to bundle up so much, and the chill didn’t seep through my clothes to nip at my skin.
The drive wasn’t long. He took a right hand turn after about fifteen minutes and pulled into the parking lot of the Harbor Maine yacht club.
He put his Mercedes in park and looked over at me, a devilish smile playing on his lips.
I looked around incredulously. “I’m not dressed well enough to set foot in that place. It’s all entitled, high-profile, rich assholes in there. So not my scene, Dallas. Please. Let’s go somewhere else.”
He chuckled and shook his head before reaching over and pressing the button on my seatbelt. It popped free. “No. We’re not going inside. Don’t worry. I don’t want to go in there any more than you do.”
“Oh. Then what—”
“Just wait,” he said. Then he got out of the car, walked around the hood, and opened my door for me. He offered me his hand.
I stared at his upturned palm.
A few days ago, I wouldn’t have accepted his help. In fact, I would have had to resist spitting into his hand out of spite. But today, things were different. I’d been peeling back the layers of Dallas Jansen and had discovered that beneath his playboy, rough, handsome exterior, he’d actually turned into a pretty nice guy.
And a man.
A really sexy, smooth-talking, powerful man.
I took his hand, and he guided me up to my feet. He closed the car door and didn’t release my hand as he turned and started walking toward the yacht club.
I only began to resist when we were about fifteen feet from the front doors.
Dallas looked back at me. “We’re not going inside. I promise. Don’t you trust me?”
The short answer was no, I did not trust him.
“I want you to sign a deal with Treo,” he said. “I’m not going to do anything that makes you uncomfortable. I swear it.”
I gritted my teeth but nodded. I fell into step behind him once more and was relieved when we made our way along the side of the building, rather than through it. On the other side, we emerged on a wooden deck that led out to a floating dock walkway. We crossed it, and the water lapped at the edges, popping and bubbling. It was soothing.
Dallas walked me down the long dock to the edge of the marina. We stopped at the very end, where an elegant boat was docked. The stairs were down, or whatever they were called, and Dallas put his hand in the small of my back to guide me forward. He thought better of his placement and moved his hand up higher.
I smiled to myself and made my way up the stairs.
The yacht was the most luxurious thing I had ever seen—and by far the most luxurious thing I’d ever been in. The surfaces were all shiny and white. An outdoor lounge took up residence at the back of the boat, as did a hot tub and bar.
I turned to Dallas as he dropped the stairs. “A yacht? Really?”
He grinned like a child and nodded. “Yeah.”
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t fight my own smile. “You’re too much, you know that? I have no interest in becoming one of these people.”
“Define ‘these people’.”
I gestured around. “The sort of people who spend their weekends on a boat like this. Who wear diamonds to the beach. Who wakes up to their coffee already made and a glass of champagne on their nightstand.”
“People actually do that?”
“How should I know?” I asked.
Dallas was still smiling at me. He was enjoying himself a little too much for my liking. When he took my hand and led me up to the very top of the boat, butterflies started fluttering around in my stomach.
He intended to drive the damn thing.
“Dallas,” I said nervously.
“Relax. I’ve done this dozens of times. There’s nothing to it, really.”
I trusted him. For some bizarre reason, I trusted him. He told me to take a seat on the plush benches beside the wheel, and I sat, crossing one leg over the other and watching as he steered the massive boat away from the dock and out toward the open sea.
I couldn’t take my eyes off him. His forearms flexed as he turned the wheel, and he gazed out at the expanse of blue before him, his eyes alight with adventure.
I remembered that look far too well.
Sitting made me impatient. I got up and stood beside him. “Why take me out like this? It sure feels like it’s spending a lot of money and resources on me. A newbie writer. I can’t possibly be worth—”
“Winzly says you’re worth it. That’s all I need to know. Besides, I know how much you’ve always wanted to do this.”
I frowned. “Do this?” I had never said I wanted to go on a yacht before. Even if I were presented with the option in some beautiful tropical place by a billionaire who wanted to spoil me for the day, I suspected I was one of those girls that would say no. I’d stay on the beach, on my sand-covered towel, reading my book.
That was my pace.
“I’m sorry, Dallas, but I don’t really care abo
ut the boat. I mean, it’s nice, sure, but it’s a bit too… I don’t know. Obnoxious for my taste.”
He chuckled. “Not the boat. The whales.”
“Sorry?”
He nodded toward the open sea before us. “Whales. I remember how you always used to talk about wanting to come out on the water to see the whales. I suggested we do the tour one day, but you shot me down. Do you remember?”
“I didn’t want to be trapped on a boat with a bunch of tourists. Yeah, I remember.”
He nodded. “Well, this works then, doesn’t it? No tourists.”
As far as I could tell, there weren’t any whales, either.
We cruised over the water for a good half hour before we made our way back down to the lower deck. On the table at the back of the boat, I saw a bucket of ice and a bottle of champagne. Beside that was also a small bottle of orange juice.
I watched, bemused, as Dallas fixed us each a mimosa. He handed one to me and caught my smile. “What are you laughing about?”
“This,” I said simply.
“What of it?”
“It’s all so… much.”
“Yeah. Well, Treo really wants you to sign, so they’re pulling out all the stops.”
“Treo, huh?” I asked, skeptical. If I were to place a wager, I’d bet Treo had nothing to do with the fact that we were standing on a yacht fifteen miles off the coast under the autumn sun.
Dallas sipped his mimosa to avoid answering me.
I took my drink and walked over to the edge, where I stood and peered down at the ocean below. Waves lapped at the side of the yacht, which bobbed so gently I could barely feel it. I supposed that was a perk of having such a big-ass boat.
Dallas came and stood beside me. Neither of us said anything as we peered down into the ocean. The water was dark here. Impenetrable. Deep.
It soothed me.
I had always loved the ocean, and living just feet from the beach was the best thing about living in Bar Harbor. To be out here where it was so still, breathing in the crisp, salty air, was a glorious moment for me.
“There,” Dallas said, suddenly reaching out and grabbing my shoulder.
I peered out across the water, following the line of his eyes, until I spotted what he was looking at: a whale. A great burst of air blew from its blowhole. Water sprayed up, and in its wake came the ridge of the back and the slow ascent of its tale.
“Oh,” I breathed. No other words seemed to do it justice. Not that oh did, but it was what slipped out of my mouth.
“And there,” Dallas said, now pointing to our right.
Another whale emerged.
Soon, we were surrounded by a whole pod of them as they came up for air.
It was the most spectacular thing I had ever seen. Tears welled up in my eyes, and I put my back to Dallas as we watched the magnificent creatures. I didn’t want him to see me cry. This had been something my father had promised he would take me to do one day, back when we still had money and opportunities.
But then everything had fallen apart, and whale watching had become something I figured I would do one day. I never realized one day could be today.
“Thank you, Dallas,” I whispered. “I can’t believe you remembered this.”
He didn’t say anything. He stood beside me, still gazing out at the whales as they broke the surface of the water.
We stayed like that for another half hour. Neither of us spoke a word. We just watched and soaked in the sight of nature at its best.
Dallas went and braced himself on the side of the boat, planting his hands on the wide railing. I studied him from behind, gazing at the broadness of his shoulders, his narrowed waist, and his long legs. I admired his profile, sharp, elegant, and handsome. His jaw was darker with stubble, more so than it had been yesterday. It suited him.
It suited him very well.
He glanced over his shoulder at me and caught me staring. “I have one more thing on the docket for tomorrow,” he said.
I blushed and looked down at my feet. “Oh?”
He smiled. “I’d like for you to meet Roy.”
I looked up sharply. “What? Why? No, I don’t think that’s a good idea, Dallas.”
“It is. Trust me. I’m not going to introduce you as a girlfriend or anything. There won’t be any expectations tied up in this. I just would like for him to know you. That’s all. And for you to know him.”
He held my gaze. His dark stare was intense.
I swallowed. “All right.”
“You’re sure?” he asked. “I don’t want you to if you’re not comfortable with it.”
I shook my head. “It’s fine. I’d like to meet him.” I was telling the truth. I was curious to meet the miniature version of the man who stood before me. If Roy was anything like his father, he was going to be melting girls’ hearts everywhere he went. I hoped, for the sake of the girls he would meet, that Dallas raised his son to treat them better than how he’d treated me when we were in high school.
Like nothing. Like someone he could call only when his first and second options were busy. Like an afterthought.
Looking at him now, it was strange to think of him as that young, dumb, ignorant kid. He was so different from what I remembered. He was kind now. And wise, gentle, and considerate. I couldn’t see any of his younger self in him—until he smiled, of course.
His smile was still that devilish, charming one that had gotten me tied up with him in the first place.
Damn him and that smile of his.
Chapter 17
Dallas
I was awake before my alarm went off at seven on Friday morning. It only beeped twice before I silenced it and swung my legs over the side of the bed. As I indulged in a yawn, I reached my arms over my head, stretching and cracking my back before getting to my feet.
It was going to be a good day. I could feel it in my bones.
I pulled on a pair of sweatpants and padded barefoot down the hall to Roy’s bedroom. The bedroom door squeaked as I pushed it open. Roy was sleeping with his back to me, facing the wall. I could hear his deep breaths as I stood in the doorway.
I smiled to myself. Moments like this were the highlights of my day. I let myself stay there a couple minutes longer before walking to his bed and sitting down on the edge. I shook his shoulder gently until he moaned and came to.
“Morning, kiddo,” I said softly.
“Morning,” Roy mumbled, still half asleep. His eyes were closed when he rolled onto his back and yawned.
“How’d you sleep?”
“Good,” he said.
“Any cool dreams?”
Roy rubbed at his eyes and struggled to open them. When he finally managed to, he was peering at me through slits. “No, I don’t remember.”
I patted his shin. “Well, it’s time to get up. Come on. Let’s go.”
“Five more minutes.”
“Nope. Chop chop!” I clapped my hands together.
Roy winced and tried to pull his covers up closer under his chin. I grabbed a fistful of them to keep the blankets in place.
“Dad,” he whined.
“Roy,” I whined back mockingly.
Roy scowled at me. He couldn’t keep himself from laughing, though. He chuckled and so did I, and he propped himself up on his elbows.
I nodded at him. “What do you say to taking the day off from school today?”
“Really?” he asked incredulously.
“Oh, now you’re awake, huh?” I laughed. “Yes, I have a friend I’m spending the day with today. I thought it might be fun if you came along. Would you like that?”
Roy pushed himself farther up the bed to nestle into his pillows. He nodded. “Yes. Please.”
“All right. Well get up then. I’m going to shower. You get ready. We’ll have breakfast, and then we’ll go.”
“Where are we going?” Roy asked as I got up and walked to the door.
I paused in the doorframe. “I thought it might be fun to go to the Tha
nksgiving Festival.”
That was all Roy needed to hear. He sprang up out of bed and dashed out of the room to race into the bathroom. He slammed the door behind him, and I knew he would be going through his own little morning routine in there. I chuckled as I walked by and knocked on the bathroom door. “Don’t forget to brush your teeth, Roy.”
“I won’t!”
I walked back down the hall and slipped into my own bathroom, where I had a hot shower. I dried off and studied my reflection in the mirror. My stubble would almost be considered a beard soon. Maybe within another four or five days. I considered shaving it. A smooth jaw line was always the more professional choice.
But I liked having facial hair during the colder months. I stroked my jaw and decided to leave it for now. I could always shave tomorrow.
Once I was ready and dressed for the day, I headed downstairs. Roy met me in the kitchen, and I made us breakfast. Roy ate in a hurry and helped clear the dishes afterward. Then we put on our jackets and boots and got in the car. I pulled out of the driveway and drove to Elise’s apartment on Main Street.
She wasn’t outside this morning like she was yesterday, so I texted her when I parked in my usual spot at the curb. She messaged me back right away, saying she’d be right down.
Roy piped up in the back seat. “Who is Elise?”
“She’s an old friend of mine from school. We’ve been hanging out because I’m trying to convince her to work with me.”
“Why?”
Always with the ‘why.’ I smiled and looked at my son in the rearview mirror. “Well, she writes really good books. And, as you know, my job is to help writers sell their books. So, she and I make a good team, and we can help each other.”
“Why do you have to convince her?”
I frowned. How could I tell my son she didn’t want to work with me because I’d treated her like a doormat in high school? I sighed. “She isn’t sure if my company is the right fit for her.”
“Oh, I can help.”
“No, Roy.” I chuckled. “That’s all right. No business talk today. Just fun, okay?”
Roy nodded. “Okay.”