“I’m not sure.”
“Not sure? Meaning, you feel something? You…like him?”
“Didn’t we already talk about this the other day?”
“You said you liked him as a person,” Drea said. “So, do we like him more than just as a person? Do we like, like him?
“Sure, I like, like him, we’ll go with that.”
“Or you more than like him?”
Leona swallowed and looked away from her friend. She definitely “more than liked” Cullen Cruz. She just wasn’t sure she was willing to admit it out loud. Or if she was ready to use that other L word either.
“I maybe more than like him,” she finally said. “Doesn’t matter, though, he’s taking a coaching job in Atlanta.”
“Excuse me, you have feelings for someone and it doesn’t matter? And how do you know he’s taking the job?”
“Because we talked about it last night after he got the call from his agent. I told him to take the job.”
“Leona Manuela Filipe! How could you tell him to take the job if you more than like him?” Drea exploded.
Leona sighed. That was something she’d questioned ever since she’d said it last night. But it was the right thing to do. She knew it was, even if it killed her to do it. Explaining that to Drea wasn’t going to be easy, but she knew that she couldn’t stand in his way. He was someone important and he needed to return to his life and do big things.
“Remember when Kyle went on his little hiatus back to Florida, and you were heartbroken but were learning how to be okay with it because it was what was best for him and your place was here?” Drea nodded. “Well, it’s like that. His place is out there doing football things, and mine is here on this island, at this resort, helping take care of my family.”
“But Kyle came back! Because that wasn’t what was best for him,” Drea pointed out.
“Yes, but we are not you and Kyle. This is what is best. And as much as it sucks, it is what it is. And when you love someone, you don’t stand in their way.”
“When you love someone?” Drea repeated.
“Yeah,” Leona said, sighing. She closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath as the realization hit her. She loved him. “Love.”
“Squeeee!” Drea squealed, jumping up and down.
“Okay, okay, calm down! Privileged information, ladies—it stays here!”
“Cross my heart and hope to die!” Drea promised, making a little x over her heart. They both looked over to Maeve, who was concentrating very hard on a clear plastic baggie with yellow and green gummies inside.
“Maeve?” Leona asked.
“Sorry, wasn’t listening,” she answered, quickly looking up and then back at the baggie.
“That's fine, plausible deniability is a good thing!”
“Right,” she answered, still only half paying attention. “Ummm, Drea, what kind of gummies did you order for the little gift bags?”
“Oh, are those them? They’re palm trees! Are they as cute as they looked online?”
“Ummm, well…” Maeve said, looking up. “They don’t quite look like palm trees.”
“What?”
Maeve held up the baggie she’d been staring at for the last few minutes and as soon as she did, Leona saw exactly what she meant and burst into laughter. The horrified look on Drea’s face when she saw them only made it that much funnier. While up close they might have looked like trees, the way the palm fronds were shaped and the trunk of the trees curved, from afar the gummies looked much more like penises than they did trees.
“No, no, no! I can’t give those out to our guests!” Drea cried.
Leona took the bag of gummies from Maeve and held it out to Drea as if she were presenting a gift. “Welcome to the Indigo Royal Resort Cherish Spa. Here, have a bag of dicks!”
The sand underneath Cullen’s bare feet was warm and sticky, and he loved the way it felt to the point where now he was wondering why he hadn’t taken the opportunity to run barefoot on the beach like this more often. Probably because he was subconsciously too worried about injury to risk anything that was out of the norm, and barefoot beach running certainly fell into that category. Now, however, he found it freeing to know that a twisted ankle wasn’t going to be a major concern.
Another thing he couldn’t ever remember doing, regardless of location, was going for a run without his phone. At first it was weird, not having his earbuds in and not having something to drown out all the noises around him. After the first mile or so, though, he’d not only gotten used to hearing the slap of his feet against the wet sand but had started to pace his breathing with the surf and had actually started to enjoy it. There was something hypnotic about all of it, helping him right all his thoughts. After all, that was part of why he still ran—to keep his mind from getting too fuzzy.
The dings and bells of his phone woke him earlier than he’d intended that morning and hadn’t seemed to stop since, leading to a whirlwind of phone calls and text messages. Half of them had been from Oliver, hounding him for a decision. Somewhere around midmorning Cullen had simply taken to ignoring all those calls and texts, which actually only seemed to increase the incoming speed. But it didn’t matter how fast the calls came in, he still didn’t have an answer. There were also a number of other things he felt he needed to do before he gave Oliver an answer, all of which he spent time trying to accomplish via his own flurry of phone calls, emails, and texts.
And then there was Leona. Her words might have said “take the job,” but he questioned whether or not she really meant that. Was she just telling him what she thought he wanted to hear? Last night had been amazing, other than the hit to the jaw. Spending time with friends, seeing her nurturing side come out as she tried to help with his jaw, and the sex…man alive. Except that hadn’t been just sex. That had been the two of them coming together in a way he hadn’t realized was possible with another individual. He’d felt things so intensely that those emotions now felt engrained in him. He had no idea what these feelings were, but he knew they weren’t something that was fleeting.
Is this what love felt like?
Was Leona feeling it too?
He knew that she was feeling something. He could see it in her eyes. She had been about to say something as he stood there holding her in the afterglow. That was, until his damn phone rang. He could kick himself for answering, for not letting her say whatever she needed to say. Now he wondered if he’d ever know what it was.
By the time lunch rolled around, he hadn’t heard from her since the brief good morning kiss she gave him as she rolled out of bed in the wee hours. She hadn’t said much last night after leaving the spa and heading to the laundry to hide the evidence, not that he’d really known what to say in those moments either. He was pretty sure that she had fallen asleep before her head even hit the pillow after they got back to the bungalow, but he’d held her in his arms nonetheless, looking to rekindle that connection they had made earlier. Checking again to make sure he hadn’t missed a text from her while he’d been on the phone, he figured he would check in with her if there wasn't a message waiting on him when he got back from a run. His phone was down to eight percent battery anyway and needed to be left to charge.
The sun, sand, and the saltwater had given him exactly what he needed. Time away from the crazy just to think. Not that he was any closer to an answer about Atlanta. He’d considered it from what he thought was every angle he could think of and still didn’t have a feel for whether or not it was a good move. Maybe that should tell him something, yet somehow, it didn’t.
Or maybe it was simply that he was still wrapping his head around his feelings for Leona. There was no denying that a switch flipped last night. But from what to what, he had no idea. He had meant what he said to Carlos—she wasn’t just a holiday hookup. That had been true for him since the day on the boat when they had talked about his father. He’d developed a real attachment to her, for lack of a better word, the day they’d spent together on the pitch with
all the kids. No, that wasn’t right. He was “attached” to Josef and had been since pretty much the beginning of camp. He was more than attached to Leona.
The thing was, he just didn’t know the word for it. It felt trivial to say he fancied her. That was what you told your friends when you were fifteen—that you fancied a girl. It was more than that. It was to the point where the best part of his day—that he had spent thinking about her and how much longer until he got to see her again—was when she showed back up at the villa with dinner and told him all about her day.
What he really needed to know was how she was feeling. Was she as caught up in her own thoughts as he was? Did she feel the same way? He just wished he could put a name to it. This wasn’t love, was it? Was there a step before that emotion he didn’t know about?
He needed to talk to her again about the job. Needed to know if she really thought it was a good idea and how—if—she saw herself fitting in to all that. Because despite the fact that he could hear Oliver telling him that her opinion didn’t matter, he knew that was a lie. Her opinion did matter. Maybe more than anything else.
When he arrived back at his villa, he took a moment to stretch before heading inside to shower. He tried to brush off as much sand as he could from his feet as he punched in his code to the keypad by the side of the door, not wanting to track it inside and create a mess. A mess would mean more time Leona spent cleaning and less time in his arms.
He let the heavy door slam behind him as he walked in. He was still lost in his own thoughts and almost missed the tall, slender figure sitting on the loveseat in the living room. If the sound of the slamming door hadn’t made her flinch, who knows how long it would have taken for him to notice her.
“Who the fuck are you?” he exclaimed, caught off guard by the stranger. “And how the fuck did you get in here?”
“Oh good, you’re back,” she said, a sly smile appearing on her face as she stood from the couch and turned to face him. “I was wondering how much longer you were going to keep me waiting.”
Her heels clacked against the wood floor as she stepped closer. Cullen blinked a couple of times as he took her in. She was incredibly tall for a woman, probably close to a full six feet flat-footed, but those intense looking stiletto heels she had on easily put her closer to six feet four. Her perfectly styled, shoulder-length, golden-blonde hair had strands of honey coloring running through it that Cullen knew must cost a fortune in upkeep. Her black dress pants were tailored to her slender body. The white chiffon button-down blouse she paired with it was sleeveless, showing off her toned arms. He would bet anything that if he looked around, he’d find a blazer that matched her slacks too. Everything about her screamed money, lots and lots of money. And yet, she’d broken into his hotel suite.
“You failed to answer my question. Who, the fuck, are you?” he repeated, slower this time.
“Felicity,” she answered, holding out a perfectly manicured hand to him. A moment later, after looking him up and down, she retracted it. “On second thought, you appear unclean.”
“What are you doing here, Felicity?” he bit out her name.
“I’m with Southland Holdings.”
“Should that mean something to me?”
“We’re your new employer,” she said, smiling. “Or at least, we hope we are. I’m here to discuss whatever might be holding you back from saying yes.”
“To Atlanta.”
“Correct.”
“I told Oliver I would have him an answer by the end of today.”
“Yes, I have been in contact with Oliver. But we’re just so excited about you joining us that we couldn't wait. Whatever it is that you’re still debating, we can fix it right here, right now,” she said. Despite trying to hide it when she’d spoken previously, her southern accent was starting to show. There was something about her he just couldn’t place, but he didn’t have time to bother with that now. He wanted her out of his villa.
"I will have an answer to you by the end of the day.”
“Or,” she drawled, stepping closer to him, trying to close the gap. He took a couple of steps back, trying to prevent her from getting too close. “We could just settle it now.”
“Felicity, I am not going to say it again. Now, if you’ll please leave.”
“Mr. Cruz, I came all this way. Let’s just talk about it.”
“Well, you appear to have wasted your time, now haven’t you,” he said curtly. “How the fuck did you even get in here?”
“Oh, well, that did present a bit of a challenge,” she admitted. “I tried telling the gal at the front desk I was your wife, but she didn’t buy it, and then I said ‘fine, I’m really his sister,’ and you must have a stalker in her or something, because she told me she knew for a fact that you didn’t have one of those either. But then I saw a maintenance guy and told him I was your wife, and I’m not entirely sure he bought it either, but the hundred-dollar bill I slipped him seemed more than enough to convince him I was legit.”
I bet I know exactly who it was too, Cullen thought.
“Well, I hope you paid attention on how to get back to the lobby, because we have nothing further to discuss. You can see yourself out,” he said, pointing to the door.
He turned to walk toward the bathroom, seriously pissed off at what just happened. He had half a mind to call Oliver right then and let him have it, but thought he better take a moment to calm down in the shower. The nerve of this bitch just showing up.
“Mr. Cruz, if you please—”
“No, I do not,” he answered sharply, cutting her off. “I’m going to take a shower, and when I get out, you’re not going to be here. Understood?”
She looked at him with a steely resolve of a woman who wasn’t used to hearing the word no. But this was not up for discussion.
“Good day, Felicity.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Leona somehow managed to maintain a professional face and hold in her laughter all the way down Electric Avenue and toward La Isla Bonita. As soon as she hit those steps, though, all bets were off. She couldn’t help it—the look on Drea’s face when she realized just how unlike trees those gummies looked was priceless.
For the last two weeks she’d worked very hard to only come to La Isla Bonita in the afternoons when it was time to clean and at dinner when delivering food, so that all her visits looked strictly on the up and up to anyone who might not already suspect otherwise. But when Drea had shoved the gummies at her and told her to “just get them away from my spa,” Leona could think of no one else she wanted to show them off to more than Cullen—even if it was the middle of the day and a visit from her would be unexpected. However, after last night, she got the impression that even if he was surprised to see her, he wouldn’t mind at all.
Giggling again, she punched in her code and walked into the bungalow.
“Oh my God, Cullen!” she hollered, still laughing. “Do I have something to show you!”
Leona came to a complete and sudden halt as she looked up to find a stunning blonde standing there in the open area between the bedroom and living room. She was tall, slender, and even with her face looking down at her phone, one could tell she was beautiful. Leona’s heart skipped a beat as the siren looked up and confirmed Leona’s fear that she was gorgeous.
“Hi,” Leona managed to say, plastering on a customer service smile.
She could hear the shower running in the bathroom. That must be where Cullen was. But if he was in the shower, who was this woman and why was she just hanging out in the living room? What was she missing?
“Oh good, do you work here?” the blonde said, waving her hand around, scrunching her nose like there was a problem.
“I do. I’m Leona, Head of Housekeeping,” she answered, holding out her hand in introduction. The blonde simply looked at her hand and then raised her eyes back up to Leona, giving her a demeaning smile. Apparently Leona did not rank high enough on this woman’s scale to deserve a handshake. “Can I help you
with something?”
“Goodness, yes. There is sand all over this place, so that needs cleaning up. And he just got back from a run,” she said, pointing in the direction of Cullen in the shower. “So some food would probably be a pretty good idea. I’m sure your cook has an idea of what he eats. And I’ll take a salad. Dressing on the side, please.”
“You can place an order with the kitchen by dialing one on the phone on the desk, ma'am.”
“Can’t you just take care of it?” she asked, annoyed.
“All special orders have to come directly from guests. Are you a guest? I was unaware there was anyone other than Cul—, Mr. Cruz staying in this unit.”
“I just arrived. But we won’t be here much longer. Got to get him back to the real world,” she said, turning back to her phone.
“I see,” she trailed off. Leona could feel her chest start to tighten and her heart rate speed up. Who was this woman? Her thoughts raced through the last few weeks. Had she missed Cullen saying something about a female assistant or something? No, this woman was American. Anyone who would have been working for Cullen or Oliver would be British, right?
The blonde looked up again, this time narrowing her vision on Leona. Clearly annoyed that Leona was still standing there, she looked her up and down a few times and then started to laugh. She must have seen the confused look on Leona’s face and for some reason found amusement in it. The shrill sound cut through Leona like a knife.
“I’m sorry, were you coming to visit expecting some ‘alone time’ with him?” she asked, using air quotes around “alone time,” not even pretending to hide the snark in her voice.
“I’m just here to do my job, ma’am.”
“I didn’t realize this was the kind of establishment that offered those kinds of services, but I’ll make a note.”
“We’re not,” Leona responded, trying desperately to temper her annoyance with this woman. She had no idea who she was or why she thought she was so much better, but her attitude was more than grating on Leona's nerves at this point.
Caught Up In You (Indigo Royal Resort Book 2) Page 24