by DRAYER, GINA
"She had a headache," Bridget said flatly. "She's sleeping in."
Well, at least that was something going his way this morning.
"I'll take one of those Danishes," he said, deciding to drop the Kitty talk for now. He could always ask his mom to lay off when they had more privacy. For now, he just wanted to eat. Then try to catch Beth, so he could return her key and they could talk.
"That's too bad. I hope she makes the tour," Mom said as she picked up the basket of pastries to pass them to Matt, but yanked them back before he had a chance to grab one. Turning to Bridget, she frowned, worry wrinkling her brow. "You don't think it's serious, do you? It's easy to catch a bug on a cruise ship. Maybe she should go down to the clinic."
"I don't think it's bad, Martha." Bridget surveyed the table. Her cool, even expression slipping a bit. The morning meal had been just this side of pandemonium. Between Holly arguing with Dad about some investment and the twins attempting their normal escape act, Matt had a good idea what triggered Bridget's ire this morning. "I think a quiet morning in her suite is all she needed."
As if on cue Mike returned with a struggling Rebecca who'd wiggled out of the chair earlier. The little girl managed to kick off one of her shiny black Mary Janes in the struggle, and the shoe went flying past Bridget, missing her by inches. Matt sighed and retrieved the shoe from the floor, handing it back to a harried looking Mike.
"You know, I think Jason and I might sleep in a few mornings ourselves. We're on vacation after all," Bridget added.
"Well, I'm glad to hear it's not serious." Mom picked up a spilled water glass and mopped up the mess, then retrieved the pastry basket with the seamless skill only a mother developed. "Matt, why don't you check on her later. I was thinking that you could help with the reception on St. Maarten. I know everything is set, but there's always those last minute details."
"That's a terrible idea," Matt said.
"That's a great idea," Bridget said at the same time. But as usual, both the women ignored him and continued planning his day. "I don't know why I didn't think about that before now. Matt has his laptop, and I desperately need help fixing a problem my husband caused." Bridget frowned and gave Jason a disapproving look. "The only thing he had to do was call and confirm the guitarist, but he didn't. Now, I need to find a replacement or there won't be any music. How can we have a reception without music?"
"I left that douche bag three messages," Jason said, trying to defend himself. "How the fuck was I supposed to know that he only gets business calls on his fucking cell. If he didn't want me to call his home number why the fuck did he list it on his website?"
"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck," Stephen parroted back banging the spoon on the table happily.
"God damn—darn it, Jason! Watch your language," Holly said, and slapped her hands over Stephen's ears.
"Jason, how could you not confirm the guitarist?" their mom asked. "The girls have put a lot into planning this event. Making a few calls isn't too much to ask of you."
"I could have told you not to trust Jason with anything important," Holly added. "Like that time I asked you to feed Princess Penelope while I was at camp."
"Oh my God, Holly. I was eight. How was I supposed to know that guacamole would kill your stupid gerbil?"
"All you had to do was fill up her water and feed her the food I gave you. But you couldn't even follow those basic instructions."
"I was eight. You're lucky I remembered to feed him anything at all."
Matt sat back, relieved the attention was off him for a change and prepared to eat the rest of his breakfast in peace while the family ganged up on Jason. It had been like that most of his life. Matt was either the center of the discussion, or he was completely ignored. And to be honest, he preferred the latter.
"But you're not eight anymore, and you could have followed through," Holly said. "It's not like you have that many responsibilities. Christ, you work for Dad in the loan department. I bet you don't even put in forty hours a week."
Just when Matt thought their focus would be on Jason for the rest of the meal, the little backstabber threw him under the bus.
"Matt has a girlfriend," Jason blurted out. "And he smuggled her on the cruise with him."
The table went still, and everyone turned to stare at him. And from the look on everyone's faces, you would have thought Jason had screamed there was a bomb strapped to Matt's chair. It kind of felt a little like that. There was a few seconds of eerie silence before the table exploded in a cacophony of questions.
"What is Jason talking about?" Mom asked.
"Matt's girlfriend?" Holly asked almost laughing. "I'll believe that when I see it."
"I hope it's the redhead from Christmas," Terry added, elbowing him in the ribs. "She was hot."
"You didn't say you were bringing a guest. We didn't plan on an extra guest for the reception. Holly, I can't redo the seating chart. It took me days to finally fix it. This is a disaster," Bridget said, and looked as if she might burst into tears.
Jason looked at him from across the table, a shit eating grin on his face. And Matt had the sudden urge to pound that look off his face.
"Matthew Patrick Carver. What does Jason mean you brought your girlfriend? Why didn't you say something? I didn't even know you were seeing anyone." His mother pointed her fork at him, her I mean business voice in full effect. "I don't know what's going on with you, but I want answers. This girl must think we're terrible people not inviting her. How could you let her think she'd not welcome?"
Well, fuck. There was no getting out of it now. Matt just hoped Beth was still on board after his behavior last night.
When Beth returned from her morning workout she had three messages from Matt, each one more desperate. The poor guy thought she was avoiding him. It would have been cute, except for the fact that he was wavering again.
Maybe that was for the best. Despite his reasons, she didn't relish the idea of lying to his family. But that was his choice. If a harmless lie would have helped Matt keep the peace with his family, it wasn't her job to be his moral compass. Heck, wasn't that was the reason she was on this ship after all?
She could certainly relate to having a parent who constantly tried to meddle in your life. After all, it was Beth's mother who'd encouraged her relationship with Robert. And after the relationship failed, she hoped her mom would have given up. But no, it was just another thing she used to point out Beth's flaws.
Mom was convinced her globetrotting lifestyle and job was the reason things didn't work out with Robert. She was getting really tired of hearing, "If you had stayed in Chicago, this might have been your wedding."
The problem was, her mother's words had a thread of truth. Robert had asked her to stay in Chicago once, but she didn't see the point. He was busy with medical school and they hardly had time when she did come home. Besides, Beth shouldn't have to change just for a man.
When she tried pointing out to her mom that moving to the states hadn't stopped her from leaving Dad, things got ugly. Keeping the peace and avoiding her mom were just a few more reasons she was on this trip.
So why was she was getting involved with another man's family drama? Still, maybe she could use this time to her advantage. A fun fling was just what she needed to take her mind off things. After the taste she had last night, Beth was seriously considering spending more time with Matt with a whole lot less clothing. And from his response to her, Beth didn't think he'd object.
She looked at the clock. It was almost ten and Matt still hadn't called again. She didn't know what room he was in and outside of leaving a message with guest services, she had no way of getting in touch. But she wasn't about to wait all day sitting by the phone either. She needed out of the room, so Beth made her way to one of the lounges to find a drink and a quiet corner to read.
That's exactly where Matt found her, an hour later, tucked away in a corner booth enjoying her book.
"That didn't take long," she said, not bothering to look up from the
screen.
"I know this morning I said I was calling the plan off, but are you still be willing to help me?" he said, skipping the niceties. "My brother told everyone at breakfast this morning. And now things are complicated."
Beth set her e-reader down and gave him a quick once over. The poor guy looked as if he was on the verge of a breakdown. His eyes were a little wild and he paced nervously in front of the table. The curly locks around his temple were standing up in all directions. It made her want to run her hands through it just like he was doing now.
"Why don't you sit down and tell me what happened." She patted the empty seat next to her and waved over the waiter.
"Can I get something else for you, Beth?" Palo asked.
"I think we could use a few more drinks." Beth looked over at Matt. A tropical drink with an umbrella wasn't going to cut it. He needed something stronger. "Bring us some tequila shots."
"I'll pass," Matt said to the waiter. "It's not even noon."
Beth turned to the waiter, and making sure Matt didn't see her, she held up four fingers behind her hand. "You'd better make it four," she mouthed before turning back to give Matt her full attention.
"So? Tell me about this complication," she said calmly.
"Mom flipped out," he said, burying his face in his palms. "She thinks I've been hiding our relationship because I'm embarrassed of the family."
"Did you tell her about my work?"
"That was the first thing I said, but she thinks if our relationship was serious enough for you to come on vacation with me, I should have introduced you by now."
"I was afraid of this," Beth said, and snatched two shots off the tray before Palo could set them down. She handed one to Matt, along with a lemon wedge. He shook his head, but she downed hers. "For fuck's sake, you're on vacation and you're stressed. If ever there was a time to do Tequila shots before lunch, this is it. We can talk after you've had a drink."
"Fine," he said. He downed the shot, tossing the glass back on the table. Then did the same for the next one. "Are you happy now? I really need to know if you're still on board."
"I'm still with you." Oh, she was on board alright, but she didn't think he had the same destination in mind. All her fantasies came flooding back, and Beth was ready to help out, as long as it meant spending more time with this him. But before she explored that idea, she needed to figure a few things out.
It was almost like he was two different guys. There was the lickable, push you against the wall, hot guy. But there was also the introverted, awkward, shy guy. And while she found shy guy cute, Beth really wanted to spend some quality time against a wall with the hot guy.
"How about we talk to your mom together. I'm good with people. We can fix this little complication without a problem."
"That's not the complication. I could have dealt with that." Matt was rubbing his head and eyed the empty shot glasses. Maybe she should order them another round or six. "Mom thinks I'm being insensitive for not including you in the family activities. Hell, she even fought with Bridget this morning about inviting you to the reception on St. Maarten. I know that wasn't what we agreed to, but Mom's insisting. Now I'm fucked. Either I tell my family that I tried to convince a stranger to lie to them or ruin your vacation by dragging you into my traveling carnival of a family." He tugged at the hair and sighed. "This all seemed much simpler last night."
Beth leaned forward, just inches from Matt. "Listen. You'd be doing me a favor by letting me tag along with your family. I'm traveling alone and would love to have the company."
He leaned back and looked at her like she just said she'd enjoy spending time with a pack of rabid hyenas. "You don't know what you're saying."
"I spend months with college interns in the jungles of South America, I think I can handle your family for two weeks," she said with assurance.
She'd agreed to meet for a late lunch. That gave her plenty of time to shower in the fitness center—because her bathroom was still out of commission—and run back to her room to put together her best "meet the parents" outfit.
Or at least that was her plan. What should have been at most an hour of prep, turned into a frantic, pull everything out of the closet, full on freak out.
She couldn't stop thinking about the time she'd met Robert's parents. They had hated her, and made sure she knew it. Not that she was dating Matt. She was just pretend dating him, she tried to assure herself.
But since that was the only experience she had to pull from, she couldn't suppress the butterflies in her stomach. Silly as it seemed, after the sweet way he'd held her hand on the plane, she didn't want to disappoint Matt. Hell, if she was going to be a pretend girlfriend, Beth was determined to be the coolest pretend girlfriend he could hope for.
Unfortunately, she had no idea where to start. At first she went for the casual look: her favorite faded jeans and a fitted Ramons Tee-shirt with a braided leather belt she'd picked up in Rio slung low on her waist. Even though she knew it looked great, it wasn't exactly meet the parents material.
So she went for a more sophisticated look. The black, just above the knee skirt and blood red silk top was her next choice. It was elegant and sexy. But as much as the casual look said she wasn't trying, this new outfit made it look like she was trying way too hard.
The more she scrutinized her outfits, the more freaked out she became. Nothing was working out. Beth was on her eighth wardrobe change by the time Matt knocked on the door.
When she opened the door, Matt gave her an assessing look. God, she was gorgeous. Matt wished he was picking her up for a real date.
"Wow," he said by way of greeting, but evidently she wasn't in the mood for small talk.
"I can't do this," she blurted.
He knew this was a long shot, but it still felt like a kick to the gut. He looked away and ran a hand through his hair, hoping she didn't see his disappointment. "I understand. I'll just go."
"Christ. Don't get your panties in a bunch." Beth yanked him into the room and waved to the clothes piled on every surface. He wouldn't have believed it possible, but the room was a bigger disaster than last night. "You've got to help me," she insisted. "I have no idea what to wear."
He tried hard not to laugh. She had to be kidding. She wore a pair of jeans that looked like they were painted on and sexy gold top that was unbuttoned just low enough to show off the swell of her ample bust. The gold played of her dark olive skin and made her eyes turn a molten chocolate color. She was beautiful.
"What you have on is fine."
"I don't want it to be fine. So help me. I've lost all ability to judge," she said and pulled out a cream sundress. "Would this be good for a lunch?" She tossed it aside and picked up a short sleeve sweater. "Or what about this with the jeans?"
He watched as she took off her top and yanked on the sweater; her boldness didn't even faze him this time.
"Well? What do you think?"
He'd liked the gold top, but the baby blue turtleneck sweater she had on now hugged her curves. It was perfect on her, sexy and innocent all rolled into to one. Blue was his new favorite color.
"I like that," he said, trying to be supportive. "It's just lunch."
"It needs to be right, Matt. You asked me to help. How can I help if everyone at the table is wondering how you ended up with someone like me?" She sorted through the clothes again. "But you're right. It's lunch. I need to stick to casual. Do you think I should try this with a pair of shorts? No, that's tacky. I think the jeans and the silk shirt." She picked up a red shirt from the bed and held it up. "What do you think?"
Matt took the shirt from her hands and set it back on the bed. He grabbed both her hands and looked her straight in the eye. "You look fantastic," he said, bringing her left hand up to his mouth and kissing the back. "You have nothing to worry about. Everyone at the table will wonder how I, a nerdy computer geek, ended up with a knockout like you." He brought her other hand to his lips and kissed it, too. "It will be okay. Just breathe."
> Some of the crazy when out of her eyes and her shoulders relaxed.
"Okay," she said on a deep exhale. After a few more breaths she shot him a lopsided grin. "If you haven't picked it up yet, I over-react sometimes."
"I kinda noticed," he said, and let go of her hands before he did something crazy like kiss her again. He wanted to ask about it, because he knew there was more to her melt down than just clothes, but they really didn't have time. "Are you sure you're still up for this? If you've changed your mind, I'll understand."
She rolled her eyes and sighed. "So we're back to this? I'm up for it. I promise. Please don't let my panic attack fool you. I'm looking forward to adding a little adventure to my vacation." Beth closed the distance between them, and whispered in his ear. "If you're up for that?"
If the way his cock had sprung to attention was any indication, Matt had a pretty good idea what he was up for.
"Up for what exactly?" he tried to clarify.
"Last night wasn't a bad place to start," she said.
Eyes half lidded, Beth pressed up against him, but when Matt caught sight of the clock behind her, he pulled back. He wasn't about to start anything he couldn't finish. Not again. "We're late. But I'd like to continue this later."
"Count on it," she said with a smirk and headed for the door.
All eyes were on them when they entered the dining room. As they got closer to the table, Beth slipped her hand in his as if she'd been doing it for months, and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Gone was the frightened girl. In her place was the bold woman he was coming to enjoy. The one who rescued small boys and grown men.
"It will be okay. Just breathe," she said in a low voice, echoing his words from earlier.
"Sorry we're late. Everyone, I'd like you to meet Beth." Matt went around the table and made introductions. He noticed that while the men of the family seemed thrilled to meet her, the women weren't as pleased. That is, except for his mother.
"You two come sit by me," she said, pushing on his dad's arm to get him to move. "I feel terrible that Matt didn't tell anyone you were coming. Honestly, I thought I did a better job in raising my boys. You know you're welcome to join us anytime."