She smirked. “Isn’t that the trick to everything in life?”
He glanced at her, his gaze sharp and hungry and for a moment she was paralyzed by that heated stare. In a lightning flash she saw him above her, worshipping her body, lavishing it with all the attention his tongue could provide, and she couldn’t breathe. Fortunately, he broke the spell as he said, “Yeah, but you learn pretty quick what isn’t meant to be and you resist the urge to throw the pieces together that will likely make an ugly mess when you put the heat on.”
Was that a metaphor for the attraction they both felt yet knew they ought to ignore? Was she reading a message into something that wasn’t there? Annoyed with herself, she looked away, putting her face to the sun, her heart hammering. “Well, obviously you have it figured out. Your work isn’t half-bad.”
“Coming from you…that’s high praise.”
She turned back to him and caught that bad-boy smirk lighting up his face and she wondered, how in the hell had she been blind to Heath’s obvious good looks? Suddenly, she realized with painful clarity—she’d made a huge mistake stepping foot on this boat.
And it was too late to do anything about it. So she did the only thing she knew to bring everything back into focus—attack.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“WHY’D YOU DO IT?” SHE blurted without finesse or tact, and Heath didn’t pretend ignorance. Lora was like a hound on a scent and she wasn’t going to let go until her teeth had sunk into her quarry. He sighed, focusing on heading for open water instead of meeting that accusatory stare, trying to put into words how the deal with Pops had come about, without making things worse. She waited for him, her gaze full of reproach and disappointment. It was the disappointment that cut at him, putting him on the defensive, blotting out all the sensible and responsible ways to handle her honest question.
“Do what? Have the audacity to start my own business? To try and become something more than Larimar’s handyman?”
Her gaze narrowed. “You know that’s not what I’m asking. I couldn’t care less if you wanted to do more than fix toilets and pick bananas for the rest of your life. What I care about is what you did to my grandfather.”
“Why do you assume I did anything wrong?” he shot back, his mouth tightening as if trying to prevent him from sticking his foot in it. Just tell her what happened and how wretched you feel about the whole deal, a voice reasoned. But stubborn pride had control of his tongue and he seemed on a collision course with an inevitable catastrophe.
“You signed a business deal with my grandfather who clearly wasn’t in his right mind. I’d say that’s pretty wrong,” she said in a hard voice. “You’re the man Pops put his trust into and now we’re on the verge of losing the family business. How do you sleep at night?”
“Just fine,” he lied. Most nights he tossed and turned, wondering how he could pay Pops back in half the time of their agreement but Lora was right; he hadn’t been able to make a single loan payment yet. He needed more time but that was something they didn’t have a lot of. He’d had no idea how difficult it would be to start making a profit. He’d just believed in his work and went for it with Pops’s support. In hindsight, he probably should’ve done more research but he sure as hell wasn’t going to admit that to Lora so she could gloat. “How about you? How well do you sleep knowing you abandoned your family when they needed you the most.”
“Touché,” she acknowledged coolly, refusing to take the bait. “Had I known the wolf was at the door, I would’ve come running.”
Was she calling him the wolf? Or the IRS? He narrowed his gaze with open aggravation. “I didn’t take advantage of Pops.”
“Looks different from where I’m sitting.”
“That’s your problem. Not mine. My conscience is clear.”
Why was he being such an ass? Did she truly bring out the worst in him? His mouth locked as if to say, save yourself, man, and shut your yap, but he was angry. She could drive a man to violence. For a split second he envisioned kicking her butt off the boat and sailing away, but he’d have a hell of a time explaining that one to Pops no matter that the man was losing his grip. He choked down another hot retort dancing on his tongue and he reached for some sort of truce. “Lora…I…didn’t know he was ill,” he finally acknowledged, avoiding her stare. “He hid the fact that he was losing time from all of us. Honestly, I never thought to ask Pops for the capital, he offered and it seemed like a good opportunity for both of us.” Was he really putting himself out there for her scrutiny, and worse, disbelief? Yes…he had to. Contrary to what she may have cooked in her head, he was an honorable man. “It wasn’t until a few months after signing the paperwork and spending the money that I discovered that Pops might not have been…”
“Capable of striking such a deal with you?” she finished for him, lifting a brow.
“Yes, damn it,” he growled, hating that she wasn’t giving him an inch. His simmering anger, equal parts guilt and shame, returned to the surface to singe his good intentions. The fact was, he’d been so excited about the prospect of getting his business off the ground, he’d ignored the tiny misgivings that had fluttered at the edge of his consciousness. He should’ve waited, talked it over with Lora at the very least. But he hadn’t. Bad judgment aside, there was no malice. Of that, he was solid. “Do you really think I’d screw Pops over like that? Intentionally?”
She hesitated, clearly torn and unhappy about it, too. Good. It was about time she recognized the fact that he wasn’t the enemy she painted him out to be. Her mouth firmed and he lost all hope. “It doesn’t change the fact that Pops wasn’t capable of going into business with you. He drained the reserve account to give you your capital. Pops wasn’t a wealthy man. Everything he had was sunk into Larimar, and now Larimar is in danger of being seized by the government and, frankly, I’m sorry that you don’t like to hear it, but you’re at fault. The bottom line is, I need to know your plan for fixing this mess or else…I’m going to take you to court.”
* * *
HAD SHE JUST THREATENED Heath in one breath while secretly wincing at her cold tone with the other? Yes, that was her, delivering the death blow without blinking an eye, the cold bitch from Chicago, living up to her reputation.
She faltered a fraction when Heath stared in stunned silence, as if not even he could believe she’d taken it to that level. Gone was any semblance of desire from his eyes and she was seized by the irrational urge to apologize. Had she been too callous? Why was she even questioning herself? Heath was responsible for Larimar’s current predicament and it was up to her to fix it. Holding hands and singing around the campfire wasn’t going to convince the IRS to back off. Only hard cash would do and it was up to Heath to find it.
“Tell me—”
“Stop talking.”
The curt demand shocked her into silence. But only for a moment. “Excuse me?” she said. “Don’t presume to talk to me like you have the right. I’m not your friend. I’m your business partner and as such I demand a little respect.”
“I would never presume to talk to you like a friend at all,” he returned coldly. “Because you’re the furthest thing from a friend that I can imagine. As far as I’m concerned, you’re nothing but a suit to me, another person coming at me for money. Don’t worry, sugar bird.” The way he sneered her nickname made her feel sick inside but she held her stung reaction in check. “I’ll get the money. But not for you. For Pops and the twins. For them I’d do anything. You, on the other hand, can go to hell.” She opened her mouth but he cut her short. “If I were you, for the sake of self-preservation, I’d keep my mouth zipped because it’s a long swim back to the island.”
She blinked back the sting of tears, horrified at how deeply his words cut. Why did she care what Heath Cannon thought of her? She didn’t. Right? What mattered was getting Larimar back on track. That’s wh
y she was here. Not to coddle a grown man. Yes, all those things, but the truth stared at her without mercy. She hated the look of raw disgust radiating from those beautiful green eyes. It made her want to apologize and that, she plainly would not do.
* * *
HEATH WAS TEMPTED TO WRENCH the wheel and steer them back to port, but for some unknown reason he stayed his course, taking them deeper into the crystal blues and greens of the Caribbean waters. Wisely, Lora remained quiet but he saw the storm behind her expression.
She was only looking out for her family’s best interest, he argued with himself, willing his temper to recede. If anyone else had done this to Pops, he would’ve rearranged that person’s face. He understood her anger, her fear. He supposed what rankled him the most was her belief that he, of all people, had willfully taken advantage of the one man who’d ever shown him love and affection without expecting anything in return. Pops had shown him kindness, taught him how to be a man, and welcomed him into a family that wasn’t his own. The fact that Lora distrusted him so quickly hurt. Didn’t his past actions warrant a little latitude? Yes, he may have made a mistake and he was willing to take responsibility for that but to jump to the conclusion that he was trying to deliberately swindle Pops struck him deep in the heart.
All of these things smacked of concrete evidence why he ought to stay away from her. But the heart wants what the heart wants, so Grams used to say. And damn it all to hell, his heart—stupid as it was—wanted Lora.
And it always had.
* * *
LILAH GRABBED HER PHONE and took it with her to her private patio. It was noon in California, which made it three o’clock in the afternoon in St. John, but there was no guarantee that her sister Lindy was awake even at this hour. Still, she had to talk to her.
It rang twice and Lindy picked up, the sound of her twin’s voice instantly making her smile. She missed her so much. They weren’t identical but they’d often been able to confuse people by playing the switcheroo game. It wasn’t until the differences in their personalities had manifested into clear differences in their appearances that they’d stopped fooling people.
“Hey, Li,” Lindy answered, her voice just a bit sleepy which told Lilah she’d been right about her sister’s sleeping habits. “What’s shaking?”
She’d planned to chitchat first but hearing her sister’s voice opened the floodgates and tears weren’t far behind. “You need to come home. Larimar is in trouble.”
“What?” Lindy repeated, suddenly awake. “What are you talking about?”
“Remember how I told you that Larimar had some issues with the taxes?”
“Yeah, and you said it was no big deal and that Heath was going to take care of it,” Lindy answered. “What happened?”
“It’s a bigger deal than I let on. I had to call Lora home. We’re going to lose Larimar and it’s my fault.”
There, she’d said it. Only with Lindy could she be so honest. The guilt over her part in the resort’s troubles spilled over in a wash of tears. “I tried to fix it. I thought we’d get it figured out but Pops hasn’t paid taxes in years and there was no way to raise as much money as the resort needed. And now Lora is here and she’s blaming Heath for everything and I can’t handle Lora all on my own. I need you here, Lindy. Larimar needs you, too.”
The long beleaguered sigh said it all but Lilah knew her twin wouldn’t let her down. “This is bad timing, Li,” Lindy said, and Lilah could almost hear her sister biting her lip as the difficult choice ate at her. “What can I do that Lora isn’t doing already?”
“It’s Pops, actually,” Lilah said. “He’s been losing time, but that’s not the worst of it. He talks about Grams like she’s still here and Lora isn’t dealing well with that. You know how close she was to Grams. I think it’s just too much to handle. You could help Lora with Pops. Right now, I’m taking shifts at the front desk but we need more help so we don’t have to hire out. The money we save in employee costs can be applied to the debt.”
“Hmm, so work for free?” Lindy mused, mildly amused. “Sounds like the acting jobs I’ve been getting lately.” She sighed. “So, Lora on the rampage?”
Why lie? “Yes.”
Lindy’s chuckle was laced with sarcasm as she said, “Good times. I can hardly wait.”
Lilah laughed for the first time in what felt like weeks and said, “I miss you, Lindy. Say you’ll come home at least for a little while. I can’t deal with Lora on my own. You know how she gets and right now, she’s like the high-octane version of Lora.”
“I guess I could take a few weeks off… I’d been waiting to hear if I was going to get a callback for this commercial but something tells me it’s not going to happen.”
“What was the commercial for?” Lilah asked, still mystified that her sister was in the big, bad, glitzy world of Hollywood when Lilah could barely handle a trip to St. Thomas without a stomachache.
“Um, tampons.”
“Tampons?”
“Yeah…not very sexy but it was a national campaign, which means if I’d landed it, I could’ve gotten residuals for years. Can you say ‘cash mo-ney’?” Lindy laughed.
“Yeah, but then you would’ve been known as the tampon girl. Not exactly the nicest nickname I can imagine. Why can’t you land a Victoria’s Secret campaign? That seems more your speed.”
“I’m flattered, Sissy, but they use their own models for those campaigns.”
“Well, there has to be some sort of underwear company you could audition for. You’re always half-dressed, anyway, which on the island is no big deal but I imagine in Hollywood, it raises some eyebrows.”
“Nah, not really,” Lindy quipped, eliciting more laughter but soon she sobered and said, “Okay, I’ll come. But listen, I can’t come until next week. I have a few things to do first. Until then, stay strong and don’t let Lora bully you. Stand up to her and tell her to shut her trap if she starts in on you. That’s what I do and it seems to work.”
Lilah smiled. If only it were that easy. “Okay,” she agreed, though she doubted she’d say much of anything to Lora if she could avoid it. She’d already said her piece and besides, Lora didn’t listen to anything she didn’t want to hear. “I can’t wait to see you.”
“Me, too, Li. Stay loose. I’ll be there before you know it.”
They said their goodbyes and Lilah hung up, relieved that Lindy was coming. The separation was hard enough, but add the stress of her older sister stomping around like a bull in a China shop, determined to do things her way or the highway, and Lilah felt the distance between herself and Lindy like a physical thing.
Lindy had invited Lilah to come stay with her in L.A. but the idea made her want to run the other way. Los Angeles was not a place on her bucket list to visit. She doubted she’d fit in with the superficial crowd that Lindy ran with and Lilah wouldn’t want Lindy to feel she constantly had to look out for her. So she’d declined, but there were so many times when she missed her sister so much her heart ached.
At least having Lindy here would serve as a buffer for the storm that was coming between Heath and Lora. Lilah could feel it building, threatening everything they were trying to save.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“YOU HUNGRY?”
The abrupt question after an hour or so of tense silence caused Lora to jump but she quickly recovered to answer with a cool “No.”
But he wasn’t going to accept her answer and pushed some more, much to her annoyance. “Listen, we both said some things that were mean, let’s start over.”
“And how do you propose we do that?” she asked.
“We’ll sit and enjoy a meal together like two normal people out on a beautiful day in paradise,” he answered reasonably. “I mean, look around you. How can you let such negative crap intrude on the natura
l beauty of this place? And I, for one, am starving and ready for breakfast.”
She hated to admit it but her stomach was growling, too. But she was also still angry. And, oddly, hurt. “Why does everything revolve around food for you?” she asked, dismissing him and his offer with a look. “I’d rather return home, if you don’t mind. There are pressing matters that need attending and I don’t have time to float around with you on a pleasure cruise.”
“Then you shouldn’t have hopped aboard,” he reminded her. “And to answer your question. I love food because when I was growing up, there was never enough of it. The meals I had at your family’s table were the only square meals I had aside from what I could scrounge on my own. But you know, the resources of a child aren’t that many, so I went to bed hungry more times than not.”
A flush of shame heated her cheeks and she wanted to sink below deck for being so insensitive. She couldn’t imagine not knowing where her next meal was coming from or going to bed with a belly cramped from hunger. Her grandparents had given them a wonderful life and she’d been blessed in so many ways. She really didn’t know much about Heath’s background because she’d never thought to ask. What a self-absorbed kid she’d been. One might say she hadn’t changed much.
She risked a glance at Heath, reluctantly noting how at ease he appeared at the helm, his hair lifting in the breeze as if being teased by invisible fingers, and she choked down her previous anger for the time being. He was right, it was a beautiful day, and she hadn’t enjoyed a vacation in years. She mentally squared her shoulders and made the choice to put aside the problems between them and enjoy the day. “I could eat,” she ventured, holding her breath for his reaction. “Did you bring enough for two?”
A smile broke on his mouth as he said, “I always bring more than I need. Old habits die hard.”
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