by Reese Ryan
“Sure, if we’re not imposing.” Dex’s eyes seemed to plead with hers.
“Not at all.” She shrugged, then added, “It’d be good to see Nick again.”
Dex waved Nick over, and Dakota quickly stood, blocking Dex’s entrance to her side of the booth as she raised her arms to Nick.
“Nicholas Washington, I can’t believe that’s you.” Dakota hugged him. “Gosh, look at you. All grown up now.”
“If you ask my dad, that’s still debatable.” Nick laughed, the dimples in his cheeks more pronounced with his wide grin.
“Nick’s being modest,” Dex said. “He was recently named director of sales and marketing for the new Holly Grove Island Resort, opening soon.”
“Congrats, Nick. You have to sit down and tell me all about it.” She pulled him into her side of the booth. A move that wasn’t lost on Dexter, based on the amused look he gave her.
“Guess I’m over here with you, Chief Jones,” he said.
“Sure thing, son.” Oliver stood. “But I need to ask Lila Gayle something.” He stepped out into the aisle and gestured for Dex to slide into the booth. “Go ahead and take the seat by the window. Too much sun for me, anyway.” He winked at Dexter and walked away.
Great.
Now she was seated directly across from Dex. That was even worse than sitting next to him. Dakota turned to Nick and forced a smile.
“So, Nick. How’d you get into marketing?” Dakota squirmed beneath Dex’s heated stare.
“That was my major in college. I interned with a Hollywood studio two of my four years at SoCal. After graduation I worked for a smaller indie film studio for a few years before Em finally talked me into moving back. Said she was sick of flying out to LA.”
“It’s great that you two remained best friends all these years. How is Em anyway?”
“Fantastic. She’s an unbelievable graphic artist. I’d love to hire her, but she’s a freelancer and she loves it. Besides, she says she’s not cut out for working for the man. Especially this one.” He poked a thumb to his chest. “She doesn’t think our friendship could survive it.”
Dakota grinned. “Em’s probably right about that.”
Oliver returned to the table, and Lila Gayle took their orders, then went to the kitchen.
“Speaking of working with friends…Have you given more thought to working for me?” Nick asked.
Dakota looked over at Dex, who was smiling, then back at Nick. “So you and Em can’t work together, but we can?”
“Hey, I can handle it, if you can deal with the guy you babysat being your boss.” Nick smirked.
“Is that a challenge?”
“It’s a genuine offer.” Nick’s expression turned serious. “We’re opening soon and I could use someone who’s done PR and knows the island and the people here. You’d be doing me a favor.”
“I was an investigative reporter, Nick,” she said.
“You were a TV personality, you minored in public relations, and I’d imagine you have press connections,” Nick said without missing a beat.
Nick was good. And honestly, she’d interned in the station’s sales and public relations departments before she’d been offered a job behind the scenes in the newsroom. She had no doubts about her qualifications for the job, but did she really want to work for a friend?
“I don’t know, Nick. I’m not moving to the island for good. I’m only here while I figure out my next move. If an opportunity comes along, I’d have to leave you high and dry.”
“We often use contract employees at our Myrtle Beach location, where Dex is assistant operations manager.” He nodded toward Dexter. “So if you’re interested, I can make it work.”
“Sounds intriguing,” she admitted, “but I’m already helping my dad out with his rental properties while I’m here. In fact, we’re doing a cleanout after breakfast.”
“I appreciate your help, Dakota,” her father interrupted. “But I’ve decided to hire a management company to deal with the day-to-day stuff. Besides, you’ve been antsy all week. You’ve already rearranged the furniture, organized the pantry, and cleaned out the linen closets. You need something to do, and you know it.”
“Dex and I will be in Myrtle Beach the next couple of days, but I’ll be back by the end of the week. Take the next few days to think about it,” Nick said. “Then swing by my office Friday afternoon at one. I’ll treat you to a late lunch and give you a tour of the place. We’ll see where things go from there. What do you say?”
Nick was as persuasive now as when he’d talked her into letting him stay up past his bedtime when he was six.
“You had me at lunch,” she said. “It’s a date, but I can’t commit to taking the job.”
“Fair enough.” Nick flashed his million-watt grin.
The food arrived and they settled into a comfortable rhythm, eating and talking. Dakota avoided conversing with Dexter, directing most of her comments to her father or Nick. But Dexter wouldn’t give up.
“Dakota, when was the last time you got down to Myrtle Beach?”
“Probably thirteen years. Right, Dad?” Dakota looked up from her meal and shrugged. “Isn’t that when we took that family trip there the summer after Shayna graduated from USC?”
“Sounds about right. Wasn’t much inclined to go back after I spent the entire week beating off half-clad men with a stick,” Oliver grumbled.
“I’ll bet you and Shay were up to all kinds of mischief.” Nick laughed.
Like her father, Dexter was not amused by the story. His brows furrowed and a small frown marred his handsome face.
Dakota found that amusing.
“We were young and single. It was the first summer it was legal for me to drink, and my sister was about to move to California for work. So, yeah, we might’ve been up to a little mischief.” Dakota smiled sweetly at her dad, who was frowning. She held up her index finger and thumb about an inch apart and peeked through them. “Just a little, Dad. Nothing serious.”
Oliver mumbled something under his breath, and Dakota and Nick snickered.
“A lot has changed since then. You should come down one weekend,” Dex said, then cleared his throat when she glared at him and her father raised one furry brow. “I meant you and Sin should come down. It’d be fun.”
“You work in Myrtle Beach, three hours away, but you still live on Holly Grove Island?”
“I have a place in Myrtle Beach, too. But I’m here most weekends. What can I say?” Dex shrugged in response to her incredulous stare. “I lived away from the island for seven or eight years. I spent most of that time homesick. I missed our little town and the beaches here. I missed the people of Holly Grove Island. And I missed”—he raised his eyes to hers—“everyone. Here is where I want to be.”
Dakota’s heart thumped in her chest and her mouth went dry. Something in his penetrating gaze warmed her chest and made her tummy flutter. Her hand drifted to a burning cheek. Dex hadn’t said that he’d missed her. She hadn’t even been living on the island until a couple of weeks ago. So why had his words felt so personal?
Dakota poked at her eggs. “Oh.”
“Heard you bought yourself a fancy new car, Nick,” Oliver said quickly.
Dakota could have kissed her father for the much-needed reprieve. He gave her a quick smile before returning his attention to Nick.
“I did.” Nick beamed. “It’s outside. You should come out and see it.”
“No time like the present.” Her father grinned.
Nick hopped up from the table, and he and her father headed for the door as Nick excitedly rattled off the features of his new muscle car.
Dakota picked at her Belgian waffles, though she was already full. Anything to avoid talking to the man who still had the ability to send her pulse racing with a simple stare.
“So you’re just going to ignore my invitation?” Dexter leaned back against the booth.
“Your invitation to Myrtle Beach?” Butterflies fluttered in her belly. S
he hated that Dexter’s sultry voice and heated gaze still affected her. “I assumed you were just being polite.”
“No. I’d really like it if you…two…came down one weekend.”
“Thanks, but I’m not sure how long I’ll be here.”
“Well, it’s a sincere and open invitation, should you change your mind. If not, maybe we’ll cross paths on the beach again.”
“It was good seeing your mom again at the festival.” It seemed best to change the subject. “She looks amazing.”
“I think she shed fifty pounds and ten years after the divorce.” He gave her a pained smile. “By the way, she says if you don’t stop by for a visit, she’s going to hunt you down.”
Dakota laughed. She’d hugged the woman and chatted with her briefly at the Fourth of July celebration. But Ms. Marilyn had made her promise to drop by for a proper visit. “Tell your mom I promise to stop by soon.”
“She’ll like that.” Dex finished the last of his breakfast sandwich. “You know, I just saw your partner in crime this morning.”
“Sin? Where?”
“At the gym. I’m surprised she hasn’t dragged you there. She’s practically a gym rat.”
“Yeah, she can’t stop talking about the handsome men at her gym.” Dakota pretended to ignore the narrowing of Dex’s eyes and the tightening of his jaw. “I’m not looking. And as you already know, I’m not crazy about other people seeing me sweaty and panting.”
“Believe me, even then you’re still gorgeous.” His eyes twinkled. “On second thought, maybe it’s best you stay away from the gym. Otherwise your dad might be forced to pull out that stick again to beat the morning meatheads away.”
She stared at him, blinking. Goddammit, she’d come to town with a plan where Dexter Roberts was concerned. She’d be polite but aloof. Show him that she didn’t care enough to still be angry about their past. Not give him the satisfaction of knowing that he’d left an indelible mark on her heart. She was failing miserably.
Nick and her dad returned before she could ask Dex why he was going out of his way to be so nice to her. Dakota was thankful for the interruption. Because it didn’t matter why. She and Dexter weren’t lovers or friends. They were just two people from the same little town who would occasionally cross paths.
“We’d better head out, Dad.” Dakota stood. “It was great seeing you, Nick. I promise to think about your offer. I’ll see you for lunch on Friday either way.” She hugged him.
“Great. See you then.” Nick turned to Dex. “We’d better hit the road, too.”
Nick and her dad headed toward the door and Dakota followed.
“Dakota.” Dex’s voice was low enough that her father and Nick didn’t seem to hear him.
She turned around. “Yes?”
“I just wanted to say that I’m glad you’re home. For your dad, I mean.” Dexter ran a hand over his closely cropped hair. “He looks good, happy, since you came to town.”
As much as she still resented Dexter, her heart sank a little when he made it clear he was glad she’d returned for her father’s sake, not because he’d missed her. It was vain and immature, but she wanted him to want her.
What power did her rejection have otherwise?
“Lila Gayle said the same earlier. Thanks again for telling me about my dad.” She turned to walk away, but he caught her wrist.
Dakota’s skin prickled with heat beneath his touch as she met his gaze.
Dex had something to say, but he seemed unsure of how to say it. Not atypical.
He hadn’t been gregarious and outgoing in high school. But he was warm and friendly. Good-natured, thoughtful, and observant. It shouldn’t surprise her that Dex wanted to return to the island full-time. He’d always been reserved around people he didn’t know well. Around those he did, he was animated and at ease.
They’d once known each other well in every way imaginable. Had been able to talk to each other about almost anything.
Dakota had been thrilled when she’d first gotten Dex to open up to her. He was mindful and mature, well served by his observant nature. And despite his calm approach to life, he seemed to feel more deeply than most. So when he’d declared that he loved her, she’d believed him. But that had all been so long ago. They were mere strangers now, despite their unbearably painful past.
“I’m sorry about what happened between us, Dakota,” he finally managed. “I never wanted to hurt you. You have to believe that.”
“Do I?” She tugged her arm from his grip. “It doesn’t matter, anyway. Like you said, it was a long time ago.”
“It matters to me.” He stepped closer. His expression was pained as his dark eyes searched hers. “So I need you to know that I am genuinely sorry for hurting you.”
Dakota frowned. Why did her feelings matter so much to him now? They obviously hadn’t mattered to him then.
“You coming, Dakota?” Her father poked his head inside the café, his gaze shifting from Dakota to Dex, then back again.
“Yes, sir.” Dakota cast one last glance at Dex before hurrying out of the restaurant.
Nothing either of them could say would change the past. And that was where any lingering feelings she had for Dexter Roberts needed to stay.
Chapter Nine
Dex sat across his desk from his boss, Mike Warren, who’d requested to meet with him before the office opened on a Friday morning. As the assistant director of operations at the Myrtle Beach Resort, he did most of the hands-on work. He’d even taken on an increased amount of Mike’s duties as the director of operations. Dexter ran a tight ship, and everything was going well at the resort. So what had prompted the need for what sounded like a serious meeting?
Mike folded one leg over the other, as if he had nothing but time. Still, Dexter wouldn’t cave and ask why Mike had wanted to sit down with him.
Don’t blink first.
“You’re not going to ask what this is about, are you?” Mike sounded slightly impressed.
“I figured it was like salary negotiations.” Dexter shrugged. “The person who initiates the topic loses.”
A reluctant grin spread across Mike’s face. “I’m here to offer you a new position.”
“What’s the position?” Dex leaned back in his chair and rubbed his whiskered chin.
“Director of operations at the Holly Grove Island Resort,” Mike said in a tone reminiscent of a game show host declaring that a contestant had won a new car.
“I thought Jacobsen was offered the job.” Dexter kept his tone and facial expression neutral, leaving the other man confounded.
Dexter had applied for the job—equivalent to Mike’s position in Myrtle Beach. But despite his qualifications and track record with the organization, the company had opted to go with a well-known exec who planned to defect from one of its competitors. When the man’s daughter became ill, he opted to keep his family in Chicago, close to the girl’s doctors. So the resort went with plan B, another strong outside candidate who worked for a popular hotel chain.
“He was, but his current company offered him a new position with a salary and benefits package he couldn’t refuse.” Mike straightened his tie, slipping easily from game show host back into his usual business-only tone. “Corporate called to tell me a couple of days ago.”
“Hmm…” Dex steepled his fingers, not wanting to seem overly eager. Yes, he really wanted the position. But he also wanted to ensure that he’d be fairly compensated for it. “And now you’ve decided to hire someone internally?”
“Not someone, Dex. You.” The man pointed at him. “For the record, you always had my vote. The damn higher-ups thought it would be better to go with a big-name candidate with more experience. I’ve seen how you run things here. You’re approachable, and the staff loves you, but they know you won’t take any bullshit. You’re conscientious, yet ambitious. Plus, you’re a native of the island. You’re the perfect fit.”
“Thank you for your confidence,” Dex said warily. Mike was a generally
decent guy, but if he was such a perfect fit for the job, why had it taken them two failed hires to give him a shot? And why hadn’t Mike gone to bat for him from the beginning? There was definitely more to the offer than Mike was saying. “But why do I feel like there’s another shoe about to drop?”
“And you’re incredibly perceptive. Did I mention that?” Mike chuckled, leaning forward. “You would be the acting director of operations over at the HGI Resort.” Mike waved a hand. “Think of it as a trial period. You just do what you do here, and the powers that be will be as convinced as I am that we couldn’t possibly find a better person for the job.”
He didn’t like that he wasn’t being offered the position permanently. But he was the best man for the job, and he was prepared to prove it.
“Okay. Let’s say I’m on board with the plan. When would I start at Holly Grove Island?”
“We need you at the HGI Resort right away. We’re behind the eight ball already with this musical chairs routine. In fact, if it weren’t for your help, the HGI Resort wouldn’t be as far along as it is now.”
“Who would take my place here?” It made Dex uncomfortable to suddenly abandon ship. True, Mike was the one in charge, and he’d still be here. But in reality, Dexter managed the day-to-day operations of the resort while Mike spent much of his time on the road.
“Marla Rose.” The man practically mumbled the name.
Mike’s niece. Of course. The man had slowly been giving her jobs with increasing responsibility over the past five or six years. She was currently managing the accounting department.
Dexter held back the remarks churning inside. What would be the point? Marla Rose couldn’t run a newspaper stand, let alone an operation of this size. And they both knew it. But apparently familial ties were more important than job qualifications.
Their small group of resorts was still owned by an ultra-wealthy family, and many of its members worked for the organization. So rules prohibiting one from hiring or managing blood relatives were notably absent from the company policies.