by Nina Singh
Even if Cabe was attracted to her, which he seemed to be last night, it wasn’t anything to dwell on. She wasn’t the type of woman Cabe Jordan was ever going to be interested in long term. They belonged on two different spheres.
Still, what he’d revealed about himself last night led her to the age-old saying: appearances could be deceiving. There was clearly more to her boss than the image she’d held for all these years. As much as Jenna had wanted to pry and get to the bottom of it all, she’d resisted. It clearly cost him to reveal as much as he had. Cabe would tell her the rest when he was ready. She would be there, available for him when he needed her.
But he pushed you away at the end.
There was that. She tossed aside the covers and got out of bed.
She was contemplating it all still two hours later after showering and getting dressed when she heard Cabe’s knock.
She took a deep, fortifying breath before opening the door to greet him.
“Good morning.” He didn’t mean it. He looked miserable and he clearly had slept about as much as she had. Still, even with the dark circles he was utterly, heart-shatteringly handsome in his stone-gray suit and crystal-blue tie. Her mind automatically shifted to the way he’d felt last night, hard and firm against her back. She could still smell the hint of his sandalwood scent, could still feel the way his breath had felt against her cheek. The firmness of his lips as they’d touched hers.
Stop it.
She stepped aside to let him in. He didn’t move though, which surprised her. Then she saw the look on his face. Regret. He thought the whole balcony encounter was a big fiasco. A mistake. He’d probably been kicking himself all night for divulging his lifelong secret. To someone like her, no less.
“Are you ready to go?” he asked.
Jenna blinked. That was all he was going to say to her?
No hint of the gentle, open man from last night could be detected this morning. The one who’d bared his soul to her. Well, what had she expected? That he’d sweep her in his arms the moment he saw her, overwhelmed at the sight of her and all that they’d shared in the darkness?
“Do you need another minute?” he asked, glancing at his watch.
Jenna gave her head a shake. “Um, no. Let me just grab my things.”
She forced a smile upon returning to the doorway. “I’m ready.”
He silently turned and made his way down the stairs. Jenna stared in stunned silence before following. Now what? Did she dare say something? The awkward silence was downright unbearable. Cabe seemed in no hurry to break it. Perhaps she’d only imagined last night. Maybe it had only been a crazy dream.
No.
It had been real. She had the bug bites to prove it.
Blasted bugs. They were the reason all this was happening. If only she’d taken a moment to peer outside last night before she’d jumped out on the balcony. She would have never gone out if she’d known Cabe was there. Her legs had been itchy and stinging but no amount of balm was worth the discomfort and awkwardness of this moment.
Instinctively, she reached down and rubbed the biggest bite on the top of her thigh.
“Did the ointment not work for you?” Cabe asked, his tone brusque.
“It did. It worked great. Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
The double meaning was clear. Cabe wasn’t going to bring up anything that had happened on that balcony. Nor did he want her to. The tight set of his jaw left no question about it.
Also no question that he deeply regretted it all. A brick settled in Jenna’s chest. Such foolishness on her part not to see this coming. Cabe had succumbed to a moment of weakness last night. Nothing more. She’d just conveniently been there. He’d been tired, probably missing the companionship he usually had on these trips.
“I’ll get you some more of it later. We have a lot to do today. We can’t have you distracted. Not by itchy bites, not by anything.”
Her composure almost faltered and she gritted her teeth. Subtle, he wasn’t.
“I hardly feel them,” she threw out. Two could play at this game.
He didn’t bother to look at her. “Good.”
Her eyes stung. She tried to convince herself that it was the bright early-morning sun. It was easier than facing the truth.
Just as well they’d be busy all day. The busier the better. The less time she had to think and dwell on senseless emotion, the better off she would be.
She just had to hope her highly honed focusing skills didn’t let her down. It wouldn’t be easy given that she’d be spending the day side by side with Cabe. After a night where she’d done nothing but toss and turn and think about him and what they’d shared.
All of which Cabe was telling her to forget.
CHAPTER SIX
CABE WANTED TO hit something. An hour spent in the resort’s gym at the break of dawn followed by a two-mile jog along the beach had done nothing to ebb his agitation or his anger at himself.
Jenna knew the truth. There was no turning back on that now. At some point he had to acknowledge it. Just not now.
Of all the asinine, idiotic—
“Is something wrong?” Jenna asked him as they reached the podium where the maître d’ greeted them with a smile.
He realized he’d cursed out loud. “I was just saying, this is the main dining area of the resort. Vacationers can eat here at any time of day.”
She studied him with clear doubt. “Oh, really? Is that what you were saying?”
He didn’t respond as they were seated. Their table sat poolside and faced the beach, affording them a perfect view of a clear and sunny horizon. A waiter immediately greeted them and poured steaming hot coffee into two porcelain cups. A moment later, he brought out a tray of assorted pastries and platters of eggs and crispy potatoes.
They went to work right away, going over the numerous to-dos that would lead to the opening of the new store. Jenna impressed him repeatedly with her knowledge and insight. Not to mention her ability to offer solutions to matters that would have taken him twice as long to figure out by himself. Though he had numerous people working on the endeavor both in New York and on the island, he found it invaluable to have another mind just to help him with the sheer volume of details involved. He couldn’t have chosen better than Jenna.
They made quite a team.
A team he couldn’t risk jeopardizing again by doing anything foolish or reckless. The way he had last night. What had he done? How impulsive of him, how uncharacteristic. An unbidden image of her leaning back against him invaded his mind. He shoved it out of his head.
An hour and a half later, when the dishes had been cleared and the coffee carafe was empty, Cabe felt more in control about the opening than he had in weeks. They both had clear agendas—with phone calls to make and emails to send out.
To her credit, Jenna was staying mum about last night and giving him time to bring up the matter himself if he chose to. She apparently could tell that he was in no mood to deal with the fallout of his revelations. Once Jenna took her last sip of coffee, he stood and pulled out her chair. “Follow me. We can head to the business center and get some work done there before our meeting with the resort’s retail manager this afternoon.”
She had her hair up again this morning, this time in some kind of tight bun. But it was no match for the Caribbean’s morning heat and humidity. A few tendrils had escaped their confines, forming wispy curls around her temples. The few short hours of daylight she’d spent here yesterday had somehow already resulted in a hint of red color across her cheeks and on the bridge of her nose. The effect was a subtle beauty that no amount of store-bought makeup could have achieved.
He stopped short. Not this again. What the devil was he doing? He had no business noticing the added color on her cheeks. Or anything ab
out her looks, for that matter.
He couldn’t even blame it on punch this time.
“Do you need to stop at your room for anything?” he asked. “It’s on the way.”
“No. I have everything I need.”
Several children frolicked in the pool while their moms relaxed on lounge chairs reading magazines or the latest bestseller. A squealing wet toddler darted past them toward the kiddie sprinklers with his father fast on his heels. The man caught the child in a hug and carried him the rest of the way, despite the toddler’s squirmy efforts to be let down.
They reached the concrete path where the resort grounds met the sandy beach. They hadn’t gone far when Cabe realized Jenna had stopped. He turned to find her staring off to the side, her hand cupped over her face to shield her eyes from the blare of the sun.
“Jenna?”
He followed her line of vision to where a young local girl sat, a variety of handcrafted items set up on display on a folding table in front of her. The resort was pretty accommodating about locals who tried to sell various wares on the property. This one had gotten here relatively early.
“Do you know what she’s selling?” Jenna asked.
“Looks mostly like beaded jewelry of some sort. Maybe some leather items.”
“She looks very young.”
He had to agree. The girl couldn’t be more than thirteen or so.
“Shouldn’t she be in school?” Jenna asked.
“They’re pretty relaxed about school here sometimes.” She hadn’t torn her gaze away from the girl. “Fridays are a good day to set up shop on the beach. A lot of tourists are either coming or going. Those arriving have their wallets still conveniently in their pockets. And the ones departing are often looking to buy last-minute souvenirs.”
“I see.”
“She probably had to choose between going to school or helping to feed her family for the week.”
Jenna seemed torn and took a hesitant step in the girl’s direction. Cabe doubted she even realized having done so. “I know we have a lot to do...” she began.
“Would you like to go take a look at the items?” he asked, unnecessarily as the answer was obvious.
He led the way without waiting for a response. “Let’s go.” She was fast on his heels.
The young girl’s eyes lit up as they approached. Two well-dressed interested tourists was always a welcome sight.
“May I take a look?” Jenna asked.
She trailed her hand along the items and picked one up, some kind of leather necklace with colorful beads.
“This one would look so pretty with your hair color,” the girl stated with a Creole accent.
“It’s beautiful.”
Not wasting a second, she came around the table and hung the necklace around Jenna’s neck, then held up a mirror.
She turned to Cabe. “You should buy it. For your lady.”
Jenna corrected her right away. “Oh, no. He’s not... He won’t be buying it.”
The girl’s face fell but she wasn’t ready to quit. “You look amazing wearing it, miss.” She held the mirror up higher. “See how pretty.”
“I know,” Jenna blurted out then blushed. “I mean, I like it. I will buy it myself.”
She glanced down at the table. “Actually, I think I’ll buy everything on this tray.”
The girl’s eyes grew wide. “Did you just say you want all of this?”
Jenna nodded and smiled. “Yes, please. I’ll take that tray, everything on it.”
Cabe looked down. The tray consisted of at least twenty items. Mostly necklaces made of beads. A few bracelets made of braided rubber bands. Was one of those a dog leash? Jenna didn’t even care what she was buying.
That was probably more than the girl typically sold in a month. Maybe even six months.
“And a couple of those slippers,” Jenna added, pointing to a pile of rubber flip-flops under the table. She hadn’t even asked the price. Or size.
The girl still hadn’t recovered. She stood staring at them both with a stunned expression. “You are joking? Yes?”
Jenna vehemently shook her head. “No. No joking. I’ll come right back with my wallet.” She turned to him. “Cabe, will you wait here? I’ll be right back.”
Before she could turn around, Cabe stopped her with a hand on her arm. “Stay here.” He pulled out his wallet, yanked out several bills and handed them to the girl. “We’ll take the whole table.”
The girl audibly gasped, hesitantly taking the bills, as if Cabe might change his mind any second. Then she sprang toward Jenna, wrapping her in a big, tight hug. “Thank you. Thank you both. So very much.”
She pocketed the bills and pulled out several large plastic bags, filling them with the items off her table.
Jenna turned to him with her mouth agape. “What? Why? I could have paid for the things I wanted.”
“Consider it a business expense.”
“How in the world would such purchases be considered a business expense?”
“Well, for one thing, they’re handcrafted jewelry pieces. We’re in the jewelry business. Who knows? Maybe it will give us ideas about trends and designs.” Not bad for an off-the-cuff response. He was pretty impressed with himself for coming up with that one on the spot.
She pursed her lips. “You didn’t need to do that. It was totally unnecessary.”
He took the bags the still-grinning girl handed to them and motioned for Jenna to go forward. He could hear the young girl humming a happy Marley tune as she folded up her empty table.
“It wasn’t as if you actually wanted any of it,” he argued. “You were just trying to help the child. You can’t deny that.”
She lifted her chin. “As a matter of fact, I was buying souvenirs for the personnel in the Boston regional office.”
“Is that so? You were going to buy the whole tray.”
“My staff works hard. They deserve to be rewarded for it.”
“Well, now you can reward the whole building.”
“Be that as it may, you didn’t have to step in and cover it all for me.”
He didn’t break his stride. The truth of it was, he could tell Jenna was moved by the girl’s plight. And he’d merely reacted to the look in Jenna’s eyes when she’d looked at the girl. Then he’d actually felt a sense of shame about all the times he’d seen that very same child set up on the beach and never thought to help her out by buying anything. When he compared that to Jenna’s reaction, what did that say about him?
He’d been brought up better than that.
“Are you angry?” he asked Jenna when she’d stayed silent for several steps.
She took a deep breath. “I don’t know.”
Her honesty gave him pause. The females in his life usually decided right away when they were cross with him and they made sure to let him know.
He sighed. “Don’t be. All that matters is we made that girl’s life just a little easier. You can’t argue with that.”
She rubbed a hand over her eyes. “I guess not. I guess I should be thanking you instead. What you did was very generous.”
“She has you to thank.”
“You purchased her entire table!”
“You’re the only reason we went over to her table in the first place.”
Jenna looked away with a small shrug. “I wish I could do more for her. She so reminds me of—” She caught herself before she went any further with the statement. He knew what she’d been about to say. The girl reminded Jenna of herself. The Townsend kids hadn’t exactly had an easy time growing up, a fact the whole town had been aware of. He wondered how many times during their adolescence Jenna and her brother had struggled to get by. How often had Jenna spent her paycheck on groceries rather than the frivolous knic
kknacks most teenage girls spent their money on?
They’d reached a somewhat empty area of the beachfront. Only a handful of suntanning tourists dotted the sand and a couple of kids building a simple yet muddy sandcastle. He’d deliberately taken her this route, hoping it would settle her thoughts.
She’d had quite the forty-eight hours.
“Who knows?” he added. “Maybe once the store is opened, we’ll have her or other vendors set up a booth or something inside. We’ll do the high-end stuff while displaying the local ware.”
She suddenly stopped in her tracks and turned to him, forcing him to stop as well. “You would do that?”
“Why not? Don’t you think it’s a good idea?”
She smiled up at him then. A true smile unlike he’d seen from her before. And a strange feeling unfolded in his chest, one he couldn’t name.
“I think it’s the most wonderful idea.”
“We could establish a whole program around it. Local craft jewelry being sold along our expensive deluxe pieces.” Wow, he was getting really good at coming up with all sorts of ideas right on the spot, completely off the top of his head. He had no one but Jenna to thank for it.
She touched his forearm, clearly pleased. “Oh, Cabe. I think that could really work.”
“Of course it will work. And it will please the local authorities. It’s a win-win.” He stopped to face her. “As a matter of fact, I think you may have helped with our zoning issues. The local brass always appreciate when any new business expands community ties.”
Her eyes grew wide. “But I didn’t do anything. You came up with the idea yourself. You’re the one who can implement it.”
None of it would have even occurred to him if she hadn’t been by his side. “Not so. My project manager can also implement it. I might put her in charge of the program entirely. If she’s interested.”
The mild touch on his arm turned to an all-out grip. “Of course I’d be interested. I know firsthand how opportunities like that can make a monumental impact on someone’s life.” She literally bit down on her lip after she’d said the words.