by Jo Leigh
“It looks like you two have been having a wonderful time,” Meg said.
“We have,” Tina declared, her voice high and light, and years younger than just last night. “We’ve been playing with your friend Charlie.”
Alex climbed down, making the hammock sway. “Explain playing, if you don’t mind?”
Tina looked at Walter and they both laughed. It changed him completely. He actually had very nice eyes. “We found him here, stalking,” she related. “And we played the dotty old couple, rambling on and on.”
“She was the one,” Walter said, looking as if he was enjoying the game. “She was so creative. I think she missed her calling.”
“It was too much fun.” Tina beamed at her husband. “He was simply fuming. And then—and this was all Walter—we hit his cart with ours.”
“No!” Alex said, his own grin growing. “I bet he loved that.”
“He was beside himself. By the time we got disentangled—”
“She got his key,” Walter interjected. “I still don’t know how.”
“By that time, I thought we were going to have to call the paramedics,” Tina said.
“Then?” Alex asked.
“Oh, he thinks you’re either getting a massage or a hydrotherapy treatment at the spa. And he also thinks you moved out of the bungalows, back to the hotel,” Tina said.
Alex turned to Meg, the expression on his face priceless.
“That’s not the best part, though,” Tina said, linking her arm with Walter’s.
Meg got out of the hammock to stand by Alex. He pulled her close immediately, and she could tell he was enjoying this as much as the Lesters.
“It turns out,” Walter said, “that we ran into a Mr. Castellano. Who, it also turns out, owns this resort.”
“Lovely man. Great taste in art.” Tina grinned at her husband once more before she turned back. “He bought us a drink, which was very nice, and we couldn’t help it, we told him we think Mr. Hanover’s a stalker.”
Walter laughed. “I believe you used the words ‘Peeping Tom.’”
“Walter, you haven’t laughed like that in…” She turned back to Meg and Alex. “I might have said something about a Peeping Tom. Long story short, your Mr. Hanover will be leaving the island tonight.”
“What?”
Meg laughed as she and Alex said the word at the same moment. “Butch is kicking Charlie out?” she asked.
Walter nodded. “Tonight.”
Alex hugged Meg, then went over and hugged Tina. He opened his arms to Walter, who stuck out his hand, so they shook in a manly fashion. “This is great. Beyond great. I can’t thank you enough.”
Tina laughed. “We haven’t had so much fun in ages. How we bamboozled that awful man! He really does like to curse, doesn’t he?”
“He does. And I’m sure I’ll hear all the best words as soon as I get back. But in the meantime, thank you. You really have saved our vacation,” Alex said.
Just then, another cart appeared down the path, and happily, it wasn’t the odious Charlie. It was their drinks.
“Join us?” Meg asked. “I’m sure the driver can be back in a flash with more.”
“No, none for us,” Tina said, stepping aside so the waiter could drive closer. “We’ve had a lot of excitement today, and we both need a nap.”
“We owe you,” Alex said. “Dinner. Before you leave.”
Tina tugged on her husband’s hand, leading him toward their bungalow. “It’s a deal.”
Walter caught up and kissed her on the temple.
Meg turned back to see the waiter had left them two piña coladas and a spectacular fruit plate that had not only the requisite pineapple, but chunks of fresh coconut, mangoes, papayas, and some fruit she couldn’t identify. “Wow.”
“I’ll say. Good for them.” Alex looked past her to where Tina and Walter had gone. “Good for us, too, but mostly, good for them.”
She couldn’t wait another second. She had to kiss him. So she did.
When they finally broke apart, it was time to nibble and sip and curl back into the hammock. For the first time since the phone call, Meg relaxed. The fruit and the drinks helped, but it was mostly because she’d come to a brand-spanking-new realization. As long as Alex was in her life, she had someone who was not only kind, but who got her. She could tell him anything, and while he might not agree with her, he wasn’t going to ridicule her or make her feel guilty. He was her friend. Her first true male friend, which was an interesting and weird thing to acknowledge. She could count on him. Completely.
He made it safe.
She turned to him, still perched on the edge of the hammock, his bare feet swinging. “So, you want to do the Jet Ski thing?”
He raised his head, and this time he was the one doing the kissing, and he meant business. His hand went to the back of her neck to hold her steady, then he used his talented tongue to make her lose her mind.
Finally, he let her go. His head fell to the pillow, hers to his chest. She hadn’t stopped petting him, rubbing her hand up and down his swelling erection.
For long minutes, that’s all they did. It was quiet and beautiful, and the palm fronds swayed in the breeze.
“Meg?”
“Yes?”
“There’s one other thing I’ve figured out,” he said.
She raised her head to see him. “Oh?”
He nodded, but said nothing.
“Well? Are you going to tell me?”
He nodded again. Then his lips curled into that lopsided grin of his. “It’s just that, well, I’m pretty sure I’m in love with you.”
18
ALL MEG COULD DO WAS stare. The words reverberated in her head, yet she didn’t really understand him. Had Alex just said he loved her?
“Meg?”
He couldn’t have meant what she thought he meant. Could he? She’d only gotten here yesterday. She’d been so scared. Of course, she wasn’t scared anymore. He was wonderful. But love?
“Meg.”
He’d said he thought he was in love with her, which didn’t mean that he was in love with her, it meant maybe kinda in love. Did he really—
“Meg, if you don’t stop squeezing me there, you’re not going to be able to play with it later.”
She blinked. Looked down. Oh, God, she was squeezing him. Opening her hand quickly, she heard his relieved sigh, which made her look at him again. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay. I realize I gave you quite a shock.”
“Were you kidding?” she asked.
“No.”
“Oh.”
He smiled at her again. “Is it so impossible that I could love you?”
The tiny hairs on the back of her neck rose as a shiver ran through her body. “Yeah.”
His laughter shook the hammock. “Why?”
“Why? We just met.”
“Only technically,” he said, so calmly she wondered if he understood what he was saying.
“How could you know?” she asked.
“How could I know what I feel, you mean.”
She nodded, wanting to believe him.
He raised his head. “Meg, have I upset you?”
“I don’t think so,” she said.
“Okay.”
“But you’ve sure as hell confused me.”
“Why?” he asked.
She thumped him on the arm. “That’s my question.”
“Fine, I’m cheating. Tell me why this is so bewildering.”
She sat up. That wasn’t enough. She needed to walk. So she got off the hammock and paced between the two palm trees. “I was just thinking, just a few minutes ago, that you’re my first real male friend. And how cool that is. That I could tell you anything and you wouldn’t freak out on me.”
“Okay…”
“And that I liked you so much,” she said.
“Better,” he murmured.
“I was thinking that it felt incredible to be with you, and that even if I disappoin
ted you, it would be all right. Because you got it. Got me,” she said.
“Uh-huh.” He didn’t seem quite so calm any more.
“But love?”
He’d sat up during her last pass. He put his hands on his knees and studied her. “Remember when I asked you if you’d ever been in love?”
“Uh, yeah. It was yesterday.”
“And you said you hadn’t.”
“No, I said I almost had.”
His head tilted to the side as his eyebrow rose.
“Okay, so I said no,” she admitted.
“How do you know that love isn’t feeling safe? Feeling as though you could tell the one you love anything and he wouldn’t freak out on you? What if love is someone who gets you no matter what?” he prodded.
She went to the little table, but her glass hadn’t magically refilled itself. “I need to drink now. I’ll meet you inside.”
He chuckled again, and despite the surreal nature of the conversation, the sound made her insides quiver. Love. Love? Nah, it couldn’t be that easy. Love had always been a struggle. A thing that was perfect in novels and movies, but not so much in real life. Love wasn’t what he described. She wasn’t exactly sure what it was, but it wasn’t that.
She hurried up the stairs, went right to the phone and ordered two more piña coladas. Then she went to the minibar and debated the wisdom of opening one of the little bottles, but decided on a soda instead. By the time she’d opened it, Alex was there. He stood just inside, his arms crossed casually over his chest.
Meg looked at him, from bare feet to messed-up hair. He had the right combination of features in the right proportions. But that wasn’t what made him so handsome. Those eyes, the way he was looking at her right now. With humor, with patience, with kindness. That crooked grin. So intelligent, but he wasn’t the least bit obnoxious about it. Brave. God, so brave. Willing to walk out of the life he knew to uncharted territory, even though the life he had was filled with success and security.
The man thought he loved her. The pull was strong. As tempting as the apple. The setting was certainly perfect for it. She felt strongly about him, so it would be simple to call it love. But…
“It’s okay if you don’t feel the same way,” he finally said.
She sighed. Drank some icy soda. Turned around to face the wall, then turned back. “I don’t know.”
“That’s okay, too.”
“Stop being so nice.”
He laughed. “Why?”
“Because I’m not that nice. You do know this is first-meeting behavior, right? This isn’t what we’re really like.”
“What are we really like?” he asked, as he crossed to the bed. He sat, pushed some pillows against the headboard and got comfortable.
“I don’t know what you’re like. But I can be a total bitch. Just catch me when I’ve had three hours sleep for four days in a row. I cuss like a sailor, I’m selfish beyond belief, and when I’m cranky, everyone for five miles clears out.”
“Uh-huh. Like that time when the Porters’ cows got sick?”
“Exactly,” she said. She walked next to the bed, riled up now. “That’s exactly what I’m talking about. I told a perfectly nice woman to go shove her magazine up her ass. Sweet, huh? I hung up on Terry Okun. Didn’t even let her finish her sentence.”
He nodded. “As I recall, you told me to go to hell. Straight to hell, and take my goddamn newspaper with me.”
“See? I was horrible to you. A total jerk.”
“You’re right. Of course, that wasn’t as bad as when you broke your wrist.”
She threw up her hands, spilling soda on the floor. “Okay, okay, that’s another perfect example. That’s who I really am, Alex. Not this. This isn’t close to who I can be.”
“Wow, I hadn’t thought of that,” he said.
“And I’m a chicken, too. I want to leave the mountain. I want to start over, start somewhere new. I want to find out what I like to do. Maybe I like to knit—did you ever think of that?”
“Nope. Never did.”
“Well, mister, you don’t even know what I’m capable of. I could turn into someone you wouldn’t even recognize.”
“Right. I’m an idiot for thinking I could know you. At all,” he agreed.
“For all I know, you could be a bank robber,” she said.
He nodded, biting his lower lip. “I might be.”
“Or mean to kittens.”
“No, I’m pretty nice to kittens, but I’m a son of a bitch when it comes to stupid politicians.”
“Yes. Yes, you are. You’ve said some rotten things, Alex. You’ve been mean, and cutting, and just awful. You can’t pretend that you haven’t, because you’ve told me yourself.”
Alex didn’t say a word. He just looked at her. Finally, he let himself smile.
“Oh,” she said, as it dawned on her what he’d done.
“I haven’t actually seen you when you’re sick,” he said, his laughter barely contained. “So that would be new.”
“Very funny. You’re such a smart-ass.”
“I’m on my best behavior.”
“Double smart-ass. With a side of insufferable jerk,” she muttered.
“That’s for sure. But I think you knew that already.”
“Okay.” She sighed, not terribly clear how he’d managed to confuse her more and less at the same time. “We know each other.”
He scooted to the end of the bed and patted the place next to him. “Sit.”
She did. He took the soda out of her hand and put it on the bedside table. When he turned back to her, he grasped her hands in his.
“I’m thirty-three years old. I’ve been with a number of women, some of them so terrific it boggled my mind that I didn’t love them. I thought I loved Ellen, but when she left me, it wasn’t all that bad, so I figured that couldn’t be it. During this past year, I’ve laughed more than I have in the past ten. You’ve made me think. You’ve made me feel. You’ve helped me change my whole life. The only thing missing was being with you in person.”
“You love me,” she said.
He nodded.
She sighed again, wishing she could just fall. Be as sure and strong as Alex.
“You don’t love me back.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Really.”
She wanted to tell him that she loved him. The last thing on earth she wanted to do was hurt him. God knows, he was wonderful, and she cared, deeply. “I just don’t know. I’m sorry.”
“That’s okay. We have three more days,” he said.
She had to grin at that. “Three days should do it, then?”
“I’m thinking two, but three at the most.”
“Ah.”
“That’s another bad thing about me,” he said. “I get all cocky at the least provocation. Just so you know.”
God, what his smile did to her insides. “Yeah, I got that.”
“Drinks coming?”
“Any minute,” she said.
“Great. I’m gonna go wait outside.” He looked her over once, briefly. “If you wanted to get naked, that would be nice.”
“Nice.”
He kissed her. Then kissed her again, harder. By the time he pulled back, she was very agreeable about the proposition.
He left her sitting on the bed. With too many thoughts in her head, and a puzzled ache in her heart.
ALEX STOOD AT THE END of the path, waiting for the golf cart. Yeah, Charlie could come by, but Alex didn’t care. Meg needed some space, and that’s what mattered. What surprised him the most was that he felt calm.
It was good that he’d told her. Good that he’d admitted it to himself. It would have been better if she’d felt the same way, but he was pretty sure she’d come to see that what they had was the real thing.
What he wanted was for her to leave the mountain. To get away from her past and start living her future. With him.
Which probably wasn’t what he was going to get.
He’d take what she offered. No question there. And in time, perhaps, she’d see that she didn’t owe her very life to her work.
It was a fine line to walk. He had a real tendency to think his conclusions were brilliant and that anyone who didn’t heed his advice was a fool. It came with the territory, he supposed. He couldn’t think of one person in his professional life who didn’t have that attitude, but when it came to real relationships with people who mattered, being all-knowing definitely put a crimp in the flow of ideas.
Meg had a right to choose, all by herself. He didn’t live her life and he didn’t face her demons. But he’d sure like her to be there when he faced his.
Leaving the paper wasn’t going to be easy. Since he’d made the decision, he’d come up with a dozen reasons why the whole notion was patently ridiculous. But in the end, the pain of staying was worse than the pain of trying something new.
Meg’s pain just wasn’t bad enough. If it were, she’d make a change. It was not his place to force the issue.
What he could do was make love to her.
Speaking of which, there was the golf cart, and the drinks, and God, he hoped Meg was naked.
Enough. Now was the time to act. Ask not what Meg could do for him, but what he could do for Meg. That it made him happier than any human had a right to feel was beside the point.
MEG HEARD ALEX COMING UP the steps, and thought about posing provocatively. Only, every pose she thought of seemed amazingly cheesy. So she just dropped her head on her arm, and her other hand casually on her hip, so that it kind of covered how she pooched at the stomach. The naked part would distract him, anyway. Whatever else he was, he was a guy. Bless his heart.
Oh, the smile when he walked into the room. What could possibly beat that? It made everything tingly, which was a hell of a lot for a smile to accomplish.
He brought her a drink, which meant she had to uncover the pooch, but it was a really good drink. She sipped and watched him strip off his clothes.
That didn’t take long—it was just swim trunks. Once again, he was very happy to see her. It would be so hard to be a man, she thought. So much pressure.
Before he got into bed with her, he took a long sip. Then he put his glass down and lay down next to her, facing her.