Can't Fight This Feeling (Indigo Royal Resort Book 1)

by Claire Hastings

  “Hey kids, how was your weekend away?” he asked, wiping his hands on a rag.

  “It was fantastic,” Drea said, her face lighting up. She tried to keep her smile from taking over her face, but she was pretty sure she was failing.

  “It was nice to step away from the resort a bit,” Kyle added.

  “Good, you guys deserve the break. You’ll be happy to know, Dalton didn’t burn the place down,” he said jokingly. “Drea, Miller was just asking me if I had any idea when you’d be back. I think maybe he was hoping to snag you for dinner.”

  “Oh, okay, I’ll go hunt him down. Night, Uncle Gray!”

  They made their way down the pier toward the resort, walking side by side, careful not to touch. Drea wanted to hold on to his hand so badly she could taste it, but she knew that even contact as simple as that wouldn’t be enough. She respected Kyle’s desire to keep their relationship to just them for the time being, even if she wanted to skip all over the resort and tell everyone.

  When they got to her door, she felt a sudden sadness come over her. They hadn’t discussed where they would be staying tonight, and while in her mind she had been assuming that they would stay here, it occurred to her at this moment that they hadn’t actually had a real conversation about it. She’d gotten so used to him just being right there these last couple of nights that the idea of sleeping without him left her feeling hollow.

  “Did you wanna come with me to find Uncle Miller?” she asked, feeling very self-conscious about the whole thing.

  “It’s Sunday night. I have my call with my mom, which I should probably do from my room,” he answered.

  “Oh, okay.”

  “But once that is done, I can come back over if you’d like. I’d invite you to my place, but there are way too many eyes in the staff dorm that could see you leave tomorrow.”

  She laughed quietly, “Good point, and yes, I would love it if you came over later.”

  He looked around quickly to make sure no one else was nearby, and when he saw the coast was clear, he leaned in and kissed her. She popped up on her tiptoes, trying to draw in closer to him. Even after spending all weekend kissing him, she hadn’t had enough. She doubted that she’d ever get enough of kissing him.

  When they finally pulled away, she opened her door and started to walk through, only to turn around to watch him walk away. He blew her a kiss as he approached the trees and then was gone.

  Kyle hated walking away from Drea after the amazing weekend they’d had. If anything, what he really wanted to do was drag her out back and curl up with her in the hammock again. It would sound weird to anyone else, he knew that, but he felt the loss of her when she wasn’t within a few feet of him. But he needed to grab some food and call his mom, just like he did every Sunday night.

  Making his way into the kitchen, he was almost plowed over by a waiter who was struggling with an overfilled tray. He apologized to the kid, hoping that everything on that tray made it to the table in the dining room. Making a mental note to leave via the alleyway, he crossed the kitchen until he was standing next to the family table.

  “Kyle, my man! You guys are back,” Miller said, walking up and giving him a side hug.

  “Yeah, we just got back. Drea should be making her way over in a bit, but I’ve got my weekly call with my mom, so I was hoping to grab some scraps or something,” Kyle said, returning the gesture.

  “I’m not feeding you scraps—sit. How about a grilled cheese and some chips?”

  “Sure, but please don’t go out of your way.”

  “I’ll do what I want, young man, sit,” Miller answered, pointing a knife at the chair behind Kyle.

  Kyle did as he was told, watching the older man prep two slices of bread and place them on the griddle.

  “How’d things turn out with that girl of yours?” Miller asked.

  “What?” Kyle asked, caught off guard.

  “Last week, you were all tied up in knots. I take it by the smile on your face that things worked themselves out?”

  “Indeed they did, sir.”

  “Good. Well, you continue to put that smile on her face, then I don’t know that I’ll have much of a job left.”

  “Come again?” He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Did Miller know? There was no way. Drea had said Miller would be understanding, but she would have said something had she actually told him. Maybe it was just a lucky guess. Or maybe even a stab in the dark. Miller saw all sorts of female employees on a daily basis—maybe someone else had an extra bright smile recently and Miller thought he’d put two and two together.

  “I’m not saying things are always gonna be easy, or sunshine and roses, but I can tell that it’s a deep down, soul-reaching happiness, and that makes every last bit of it worth it.” Miller slid a spatula under the grilled cheese and flipped it into a to-go container.

  “I don’t know what to say to that,” Kyle responded, still confused by Miller’s commentary.

  “Just promise me you won’t be a dumbass and that you’ll cherish every moment,” he said, handing the to-go container to Kyle. Kyle took the box from him and smiled.

  “That I will, Miller. I promise.”

  The heavy door to his room made a loud bang as it swung open and hit the wall behind it. Kyle hadn’t meant to open it with that much force—he just hoped that whoever was currently living next door wasn’t home. He threw the duffle he’d been carrying on the bed, before crashing down on it himself.

  He thought about his conversation with Miller as he bit into the sandwich he brought back. The warm cheese oozed out from the bread, requiring him to take another quick bite to avoid a mess. Kind of like how Miller just oozes wisdom sometimes, Kyle thought. He laughed at the thought, but was thankful for the words and sentiment that Miller passed his way earlier. Regardless of whether he actually knew the woman in question was Drea or if he was just speaking in general, it was a comforting feeling to know that someone other than his mother had his best interests at heart.

  He hadn’t felt this kind of connection with another man since losing Mr. Willett when he was in college. Even in his late forties, Miller was significantly younger than Mr. Willett had been when he and Kyle started hanging out, but the two men still shared the same innate ability to see right through to what other people were feeling. Neither man had a problem calling people out on it either, but managed to do it in a gentle way that left you feeling cared about in the end.

  Finishing up his sandwich, he looked down at his phone. It was eight twenty, a full five minutes after his mother was supposed to call. She always managed to call at eight fifteen, seven fifteen her time, right on the dot, every Sunday. Worried something was wrong, he pulled up her contact info and hit the call button. The phone rang a couple of times before a tired sounding voice answered.

  “Hi, baby. To what do I owe the honor?”

  “It’s Sunday night, Mom.”

  “Oh goodness, it is! Is it that late already? Oh my, where did the day go?”

  “Is everything okay, Mom?”

  “Of course it is! I just lost track of time, that’s all. How are you, Kyle?”

  “I’m good. Just got back from San Juan with Drea.”

  “Oh, did you guys have a weekend off? That must have been nice. What’d you do while you were there?”

  “It was great—it was really nice to just get away from the resort for a bit, actually. The guests were crazy last week, so when Grayson offered us the cat for the weekend, we took it. We didn’t really go with an agenda in mind,” he answered, trying to figure out where the line was in sharing with his mom. “But we walked around a bunch. Drea showed me the church where her parents got married.”

  “Wow. That must have been very special.”

  “It was.”

  “Kyle, you know I try very hard to just let you live your life without commentary from your mother, but,” she said, pausing and taking a deep breath, “if a woman is showing you a piece of her history like this, she is try
ing to tell you something.”

  Kyle rolled his eyes and let out a little laugh. She had a point—she was pretty good at letting him live his own life. She’d helped him along the way when he asked for her opinion, like in choosing a college, but overall she stayed out of it. When he’d come home with the job offer from Grayson and told her he was thinking of accepting, the only response she had given him was “when can I come visit?” For her to be slipping in her opinion now meant something; it also meant she’d been thinking about it for a long time.

  “Just how long have you been holding back an opinion about me and Drea?” he asked her.

  “Since just about my first visit down there,” she said with a yawn. “The two of you look at each other like Romeo and Juliet.”

  “Mom, are you okay? You sound off.”

  “I’m fine, just a little tired,” she answered, dismissing his concern. “Now, are you going to officially confirm my suspicions?”

  “We’re,” he paused. Was it fair to tell his mom when he had asked Drea to keep it from her uncles? “We’re testing the waters.”

  “Well, fine, be coy,” she yawned again,

  “Really, Mom, are you sure you’re okay?”

  “Yes, yes. Really, I’m just tired, I promise.”

  “You’d tell me if something were wrong though, right? You’re taking your meds and all that?”

  “Kyle, who is the parent here? I told you I’m fine. Now, if you just got home you must be exhausted, and I could certainly use a good night’s sleep. So, how about we just catch up later this week?”

  “Sounds good, Mom,” he said. “Love you.”

  “Love you, too, baby,”

  He ended the call and slumped back on the bed. It concerned him to hear her sound so tired, but he trusted that she knew herself well enough to know that she just needed some extra sleep. She’d never been one to not take care of herself, so maybe his concern was for naught.

  Grabbing his phone again he sent a text to Drea saying to let him know when she wanted him to head that way. He wanted to make sure she had enough time with her uncle. After hearing more of the family history this weekend he realized just what role each one of them played in her life and he wouldn’t dare take away from that.

  Her reply came almost instantly, telling him she was heading to see Miller, and that she needed to find Simone about wedding stuff, but she should be home in about an hour and she’d see him then. He felt like this could be the longest sixty minutes of his life.

  After dropping her stuff off inside the cottage, taking a quick rinse-off shower, and changing into a clean sundress, Drea made her way to the resort’s kitchen. She opted for what she considered the long route, walking through the main lobby of the resort, stopping for a moment to take in the space. In her head, she could see it all so clearly, how they could redesign the lobby to house an entrance to the spa. It would lead off the little hallway that currently led to the office, but instead it would just veer to the right, before it reached the employees-only area.

  The long hall entrance would be dimly lit, with soft lights highlighting the jewel-toned walls, and the sounds of a water feature luring guests toward the spa desk. Once checked in, they would be led to locker rooms where they could change before stepping into the luxury waiting room, complete with plush couches and instrumental music. She could see the treatment rooms, saunas, and pools all mapped out as well. It was easy to picture guests lounging about, relaxing and taking in the beauty of the view from the resort.

  She loved the idea of creating a menu of services and finding the best staff to come and make this dream of hers a reality. It would do so much for the resort to offer something like this, not only for their guests, but if it were open to the public they could take advantage of some of the vacation rental traffic as well. The increase of vacation rentals had been a major topic of conversation between her uncles and Simone the last couple of years, and while Vaughn wasn’t sure it was hurting their bottom line too badly, Drea knew that something like the spa could really go a long way to opening up new lines of revenue.

  Finally tearing herself away from the lobby, she made her way through the dining room and into the kitchen. True to form, Miller was flitting about the kitchen, throwing things in pots and pans, oblivious to the world around him. One of his kitchen assistants caught her eye as he dodged her uncle, just trying to keep up with his erratic movements. She shook her head, laughing to herself as she watched the scene. She felt bad for the kid on some level, but on another, she was aware that Miller knew himself and his behaviors well enough that the position of kitchen assistant paid accordingly. Another moment or so later, Miller looked up to find her standing there.

  “Hey there, baby girl. I just made Kyle a grilled cheese to go. You want one too?” Miller asked.

  “I’d love one, but mine can be for here.”

  “You want the works?”

  “Yes, please.”

  “Just the way your mom and aunt would have liked it! One grilled cheese with bacon and tomato coming right up!” he said, reaching for a loaf of bread.

  The kitchen assistant who had been scurrying around Miller a moment ago appeared by her side with a small basket of Miller’s hand-cut kettle chips. Just the sight of them made Drea’s stomach growl—she was hungrier than she realized. Grabbing the basket from him, she thanked the kid and made her way over to the family table, turning in the chair to still face her uncle.

  “Wow, kettle chips? You went all out for Kyle,” she remarked sarcastically.

  “Not really, I was teaching Mikey here how to make them,” he said, indicating the kid who had given them to her with a tilt of his head. “So naturally, we were left with a whole bunch.”

  “Job well done, Mikey,” she said, holding up a chip.

  The young kid blushed slightly at the attention, quickly scampering away as soon as he had the chance. She snacked away at the chips, watching her uncle work his magic with the griddle.

  “Uncle Miller, can I ask you something?”

  “Of course, baby girl.”

  “How did you know Aunt Marta was the one?”

  Miller looked up from the griddle, sighing. “I’m gonna guess that ‘I just knew’ isn’t really going to be an acceptable answer, huh?”

  “I mean, if that’s the answer,” she paused. “Do you remember the moment you just knew?”

  “Now that,” he said, pointing the spatula he was using at her, “is a much easier answer.”

  He flipped the sandwich a couple of times and grabbed a plate and slid the sandwich onto it. Bringing it over to the table, he set it before her. He grabbed the chair next to her and flipped it around, straddling the back.

  “It was the day after we crashed that party where we met Marta and Sofia. We were in Old San Juan, and your dad and mom had run away to go spend time alone, which was more than okay by us. We walked down to the big gate and walked along the shore there. Marta found a coin on the ground, a penny or something, and she held it up, told me to kiss it and make a wish. I thought she was insane. I was not kissing money, which is dirty to begin with, much less money that had been on the ground and stepped on by God knows who. But she was the prettiest damn thing I had ever seen, and please remember I was twenty-one; I was not always the most gentlemanly, so I was thinking about getting laid. So I kissed the penny, made a wish, and she tossed it into the water.”

  “What did you wish for?” Drea asked, taking a bite of her grilled cheese.

  “That I would get in her pants.”

  “Uncle Miller, you did not!”

  “I did. I told you I was not the gentleman I am now,” he fessed up, holding his hands up in surrender.

  “So, then what happened?”

  “It was a magical moment, she said so herself, so I took it upon myself to up the magic and went in for a kiss. Except somehow I slipped on the rock I was standing on, and fell into the water,” he said, pausing for dramatic effect. Drea burst out laughing, and Miller just sho
ok his head. “That right there is pretty much the exact reaction Marta had. She pulled me out, and for some reason happened to have a pair of sweatpants in her backpack, so I swapped out my very wet shorts for those. After I changed, she looked at me and said, ‘You know, Miller, if you wanted into my pants so bad, you could have just asked.’”

  Drea stopped midbite, not believing what she was hearing. “Seriously?”

  “Seriously. Your aunt had the most amazing sense of humor, kiddo. And that was it, that was when I knew.”

  “Because she made a bad joke?”

  “No one said love was always sparkles and glitter, baby girl. There are those moments—watching Marta walk down that aisle toward me was certainly one of them—but most of the time it’s bad jokes, grilled cheese sandwiches, and just being content in one another. And when you find the person you want to spend your life making bad jokes with, or whatever your thing is, it’s like life takes on a whole new meaning.”

  Drea just nodded her response. She thought about the weekend she’d just had with Kyle, and how much she loved being out on the water with him. They’d always had the view of ‘life’s an adventure’ in common, whether it was the adventure of the open waters, trying a new food, or even just making it through a tour with a set of guests that were a little unruly. There was no one else she wanted to go through an adventure with other than him.

  “What makes you ask, baby girl?” Miller inquired.

  “I took Kyle to Iglesia San Francisco while we were in San Juan this weekend, and told him the story of the weddings. I knew Mom’s side of things from her journal, but started to wonder about yours.”

  “Well, if Kyle doesn’t think we’re a family of nutters after all that, then he’s more of a keeper than I realized.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  The next two days went by without any major fanfare or incident. Monday morning met them the same way it always did, completely oblivious to the perfect little world they’d been in, and full of real-life responsibilities. The resort was sold out again this week, and there had been enough interest in sailing tours that they were scheduled for doubleheaders on both Monday and Tuesday, keeping everyone moving at light speed.