Island Nights

by P. J. Mellor

  If she was lucky, she could make her rent for two more months. Maybe three—if she cut back, didn’t go out, and ate a diet of Ramen noodles. Maybe.

  She felt light-headed. Where was a paper bag when you needed one?

  “Reese?” Ben’s voice came from far away. “Are you okay? You’re not going to pass out or throw up or anything, are you?”

  Another deep breath.

  “No. No, I’m okay.” Her smile felt brittle. “I was just, um, thinking.”

  “So, I was wondering … are you still planning to go home right away?”

  Give me a reason to stay. About now, any reason would do. No reasonable offers refused.

  “Um, probably. Why wouldn’t I?”

  “No reason, I guess.” Standing, he threw some money on the table and bent to brush a kiss on her cheek. “I’m going to miss you, Blondie. Bye, partner.”

  She was still sitting where Ben left her, when Bailey entered the restaurant.

  “Morning!” Bailey slid into the chair Ben had vacated. “Did you eat already?” Squinting, she read the menu.

  “Bailey, aren’t you wearing your contacts?”

  “Hmm? Oh, no, I lost one. And I left my glasses in my room. It’s okay. I can see to read the menu.” She held it close to her face. “Sort of.”

  “The special today is cinnamon French toast, with a side of bacon or sausage.”

  Bailey sighed and set the menu aside with a smile. “Thanks, I’ll get that.”

  Rita came by with coffee and took the order.

  “Paige still sleeping?” Reese poured creamer into the extremely strong coffee.

  Bailey shrugged and smiled. “I have no idea.”

  “Uh-oh. Did she pick someone up last night?” She loved her friend, but she wished she would stop playing the field with such enthusiasm.

  Bailey giggled and took a sip of coffee. “I’d say it was the other way around.”

  “Okay, tell me, I can see you’re dying to, anyway. Spill it.”

  After Bailey finished filling her in, Reese leaned back in her chair and gave a low whistle. “Wow. That’s got to be a record for Paige. This guy, Brett, has been the only person she’s slept with the entire time y’all have been here?” Bailey nodded, her ponytail swinging. “That’s amazing.”

  “You want amazing, you should have seen them last night. Paige and I were hanging out in my room when he came to get her.”

  “Uh-oh. Guys don’t do that with Paige. Or if they do, they’re history.”

  “That’s what I always thought. But not only did he come to my room,” she said in an urgent whisper, “he told her to put on her shoes, and she did! Then he picked her up and left, and I haven’t seen or heard from her since.”

  “Do you think there’s a problem? Should we go find her?” Maybe Ben would go with them.

  Bailey shook her head. “Thanks,” she said when the waitress set her plate in front of her. “I’ll tell you the truth, Reese. I don’t think Paige would appreciate seeing us.” She took a bite of bacon and chewed thoughtfully. “She told him she loved him.”

  “What! Are you sure?”

  Bailey nodded. “I heard it with my own ears.”

  “Wow,” Reese said again, taking another sip of coffee. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard Paige say the L word. Not to a guy, anyway.”

  After breakfast, Reese walked back to Bailey’s room with her. “Have you made reservations? I thought I’d see if I can get on the same flight.”

  “Really?”

  “Sure. Why do you look so surprised? There’s no reason for me to stay. I foiled Dorinda’s evil plot.” Rocking back on her heels, she smiled and cracked her knuckles. “My work here is done.”

  “But you said she fired you.” Bailey dragged her suitcase out of the closet and plopped it on the bed.

  “All the more reason to go home. I need to look for a job!”

  “True.” Bailey tossed a plastic bag of cosmetics into her suitcase and reached for the clothes hanging in the closet. “I guess, if it were me, and I had someone like Ben drooling over me—”

  “Yeah, well, first of all, Ben is not drooling over me. We had—well, we had some fun while we were stranded on the island. But that’s over.”

  “Is it? I saw your face when he left the restaurant. You didn’t look like it was over. Neither did he, for that matter.” She tucked a pair of walking shoes into the end pocket of the suitcase. “And you did loan him money from your 401(k) to pay the taxes. That doesn’t sound like a casual-interlude-type thing to me.”

  “For goodness’ sake, Bay, it was just sex! Okay, it was hot sex, the best I’ve ever had. But that’s all it was. For either of us.” Unfortunately.

  “If you say so.”

  “Whatever we had, it’s done. What choice do I have but to move on?”

  “You could stay, silly.”

  48

  “Permission to come aboard!” Rick’s jovial voice broke into Ben’s dark thoughts.

  He raised his head from the warmth of the deck and stared at his smiling friend. “Only if you brought beer.”

  Rick held up a twenty-four–pack and Ben nodded, slowly rolling to a sitting position.

  Rick sat beside him, not speaking until they’d drunk half of their first beer. “How long you planning to hole up and drink yourself into a stupor?” At Ben’s sharp glance, he held up his hands. “Rita just wanted me to ask.”

  They finished their beers and opened another round.

  “She’s still here, you know.”

  Ben chugged the rest of his beer and reached for another bottle. “Who?”

  “Who? Don’t bullshit me. You know good and damn well who. Reese, that’s who.”

  Ben let loose a loud burp. “Last I heard, it was a free country. She can go or stay anywhere she wants.”

  “True. But, seems to me, as long as she’s here in Sand Dollar, we don’t see your sorry ass. Why do you think that is?”

  “Dumb luck?”

  Rick tossed his empty into the plastic barrel by the steps. “Shit, man, and here we thought you’d changed.”

  “Why? Just because I finally paid the taxes on the island?”

  Rick sat for a minute, picking at the label on his bottle, then shrugged. “I dunno. You just seemed, well, different, since you hooked up with Reese.”

  “Was I such a piece of shit before?”

  Rick got to his feet. “I didn’t come down here to argue or take abuse. I told Rita this was a piss-poor idea.”

  Ben sat and finished his beer while he watched Rick stomp away.

  At least, he’d left the beer.

  “Don’t mind if I do.” Ben opened another bottle and took a long swig. “Ah. The breakfast of champions.”

  Without anyone to gripe, his statement wasn’t nearly as much fun.

  Though he’d never admit it, Rick had a point. Since Reese, Ben hadn’t been around much.

  “And,” he said, crawling to the door and pulling up to stand, “if I don’t want to land right smack-dab in the same place I was, I need to get my carcass in gear and get to the renovations so I can at least keep the taxes current.”

  Could he go back to Serenity House and be around all the places he and Reese had been, all the places where they’d made love?

  Where he had his miserable heart broken.

  Work. He had work to do, and work would help keep his mind off Reese and the L word.

  “Okay, now it’s my turn to worry,” Reese said, sliding into the chair across from Bailey. “Have you heard from Paige yet?”

  Bailey put down her menu. “I had a text this morning. She didn’t say much, just that she was still at Brett’s place and would talk to us soon.”

  “Good morning, ladies,” Rita chirped as she walked to their table with a carafe of coffee in each hand. “Regular or unleaded?”

  “Thanks,” Bailey said after Rita poured.

  “No problem.” Rita shrugged and looked away, then back at Bailey. “I want you
to know I had no idea what that stinker Travis pulled. When I found out, well, to say I didn’t approve was putting it mildly.”

  She walked away to refill another cup of coffee.

  “Travis? Who’s Travis?” Reese stirred a generous amount of cream into her coffee. “What’s going on?”

  “Please. Not before we eat.”

  “That bad, huh?” Reese nodded to the waitress, who set her plate on the table.

  “You have no idea.”

  Reese choked on her last bite of muffin as she listened in wide-eyed shock to Bailey’s story.

  “Didn’t you even report him?” A sip of coffee helped dislodge the muffin.

  “No. Paige wanted to, but they took her phone. By the time we got back to the hotel, I’d had time to think and I told her not to make the call.” She dabbed at her eye with her napkin. “I was so embarrassed! I just wanted to put it all behind me and move on.”

  “But, Bailey, it was not consensual. That creep needs to be prosecuted!”

  Bailey shook her head. “Reese, I seriously doubt that would have happened. I’m the outsider. And I didn’t fight them. Heck, I enjoyed it … until I realized what was really happening. Bottom line is, I doubt Travis would be found guilty of anything more than misrepresentation. Meanwhile, I’d be dragged through the mud. Thanks, but no thanks.”

  “You say he’s Rita’s brother?”

  Bailey nodded. “Yeah. I don’t know how she heard about what happened, but as you saw, she was definitely not on his side. I don’t know if she said anything to him, but he hasn’t been around the hotel since that day.”

  “I’m so sorry I wasn’t around for you.”

  Bailey chuckled. “Believe me, Paige more than made up for it.”

  A server refilled their coffee.

  “So, what are you going to do, now that you’re unemployed?”

  “I know I need to find another job.” Reese sighed. “But, right now, my heart just isn’t in it.”

  “Will you be okay to hold off for a while, financially?”

  “I don’t know. I have some money saved.” She chewed on her lip. “I just wish things had turned out differently, you know?”

  “You mean you wish Dragon Lady hadn’t fired you, and you had bid on the island for her, after all?”

  “Lord, no! Not that different. No, I’d planned to quit, anyway, so getting fired wasn’t really horrible.” She sighed and looked out at the sunshine sparkling on the water.

  Rita reappeared and dragged a chair up to the table. She sat and let loose a relieved-sounding sigh. “I need a break! My feet are killing me. I need to save my strength for tonight.”

  “What’s going on tonight?” Reese took a last swallow of tepid coffee.

  “A dance, right here. Didn’t Ben tell you?”

  “I haven’t talked to Ben since the first day we were back.”

  Rita made a disgusted sound and shook her head. “Ben Adams is an even bigger fool than I thought.” She sighed and met Reese’s curious gaze. “Sand Dollar has been having fundraisers, to help Ben. Car washes, bake sales, raffles. And dances. All proceeds go to his tax fund.”

  “But he paid the back taxes.”

  “Yeah, and we all know how. Well, Rick and I do, anyway.” Rita shot her a meaningful look. “The dance was already planned, and everyone loves them. So, even though it’s not a fund-raiser, we’re continuing. You have to go.”

  “Oh, I don’t—”

  “Go, Reese,” Bailey chimed in. “It’ll be fun.”

  “Only if you go with me.”

  “Oh. I don’t think—”

  “Travis isn’t invited,” Rita said flatly. “And if he shows up, he will be turned away.”

  Bailey smiled. “In that case, I’d love to go.”

  49

  “Here.” Rita tossed a shirt on Ben’s bed. “Wear that.”

  “I already told Rick I’m not going.” He reached for another beer.

  Rita slapped his hand away. “You absolutely are going! We’re doing this for you, you ungrateful beach bum.”

  “Don’t hold back, tell me what you really think,” he grumbled.

  “Believe me, you don’t want to know my thoughts right now.” She sat on the edge of the bed and patted his foot. “Ben, we all love you, you know that. But you have to get out of the self-destructive mode you’ve been in for the last few years. You’ve been given a second chance with Serenity Island, and what have you done? Nothing.”

  “I paid the damn taxes. Let me ease into this turning-over-a-new-leaf thing, will you?”

  “No. You’re out of time and we’re running out of patience. Everyone has bent over backward for all the fund-raisers. The least you could do is show up.”

  “Fine. Now get out of here so I can get ready.”

  Standing, she smoothed her skirt. “Good. Rick will be back for you in an hour.”

  “Rita, I can see the damn hotel from my deck. It’s not likely I’d get lost.”

  “With you, we’re not taking any chances. Rick told me he’s going to help you haul the supplies for the renovations tomorrow. You owe us. Be ready when he gets here.”

  “Do you see Paige?” Bailey scanned the crowded lobby full of people gyrating to the music. “She texted she’d be here.”

  Reese sipped her margarita and tried not to be obvious in her search for Ben. “If she said she’s coming, she’ll be here.” She nudged her friend with her elbow. “Cute guy at two o’clock.”

  “Not interested.”

  “How do you know? You didn’t even look!”

  “Reese, I’m just not … ready, for lack of a better word.”

  She grabbed Bailey’s elbow. “You said, you swore to me, you were okay.”

  “And I am! Really. I guess I just don’t feel like I can trust my judgment right now, where men are concerned.”

  “I know the feeling.” She watched Ben enter, all the other men in the room fading from view. The indirect lighting glowed from the streaks in his freshly combed, damp hair.

  Next to him was a striking blond woman. They weren’t touching, but they obviously knew each other.

  Ben bent his head, then laughed at something the woman said. As he straightened, his gaze honed in on Reese.

  He turned back to the woman, who laughed and rose on tiptoe to kiss his cheek.

  Nausea gripped the pit of Reese’s stomach.

  She hadn’t seen Ben in days. They had no claim, no commitment to each other. Why did she feel like crying?

  “Look!” Oblivious, Bailey grabbed her arm. “There’s Paige.”

  Reese followed her line of vision, watching as Paige spotted them and made her way through the crowd, a tall, GQ-type guy following her.

  “Is that him?” she whispered to Bailey.

  “Yeah, that’s Brett. He’s amazing. He runs a dairy farm outside of town. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Paige happier.”

  Reese watched them approach. Leave it to Paige to find the diamond among a pile of coal.

  And speaking of diamonds …

  The light reflecting from the rock on her friend’s left hand was enough to cause blindness.

  “I’m engaged!” Paige shrieked above the music.

  And I’m out of here.

  Of course, she was happy for her friend, and plastered a smile on her face while she told her so.

  After being introduced to Brett, who seemed genuinely smitten with Paige, Reese made her excuses and pushed through the crowd.

  The silence in her room was overwhelming.

  Collapsing in a chair, she held a tissue to her leaking eyes.

  “Stop,” she whispered, wiping her nose. “Crying is so nonproductive.” Tears again blurred her vision.

  She ignored the soft knock on her door. She didn’t want to see anyone, didn’t want to talk to anyone. Not now. Not yet.

  “Reese?” Ben’s voice was low. He knocked again.

  She sat in the darkness until she was sure he’d gone.

 
“Probably went back to his bimbo date,” she grumbled, dragging her suitcase to the bed.

  It was past time to go home.

  50

  “I still don’t understand what you’re doing,” Bailey said as she cut another piece of packing tape to seal a box.

  “I told you, I have to get some of this stuff ready to go so I can move as soon as my notice runs out.” Reese grunted and hefted the box to the top of the pile by her door.

  “But you haven’t found another place yet, have you?”

  “You know I haven’t.”

  “You could go back to Serenity Island, you know. You technically are a part owner.” Bailey wiped her forehead with the edge of her T-shirt. “Let’s take a break. Is your air on?”

  “Yeah, but I have it set high to save money. Here, have a Coke.”

  Bailey cracked open the sweating bottle and took a long swallow. “It’s July in the Deep South. You have to have air. It’s uncivilized.” She took another drink. “I wonder how Paige is adapting to country life. I bet it’s cooler in Sand Dollar.”

  “So I’ve heard. I still can’t believe Paige quit the hospital.”

  “Love makes you do uncharacteristic things, I guess.”

  “Tell me about it. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around Paige being with only one man for the rest of her life. Is she still planning to open a clinic in Sand Dollar?”

  “From what I understand, it was Brett’s idea. I’m sure Paige could find a position for you in the new clinic, if you would consider moving to Sand Dollar.”

  “She already offered.”

  Bailey paused in taping another box. “She did? Then what are you waiting for? Think about it, Reese. You wouldn’t be lonely—you’d already have a friend. You’d have a job. The cost of living is lower, so you’d probably be better off. Plus,” she finished brightly, “you would be able to keep an eye on your investment.”

  “It isn’t like it’s a real investment. I just loaned Ben money to prevent the island from selling at auction. He’s going to pay me back.” She shrugged. “Besides, I don’t want him to get the wrong idea. What if he thinks I’m chasing him?”

  “Who knows? You’ll never know if you don’t go. Maybe he’ll let you catch him.”