by Nina Singh
Tom and Clay did some kind of masculine handshake by way of greeting.
“How about I take this little rug rat off your hands and get her cleaned up?”
Tori looked up to find Gemma actually addressing her with the question. “Uh, I guess it’s up to Clay.”
“What do say, big bro? Had enough of this little bossy tyrant yet?”
“I suppose so.”
“You need a bath.” Before walking away, Gemma suddenly turned. “I can’t wait to see that cake, Tori.”
“Come by tomorrow before you start getting ready, if you’d like. I’ll have it all assembled and chilling in the refrigerator.”
Gemma shook her head. “Nope, I’d rather see it when it’s unveiled at the wedding. You can witness firsthand my awed impression of your creation.”
That sounded as though Gemma expected her to be there. Had she missed something? She certainly didn’t recall receiving any kind of invite.
This was certainly awkward. “Oh. I, uh, didn’t realize I was supposed to be in attendance.”
Gemma’s eyes narrowed and her jaw actually dropped. “Of course you’re going to be there, Tori. At the wedding as well as the rehearsal dinner, in fact. As a guest of the bride herself. I insist. The only reason I didn’t say anything was that I figured my clueless sibling here would have taken care of inviting you himself already.” She rolled her eyes in Clay’s direction then turned to Tori once more. “Wait till you see my dress.”
Okay. So she wasn’t expected to be at the wedding as some kind of employee then. Tori snuck a glance at Clay.
He didn’t look up from his sundae.
If the past few moments had been awkward, things didn’t get any better after Gemma and Tom walked away, Lilly in tow.
Tori continued spooning her cup of Rocky Road but wasn’t really tasting it.
Clay didn’t seem to be in any kind of hurry to talk, either.
Did he even want her at the wedding? The silence between them right now seemed to indicate the answer to that was a resounding no.
“Hope Adria’s feeling better,” she began, just to get some conversation flowing.
“I’m sure she’s fine. I’ll check on her before I head back to the room.”
“Please give her my best.”
“Sure.”
“She certainly seems to have a lot on her mind on top of having to keep up with an active toddler. Between her husband’s contract dealings, the excitement of her sister’s wedding, and renewed contact with her estranged mother...”
Tori wasn’t even sure why she brought up that last topic. Just that she really didn’t think the situation involving their mother was helping matters as far as Adria’s stress level was concerned. If there was any chance that his sister might feel better physically if the issue were somehow addressed, wasn’t it worth pursuing?
The shadow that fell over Clay’s face said he clearly felt differently.
His voice was cold and harsh when he spoke. “I don’t see how that’s a matter that you and I need to be discussing in any way.”
Tori felt the chill of his words travel through her ears, down her spine, right clear to her toes.
In other words, it was none of her business. She’d clearly overstepped.
So she was good enough to share his bed, but apparently he drew the line at family events or even speaking of matters that concerned his family. A compelling urge to throw her now melted ice cream into his face nearly overwhelmed her good sense. Somehow she resisted, instead gripping the stem of the sundae glass so firmly her knuckles began to hurt. There was no use in sitting there, steaming with anger and feeling upset. And hurt.
“It’s been a long day,” she announced as she stood. “Thanks for taking me along on the dolphin adventure.”
He gave a brisk nod of his head. “Sure thing. Hope you can get some rest.”
He made no move to stop her from leaving.
* * *
What had just happened?
The mood of the afternoon had turned so quickly. Clay rose from the picnic table with a curse. The dolphin swim had been one of the most entertaining experiences of his life. Tori’s face as she’d held Lilly in her arms to feed the dolphins would be an image ingrained in his mind forever. He hadn’t been able to wait to get her alone to tell her just how tempting she’d looked in that wet suit.
But as soon as Tom and Gemma had showed up, an unsettling feeling had risen in his chest.
Gemma had invited her to the wedding... Lilly had treated her like a beloved aunt she’d known her whole life... And it sounded like Adria had confided in her, at least on some level.
He had to take stock of it all. Having Tori in their lives was a temporary state of affairs. Did his sisters not see that?
What exactly did they think was going to happen? That they would all get together once in a while and just include Tori in the plans? Invite her to family gatherings and barbecues?
Tori inquiring about Adria reconnecting with their estranged mother had completely caught him off guard. He had no intention of getting into all that with anyone. Not even Tori. He was still hoping Adria would drop the whole thing altogether. How could she not see how futile and damaging her quest was? Already it was leading to all sorts of conflicts and frazzled nerves.
Women. He’d probably never understand them.
One thing he did understand—in just a few short days, Tori had somehow become entrenched in all their lives. Not just his.
Somehow it had happened when he hadn’t been paying attention.
But the way he’d snapped at her had been uncalled for. Gemma was right. He did want her at the wedding. He should have been the one to ask her.
He’d held back, procrastinated. For reasons that had nothing to do with Tori and everything to do with him.
It’s not you, it’s me.
The classic line of doomed relationships. Only in this case, it happened to be the truth.
By the time he got to his hotel room, Clay was feeling all the worse for snapping at Tori the way he had. Not like it was her fault she had the kind of personality that drew people to her and then made them want to stick around. Look at what had happened to him after spending such a short amount of time with her.
And therein was the problem, wasn’t it?
The only person he was really annoyed with was himself. He’d fallen for her—which was completely not right. He had nothing to offer a woman like Tori. He had no intention of settling down or attaching himself to any one person. Not in the foreseeable future. Probably not ever.
Whereas everything Tori was, down to her very fiber, revolved around family and love, and the way she bonded so easily with those around her. She’d already been badly burned in the relationship department. He wouldn’t be the bastard that did anything to further hurt her the way her previous boyfriend had.
He rubbed his forehead and cursed some more. This. This was exactly what he’d wanted to avoid. He’d experienced firsthand the dire ramifications that could arise when lovesick souls followed their desires without regard to the end results. Without regard to the effect their actions would have on those around them.
Entanglements and careless affairs only led to unneeded complications. Yet somehow she’d gotten under his skin when he hadn’t been paying attention. He was a mess of emotions right now—anger, confusion and disappointment, mostly with himself for allowing things to get this far.
Tori deserved stability. She deserved commitment. And she deserved better than the likes of what he could offer her. She deserved someone who would be there for her, through thick and thin. Good times and bad. He just didn’t have it in him to risk any more of the bad in his life.
Hell, he couldn’t even be sure what city he’d be in from week to week. In fact, there was even now a project in Amsterdam that he’d been offered and h
ad yet to formally reply to. A brand-new modern art museum.
Not that he had any intention of accepting. It would be a long-term contract, keeping him out of the States for the next several months. Maybe up to a year or more, depending on the progress.
His mind was running in circles and he had to find some kind of outlet. Pacing around the room like a caged animal only served to further frustrate him, spiking his blood pressure sky-high.
Getting out of here would be good start. The air might do him good. Throwing on a fresh pair of shorts and an athletic T-shirt, he grabbed his running shoes from the closet.
The day was already scorching hot when he got to the beach—probably too hot to run—but he wanted the punishment.
As grueling as it was, Clay pushed himself to run harder and faster, willing the strenuous exercise to somehow put his thoughts straight. The heat was bearable if he stopped to splash some ocean water on his face and neck. Finally, the endorphins started to kick in, a sense of calm and clarity gradually settling over his nerves, helping to finally start clearing his head.
He’d been running about half a mile when the realization hit him like an ocean wave. As the blood pounded through his system and his mind slowly began to clear, the answer became more and more obvious. Now that he really thought about it, he’d be a fool to turn down the Amsterdam offer. What if nothing like that ever came his way again?
The more his feet pounded the sand, the clearer everything became. His life in the States would be waiting for him as soon as he was ready to return. Sure, he’d miss seeing his sisters, and not being able to see Lilly once or twice a week would leave a hole in his life. But it was temporary. Plus, he’d visit every chance he could.
As for anyone else? Well, there really wasn’t anyone else, was there? Not really. He had no business thinking of Tori as a permanent fixture in his life. Better to make a clean break, mostly for her sake. And here was one more way to do exactly that.
Pulling out his cell phone, he called up the email with the offer he’d archived, then started typing out a reply he had no idea he’d even been considering just a few short hours ago.
Why not? He had nothing to lose.
He ignored the faint voice in his head that tried to argue that very point.
* * *
When Tori wanted to relax back home, or when she wanted to try to take her mind off of things after a stressful day, she soothed herself by testing new recipes. Or sometimes she’d bake one of the specialty pastries she knew by heart. The orderly sequence of steps and the precise measuring of the needed ingredients always served to settle her nerves and soothe her spirit.
She didn’t have that option now. As much as she had access to the resort’s kitchen, she couldn’t very well just pop in there for her own personal use and start tossing ingredients together.
But she did have the option of a world-class spa located right on the premises. Additionally, she could think of one other person on the island who would benefit from a spa treatment, as well.
Picking up the phone, she dialed the number Adria had written on the napkin that first day.
Three hours later, she and Adria were walking out with fresh manicures, painted toenails and massage-loosened limbs.
“Oh, Tori. Thank you so much for suggesting that. I really needed it.”
“Me, too. I’m glad you were able to come along.”
“You really are too good to me, you know. You feed me when I’m nauseous, invite me to a luxurious spa day and you help my brother babysit my child. You’re almost too good to be true.”
At the mention of Clay, all of Tori’s tenseness seemed to surge right back into her muscles. Not that she’d been able to take her mind off him for long. Even under the expert hand of the masseuse, she’d had to remind herself to breathe out the tension.
He hadn’t contacted her since their ice cream date with Lilly earlier. What in the world had made her bring up Adria and his mother? She should have known better.
While his sister had done more than her share of talking as they’d had their nails and toes painted, a good portion of the conversation had been dedicated to how she’d found her mother through a popular website. Adria knew her brother was against any contact with their surviving parent, apparently even her husband had reservations.
Though the siblings were close, Tori had the impression there weren’t too many heart-to-heart conversations among the Ramos clan.
“It was nice to have someone to talk to,” Adria said, echoing Tori’s thoughts and confirming her suspicions as they casually strolled along the concrete pathway to the residential cottages.
“I’m glad I could lend an ear.”
She suddenly stopped and placed a hand on Tori’s forearm. A sheen of tears appeared in her eyes. “Am I being selfish, Tori? Enrique’s parents passed in a plane accident before we met. Is it so wrong for me to want my children to have at least one grandparent in their lives? Flawed as she may be.”
Tori wished so badly to somehow comfort the poor woman. She had no idea what she would do in a similar situation.
“No. Not from where I’m standing. People do change. You deserve the chance to find out once and for all if your mother has.” She covered Adria’s hand with her own where it rested on her arm.
That’s how Clay found them when he turned the corner around the spa building.
Tori commanded her jaw not to drop open at the sight of him. His golden skin glistened with sweat, chest heaving with the exertion of exercise, his T-shirt soaked. He appeared to have been running.
Maybe he’d felt the need to let off a little steam the same way she’d needed a release of tension.
“What are you two up to?” he asked, stopping in front of them. He bent with his hands on his knees to suck in some air. Even in his current state, he looked devastatingly handsome. Her heart was never going to recover having to get over a man like this.
“Just a bit of a girls’ outing,” his sister answered. “But I’m afraid I have to get going. Lilly’s probably wondering where Mama is.” She patted her brother’s cheek affectionately. “I’ll leave you two to yourselves.”
He pointed to her feet after his sister walked away, his breathing somewhat back to normal. “Nice color toes.”
“Thanks. Adria and I just enjoyed a mani-pedi followed by a full body massage.”
“You two seem to have really hit it off.”
She shrugged. “Just figured she could use some pampering, that’s all. I imagine being the mother of a toddler doesn’t often leave much time for luxury.” Not to mention being pregnant and exhausted, but her lips were sealed on that score. Keeping Adria’s secret solely to herself was rather nerve-racking. What if she let it slip? She had enough on her hands with one Ramos cross with her at the moment.
She would apologize. There was no way around it. In her sympathy for Adria, she’d overstepped her bounds with Clay. If it would lessen some of this newfound tension between them, she’d be happy to issue a mea culpa.
“Do you want to sit together at the rehearsal dinner?” She’d blurted out the question before she could give herself time to think.
They only had a little time left here together on the island. She didn’t want to spend it at odds with each other. Back in Boston, she knew Clay would be prepared to walk away from her and what they’d shared on the island.
“Yeah. Sure,” he answered simply, wiping the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. As if she’d asked him if he wanted extra toppings on his pizza. “I should probably shower first.”
“Yes. I’d appreciate it if you did.”
That tease finally cracked a smile out of him, albeit a small one. “All right. Meet you back here around seven?”
So polite, so unaffected, so very casual. Clay was very deliberately putting distance between them. Any woman would have been able to sense it.
“That sounds good,” she answered then forced a fake smile.
Unlike last night, it was clear they wouldn’t be enjoying a private room-service dinner in his room.
CHAPTER TWELVE
THE MASSIVE FIREPIT in the middle of the barbecue food court had been lit for the evening. The aroma of the burned wood, combined with the various scents of the myriad delicacies cooking around them, made for a pleasantly appetizing atmosphere.
In addition to her heaving plate of plantains and exotic fried greens, Tori was fully prepared to eat crow.
“Keeping it light this evening?” Clay asked as they took their seats among the rest of the rehearsal dinner guests at a wood table by the crackling fire.
The truth was, her stomach felt a little off, twisted with apprehension. She so missed the easy camaraderie they’d once had.
“Saving room for dessert. Looks like there’s a chocolate tower being set up close to the beach. Along with a champagne fountain.”
“We should check it out.” He took in a forkful of pulled barbecue beef.
“I’d like that.”
She waited until they’d both finished eating before breaching the proverbial elephant in the room. “Look, Clay, I want to tell you that I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to overstep that way I did earlier. It’s really none of my concern.”
He sighed deeply and rubbed his forehead. “Thank you for saying that. And I apologize, too. I had no right to snap at you the way I did.”
He looked so disappointed in himself that she felt compelled to defend him. “You didn’t really snap.”
“Yes, I did. And I have no excuse for it. Just been wound up a little tight lately. Which makes no sense considering I’m in paradise and in the company of a beautiful woman whose company I thoroughly enjoy.”
Tori felt like the anvil had been removed from her shoulders. Her stomach muscles slowly unclenched. She hated being on the receiving end of his coldness. Even for the briefest period of time following their adventure with the dolphins in the cay.