“I hope so. It seems like I’m always one step behind today. Hopefully once Claire...everyone’s settled...and the dress arrives...” My voice trailed off. “But this isn’t about me, it’s your wedding. I shouldn’t be complaining. I’m sorry, Ben.”
Ben was shaking his head, a smile playing on his lips. “I think everyone, including you, should be enjoying themselves. This is a beautiful island...kind of magical, actually. I know you’re here to do a job, but you should try to relax and squeeze some time in to just take it all in.” He put his hand on my shoulder and I stopped breathing, afraid to move for fear he’d pull away. His touch felt electrifying as if my skin were on fire.
“Promise me you’ll let me know if things get overwhelming, okay?” His voice was sincere, and I managed to nod my head. He straightened, giving my shoulder a tight squeeze before removing his grip.
I reluctantly started the cart and Ben took a step back. “I’ll let you get back to work.”
I nodded. “Enjoy your afternoon with the guys, and your dinner. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“You won’t be there tonight?”
As much as I tried not to notice, and as much I tried to tell myself it was all my imagination, Ben’s smile dimmed, just a little. There was no sense in thinking he was going to miss me at dinner. This was his wedding, after all, not a date. But my heart still did a little flutter in my chest.
“No, not tonight. You’ll be in the capable hands of Nigel’s staff for the dinner.”
“Well, then thanks for all your help today, with the guys and getting them here in one piece. They can be quite a handful.” He glanced at the villa. “Speaking of them, I better make sure they’re not tearing the place apart.”
“They seem like a great bunch of guys, especially Alex.”
Ben’s smile returned and he looked at me with a raised eyebrow. “I see Alex has worked his charm on you then.” Then his expression grew serious. “But yeah, they are pretty great. I honestly can’t imagine my life without them in it, as crazy as they can get. This wouldn’t be the same without them here.”
Alex was standing on the wide porch, calling to Ben and waving a bottle of beer in his direction.
“And so it begins.” He gave me one last smile before he turned and walked up the steps, taking the beer from Alex, and they watched me execute a not so bad turn around. I gave them a wave before heading off down the path to the villa.
More than anything now I wanted some alone time in my own little corner of paradise but Ben’s grandparents were my responsibility. After Ben’s reassurances, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. Then I remembered I was working for Vienna. Whatever the guests thought didn’t matter; it was all about what Vienna thought. And my own little corner of paradise seemed further away.
I’d splurged on a new swimsuit, the first one I’d owned in years, and I’d been thinking about taking my first dip in this amazing blue ocean. Trips to the beach were few and far between when I was growing up and they never included any beaches like the one outside my room.
I’d never felt comfortable at the beach with all of the super skinny women, preening for the guys. I’d felt out of place, awkward in my own skin, but through the years I’d somehow finally gotten to the point where I not only accepted my size and shape, but I was quite proud of my curves. Every last inch.
But work had to come first. I headed back to the terminal, arriving just in time to see Vienna pulling away with Ben’s parents. I wasn’t sure what I expected, but they were dressed far more formally than anyone, save Mrs. Latham. As I climbed out of my cart, I watched Vienna carrying them down the path toward their villa, her cart traveling at a sedate pace.
I sighed and turned toward the glass doors of the terminal and thought about families, how sometimes all the members are so much alike in looks and mannerisms you can pick them out of a crowd. And here, how Ben’s parents looked so uptight and starchily stiff, and yet Ben was so relaxed and easy-going.
I pulled open the door and was met with peals of laughter. Standing in the center of the room was Nigel, hands on his hips, watching a tall, white-haired man in the midst of waving his arms over his head, apparently in the middle of an animated recitation. A small woman was seated, laughing up at the man. As I watched, Nigel put his hands on his knees and surrendered to wave after wave of laughter.
Not wanting to interrupt, I hesitated just inside the door. As Nigel straightened, he caught my eye. With a wide smile, he hurried across the room, pulling me into the small group.
“Dana, my dear. Come here. Meet my old friend, Nathan Carter, and his lovely wife, Sophie. Dana is one half of the wedding planning team working with Claire and Ben.”
The woman rose, extending her hand. I hesitated shaking her tiny hand, fearful of hurting her. But I almost winced at the strength of her hand gripping mine.
“Dana, lovely to meet you. This is my husband, Nate. You’re working with Vienna then? How exciting...traveling about to all these exotic locations. Such a romantic job.”
Nathanial Benjamin Carter, the original, had come to stand beside his wife. He towered over both of us and I could see the family resemblance, Ben’s same strong jaw and straight nose. The only difference, aside from several decades, was the thick shock of snowy hair.
“Nice to meet you, young lady.” He shook my hand, much more gently than his wife had, and graced me with the same warm smile Ben had. I instantly like the guy.
“Well, I’m off, now that you’re in good hands.” Nate leaned down, kissing Sophie full on the lips. And then he was out the doors. I watched him for a moment, expecting him to climb into the cart, but he strode off down one of the paths. I turned to Sophie.
“He isn’t walking, is he?” It was hot and humid and I was already wilting, just from riding in the cart. Then again, he was wearing a light linen shirt and I was still corseted in my jacket.
“Don’t look so alarmed, dear.” She took my arm, leading me out the doors into the bright sunshine. “He walks everywhere, you know. And he knows his way around this island. He’ll be fine.”
“Well, okay. If you think...”
“I don’t think...I know.” Her gentle laugh carried on the breeze. “I’ve been married to the man for almost sixty years.”
I had no choice but to smile. She was utterly charming. James had joined us, loading their luggage into the back of his cart. I heard a brief conversation between them and saw her pat his arm. James gave her one of his rare smiles before disappearing back into the terminal. It occurred to me they must be frequent visitors here, James and the rest of the staff almost like family.
Sophie turned, her bright blue eyes fixed on me. “I, however, have no intention of walking. Shall we?” She climbed into the cart and I joined her. As charming as she was, I sensed a core of steel.
“We shall.” I started the cart and headed down the paths toward her villa, keeping an eye out for Nate in any kind of distress along the way. But I didn’t come across him lying prostrate on any of the paths. We also didn’t pass him along the way, which puzzled me.
“You must be very excited for Ben and Claire.”
There was a long pause than I would have expected. I glanced at Sophie and saw the same look I’d seen from, the smile on her face not quite reaching her eyes.
“Ben is happy...and that’s what’s important.” She drew a deep breath and turned to me.
“Have you met Claire?”
“Yes.” I wondered if this was going to be a repeat of the conversation I’d had with Alex.
“My grandson is a pretty amazing young man. But he suffers from something I call the ‘white knight syndrome’.”
I shook my head. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
“Ben feels the need to rescue women...specifically Claire. He has it in his head that he’s the only one who can make her happy.”
“I see.” I didn’t, really, but I wasn’t going to admit that to Sophie, at least not yet. I wasn’t sure what Claire might need rescu
ing from, unless it was her mother.
“You see, Claire has had a rather...unfortunate life up to this point. Her father died when she was quite young, and her mother is a bit...overbearing. Have you met Mrs. Latham?”
“I have, yes.”
“Well, when Ben first met Claire, through a charity Claire worked for and Ben contributed a great deal to, one that Mrs. Latham was also involved in, it became clear to Ben that Claire was terribly unhappy. While that may have been true, Ben seemed to have come to the conclusion that Claire could only be happy with him.”
I bit my lip, unsure if I was required to provide some reply. But Sophie went on in the face of my confused silence.
“I’m not so sure it’s that Ben is the only one to make Claire happy or if Claire has finally found a man with enough money to make her happy.” Sophie leaned toward me, her hand on my forearm.
“You’re familiar with the term ‘gold-digger’, aren’t you?”
I almost drove off the path. If wedding planning involved families and friends divulging their innermost thoughts about the opposite family, I might have to think about adding a Psych degree to my little hospitality degree. I’d learned about budgets and market strategies, but nothing about family dynamics as it related to soon-to-be married couples. I wondered if Vienna was going through the same thing with Claire and Mrs. Latham. It chilled me to the bone to think of explaining all this to Vienna. I was pretty sure having the grandmother of the groom telling me her future granddaughter-in-law was a gold-digger was not what Vienna meant by remaining unobtrusive.
“But Ben is happy, right? I mean, he loves Claire?” I blurted out what I thought was obvious.
“He’s in love with the idea of rescuing the girl. But that’s not true love.” Sophie sighed. “He’s caught up in duty and honor, things his parents have told him are important.”
We’d finally arrived at Sophie’s villa. I parked the cart and turned off the motor. She turned to me, her eyes bright.
“When I first saw Nate, I knew...right then...he was the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. He felt the same...we were inseparable from the beginning. And we were married three months after we met.”
“Love at first sight...” I smiled, imagining them all those years ago, young and in hopeless love.
“Yes. Exactly. Nate and I followed our hearts and never looked back.” Sophie tapped her head with her index finger. “Ben is following his head. I don’t think he trusts his heart.” She made that noise that only grandmothers can make, somewhere between a tsk and a tut, mildly disapproving, but still full of love.
“But what do I know? I’m just a silly old woman.” Sophie drew a deep breath, giving me a bright smile. She turned, looking behind us down the path.
“And here comes the traveler, back from wherever he’s been.”
I looked behind us and there was Nate, striding up the path, looking just as fresh as when he had stepped out of the terminal. He stopped beside the cart, holding out his arm to Sophie.
“Sophie, my love, would you like an escort to your villa?”
Sophie smiled up at Nate, looking positively girlish. She took his arm, stepping gracefully out of the cart. Then she turned back to me.
“Thank you, Dana. For the ride and the chat. It was kind of you to indulge me...although you were rather a captive audience.” And with that, she and Nate went up the stairs to their villa. I watched them, arm in arm, and then Nate opened the door and held it for Sophie. Just before she stepped through, she turned, caught my eye and gave me a wave.
I turned the cart around and tapped my mic. “Vienna? I’ve dropped off the grandparents. Where do you want me next?”
There was silence. I tapped the mic again. “Vienna? Are you there?”
“Of course I’m here.” Even through the microphone, I could sense the tension.
“Okay. What do you want me to do next?”
And then I heard the words I’d been anticipating all day. “You’re free for the rest of the night.”
I tried to keep the joy and relief out of my voice. “Are you sure? It’s still early...”
“I’m sure. The family dinner tonight is taken care of and I want you well rested for tomorrow. The rest of the guests will be arriving and I want them transported with a little more speed and efficiency than you showed today. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, Vienna.”
“And I want that dress to be your priority. First thing in the morning, call the shipping company...”
There was a burst of static and the rest of Vienna’s comments were lost. I nodded anyway. There was no mistaking what my priorities for tomorrow would be.
But for now, I was free. And that meant freeing myself from this polyester nightmare of a jacket and taking a swim in that beautiful blue ocean waiting for me outside my room. I’d skipped lunch and breakfast was a long-forgotten memory but food could wait. The ocean beckoned and for the first time that day, I had my cart at top speed on the way back to my room.
I did remember to plug in the cart, like James showed me, before I ran up the stairs to my room. My luggage was where James had left it and I dug through, finding the swim suit at the bottom. The hateful jacket ended up on the floor, along with the rest of my clothes as I changed.
The sand was warm beneath my feet and I stopped at the water’s edge, looking out at the water, mesmerized by the view. The sun was low in the sky, with a few clouds on the horizon, and the light had changed. It wasn’t the brilliant sunshine from earlier. The light was tinged with yellow and orange, the water turning a deeper shade of blue.
Who knew three simple things—sand, water and sunlight—could come together in such a magical way. I waded out into the water, amazed at the warmth, how buoyant I felt. I dove into the crystal clear water, watching the sandy bottom for shells or fish. When I surfaced, I stood, the water reaching just past my waist. This was heaven, no doubt about it.
I played in the water until I realized the sun had almost set and it was getting dark. It occurred to me that being secluded in paradise was one thing, but being swept out to sea and no one knowing was another. A shiver ran through me as I looked out across the ocean. I felt very tiny and very alone and suddenly I wanted the security of my little room.
For being so small, my room didn’t seem to be lacking any creature comforts. I found an incredibly soft robe in the bathroom, and what looked like dozens of fluffy white towels, and I snuggled into the robe, cinching the belt around my waist. My stomach rumbled and I realized I was starving. But getting dressed and driving all the way to God knows where wasn’t very appealing. I wasn’t even sure where I was supposed to go for meals. I blew out a sigh. And then I spotted a curtained area of my room, tucked discretely into a corner. I pulled back the curtain and broke into a big grin.
There was a small kitchen, complete with a miniature refrigerator and small cook top. There was also a fairly well stocked liquor cabinet, along with an assortment of cheeses and breads, all fresh and smelling wonderful. I’d totally missed seeing this earlier. The view from the French doors had taken all my attention.
And in my haste to hit the beach, I’d totally missed the welcome basket of fruit that someone—James probably—had left on the bedside table. Between the fruit, bread and cheese, along with a drink, I was set with dinner. No need to change or go anywhere...I could relax. I did a little dance around my tiny kitchen and then got busy slicing cheese and bread, and poured a glass of white wine. It took me a minute to get the cork out of the bottle and I giggled. The only wine we’d ever had at home, or that I could afford, came in bottles with a screw top. I suddenly felt awkward as I wrestled the cork out of the bottle.
I stepped out on to the back patio and stopped dead in my tracks. I’d never seen anything like the display going on over my head. The sun was just below the horizon, but the sky was brilliantly colored in yellows and purples. The undersides of the clouds were streaked in every shade of orange imaginable.
; The only sounds were the soft wash of the waves on the sand and a few birds in the bushes around my room. Other than that, it was completely silent. I sat on the steps in my robe and spread my impromptu dinner beside me. The sky was growing progressively darker as I ate, the colors deepened and finally all melded into a deep blue. I couldn’t tell where the water ended and the sky began.
I nibbled on a piece of cheese, something complex and pungent, and took a sip of wine. It was cool and crisp, perfect with the cheese. I closed my eyes, sighing deeply, my muscles relaxing. I hadn’t realized just how tense I was until now.
Suddenly I was hit with a wave of homesickness. Everyone here—Claire and Ben—was with their family and good friends. And I was alone. I missed my roommate Lisa and my cat, Frank. Setting down the food, I retrieved my cellphone from my purse and dialed home. Lisa answered and for a moment, I was so happy to hear her voice I almost cried.
“Lisa, it’s me.” I finally managed to choke out a sentence.
“Dana? You okay? You sound upset.” Lisa has always understood me, like no one else.
“Yeah. I’m fine...” I sniffled a little. “I just...I got homesick. I miss you guys, you and Frank.”
“We miss you too. Frank says hi. But homesick in paradise? Really?” I heard her throaty laughter and smiled. “Must be rough. You know it’s below freezing here. And I have to walk to work in the morning.”
“Yeah. I know. Sorry. I’m in paradise and I’m complaining. It’s been a really busy day and I’m finally getting to relax and...I just realized how alone I was here.”
“I thought you were in the middle of planning the biggest wedding in the city’s history.”
I sank back down on the steps. “Not right now. I’m done for the day. There’s a big family dinner at the main villa, but the island staff is taking care of that.”
“So how was it, seeing how the rich and famous live?”
“The island is amazing. Everything you’d imagine a tropical paradise would be. The owner, Nigel, he’s this funny little British guy. Very eccentric, but very fun.”
Seduction in the Sun: Adult Romance Box Set (9 Sizzling Tales with BBW, Billionaires, Bad Boys, and Alpha Males) Page 21