“The shirt” looked innocent enough to any bystander. It was a simple, if not fading after years of wear, heather-gray shirt that read “ask me about the bet I lost.” However, when you work in the service business and interact with guests all day, you inevitably were asked, constantly, about the bet you lost. And you couldn’t just answer “you didn’t get blind stinking drunk and puke on yourself like I thought,” now could you? So the loser was stuck making up a litany of different answers, since the rule was you couldn’t say the same thing twice unless it was the truth.
“Hmmmmm,” Grayson pondered. “We’re gonna see a staff hookup tonight.”
“With a guest, or something more incestuous?” Simone inquired.
“Nah, I’m gonna leave out specifics, but one of our staff is getting lucky tonight.”
“Dude, are you asking to wear the shirt? How are we gonna know?” Vaughn scoffed.
“I’m not sure I want to,” Drea inserted.
“Simone’s over here calling chairs being thrown. I’m not sure I’m gonna need to go in search of a used condom.”
“Ewwww, ew, ew, ew, ew ew!” Drea said, scrunching up her nose. Her uncles laughed at her reaction.
“You just keep thinking like that, baby girl,” Miller commented.
“And that’s why you’ll always be our little girl” Grayson added.
After the family each went their separate ways—Vaughn and Simone off to secure their favorite spot on the beach, Miller to go rearrange the s’mores bar, and Grayson off to wherever it was he ventured off to during the bonfire—Drea grabbed a seat at the bar to wait for either Leona or Kyle. She looked out at the guests starting to arrive, grabbing their spots by the fire or gathering s’mores ingredients. Hoping that she blended in with the crowd, she sipped on the drink the bartender had automatically set down in front of her. Being the owners’ kid had its privileges.
She watched as the group of four overly done-up, seemingly enhanced blondes from the boat arrived, umbrella drinks already in hand, clad in itty-bitty skirts (although that term was being generous) and their bikini tops. Each one seemed sexier than the last, with their long blonde hair, sparkling eyes, flat stomachs, and seriously generous busts. It was no wonder they had so much confidence, they were like walking mannequins. Just as she was about to turn away, she caught a glimpse of exactly what, or rather whom, she’d been looking for, heading right toward the hot blondes.
Drea was not the only one who had noticed him either, as the group of women turned toward Kyle and made their way in his direction. They were suddenly all smiles and giggles and hair flipping. The tallest of the four greeted him with a hug, which Kyle casually returned with only his right arm, trying to minimize full body contact. Since when did he hug guests? she wondered to herself. The three others followed suit and Kyle returned each hug, smiling broadly at each girl. Her stomach was tying itself in knots as she watched him stand there and chat, a new knot forming with each little giggle she heard escape from their lips. Just when she thought that maybe he might try to walk away, the music from the DJ picked up a little and “Candy,” as Drea had started to refer to her in her head, the blonde who initiated the hugging, grabbed Kyle’s hands and dragged him to a less-crowded area to dance.
Pulling him close and throwing her arms around his neck, “Candy” giggled as she started to move her hips in time with the music. The song the DJ was playing wasn’t overly slow, but also didn’t have some harsh bass beat behind it. In fact, it was the perfect mid-tempo song to simply rock back and forth to while holding another person. Drea’s stomach dropped as she sat there, waiting for Kyle to pull away from the girl. She slid her eyes back to the friends left behind, who all stood there also watching the couple, whispering among themselves. She looked back over at Kyle and found him smiling. This was not his polite customer service smile, but rather his actual smile—the one that made her insides melt, the one that she had always thought was reserved just for her. He spun the girl as they continued to move to the beat and they both laughed at something she said in response to his spin. Tears started to form in the corners of her eyes and Drea thought she was going to throw up. She needed to get out of there.
She quickly slid off the barstool and turned to go. She wasn’t sure exactly where she’d go, but anywhere where she didn’t have to witness her nightmare play out and feel her heart shatter would be just fine. As she turned to walk away, she smacked right into a wall. A six-foot, four-inch Dalton-shaped wall.
“Whoa there, sugar, where you off to so fast?” Dalton asked her, grabbing on to her upper arms to steady her.
She looked down quickly and shook her head, trying to rid herself of the tears that were forming. She didn’t want Dalton to see her upset. She didn’t want to have to explain herself. “Nowhere, just headed inside.”
“How about you look at me when you say that?” She looked up at him, hoping that she could hide the fact that she was dying inside.
“Just headed inside, Dalton. Let me go, ‘kay?”
“Not until you tell me what’s wrong,” he said. She opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off. “And don’t you dare bother telling me nothing is the matter. A) the bonfire is your most favorite thing, like ever, and you never miss it, even when you’re sick. And B) I spend pretty much all day, every day with you. I know your facial expressions better than you think.”
“Is that so? Then what does mine say right now?” she challenged him.
“Right now your face is telling me to go the fuck away, but your eyes are screaming heartbreak.”
“Oh,” Drea responded, surprised he could actually read her like that.
“And, I would bet that it has everything to do with that scene right there,” he jutted his chin out, while turning her around to face the pair. “Candy” was still wrapped around Kyle, the both of them smiling like they were having the time of their lives.
“What? How...I mean...you…”
“Know? Yes, love, I know.”
“But, but...HOW?!” she asked, turning back around to face him.
“Shall we return to that whole all day, every day thing? I see the way you look at him. I see how different you are with him than you are with me, or any other staff member here for that matter. I have known from day one that you are head over heels, ass over teakettle in love with Kyle Egan.”
“Oh my God, I’m so embarrassed.”
“Eh, don’t be. But what I do not understand is why you don’t tell him how you feel.”
“Because he’s not interested in me! He doesn’t see me as anything other than the bosses’ niece, and he would never, ever put his job at risk like that.”
“How do you know he’s not interested in you? Has he told you that?”
“No, but he’s never acted interested in being more than my BFF either.”
“Well, girl, I’m not gonna lie to you here. You give off the BFF vibe. Maybe if you wore something other than that one-piece under your tank, then he would get the idea that you’re all woman and that you’re interested in all he has to offer.” Drea glared at him. “Drea, I’m serious. You’re smoking hot. And you’re smart, funny, and you can hang like one of us dudes, and that is super sexy. You just need to go after what you want.”
“Even if I could find it in myself to do it, I’m not sure I would know where to start,” she sighed.
“I’ll tell you what. I’ll help.”
“Help? How are you gonna help?”
“I have my ways. Trust Uncle Dalton.”
“I have enough uncles. Find another nickname for yourself,” she smirked.
“I’ll work on it. Do we have a deal?” He held out his hand.
“I don’t know why I’m agreeing, but okay. I will accept your help.” She slid her hand into his and they shook.
“Good deal.”
“But, I still need to get out of here. I’ve seen enough and I just need to be alone right now.”
Dalton pulled her close and gently kissed her
on her forehead. “I understand. Go find Leona. Last I saw her she was prancing around the kitchen pulling out the leftover magic muffins.”
Drea stepped back and started to walk back toward the hotel lobby, but stopped and turned around. “Dalton…”
“Yeah, sugar?”
“I have no idea why you’re doing this, but um, thanks.”
“Any time, love. Any time.”
Chapter Five
Kyle wasn’t sure why he was still dancing with the tall blonde. She’d run up to him while he was on his way to meet Drea at the bar, hugging him like she’d known him her entire life. He hugged her back, mostly so she didn’t break his neck from hanging off of it, but still tried to avoid any kind of body contact. As soon as he let her go, her three friends all jumped in for a hug. He thought maybe after these greetings he could make a simple escape, but the instigator inserted herself right back in his view, making it so he couldn’t turn away.
“I’m Staci, with an i,” she giggled, flipping her long hair over her shoulder. “I don’t think we got a chance to be introduced today on the boat.”
“Hi Staci, I’m Captain Kyle. Nice to officially meet you.”
She giggled again, trying to make her smile even bigger. She reached out and ran her hand up and down Kyle’s arm in a flirty little gesture, and he took a slight step back, trying to give himself some distance. It’s not that she wasn’t hot. In fact, she was the exact definition of “hot” according to most red-blooded males—tall, blonde, and blue-eyed, with long legs, a sizable rack, and an itty-bitty waist, highlighted by the strappy little heels she wore, matching her bikini top and denim skirt. But Kyle wasn’t sure that, other than that sizable rack, there was much more to her. Maybe he was wrong—he shouldn’t judge her based on her vacation attire.
“Look, Captain Kyle,” she said, closing the couple of inches he’d put between them, giggling again. “I’m gonna be real up-front with you. You seem very sweet, and I’m sure there is someone out there who just adores you for that. But that's not gonna be me. What I want is Dalton.”
Kyle barked out a laugh, not sure if it was from relief or the knowledge that he’d been right about her. He took a moment to wipe the grin off his face, looking her directly in the eye. “Um, thanks? I think there was a compliment in there. So, then, um…what exactly is it you think I’m gonna do?”
“Oh, I just hoped that if you were around, he’d be close by. Or you could lead me to him.”
“Oh,” Kyle said, relieved she didn’t expect much more. “Well, he should be around here somewhere.”
“But where somewhere?” she giggled again.
“Not quite sure, but if I see him, I’ll send him your way,” Kyle answered.
He went to take a step around her, finally seeing an escape from her clutches, when the music picked up tempo a bit. She grabbed his hands and pulled him over to an area where the crowd had thinned. “Let’s dance! Spin me around and show me off!” she squealed.
Kyle did as he was told, lifting his right arm and spinning her as if they were ballroom dancing or something. She tripped over her own feet a bit and Kyle couldn’t help but laugh. She pulled him in close so their bodies were touching and slipped her arms around his neck, swaying her hips in time with the music, forcing his body to follow along.
“You don’t have to look so excited to be with me,” she said, once again giggling.
Kyle wasn't sure how to respond. She was a guest, so he couldn’t tell her that all he could really think about was how he hoped he didn’t get VD from her. On the other hand, she was on a pretty singular track here, and only using Kyle to further her agenda, so maybe a lighter version of the truth wouldn’t be such a bad thing.
“It’s not you. Well, I mean, it is on some level, since you’re the one kinda holding me hostage. But, it’s tradition, you could say, for me to spend the bonfire with someone else.”
“Let me guess, that cute little brunette from the boat? The one you hopped into the water after?”
Kyle couldn’t help but smile. A real, true, genuine full smile. Staci might not be scoring off the charts on an IQ test, but she saw straight through him. He thought he’d kept all those feelings masked when they were out on the water, but maybe his actions toward the Hulk Hogan wannabe weren’t as well disguised as he thought. He hadn’t realized anyone even paid him and Drea that close attention, other than maybe Brig. So maybe he wasn’t as stealthy as he thought. Had her uncles noticed too? There was no way. If any of them had suspected anything, they would have said something. They were all too close to not.
“I see that smile,” Staci cooed. “I’m on to something, aren’t I?”
“Yeah, she’s um, Drea. Drea is special.”
“I knew it!” she squealed again. “I just knew it! I saw the way you held her today while we were snorkeling. So, is it true love?”
Kyle laughed again, this time nervously, but never letting that smile leave his face. Did he love her? Like actual real love? There was no way—she was his best friend. So what if he wondered what was under that swimsuit and how exactly she would feel underneath him. That wasn’t love, that was lust. And all that really meant was that maybe he needed to find another outlet other than his right hand. Some “inspiration” that wasn’t based around Drea might not hurt the cause either.
“She’s my best friend, we’ll just leave it at that.” As soon as he said the words, he knew that he was lying. It didn’t matter though—her uncles would have his head, he’d lose his job, and he wasn’t even convinced she saw him that way in return.
Staci opened her mouth to respond, but as she did, Kyle noticed movement out of the corner of his eye, over in the direction of the bar. The exact bar where he should have been standing with Drea right about now. He saw a flurry of her bright tank top as she dropped from her barstool and quickly spun around, right into Dalton. He tried to step away, but Staci grabbed hold of him again and kept them moving to the beat. He tried to focus on what was happening between Drea and Dalton—he was holding her awfully close for Kyle’s taste—while not stepping on Staci’s feet. Staci followed his gaze over to his friends and then turned back to him, looking concerned.
“Something wrong?”
“I’m…I’m not sure.”
He stopped moving and turned fully to watch Drea and Dalton. He wasn’t sure if they had seen him with Staci and he was silently praying that they’d blended in with the crowd enough. They were whispering to each other, and Drea was holding her head down like she was upset. It was a punch to Kyle’s gut to see her like this and turning to Dalton of all people. Was there something going on there that he didn’t know about? She couldn't be interested in him, could she? She’d never be interested in a playboy like him, at least he didn’t think she would. But she never actually talked about being interested in anyone, and she did spend all day with him, just like she did Kyle, smiling and play flirting. Or Kyle assumed it was play flirting. He saw her start to walk away and pause to turn back to Dalton. She smiled as she said something to him, and he saw Dalton smile in return.
“Staci, if you’ll excuse me,” Kyle said, not waiting for her answer. He pried her off of him, and walked quickly toward where Drea was walking away.
“Whoa there, cowboy, where you headed off to?” Dalton asked, grabbing his arm and pulling him back from following her into the lobby.
“What’s wrong with Drea? She looked upset. What happened?”
“She’ll be fine, just leave her be.”
“Why? What upset her? I need to go see what’s wrong.”
“Not sure you’re the right person for the job.”
“What? And you are?” Kyle snarked.
“I think there are just some things girlfriends are better for, dude,” Dalton answered, looking down at him. Kyle wasn't short by any means, but at six foot four, Dalton towered over pretty much everyone. “What’s up with you and Wendy Peffercorn over there?”
“Who?”
“Dude, the b
londe who was just all over you? The one who looks just like the lifeguard in The Sandlot? Don’t tell me you forgot already.” They turned to look at Staci, who had made her way back to her friends and was chatting away about something. Probably about whether or not her stunt was going to work.
“Oh, her. Nothing. She’s looking for you, actually.”
“So why were you latched on to her?”
“For starters, she latched on to me, and she was trying to get your attention. What’s going on with you and Drea?” Kyle said, turning his gaze back to his buddy.
“You think something is going on between me and Drea?”
“You know that Grayson would kick your ass, right? Not to mention what Vaughn and Miller would do.”
“Dude, sometimes I just do not understand what goes through your head.”
“I’m just saying, whatever you said or did to upset her—"
“Whatever I did to upset her?” Dalton cut him off. “Okay, dude, I’m gonna go hang with the hot blondes and I’ll see you tomorrow on the boat. But take my advice, dude, just leave Drea alone tonight.” He walked away, heading toward the group of women who had eagerly been awaiting his appearance all evening.
Kyle watched as the women greeted Dalton with huge smiles, giggles, and just enough body movement to make him wonder if those bikini strings would hold. He slid into the seat that Drea had been sitting in and sighed. Something had gone very wrong tonight and he had no idea what. Much less how he was going to right the ship.
Chapter Six
As was fairly standard, the only one who beat Drea to family breakfast was Miller. So many years of being up for breakfast service and kiddo duty had created an internal clock that she was pretty sure he couldn’t turn off even if he wanted to, and she was pretty sure there was zero desire in there. She’d gotten her love of being up early from him, she was sure of it, even if they weren’t biologically related. Long gone were the days of her joining him in the kitchen to get the day going, helping make the magic muffins and set out whatever else he might need for the day. Those events were now replaced with her morning run along the beach, watching the sun come up, listening to the waves come and go. She loved having this time to herself.
Can't Fight This Feeling (Indigo Royal Resort Book 1) Page 4