With a playful roar, Hamilton bounded toward her. By the time he reached her, she was half soaked from the spray he kicked up while running. He swept her up in his arms and twirled her, taking purposeful strides deeper into the water.
Squealing, Jane slapped at his broad shoulders. “Hamilton! Stop!” She was breathless from laughter.
“W-what’s that? Don’t stop?”
The night was warm, but the water was cold. Not just cool, cold. Jane snuggled closer to Hamilton’s chest as he finally stopped, almost waist-deep in water. She could feel her hair starting to fall from its bobby pins. The air shifted between them as their eyes locked. Jane reached up to brush Hamilton’s dark hair from his forehead.
“Best date ever,” she said. “Thank you for inviting me.”
“Best date ever?” Hamilton narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. “I t-take that as a challenge. Now that I’ve s-set the bar, my challenge is to keep … surpassing it.”
Shaking her head, Jane traced the strong line of his jaw and the faint growth of stubble there. He had shaved a day or two ago, and now the scruff was almost as thick as the day she met him, when she told him women liked the little bit of growth.
“I don’t need this,” Jane said. “No fancy balls or gowns or even resorts. Not all the ways you’ve spoiled me this week, though I’ve loved them all. I just want you.”
“And I just want to pamper you. So, don’t deprive me of the p-privilege.”
“Then keep your pampering modest. No giant, grand gestures.”
Hamilton’s gaze burned into hers. “So, no paying off your student … loans?”
Jane’s eyes went wide. “You couldn’t!”
“I could. And I’d … like to.”
“It’s too much. But I can’t stomach the idea of someone other than me paying. It’s my debt. My mistake. My responsibility.”
Hamilton bent toward her, nuzzling the soft skin of her cheek. “I know you’ve had to grow up w-working hard and looking out for yourself. But if we’re going to be together, you’ll have to learn to … let me in. To let me look out for you. To t-trust me.”
“I do trust you. I do. But—”
Hamilton cut her off with a kiss that had Jane forgetting all about her argument, all about her pride, and all about the existence of student loans.
10
Jane
Jane had felt light on her feet beside Hamilton, even with her soaked dress heavy against her legs as they walked away from the beach. Her cheeks were chapped from his stubble. Her lips puffy and overworked. Her soul, satisfied. The only thing to dampen her night was the fact that it was ending.
Even if she’d had a bigger room, she wouldn’t have invited Hamilton in. Just because everything else had moved at light speed didn’t mean they had to physically. His kisses had already clouded her mind. She might not survive more.
Plus, she was a bit old fashioned in that way. Hamilton hadn’t reacted when she mentioned that earlier, almost as though he expected it of her. In truth, he might have. He seemed to already know her much better than he had any right to, as though they were not just old souls, but old souls bound together.
When they stopped in front of her door, disappointment settled over her like an icy wind. Was this the end? What happened now? Her wet dress clung to her skin, and she shivered.
Hamilton rubbed his hands up and down her bare arms. “Are you c-cold?”
She tried to give him a teasing grin, though it fell flat. “Someone dared me to run into the ocean.”
Hamilton pulled her close. “What a careless … person.”
“On the contrary,” Jane said. “He’s incredibly caring. And thoughtful.”
She hugged her arms tight around his waist. It did little to warm her, as he was also soaked, but the chill was on a deeper, soul level. She didn’t know what it would take to thaw that place.
“Th-thank you for being my date tonight.”
“Thank you for inviting me. And for the dress. It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever owned. I really hope the water didn’t ruin it.”
“I’ll buy you a dozen more … dresses,” Hamilton said.
She squeezed her eyes closed and buried her nose in his chest. His arms tightened around her.
“Jane? Are you … okay?”
No.
Knowing the night was ending somehow let all her fears and insecurities rush back in. Could they really have a future? What would happen when he left tomorrow?
“I’m just sad the night has to end.” That wasn’t a lie.
“Me too. But you know that the end of t-tonight doesn’t mean the end of … us.”
Doesn’t it?
Tears pricked her eyes. She couldn’t let him see this side of her. The side that wanted to cling desperately to him. She didn’t want to be needy or feel insecure, or even to be tempted by the suggestion he’d made earlier of paying off her debts. She just wanted to relish in the moments they’d had together.
Pulling back, she gazed at Hamilton’s face. It almost knocked the breath from her lungs. How was he so handsome? How did he look so intense? So hopeful?
So perfect?
“Jane!” Marisa called her name, and Jane turned to see her running down the path toward them.
Reaching them, Marisa gave Hamilton an apologetic look and turned to Jane, breathing hard. “Mrs. Morgan is looking for you. She’s probably right behind me. You don’t have much time.”
Jane gave Hamilton a quick smile and a push from the back. “Go. We’ll talk later.”
“I should stay. I c-can explain—”
“It doesn’t matter. I’d still lose my job. Please, Hamilton.”
Marisa tugged at Hamilton’s arm. “I’ll take you around the side. There’s a trail we use this way. You’ll miss her completely.”
With a helpless look and a small wave, Hamilton let Marisa lead him away.
He had to go. Jane knew this. Still, watching him disappear through the darkness felt like a loss. A final goodbye. The end.
Turning, Jane watched Mrs. Morgan make her way down the path with determined steps. She was a formidable sight, so rigid and polished in her black dress and stilettos. Jane straightened, pulling her shoulders back.
Only then did she realize she still wore the formal gown, soaked in ocean water. Oh well.
“Ms. Wright. A word, please.”
“Of course.”
Mrs. Morgan’s gaze was withering. Jane could feel it scorching her insides as the older woman looked her over, from the hair that Jane knew was bedraggled to the waterlogged dress.
“You missed your shift this evening because you weren’t feeling well. But that doesn’t seem to be the case, now does it?”
Jane said nothing. Given her outfit, there was no point trying to deny where she’d been.
“One of the staff found a man’s designer jacket and tie inside your bungalow earlier. You’ve broken one or two rules—fraternizing with the guests or stealing.”
Jane opened her mouth to protest but closed it quickly when Mrs. Morgan raised a hand.
“It also appears you had help. You and Ms. Lopez. You will both be leaving by ferry within the hour. Pack your things.”
Jane closed her eyes. She’d not only gotten herself fired, but Marisa too. The guilt left a bitter taste in her mouth. She needed to tell Hamilton.
As though reading her thoughts, Mrs. Morgan said, “Before you get any ideas, I don’t want you attempting to contact Mr. Brevard or any of the guests again while you’re here. Security will be here shortly to escort you.”
Miserable, Jane nodded. “I understand.”
She could have apologized, but Jane was only sorry that the fairy tale had ended.
The whole walk to the docks, trailed by a security guard named James, Jane waited to hear Hamilton’s voice behind her.
He would come.
He would find her. Wouldn’t he?
It had only been thirty minutes since they had said goodbye in front of
her bungalow, yet it already seemed like a dream. Some part of her had always known that there was an expiration date, even if she wanted to believe there could be more.
When Jane heard her name being shouted as they neared the waiting boat, she spun around, though it was a woman calling her. Not Hamilton. A dark-haired woman in a sleek suit and heels.
Their little procession stopped, and James rolled his eyes. “You’ve got five minutes. Then the boat is leaving. With you both on it. So, don’t get any funny ideas.”
She was only slightly winded when she reached them, as though she ran in heels on a daily basis. Based on the shapeliness of her calves, that was a distinct possibility.
“I’m glad I caught you. I’m Hamilton’s executive assistant, Michelle.”
Wow. He works with her daily?
Jealousy was such an ugly emotion to be so powerful. A wave of it burned through Jane. Michelle was beautiful, elegant, perfect. And Hamilton had sent her instead of coming himself. Jane’s heart, which felt like it had been slightly bruised in the last hour, now felt pummeled.
It took Jane a moment to realize that Michelle was holding something out to her. Instinctively, Jane took the white envelope. A letter? It felt too thin.
“What is this?”
“Hamilton wanted you to have this. He’s really sorry he didn’t come.”
Everything about this felt off. But maybe this was more of Hamilton’s real life, not his life on the resort—sending his assistant to deliver personal messages. He was a busy, important man.
Too busy to say goodbye?
The security guard cleared his throat, and Marisa nudged her. “Are you going to open it, chica?”
Jane had a brief moment of hope, remembering the sweet notes that Hamilton had given her this week. She took a breath, trying to shake the sense of discomfort. Hamilton couldn’t have changed his mind in the last thirty minutes. Even if he’d sent his assistant instead of coming himself.
Jane tore open the envelope. Inside was not a note but a check. The amount made Jane freeze. Marisa muttered something in Spanish that sounded like a curse word.
Jane’s entire torso felt like a dying star, collapsing in on itself. The sheer number of zeros on the check were hard to take in.
It would be the end of her debt. A fresh start. It practically made her salivate. Which meant she couldn’t keep it. Especially not like this, when it felt somehow like hush money.
Jane held it out to Michelle, shaking her head. “I can’t. Tell him it’s too much. This isn’t what I want from him.”
Michelle held up both hands in a placating gesture and took a step back. “He said you had something you could use this for. Student loans? It’s a gift. He’s very generous.”
Marisa grabbed her arm. “It’s a gift. He’s crazy about you. Trust me. Take the check.”
“He doesn’t make a habit of giving checks to women he just met. Trust me.”
Michelle smiled, but neither her words nor her expression made Jane feel any better. This was so cold and impersonal. Nothing like the man she knew.
The man she thought she knew.
The only thing that could have reassured her at this point was Hamilton himself. She gazed toward the resort, willing him to appear with an explanation.
James cleared his throat. “Ladies, I’m afraid we need to get you on that ferry.”
Michelle patted Jane’s arm. “It’s okay. He wanted you to have it. I’m sure he’ll be in touch.”
“He doesn’t have my number,” Jane said. “Or know where I live.”
With a low chuckle, Michelle shook her head. “Hamilton can find you.”
If he wants to. She didn’t say the words, but Jane heard them clearly.
James looked ready to drag them onto the boat. Jane nodded a goodbye to Michelle, and she and Marisa boarded the small ferry. Their cars were parked in the gated lot on the other side. Their tiny, dingy one-bedroom apartment waited on the other side. And Hamilton was still here. Marisa said nothing but kept her arm around Jane.
As the boat pulled away, Jane turned to look at the resort, lit up in the darkness. It had been her home for the last month. A paradise setting, but it was not real life. She and Marisa stood at the railing, watching the lights of La Vida fade until they disappeared completely in the darkness.
“You okay, chica?”
Jane shrugged, then looked again at the check in her hand. She hadn’t been able to put it down. “I don’t know. This feels … weird. Wrong.”
“Don’t let it be complicated. He clearly adores you. He has more money than he can spend. And you just lost your job for him. You’re the one who told me that you wouldn’t be too proud to let someone pay your debt.”
“Yeah, but this is all so new. And this check? It’s more than my debt.”
Marisa smiled. “It’s a grand gesture. A romantic one.”
“I would have had him. Not a check.”
“I’m sure he would have come if he could have. Don’t overthink it. Do you have a banking app on your phone? Let’s deposit this baby.”
Jane didn’t want to accept it. But the allure of the freedom it promised was too much. She pulled out her phone and logged into her bank app. With a quick photo and a few clicks, she could be debt-free.
But she hesitated. “Maybe I should wait until I talk to him? Just a few days.”
Marisa rolled her eyes, then grabbed the check and phone. Jane could have stopped her, but watched as, with a few clicks, Marisa deposited the check into her account.
“There. Done. Now you’re the richest between the two of us. I expect at least a nice dinner of thanks when we get back.”
Marisa handed Jane the phone and the check. Jane stared down at the balance in her account. She didn’t know how to process the amount there. And she certainly had no idea how to thank Hamilton.
“To the start of a new season in life,” Marisa said. “And to love.”
“To love,” Jane said. But the words felt paper-thin.
11
Hamilton
Hamilton paced his suite, feeling an unusual sense of confusion about what to do next. Usually, he was decisive. Sure. Confident. He was a visionary with great gut instinct.
But after leaving Jane, the only thing he knew was that his gut was a mess.
Had she gotten caught? Reprimanded? Fired?
He had texted Michelle, asking her to check on Jane, but she hadn’t returned yet.
Mrs. Morgan had called the room only a few minutes after he arrived. Hamilton felt … caught. Like a teenager breaking curfew.
But Mrs. Morgan only expressed her frustration that Hamilton hadn’t taken the La Vida process seriously. She talked only about the feedback from his dates, who described him as “disinterested.” She did not mention Jane.
Hamilton couldn’t risk asking about her, in case she’d managed to avoid getting caught. He knew that Jane wanted to keep the job, though in his own mind, Hamilton was already envisioning a future with her where she didn’t spend most of every week on this island.
“If you’d like to return, we’d be happy to have you,” Mrs. Morgan had said just before they ended the call. “But only if you’ll give the process—and our potential matches—a real chance.”
Right.
Hamilton didn’t tell her he had already found a woman he took seriously. Very seriously.
As he paced, Hamilton’s mind kept circling around the same thoughts. He had to speak with Jane. Only, he didn’t have Jane’s number. All of their communication this week had been in person, in notes, or through Marisa.
Tonight could not end like this. It had been too perfect to be cut off like this.
His phone buzzed, and Hamilton pulled it from his pocket to see a bank notification message. He frowned, swiping it open just as Michelle entered with the key card he had given her. Hamilton didn’t even look up as she entered. His gaze was fixed on the notification, trying to make sense of what he was seeing.
That can’
t be right. A check had been withdrawn for $210,000.
Issued to Jane Wright.
His mouth went dry, and his stomach bottomed out. What did this mean? How had she gotten access to his account?
Did Jane … steal from me?
“Hamilton? Hamilton? Hamilton.”
It wasn’t until Michelle touched his arm that Hamilton registered how close she stood to him. She wore an expression of concern.
“Did you find … her?” He couldn’t bring himself to say Jane’s name yet.
The phone in his hand fell to the floor. Michelle reached down to pick it up. She glanced at the screen and grimaced.
“Oh. I was just coming to talk to you about the money.”
His body tensed, as though every one of his atoms suddenly turned to steel. “You know about this?”
Michelle nodded. “Why don’t we sit down?”
“I don’t want to … sit.” He crossed his arms, waiting for her to speak.
Michelle sighed and sank into one of the armchairs. She squirmed a little before speaking. “I found Jane, like you asked.”
“Where was she? Is she o-okay?”
Those shouldn’t be the first words from his mouth, his first concerns, when Jane had somehow acquired just over two hundred thousand dollars from him. It was a sure sign that he was a sucker.
Or maybe just that he had climbed really high, and was about to fall, fall, fall.
“Yes. I found her in her bungalow. She seemed just fine.” Michelle’s tone hardened, but it sounded like she was holding back, taking great pains to keep it soft. “And she was more than happy to accept a check from you as a goodbye.”
Hamilton swore that the room spun for a moment. He clutched the back of a chair to steady himself. Was it the idea of the check or the goodbye that had him reeling?
He wasn’t sure.
“You offered her a check without t-talking to me about it?”
Michelle had Hamilton’s authorization to sign for him. But only on company matters where he had given his express instructions. She had never once crossed a line. Nothing like this.
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