by Jenna Brandt
He nodded in agreement, his mouth met hers, letting her know he sensed their connection too.
The first course of soup came, and they sat up to eat it. It was delicious, but all Peyton could do was think about Blake and how much she enjoyed kissing him. She’d rather go hungry if she could get more kisses, than eat at the moment. With course after course coming out; however, that really wasn’t an option.
“So, tell me about your life before coming to the resort.”
“Well, as you can imagine, raising me on her own after my dad’s death was hard on my mom. She did so much for me, that I wanted to find a way to take care of her now that she’s getting older. It’s why I need to establish my own wellness centers, starting with the first one in Washington near my mom. When it’s open and running smoothly, I plan to leverage it to branch into other cities. I planned on having Chef Breole as my in-house chef, but when the deal fell through for the property I wanted, I decided to ask him to work on Comet Island instead. It’s why I need the money so badly. I couldn’t find a bank willing to take a chance on me since I never stay long enough in one place to establish a history.”
“If they only knew you the way I do, they would know you’re the soundest investment out there.”
“Thanks, I appreciate your vote of confidence.” Glancing around the restaurant, Peyton had a great idea. “You know what, Blake, I think we should offer a stargazing dinner for two up here. It can be just like what we’re experiencing right now. Couples will love it.”
“Then I should probably show you the last surprise.” He stood up and pulled her up beside him. “I saved the best for last.”
Blake guided her towards the back of the rooftop where a set of spiral stairs led to another landing, which was on top of the bar. They climbed the stairs, holding hands the whole time. To Peyton’s surprise, a telescope sat at the top with a table with two plush chairs surrounding it. A star-shaped cake sat in the center of the table. “This is where we’re going to have dessert.”
“It’s stunning,” she gasped. “I love it up here.”
“Wait until you see the view,” he said, gesturing to the telescope.
Peyton moved over to stand behind the long metal tube. She bent down and peered through it. “What am I looking at?”
“Andromeda-it’s the next galaxy over. You can’t see it with the naked eye, only with a very powerful telescope like this one. It’s funny how you might look at something, and at first, you think you know exactly what it is. Then, as you study it, you realize you were mistaken the whole time.”
Peyton stood up and turned to face Blake, realizing he was talking about their relationship. “I know exactly what you mean.”
He reached out and gathered her into his arms. He leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips. A kiss that made all the other one’s pale in comparison, because in this moment, Peyton knew she was falling in love with Blake.
After a few moments, he leaned back and said with a regretful tone, “I have something important to do in the morning. I need to get some rest.”
“What is it? Do you need help with it?”
Blake shook his head. “It doesn’t have to do with Comet Island.”
“Okay, I’ll just keep working on the wellness center while you’re gone. We should probably go check on Comet before we go to bed,” Peyton suggested.
“That’s probably a good idea since, when I left, James was trying to track him down in my suite.”
“He escaped again?” Peyton asked with shock. “The dog’s like Houdini.”
“That’s exactly what I thought. How does he keep getting out of his kennel? I think I need to ship in a new one as soon as possible.”
Blake and Peyton made their way back to his place. They entered the suite to find James pacing the room.
“What’s wrong, James?” Blake asked, knowing his valet was extremely upset from his behavior and angry scowl.
“It took me nearly three hours to find him this time. I had no idea there were so many hiding places in your suite, Mr. Holliday. Finally, I found the little beast inside your laundry hamper. Goodness knows how he got in there. When I went to get him out, he bit me!”
“I’m sure he was just startled,” Peyton defended, walking over to the kennel and looking inside. Comet was cowering in the back corner of it, a sad look in his eyes. “He looks awfully regretful over the incident.”
“I don’t care. I want nothing to do with that dog. If he stays in this suite, I’m going to be forced to give my resignation,” James threatened.
“Over a dog?” Blake shouted in shock.
James nodded his head firmly. “I’ve worked for you for three years now, Mr. Holliday, but I draw the line at getting bitten.”
“James, you can’t mean that. You know how much I depend on you.”
“I do, Mr. Holliday, which is why it pains me to do this.”
“What if I double your salary?”
“Mr. Holliday, that isn’t the issue.”
“Then I’ll get rid of the dog right away,” he pleaded.
“It’s fine. I can take Comet,” Peyton interrupted their negotiation. “He’ll be better off with me where he’s wanted anyway,” she said, giving them both a dirty look. “Have fun on your trip tomorrow,” she added sarcastically as she stormed out of the room.
Peyton knew she shouldn’t be mad at Blake, that she had thrust Comet on him and James, but it made her wonder if she became inconvenient, what would happen to her? She entered her room and set the kennel down on the table in front of the couch. She opened it and let Comet out. “What do you think, boy? Would Blake toss me aside if it suited his needs?”
Comet jumped up on the sofa and into Peyton’s lap, nuzzling her neck. He might not be the most well-behaved dog, but she considered him an exceptional emotional support dog. She stroked his back repeatedly, finding a rhythm that they both liked.
“Am I expendable, boy? Do you think Blake sees me that way? I like to think he values my backbone, but he is a billionaire. He could buy anything he wants, including a lot of women. Would he just move on to a more pliable prey if I didn’t bend to his will in our relationship?”
Comet barked repeatedly, wagging his tail as he stared at her. She hoped that meant ‘no’ that he didn’t think Blake would do that to her, especially now that she knew if Blake ended things with her, it would break her heart.
Chapter 8
Blake realized Peyton was upset the moment she stormed out of his room. At first, he thought it was simply about Comet, but when he texted and called her repeatedly with no answer, he realized it might be more. He figured he would give her the night to cool off and he would go talk to her before he headed to Vixen Island. When she sent Comet over with a short note saying he needed to take care of the dog because she was busy working, he realized it might be more than simply needing a cooling off period.
He tried to track her down all over the island, but no matter where he showed up, she managed to avoid him. If he didn’t know any better, he would have sworn his employees were helping her dodge him. The only one that didn’t seem to be on her side was Joelle, but she wasn’t about to give up Peyton’s location for her own selfish reasons.
“Can I help you with anything else?” Joelle asked in a cooing voice. “I’m sure anything Peyton could do for you; I can do better.”
Then an idea came to him. Maybe he could use this obvious gold-digger to his advantage. “Really? You’re willing to help me out?”
She nodded her head profusely. “Anything for you, Blaze.”
Internally, he cringed at her using his nickname. They were definitely not at that level, nor would they ever be where he would want her to use it. Knowing he was going to ask her for help though, he refrained from correcting her.
“You see my dog here? His name’s Comet and I need someone to watch him while I go run an errand on another island.”
“You want me to watch your dog for you,” she said placing her hand on h
er hip in irritation. “The dog you share with Peyton?”
“It’s the island’s dog and you would be doing me a huge favor,” he corrected, trying to side-step that because the dog was basically useless as an effective emotional support dog, Comet had in fact become the couple’s de facto dog.
She glanced from Blake to the dog and back again. Letting out a heavy sigh, she said, “Fine, give him to me.”
Blake handed the leash over to Joelle.
“When will you be back?”
“In about four hours,” he explained. “Can you handle him for that long?”
She shrugged. “How hard can it be?” She bent down to pet the dog, but Comet must have sensed her duplicitous heart, because he barked twice and then snapped at her, catching the edge of her finger with his teeth.
“He bit me!” she shouted, jumping up and backing away from the dog. “No way will I watch him now.”
“Seriously? He barely grazed you,” Blake countered, hoping he could talk her back into it.
She shook her head. “Sorry, but I can’t have a dog damaging this face. It’s my money maker,” she said. “If I couldn’t post on social media, I wouldn’t be Joelle Sanders anymore.” She sauntered off, sashaying as she left the gym.
What was Blake going to do now? With no other choice, he decided he had to take Comet with him. The good news, he didn’t get air sick. He managed to survive the ride in his kennel without throwing up. The bad news, he pooped in it. With no one to clean it up for him, Blake had to do it himself. He really wished James hadn’t refused to work with the dog.
Blake found his older brother, Vixen, the closest to him in age, inside the glass-blowing studio where they agreed to meet.
“Hey there, Vixen, thanks for agreeing to help me with this.”
“Sure thing, Comet. You know I’m willing to help you with whatever I can. So, you mentioned you wanted to make an ornament for Peyton? I wanted to give you an idea Ophelia came up with. We’re not offering them to the public yet, but you’re family, so I’m sure she won’t mind. She’d tell you about it herself, but she’s getting ready to teach a class.”
“Okay, you’ve piqued my interest. What is it?”
“Ophelia found a way to have precious gems inserted into the glass as it’s blown,” Vixen explained.
Blake snickered with a shake of his head.
“I know, don’t say it. Everyone makes that joke. Let’s move on,” Vixen said authoritatively. “I can help you do it, or you can try it yourself.”
“I know how to blow glass, Vixen. You’ve shown me before,” Blake challenged. “You act like you’re the only artistic one in the family.”
Blake sat down at the chair and began to work at making his ornament. The problem was, every time he got close to finishing, Comet would bark, would weave in between his legs with his leash, or get excited and jump on his leg, causing him to drop his ornament. Each time, he would get madder and madder. By the fifth one, Blake was about to give up. He wasn’t sure how many precious gems he’d lost in the fire, but it was probably the price of a brand new car.
“Ready for some help?” Vixen asked from across the room, his arms folded across his chest.
“Fine, you win, Vixen. Get over here and help me.”
His brother came over and quickly got the ornament to shape into a heart. On the front of it, they placed the gems to make the shape of Andromeda. Once it cooled, on the back, they added the couple’s names and the year with permanent ink.
“How about I have this wrapped up and sent over to your island?” Vixen suggested.
“Sounds good, thanks, Vixen.” Then standing up, he headed towards the door. Over his shoulder, he said, “I’m going to go visit Mom for a while. Hope that’s okay.”
“You know you can go there any time, Comet. I know how much you miss her.”
Blake made his way to the large mausoleum with the garden around it. His mother’s statue was in the center. He sat on the bench, just staring at the image of the woman who gave him birth. It was so odd that someone so important in his life, held so few memories. His time with her was cut far too short.
“Hey Mom, I was just coming by to say ‘hi.’ I know it’s been awhile, but up until recently, it’s been really hard for me to be here on the islands. They used to only remind me of you, or the absence of you, but since Peyton came, I’m actually building happy memories here for the first time, in a long time. I wish you could meet her, Mom, because I think you would really like her.”
Comet barked several times, dancing around and around, wagging his tail, almost as if he agreed with Blake. “Peyton’s great, isn’t she, boy,” he said, picking up the dog and rubbing his head between his ears. Comet barked another few times, agreeing a second time. “You’re not all that bad,” he said with a grin. “You’re actually pretty cute, when you’re not being a total terror.” Comet nuzzled up to Blake, letting his chin rest on his shoulder. “James is going to hate me, but I don’t think I can get rid of you. Peyton knew you were exactly what I needed. She’s good like that.”
Blake stood up and reached out with his free hand to touch the side of the statue. “I love you, Mom. I always will. I know you’re watching over all of us from Heaven, and I want you to know we’re all doing okay. Dad is too, though it might be nice if you send him a companion. He won’t admit it, but he seems lonely. I think it’s why he focuses on all of us so much. Do him a favor and send him someone nice. One Mara is enough to last a lifetime.”
As Blake headed back to his island, he realized he needed to talk with Peyton and find out what was bothering her. He cared too much about her to let her brush him off.
A knock at the door drew Peyton’s attention. She opened it to find Blake standing on the other side. “What are you doing here?” she accused, crossing her arms over her chest.
“We came to see you,” Blake said, carrying Comet in his arms. “Can we come in?”
She glanced at the dog, then back up at Blake. “I suppose so, after all, I miss Comet.”
“Just Comet?” Blake probed, a look of hope on his face.
“Why should I miss someone who treats animals like their expendable? They’ve done studies, and people who treat animals poorly, correlate to people who treat other people poorly too.”
“What are you getting at? Do you think I treat people badly?” When she didn’t answer, he added, “And for the record, I don’t treat all animals poorly. I happen to be good with most of them, but Comet and I got off on the wrong foot. To be exact, he got off on the wrong foot with most everyone. Earlier today, however, we bonded and we’re in a much better place now.”
“You did?” Peyton asked with a hopeful tone.
“The thing is, Peyton, people think because I’m in the spotlight so much I’m a natural people person. I’m not. I take a while to warm up to people and really let them in. Once I do though, I’m loyal to a fault. Like for instance, this little guy,” Blake said lifting Comet into the air. “I’ve decided to keep him.”
“Really? I have to say I’m surprised by that.”
“Well, after all, he was a gift from the woman I’m dating, or at least, I hope I’m still dating,” he amended.
“I suppose we are,” she relented. “And for the record, I missed you too.”
“You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear that,” Blake reached out and placed a kiss on Peyton’s lips. “What do you have planned for today?”
“I was actually thinking it would be nice to do something for the staff as a Christmas gift.”
“Really? What did you have in mind? Hawaiian trips for everyone? A new car for each family? A year-long golf membership including weekly flights to and from the club of their choice?”
“Are you serious about those options? You would consider them viable choices?”
“I would. What’s wrong with that?” he asked defensively, setting Comet down but holding onto his leash.
“I think it looks like you’re trying to bu
y your employee’s loyalty rather than showing them how much you appreciate them.”
“I never thought of it that way,” Blake admitted. “That’s the last thing I want.”
“Then you should go with my idea,” Peyton suggested.
“And what’s that?”
“We are going to bake Christmas cookies for them.”
“We’re going to do what?” Blake asked with incredulousness, his eyes widening with horror.
“Bake Christmas cookies,” she repeated. “What, you’ve never done that before?”
“Not that I can remember. I mean my mom might have done that with us when we were little, but I can’t remember. There was no way Step-Monster would ever be caught lifting a finger in a kitchen.”
“That makes me sad. Baking and decorating cookies with my mom was one of my favorite holiday memories.”
“I get the sentiment behind the idea, but I’m pretty sure mine won’t come out edible. Can’t we just have the pastry chef do it?” Blake pleaded.
Peyton shook her head. “It’s not the same unless you do it yourself. We used to make plate fulls and give them out to neighbors and my mom’s co-workers. Look at it this way, it’s a new adventure for you. You’re always saying how I need them, so now it’s your turn.”
Blake looked like he wanted to argue further. He opened and closed his mouth several times. Finally, he shrugged. “Okay, let’s head to the kitchen. You’re going to have to show me what to do.”
“Sure, it’s going to be fun. I promise.”
A few minutes later, they arrived at the professional-grade kitchen. Stainless steel gleamed everywhere. There were endless rows of gadgets and appliances Peyton had never seen and had no idea how to use. She was beginning to wonder if Blake had been right; having the pastry chef bake the cookies would have been a better idea.
She pushed the doubt from her mind. Shoving her shoulders back with newfound determination, she set about finding the ingredients for the cookies and frosting.
“Why don’t you grab a set of baking sheets,” Peyton directed.