The Bet

by Lily Zante

  “It might have been,” she said, stepping back, and knowing perfectly well who he meant, but she had no desire to engage in any conversation with him. It shouldn’t have come as a huge shock, but it did. Rich people all seemed to know one another. Theirs was an exclusive little club.

  “Are you moonlighting?”

  She was too shocked to reply.

  Then, in a whispered tone, he said, “Can’t say I blame you.” And before she could tell them that she no longer worked for the Shoemoneys, Xavier edged into her line of sight. “Are you coming?” she asked, looking directly at Xavier, eager to find someone familiar, someone safe. His dark blue irises turned on her as if they could see right through her, like an X-ray machine at the airport, and his face went through a myriad of expressions, surprise first then puzzlement.

  “Me?” he asked, and she was sure he was about to turn around and see if she was talking to someone behind him.

  “Yes, you. We’re going to the waterfall, remember?”

  “It’s really cool,” Jacob chimed in.

  “The waterfall? Hell, yeah.” Xavier grinned a 1000 watt smile at her, making her already regret her decision to pull him in. If Shoemoney’s friend hadn’t accosted her, she wouldn’t have.

  “Hey, Xavier,” the man said, and then to her, “Tell Gideon I said ‘hi’,” before he walked away.

  “How do you know Oliver Rothschild?” Xavier asked.

  “Is that his name?”

  “You don’t know his name?”

  “I know of him, through contacts,” she replied, staring at his face properly for the first time.

  “Through contacts.” His voice was playful, as if he was trying to make conversation, and she wasn’t ready for it. “Why does that sound more mysterious than it is?”

  She put her shades on. “It wasn’t meant to sound mysterious, Stone.” She wasn’t sure why she added his surname to the end. He looked at her, his frown deepening the vertical line between his brow. “But you didn’t even know who he was,” then he paused. “Unless he was trying to hit on you. Was he trying to hit on you?”

  She looked at him in complete amazement, and would have said how crazy he was for thinking such a thing except that her attention was drawn to the muscle twitching along his jaw. “I’m sorry if I interrupted something.”

  That he had reached this stupid assumption made her muscle tighten. “No, he wasn’t trying to hit on me. He recognized me from a party with the last family I worked for.”

  “Oh.” Her answer seemed to appease him.

  “You don’t have to come along.”

  “But you just asked me to,” he protested.

  “I must have had a temporary paralysis in brain activity.”

  “Or maybe,” his lips quirked up at the corners, “deep down you really want me to come along.”

  She snorted. “You flatter yourself too much. I’m being serious. You don’t need to come. It’s a long walk, and,” she stared down at his loafers, “you’re not wearing the right shoes, and there’s nothing much to see. You’ll get bored. Wouldn’t you prefer to sip cocktails on the beach?”

  And flirt around with Kay instead?

  “I would,” he agreed, “but it would be rude of me not to take you up on your offer.”

  A gnawing feeling settled over her. “I didn’t actually mean to ask you along.”

  “Then why did you?”

  She wasn’t going to tell him that she had panicked and used him to get out of the conversation with Rothschild. “I had a hangover, I wasn’t thinking straight.”

  “You didn’t drink much last night.”

  She turned to look at him again. “I didn’t know you were policing me.”

  “I wasn’t, but,” his lips broke out into what other girls might have found to be a sexy smile, but she wasn’t falling for it, “I can police you if you want.”

  “I want you to not waste your time with us.”

  “And here’s me thinking you couldn’t resist my charms.”

  She wrinkled her nose up as she looked him over. “I don’t see any evidence of charm.”

  “That’s because you’re not looking hard enough.”

  He had an answer for everything, and dammit, he was going to stick with her no matter what.

  “Please let him come,” Jacob pleaded, his plastic pail in his hand, with some rashers of bacon to entice the crabs.

  “Yeah, please let me come,” Xavier crooned.

  She ground her teeth together. “Let’s go,” she said to Jacob, ignoring Xavier completely.

  They walked along the long stretch of beach, on velvety white sand. “So, who did you work for before?” Xavier had slipped into a stroll alongside her while Jacob led the way.

  “Why are you so nosey?” She wasn’t in any mood for conversation, especially not about the Shoemoneys.

  “Making conversation, that’s all. If you want me to quit bugging you, just tell me.”

  She stopped in her tracks and faced him. “Or you could just get the hint and quit bugging me all together.”

  “Are you two coming?” Jacob shouted. He had walked on a considerable distance ahead of them.

  “Coming!” She started to speed walk towards him.

  “You’re stuck with me.” Xavier appeared by her side once more. It was her own fault. “So,” he said, “We might as well get better acquainted—”

  “Is that what you were doing last night? Getting better acquainted with Kay?”

  For a moment, he looked lost for words. He shrugged. “I can’t help it if women find me irresistible.”

  She stopped and snorted loudly. This guy had a girlfriend, and this was all he could say. “Most people have a moral compass, but yours seems to have slid into your pants.”

  “It’s not the only thing in my pants.”

  Unbelievable. She shivered in disgust, and marched off.

  ~ ~ ~

  His fucking Ferragamo loafers were ruined, and she’d had the audacity to laugh at him. No. He hadn’t brought a pair of sneakers with him, because he hadn’t thought he would need them here.

  And so he had ended up spending the next few hours traipsing along after the kid and his miserable babysitter, stopping every now and then while the kid chased a crab, or looked for shells.

  Once they got to the waterfall, they walked around for about a quarter of an hour, maybe half an hour max, before heading back.

  He returned having no idea why she had asked him to come along in the first place. Because clearly, she had no desire for him to be here, and it confused the hell out of him. He thought he was onto something. He thought this was going to be easy enough—this bet, when he woke up this morning and remembered what he had done.

  But he could win her over. Of course he could. And having her ask him to come with them for the day had surprised him. She’s come to her senses, he’d thought. But no. The whole time it had been like trying to have a conversation with a mannequin. Maybe she was jealous about Kay. Some chicks got jealous over nothing, maybe Jacob’s babysitter was one of them.

  She was going to be a tough one to crack, and it was something he wasn’t used to—having women not be won over by his charms. It might have been different had she been friendly and had showed even an iota of interest in him.

  Still, he thrived on a challenge.

  And he was more eager than ever to win this one.

  He recounted his woes to Luke later that evening, as he sat at the bar after the huge evening dinner that had lasted close to two hours.

  It had been the last of the wedding festivities. More drink, more food, more music and dancing. Earlier in the day Tobias had arranged for the guests to go snorkeling and sailing. Later that afternoon, he had arranged for them to go parachute gliding from the air into the sea. There was enough to do to keep the guests entertained, and plenty of time for Tobias and Savannah to spend with everyone.

  “It’s not going to be easy,” he said, contemplating the scale of the challenge that
lay ahead of him.

  “What’s that?” Luke asked. For a change, he was on the other side of the bar, taking it easy, and mingling like a guest instead of working.

  “Winning the bet.”

  Luke almost choked. “Are you still seriously considering that?”

  “We placed a bona fide bet. Don’t you remember?”

  “I remember, but you’d had a few drinks by then, and I thought you were kidding.”

  “You don’t think I can do it?”

  “What’s this going to prove?” Luke asked.

  “That Xavier-The-Stud-Stone still has it.” That he hadn’t lost his touch. That he wasn’t second best.

  “Seriously? And this is how you’re going to prove it?”

  “Absa-fucking-lutely.”

  Luke folded his arms across his chest. “It doesn’t seem right, trying to convince that girl to go out with you especially when I don’t think she actually likes you. You can’t force someone to click with you, and you sure as hell can’t force someone to fall into bed with you.”

  “I’ve never had to try too hard before.” It wasn’t often that women turned him down.

  “That’s because of your Stone name, and your good looks, and your money has helped you”

  “Fuck, dude.” Xavier couldn’t believe what he’d heard. “I thought you were supposed to be my friend.”

  “I am your friend, and I’m telling you as a friend.” Luke rested his beer bottle on his thigh. “You’re a good looking guy, and you can have any girl you want.”

  “Except for that one.” He nodded over in the distance, where Izzy and Jacob sat around a table with Savannah.

  Luke looked over. “That’s what I mean. You’re probably not her type, and I don’t think she’s your type. You don’t need to place this lousy $10K bet to prove anything.”

  Oh, but he did. What Luke had said to him just now, about the Stone name and the money pissed him off. It made him want to prove it all the more. “I like a challenge.”

  “Don’t do anything stupid,” Luke warned, when he didn’t reply.

  “I’m not a pervert.”

  A short while later, he walked over to the table where Izzy was but, no sooner had he approached the table, than Izzy and Jacob left.

  Annoyed more than disappointed, he sat down and casually asked Savannah what Izzy was short for.

  “Isabel Laronde. She prefers Izzy.”

  “She’s the new babysitter?”

  “I’m not sure yet,” Savannah replied. “She’s still deciding. She’s a student at Columbia, and she isn’t sure she’ll have the time.”

  A college student.

  Interesting.

  “She’s a couple of years older. She saved up to come here.”

  Very interesting.

  “She helped me out, and I will never be able to repay her.” Savannah’s voice turned quiet, and she cleared her throat. “I’d like to help her out by giving her some work.”

  “Jacob seems to be fond of her.”

  “He trusts her, and I feel comfortable knowing she’s around.”

  The silence that followed had him wondering all sorts of things. “It’s been an amazing day,” he said, changing the subject.

  “It’s been the best.”

  He yawned and stretched his arms out. The 16 hour time difference between New York and Fiji, and the long journey time had wreaked havoc with his body clock. Excessive alcohol hadn’t helped.

  “Bored?” Tobias tapped him gently on the side of his head as he walked past and sat down beside Savannah.

  “No,” he replied, defensively. “Just tired.”

  “Leave him alone,” Savannah said, softly.

  “I have left him alone.” Tobias looked at him. “I haven’t said anything about him forgetting the ring, have I?”

  Xavier shifted in his chair. “Can’t you let that go? It’s beginning to get old, your joke.”

  Tobias ignored him and took Savannah’s hand in a gesture that was so sickeningly romantic, it made him want to puke. “He’s my brother,” he said to Savannah, “and kid brothers are known for being pains in the butt at times.”

  “Thanks,” said Xavier.

  “Ignore him,” said Savannah.

  “Are you okay about Jacob?” Tobias asked her.

  “What’s the matter with Jacob?” Xavier wanted to know.

  “Nothing,” Tobias replied. “Savannah’s worried about him going back tomorrow.”

  “He’s going back?” Xavier hadn’t considered that Jacob would be returning tomorrow along with most of the guests. If Jacob was returning to New York, so would Izzy. This was good news.

  “We can get him to stay here, if you want.” Tobias squeezed Savannah’s hand. “It’s up to you.”

  “No. He’ll be fine, I know the problem isn’t going to be with Jacob. It’s me.”

  Xavier sat back in his chair, watching Tobias place a kiss on his wife’s lips, and tell her, tenderly, that it would be fine, that she wouldn’t have much time to worry about Jacob, that they were going to have a fabulous honeymoon.

  Xavier’s gaze flickered upward, and he looked away. He felt like he was watching a Hallmark movie, seeing these two gushy lovers. It was time to make his escape.

  And then the brainwave of an idea came to him. “I can come over and help keep an eye on Jacob, if that helps.”

  Fuck, yes. That would do it.

  He’d been wondering how he was going to run into Izzy in a way that wasn’t so obvious. For starters, he’d heard her tell someone that she didn’t drink, so it wasn’t as if he could take her out to The Oasis any time soon. Not that she would want to go anywhere with him. But this, looking after Jacob for a couple of weeks, would be enough to get him started. It would be enough time for him to win her over and show her what a catch he was.

  “That’s real kind of you,” Savannah replied.

  “We’ve got a whole team of people keeping an eye on him,” said Tobias.

  “Izzy, hopefully, and my parents, and he’s at school, too, so that helps,” Savannah explained.

  “But I would love to spend some time with the little dude on the weekend. I’d like to get to know him better.” He coughed. “We went to the waterfall earlier. It was fun.” At least, Jacob had fun.

  “Who’s we?” Tobias asked, quirking an eyebrow at him. Xavier knew exactly what his brother was getting at. “You, Jacob and Izzy?”

  “She asked me to come along.” Trust Tobias to make such a comment. “You can check with her if you don’t believe me.”

  “That’s not necessary,” Savannah interjected. “Izzy’s nice, and friendly. And I know Jacob would have wanted you along.”

  It didn’t go unnoticed, the way Savannah shot a glance at her husband. It was in that moment that Xavier knew, if he was to make any headway, in anything, and especially with this bet of his, he had to focus his efforts on Savannah for it was her who made the rules, especially where Jacob was concerned. Because as long as Savannah was around, she could tame Tobias. This was something to bear in mind.

  “Jacob’s a good kid,” he replied, speaking to Savannah and avoiding eye contact with his brother. “With you guys being away, it would be nice for Jacob to have some male company, don’t you think?” He didn’t have any idea where Jacob’s father was, but sensing that male company might have been lacking in his upbringing, he knew this was a good way to win Savannah over.

  “That’s so nice of you, Xavier.” She turned to Tobias. “That’s sweet, isn’t it?”

  Tobias looked at him as if there were other, more suspect reasons for Xavier wanting to spend time with Jacob. It was eerie, the way his brother could sometimes see right through him.

  “Uh-huh.” It was a typical Tobias response, and he took it to mean that he could.

  Savannah explained how tomorrow Jacob would return to New York with her parents and Izzy, and that she would then find out what Izzy had decided to do.

  Xavier hoped she would take the o
ffer of babysitting Jacob, because, if she didn’t, he’d be stuck with the kid on weekends, but if she did, his work was going to be super easy. Those college students were poor, mostly, unless they were trust fund kids, and Laronde didn’t look to him like one of those.

  All he had to do was to wine and dine her, show her some good times, and she’d be in his bed in no time.

  Chapter 10

  “So? How was it?” Cara rubbed her hands together and sat cross-legged on Izzy’s bed, watching her unpack the suitcase. She was tempted to leave it until tomorrow, but the sand in some of her clothes was going to bug her if she didn’t deal with it tonight.

  Izzy knelt on the floor, clearing everything out. going through her suitcase which lay on the bed in front of Cara. “It wasn’t so bad.” She took out the clothes from her suitcase.

  “Wasn’t so bad?” Cara chortled. “You need to give me something, Iz. I want details.”

  Izzy pulled out her toiletries bag and threw a heap of dirty clothes into the laundry basket. A moment later she collapsed onto the bed, alongside Cara.

  “It was okay.”

  “It was okay?” Cara hollered. “You went to the wedding of the year, on a private island, on a private plane—”

  “Only going there,” Izzy interrupted. “We came back on a normal flight.”

  Cara’s jaw dropped open, and she turned to her side, propping herself up on one elbow.

  “Just getting into a private jet would have made my year!”

  “It was pretty neat.” She yawned. Lying on the bed made the tiredness all rush back. It was nearing midnight, and she had lectures tomorrow which she was determined to attend. No way could she afford more time off college. “I need to get some sleep. The flight back was a bitch.”

  “Because you had to travel economy?”

  “Because the time difference is a killer, and it’s actually been an exhausting trip.”

  “So now you’re complaining?”

  Izzy yawned. “I’m not complaining at all. I’m glad I went.”