Still, the happy, carefree man he’d been careful to show her last weekend wasn’t the only side of him. She wished it were, but nothing could change the facts. She’d seen how fast he flipped into anger mode. It wasn’t something she cared to tangle with, no matter how sexy he was on the outside.
* * *
Brad knew he’d screwed up. Although conversation went on as normal around them after a few seconds, his siblings used to the weekly flare-ups between him and Shane, Chelsea hadn’t said a single word to him since the argument. She barely picked at her plate and only responded when asked a direct question by one of the other family members.
His parents tried hard to help her engage with the family and they obviously liked her, but Chelsea gave monosyllabic answers before looking back at her uneaten food.
All along, he’d worried about their differences in temperament being a problem. Brad knew he should have tried harder to control his reaction to Shane, but his little brother knew just where to prod. That particular argument had been going on for months now. Just as soon as Brad had broken down and agreed to find room in the budget for the new top-of-the-line ovens that Shane just had to have, his baby brother switched focus and needed all new small appliances.
While Brad understood the kitchen needed certain items to run effectively, the mixers, blenders, pressure cookers and everything else already there were in perfect working order. Shane didn’t need everything replaced this year, he just wanted it replaced so he felt like he was in control. He hated answering to Brad about money issues, and honestly, Brad hated being the one in charge of Shane’s spending.
Perhaps when Matt’s crew finished working on the Adventure Palace Brad would give Matt more administrative duties, putting him in charge of anything related to the food industry on the island. Let Sydney and Matt deal with Shane’s insane demands.
“You’re being awfully quiet,” he murmured at a low volume that only Chelsea could hear. “I’m sorry you had to see that. Shane likes to set me off.”
Chelsea glanced up, arching her eyebrows. “It seems to me you enjoy being set off.”
“What? No. I can’t help it if—”
“Sure you can,” she interrupted. “Why continue to do something that makes you unhappy? You obviously hate being island manager.”
Why indeed? As much as he wished things were different, Chelsea was right. Taking over the island’s management from Quinn had seemed like the way to finally earn his family’s respect. The reality of the situation had left much to be desired. Not only did they not respect him, but they fought even more now if that was possible.
He missed the stables, missed spending his days with Warrior and hearing the ocean while he worked. Quinn had been smart, giving the position away. At the time, Brad thought of Quinn as a failure, certain he could do a better job than his brother had. Experience brought perspective, however. Quinn chose happiness and love over frustration and unsatisfying work.
Sighing, he shook his head. “There’s no one else to do it.”
Chelsea tilted her head. “Surely you could hire someone. Sydney explained you get paychecks and not some huge trust fund account from your parents. If they are paying you a paycheck, they could do that for someone else.”
While technically that was true, the family also didn’t want an outsider in charge of their resort. This place had been their grandfather’s baby, bought at a low price with absolutely nothing on the island. He’d built it into a moderately successful resort before passing it over to John, and they’d continued the island’s growth into what it was today. It was important to have someone in charge who understood the history and importance of this place, someone who wouldn’t ruin Grandpa’s legacy.
“Once the Adventure Palace is complete Matt’s going to have time to take on more duties,” he whispered, not wanting anyone to overhear their conversation. “It’s projected to be done by November. I can hold on that long.”
Chelsea pouted her lips out and narrowed her eyes slightly. “I’m not sure you can.”
As though that were the end of anything she wanted to say, Chelsea returned her attention to her food. She held her body stiffly away from him. Gone was the easy intimacy they’d shared in her apartment and coming up the stairs to his parents’ home. She didn’t want to be here and absolutely didn’t want to spend more time with Brad. That couldn’t be clearer if she shouted it at the top of her lungs.
“Just as soon as we finish dinner I’ll drive you home,” he said.
Without looking at him, she nodded. “That’s a good idea.”
* * *
The ride home was every bit as uncomfortable as Chelsea expected, and not because of her fear of cars. She wanted to say something to Brad to somehow help him, but she didn’t know what. His relationship with his family was too contentious. He and Shane blowing up like that so quickly in front of whoever happened to be around didn’t seem healthy. While she worried about Brad, it was also something she wasn’t sure she wanted to involve herself in.
He stopped in the parking lot at her building, not turning off the car. “I guess that kiss we talked about earlier is out of the question, huh?”
She blew out a sigh, but nodded. “Our lives are so different. I have a hard enough time staying positive because of the nature of my job, and I try to avoid confrontation outside of work.”
“Which means you don’t want to spend time with someone like me.” He looked away, staring out the front windshield. “I told Sydney this would happen when I found out she invited you to the picnic.”
“You’re a great guy,” she said. “It’s not—”
“Don’t patronize me,” he snapped. “You either like me or you don’t. Obviously, you don’t.”
Chelsea hated that she’d hurt his feelings. It wasn’t as black and white as he wanted to believe. She did like him, quite a lot, in fact. But he was different when his family was around. “I think you need to figure things out with your brothers. You’d be a lot happier if you made them your friends instead of enemies.”
“Thanks, Dr. Taylor. I didn’t think it was possible, but it seems you’ve officially shrunk me.” He didn’t look at her and made no movement to get out of the car and open her door.
She couldn’t blame him for being upset. People often didn’t like hearing her opinion when they hadn’t asked for it. Sometimes she just couldn’t help herself.
Unsure what else to do, Chelsea opened the door and stood up. “This is probably for the best, Brad. It’s good to find out we aren’t compatible early in. Take care of yourself.”
She shut the door and hurried into her building. Maybe it had been a waste of time to date in the first place. It didn’t matter if she liked Brad and had caught herself thinking about him nearly all the time over the past week. They didn’t have anything in common, and she couldn’t see herself with a man who was always so ready to fight. Besides, she’d known for a long time not to let herself fall for anyone. Love wasn’t in the cards for her. It would be best to make a clean break, even if that did make her heart ache with regret.
Chapter 10
The following Saturday, Chelsea sat at a table in The Pavilion with Sierra. A swift breeze coming off the ocean that surrounded the restaurant’s dining area on three sides helped cool them from an unusually humid day.
“Where’s Parker?” Chelsea asked, surprised when Sierra had called to ask about having lunch.
“He had a snorkeling class to teach. He’s been trying to take weekends off, but this group offered to pay double his normal price. Can’t pass that up.”
“No,” Chelsea agreed. “You can’t.”
“Susan and John wanted to have Ryan for the day, so I found myself alone.” Sierra tucked red hair behind her ear to stop the wind from tugging it across her face. “It’s funny. Once upon a time, I would have done anything for my family to leave me alone for an entire day. Now it’s awfully lonely.”
Chelsea smiled, truly happy to see this progress in Sierra. “You’re healin
g. And now that you have a little one on the way, maybe you can finally let go of the past.”
“Oh! Speaking of the little one, the doctor called yesterday. They ran this new blood test and the results came back. Parker and I are having a little girl too!”
Chelsea kept her smile in place. “That’s great.” Now that she’d admitted she wanted a family of her own, Chelsea found it difficult not to worry. She was thirty. Her best years to have kids were upon her, and she had no prospective daddy.
“Are you okay?” Sierra asked. “You seem off today. In fact, you were at dinner the other night too. Why did you and Brad leave so quickly?”
“I...” Chelsea leaned in closer to Sierra, hoping no one would overhear them. “Is he always so ready to fight? It seems Brad doesn’t get along with anyone, and the way things blew up between him and Shane...”
Sierra’s eyes slid away from Chelsea’s, as though she had something to hide. “He’s not a bad guy.”
“But is he always ready for a fight?” Chelsea demanded.
Sierra finally looked back at her. “A week never goes by that he doesn’t argue with one of them. I’m not sure if Brad is just super sensitive or if the guys delight in upsetting him. Of course, Parker has mostly backed off now that Brad and Ryan are so close. I was surprised when he jumped to Shane’s defense.” She shrugged. “I only see Brad at the family dinners. Maybe he’s only like that around them. Did you guys talk about it?”
“No. Things weren’t good when he drove me home. He didn’t want to talk, and I honestly didn’t see the point myself.” Chelsea sipped her virgin margarita, enjoying the sour taste as the slushy mixture cooled her off. “I’m around people with issues all the time. A man I’m dating needs to be more put together. I need someone who can be a pillar of strength for me on my bad days, someone I won’t have to heal and fix.”
Sierra frowned. “So, basically you think you’re such a catch and that you should have the perfect man because you’re so perfect?” She tilted her head slightly. “Is that what you’re saying? No wonder you’re single.”
The verbal barbs hurt and if it had been anyone besides Sierra saying those things, Chelsea probably would have got up and left. However, she knew Sierra loved her like a sister. She wasn’t trying to be cruel.
Also, she made an excellent point.
“Of course I’m not perfect,” she replied. “I might help others, but I’m pretty screwed up. Hell, I’m too chicken to get into cars because I never dealt with my past. I sit on my safe beach, dreaming of doing something more with my life, something exciting, and I never take any steps toward doing it. I’ve been thinking about that survivalist trip ever since I arrived here, yet I never asked for time off to actually do it.”
Sierra reached across the table and gripped Chelsea’s hand. “But you can change your life and make it better if you really want to.” A grin broke across her face. “I’m pretty sure some wise woman told me that when my life had fallen apart.”
Chelsea snorted. “Yeah. For someone so good at giving advice to other people, I sure can’t fix my own life.” She blinked back tears and used her free hand to stroke the cross around her neck. “I can’t even get over my grandmother’s death and she’s been gone such a long time.”
“I think someone also told me grief has no time limit,” Sierra said.
“Throwing my words in my face, huh?” Chelsea grinned, knowing Sierra was right. “You aren’t thinking about taking my job from me are you? You’re pretty darn good at this.”
Shaking her head, Sierra gave a soft chuckle. “I’m content working in the daycare, especially since John and Susan are traveling more often and many days I get to have Ryan there with me. It really is the perfect job.”
“I’m glad things have worked out for you. Have you started talking to your parents again?”
“No,” Sierra replied. “I gave them one phone call as you suggested, just to confront them, but I don’t need them in my life. I have everything I need right here.”
Chelsea wished she could say the same. Had she been too hard on Brad? Hearing Sierra lay it out in the terms of her expecting Brad to be perfect, Chelsea knew that was what she had wanted. It wasn't fair to expect that of any man. Everyone had issues. Sure, some were worse than others, but she wasn’t a bastion of mental health and she was a therapist. Brad had told her himself that he was working on having a better relationship with his brothers but that it would be difficult. A longstanding rivalry couldn’t change overnight, so why had Chelsea expected it to?
“I think I’m looking for reasons not to date Brad,” she murmured. “When he and I were alone, he seemed almost too perfect. A man I could really fall for. That’s scary as hell.”
Sierra nodded, compassion filling her hazel eyes. “If you open yourself up to love, you open yourself up to getting hurt. You’ve been searching for Mr. Perfect because you knew he didn’t exist. You could never get hurt that way.”
“You sure you’re not trying to take over my job?”
They both laughed and the server arrived with their food, stopping any further conversation.
However, as they dug into their meal and changed the subject back toward Sierra and her pregnancy, Chelsea couldn’t help but think about what she’d said. Was she pushing Brad away because he could actually be the man she’d fall for?
* * *
“I need two weeks off.” Brad looked across his desk at Matt, not surprised to see the shock in the other man’s eyes.
“Two weeks? Now?” Matt shook his head. “Why?”
“Chelsea.”
Some of the shock left the other man’s gaze. “You’re going to take her on that survivalist challenge thing, aren’t you?”
“It’s the only thing I can think to do. She won’t talk to me. She told me things wouldn’t work out between us and raced up to her apartment after dinner last week. She ignored my text when I tried to apologize and didn’t respond when I sent flowers.”
“I don’t get it. I thought you were getting along.” Matt crossed one ankle over his knee, tapping his fingers on the arm of his chair. “Sydney’s been over the moon happy, so sure she set you up with your soul mate and you’d end up married soon.”
Brad rolled his eyes. “Of course, she would think that. You’ve turned my sister into too much of a romantic. Unfortunately, I’ve been worried all along that Chelsea is such a happy person and I’m just not. That seems to be the problem. She totally shut down after my disagreement with Shane over the damn blenders.”
“I don’t know why he thinks he needs everything replaced,” Matt grumbled. “You gave him the new ovens. That kid doesn’t understand budgets.”
Brad nodded, glad at least someone agreed with him. “He’s the youngest, though. Mom and Dad pretty much gave him everything he ever wanted, including that expensive school in Europe. He’s gotten away with more than the rest of us and just doesn’t get it. I understand all that, but it still pisses me off when he starts in on me.”
Matt let out a short chuckle. “So you want to run away and play island boy while I deal with him?”
Grinning, Brad nodded. “Pretty much sums it up. I have to do something to get Chelsea’s attention. This is the only thing I can think of. Can your foreman out at the Adventure Palace handle things so you can stay in the office while I’m gone?”
“Sure, he’s great. He probably doesn’t need me at all, but I know you wanted me to keep an eye on things. We’ll make it work. That said, I’m kind of worried about you. Chelsea admitted she’s never done anything like that before, so she has no survival skills. You’re a rich kid who lives on an island resort. Do you have any survival skills?”
“Well, that could be a problem.” Brad pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache starting behind his eyes. “I’ve spent the last few days watching everything on-line I can find about it, trying to figure out what we need to have with us and what not to do. I know the water at Quinn’s Grove is safe to drink since we’v
e been doing it our entire lives. However, once we pass the waterfall, I have no clue if the other water on the island will make us sick. I don’t know what kind of food we can expect to find when we are out there. Two weeks is a long time to eat nothing but papaya.”
He could pack dehydrated food, but to eat that they would need water. Two weeks’ worth of food would take up a lot of space, and they still had to pack everything else they needed. Chelsea had also specified she wanted to do it with minimal supplies. She might not agree to go with him if he packed too much stuff.
“Take a fire starting kit and a pot,” Matt advised. “If you boil it long enough, you can drink whatever water you find.”
“Does that mean you’ll cover for me?”
Matt laughed. “How long do you think it would take Sydney to skin me alive if I didn’t do whatever I could to help you and Chelsea get together?”
Joining in the laughter, Brad almost felt sorry for the other man. Almost, except he knew Matt was deliriously happy to be bossed around by Sydney, and Brad wanted something like that for himself.
“Looks like I’d better get serious about finalizing some plans,” Brad said. “I need to figure out how to become a survivalist.”
Matt nodded. “Take a satellite phone, just in case something happens. One good thing, there aren’t any dangerous animals on the island. Watch out for scorpions, though.”
Brad shuddered, wondering what would happen if one of them were stung by a scorpion out there and had a bad reaction. “We’ll be careful,” he promised. “At least she isn’t insisting on exploring the Amazon jungle or something. I’ve seen people do that in videos I watched.”
“Well, good to know your girlfriend isn’t entirely crazy.” Matt winked. “Just partially crazy. That’s normal from what I’ve seen.”
Brad shook his head, laughing again. “I won’t tell my sister you said that. She might shoot the messenger.”
“Nah, she knows I love her more than anything. Trust me, all the craziness in the world, your own and the woman you love’s, is worth it.”
Love's Ride (McCallister's Paradise Book 4) Page 8