“No. But I’m telling you, if something happens to me, you’ll have to answer to Janet.”
“Who is Janet?” Gareth asked.
“My boss. She lives here on the island with her husband, Vinny. They are both from the States, but fell in love with Tabiq. Go figure. I’m not allowed off the resort, and she lives here.” She gave a nervous laugh.
“Why is that funny?”
“First of all, I look like I could be a native here, which I’m not. But she has a mass of blonde curls. Definitely not Tabiqian.”
“So where are you from?” Gareth asked.
“Originally or now?”
“How about both?”
“I was born in Panama. When I was eight, my parents moved to Canada. When I was twelve, we moved to the States. That’s why I love moving around so much now. How about you?”
“Born and raised in New York. Although I love to travel, I’m a city boy.”
“Really? I pictured you more of the ranch-hand type,” she teased.
“You couldn’t pay me to muck a stall.”
“I actually did that one year.”
“And you liked it?” Gareth asked.
Brooke wrinkled her nose. “I loved the horses; does that count?”
“Were you on community service or something?” Gareth joked.
“No. Actually I try something new and different every year. This year I’m waitressing at a resort. I’ve waitressed a few places, but the locations have all been different.”
“You mean you can’t commit to anything longer than twelve months?” He arched a brow.
That sounded too much like what her friends had asked her. “I can, but why? Think about the endless possibilities. The world is a big place and I want to see it.”
“I’m glad you found a way to see it. But isn’t that . . . dangerous? I mean you going off to all these strange places alone?”
Brooke knew it sounded odd. And if Gareth knew her family, it would sound more ridiculous. But she rarely let anyone know who she was. Otherwise they might not hire her. At least not in the jobs she’d applied for. All she needed was room and board and enough of a wage to keep her stable for the year. Someone like Gareth definitely wouldn’t understand.
“Trust me. I do plenty of research. Going out with you is probably the riskiest thing I’ve done in a long time.” She thought about how that sounded. His expression didn’t show that it bothered him at all.
“I’m glad to hear it. And you’re right. Knowing what you can and shouldn’t do in a strange country is what will keep you safe. If you weren’t out with me right now, I wouldn’t advise leaving the resort either.”
“So everyone says, but no one actually says anything more than that. I’m a rule follower. Well, for the most part I am. You seem to bring out the—”
“Naughty side?” He winked.
“I wouldn’t go that far. And for the record, I let my boss know we were having dinner. There may have been a few details left out, but she knows.”
“Good, because I don’t kiss and tell either.”
Kiss. Yeah. Never mentioned that. Brooke smiled. If she was lucky, there would be more of that later. They are so worth breaking the rules for.
She hadn’t been paying attention to where they were going, but when they turned up a long driveway, she had to ask. “Your friend’s house?”
“Yes.”
“Who exactly are they?”
“Alex and Ziva Henderson.”
Brooke sucked in a deep breath. “I can’t be here. We’re not supposed to be dating. And I never told anyone I was leaving. Oh shit. I’m going to get fired. I need you to take me back right now, please.”
Gareth chuckled and took her hand in his. “One, you’re not getting fired. Two, they are expecting us. And I think you’re allowed to leave New Hope when the owner invites you to dinner, don’t you think?”
I wouldn’t have dressed sexy if I’d have known. “I’d like to change my answer.”
“To what question?” Gareth asked.
“Whether or not I like surprises.”
He brought her hand to his lips and placed a gentle kiss on her fingers. “Okay. I’ll remember that next time. Now let’s go before the children drive them crazy and they eat without us.”
Kids? She knew she was definitely overdressed now. And that’s what I get for not doing my research like I normally do.
Gareth didn’t even need to knock on the door. Charisa was already pulling it open. “I’ve been waiting for you all day.”
He laughed. “I thought you had school.”
Charisa giggled. “Yes, but I have been waiting for at least five minutes.” Then she peered around him and saw Brooke. “You’re not a little girl.”
Gareth said, “I said I was bringing a friend. This is Brooke. Brooke this is Charisa.”
Charisa pouted. “I thought she was going to want to play with me. I have a new dolly and no one to play with.”
Brooke bent over and said, “What is your dolly’s name?”
Charisa smiled. “Dolly. Want to see her?” She reached out for Brooke’s hand and led her inside.
Alex and Ziva were standing behind Charisa for the entire exchange. Ziva said, “Charisa, you know you can’t play with your doll until after dinner. Besides, I’m sure Gareth and Brooke are hungry.”
“Oh Mommy. I’m not hungry, and I don’t think Rookie is either.”
Alex said, “Her name is Brooke, not Rookie, and you heard your mother. Dolls after dinner.”
Charisa didn’t let Brooke’s hand go and said, “Then follow me and eat fast. Even your veggies.” She half dragged Brooke across the hall.
Brooke turned, wide-eyed, and said, “Good thing I’m hungry.”
They all followed behind. Charisa held out Brooke’s chair for her and waited until she sat down. Then she turned to Gareth and said, “You can sit over there in my seat. I want to sit next to Rookie. She’s my friend now. You can have Mommy and Daddy.”
They all burst out laughing. Gareth winked at Brooke and said, “You can have Rookie now, but she is coming home with me.”
Charisa pouted again. “Then no dessert or we won’t have any time to play.” She turned to Brooke and asked, “Do you like broccoli?”
“I do,” she replied.
“Can you eat mine and I’ll eat your potatoes?” In a low voice she added, “But don’t let Mommy see you or she’ll give us more.”
Ziva rolled her eyes. “Is this what I’m in for when Nikko gets older?”
Gareth and Alex shook their heads and Alex said, “No. It’s worst with boys.”
“How can that be?”
Gareth added, “Girls talk a lot and boys break everything. Somehow we look at it and it falls apart.”
Charisa said, “Oh no. Nikko isn’t touching my dollies.” Then she turned to her mother and asked, “Can we trade him for a sister?”
Ziva shook her head. Brooke leaned over and whispered something in Charisa’s ear. Charisa giggled again and said. “Okay, we can keep him.”
They all looked at Brooke, wishing they knew what she’d just said, but Gareth was glad she was able to make things all better. At least for the time being.
The rest of the meal was more talk about Tabiq than anything else. Gareth watched Brooke, who seemed to be soaking up every word. It was as though she wanted to know as much about the culture as possible. He understood why they normally didn’t speak of it, but he was surprised they spoke in front of Charisa.
There were a lot of details left out, mostly around the abuse, but a lot was discussed. When Charisa ran off to play, totally forgetting about Brooke, Gareth had to ask. “You aren’t worried that Charisa will be afraid to live here?”
Ziva shook her head. “I have lived here all my life. As a child we were told of the risk of growing up as a girl in this country. The only way to ensure we do not revert back to those days is to raise our children with the truth. Knowledge gives us power. And Charisa and the
others are the future. They need to understand the past so they don’t repeat the mistakes.”
Gareth could tell Ziva knew exactly what those mistakes were. Both from their visits and from what Alex had shared with him. It blew his mind that Ziva could actually marry into the family that had practically sold her country into slavery. Yet even as they sat together, he felt no resentment from her toward Alex. Her acceptance of him was shocking.
If the Tabiqian people can forgive the Henderson and Lawson families, why can’t we forgive each other? It wasn’t what had happened that stood in the way, it was that his family still didn’t know what really had transpired. Ziva was correct. There was power in knowledge and right now, the Lawson family felt powerless. As soon as he returned to the States, that needed to be rectified. Of course lying to most of the family and coming here by himself wasn’t going to make him popular with them for a while. But Gareth knew he’d do something else soon enough to piss them off. He always did.
He turned his attention back to Ziva and said, “I wish my granddad had made that decision. It might have stopped all this sooner.”
“Gareth, we have no idea what would’ve happened. My brothers and I have questioned things ourselves. What if we had rebelled against the big bad James Henderson when we were young? Or what if my grandmother wasn’t such a cruel evil woman? There are so many what-ifs, but none of them change what was.”
Ziva nodded and reached over to cover Alex’s hand with hers. “Or more importantly, what is now. Because that’s all we have. This moment and hope for the next. One thing about growing up in Tabiq, it made you appreciate what you have, because focusing on what you didn’t was pointless.”
“Seems like Tabiq is a lot stronger than most people give it credit for,” Gareth said.
“Yes it is. But I’m sure you didn’t bring your date here to talk about my country all night. I’d much rather hear about her,” Ziva said. “I heard enough about Gareth the last time he was here. So tell me, how do you like working at New Hope?”
Brooke smiled. “I’m loving it. You have a top notch resort. I’m going to miss it when I’m gone.”
“Janet told me you didn’t want to sign on for another year. Is there a reason why?” Alex asked.
“No. It’s just I . . . well I . . .”
“She likes to travel. What better way to see the world,” Gareth answered for her. She had no problem explaining it to him, but found it odd that she didn’t feel comfortable doing the same with them.
“One adventure after another sounds like a lot of fun. I did that for a long time. If you read my books, you’ll see that is how I decided on the settings for each story,” Alex said.
“You definitely know how to make someone feel like they are living in the story. You’re an amazing author,” Brooke said.
Gareth didn’t realize she knew who was behind that pen name. But Brooke still didn’t know Gareth and Alex were related. So far they’d only introduced each other as friends. Neither were ready to admit to anything more. If so, it would open them up to questions no one wanted. It wasn’t like time was going to change that. The less people that knew the better. Yet there he was with Brooke. What the hell made him think bringing her with him was a good idea? Of course she seemed to be enjoying herself. And Ziva seemed to love having female company as well. Although the one thing they hadn’t talked about tonight was business. Supposedly that’s why he’d been at New Hope. Brooke wasn’t one who missed much. She had to have noticed there was more going on than he and Alex let on.
And then I’ll have to start lying. That sucks.
“Alex, why don’t we let these two head out early? I mean, I’m sure they have something better to do than sit here with us all night. And besides, you promised Charisa you’d read her a story before bed.”
Gareth had to admit, he was glad Ziva suggested they leave. It saved him from coming up with an excuse to go.
“Thank you again for having us over for dinner,” Gareth said.
Brooke added, “I never imagined this was where Gareth was taking me tonight. But it was a very pleasant surprise. You have a lovely daughter. Please let her know, next time, I’ll bring my dolly with me.”
Ziva chuckled. “She has more energy than all four of us put together. If you show up with a doll, I think you’ll be held prisoner for hours upstairs.”
“Growing up as an only child, I remember how much I wanted someone to play with. So if you don’t mind, I’d really enjoy returning sometime. Maybe not for hours, but just to keep my promise to her,” Brooke said.
Alex replied, “You both are welcome any time.”
Somehow knowing that Brooke was welcome anytime at the Henderson home eased his mind a bit about leaving her behind in Tabiq. It wasn’t as though anything was going to happen to her, but he was glad Alex and Ziva would be there to keep an eye on her for him.
On the way back to the resort, Brooke seemed much more relaxed than earlier. She sat closer than before. Not as close as he’d like, but that might be for the best. It wasn’t like they could do anything on the bumpy road back.
“Did you enjoy yourself?” he asked.
She turned to him and said, “It was really nice. But then again, I seem to enjoy myself anytime I’m with you.”
“Does that mean I can talk you into having a nightcap with me when we get back?” Gareth needed to make sure she understood what he was offering. “I know those shoes aren’t great on the beach, but there is a comfortable lounge that serves some awesome tropical drinks.”
He was more of a bourbon guy, but if it meant this night not ending, he’d have one of those fancy fruity umbrella drinks.
“I’d really like that, but you do know I have to work in the morning.”
Gareth was trying to forget that. “So you’re saying only one drink?”
She laughed and slid a bit closer to him. “I’m saying only two.”
Even though this night wasn’t going to end in his bed, he was glad it wasn’t ending soon.
6
Last night had been amazing. Although she learned more about Tabiq in a few hours than she had in the past ten months, the best part was her time alone with Gareth afterward. It wasn’t like they did a lot of talking; they just sat in the lounge and listened to music. She enjoyed his company most of all.
How could sitting and not speaking be so nice? What wasn’t pleasant was the headache she was fighting this morning. The staff knew she didn’t drink alcohol, so they’d brought her virgin frozen Hopeless In Love drinks both times. Absolutely delicious, they were a mix of coconut and pineapple. Unless someone knew what extra cherries around the fancy umbrella meant, they’d never know the difference.
Yet the pounding in her temple wasn’t going away. She knew it was from lack of sleep. Brooke had intended to only spend an hour with him listening to music. Somehow the time slipped away, and before she knew it the clock showed two in the morning. For someone who had to get up at five, that really sucked. But here she was, dressed and at least looking ready to wait on whoever was hungry while all she wanted to do was crawl back under the covers and sleep all day.
If her morning wasn’t starting rough already, Janet was there and not looking too pleased either. She didn’t normally arrive until seven at the earliest, so this had to be bad. The fact she was headed in Brooke’s direction was a good indication it had to do with her.
I knew there was going to be a price to pay for last night.
“Good morning, Brooke. Could you please come with me to my office?”
Brooke nodded and followed her out of the dining area and down the hall. She sensed all the staff staring. She knew she would be the topic of gossip today. Not that any was ever shared with her, but she knew it would be about her. And well deserved too.
Once inside, Janet closed the door and said, “Have a seat.” Brooke did as she instructed and waited. Once Janet sat down at her desk, she said, “You put me in a very difficult situation. I have no choice but to bring
you into my office.”
“I understand. The policy is in place for a reason.” Brooke felt horrible. In all her life, she’d never had the smallest blemish on her record. This wasn’t an accident. She had full control over what she did and didn’t do with Gareth. She fully knew and understood what could happen by ignoring the rules.
Janet leaned over and peered at Brooke. She waited to hear she was suspended or fired or had to sign a written warning. But Janet just kept looking at her instead.
“I wish I could say more. I’m guilty,” Brooke confessed.
“You better believe you are. And do you know what gets me the most?” Brooke shook her head. “I had to overhear the staff talking about it. I would’ve thought you’d have mentioned something about it to me.”
Brooke blinked. Janet’s expression wasn’t angry. So what was it? “I guess I wasn’t thinking about that at the time.”
“No. And now I’m forced to drag you into my office and keep you here for a bit so everyone thinks you’re being reprimanded.”
“I’m not?” Brooke asked, fully confused.
“You think I’m going to write you a warning for sneaking off New Hope and having dinner with one of the owners and his family? I might as well fire myself.” Janet laughed.
“I’m not in here to get . . .”
“You’re in here to make it look like you’re in trouble. And maybe to spill some of the good details I’m dying to hear.”
Brooke smirked. “Details? I believe you already know the Hendersons.”
Janet rolled her eyes and picked up her pen. “It’s not too late, you know,” she teased. They both knew it was an empty threat.
“Oh, you mean Mr. Lawson.”
“Of course I do. And with the dress you wore, I don’t think you call him Mr. Lawson any longer. I heard you turned quite a few heads last night. You’ll have to tell me where you got it.”
“It’s so old, I can’t remember. But I brought it along just in case there ever was an occasion I needed to—”
“Sexy it up?” Janet asked. She nodded. “And did Gareth like the dress?”
“Oh yes. And if I had known he was taking me to Alex and Ziva’s home, I would’ve worn something else.”
The Billionaire's Scandal (The Blank Check Series Book 3) Page 7