"I just need to close up the gaping holes, and I can get to my family." He parked and checked himself in the mirror before getting out of his car. Several familiar faces smiled, and a few waved as he made his way up to his office.
Everything seemed dull without Bethany there to add excitement to life. What in the world did I do before her?
"Morning, boss." Ben walked down the hall toward Damon, a smile on his face. "What are you doing here? I thought you guys were headed out for Jamaica."
"Everyone else left this morning. I'm supposed to head out tomorrow early, but I'm thinking I might be able to get out of here in a couple of hours. I spent a long night up here last night."
Linda stood from behind her desk and smiled. "I moved all of your meetings to next week. I have a flight that's headed out of here in two hours. You want to try and catch it?"
Ben cleared his throat. "None of my business, but I think that's a great idea. There isn't too much that you're going to be able to do on Zarpeth until you get out there in a few weeks."
"Very true." Damon glanced down toward his feet, trying to determine if there were anything else he could do before leaving that would help them with the inventory issue. "I just feel like I should be able to lock this up before I go. I'm not sure I'd be able to relax if-"
"One or ten margaritas and you're going to be great, boss." Ben patted Damon's chest. "I'm here if you need anything, and from what I hear, your dad has opened up a few positions to try and get some help in here."
"Really?" Damon's eyes widened a little. "Not sure why he didn't discuss that with me first."
Linda leaned toward them. "Probably because you're busy running the show around here, Damon. He knows how many hours you put in and all that you do."
"True." Ben smiled and walked toward the elevator, turning to speak over his shoulder. "Get out there to your family."
"Yeah, soon." Damon ran his fingers through his hair. "What were you doing up here anyway? Smelling the leather? Dreaming of the day when you have an office up here with the big boys?"
"Something like that." Ben smirked as he pressed his back to the far side of the elevator as the doors closed.
"He said he wrote up your report for you." Linda sat back down at her desk. "You had notes all over the place. Took him half the morning."
Damon lifted his wrist to his face to check the time. "Half the morning? I left here at four, and it's just now ten. When did Ben get in?"
"Around five from what he told me. He came up to help you wrap things up, but when you weren't here, I guess he just gathered your notes and wrote the report."
"Excellent." Damon turned on his heel and moved into the office to look for the report. It was typed up and professionally bound in a black folder on his desk. Catching the flight to Jamaica wasn't going to be hard to do at all, thanks to Ben being a team player.
"So... does this mean you want me to call a driver to take you to the airport?" Linda leaned against the doorframe and smiled.
"Yeah. Do that. I'll be ready to go in fifteen minutes."
***
Damon sat down in first class on the plane and let out a soft grunt as he stretched his legs out. The older woman beside him glanced over and smiled.
"I love it up here. I never thought I would be able to afford this, but my Fred finally made it big just before he passed." She shrugged and leaned back in her seat.
"I'm sorry to hear that." Damon buckled his seatbelt and pulled the blind down on the window. "What did he do for a living?"
"Oh, don't be sorry. He was a mean old bastard."
Damon smiled, unable to help himself. Would Beth tell a similar story when he died of old age? Always sweet and loving to her, but a cock and a half to everyone else.
The woman crossed her arms over her thin frame and chuckled. "He worked in the shoe business. Built up a small chain of shoe stores around the nation."
"Very interesting. What's the name of the place?" He turned his head a little to focus on her. She was pretty and must have been a looker back in her time. Soft spoken, but there was a fire behind her eyes.
"Delany's. It's a chain now." She glanced toward Damon. "Don't let me bore you to death. A good-looking man like you, being bothered by an old woman like me when you'd much rather catch up on rest, I'm sure."
Damon stifled the yawn building in the back of his throat. "I'm good. I slept like a baby last night."
If you count the three hours of sleep I got.
"Well, you're kind. Thank you." She reached over and patted his arm. "Are you married?"
"Not yet, but I found the girl I'm going to marry." He crossed his arms over his chest and forced himself to look alert. Before Bethany, he probably would have said something nice to the older woman and fallen asleep, but something about his woman softened him. Hopefully, it was only in the right ways.
"I bet she's beautiful."
"Absolutely. She's got long brown hair and big green eyes. She's sweet and sensitive, but bossy as hell." He smirked. "I'm going to Jamaica to surprise her. She expects me tomorrow."
"Oh, nice. She's going to love that. You should take her flowers."
"Do women really like flowers? Seems like a waste of money." Damon chuckled at the look that passed across the woman's face. She obviously liked flowers a lot.
"I think it's more about the idea behind getting the flowers, but yes, women love flowers."
"Why?" His eyes grew heavy.
"Because it says, I love you, or I care about you, and it does it in a soft, sensitive way."
Damon nodded. "I could see that."
"When are you getting married?"
"I'm not sure." He reached up to press his hand to his mouth as a yawn escaped. "We've just started dating, but I want to move fast."
"Scared to lose her?" The woman's eyes twinkled with knowledge. As if she'd seen a million things and knew far too much for her own good.
"Something like that." He brushed his hand over his lips. "I just feel like moving fast is perfectly acceptable when you know what you want."
"I would agree. I and Fred dated for three weeks before he asked me to marry him, but that was the way things used to work. No reason to dilly-dally."
Damon smiled as she continued.
"If you know who you're supposed to spend the rest of your life with, why in the world would you tarry? Seems like a silly way to test fate. Just marry the girl, and the rest will work its way out."
"Did you and Fred work out?" He mumbled as sleep pulled him farther and farther under.
"Yes. Fifty-eight years. I loved that old bastard with everything inside of me."
"Do you miss him?" Damon tried to hold his eyes open, but it wasn't going to happen. He finally gave in to the exhaustion plaguing him as she whispered a few more words.
"Every single day that goes by. Enjoy all of them, son. You never know when the ride’s going to stop."
"You're right. I will," he whispered and gave himself over to the darkness as thoughts of Bethany filled his mind's eye. They weren't moving too fast.
At least not for him.
Chapter 10
Bethany
They wrapped up the decorating after a few hours of moving quickly and following Erica's vision to the smallest detail. The room looked incredible, the vision of it bringing tears to Bethany's eyes. She moved toward the door and stepped out into the hall, wiping her face and walking in to take it all in once more.
"Looks good?" Erica called to her.
"I've honestly never seen anything so breathtaking. Great job to all of you."
Bethany's mom walked over and pulled her into a tight hug. "Thank you, baby. There's only a little clean up left to do. Go grab you a magazine and hit the beach. Enjoy yourself, and I'll come find you in a little bit."
"You sure?" Bethany squeezed her mom tightly once more and moved back.
"Yes. Go. I'll watch out for Matthew. I know he's a little nervous around Erica."
"Can you blame him? The woman's a beast."
>
Her mom chuckled and shook her head before walking back toward the rest of the crowd who seemed eager to keep going. Bethany let out a soft sound of appreciation and turned, slipping out into the hall and walking slowly back to her room.
She closed her eyes and imagined Damon's hand in hers; his strong fingers wrapped tightly around hers. Every part of her wanted him to be there. She swallowed down her emotions, labeling herself as silly and picked up the pace toward her room.
Stopping in front of the room, she glanced down the hall to where Matt's room was, trying to think through how she was going to have a night alone with Damon with Erica in her room and Matt in his. It would make the most sense just to have them switch for that night, but where Erica might be comfortable with it, Matt would probably stain his nice slacks.
Bethany chuckled and pushed the door to the room open, moving in and pulling her bikini out. It was hot pink and had a few ruffles, which wasn't her style, but it accentuated the best parts of her and hid the rest. She changed into it and pulled her sundress back over her head. Grabbing a towel, she stopped by the front door and glanced toward her handbag where the magazine was. Nothing good would come of reading up on Bridget. It would only make her feel less worthy of Damon, and Matt was right. The girl could make you see whatever she wanted to simply because it was an article and not a real life encounter.
Would Bethany want to run into her in real life? No. She had seen her a few times and wasn't interested in seeing her again. Was Bridget a client of Damon's? Surely not. Probably so.
Making a split-second decision, she reached into the bag and pulled the magazine out, tucking it under her shoulder and slipping out in the tropical heat. The beach was just a left turn and out of the side of the building. She moved onto the white sand and glanced up and down the long strip of sand, only a few people laying out or resting.
Bethany let out a squeal of joy as the warm wind blew across her again, the sights and smells ushering in peace. She walked to the edge of the water, dipping her toes in and shivering. The water was far too cold to get into, but something told her that the minute Matt showed up, they would be swimming or fighting back waves like two ten-year-olds.
She laid her towel out and slipped out of her flip-flops before getting comfortable on her stomach. She wouldn't stay too long in case she burned, but an hour or so in the sun would do her good. Pulling the magazine out, she did the exact thing she promised Matt she wouldn't do - she flipped to the article on Bridget.
Miss America Teen. Check.
Works with the poor and homeless. Check.
Makes a ton of money through sponsorship. Check.
Heir to a large hotel conglomerate. Check.
No husband or love interest. Check.
She read the article word for word, the message of how great the girl was only causing her to feel more and more like shit. She closed it and chucked it in the sand next to her before pressing her forehead to her arms.
Why in the world would Damon and her not be together? She was drop-dead beautiful and seemed to have everything going for her.
Matt mentioned she was a bitch, but it was hard to picture a bitch working with the homeless and feeding the poor. Bethany let out a long sigh and tried to think about something else. Why had she bought the damn magazine in the first place? She had enough demons to slay where Damon was concerned and didn't need to add a hot blond to the mix.
She glanced up as someone approached, the sound of singing preceding them. Her mother.
"Hey, baby. Aunt Patty is going to be in later tonight. Something about her flight being delayed. You mind company?"
"Not at all. I can sit up and share my towel." Bethany started to move, but her mother sat down in the sand next to her.
"I'm good just like this." She stretched her legs out, her sundress covering far too much skin. Bethany reached over and yanked it up a little as her mom swatted at her hand.
"I had a cool moment at the airport with Kent." Bethany glanced at her mom before tugging her sunglasses off her head and slipping them onto her face.
"Oh yeah? Tell me what happened."
"He just told me that we're both a blessing to him and that he's not Dad. He promised to never hurt either of us, and he told me to love him enough to come talk to him if I felt like he was slipping on those promises."
Bethany's mom lifted her hand to her face and let out a soft cry. Bethany reached over and rubbed her mom's leg, the years of pain and agony having been a common sharing between them for so long.
"I'm so glad you found him, Mom," Bethany whispered and removed her hand from her mom. She reached out and took the magazine and tossed it behind her, not wanting to watch Bridget smiling up at her any longer.
"Me too." Bethany's mother sniffled once before reaching behind them. "Who is this?"
She held the magazine up and turned it to Bethany.
"It's Damon's ex. I've seen her around the last few weeks, but finding out that she was, or is, a model is a little deflating."
"Why? What she does has very little to do with who she is as a person."
"Yeah, I guess, but she's insanely pretty." Bethany pressed her forehead back to her hands, not wanting to dive any deeper in the self-pity pool that hovered just before her.
"You're much prettier, and I'll point out the obvious for you too... Damon is with you. Not her."
"That's true." Bethany closed her eyes and listened to the sound of the water crashing along the shore. "I wish he were here. I swear just being together has turned me into a basket-case. I hate that I need him to constantly be positive and validating all the time. I'm trying to figure out how to just let him be himself. It's driving me crazy."
"It's all part of the growing process baby. A relationship doesn't develop overnight, and neither does trust nor comfort. You have to continue to work together to dissolve both of your worries and insecurities. Love has the power to do that, but it takes time to develop too."
The touch of her mother's hand brushing along her back caused her to relax. She was right. They just needed time and a lack of drama. Bethany mumbled 'thanks' and let herself drift into a daydream, Damon the center of it and his need for her insatiable.
***
She glanced up a little while later to find the beach empty beside her. Her mother must have gone back in at some point. Sitting up, she brushed the sand from her shoulders before moving to pack her stuff up. The sun had started to set, so it must have been getting close to dinner time. She finished putting her stuff in her bag and tugged it over her shoulder, grateful that she didn't feel the pain of being burnt.
She walked back toward the hotel as Matt walked toward her, his face set in a grimace. Either something was wrong, or Erica had cornered him. The former of the two seeming more likely.
"There you are. Shit. I've been looking everywhere for you." Matt stopped in front of her.
She walked past him, motioning for him to join her. "Let's walk and talk. I need a quick shower before dinner and have had enough sun for one day."
"Yeah, sure. I was in the bar, getting one of those fruity drinks you love, you know, in honor of you, and guess who the fuck I saw."
"In honor of me, huh?" Bethany rolled her eyes at him and stopped outside of her room, turning to pin him with her stare. "Who did you see?"
He reached around her and plucked the magazine from her bag, holding it up and pointing to the pretty model on the front. "Bridget. She's here with her sister’s bachelorette party. I could honestly throw up all of the coconut milk and mashed bananas I just consumed to take the rum down smoothly to my belly."
"You're shitting me." Bethany reached out and took the magazine back, shoving it back in her bag. "Please tell me you're kidding."
"I wish I were. I need to tell Damon, just to prepare him. He can't stand this chick."
Bethany nodded, not able to do much more. She reached out and patted Matt on the chest, trying to keep her emotions on lockdown.
"Tell him I said
hi if you talk to him. I'll see you at dinner, and we can talk more." She winked and turned, opening her door and slipping inside. A quick shower and she would be on her way to dinner. It would be a long hour of pretending like everything was fine because she damn sure wasn't going to let on that she felt any intimidation at all.
The girl was only a model, an heiress, a saint. What was there to be intimidated by?
Chapter 11
Bethany
Dinner was delicious, and the company was superb. Matt seemed to have a second sense that she was upset, or should be. He sat beside her the whole night, making jokes and calling attention to himself, which diverted it from her. She laughed more than she remembered doing for a long time. All of her worries over Bridget, her friends, and her relationship with Damon seemed to melt away. Being in the presence of people she loved and that loved her made all the different in the world.
When dessert was presented, Bethany excused herself, the clock on the wall close to her reading eight fifty-five. She didn't want to miss an opportunity to talk to Damon and wouldn't survive him being a dick because she was late. His timetable was only set to remind her that he was in charge and for the moment - she was good with that. She needed him to be in charge, to take charge of her.
Matt looked disappointed when she stood up and said her goodbyes.
"What? Dessert just got here. What girl passes up flourless chocolate cake? Is the world ending?" Matt lifted an eyebrow.
Bethany leaned over and whispered in his ear. "The hottest guy I know is calling in five minutes. He's a bit of a stickler on time. I don't want to miss the opportunity to tell him that I love him."
"Oh!" Matt moved back and smiled. "Then get out of here. I totally get it."
She kissed her mother's cheek and walked back to the room, her hair down and tickling her shoulders as it danced around her. She felt beautiful in the dress, but it had to be something to do with the ambiance that the beach provided. It was warm and sensual, relaxing and capable of sweeping her into fantasy after fantasy.
Mister Big Stuff_A Single Mom Friends to Lovers Novel Page 54