Huh?
“Oh, I suppose, you may, if you want to.”
I wonder exactly what the record is for how many times a person has uttered ‘heck yes’ in one sentence.
Because, surely, I’m about to break it.
He fetched his beer and sat across from me. “So, fancy meeting you here,” he laughed.
“Out of all the restaurants in the world . . .”
“We happened to walk in the same one.”
Our eyes locked and my cheeks radiated heat.
“I’m actually here for Lisa’s wedding,” I said. “She and Ben are getting married in a few days, so I came to witness.”
“I’ll have to congratulate them when I see them next.” He took a swig of his beer and set the mug down. “And here we thought we wouldn’t see a soul from San Francisco.”
“We?”
Crap. He brought a girl? Ugh. Figures.
“A buddy of mine came along with me. He’s . . . well, he’s off enjoying a few of the local places tonight.” The smirk on his face proved half amused and half annoyed. “He tends to do that a lot. Not that I mind. I have important stuff to do anyway.”
“Sounds like a fun person to vacation with.”
He shrugged his shoulders. “So how is Charlie doing?”
“Fine, just fine. He hates his diet. I swear he thinks I’m starving him on purpose.”
“He’ll get over it.”
“Maybe. I keep waking up in the morning wondering if he’s torn my furniture to shreds out of revenge.”
“I’m sure he’s not holding it against you that much, Miss Wright.”
“Probably, not.” I tucked my hair behind my ears and cleared my throat. “Um, you can just call me Helen, if you like. No sense in being so formal.”
He stuck out his hand, offering it to me to shake. “Rick.”
Warm and soft, the touch of his skin sent sparks through my body. Heat warmed through me, speeding up my heartbeat.
Lord, how I would love to thank this man’s mother for bringing him into the world.
“May I?” Rick asked, pointing to the plate of uneaten shrimp.
“Oh, yes, of course. I, certainly, won’t eat them all. I mean, they are beyond delicious, but I don’t want to fill up on just an appetizer.”
He plucked a few from the platter onto his own small plate and popped one in his mouth.
“Wow. You’re right, they are delicious.”
“Probably the best I’ve ever had, and I live in San Francisco.”
Maurice approached a second time with his hands clasped behind his back. “And are you two ready to order?”
“Um,” Rick raised one eyebrow with a look of curiosity. “I guess we are.”
“Lovely, for you, mademoiselle?”
“Oh, I’ll have the beef tenderloin with the roasted vegetables, and can I also add the side of garlic mashed potatoes?”
“Certainly, mademoiselle. And for you monsieur?
“I’ll have the seared Ahi tuna with the rice, and I’ll add a side of the grilled vegetables.”
“Very well. I shall put your order in immediately.”
“Thank you.” Rick scooped the menus from the table and handed them to Maurice. “I’ll have another beer, too.”
“Of course, monsieur.”
I unfolded my napkin in my lap and played with my wine glass, twisting it in circles. Speaking about Charlie felt so easy, like a topic that we both could dance around without a bit of seriousness or embarrassment. One so mundane and pointless, we could dwell in the casualness of it and not worry about what the other was thinking.
Questions like did I say the wrong thing, did his opinion differ from mine, or did I just make myself out to be a dumbass, were lost in the mindless blather about a fat feline. However, the sudden interruption of our waiter left a cringe-worthy silence between us that grated on my nerves.
Rick cleared his throat. “So how long have you been in Bora Bora?”
“We arrived this afternoon.”
“Ah, first night. Those are always hard. You’re excited for the adventure . . .”
“But tired from traveling,” I said, finishing his sentence.
“Exactly. So which villa are you staying in?”
“Um, you know, I can’t remember the number.” Great. I’m going to have a super time trying to remember which one I’m in. “It’s one of the overwater villas.”
His eye widened and he nearly choked on a sip of beer. “Splurged for the ritzy villas of the resort. Impressive.”
I laughed. “That would be a no. I’d like to think I have the guts for that, but actually, Lisa and Ben surprised me with the upgrade as a gift.”
“That was nice of them.”
“Yes, it was.”
“I clicked through the pictures of them when I booked my trip, but I knowing my schedule, it just wasn’t enough to warrant the cost.”
“What do you mean?”
“I knew I wanted to see the island and have fun, not just sit around. I have activities planned all week—hiking, four wheeling, snorkeling, visiting the Discovery Park, you know those types of things.”
Ah yes, all the fun stuff that I hadn’t thought of because I’m so bloody boring.
A sudden lump caught in my throat. Here he planned to do all these wild and crazy things—things people usually do on vacations to have fun—and all of my thoughts centered around room service and sitting in my hot tub . . . alone.
How utterly pathetic am I?
“How long are you going to be on the island?” he asked.
“Until next Wednesday. What about you?”
“I leave next Tuesday.”
“How long have you been here already?”
“Just two days. I decided to take an extra few days just for myself after I took care of my business here. I figured I’ve dealt with enough in the past year that I deserve it.” His face twisted and a scowl spread across his lips. Irritation darkened through his blue eyes as though memories he wasn’t fond of popped inside his head.
I thought of Reece and Tom, and my stomach twisted. “I can understand that.”
“Did you have a bad break up, too?”
“Huh? Oh, no, well sort of. A client fired me and was pretty harsh when she did it.”
“Ouch. That sucks. So do you like being a realtor?”
“How did you know I was a realtor?”
“Lisa mentioned it when she told me about you.”
“Of course she did.” I rolled my eyes and took a sip of my wine. “I can’t imagine what else she said about me.”
“It was all good.”
“Well, that’s a relief. Sometimes I’ve wondered if she makes me sound desperate.”
“No, no, not in the slightest. But she did sound like she’s done it a few times before.”
“She’s done it so many, I’ve lost count.” I laughed. “Which, actually, that probably makes me sound desperate. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“Nah, it doesn’t. I’ve been set up by friends, too. Well, girlfriends of friends. Guys know not to do that stuff to a buddy. Someone always seems to have someone who is perfect for you. Never works out, though.”
“Ain’t that the truth?”
“I suppose it’s for the best, though, when I don’t want a relationship and I have so much going on in my life.”
Ah, yes, the words that had already sucker punched me in the gut.
“So you mentioned you had business to take care of here. Are you planning leaving veterinary medicine to work for a resort? Maybe thinking a career switch into housekeeping would suit you better?” Although probably none of my business, I needed a change of subject for my own sanity.
He laughed. “No, I don’t think I’d make a very good housekeeper. Actually, I don’t know if you know this, but the island doesn’t really have any veterinary services. They have one, but she’s not enough.”
“Oh.” My heart thumped as all chance of dating him, even the tin
iest smidge that possibly one day, if I switched Charlie into his care, perhaps he’d agree to dinner vanished. “So you’re moving, then? Moving away from San Francisco?”
“I haven’t decided yet. The offer is decent, and of course, who wouldn’t want to live here?” He paused, outstretching his hands as if to motion to the restaurant around us. “However, I’m just not sure, yet. It’s kind of a big decision.”
“Yeah, it is.”
I focused on the half eaten shrimp on the plate in front of me and pushed one of the pieces of meat around with my fork. While I’d desired a new topic in the conversation, I hadn’t wished to hear that particular news.
“So, hey, I got an idea.” Rick swigged the last of his beer and set the mug back down on the table. “Why don’t you join me?”
“Join you for what?”
“For all the island activities I have planned.”
“Oh . . . um . . .” Intriguing thoughts toyed in my mind. While the relaxing and lounging away the next few days, enjoying one of the many books I’d brought proved a wonderful plan, spending time with a handsome man didn’t sound horrible, either. “I guess I could join you a couple of the days. Maybe not all.”
“Great. Does tomorrow sound good? I made a snorkeling reservation at ten o’clock in the morning.”
Excitement bubbled in my chest. “Sounds perfect.”
TEN
A HARD KNOCK rapped against the front door of my villa. My heart pounded and my cheeks flushed with warmth that radiated down my neck and into my chest. Since our goodbye last night in front of my door, not a second had gone by that I hadn’t thought about Rick Stark.
His smile, the way he laughed, the sound of his voice, our dinner last night had been one of the best nights I’d had in a long time.
And now he’s here again.
My fingers trembled as I twisted the knob and opened the door.
“Hey Helen.” Rick held up a couple of snorkeling masks and flippers. A broad smile spread across his lips. “Are you ready to go have some fun?”
“Sure, let’s go.” I stepped away from the door to slip my sandals on. “Would you like to come inside and look around?”
“You wouldn’t mind?”
“No, not at all. Come on in.”
He hesitated for a moment before stepping across the threshold. His eyes widened, taking in the whole living room as he spun around in a few circles just as I had when I first entered the place with Julien.
“Wow. I saw the pictures online of these villas, but . . . wow. The pictures do not do these rooms justice at all. These are amazing. Truly amazing.”
“Oh, it gets better. Trust me.”
“How much better?”
“You sure you want to know?” I mocked, twitching my eyebrows as I folded my arms across my chest. “You might go running off to the front desk to request an upgrade.”
“Eh, I’ll take the risk.” He winked. “Is that the bedroom?”
I nodded and followed him into the next room.
“What is that? Are those . . . are those fish in your floor?”
“Pretty cool, huh? There’s another one in the bathroom. The only downside is if you stand on it, they disappear.”
He scurried to the bathroom door and peeked in through the frame. “I see you don’t have a shower curtain either. Weird, isn’t it?”
“Completely bizarre. And right across from one of the sinks and mirrors. I turned around this morning and scared myself.”
He jerked his head back with laughter as he strolled toward the deck. “Holy cow, you have an amazing view, and is that . . . is that your own private hot tub?”
My shoes scuffed along the wooden planks as I followed him through the sliding glass door and leaned against the railing next to where he stood staring at the mountain in the distance. He turned toward me, and rested his forearm on the top of the fence.
“I gotta say, Helen, if this was my room, I don’t think I’d ever want to leave. Are you sure you want to go snorkeling today?”
“Actually, to be honest, up until last night, that’s what I’d planned to do all week. Well, lounging in this room and visiting the hotel spa as much as possible.”
“I’m sorry to ruin your plans.”
“Nah, you aren’t ruining them. I should have some fun while I’m here and not just spend all my time alone. It’s not every day I’m on vacation in such a beautiful place. I should get out and see the island.”
“You only live once, right?” He winked and his smile set my body on fire. “Well, let’s get going. We do have ten o’clock reservations. I thought we could snorkel for a couple of hours then have lunch if that’s okay with you.”
“Lunch, too?”
“If you don’t want to, we don’t have to. I just thought we might be hungry after all that swimming.”
“No, no, lunch is fine. I just didn’t . . . are you sure you want to spend half the day with me? On your vacation?”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t know. We didn’t exactly come here together and . . . what about the friend you came here with?”
“He’s meeting us for the snorkeling, but even if he wasn’t, I’d rather spend my time with you. As for us, though, so what if we didn’t come together. I had fun last night at dinner. Didn’t you?”
“Of course, I had fun.”
“Well, then why not have some more fun. It’s not like this is a date or anything. It’s just two friends having some fun, right?”
Two friends. The thought was like a knife in the gut. This isn’t a date. Another thought worse than the first.
“Right, yes, of course. We might as well have some fun.” Unable to look him in the eye, I studied the deck. My smile faded, curving into an uncomfortable frown.
Hints of disappointment flickered through my shoulders as a gust of wind blew my blonde strands across my neck. I brushed my fingers across my skin, tugging my hair to one side as I nodded a few more times than I should have.
He eyed me for a moment, studying the sudden change in my body language as he chewed on his lip.
I squirmed even more.
Do something. Say something. Change the subject, you fool.
“You know I’ve never been snorkeling before? This should be quite interesting.”
“Really? Not ever?”
“Nope. Never.”
“Well, then I think it’s time for you to finally do it.”
“Lead the way.”
Within seconds, I shut the front door of the villa behind me and we strolled down the dock path to the sandy pathway that led through the grounds of the resort.
* * *
“Excuse me, is this where we go for the snorkeling tours?” Rick called out toward a man as we approached a motorboat.
“Yes, sir. Are you Mr. Stark or Mr. Hunter?”
“Rick Stark.” He shook the man’s hand. “Mr. Hunter should be along in a moment.”
“Well, then, climb on board. We’ll get going a few minutes after he arrives.” The man threw down the rolled-up rope in his hands. It plopped on one of the leather seats and bounced a couple of times as he bounded out of the boat. “I just need to check on something before we leave.”
As the man trotted off and vanished in the line of palm trees, Rick jumped down into the hull and faced me, outstretching his hand for me to take.
“Let me help you.”
I bit my lip as my hand slid against his skin. His touch sent my mind reeling as his fingers wrapped around mine and he gave them a soft squeeze.
“Thank . . . thank you.”
In my distracted haze, my ankle twisted and I fell into Rick. My chest bumped against him, knocking me backwards. Before I fell on my butt, he wrapped his arms around my waist, helping me regain my balance. Pain shot through my foot, strained from my lack of coordination.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I just twisted my ankle.”
“The step do
wn proved too far for you, huh?” Amusement flickered in his voice.
My cheeks flushed, surely a bright shade of red.
“I’m sorry I bumped into you.”
“It’s fine. Do you need to put some ice on it? Or should we reschedule?”
“Oh, no, no, it’s fine. It doesn’t really even hurt anymore,” I lied, hobbling over to the seat at the rear of the hull. My bare legs stuck to the leather as I sat down, tugging on my skin.
“Are you sure?”
“Completely sure.”
He shrugged his shoulders and sat down next to me, tossing the bag with our masks, breathing tubes, and flippers off to the side of his feet.
We sat in silence while we waited for the man to return. I glanced at everything around us—the ocean, the beach, the trees, the dock, the boat—anything and everything I could look at to distract myself from the embarrassment bubbling through my chest.
You had to fall into him. You just had fall into him and bump him with your breasts.
I closed my eyes for a second.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the party has arrived.” A voice shouted in the distance.
As I opened my eyes, a man jumped down into the boat. His familiar face rushed a groan to my lips.
What on earth is he doing here?
“Miss Wright?” A broad smile spread across Logan Hunter’s lips. “Oh, now, this is quite a surprise. You, here, of all places.”
“Do you two know each other?” Rick asked.
“Unfortunately,” I growled.
Logan chuckled and winked. “Ah, now, that’s not very neighborly of you, now is it?”
“Neighborly?” Rick eyed Logan then looked at me.
“Miss Wright lives in the apartment above me, or as I like to say, I’m underneath her,” Logan joked.
I fought the urge to punch him in the face as I glared at him.
“Logan!” a girl demanded from the dock. With her hands on her hips, she tapped one of her high-heeled sandals on the wood. Her waist length, jet-black hair fell to the side as she cocked her head.
The male equivalent of a bunny working at a bunny ranch turned away from us to help his date down. Her short jean shorts exposed her thong-like bikini bottom as he spun around in a couple of circles, holding her.
“I take it you two don’t get along,” Rick whispered in my ear. His hot breath tickled my skin.
The Parking Space Page 9