Eight Reasons Why

by Jeannette Winters

  “A bit overdressed, don’t you think?”

  She spun around at the sound of Caydan’s voice. He was far from overdressed. His dark hair was wet and water droplets glistened over his half naked body. Her eyes quickly roamed over his chest, down his abs, and stopped abruptly at his swim trunks hanging low on his hips. “Damn.” She tipped her salad bowl, and the contents landed on the sand below.

  “Nice to see you too,” Caydan added.

  Allyson had to keep her eyes off him. She had known he was well put together, but this . . . well, it was a bit more than she could handle. The heat of the sun was nothing compared to how hot he looked. Stop right there, Allyson. We work together and . . . you don’t like the man. It was tempting to let her eyes roam one more time. Forcing her attention onto the sand she said, “Sorry. I didn’t mean you. My dinner has seen better days.”

  Caydan cocked a brow. “You call that dinner?”

  I had. Preferably without sand.

  She nodded, refusing to look at him. “Yes, before it decided to take a dive.”

  “That’s not enough to live on. I was just about to grab something to eat myself. Why don’t you join me?”

  She looked into his eyes, staring at him intently as she pondered the motive behind his invitation. They weren’t friends. As colleagues, they barely could get through a conversation without one of them saying something they shouldn’t. “Why?”

  “Because we both need real food. Unless there is some stupid policy in your endless rule book that prohibits coworkers from eating at the same table.”

  That didn’t last long. “You’re sarcasm doesn’t amuse me.”

  “Really? For a second, I would have sworn I saw the corner of your lip curl.”

  Now he was being playful? This wasn’t the same guy she’d been dealing with. Was it possible Shaun had spoken to him? His friendly behavior suggested something had transpired. If that was the case, she wasn’t about to decline his offer and let Shaun think she wasn’t a team player.

  “It was a twitch.”

  “Whatever you say.” Caydan grinned.

  “I might be overdressed for the beach, but you’re a bit . . . underdressed for the dining room.” They didn’t require a jacket and tie, but they didn’t allow swimwear either.

  “I was actually thinking about eating under a cabana. The sun won’t be beating down on you, and we can still enjoy the view of the ocean. I heard the chef has prepared a sea bass special tonight.”

  Everything at New Hope looked delicious. If she wasn’t careful, she’d gain a hundred pounds. A desk job didn’t provide much exercise and hiding out in the office to avoid bumping into Caydan made it less so. Top of the list tomorrow: join the resort gym. It would also give her something to do while the others were out on their adventure and she was left wishing she’d been allowed to go.

  “Sea bass?” Allyson asked. He nodded. “In that case, I’ll gladly join you.” As she tried to dismount the boulder she’d worked so hard to settle on, she found it wasn’t any easier getting down.

  Caydan reached out and placed both hands on her hips. In one fluid movement, her feet were planted back on the sand and his hands were off her. She really didn’t require his assistance, but it was too late to mention that. Instead she bent down and started picking up the food in the sand.

  “Leave it. High tide is coming in and it will be washed away.”

  She looked at him, appalled that she should litter. “I can’t pollute the ocean.”

  Caydan laughed. “I few greens and berries isn’t going to do that. Now if you wanted to toss the bowl in, I’d agree.”

  He had a point. There wasn’t anything there that would do any harm. “Then I guess we can head back.”

  She really wished she could shower and change. She felt sticky, and all she wanted to do was relax. But no matter what she was wearing, she was anything but relaxed. Dealing with his arrogant behavior was difficult, but sitting across from him and not ogling his gorgeous body would be worse. Nothing about dinner was a good idea. She was a horrible actress. She didn’t have to worry about being caught looking at him, it was just a matter of how many times it was going to occur.

  Allyson was running a list of excuses through her mind without looking as though she was backing out on her own. No matter what she came up with, he’d never believe it. So dinner with half naked Caydan was inevitable.

  They arrived at an open cabana, and as soon as they sat down one of the waiters came over. “Mr. Pintino, how was your swim?”

  “Refreshing,” Caydan replied.

  “Ms. King, will you be joining Mr. Pintino for dinner?”

  “Yes.” He turned to face her and asked, “Do you need a menu?”

  “No. The sea bass sounds good to me.”

  Caydan raised two fingers to the waiter who nodded and left to fill the order. She had no idea what he was grinning about.

  “Is there something you find amusing?” Allyson asked.

  He said, “I have a feeling you are only here for the bass.”

  She smiled sweetly. “Well, I missed lunch, and we both know what happened to my dinner.”

  “While waiting, I hope you don’t mind if I ask you a few questions.”

  She had a feeling he was going to ask whether she objected or not. “What do you want to know?” Allyson hoped it wasn’t anything personal. Although she had nothing to hide and her life for the most part was boring, she didn’t want him knowing about it. But it wasn’t her he wanted to know about.

  “Why is Shaun here?”

  Since she hadn’t spoken to Shaun privately yet, she wasn’t sure what to tell Caydan. The truth definitely wasn’t a good idea. She had the right to have someone else inquire about Caydan’s qualifications, but telling him would mean there was no hope for a civil working relationship.

  That was all she needed to move his lack of clothing onto the back burner. Clearing her throat, she was about to answer when a cell phone rang. She noticed Caydan reach over to a chair next to him where he must’ve left his belongings earlier.

  Standing up, he said, “Excuse me, I have to take this.” Whoever it was, Caydan wasn’t going to speak in front of her.

  She was left sitting alone for only a few minutes. Any other time she’d patiently enjoy the ocean view. But her thoughts stayed on that call. It had been perfect timing to avoid answering about Shaun, but it piqued her interest. Allyson was far from a PI of any kind, but she knew odd behavior when she saw it. Is arrogant and controlling odd? No, just irritating. So why don’t I trust him?

  Allyson turned in her seat to look for him. He was already off the phone and approaching her. The playful look in his eyes was gone. When he arrived he grabbed his other belongings and announced, “I’m sorry, but we’ll have to take a rain check on dinner. Something has come up.”

  “Did something happen I should be aware of?” Allyson asked. He shot her a questioning look. “I mean something HR might need to know about.”

  His expression alone said it wasn’t about New Hope. It was personal. Trouble back home maybe? It was the first hint he actually had a life, and that made her even more curious.

  She should’ve expected his direct answer. “No.” If she had anything else to ask, it didn’t matter. Caydan strode off without saying goodnight.

  And now things are back to normal.

  The waiter arrived with their meals and asked, “Will Mr. Pintino be returning?”

  She shook her head. “Unfortunately not.”

  He placed her dish in front of her and said, “I’ll just take this back to the kitchen.”

  “Leave it,” Shaun said from behind her. “No need to let it go to waste.”

  She turned to make sure Caydan was far enough away not to see Shaun with her. He was nowhere in sight. Bringing her attention to Shaun, she said, “You’re in for a treat because the chef is amazing.”

  The waiter placed the dish on the table, took Shaun’s drink order, and scurried away nervously. Allyso
n understood why. Shaun was a Henderson and easily recognized—for some odd reason, that name had a certain effect on people here in Tabiq. She found it odd. She didn’t have all the facts, but Allyson would’ve thought with all the good the Hendersons had done the past few years, the people would treat them like heroes.

  “I saw you and Caydan chatting. When he left I figured this might be a good time for us to talk. Will this spot be okay, or do you need somewhere more private?” Shaun asked.

  “Here is fine, thank you.” Once Shaun was seated, she added, “I really am sorry for pulling you away from your family.”

  “My wife understands. It’s Tyler who has a difficult time with my absence.”

  “Then I won’t keep you long. But I have . . . concerns.”

  Shaun asked, “About Caydan?” She nodded. “And you don’t want to address them with him?”

  “That’s the problem. I don’t have anything to go on, but he’s so . . . arrogant. Almost impossible to work with.”

  Shaun laughed. “Sounds like you’re describing my family instead of him.”

  Allyson hoped she hadn’t offended Shaun. That was not her intention. “That’s not how I meant it. I—”

  Shaun raised a hand. “Don’t worry about it. We know what we’re like. I’m sure Caydan does as well. It’s only been a few days since the two of you arrived. Is there anything specific you’ve observed that might affect his performance here? My family won’t tolerate anyone going against the mission.”

  It was called New Hope for a reason. The mission was to give the people of Tabiq just that: hope. “He has good ideas but—”

  “You don’t trust him,” Shaun added. She nodded. “May I speak frankly? I mean, you’re HR, and I’m not delicate with my choice of words, if you know what I mean.”

  “Of course. Please, you won’t offend me.” Many have tried and failed.

  “Are you sure it’s him you don’t trust?”

  That didn’t seem to make sense to her. “He’s the only employee I question, so yes.”

  “No. I mean, I saw you. Even from a distance, he makes you . . . nervous. But not as though you’re afraid of him.”

  “I don’t believe he’d hurt me.” There might be things she didn’t like about Caydan, but she couldn’t picture him hurting a woman.

  “I didn’t think so. But even when I walked over, you seemed . . . deep in thought. Obviously I wasn’t walking into a business meeting, not with his attire. So I can only assume it was personal. Are the two of you—?”

  “No! Absolutely not! It’s against company policy.” She blushed, knowing Shaun thought there could’ve been something intimate going on with her and Caydan. God. How embarrassing. Me? He really thought I could break the rules like that? She needed to set him straight. “Mr. Henderson, I—”

  “It’s Shaun.”

  “Shaun, I take my job very seriously. If I cannot abide by the company policies, how can I expect the rest of the employees to?”

  “So if you’re not interested in Caydan, and his résumé is impeccable, what exactly is the problem?”

  “He’s . . . oh, how can I explain it? It’s just a feeling I get. As though we are not on the same page. Like he’s here but his heart’s not in it.”

  “Has any staff said anything to you?”

  “Actually they all seem to like him.” She really was starting to sound as though she had wasted Shaun’s time. “But don’t you see it? He is new. Never worked for the company. He walks in here like he owns the place and everyone accepts him. Doesn’t that seem . . . odd?” To her it was. Nothing was ever that easy or perfect. I just need to know what his flaws are. Because we all have them.

  Shaun looked at her long and hard before he said, “I’m sorry if I jumped to the wrong conclusion earlier. I do see you have New Hope’s best interest in mind. We didn’t do the background check on him. That was handled by Drake’s office. If I’m correct, you were involved in that as well.”

  “I was. And even then, I had concerns.”

  “But didn’t voice them?”

  Shaun was correct for calling her out on that. “No. That was an error on my part. I did ask Scott if he had any reservations, but he didn’t. But I asked you here for another set of eyes on him. If after a day or two you feel he is New Hope material, I promise I’ll drop this and move on as though nothing took place.”

  “I’ll do one better. Bennett Stone is damn good at reading people. I was going to go on the tour tomorrow with Caydan. I think I’ll send Caydan with Bennett. But if Bennett comes back and says nothing seems out of the ordinary, this is the end of it, and I return to Boston. Understood?”

  She nodded. A lot was banking on one ride with Bennett, but it was all she was going to be given. “I hope this was all my imagination.”

  “I’m sure my family would agree. Now if you don’t mind, I think the bass is getting cold.”

  She picked up her fork and took a bite. Allyson wasn’t sure if it was finally getting food in her stomach or the weight lifted off her shoulders, but for the first time in days, she truly relaxed a bit.

  The rest of the meal was spent talking about their families. Shaun was exactly what she’d heard: a man dedicated to his wife and children first. He even pulled out pictures to show her. Never had she seen such a bike: three seats to pedal with a baby buggy attached for a toddler to be tugged along.

  Allyson wasn’t going to keep him from them any longer than necessary. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t had personality clashes with a few colleagues over the years, so she truly hoped—for her sanity—this was simply a matter of two strong-willed people struggling to see eye to eye. With any luck, Shaun would be on his way back home tomorrow night. And I can go back to doing my job. Whatever that is here.

  Chapter 6

  Caydan couldn’t believe his mother had slipped, breaking her ankle. She was sixty-four and in great condition. Why did she have to get injured now? Normally he could leave wherever he was because he answered to no one. But going home now would mean letting go of everything he’d put in place.

  After leaving Allyson at the cabana, he spent most of the night talking to his mother, the doctor, and the staff at the house, making sure he was up to date on everything. Thankfully she didn’t require surgery, but she was going to need someone there who could make her follow the doctor’s orders to not put any weight on it for eight weeks.

  Though loving and kind, his mother was stubborn as the day was long. He knew as soon as the staff went home for the night she’d put her crutches aside and do as she pleased. More than likely she’d stand in front of the stove baking something. Always hoping I’ll walk through the door. And I rarely do.

  It wasn’t that he didn’t love his mother. She was everything to him; actually she was all he had. Though they’d had little time together when he was young, she was the one person who could look in his eyes and know when he was hiding something. Speaking on the phone last night had her questioning things: where he was, what he was doing, and with who. She sometimes forgot he was forty-five years old. She might be trying to live the years they’d lost, but he wasn’t about to go back; those years were gone forever.

  “Tell them you have a family emergency and you’ll be back in a week. I’m sure they’ll understand,” Roger said.

  “And when I tell them who my family is and they send her flowers or something stupid like that, how do I explain it?”

  “To who? Allyson?”

  Caydan shook his head. “My mother. If she sees the name Henderson, it will be all over.”

  “Your mother is the sweetest woman I know. She’s not going to turn you in,” Roger replied.

  “Let’s get one thing clear, Roger, I’m not afraid of the Hendersons. However, they don’t know about her, and I want it kept that way.” It would distress her if she knew what he was doing. She would try to fix it, probably have the Hendersons over for tea and biscuits. The thought of his mother entertaining them, pouring tea for them, infuriated him. He
needed to make sure she stayed in Switzerland and remained ignorant to what her only child was doing. “Will you go or not?”

  “Of course I’ll go. But I think it should be you.”

  Roger was right, but he also didn’t know everything. If he did, he’d understand. Like a true friend, though, he didn’t ask.

  “Explain to her I’m in the middle of a huge deal and will be there as soon as I can.”

  Roger said, “I’ll do my best. But you know your mother. She’s not going to quit nagging until you’re there.”

  “I know. That means I have to step things up around here.” He wished Roger could stay and do most of it so they won’t see it coming, but Caydan was prepared to do whatever he needed.

  “If you get caught, you won’t like your stay in a Tabiqian prison.”

  Caydan snorted. “I’m not planning to go anywhere but home after this.”

  Roger reached out and shook Caydan’s hand. “Good luck. And remember, Caydan, you can stop this at any time and walk away. No one has been hurt and nothing connects any of it to you.”

  “I know. But it started and ends here in Tabiq.” He left Roger alone to get ready to fly out.

  Caydan had plenty to do to get ready for his excursion with Shaun. He’d had every intention of exploring Tabiq, but when Shaun agreed they go together, it provided the perfect opportunity to get a feel for why Shaun was really there. He might even learn something that could help expedite things. However, the research he and Roger had done left little he didn’t know.

  At least not where the Hendersons were concerned. His own life was an entirely different story. He had so many questions for his mother, ones she wouldn’t answer. He’d tried begging and threatening to never speak to her again, which he knew he couldn’t do. But she’d refused. It seemed like she was going to take her secrets to her grave. But is it pride or fear that controls that unchanging silence?