“But it’s going to fix me.” Her eyes glinted as she seemed to relish the idea. “I’m going to take back my power by crushing this gorgeous, arrogant man’s heart.”
Eeek. Lilly didn’t know whether to laugh or shudder.
“But first I have to find him.” Audra continued. “And to find the kind of man who is going to fill the bill means I’ll have to get out of my comfort zone.”
And out of those oversized sweats, Lilly thought, but didn’t say so.
“I’ll have to get out of my comfort zone and be…” Audra eyed Lilly, her gaze steely. “Bad.”
The outrageous plan had seemed to cheer her best friend, so Lilly let it be. Even as she changed into the new suit and made her goodbyes before heading to the pool area, she didn’t enumerate the hundred-and-one ways in which it could all go wrong. Foremost, Audra seemed to assume she could crush the gorgeous, arrogant man’s heart without doing any damage to her own.
Lilly continued to consider that as she wound her way toward Miranda Thatcher, holding court at one end of the crowded pool deck—many guests obviously anticipating movie night. “There you are,” the older woman said, smiling. “Sit right beside me,” she said, pointing to a free chair, “and someone will be by with food.”
The anniversary celebrants were gathered there, as well as many other resort guests, and the staff passed among them palm-sized cardboard trays used to serve a version of summer picnic fare: small barbecued beef sliders; kebabs made of grilled hot dog slices between chunks of onion and sweet pickle; colorful potato salad with red and Yukon gold potatoes, with red onion and crisp celery; juicy watermelon pieces skewered between green and red grapes.
Lilly was enjoying the repast while casually chatting with those around her, when the scrape of chair legs alerted her to a newcomer. Alec dropped down beside her, and she suppressed the impulse to inch away from him. The urge for self-preservation was strong, but as she’d told him this morning, she wasn’t going to play the idiot and pretend she didn’t know the man. She’d promised herself not to worry about regrets and they had been naked in each other’s arms.
Goose bumps lifted on her arms at the memory and she snuck a quick look at him. He sat back in his chair, in black board shorts and a collared cotton shirt, looking like a high-end tourist ad for the French Riviera. Her gaze ran down his muscled legs, hairy but not too, then jerked it back to his face when she felt the heat of his own amused regard.
“See something you like?” he asked in a lazy voice. “Because I sure do. Has anyone told you that hot pink is your color?”
She refused to squirm in her seat or fidget with the deep V of the swimsuit that she’d covered with a matching sarong of a filmy fabric. “Shh. You’ll give people ideas.”
“About?”
“I’m here because your mother asked me,” she said, as he snagged a slider offered by a server.
“That doesn’t mean we can’t engage in meaningful conversation. Remember, I told you I intend for us to get to know each other better.” He laughed at her expression. “Why do you find that so alarming?”
“I’m here because your mother asked me,” she repeated.
“Her questions will be way more probing if you let her get a chance, believe me. And if I don’t appear to be charming you, I guarantee she’s going to fix you up with my cousin Edmund Pevensie.”
The name rang a bell. She narrowed her eyes at Alec. “That’s the younger brother from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The one with the bad judgement.”
“Once again notice how much we have in common,” he said, admiringly. “I read that book as a kid too.”
She had to laugh. He continued to make her chuckle as they finished eating, regaling her with tales of his mother’s attempts to lure her sons into summer reading. “It was an exercise in frustration for all of us, since Simon and I only responded to rewards from the local skateboard shop, which made us eager to spend more time on our boards in the sunshine rather than with the books she stacked up everywhere.”
“I loved reading, particularly in the summer,” Lilly said. During those long days without school, she’d needed an escape from the disorder and dysfunction of her aunt and uncle’s household and had carted back armfuls of books from the local library.
He cocked his head. “Let me guess. The more fanciful the books the better. Princesses and fairies and exotic lands.”
She flushed, because it was true. “Biographies of world war heroes and heroines,” she lied. “Detailed texts on outdoor survival techniques.”
Now he laughed, as if he could see right through her.
When dark descended and it came time for the movie showing, it was Alec who stood in line as the staff handed out floats. He came back with one for each of them, then took her by the hand to tug her to the wide steps leading into the pool.
“You don’t have to be my escort,” she grumbled at him. The pool’s water was heated to such a degree she didn’t even wince as she waded in to mid-thigh.
“I’m your bodyguard,” he said, politely holding her donut-shaped float steady as she attempted to drape herself over it.
“That’s lifeguard,” she corrected, fussing with the now-wet sarong which, like an eel, had wrapped her legs and was making a graceful mount impossible.
Alec’s sure hand found the knot at her hip and in a second’s work had the fabric whipped from her body. He tossed it over an empty chair by the side of the pool, his eyes on her instead of the flying scrap of material. “Bodyguard,” he said, his gaze running over her curves. “As in keeping yours all for myself.”
“Alec!” she admonished, and scrambled into the float to avoid him guessing how flustered she was.
Then the nearby lights were dimmed as well as the pool’s underwater glow. Next the movie began, projected onto a huge screen set up amongst lush greenery. Laughter and chatter quieted as the film played, the audience, most of whom were gathered together at the shallowest end, rapt.
It took a couple of minutes for Lilly to realize she was being drawn away from the crowd, Alec walking through the water while towing her toward a small bubble in the pool’s lagoon shape. In the meager light, she couldn’t make out his expression—or intention.
“What’s this about?” she asked, as he slipped into his own float. His hand found hers, securing them close together as they bobbed gently, their own small oasis. “What are you doing?” It definitely felt isolated, with the rest of the people grouped at the other end of the water, their collective attention centered on the movie.
“Trying to keep you on your toes,” he said.
“I’m on my ass in the water,” Lilly countered.
He laughed. “It’s part of my plan to keep you off guard, if you must know the truth.”
“Why?” she asked, suspicious.
“Because of that wary face of yours, is why.” He squeezed her fingers. “For once, just relax. Enjoy the warm pool, the company, the stars coming out overhead.”
At that, she tipped her head back and saw them just beginning to wink through the palm fronds that quivered in the light breeze.
“Isn’t this nice?” he said. “It makes one wonder what more one needs out of life.”
“Mmm,” Lilly said, squinting upward to see if she could identify Orion’s Belt or the Big Dipper.
“What is it you want, Lilly?” he asked, in a musing tone. “Out of life, that is.”
“A hefty retirement fund, a mortgage I have a hope of paying off someday, good, affordable healthcare.”
He had no immediate response, the only sound the water lapping against the sides of their flotation devices and the soundtrack of the film droning on, far enough away that she couldn’t distinguish actual dialogue.
“You really aren’t a romantic,” Alec said a while later.
“Didn’t I make that clear?” Because paradise, to her, wasn’t people, or a particular relationship, but financial security. The certainty that she’d have a roof over her head and food
to eat was the only thing she’d marry, if she could.
“Some guys in high school and college must have tried to put you in that frame of mind.”
“I didn’t spend time with guys unless it was at my part-time jobs or in study groups.”
“And now that you’re part of the working world?”
“I told you from the beginning. I don’t have the time or the inclination for romance.”
“That’s just plain sad, sugar.”
“Why? It’s okay for you. Why isn’t it okay for me?”
He let the question lie and she thought a smug, gotcha.
“I’m beginning to think it’s just plain sad for me, too,” Alec finally said.
Ignoring the sentiment and the weird clutch in her chest, she settled lower, resting her head on the inflated edge of the ring. Her eyes closed. Alec’s hand kept her from drifting away and she allowed her fingers to rest in his, for the first time in his presence her nerves almost settling.
“This is nice,” she heard herself say.
“Agreed,” he said. “You know what else is nice? La Casa Blanca. The Mexican place around the corner from Carol’s Coffee. We should meet there for California burritos next week.”
Lilly tensed. “We’re not going to do that,” she said. His hand tightened as she tried to pull her fingers free of his. “After we leave the resort, we’re never going to see each other again.”
“You can’t imagine you’re going to be all alone for the rest of your life, Lilly.”
But she had imagined that! Oh, there would be Audra and Audra’s husband someday and Audra’s kids after that, a family of sorts—a family who would never be totally hers, but that would be enough. “Alec—”
“What’s it going to take for you to fall in love?” he asked.
The question hit her with the power of a rogue wave. Instantly, she felt like a swimmer on the verge of drowning, her heart thrashing and her lungs ready to burst. She couldn’t put voice to her panic. There would be no falling. Definitely there would be no falling.
Because that led to crashing. Shattering. Sticky residue dripping down a wall. Shards of glass strewn across the floor.
This is how Durands love.
Alec’s voice lowered, but she could still hear it over the thundering of her pulse in her ears. “You know what I think? I think, deep down, you know exactly what it’s going to take.”
Anxiety knotted in her belly. “I don’t…there isn’t…”
He talked over her babble. “And sooner than later, Lilly Durand, you’ll trust me enough to tell me what it is you truly need—or maybe I’ll just figure it out for myself.”
Her throat seized as she tried to force words through it. Why was he saying these things? This had to stop. This had to stop now.
Suddenly Alec’s attention jerked away from her. His head craned in the direction of new sounds.
Raised voices, coming from the direction of where those landlubbers of the anniversary party had elected to stay in their poolside lounge chairs.
Lilly glanced that way too, taking in raucous tones and hair a belligerent shade of red not found in nature. Aunt Mariellen, she thought, on another flood of panic.
“Christ,” Alec muttered. “I don’t see my dad. I better go rescue my mom. You stay here.” He twisted out of his float and then vaulted from the pool in a single powerful move.
As he hurried off, Lilly tipped from her own device, then rushed through the water toward the steps, only to halt as she realized that it wasn’t her aunt who was talking in an over-loud voice to Miranda Thatcher, but someone Lilly didn’t recognize. A stranger.
Though massively relieved, she stayed on the move, snatching up her sarong, donning her flip-flops, grabbing an oversized beach towel from the stack on a nearby table, then making for the nearest exit. It would be best to get away from Alec and his strange and alarming turn of conversation. What’s it going to take for you to fall in love?
Cringing all over again at the question, she ducked her head and rushed around a corner, only to plow into a tall masculine body.
His big hands circled her arms, steadied her. “Hey, you okay?”
She looked up, taking in the finely honed features of Kane Hathaway. He smiled at her with all the smooth confidence of a man who knew how he affected the female half of the population.
“Lilly, right?” he said. “Remember me? Alec’s second cousin?”
“Right. Hi.”
“What’s going on?” he asked, studying her face. “You look like you have something big on your mind.”
“Misgivings are smart,” she blurted out.
His response was prompt. “I completely agree.”
“Because you have to be careful.”
“I always am,” he said, smiling again, another blinding flash of I-have-it-all-figured-out-don’t-you-worry.
Lilly continued to stare up at him, noting the clear resemblance to Alec with those good looks and that bold self-assurance.
Then she thought of something else. Kane Hathaway ticked off all Audra’s boxes, didn’t he? With not a little concern, she realized she better make sure he stayed clear of her friend, who was out to reclaim her power by breaking some man’s heart.
Though really, could Audra hurt a man as strong and secure as this?
These kind of men, Alec and Kane, were immune to love.
As was Lilly. Nothing could persuade her differently.
Chapter 9
A tap on the bungalow’s door the next morning made Lilly jump. She’d been expecting Alec to make contact since deserting him at the pool the night before, but she hadn’t heard a peep. Could he be here now? But another discreet tap persuaded her no.
Alec would hit knuckles to wood with a preemptory knock, as brash as the question he’d voiced, the one that continued to worry her. What’s it going to take for you to fall in love?
Shoving that from her mind, and convinced it was maid service or some other member of the resort staff come to call, she sped to the entrance. Audra had retreated to her bedroom again, and Lilly was helpless in the face of her friend’s continued misery. The only thing that seemed to elevate her mood was her occasional mutterings about that anonymous man whose heart she intended to wrench in two. Since she continued to live in the ugly sweats, Lilly banked her fears on that score for now.
On the other side of the threshold stood a slender brunette around Lilly’s age, in slim-cut, linen ankle-length pants and a boat-neck T-shirt that looked like something a Venetian gondolier might wear. Her sleek dark hair was bobbed at her chin and she wore a friendly expression that included a bright-eyed curiosity.
“Lilly?” she asked, her gaze surveying her from top to toe.
“Yes…”
“I’m Jojo—Joanna—Alec’s sister.”
“Oh. Um…”
“I brought someone to see you,” she said, with a hint of smile, then drew Buster the puppy over the threshold. He rushed forward to pounce on Lilly’s athletic shoes, his leash trailing behind.
Chancing an attack from sharp little teeth, she bent down to save her laces and lifted the little guy into her arms. He snuggled under her chin, his fur soft and sweet smelling. “To what do I owe this pleasure?” she asked the dog, a traitorous warmth stealing into her chest. Maybe all her out-of-character responses and reactions lately could be traced to this one thing—a baby animal with the power to weaken the most formidable defenses. He’d surely wormed his way under hers.
She lifted him higher so their noses were nearly touching. “You are so cute,” she told him. “You are so cute that if you were a dinosaur you would be a cute-osaurus rex.”
Oh, God, she thought, hearing the silly comment and the sweet-talking tone to her voice. She darted an embarrassed glance at the clearly amused Jojo. “You didn’t hear that,” Lilly said. Then, addressing the puppy again, she lowered her voice and strove for a businesslike tone. “You, Buster, are a clear and present danger.”
He licked her
face in answer, wiggling with delight.
“Not a shred of remorse in him,” she told Jojo.
“Not even when he nearly piddled on the carpet,” the woman said with a laugh. “I’ve been tasked with taking him for a walk and I was hoping you could be persuaded to join me.”
At Lilly’s hesitation, Jojo smiled. “Pretty please? I just checked into the resort an hour ago and I could use a guide.”
With no willpower, apparently, when it came to the dog, Lilly agreed. She didn’t even bother trotting out her lousy sense of direction as an excuse. But it didn’t fail her this time, and soon they had found the path that ran parallel to the beach.
Lilly sucked the cool, salty air into her lungs and she allowed herself to enjoy the warm sun overhead and the breeze tugging at her hair. It put her so at ease, she couldn’t stop from voicing the question hovering at the back of her mind.
“Where’s Alec?” she said, hoping like hell it didn’t sound plaintive. It just surprised her that he’d let her get away with running out on him—though she was grateful for it. “Not that it’s my business, but last night—”
“Gah!” Jojo slapped her palm to her forehead. “I forgot the message I was supposed to deliver.”
“Oh?” Lilly said casually. “From…Alec?”
“Yes.” Buster paused to inspect a flowering ice plant. They watched him nose a blossom and then jump when a bee buzzed up from bright petals. “This morning he’s been commandeered for a round of golf with some of the group. He wanted me to tell you he’s sorry. Last night he got waylaid when more of our relatives showed up.”
Including the one who had triggered Lilly’s discomfort. “New arrivals.”
Jojo made a face. “Aunt Ruby and Uncle Ernie. We console ourselves that they aren’t very close relatives, being they’re our mom’s third cousin and his wife or something like that. They’re famous for arriving early and overstaying their welcome, so we’re just glad they can only join us for a few days.”
“Ah.”
“If you happen to meet them, please don’t judge us by their behavior. Uncle Ernie is sure to pinch your ass and we regularly check Aunt Ruby’s purse for random ‘borrowed’ items that have a habit of going home with her.”
Our Last First Kiss KOBO Page 13
