Priceless Treasure

by Melody Anne

  “Fine. I’ll go. Give me the place and time,” Savvy said, and jotted the information down. At least the restaurant was in walking distance. “You owe me, Lex.”

  “I think you’re going to be the one owing me after you meet this guy.”

  Savvy hung up the phone and got ready. Her pushy little sis had given her only two hours to make this date. But Lexie also knew Savvy well, and if she’d had too much time to think about this, she would surely have found a way to get out of it.

  Dressed in a knee-length summer dress and flats — there was no way she was wearing heels — she threw her purse over her shoulder and made her way up the dock. Thankfully, she didn’t run into her moody boss. Maybe her luck was turning around.

  She arrived at the bistro in about ten minutes and then wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do. Her sister really hadn’t given her enough information. Was she supposed to go inside? Wait at the bar? Meet him out front? The guy knew what she looked like, but she had no clue what she was getting herself into. Maybe she should just hightail it out of there. So what if her sister looked bad? Savvy was preparing to make that quick exit.

  “Savannah?”

  Ooh, that voice had possibilities. Turning, she found a nice-looking man, very nice-looking man, walking up to her wearing a pale green button-up shirt, a pair of designer jeans, and Doc Martens. His hair was dark and short, and he had brilliant green eyes. Not bad at all.

  “Yes. You must be Darren,” she said.

  “Yes. Darren Tessler. I have to say that your pictures don’t do you justice.”

  Smooth. The man was smooth. But he wasn’t dangerous — that was her next thought. Not dangerous like Ashton.

  “Thank you. I would say the same, but my sister didn’t give me a picture,” she said with a laugh. “I don’t normally do blind dates, but …” There really was no but, but her nerves were making her begin to babble.

  “Your sister has only great things to say about you. I feel as if I already know you,” he said. “Shall we go inside?”

  Shall we? Wow. Good-looking and manners to boot. So far, so good.

  “I haven’t eaten here yet, and I’m starving, so I hope it’s good,” Savannah said. When she realized her words, she blushed a little. Should she admit she was that hungry? Wasn’t she supposed to order a salad on a first date? To hell with that. She never had been one of those size-zero types. She wasn’t in any way heavy, but she just decided, most of the time at least, to embrace her curves.

  “Nice. Me too — I mean that I’m also in that condition,” he said as he opened the door for her. “I’m glad you aren’t one of those girls — sorry, women — who come to a great bistro and then just order lettuce and no dressing.”

  No. That certainly wasn’t her. Not unless there was a man near her who was making her stomach churn. A man like Ashton Storm. No way! She would not think of that man’s name while she was on a date with another guy. It was rude and it was stupid.

  They were shown to their table, a nice intimate seat in the back of the room with a low-hanging modern chandelier over the center. This Darren fellow had chosen well for a first date.

  “Do you prefer red or white wine?” he asked as he looked at the drink menu.

  “White please, and not too dry. I’ll warn you now that I just drink the wine I like and don’t worry about pairing it with my food.” It was better to let him know at the outset that she wasn’t a food snob. Kalli, she was certain, would be horrified by such a statement. Dang! She was getting far too near to Ashton territory again.

  “Good, Savannah. I’m the same way.”

  Was he? She had no idea, but he earned a few more points in the good-guy column.

  Once their order was placed, her date focused solely on her. It was a little overwhelming with those bright eyes of his, which seemed to have a permanent sparkle to them. How in the world was this man still single? And why didn’t she feel a tightening in her stomach when he was sitting so close?

  “How do you know my sister, Darren? Did you serve overseas with her?”

  “No. I met her before she left for Africa, and we continued our friendship over email while she was away. I did get to go there about six months ago with a buddy of mine.”

  “Doing what?” she asked.

  “I’m an architect. My friend develops affordable housing there, and I helped him do some builds on my time off. I enjoyed it the first time so much that I’m most likely going back each year.”

  Dang! This guy was a freaking saint. She reached out and touched his hand, wanting so much to feel a spark. Nothing … What in the hell was the matter with her? She wasn’t going to give up quite yet.

  “Wow, that’s an interesting job. Do you love it?” If she weren’t so in love with the ocean, architecture would have been her career choice.

  “Yes, I knew from the time I was a boy playing with Legos that I was going to create unique buildings. And the first time I saw a finished project of mine, I just stood in front of it in awe. I don’t think I left for like six hours. I still occasionally stroll by that place. It’s my favorite.”

  He was obviously proud of what he did, but he wasn’t acting arrogant about it. The conversation enthralled her — it was no wonder her sister liked him so much — and before she knew it, she and Darren were laughing as they shared dessert.

  All too soon it was time to leave. As he stood and helped her up, she once again thought approvingly of his manners. Then she was filled with more disappointment. His hand was resting on her lower back as they left the restaurant, and she still felt no hint of excitement.

  Savanna decided right then and there that she must be suffering from a disorder of some sort. Seriously!

  Darren insisted on walking her back to the docks, and Savannah secretly delighted in that. She liked a gentleman. Yes, much of the etiquette was silly, but gentlemanly behavior was something her father had never displayed in any way. So she liked having her chairs being held for her and her doors being opened. She especially liked a man who insisted that she make it to and inside her door safe and sound. Granted, she didn’t have much of a door right now. She had a boat. A boat that didn’t belong to her.

  “I’ve had a nice evening, Savannah. I would love to see you again soon,” he said as they stepped up to the boat.

  Should she go out with him again? Did she even have time? But what would it hurt? She wasn’t seeing anyone, unlike her snarky boss. She was free and young and still had about two months before school started, at which time dating would be a no-no.

  “I’d like that,” she heard herself saying.

  Uh-oh.

  And then Darren was moving closer to her and she knew he was about to kiss her. She wanted to back away, but that was stupid. There was nothing wrong with a kiss at the end of a nice date. This wasn’t the 1950s.

  And then the choice was taken from her. Darren’s arms wound around her and his lips were on hers.

  It was a pleasant kiss, not too aggressive, not too soft. Just … pleasant.

  “Thank you again,” he said before taking a step back.

  “Thank you, Darren. I had a lovely time.” And with that she walked onto her boat.

  She knew that she felt no spark when she didn’t even sneak a peek of him walking away. Darn it! Well, she was going to go out on another date with the man. Maybe the attraction would grow. Love at first sight was a myth.

  Before she could get to her room, she heard her name spoken again. And this time the sound sent a shiver down her spine.

  “Savvy, I need to speak with you.”

  The instant tingling that rose up in her stomach when Ashton’s voice reached her ears filled her with fury. Maybe she was more like her mother than she’d ever wanted to be. Because she had to be crazy to feel anything toward this man, a man who was completely wrong for her.

  She stepped reluctantly away from her room and went back out to the docks, where Ashton was waiting, a scowl on his face. Big surprise.

  “Wh
at do you need, Ashton?” She stayed as far away from him as she could. He looked to be in a worse mood than usual.

  “This is a secure dock, Savannah, and I don’t appreciate seeing you bring anyone you please down on it.”

  It took a moment for Ashton’s words to process, but when they did, she glared at him. All the employees brought people down onto the docks. She’d never heard of this rule before.

  “I don’t bring many people down here, Ashton. I’ve brought my sister and —”

  Before she could finish, he cut her off. “And some strange man who could be scoping the place out.”

  “I did not. He was my date and he was walking me back to my place,” she said through clenched teeth.

  “I thought you didn’t have time to date,” he said, taking a menacing step toward her.

  “My dating life is none of your damn business, Ashton. I’m not on the clock right now.” She turned to leave.

  “I’m not done speaking with you yet,” he said.

  Savvy whirled around and tapped her foot. When he didn’t say anything right away, she let out a frustrated sigh.

  “What do you want to say that doesn’t have to do with my personal life, Ashton? I’d like to get to bed.”

  His eyes sparked at her mention of bed, and Savvy wanted to kick herself, and him too. But she just waited.

  “One of the boats is leaving in one week for an Alaskan cruise. You need to train with Shirley to be ready for it. Starting Monday.”

  His mention of a cruise took her bad mood and tossed it in the gutters. And she gave him a genuine smile, the first that he’d brought to her lips in a long time.

  “That’s wonderful news. Thank you!”

  “The ship will be gone for ten days. Are you sure you can handle being away for so long?” he said with a tinge of venom.

  “Trust me, I could be away a month without a single problem if I were lucky enough to be on the ocean all that time,” she replied. She decided not to respond to Ashton’s bad temper.

  “Fine. Be ready.”

  And he began to walk away. Savvy sighed and headed back to her boat. But she suddenly felt Ashton’s hand on her arm and then she was being whirled around. She was exhaling frantically, too stunned to speak when he tugged her against him.

  “This is a goodnight kiss,” he said.

  His lips connected with hers before she had even a tiny moment to try to protest. And while she could still think, her last thought was that he was right. This did count as a real goodnight kiss.

  His mouth was masterful and commanding as he held her tightly pressed against his body. His lips eased hers open, and she didn’t have a thought of fighting him. Her heart thundered as he controlled the kiss as if he’d been doing it forever.

  The kiss could have lasted seconds or hours. But when he finally released her, she stood there in front of him wobbling on legs now made of jelly.

  “That’s better,” he said. Then he walked away.

  Savvy didn’t move for several moments, too shocked to take a single step. Finally, she got her limbs to obey her and made her way onto her boat. She sat on her bed in a whirl of confusion.

  She should have been outraged at what he’d done just then. But her excitement drowned that out. She was about to spend time on the ocean. Sure, it wasn’t diving for treasures, but that would come soon, too. The point was that she was going out to sea.

  Nothing could dampen her mood now. Not even alternately uptight and passionate bosses who made her stomach do flip-flops and who made her legs weak and her system shut down.

  Chapter Seventeen

  The weekend’s drama was over, such as it was. Shirley had taken charge, and Savannah had a uniform and was getting rather good at making hospital corners on the bedsheets and disinfecting the showers and the toilets. Talk about fun! At least she got to put chocolates in bowls and make animals out of towels.

  Best of all, Ashton was nowhere to be found.

  And yet, after two or three days of this fun out of the sun, Savvy wanted to kick herself. She kept looking around every time she heard male laughter or deep-voiced conversations. Had she suffered sunstroke during her time working on deck or on the docks before now? Who cared whether Ashton was there or not? Actually, it was better that he wasn’t. It was so much more peaceful.

  She didn’t miss him, didn’t want to be around him. Hadn’t thought about him for a second after that kiss. It was absurd to think for even one moment that she’d like to have anything to do with him. All the evidence was telling her was that he was back with his stupid, ill-mannered, self-centered fiancée. His shoddy fiancée. It was where he should be.

  He’d had no business fooling around. And Savannah couldn’t feel shame that she’d allowed him to kiss her, or even touch her. She’d said no, after all. Maybe it had come out breathlessly and maybe she could have put a little more oomph into it, but she had resisted the man.

  And very soon she was going to be on the ocean, away from land, away from worries. She was pretty sure Ashton wasn’t going to be on the voyage with them. That meant freedom; that meant a much-needed break. Though she’d had a break from him for at least half a week, she still was thinking about him constantly — but that would stop! If only she were thinking about Darren. He’d been a great date, but she hadn’t yet returned his phone calls. Dang it. She told herself it was because she was busy and she’d be gone for a while. But she at least needed to let the man know that.

  However, when Thursday rolled around and she looked up to find Ashton walking down the docks as she stepped out for a breath of fresh air, away from all the cleaning fluids, she couldn’t help the way her heart leapt and fluttered inside her chest. A smile even flitted across her lips, though she tried to subdue it.

  He was back. And he looked damn good. She could tell herself all day long — and all night long — that she had no right to look at an engaged man, but that didn’t keep her from sneaking glances his way. He spoke to a few of his employees, and then he was walking toward her.

  Her smile of greeting quickly evaporated, though, because as he approached her, he didn’t look pleased at all. What in the world had she done now?

  “Did you learn all your duties?” he asked tightly.

  She was so shocked by his tone that it took a moment for her to find her voice. And she was still at a loss.

  “Yes. Shirley says I’m ready to go on the cruise.”

  “Good.” He waved her off and headed in the opposite direction.

  For some reason, Savannah called out to him. “Thank you for giving me this opportunity, Ashton. I really appreciate it.”

  It was difficult to force the words past her throat, but she managed to choke them out. After all, she was getting to take a voyage into the ocean for a ten-day cruise.

  Admittedly, she’d be working and not a guest on this luxury ship. But at least she would be at sea. She didn’t care that she was cleaning rooms. Cleaning soothed her, except for the chemicals involved, and she could always rock out with her music while she did it. Plus, most of her evenings were completely free. A summer job didn’t get much better than this.

  “I needed an extra person; that’s all. It’s not a reward. An employee quit. You’re the replacement.”

  Damn. She hadn’t seen him this grumpy in a while, not since the first day she’d met him. She really hoped he wasn’t coming along on the cruise, because she would be more than happy to sail off into the sunset and get the heck away from him while he was playing the evil Mr. Hyde.

  “I hope I don’t disappoint anyone,” she said, a nervous laugh escaping.

  He looked her up and down, and it definitely wasn’t the saucy once-over that he’d subjected her to in the past. She felt she was coming up short, and that wasn’t an enjoyable feeling for someone as driven as she was.

  “We’ll see how it goes.”

  Her nerves were shot, but Savvy’s spine stiffened. She wasn’t about to just stand there and let him treat her like garbage. No
body deserved that — not even her. She hadn’t been the one behaving inappropriately.

  “Look, Ashton. I know that a man like you most likely doesn’t enjoy rejection, and now you think you need to retaliate, but this is unprofessional of you. I didn’t do anything wrong. I just explained myself to you as honestly as I could.”

  He stopped and looked at her, his expression never changing. Maybe he planned to make her life completely miserable in hopes that she would just quit and he didn’t have to risk getting sued for firing her. If he went that way, she would probably be much better off by giving him what he wanted — leaving his company, not having sex with him, of course.

  “I’m sorry if you’re somehow offended, Savvy,” he said before an almost cruel smile ran across his lips. “Actually, I take that back. I really don’t care if you think that I’m being inappropriate.”

  So cold. He was being so unbelievably cold. She was grateful she hadn’t slept with the man, because if this was the way he treated women, she wanted nothing at all to do with him. No, thank you.

  “Do you want me to quit? Is that what you’re trying to get me to do?” She might as well say it, though she was terrified of his answer. She needed the money, and she wanted the ocean.

  He was silent for several heartbeats, as if seriously considering what she’d asked him. Then his eyes blazed before he managed to tamp the flames back down.

  “No. Then I’d be even more shorthanded. Just do your job and we won’t have a problem.”

  Savvy wanted to slap him, scream at him, push him over the side of the dock, and she wasn’t sure in which order she wanted to do all those things. So instead of getting instantly fired by doing one or all three, she decided now was a good time to make her showstopping exit.

  So she stomped off. This conversation was getting them nowhere, and she was finished with going in circles. A relieved breath left her when he didn’t follow.