Wade seemed confident in Skippy. Brody was less so, but he would defer to his older brother on this point. “Her name is Deborah Curtis now, although she might still introduce herself as Deborah Wilder if she’s talking to people that might have known her or her brother as children. Curtis is her married name. She lives in Hartford with her husband and six-month-old daughter.”
“Do you think she’s going to be a problem?”
“I don’t know,” Brody admitted. “If our story sticks, she won’t get anywhere asking questions. Everyone will tell her he ran away and she’ll go home disappointed.”
“You don’t think our story will stick? We did a pretty convincing job. Xander burned all of his things. I told Ken and Molly I heard him sneak out in the night. Until there’s a body there’s no reason for anyone to question it. He could’ve crossed into Canada on foot and changed his name. There would be no trace of him.”
Brody wished he could be as confident as Wade was. “I hope you’re right. But keep an eye out for her, just in case.”
“I will. I’ll let you know the moment I hear something. I’ve got a question for you on a different subject, though.”
Brody frowned at the phone. He didn’t like the subtle teasing tone Wade’s voice had taken on. “Yes?”
“I spoke with Xander the other day. He mentioned you had a lady friend.”
Brody couldn’t disguise his heavy sigh. If you told one brother, you might as well tell them all. They were worse than gossiping old women sometimes. “You could say that.”
“Is it serious?”
“I’m not sure. It’s a little early to speculate.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about her?” Wade complained. “Who is she? Where did you meet her? You don’t go anywhere.”
“I didn’t tell you because there wasn’t much to tell at the time. I only mentioned it to Xander so he’d stop trying to fix me up with a plastic surgeon. Anyway, to make a long story short, it’s my administrative assistant.”
“Agnes?” Wade asked, his voice strained with incredulity.
“No, not Agnes,” Brody snapped in irritation. “I’m not so hard up that I’d chase after my married, retirement-age secretary. She’s older than Mom, I think.”
“Whatever floats your boat, man. I just want to see you with someone.”
“That does not float my boat. Her name is Samantha. She’s filling in for Agnes who is on vacation.”
“I remember you saying something about that, but I wasn’t sure when she was leaving town. So, it’s going well?” There was a naughty lilt to the way he spoke that made his real question very clear. Wade didn’t know Brody had been a virgin until a few days ago, but even then, he didn’t think Brody got nearly enough action for a man in his prime.
“It’s going extremely well,” Brody replied. He couldn’t keep the wide grin on his face from slipping into his voice. “She’s amazing. Beautiful. Smart. And so sexy I can barely focus on my work.”
“Wow,” Wade commented. “You’re damn near gushing. I hope we’ll get to meet her soon. Maybe you can bring her to the farm for Christmas. In the meantime, congratulations for getting laid in this decade, Bro. I feel like we should throw you a party or something.”
Brody shook his head and chuckled at his brother’s blunt observation. If he only knew the truth….
Nine
“Are we going to a big city?” Sam attempted to uncover their secret destination for the tenth time today by playing twenty questions. The moment she and Brody loaded up in his car, she’d started in on him. So far, she’d eliminated Dallas, Los Angeles, Orlando and New Orleans. He told her it was someplace she could dress warm and bring a swimsuit. They weren’t going to a lake or a river. He hadn’t told her to pack her passport, so that eliminated the Caribbean and Mexico.
“No.” Brody didn’t even look her way when he answered. His eyes were focused on the expressway and the morning traffic.
“Are we going to the beach?”
Brody sighed. “Give it up. I’m not going to tell you.”
“We are going to the beach,” she said. “Otherwise you would’ve said no. Are we going to the Florida Keys?”
He didn’t respond but slowed the car and turned into a private airport outside of the city. They drove past the main terminal to a hangar on the far side of the property. It had a sign on the side that said “Confidential Luxury Private Jets.”
Since Brody told her they were taking a trip, she hadn’t been able to fathom how they were going to get there when he didn’t go out in public. She’d thought perhaps their destination was within driving distance. It never occurred to her that they could take a private jet instead of a regular, commercial airliner. Of course, she couldn’t afford a jet in a million years, so she wouldn’t have even dreamed of it.
Brody paused outside the hangar and honked his horn in two short bursts and one long one. A moment later, the massive door rolled up to reveal a shiny white jet inside. Brody pulled into the hangar and parked his car in the far corner. He killed the engine but left the keys in the ignition. “Come on,” he said with a sly smile. He was enjoying torturing her with this surprise.
They got out of the car and Brody opened the trunk. Instead of pulling out their bags, he took her arm and led her across the empty building to the jet. She expected a place like this to have crew running all over the place. Or at the very least a pilot and someone to direct the plane. “Where are all their employees?” she asked.
“They’re hiding inside until we get on the plane.”
“Why?”
Brody turned to her with an amused expression. “Because I pay them to, of course.”
That made sense. With enough money, Brody could do things however he chose to. It had gotten so easy to look at him and not see the scars any longer. But everyone else still saw them. And Brody was still living a shadow of a life. She started up the stairs of the jet with Brody behind her. The cockpit door to the left was already closed with the pilots inside.
The sign on the building had been right. This was a luxury jet. It didn’t look like any plane she’d ever been inside. It had plush gray carpeting and captain’s chairs that faced each other with polished mahogany tables between them. A large flat screen television was mounted on the far rear wall with a row of seats that turned to face it. There was a minibar, a sofa, a dining room table and what looked like a full-size bed in a room beyond the television. A bucket of ice with a bottle of champagne was waiting on the table beside them as they entered.
“Wow,” was all Sam could say. And to think she thought flying first class was something special.
Brody pulled a thick curtain to separate them from the front of the plane. Sam settled into one of the soft leather seats as the engine of the plane roared to life. Someone she couldn’t see came out of the cockpit to close and secure the door and then disappeared back inside.
She looked out the window to see ten employees appear out of nowhere. Several loaded their bags into the cargo hold. Others were using neon batons to guide the plane out of the hangar and toward the runway.
Brody sat down beside her with a flute of champagne in each hand. “Here you go.”
Sam accepted one and took a sip. The golden bubbles exploded on her tongue with a seductively smooth, dry flavor. It was really nice champagne. Nothing like the sparkling wine she bought at the grocery store on New Year’s Eve.
“Time to buckle up,” Brody said with a smile.
The plane slowly taxied down the winding paths of the small airport. Sam could only watch in amazement.
“Good morning, Mr. Eden,” a man’s voice announced through the overhead speaker. “We’d like to welcome you and Ms. Davis aboard our luxury jet today. I am your Captain, Louis Holmes, and my co-pilot is Rene Lejeune. Please let us know by pressing the call but
ton if there is anything we can do for you. We are currently number two for take-off. Our flight time today will be about four hours, and we have smooth, clear skies ahead of us. As requested, a prepared brunch is waiting for you in the dining area. The seat belt sign will turn off when we’ve reached cruising altitude and it’s safe for you to move about the cabin. Enjoy your flight.”
Sam took another sip of her champagne and blinked a few times to see if her amazing surroundings would disappear. “Is this how you usually travel? I can’t even imagine this being the norm.”
Brody nodded. “If it’s too far to drive, yes. I have standing orders with this company and they know exactly how I want things arranged. Normally there would be a flight attendant that would bring us drinks and serve us lunch, but I decline her services on my flights for apparent reasons.”
“When was the last time you flew on a regular plane?”
Brody thought hard for a second, narrowing his eyes at her as he tried to remember. “I flew with my dad to Ohio when I was sixteen.”
“What was in Ohio? Family?”
“No. We went to see a doctor and facility there that specialized in the latest and greatest burn reconstruction procedures. He was the best in the country at the time. We had high hopes that he could help me.”
Sam sat silently waiting for him to continue. When he didn’t, she prompted, “What happened?”
Brody looked at her, his brow furrowed. “Obviously nothing could be done or I wouldn’t look like this.”
Sam opted not to press on that topic. Instead, she reached for his hand and held it as the engines kicked into high gear and they started down the runway. She wasn’t afraid of flying, but she still got a little nervous, especially in a small plane like this one.
A few minutes later, she was able to look out her window and see nothing but ocean. “This is amazing.”
“I’m glad you think so. But you ain’t seen nothing yet.”
Sam smiled and sank into the plush leather of her seat, thinking she could fall asleep that instant, it was so comfortable. By the time the plane leveled off and the seat belt light kicked off, she had finished her champagne and was fairly certain life didn’t get much better than this. “You’re going to spoil me with all this luxury. Ten-course meals, private jets… What am I going to do the next time I have to fly coach and eat fast food?”
“Sadly, you’ll have to suffer like the other 99.9 percent of the population. Are you hungry?” Brody asked.
“Yes.” Sam had forgotten her protein bar when they left this morning, and her stomach had been rumbling for a while. The champagne went straight to her head on an empty stomach.
“Let’s go check out what they left us for brunch.”
Sam followed him back to the dining area. On top of the minibar was a platter with all sorts of breads and pastries. In the refrigerator was an assortment of sliced fruits, cheeses and rolled, thin sliced deli meats. There was a plate of canapés like bellinis with caviar and crème fraiche and another with a fresh variety of sushi. Two pitchers were in the bottom of the refrigerator. One held a dark red sangria and the other, a cold strawberry mint soup.
It was more than she could eat in a few days, much less a few hours.
“I hope you skipped breakfast,” Brody said, pulling the first platters out to sit on the dining table.
“I guess I’ll eat myself into a coma and then go flop onto the bed in the back.” Sam scooped up the tray of baked goods and followed him.
“That sounds like an excellent plan.” Brody held out a strawberry to Sam and she took a bite of the juicy fruit. “Ever considered joining the Mile High Club?”
* * *
Several hours later, they touched down on the small island of Culebra, Puerto Rico. Brody watched Sam gaze out the window at everything as they taxied through the small airport. When they got off the jet, a limo was waiting for them. The driver did not get out of the car to greet them as they usually did. Instead, Brody opened the door for both of them to climb inside. The partition between the front and back of the limo was closed. He could hear the driver’s door open once they were in the car. Through the dark-tinted glass, Sam watched the driver collect their bags from the jet and place them in the trunk.
“So, are we staying in Puerto Rico?” she asked.
“Nope.” He has having fun playing this game with her. She couldn’t stand not knowing what was going on.
“And where are we going from here?”
“To the marina.”
“We’re going on a boat?”
Brody turned in the plush leather seat to look at her. Sam’s cheeks were still a touch flush and her hair a bit disheveled from their private tumble in the back of the plane. Every time he flew down here, he’d eyed the jet’s bed and fantasized about using it for more than a nap. Given that he always flew alone, it wasn’t really a possibility until now. “You aren’t good with surprises, are you?”
She shrugged, a sheepish look drawing down her smile. “No, sorry.”
Brody put his arm around her shoulder and sidled up alongside her. He kissed her temple and whispered into her ear. “Why don’t you just enjoy the trip and I’ll let you know when we’re at our final destination?”
The limo started to pull away as she reluctantly agreed. There wasn’t long to wait. The car arrived at the marina only a few minutes after leaving the airport property. After the driver moved their luggage to the deck of a small speedboat, they got out. The car pulled away as Brody helped Sam down onto the deck. He’d made enough trips out here and paid enough money that everyone had his requested process down pat.
Brody started up the boat and slowly chartered it out of the marina and into the open water. Sam sat beside him, marveling at the view. The water here was amazing—bright turquoise, clear and sparkling. You could see the schools of fish moving through the water beside them. The sky was a vivid blue without a single cloud to mar it. It was a beautiful day to be in the Caribbean.
After about thirty minutes of plowing into the open water toward his desired coordinates, Brody spied the dark shape of their destination on the horizon. “We’re almost there,” he said.
Sam watched anxiously as the island came into view. He couldn’t tell Sam where they were going because the island technically didn’t have a name. He hadn’t gone to the trouble of officially naming it yet. When he purchased the island, he was told a few of the locals called it Joya Verde, Green Jewel, but it wasn’t plotted as such on any maps.
Brody slowed the boat as they reached more shallow waters and pulled up alongside the dock that stretched out into the water from the beach. He tied up the boat, hauled their bags onto the pier and helped Sam out.
The look on her face was priceless. It was half the reason he wanted to bring her here. Her eyes were wide, her mouth open, as she took in every sight. He had reacted the same way when he first saw his green jewel. It was a beautiful little island with smooth golden sand beaches, dark green palms and other lush plants that grew out of the jutting black rock. There was about six acres of the island to explore while they were here. Around the other side was a mangrove lagoon that harbored a surprise he would show Sam later.
“What is this place?” she asked.
“It’s my escape. The only place in the whole world where I can walk on the beach or swim in the ocean without the prying eyes of another living soul on me.”
Sam had started rolling her suitcase toward the beach but stopped and turned to him. “You own an island? The whole thing?”
“Yes. It seemed like a good investment since I can’t travel anywhere else.”
Sam shook her head and continued on her path to the shore. “Rich people,” she muttered under her breath.
Brody laughed at her and led the way from the beach up a winding path to the house that was made of crushed seashells a
nd small pebbles. He opened the front door of the two-story beach house and gestured her in ahead of him. He hadn’t built the home, but he was eternally grateful to the previous owner who had. The house was built on the edge of a rocky incline that rose up from the beach. The entire front of the home facing the ocean was glass, floor to ceiling. It faced west, so he could watch the sunset every night.
The floor plan was open and modern. The first floor had a gourmet kitchen, a great room and a deck with a swimming pool, hot tub and an outdoor shower. Off of the deck were stairs leading down to the beach. The entire second floor was dedicated to the master suite. This was not a vacation home for families. There was only the one bedroom. This was a retreat for lovers, or more appropriately, millionaire recluses.
“Come upstairs and I’ll show you the best part.”
Sam followed him up a winding open staircase to the master bedroom. Directly over the bed was a massive, square skylight that made you feel like you were sleeping beneath the stars. He’d lain there many nights, counting them until he fell asleep. Last, he led her out onto the second-story balcony. It wrapped around three sides of the house. The breeze was a little cooler up here, especially in the winter, but the view was exquisite.
She walked out to the railing and Brody came up behind her. She leaned back and he wrapped his arms around her waist to pull her tight against him. They looked out together at the vast aqua ocean that sprawled ahead of them. It was a patchwork of various shades of blue and green as the water changed depths and covered coral reefs. In the distance, they could see the faint outline of Culebra, but it was the only thing in sight.
“Not a bad view, eh?”
“It’s so beautiful,” she breathed. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“It’s not nearly as beautiful as you are.”
Sam turned in his arms until she was facing him. She reached up and pulled the sunglasses from his face. “I want to be able to see those gorgeous baby blues.”
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