She heard the quick shuffle of feet, looking up to see Kyle and Dalton rush into the bar. Upon seeing her tears, Dalton grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the chair and into his arms, wrapping her up in a bear hug. He was a full foot taller than she was, making it easy for her to bury her head in his chest as she let out a sob.
“Oh Lee,” he said, stroking her hair.
“It’s fine,” she said into his chest. “I’m fine.”
“That’s a lie, but I’ll allow it,” he said, his sweet southern drawl making her smile slightly.
“Here,” Kyle said.
She pulled away enough to find him handing her a napkin. She took it from him and wiped her eyes and nose. Dalton’s shirt was a mess, with a great big wet spot in the middle from her tears and snot, as well as black streaks from her eye makeup.
“Oh shit, look at your shirt,” she said, trying to wipe it with the napkin.
“Don’t worry about it. It’ll come out when you do my laundry,” he smirked at her. She could tell he was trying to cheer her up, but even the Dalton charm wasn’t going to work right now. For as pretty and charming as he was, he wasn’t Cullen Cruz.
“Tell us what happened, Lee,” Kyle said. He was now sitting on the arm of the cushy chair Drea was sunk into, with his arm around her.
Leona sat back down in her chair as Dalton moved in between her and Drea, squatting down so he wasn’t towering over her. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and exhaled slowly before starting at the beginning.
“I went to La Isla Bonita to show him the tree gummies. I let myself in, because, well, I can. So I walk in and shout out to him, and instead of finding him in there, I find some blonde Amazon woman sitting in the living room.”
“Where was he?” Kyle asked.
“In the shower. Amazonia told me he’d just gotten back from a run. That’s when she demanded I order them food and was pissy that I wouldn’t. She then proceeded to let me know I was just a free piece of ass and that she was here to bring him back to his real life, and I should just go back to being a cleaning lady.”
“Whoa!” Dalton exclaimed at the same time Kyle said “What?”
“She apparently bribed her way into his room. He said he’d never seen her before. But her showing up led to us finally having to face what we knew was coming. He's leaving. Taking a coaching gig and moving on with his life, while I stay here, working as a cleaning lady.”
“You’re not just a cleaning lady, Lee,” Kyle said.
“But I am,” she sighed. “And really, I’m okay with that. I’m not saying that I thought we’d run away together. Although, I won’t lie, there was a small part of me that might have allowed that daydream to slip in. But I at least thought we had a couple more days. And I thought that maybe there would be a Pretty Woman offer in there.”
“A what?” Dalton asked, shifting his weight a bit.
“In Pretty Woman, Richard Gere offers Julia Roberts an apartment and the opportunity to see each other when he’s in town. I somehow thought I’d at least get that. But nope. We’re just going to go our separate ways.”
“Was that your idea or his?” Drea asked.
“Mine, but he didn’t fight me. Didn’t tell me he loved me or wanted to find a way to make it work. He ‘didn’t know what to say,’ so to me, that says he agreed with Amazonia’s assessment more than he wanted to admit.”
“I’m still confused about who this chick is,” Maeve finally said, sipping on her wine. “And just what she thought she was going to accomplish by breaking into his room.”
“She’s with the team from Atlanta, I guess? Or the company that owns the team. The Southern Lands Group or something? Her name was—”
“Felicity,” Dalton said, standing up suddenly, his voice tense.
Leona turned to look up at him. “Yeah, how’d you know?”
“Hello, little brother.”
Cullen paced back and forth on the back deck of La Isla Bonita, holding his phone to his ear and listening to it ring over and over again, finally clicking over to voicemail. This was his third call to Oliver, who seemed to be ignoring Cullen the same way he’d been ignored all morning. But Cullen wasn't giving up. He tapped Oliver’s number again, and thankfully the man answered after the third ring.
“Look who has decided he is finally available to speak,” Oliver answered. “I have spent the last hour on the phone with the legal team discussing the contracts you called them about this morning. What the bloody hell is this, Cullen?”
“Something I’ve been thinking about for a while. But that’s not why I called. Why the fuck didn’t you let me know she was coming?”
“Who?”
“Felicity, something,” he said, realizing he never got her last name.
“Sutherland? Felicity Sutherland is there?”
“Is that her last name? Tall? Blonde? Stalker tendencies?”
“Cheeky little bitch…” Oliver muttered. “I had no idea she was headed your way, Cullen. Honest. But it doesn't surprise me. Not sure that girl has ever been told the word no.”
“Breaking into my rooms while I’m out on a run isn’t exactly the way to get me to say yes,” he bit back.
“But you are saying yes, correct?” Oliver clarified.
Cullen sighed. He walked over to the chaise that was still sitting in the sun where Leona had placed it on Monday and sat down. He could hear her words ringing in his brain. “Go and let me move on.” Why had he listened to her? Why hadn’t he fought back and told her no, that he wasn’t going to let her push him away?
He couldn’t deny that the job offer was tempting. The more he’d thought about it the more and more he liked the idea of it. But he also liked the idea of Leona by his side. Everything had been so clear to him after his run this morning, before he found Felicity sitting on the couch in the living room. He was going to tell Leona he wanted to take the job, but that he wanted her to come with him. That he had a plan, and if she was up for it, it could be the start of something amazing. But then everything changed.
It had taken until this moment for him to realize that maybe she wasn’t interested in what he had to offer. That for all the accusations that everyone would have about him using her, that maybe she was just using him. Maybe he was just something to add some excitement to her life for a couple of weeks. She’d been the one to push him away, after all. He’d tried to tell himself that if she knew how he felt she wouldn’t have done that, and that he should have told her. But the more he thought about it, he was starting to wonder if she didn’t have the same intense feelings that he had, and this was her way of showing it. That maybe she did like him but not enough that she would be willing to give up her life here for him. Just maybe she saved him from making a fool out of himself.
“I am saying yes,” he said, with less enthusiasm than he felt he should have.
“Good decision, mate,” Oliver said. “I will call them and tell them right away. They will want you to fly out tonight.”
“Fine. But Oliver, the contracts? The ones the legal team mentioned?”
“What about them?”
“I want them completed ASAP. They’re important.”
“Not as important as this job, Cullen.”
“We can agree to disagree there, and I don’t care which you handle first, as long as all of it is completed today. Understood?”
“Understood. I assume if Felicity is there, you can fly back with her? Want me to make the call and see?”
“Sure,” he shrugged.
“Good man. Go get packed, Coach.”
He hung up the phone and threw it down on the chaise lounge. Letting out a long sigh, he ran his fingers through his hair, wondering what he’d just done. It was the right move, taking the job. Everyone seemed to think so. So why did it feel so wrong to agree? Why were his gut and his head not on the same page here?
Forcing himself up from the chair, he headed inside and started to pack. Most everything he had was dirty, and he didn�
��t really have anything other than beach holiday attire with him, but he assumed it would be easy enough to find a laundry and purchase something more appropriate once in Atlanta. His new employers couldn’t expect too much from him right off the plane, anyway. They were the ones who had flown down to cut his trip short.
When he walked into the bathroom, a wave of emotion hit him. So much had happened in this bathroom. So many important moments with Leona. Their first encounter ten years ago in the tub, the kiss on the vanity where she first let her guard down, that incredible fuck in the shower. He’d never realized that a bathroom could hold so much meaning, and in this moment it was a punch to the gut. The toiletries that were spread out across the vanity clattered as he scooped them into his case and zipped it shut, before stalking back into the bedroom and tossing the kit in his suitcase. He heard his phone ding and he retrieved it from his pocket, looking at the text from Oliver.
Oliver: Wheels up in 60. Car will be there for you in 20.
He took another look around La Isla Bonita, wondering if this would be the last time he took a holiday here. Ten years' worth of vacations had made this place feel like home, and there was a part of him that couldn’t imagine not visiting every year. But now there was another part of him that wondered if this bungalow would always be haunted by the memory of him and Leona coming together. Of him falling for the first time in his life. Of him having his heart ripped out and stomped on. It seemed unlikely that these rooms would ever not be tied to her in his mind, and his return would just depend on how quickly he could get over her.
If he could get over her.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“Brother?” Leona said, popping up out of her chair. She turned and found the same tall blonde she’d seen in Cullen’s villa earlier in the day. “This is your sister?”
“Oh. Em. Gee…” Drea said, staring wide-eyed and slack-jawed at Felicity.
“Y’all know about me? How cute,” she said mockingly. A fake, saccharine grin was plastered across her face. “When he ran off to waste away his days in the islands, we weren’t really sure where he’d land, but it’s nice to see he’s found…people.”
Leona looked back and forth between the two siblings. Now that both of them were standing in front of her, she could see the resemblance. They were both exceptionally tall, with the same blue eyes and high cheekbones. Her jaw was softer than Dalton’s, and she was obviously a lot more done up, but it was clear that if you put him in a suit or her in beach attire, there would be no question they were related.
“What are you doing here, Felicity?”
“I'm here on business. Our newest acquisition for the latest venture needed a little convincing, so I was here to seal the deal,” she answered sharply. “You’d be a little more informed if you actually returned our father’s calls. Which, by the way, he wanted me to remind you to do while I’m here.”
“I have no need to be informed,” Dalton replied matter-of-factly.
“Right, well. I have secured the goods, so I’ll be leaving now. Soon as he finishes packing, we’ll be headed to the airport,” she commented.
“The goods? This isn’t a drug deal, Felicity,” he snapped back.
“Whatever, Tripp. Have fun with your little friends. Especially the little maid here. From what I’m told, she’s a pretty good time.” With one last snide smile, Felicity turned and walked away.
“Who’s Tripp?” Drea whispered to no one in particular.
“That bitch!” Leona said, clenching her fists. She started to go after her, but Dalton held out an arm, holding her back.
“Stay here. I’ll handle this,” he said, walking out of the bar.
Leona watched as Dalton followed his sister, turning toward the main part of the resort. She couldn’t believe that she hadn’t noticed the resemblance when she encountered Felicity earlier. Maybe it was the perma-scowl that Felicity seemed to have on her face, instead of Dalton’s ever-present, cocksure, happy-go-lucky grin. Slumping back down into the chair she’d been in, she looked over to the rest of her friends to see if they were as shocked as she was by what just went down.
“That’s his sister?” Drea hissed. Leona just shrugged.
"And that was the bitch who you found in La Isla Bonita?” Maeve asked.
“Yup,” Leona said.
“And you’re just going to let Cullen leave with her?!” Drea exclaimed.
“Maybe I do need this,” she said, reaching for the bottle. As she twisted the cap, she considered just taking a swig straight from it but then stopped herself. She wasn’t the only one who had gotten attached to Cullen while he was here. So maybe she wasn’t going to have the only broken heart. Recapping the tequila bottle, she stood up quickly and turned to head out of the bar.
“I’ll be back!”
The Filipe family house was quiet when she walked inside, except for the ever-present sound of the news on the living room TV. Part of her was starting to wonder if they ever changed the channel, much less turned it off. She called out, but there wasn’t an answer, making her curious where everyone was. Someone had to be home—her mom’s car was in the driveway. Wandering down the hall, she poked her head in her parents’ room, finding her mom sitting on her bed, book in hand with her earbuds in. She knocked on the mostly open door, but her mom didn’t seem to register her, so she let herself in and hopped on the bed.
The movement of the bed startled Anna, who let out a little yelp and dropped her book in the process. When she realized it was just Leona, she glared at her, leaning over to pick up the book. Removing her earbuds, she swatted at her daughter with the paperback.
“Oh, Dios mio! You scared me,” she said, repropping up her pillows and getting settled on the bed again. “I thought you were your father. I’m supposed to be putting away laundry.”
“I won’t tell,” Leona told her mother. “But what’s with the earbuds?”
“Ugh, your father and that damn news. I had to listen to something, anything, else.”
“He’s not out there, it’s just the TV turned on.” She climbed on the bed, grabbing the unused pillows and placing them behind her so she could sit next to her mom.
“Always is. He must have wandered into the garage,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “Why he can’t turn the damn TV off when he gets up, I do not understand. But what are you doing here? I didn’t realize you were off today.”
“I’m not. But I came to find Josef. Is he home?”
“Last I knew he was down helping Mrs. Bronson with some yard work. She offered to pay him and he jumped at it. Something wrong?”
“No,” Leona lied. “Cullen Cruz left today, which was a couple of days early. He’s taking a coaching gig in Atlanta. I just thought Josef would want to know he left early.”
“Why?”
“Because he was supposed to be here through the weekend. I just thought he’d want to know, since he left early,” she repeated. Even she could hear herself rambling, and it was all she could do to hope that somehow her mother would let it slide. But she knew better.
“Baby, I’m not going to lie—I don’t think Josef even realized Cullen Cruz was still here. He had a blast at camp, and he still idolizes that man, but it’s been a handful of days—he’s moved on. So, what is really going on?” Anna prodded.
“I didn’t realize he would move on so quickly. And I thought that Cullen had mentioned something about him coming swimming at the pool, so if he’d had his hopes up…” she trailed off.
“Sounds to me like you’re the one who is a little hurt that he left early,” Anna said, trying to look her daughter in the eye.
“What? No.”
“It’s okay to admit it, Lee. It's normal to have a crush on the man you’re sleeping with,” her mother said, a sly smile pulling at the corner of her lips.
“Mama.”
“What?”
“Who said anything about sleeping with him? That is against resort policy.”
“Weren’t you? If not, I
think you missed out. He’s sex walking!”
“Mama!” Leona exclaimed, taken aback by her mother’s bold admission. Things you never expect to hear come out of your mother’s mouth… “Could you not say that about—”
“Your boyfriend?”
“He’s not my boyfriend,” she clarified.
“Could have fooled me. I saw you two when I picked Josef up from camp. You seemed pretty cozy. Very couple-like.”
Leona threw her head back with mild annoyance. Had they really been giving off those vibes? The one camper had asked the question, but at the time she’d taken it as teenage curiosity and nothing more. Or was it just that her mother knew her well enough to see straight through all the lies, even the ones she told herself? That had always been her mom’s superpower.
“Leona, fess up. Tell me what is going on,” Anna said after a moment of silence from Leona.
“Ok, yes, we were…I don’t know, hanging out?” she shrugged.
“Okay…?”
“And things were going well, or so I thought. We went from me hating him and him trying to annoy me all the time to…friends.”
Anna shot a look at her daughter that screamed “really?” and it cut Leona to the core. Her mom really did see straight through, and she couldn’t help but let her guard down.
“Okay, fine, more than friends,” she admitted. “I just don’t know what you would call us. But we spent my days off together, and I would bring him dinner at the end of the day and we’d been spending our nights together too. It was pretty great. And yes, against my better judgment, I developed feelings. It’s just that he’s a very different person when you get to know him. Did you know his mom was a housekeeper?” She turned to look at Anna.
“He told me,” her mother answered.
“What? When?”
“When he asked if I would allow Josef to come back to camp that second week.”
Caught Up In You (Indigo Royal Resort Book 2) Page 26