Gabe looked off into the distance and Rory waited for him to continue. “Sure enough it happened. Only one week later, I stopped by my Dad’s office and heard a lot of yelling and arguing. I remember huddling in the corner chair in the front office, unsure whether I should stay or go home. Dad’s secretary had already gone home for the day and I was alone in the main office.” He rubbed the back of his neck and breathed in quickly before he continued, “I overheard what they were saying. It was the same old argument with Simon saying it’s not going to hurt anyone, and my Dad convinced they needed to be honest in all their business dealings. Then I heard Dad’s partner, give Dad an ultimatum. Simon told my Dad that if he didn’t agree to doing it his way, that he would take their biggest clients and leave the business. My Dad told him you can’t do that because we signed a contract. To which Simon replied, you think I can’t find loopholes around that? You’d best think about it Daniel. You know if those three biggest clients were gone that would leave you with a great loss and no hope of recovery.”
Rory could feel the tension in Gabe’s voice as he spoke. “What happened?”
“The next day when my Dad went to work, he discovered the client files were missing and so was the money from the business account that he shared with his business partner. Simon must have panicked and ran.” Gabe rubbed the back of his neck. “Dad was devastated. He had a heart attack and died a few days later.”
Rory slipped her hand in Gabe’s and squeezed his. “I’m so sorry.”
Gabe squeezed her hand in response. His voice shook as he continued speaking, “Thanks. It was especially tough for my mom after that. My dad was gone and all the money was gone. We really struggled to make ends meet. So my older brothers Adam and Jack took on full-time jobs and I took on a part-time job. I was young, but I knew how to work and get things done. I started a newspaper job and by the time I was a freshman, I was the local High School student reporter at our small town radio and TV station. We were able to pay the bills and pay the lawyer who eventually got Simon Black sent to jail.”
“I’m glad things started going in the right direction.” Rory thought about Gabe’s growing up years and realized she hadn’t known all the difficulties he’d gone through. “Going through all that must have been so hard.”
“Yes it was. At the time, I felt so vulnerable and was going through so much anxiety from it all. I went through self-blame and wondered what I could have done differently to help my Dad.” He paused for a moment then said, “I didn’t want to put all those negative thoughts and worries on you.”
They were near the lighted area of the resort and Rory could see his brows puckered together in worry.
“Gabe why would you blame yourself?”
“Because whenever I would see Dad’s partner, I would get this sickening feeling at the pit of my stomach. I knew something wasn’t quite right about him, but I never told my dad. I guess I just assumed he knew. Maybe if I would have said something sooner my Dad would’ve had a plan to prevent Simon from blackmailing him. And then he wouldn’t have died.” He choked on those last words and stopped. Closing his eyes briefly, he swallowed and turned to face her.
Rory placed a gentle hand on his arm. “You can’t know for sure what would’ve happened even if you would’ve said something. You can’t continue to blame yourself Gabe.”
“My head knows that, but my heart still struggles with it. I think that’s why I made up my mind not to let myself be placed in a vulnerable position like my Dad.”
Rory digested his words for a moment before she spoke. “Is that why you began to write books and do trainings on self-development?”
“Yes. At first I started learning about how to improve myself, but then I realized so many other people needed to learn how to grow themselves and how to safe-guard themselves against people who might want to exploit them.” Passion was in Gabe’s voice as he spoke.
Rory was sad at all the difficulties he’d experienced. “That’s really good Gabe that you’ve dedicated so much of your life to helping others better themselves. It’s terrible when people are treated poorly, including your Dad. Have you experienced that yourself?”
“Sadly, yes. I have been used quite a lot. Most of the time by women who wanted my money or my platform or something. It was never me that they wanted, it was always something else.” Gabe’s mouth turned into a firm line as he pulled his gaze from her and looked down the street toward the Resort before returning his gaze to her.
“That’s horrible. I didn’t realize that. Is that why you never married — I mean weren’t married?” She sent her new husband a sheepish half-smile and the sun-bronzed skin around his eyes crinkled.
“Don’t forget you’re married now. To me.” Gabe teased then turned serious once more and shifted his feet. “Yeah, all the women I’ve dated so far haven’t been interested in me as a person. I became really tired of it. Not long ago, I dated a woman who had me twisted around her finger. I thought this relationship might be serious enough for marriage until I found out she had another guy on the side. Turns out she was interested in my money and the spotlight just like the others.”
“Maybe someday you’ll find a woman who doesn’t care about the money or being in the spotlight, and just loves you for who you are.” Rory didn’t know what made her say that. Inside she believed that person could be her. But Gabe was her childhood friend and she really did want him to be happy.
“I don’t think that’s going to happen.” The lines around Gabe’s mouth set in a firm line. He looked at the lights of the resort and back to her, a masque hiding his emotions. “But I’m grateful you agreed to this short-term marriage, Rory. You’re a good friend.”
Rory felt complimented and deflated all at the same time. She loved that he saw her as a good friend, but his words short-term marriage weren’t words she particularly wanted to hear right now.
But she didn’t want Gabe to know that the reminder stung.
She forced a smile. “Thanks Gabe.”
“Anyway, let’s agree to get out of this serious conversation and focus on having fun. That’s what we’re here for, right?”
“I agree.” Rory smiled slipped a little. “But, I am feeling a little tired. Maybe we can save the fun for tomorrow?”
Gabe nodded almost too quickly.
As they walked back into the Resort toward their shared suite of rooms, they said a quick goodnight. Rory retreated to her bedroom thinking for a long time about everything Gabe had told her. She never realized all the details behind his father’s sudden passing. It seemed that betrayal of his Dad’s business partner had caused Gabe to fear being vulnerable. That and the fact that he hadn’t yet met a woman who liked Gabe just for who he was.
That surprised her. He was a great guy, without all the attachments of money and fame. Why couldn’t people see that?
Maybe it was her job to help him discover that not all people were after something he had. Maybe it was her job to help him discover that he didn’t need to fear trusting the right person. Maybe it was her job to help him discover that he was worthy of love just for who he was.
Chapter Eight
The morning sun was beginning to rise in the clear blue sky as Gabe jogged back to the Resort. As usual the run had helped clear his head of troubling thoughts to gain a better perspective.
A better viewpoint was what he needed.
All night long he had tossed and turned his thoughts on his new wife.
Rory had a way of talking to him that made him want to tell her everything about his life. She’d asked him some real personal questions last night.
His soul had been stripped bare, and he didn’t like it.
Talking about his how his Dad had been betrayed and how the stress of that had caused his death was a very touchy subject for him. He still missed his Dad something fierce everyday of his life. The memory of how he had failed to tell his Dad of what he sensed in his gut still haunted him to this day.
All these years of
helping others with his self-development training from his books, online trainings and conferences, still hadn’t made up for the fact that deep down he felt like he’d failed his Dad when he needed him most.
It was such a vulnerable and painful place inside of him — it was the place where fear lived. He had a fear of being taken advantage by someone who wanted to use him. Fear of letting down people he loved. He had a fear of truly letting his guard down and letting people see his heart.
Rory had seen some of his heart last night and it scared him.
What scared him even more was the affect she had on him.
Gabe had been convinced that a marriage-in-name-only to Rory would be like all those summers they spent together as friends. He assumed they would have fun together and that would be it.
Yet when they were stargazing together he felt closer to her. Listening to Rory share a story from her past, made him long to do more than put his arms around her.
He wanted to kiss her with a passion that he was convinced would scare her.
There was a moment last night, when he could’ve leaned his head down and touched his lips to hers, but he’d forced himself to be a gentleman. He had reminded himself that Rory was not only like a sister but had trusted him with a marriage-of-convenience.
But, he’d wanted to kiss her… oh how he wanted to.
Now that he’d had been jogging to clear his mind, maybe now he’d be able to refocus.
He opened the door to their suite of rooms quietly, so as not to wake Rory. Stepping into the room, he looked around and finally saw her sitting with her knees up on the large cushioned lounge chair that overlooked the swimming area. She held a coffee cup in both hands, while soft blond hair fell in waves across her shoulders.
The sleep tousled look in her violet eyes, did not help him with his new resolve to treat Rory as a friend only.
So much for refocusing.
“Morning.” He stepped inside and closed the door, shrugged out of his hoodie and moved into the room.
“Morning Gabe. You’re up so early. You had a morning jog huh?” He nodded and she continued, “I should’ve done that myself. My only excuse was I was feeling lazy and so relaxed this morning.”
“Good. A lazy few hours in the morning sounds good.”
“I ordered room service. Maria should be here soon with our breakfast.” Rory took another sip of her steamy drink, her pink lips upturned.
He wanted to sit beside her and cuddle her, but he pulled his thoughts out from wayward desires. “I’m just going to shower quickly.”
Gabe hurried to his room and into the hot shower. As he stepped out of the hot mist, he realized what they needed was to do something together. They needed to do something to underline the fact that they were friends only.
He slipped into jeans and a t-shirt and went into the dining area, only to hear their server knocking at the door. Gabe opened the door, wafting smells of eggs and coffee greeting him. “Hmm that smells good. We can put it here.” Gabe moved the newspapers and his laptop off the table to make room for Maria to set down her trays.
Rory came over to the table picking up the lids that covered the plates and smiling. “Thank you so much Maria.”
“Si. You’re welcome. Will there be anything else?” Maria looked from Rory to him, her eyes a nervous flutter.
“Just one more thing. Do you know how we could get on today’s schedule for the boat that goes out whale watching today?” Gabe looked over at Rory and her bright smile convinced him this would be good for them.
“Si. My uncle Jose Moreno runs the whale watching boat for tourists.” Maria pulled out a piece of paper from her apron pocket. “Here it says today he takes people at ten in the morning and at two in the afternoon.”
“Hmm… your uncle runs the touring boat. Are your families from the same village then?”
“Si, my village is only an hour away. A small village on the sea called Pipa. I work here to help out my family.” Maria lowered her head and a stain of red rose from her neck to her cheeks.
“That’s something to be proud of Maria.” Gabe could tell Rory’s gentle words took away any sting of awkwardness.
“And we’ll be sure to tell your uncle you recommended his whale watching boat.” Gabe smiled and nodded.
“Si, thank you. Oh, and bring warm clothes. It’s chilly on the water.” Maria nodded and just as quickly as she entered, backed out the door.
“That’s great that Maria’s uncle runs the tourist boat.”
“It is. I’m just wondering why Maria looked a little afraid. Did you notice that?” Rory stood there watching the door and then stared back at him.
Gabe thought about it for a minute. “She does seem nervous. I assumed that’s because we’re new here and she’s just getting to know us.”
Rory tilted her head to the side her brow puckered in worry. “No, I have a gut feeling it’s more than that. Maybe next time I see her I’ll be able to get to know her better.”
“Good idea.” Gabe’s pulled out a chair at the table for Rory just as his stomach rumbled. He chuckled, “But for now we’ll eat. We have just enough time to eat and get to the boat this morning.”
By the time they finished their breakfast, changed into jeans their light jackets and walked down to the marina, it was almost time.
As they approached the Port, there were a few different large boats. Some had just left, filled with tourists, while a few others were still waiting.
Gabe takes to a few different people wearing the orange vest of the tour guide before he found the man he was looking for.
“Jose Moreno?”
“Si. You want to go see the whales?” He was a short stocky man with a deep olive complexion and a big smile.
“Yes, but we wanted to let you know your niece Maria recommend you as our tour guide.”
At Maria’s name the older man chuckled. “Si, Maria. She’s a good girl. Her papa, no understand why she hasn’t been home in two years. Maria says she’s too busy, but she will go home yet.” His smile wavered a little and then pointed to the boat. “You want to see the whales?”
“Yes, I think we are. Rory?” Gabe held out his hand to Rory and they walked toward the dock. After they got their lifejackets on they went on the large boat. There were eight other people on the boat and everyone was excited as the boat started moving.
Rory held sat beside him squirming, her eyes wide as the boat moved along the coast. She pointed suddenly to the shore. “Look there are sea lions.”
Gabe saw the light brown animals as they moved slowly along the beach. Not too far away from them were a colony of cormorant birds and a cluster of penguins.
“I love looking at penguins. It looks they’re always ready to go to a party, wearing their tuxedos everyday.” Rory giggled beside him.
“Yeah, they definitely look cute.” Gabe agreed, surprised when Jose Moreno stopped the engine. They were far from the coast, with the Atlantic around them. For a moment there was plain silence only interrupted by the sounds of penguins, seagulls, and cormorants.
Rory grabbed his hand. He looked down to see her violet eyes widen as she pointed to the water other side of the boat. Their whole group was quiet for a moment.
Gabe heard a clicking noise and then a whistling noise as something silvery and white jumped out of the water near the boat. A loud splash startled them all as the whale’s body landed with a thud back into the ocean.
“That’s just beautiful.” Rory whispered beside him. He squeezed her hand, loving her excited response to the sight. She held up her smart phone and took several pictures, even taking one of them together. “Look there are dolphins jumping and playing beside the whales too.”
Two of the children on board with them looked where Rory pointed and got all excited shouting at the whales in the water. Soon everyone was laughing and speaking all at once.
Gabe enjoyed having Rory at his side for the full hour their boat drifted on the water. All too soon the gui
de started the boat’s engine and they headed back to shore.
“Thank you for the wonderful tour.” Rory spoke to Maria’s uncle their tour guide.
Gabe shook his hand, and decided to ask him about his village. “Do you have people who harvest seaweed and other plants in your village?”
“Si, a few families do.”
“My wife and I are interested in finding seaweed and other plants that would help my wife make her skin care products. Do you know of some people who would be interested in being our guide to show us the sea plants near your village?” Gabe asked.
“Si. Come tomorrow morning at nine. I will meet you at the red library building on the corner of main-street. You can follow me from there.” Jose grinned and shook his hand.
“Thank you. We’ll be there.” Gabe nodded and grabbed Rory’s hand as they drove back to the Resort.
Rory looked at him strangely.
“What? I just wanted to get going on this project. I’m sure Jose knows people who would know where to find the best spots for sea plants and the brown marine algae you need.” Gabe squeezed her hand. “It’s okay. We’ll figure this out together.”
Rory sighed. “I know it will be okay. I think I’m just admiring how you just go after something that you want. That’s something I could learn from you. I tend to be shy and slightly timid about asking for people’s help.”
He could see the uncertainty in her large eyes. “Maybe it would help if you talked to Jose and the others tomorrow. That might really help you to feel more courageous in getting the answers you need for this project.”
“Maybe.” She hesitated and he quirked an eyebrow at her. “Okay you’re right. I will do the talking tomorrow.”
Gabe was learning new things about Rory. He made a mental note to continue to help and encourage her to do things beyond what she thought she was capable of doing.
The Billionaire's Marriage Promise Page 10