by Natalie Ann
“What did they do?”
“My father was a machinist. A union worker that spent most of his life on second or third shift, then got to first shift when I was in middle school. He missed a lot of my life growing up. My mother was an assistant manager at a shoe store in the mall. Again, long hours and not Monday through Friday.”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m really close with my parents and sister. My family in general.”
“I don’t have that,” he said. “My aunts and uncles were there growing up, but not like you think. Then after my parents died...it’s a long story.”
She turned from where she was rinsing out the pan. He’d been bringing the plates in and putting them on the counter while he talked. “And we don’t need to talk about it. This night is supposed to be about fun and that is what we’ll do.”
“So you want to kick my butt in those games in the other room?” he asked, laughing.
“I do, but there isn’t much strategy to them. It’s all going to be about dumb luck.”
“I don’t believe in dumb luck,” he said. “Luck is luck. No reason to put a negative spin on it.”
Many would say that about his parents winning the lotto and maybe they were right, but in Crew’s eyes, his parents busted their ass for a long time. They deserved to sit back and enjoy life in an early retirement. And that they died at forty-four years old was just sad.
Though he’d never been whimsical or thought much about fate, he did think that his parents were due those years of enjoying life because when your number was up, it was up. He’d like to think they got to have a blast in those last years.
“It’s funny you say that. This island is all about love at first sight and fate. You know that, right?”
“I’ve heard it a time or two,” he said. “Do you believe in it?”
Her face flushed. “Since I’m thirty and still single, not really. My cousin Hunter is getting married in January with a baby on the way and the word in the family is that he got bitten by the bug.”
“A lovebug?” he asked
“Something like that. But I think it’s more like when you know, you just know. It happened that way for him when he least expected it. I met Kayla at her bridal shower for the first time. Sweet girl.”
“So he’s the only one then?”
“Oh God no,” she said. “The legend says that when Malcolm Bond set eyes on his future wife that was being offered to him by her mother, he’d fallen head over heels in love.”
“Offered?” he asked.
“Victoria Rummer was left her shipping empire when her husband died. She didn’t believe anyone would listen to a woman so she needed a man to help her run it and didn’t want to get married herself. What better way than to find a man for her only daughter, Elizabeth? She knew of Malcolm, an English captain that often docked in their port, and offered her daughter’s hand in marriage if he could find this island with very few coordinates.”
“You’re joking,” he said, grinning.
“No. You should read up on the history of this island. Anyway, he got lost at sea during a storm and on the final day found land to see how much damage was done to his ship. It’s then he realized he’d found what would be dubbed Amore Island.”
He was shaking his head. “Okay then. I guess I’ve heard it all.”
“You’ll hear all sorts of stories, but that is the truth right there. Anyway, every generation tries to say it happened to them or someone in the family insisted it did when that person denies it. But my generation, there are plenty of us that are single. You only saw a handful at the auction. I did see Drew Bond was with a date and heard that they’d been dating for a few weeks now.”
“Do you always know what is going on in your family with everyone?”
“No. It’d be hard, but I know more with the family members that have relations to my business too. I talk with Eli and Hunter a lot because we all have hotels. Drew and Bode run the real estate end, but their father and their uncle, Mitchell, who my father works for, have apartments and rentals all over the island too. Anyway, those I tend to hear more about just through the grapevine.”
“I’m not a big wine drinker,” he said.
It took her a second and she smiled. “Are you a loner?”
“I didn’t use to be, but am now. I like it better than I thought I would.”
It was better to be alone than with posers that only wanted one thing from you. He’d gotten good at just relying on himself.
“I can see that. I’m around people all day long and I’m fine with it, but let me tell you, I can’t wait to get home to some peace and quiet each night too.”
“But you’re spending your night with me?” he said.
“I am. You should consider yourself lucky.”
“I do,” he said and helped her finish up with the dishes.
When they were done they moved into the living room and sat on the couch. “So, guest chooses. What do you want to do first? I’d say we can watch TV, but I don’t think we’d have the same tastes.”
“You don’t know unless you tell me what you like,” he said.
“Crime shows. I can binge watch them all day long.”
“I can get behind them, but I’d rather play some games since this was your idea.”
“Again, you want to beat me,” she said.
“I guess we’ll see who is the winner in the end.” Even though he was pretty sure he was going to win on many fronts.
And after five games of Jenga, and four of Chinese checkers, they were pretty much neck and neck.
“Time for Yahtzee,” she said. “Unless you need to leave. I didn’t ask if you had to work tomorrow but I’m sure you do.”
“I do,” he said. “But I’m young enough that I don’t need to end a date at nine so that I can get up on time for work.”
“How old are you?” she asked. “I told you I was thirty.”
“I’m thirty-two,” he said. “Not that far from you.”
“Any serious relationships in your past? Ever been married?” she asked as she opened up the box of Yahtzee, handed him the piece of paper and a little pencil inside. “I’ll let you go first.”
He picked up the dice and put them in the cup, then sent them out to roll and decide his move along with the way he was going to answer this. Why hadn’t he thought it’d be this hard? For years he’d been traveling around and not worrying about telling women about his past. He was more interested in spending time in bed with them, not time talking or playing games.
The fun kind of games, not the manipulative ones.
“What do you consider serious? I’ve lived with two women and realized that I didn’t want to live with them long.”
He said it tongue in cheek, but it was the truth. They got on his nerves more than he realized. Though he’d dated Lisa for almost two years, they hadn’t lived together until after his parents’ death. He didn’t even remember asking her to move in, she just seemed to do it slowly in the guise of being there for him.
“Well, I asked if you were married, so I’m going to assume that is a no. What about engagements?”
“No engagements,” he said. “And you know if you are asking me those questions, I get to ask them right back.”
“You do,” she said. She picked the dice up after he finished his move. “I was engaged. It’s common knowledge and if people see us out or assume we are dating—if we get past tonight—you might hear about it.”
“Why wouldn’t we get past tonight?” he asked. “I’d rather address that first.”
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe you’ll get sick of spending time with me and all the questions I ask.”
“Not going to happen,” he said. “So answer the other part about your engagement. I feel like there is a story behind it more than it didn’t work out.”
“There is and not one I want to get too much in depth about. We met in college. And we were a thing for several years. He proposed when we were twenty-six and I
accepted. Then Penelope and I started seriously getting the hotel plans off the ground, the financing set and so on.”
“And you put that before your relationship?” he guessed.
“That was part of it. The other part was, I don’t share and he didn’t care for that.”
“He cheated on you?” he asked.
“What?” she asked looking up. “No. I’d pin his balls to the wall if he did and I caught him.”
He couldn’t help but laugh at the words out of her mouth when he was worrying about watching his language. He’d take it as she felt comfortable enough around him to just let loose.
“So, what did you like not sharing?”
“My business,” she said. “It’s family.”
“He was going to be your family and thought he’d get more?”
“Something like that,” she said.
He knew enough to let it drop and asked, “So after the ex-fiancé, how did you go about taking care of that itch?”
She looked up and laughed at him. “You don’t think I’m really going to answer that, do you?”
“It was worth a shot.”
8
He Wanted More
Two weeks later Crew was walking into the restaurant where the post office was having a small Christmas party. He was alone while many had significant others with them. If he’d known that was going to happen he would have bowed out. It’s not like he could have asked Emily to come with him as she was at her own Christmas party tonight at the hotel for her staff.
“Crew,” Tyler Reed said. “Glad you could make it.”
“Yeah,” he said. It was his first big holiday here and he got along with most of the people in the office when he saw them during pickups and drop-offs. He didn’t really want to sit home alone tonight knowing Emily was busy. Not that she asked him to go to her party nor did he expect it. It sounded like it was for staff only. At least that was what he was telling himself.
“Come on over and I’ll introduce you to my girlfriend,” Tyler said. He was probably late thirties if Crew were to guess. Tyler talked about kids so he’d expected him to be married, but having kids didn’t mean anything anymore.
He followed Tyler to a table that had two open seats. “Are these saved for anyone?” he asked.
“Nope. We knew you were coming. Didn’t know if you were going to be alone or not.”
“If I knew I was going to stand out like this so much I might have stayed home.”
“No way,” Tyler said. “This is Ginger.”
He reached his hand out and shook. “If I knew you were single, I would have had my sister come with me. You two might hit it off.”
“I’m not into being set up,” he said.
He wasn’t going to dispute the single comment. After two weeks he wasn’t sure what he and Emily had at this point.
They hadn’t been together again since she cooked for him, gave him one hell of a kiss full of promises that kept him up and reaching under the sheets to relieve himself that night, but then hadn’t made time for him since.
No, that was harsh. They were both busy and they texted daily. He’d seen her a few times when he’d dropped packages off and she gave him coffee and a snack those mornings too. She’d even given him a light kiss on the lips, then ran back in the house and he saw her pulling out of the driveway in his rearview mirror.
She was a busy woman and this time of year more so. She had problems at work he was aware of. She didn’t talk about it much. Especially during a text, just little comments about needing a drink or a hot bath or a massage.
He wasn’t sure if she was yanking him along or just talking and not realizing the knots he was twisted in.
They did talk on the phone last night. Only their second time. It didn’t last long because, though he liked to talk when they were in person, he’d always felt uncomfortable over the phone.
“She’s just out for a good time,” Ginger said. “I get the feeling you’d be game for that.”
Here he was being judged and the woman didn’t even know him. Of course in the past that was exactly what he was all about. Now, for once, he wanted more.
“I’m good,” he said, standing up. “I’m getting a beer. Can I hit anyone up?” He was pointing around the table and taking orders in his mind, then got the hell out of there.
“She means well.”
He turned to see Andrea standing there. She was young and worked the counter at the office. He didn’t see her often, just when he was clocking in and out most days. She always had something nice to say to him.
“Who is that?” he asked.
“Tyler’s latest girlfriend.”
“Latest?” he asked while he waited for his beer.
“He’s got a new one every few months. A couple of kids from different women too.”
Crew laughed. That made more sense. “You seem a little young to know all of this.”
She wrinkled her nose like she didn’t like being called out on her age. “I’m twenty-four. And I know because he’s in the building more than most and is always complaining about the women after a few months or his exes when he needs to come up with money. It’s hard not to hear about it. He joked about trying to find himself a single Bond woman to take care of his problems.”
“Yeah, like any woman, let alone a Bond, would fall for that.”
Andrea laughed. “Everyone knows you put money down for that date with Emily Rauch. Tyler included. Just letting you know if it comes up.”
“Thanks for the warning,” he said, not aware everyone was privy to his life, but he should have known better on this island. “If you’d told me earlier I would have avoided this night.”
“Since I’d heard you had your date and you’re here alone, I’m figuring it was just for charity.”
Her eyes were moving up and down him in a caress that most men would jump on, but all he wanted to do was run in the other direction. What the fuck was going on tonight?
“I didn’t realize so many people were interested in my life.”
She laughed. “Sorry. It’s not you. It’s the Bonds. Or those that are Bonds by blood.”
There was an insult in there, but he chose to ignore it. “Well, I am here and don’t have any intention of talking about my date with Emily.” Nor would he mention the second date that no one seemed to know about. Maybe that was why she offered to cook him dinner, so that there wasn’t a lot of talk about them.
Didn’t she say that at some point people would see them out together and they might talk to him about her after and her failed engagement?
Interesting.
He should have realized the Bonds of the island—whether it was their last name or not—had to live with this daily. Wasn’t that part of the reason he’d left Boulder? Because he was sick of being looked at, watched, and talked about?
He had no problem putting his life behind him and moving on, but had nothing holding him back anymore either. How much harder would it have been if his parents were still alive though and he continued with that reckless lifestyle?
If the women still only wanted one thing from him? If they tried to trap him?
Could he have left his parents to start over? He didn’t know the answer to that and was glad it never came down to him making the decision.
He grabbed the four beers and made his way back to the table. The conversation stopped when he showed up and he knew he was the subject of the hour. It was going to be a short night, that was for sure.
“So are you going to tell me about this guy you are dating?”
Emily looked at her mother and wanted to scowl at her sister who was standing there grinning at her. “Obviously Penelope likes to run her mouth so I’m sure she told you who it was and that it was two dates total.”
“Don’t be upset with your sister. I was complaining about you working so hard and having no life and that you seemed so happy and relaxed when you talked about your date with Crew.”
“Who knew you had such d
iarrhea of the mouth,” she told Penelope. They were at the end of the large meeting room that had been decorated for a Christmas party for staff. Those that weren’t scheduled came back for the food and DJ, and those that were working were allowed to come in on their breaks to get some food and have some fun. Her mother even covered the front desk for over an hour so those staff could swing in and get dinner and mingle.
“I was defending you. I shouldn’t be insulted for that,” Penelope said.
“You could find another way to do it.”
“Stop bickering, you two.” Her mother took her hand and pulled her out of the room. “So tell me what is going on with Crew now that your father is busy talking with people.”
“There isn’t much to say. We had a good time on the date he won. I like him and he’s so different than anyone else I’ve been with. I invited him to dinner and we played some board games.”
Her mother laughed. “Be serious now.”
“I am. We had a lot of fun.”
Her mother angled her head. “You always loved playing games as a kid and your sister would get fed up and leave when she lost.”
“I lost plenty, but it was nice to play with someone and talk at the same time.”
“Are you afraid to be seen out in public with him?” her mother asked. “Do you think people will make a comment on it and your differences?”
She put her hands on her hips. “What differences are those?”
“Come on, Emily. You own this hotel. He’s a mailman.”
“You of all people I didn’t expect to be snobby about this. You set your best friend up with Mitchell and she was from a middle class background. Janet doesn’t even work and never did. Why is there a double standard? And Crew works and he obviously has money to pay three thousand for the date.”
“You know I’m not being snobby and that isn’t what I meant. I wanted to know if you were either afraid people would see you and talk about it or put him down. Almost as if you were protecting him from the gossip. Or you just don’t want anyone to see you with a guy because you’ve been single for so long.”