"It doesn't matter who told me. The fact is that you didn't tell me. Why?"
"I didn't want to worry you. You have enough on your plate with your career taking off. I was just trying to keep you from having one more concern."
"When are you going to stop treating me like a child?" The look on his face made it clear that he was taken aback by her words, and part of her, the old Meredith, couldn't believe she was saying them. She'd felt it for so long, but never verbalized it.
"I'm not treating you like a child," he said, placing his hands on her arms and attempting to lead her over to the chairs.
"Yes you are," she exclaimed, shaking his hands off. "Just like this. You're placating me. I'm not a little girl who's going to break if you tell her the truth." She never had been, but Brandon had always treated her so.
"Fine," he sighed, sitting down in one of the chairs and running his hands through his hair. After a moment, she forced herself to sit down beside him and waited for him to say something.
"I'm sorry I kept it from you. But really, would it have made any difference if you'd known? It wouldn't have changed anything. I'm okay, and the resort will be too. Eventually. We just have to be careful for the next little bit to not overextend ourselves financially."
"You're not okay, Bran. You're working yourself to death. You need help. You can't continue at this pace. I see it now. You've barely had time for anything but work since I've arrived."
"I know, and I'm sorry about that. I truly am."
"That's not what this is about. I'm just making a point that you're going to run yourself into the ground."
He shrugged his shoulders helplessly. "I don't really have a choice. I can't hire anyone else and if I don't take care of things, everything I've worked for all these years will be gone."
Meredith's heart went out to her brother. He really was a good guy. As much as he drove her crazy by his overbearing Brother Bear act, she knew it was only because he had her best interests in mind. But maybe she could do something for him.
"Let me help."
"No." He shook his head vehemently. "There's nothing you need to do. I've got it under control."
"Maybe, but there is something I can do. And I'm going to if you won't stand in my way."
"All I want is for you to have a nice time before you go back to New York. You don't need to spend your vacation worrying about me or my business."
"I don't need to, but I want to."
Before he could object, she pulled out the plans she and Katrina had come up with and went over them in detail. Her financial experience came in handy because without much effort, she was able to clearly show him how the program would be an investment that would bring in much-needed revenue. She laid it out in terms that would make sense to his business-minded brain.
Dance fitness and reality dance shows were immensely popular and they could capitalize on that to bring in more guests. Market the classes as an add-on feature that would add to the revenue.
She was ecstatic to see he was actually listening to her.
"I can't oversee this," he finally said. "I don't have the knowledge to implement something like this, and we can't hire anyone else right now."
"I know. You won't have to. I've been talking with Katrina, and she can handle it for now. And I can help, too, from a distance. I can run the management aspect of it from New York."
"You don't have time for that," he objected.
"I make time for things I care about. And this is something that means a lot to me. Not only because I love it, but because you're my brother and I'd do anything to help you."
Brandon looked at her and she saw again just how much this had taken out of him. He was worn down. He needed her help.
Please say yes.
After what felt like an eternity he nodded slowly, looking through the papers again. Her heart leaped. She couldn't believe he was agreeing.
She squealed and threw her arms around her brother. It felt great to do something for her brother, instead of the other way around. And it was something she loved. He even looked somewhat relieved.
"Let me work out some more details, and we'll talk tomorrow," she said, grabbing her notebook and leaving him to his work.
She couldn't wait to tell Cole.
She stopped short outside of Brandon's office. Why was her gut instinct to go straight to Cole? Was it because he was the person she was closest to at the resort so it was only natural that she would want to share her exciting news with him? That had to be it.
But the heavy feeling in her chest had her worried. She was afraid it was much more than that.
***
Meredith tried to tamp down the nerves that were roiling in her stomach. The dance class they'd been working on for nearly two weeks was getting ready to start. The more students that piled into the studio, the more nervous she became, but it was tinged with excitement. This was what she'd been working toward and it was finally time to put her hard work into action.
After her conversation with Brandon several days earlier, she had spent a good amount of time working on plans to help build up the program and it was going well. She'd also ruthlessly ignored her growing feelings for Cole, knowing it was all coming to an end sooner than later. She'd vowed to enjoy the time they had left together, though, and she'd done a pretty good job. Every night they'd spent together had been even more incredible than the one before if that was possible.
He stood beside her at the edge of the room and she felt some of her nerves settle as he reached for her hand and gave her a reassuring squeeze. "You've got this, baby," he whispered in her ear.
"No, we've got this." She smiled up at him and her heart clenched in her chest when he smiled back.
"Are you nervous?"
"A little," she admitted. "But with you here, what can go wrong?"
He studied her with intensity and she had no clue what was going through his mind, but as he intertwined his fingers with hers, she knew that whatever it was, it was okay.
"Here we go," Katrina said, coming up to them with a huge grin spreading across her face. "This is going to be amazing."
"I hope so," Meredith replied, but she knew Katrina was right. They'd worked tirelessly, and enjoyed every minute of it. It was time to shine.
Katrina went to the front of the room as the class continued to fill up and began to speak, telling the students that they were part of a brand new program at the resort. They were going to pair off and learn some basic steps first, working their way up to a full dance by the end of the afternoon.
"Allow me to introduce our lovely and talented demonstrators, Meredith Jacobs and Cole Phillips."
They stepped forward and Meredith spoke the rehearsed instructions she had written out the night before. "First, Cole and I will demonstrate what the complete dance will look like, and then we will break it down for you. Believe me, the goal is not for it to be perfect today, but just for you to have fun and explore your interest."
Katrina went to set up the music and Cole and Meredith took their places in the center of the dance floor. She had worn a short flowing white dress that would enhance the beauty of the dance, and she thought Cole looked like a total heartbreaker in black pants and a tight black shirt that perfectly emphasized his strong arms.
She hoped she could keep her hormones under control enough that they wouldn't look like they were ready to move it to the bedroom.
As they were about to begin, she noticed Brandon sneak in at the back of the room. She hadn't expected him to make it, but the reassuring smile and thumbs up that he gave her made her feel more happy than nervous. Her brother was supporting her in something she loved.
She turned her gaze back to Cole and inclined her head slightly. His nearly imperceptible nod let her know that he had seen Brandon as well. They had to be on their best behavior.
Not an easy task when they were about to demonstrate one of the sexiest dances of all time.
Then the music started and awareness of an
ything other than Cole and the dance fell away. She threw herself into it completely, feeling a rush of adrenaline that pushed her harder and further than before.
She felt like she was flying across the floor, and when Cole lifted her up in the air and back down to press her flush against his body, there was a small smattering of applause. Meredith fed off the energy, and when the song came to a close, her leg wrapped around Cole, his face pressed into her neck, she knew they had done their best yet.
The students murmured excitedly, ready to learn it for themselves. Cole and Meredith walked up to Brandon while Katrina took over showing the class what they would work on first. They would be needed again in just a few minutes, but Meredith had to know what Brandon thought.
"That was unbelievable," he said, his face showing the sincerity of his words.
"You really think so?" she asked, basking in the praise.
"Absolutely." He turned to Cole. "I have to say I was skeptical about the idea of you dancing, but with moves like that it's no wonder you can have any woman you want."
Meredith choked on the gulp of water she had just taken. Thanks for the reminder.
Cole just smiled, but didn't meet her eyes. They had to play it cool.
"I'm glad you came to see it," she said.
"Of course. I wouldn't miss out on your pet project. From the reactions, it looks like the program might be everything you said."
"I hope so." And she really did. For Brandon's sake, foremost, but it was also a relief to know she had pulled it off.
Before they could say anything else Katrina called them back over to break down some of the steps for the class and Brandon made his exit saying he wished he could see more, but had to get back to work.
The next two hours flew by, and by all accounts it was a smashing success. The students filed out of the room, many of them coming up to Cole and Meredith and thanking them for putting it together and letting them know they'd be back before their trip was over.
"Make sure you come to the dance club on Thursday night. There will be an open ballroom session for an hour before the usual DJ takes over." That had been Meredith's idea. If the students had an opportunity to practice what they learned in a fun environment it was more likely to stick and create momentum for the program.
She turned to Cole. She had the rest of the afternoon free but was too pumped up to just sit on the beach. "Do you have time for getting out on the water?"
He shook his head. "I actually have a conference call with my superior officer in a little bit. But I'll catch you later. And we have one more lesson booked for tomorrow."
She was aware of it but had been trying not to think about it. They only had two more days together and she wanted to spend every minute of it with him. Masking her disappointment, she said, "Okay, I'll be around."
He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her lips, lingering for just a moment longer than necessary, then he was gone.
Meredith stood rooted to the spot, watching the door he had disappeared through, her heart in her throat. As much as she'd tried to keep things light, she knew that getting into a cab and heading to the airport on Friday was going to be one of the hardest things she'd ever done in her life.
Katrina walked up to her. "You okay?"
Trying her hardest to appear nonchalant, she turned to her friend and smiled. "Couldn't be better. The class was even better than I'd hoped. This is going to be so amazing for you. I'm so excited to see where this goes."
Katrina wasn't buying it. She should have known. They'd grown close over the past two weeks, and Meredith realized she was going to miss her desperately as well. She threw her arms around her friend and told her as much.
"Oh, Mere, I'll miss you too. You have to find a way to make it back down here more often."
"I'll try," she said, but she knew she wouldn't be coming back to the resort anytime soon. The memories of Cole would be too fresh.
Pulling back from Katrina's hug, she was shocked to find tears running down her cheeks.
"Don't cry," Katrina said. "You'll have me a mess, too, and I have another class to teach this afternoon."
Meredith tried to laugh it off. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm so emotional." But she did know.
Katrina smiled sympathetically and gave her a quick squeeze. Meredith figured Katrina had guessed the real reason for her teary state. Telling her goodbye before she became a puddle on the ground, Meredith hurried back to her suite to change clothes.
She was angry at herself. She should have done a better job at keeping herself in check with Cole, but it had been so easy to fall into the moment, to get lost in a fantasy. Something about him had tied her heart in knots and she couldn't bear to think about going back to her normal life and him not being a part of it.
She wasn't cut out for a fling. She'd gotten too close, and now she was going to pay the price.
Far too wound up to relax, she opened up her laptop to check her email. The newest message she saw had her hands flying to her mouth. In anticipation or dread, she wasn't sure.
It was from the human resources department at work. She stared at it for an eternity, uncertain if she wanted to know what it contained. She'd come to the resort to get her mind off her job, and she'd done it. So well, in fact, that she'd all but forgotten she should be hearing back about her promotion at any moment.
It looked like that time had come.
With a shaking hand, she moved her fingers over her laptop, opened the email and scanned it quickly.
She'd gotten the job. She fell back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. After all her hard work and all the years of sacrificing everything, she had finally gotten what she'd been working toward.
She should be elated, jumping on the bed, screaming off the balcony, calling her brother.
Instead, all she felt like doing was curling into a ball and sobbing.
***
Cole knew he should have found Meredith after his lesson was over, but instead he'd headed straight for the bar. He was sitting on a stool, nursing his third beer and avoiding her. Something had changed between them in the past few days and he didn't know what to do about it.
He hadn't wanted spend this much time with a woman since Jessie. And if he was honest about it, even his ex-wife hadn't captivated him half as much as Meredith did. Everything about her drew him in and held him fast.
Dammit, how had he let this happen? He had set himself up to be hurt again and he knew it was coming. He'd guarded against this kind of pain for years. After Jessie had run off with one of his friends, he'd been devastated. He had vowed to never let himself get close to another woman again. If he kept his distance, he kept himself safe. He never lacked for women to help pass the time and fill a temporary need.
But no one had ever created a need in him like what he felt for Meredith. He needed her like he needed air and water.
Which was exactly why he couldn't see her again until he'd figured out what to do about it.
Two days. That was all they had left. The rational part of his brain, the part that had kept him safely guarded for years, told him that it was just sex and they were adults that had agreed to something with a finite expiration date. He would be fine and they would enjoy the rest of their time together, then he'd walk away. Like he always did.
But another part of him, a part he'd buried ruthlessly, knew he wasn't hardwired that way. He'd always wanted a home and a family. Thought he'd had it with Jessie. When she'd betrayed him, he'd convinced himself it just wasn't in the cards for him. And now he'd gone and let himself care for a woman who was going to leave him as well.
That wasn't fair, and he knew it. They'd both known what they were agreeing to. And he certainly hadn't expected it to turn into something like this. How the hell had he let himself fall for her?
But he knew that there was no stopping it. He'd known it from that first night when he should have just walked out of the very bar he was sitting in. She was different. There was something about her.
He slammed his beer down on the bar in frustration, causing a few people nearby to look his way. He ignored them and gestured for the bartender to bring him another. It was stupid to be drowning his sorrows alone in a bar, but he wasn't sure he could face Meredith that night, even though he'd told her he would. He didn't need a reminder of everything that was just beyond his grasp.
***
Meredith woke up to the sun streaming in through her windows. She had fallen asleep in her clothes and had slept fitfully. Cole had never shown up and she hadn't gone looking for him, as much as she may have wanted to.
She wondered what had happened. This had been the first time in a week that she'd spent the night alone. Everything had seemed fine when he'd left the dance studio the afternoon before, except for that strange look that occasionally came over him, but something must have changed.
It was for the best, she told herself. She was leaving the next day and things were drawing to an end. But that didn't stop her from feeling a tug in her heart, like she was losing out on something significant, something that would leave an aching void inside her. But what was she supposed to do about it? She knew this was temporary. She'd been the one to suggest it. There was nothing she could do to change the fact that they led two completely different lives in two opposite parts of the country.
And even if she did want something more to happen between the two of them, he obviously didn't. He was just making the break come a little easier by distancing himself sooner.
For a moment, she let herself imagine what life would be like if they were both free to explore what was between them. If she didn't have a career taking off for her back in New York.
Which reminded her that she hadn't responded to the email from work. She was putting it off, knowing that it would be one more nail in her coffin.
Coffin?
Did she really consider her career to be akin to death? She had definitely gotten a taste of how life could be different while she was at the resort. It was free and liberating, and she got to be true to herself.
Rescue Me (Sunset Bay Book 1) Page 12