Take a Chance on Me: The Oceanic Dreams Series Book Six

by Stewart, Delancey

  "Okay."

  "He told me today he is planning to go for sure. He offered me his land, Selena."

  I thought of the sparkling bay, the huge parcel of land Arthur owned right up against those crystal dolphin-filled waters. "Oh," I said, somewhat stunned. "To live there?"

  "Kind of. I've been wanting to build my own resort for a while, but it's very tough to find the right spot. Arthur and I have been discussing the possibility for a long time of building a sustainable high-end resort. Nothing huge, but a place that caters to responsible tourism—people who would help maintain the bay, the wildlife there."

  I sipped hard at my drink, listening. An image was forming in my mind of a gorgeous little resort set on the shore of that bay.

  "He's ready to move on it. He'd be a silent partner—giving me the land for a share of the profit."

  "Wow," I said. "That's a great opportunity."

  Lincoln nodded, a wide smile taking over his face. "It would be a place I could run the way I want. That we could run the way we want."

  "We?"

  "Selena, do this with me. Let's build our own resort. All the ideas we had when we were young, all the things we would have done differently. Here's a chance. And we can do it together."

  "Together." I was repeating words now like a drunk parrot.

  "Yes," Lincoln laughed. "Let's make our own opportunity. We don't have to be bound by the rules Perdido and Oceanic want to put on us. We could make our own rules."

  I thought for a moment of the perfect resort on Cayman, of letting someone else take the position I'd been sure I wanted. But wasn't I ready to do that anyway? "I..." The idea Lincoln had proposed was beginning to take hold of my mind. "I don't know..." I laughed lightly, confusion swirling like a clearing mist in my head, beginning to thin and leave an answer shining there. This was a great idea.

  "Say yes," Lincoln said, leaning across the table. "This is a way for us to have it all."

  "I don't have much to invest," I said, my brain moving to practical matters.

  "I've been saving," he said. "I can pay Arthur what he's asking to be a fifty-one percent partner. And we can figure out the rest."

  "I'd need to think about it," I said. It didn't seem wise to dive into a huge financial transaction over margaritas and one conversation.

  "Of course," Lincoln said, nodding. "But say you'll definitely consider it. Opportunities like this don't come along often. Trust me, I've been looking for one."

  "And we would just tell our jobs..."

  "Thanks but no thanks," Lincoln said.

  The waiter came back to the table then, and we ordered, and then we talked and let our minds wander the idea Lincoln had proposed, excitement growing between us at the prospect. Could we really do it? It felt too perfect, like some impossible dream I'd never dared to hope for.

  By the time we'd finished eating, the idea of building a resort of our own felt real, like something that could actually happen. My head still spun around the details, but I thought it was feasible. And Lincoln was right—it was exactly what we'd talked about all those years ago.

  Lincoln delivered me to my cabin door at the end of the night, smiling down at me expectantly as the excitement of the evening drifted around us. "Can we really do it?" I asked him.

  "I think so," he said. "If you're willing to take a chance on me again."

  I didn't have to think too hard about that. I knew that I was. "I am," I told him.

  And a second later, I was in Lincoln's arms again, kissing him for all the years we'd been apart, all the questions that had finally been answered, and all the wishes I felt might finally be fulfilled.

  My heart was full and my entire body tingled with the rightness I felt about everything. Maybe it was risky, maybe I was being naive.

  But I didn't care.

  We made plans to talk in the morning, to settle on some concrete plans to move forward, and I floated into my cabin, the confusion and anxiety I'd felt all day finally settling into something else.

  Chapter Twelve

  Jenny came in just a few minutes behind me. Actually she arrived in the hallway just after I'd shut the door, but she lingered outside just as I had done, and I heard her happy laughter as she opened the door.

  I turned to face her, raising an eyebrow.

  "Hey!" she called, smiling and radiant.

  It made my heart warm all over again to see my sister happy. "Hey."

  "How was everything? With Lincoln?" She fell onto the bed and propped her head up on her hand.

  "You first. I heard you outside the door. Did Chris kiss you?"

  She rolled onto her back and sighed. "He did."

  "And?"

  The wide grin dimmed and she turned her head to meet my eye. "It's a fun distraction, Selena. I'm not going to marry the guy, obviously. But it's nice to get some confirmation that maybe whatever happened with my wedding, maybe it wasn't all about me."

  "Of course it wasn't!"

  "I had an email from Ben today," she said.

  Surprise made me stiffen. "Oh, really?"

  "He wants to see me when we get back. Asked if he can pick me up at port."

  I nodded. The words I wanted to say about what I thought of that idea would probably not be helpful here. Suffice to say that a guy who'd humiliated and hurt my sister the way Ben did would get no second chances in my lifetime. "And?"

  "I told him to stuff it. I'll let him apologize someday, I think. But he's not Lincoln, you know?"

  I was surprised to hear her compare the situations, but maybe there were a few similarities. "What do you mean?"

  "Well, first of all, Lincoln didn't publicly humiliate you."

  "True." Though I'd felt humiliated when people had asked me what happened and I'd had to tell them I really didn't know. He was just gone.

  "And secondly, he was young. I think maybe we're allowed some stupid mistakes when we're young. Our minds haven't caught up to our bodies yet when we're in our early twenties. But Ben?" She shook her head. "Ben is a grownup. He knew what he was doing. And a guy who'd be willing to hurt me that way, knowing how much I'd be hurt..."

  "I agree," I said. About everything. Lincoln had been twenty-four. Ben was thirty. The same age Lincoln and I were now. "So this guy, Chris?"

  She smiled. "He's handsome and fun and sweet. But he plays in Houston and I live in Miami."

  "Maybe it doesn't matter."

  "I don't think I'm ready to jump into anything serious anyway. It's been nice though," she said. "And what about you? Lincoln?"

  I laid back on the bed and rubbed my hands over my face. "I still love him."

  "Yeah?" She didn't sound especially surprised.

  "And what about the job?" I'd gone through all the issues with Jenny when we'd been by the pool earlier.

  "I think we're both turning it down." Saying the words out loud hardened my resolve a bit.

  "Oh!" Jenny was clearly surprised.

  "We actually have another opportunity," I said. "Something we could do together. Build together." I told her about the property in Jamaica, about Arthur and the dolphins.

  "Dolphin Bay, Jamaica," Jenny said. "Sounds perfect. I love it."

  "You make it sound so easy." I closed my eyes, imagining the place Lincoln and I had described to each other today.

  "Why can't it be?"

  "I don't know. Maybe it can. We just have to be willing to take a chance."

  Wasn't that exactly what Lincoln had asked me to do? Take a chance on him? I sighed, exhaustion at the day's events beginning to overcome my desire to stay up and figure out every little detail.

  "Sleep on it, sis," Jenny suggested.

  And that is what I did.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Day Six: At Sea

  Certainty found me somewhere during the night. Though I'd gone to bed feeling anxious and confused, none of that fog shrouded my thoughts as I dressed and prepared to meet Lincoln.

  Jenny lounged in bed as I finished dressing and pick
ed up my purse. "You sure about this?"

  I turned away from the full-length mirror to look at my sister. "Do you think I'm making a mistake?" I could hear it in the tone of her voice, the same note of disapproval Mom used to try to hide.

  "It doesn't matter what I think," she said. "You have to do what feels right to you. And it sounds like you know, and you're willing to give some important things up to make it happen."

  "I am." A little bubble deflated in me at the words, and a wash of disappointment flooded me. Not all things were possible. It was well and fine to dream, but there was also an advantage to looking at things through a practical lens, and having the night to ponder my opportunities had allowed me the distance I needed to see that.

  "Then go. Let Lincoln know what you decided."

  "I will." I thought of Lincoln's hopeful smile. Those soulful eyes dancing as he'd explained his idea to me. He deserved an answer. "I'll see you in a little while," I told my sister.

  "I'm spending my last day by the pool," she said. "Meet me there."

  I agreed and stepped out into the hallway, taking a deep steadying breath.

  Lincoln was waiting for me near the coffee bar, looking put together as always in his uniform.

  "Good morning," he said, and while his body language was restrained because we were in public, his eyes danced and the connection when our gazes met made my insides jump.

  "Hi," I said, a slow smile taking over my face.

  "Walk?" he asked waving toward the wide open deck just outside.

  "Coffee first," I said. We moved toward the counter, and soon were headed out into the morning sunshine, endless turquoise around us as far as the eye could see and hot coffee steaming in our hands.

  "I gave notice this morning," Lincoln said, putting the words out before I'd even had a chance to sip my coffee.

  "You..." I swiveled my head to stare at him as we walked. "You did? But we hadn't talked yet. I haven't even answered."

  "I wanted to make it easier for you," he said. We moved slowly along the open deck, side by side. "I won't take the job on Cayman now, and I can't stay here."

  I glanced up at him. We'd both slipped sunglasses on against the glare, so it was hard to read his expression. "Was it hard?"

  "I've been here six years," he said. "So yeah, a little bittersweet."

  I sipped my coffee, my mind beginning to whirl again. Lincoln was serious, and he'd already taken steps to prove it. At this point, I had every option open to me. I let myself consider one more time, but came to the same conclusion I had somewhere in the middle of the night. I knew what I wanted. "You'll go to Jamaica either way then?"

  He sipped his coffee, not answering for a minute. Then, approaching a small table nestled between two chairs, he set the cup down and turned to face me, stopping our progress under an awning. "I know exactly what I want," he said. "Seeing you again has solidified everything in my head. In my heart." He pulled the sunglasses from his face. "I made mistakes last time, Selena. I was scared and stupid. I didn't get what I wanted, and it took me years to get back on the right path. But you showing up here? You being the co-manager they were considering? I can't ignore that the universe seems to want me—maybe wants us—to have another chance. I don't want to blow it."

  That made sense. Lincoln was working hard to right wrongs from his past. Sometimes, I thought, you had to make the wrong choice in order to see what the right choice really is.

  "Have you thought about everything?" He looked hopeful, his chin tilted slightly up, as if readying for a blow.

  "Yes." I set my coffee down next to his on the low table and removed my own sunglasses, pushing them back into my hair and looking up to meet Lincoln's eyes. "I'm not taking the job on Cayman."

  He nodded, not saying anything. He knew the safest thing for me to do, the least risky, would be to keep my current position.

  "But I can't stand still," I continued. I took a deep breath. "This morning I was certain I would stay in Miami, keep my job. Play it safe. But that’s not what I want. I want to go to Jamaica with you. Open the resort together." The smile spreading over his full lips gave me confidence. "Be together."

  Lincoln let out a whoop and leaned forward, picking me up in his arms and spinning me in a circle. I had to throw my own arms around his neck for balance, and by the time he set me back down I was laughing, excitement jumping inside me.

  "Yes?" He asked, grinning.

  "Yes," I laughed.

  He looked around at the passengers wandering nearby, who were all watching with curiosity. "She said yes!" He called out, and huge smiles spread over their faces.

  "Lincoln!" I swatted his arm. "Now they think you proposed!"

  "Should I?" His face was suddenly serious. "I will. I mean, I'm going to anyway. Should I do it now?"

  A burst of happiness exploded somewhere inside me and I felt like I was literally flooding with light. "Not yet," I said, the smile on my face feeling like it might become permanent. "Let's figure some things out first, okay?"

  He nodded, taking my hand and pulling me into him for a hug. "I love you, Selena Spark."

  In that hug, I felt my future and my past collide, twisting and combining into the perfect present, and for the first time in six years, I let all the history fall away and took a deep breath, relaxing in contentment over the abundance in my life at that very moment. "I love you too," I said, looking up at him.

  Epilogue

  One Year Later

  Lincoln and I stood side by side just outside the big open doors of the lobby as the car pulled down the private drive and stopped just in front of us. The first guests at Dolphin Bay Resort, Jamaica, had arrived. My heart was hammering in my chest as Lincoln squeezed my hand, pressing the engagement ring he'd given me painfully into my other fingers. "Ow," I complained, still not used to wearing it, even after six months.

  "Welcome," Lincoln said, his voice warm and low. "Mr. and Mrs. Gallin." He reached a hand down to help Mrs. Gallin step out of the car as her husband stepped around from the other side with a broad smile on his handsome face.

  Mrs. Gallin gazed around her, a huge grin on her lips, before practically leaping into my arms. "Selena!" she shrieked. "This is amazing!"

  "Calm down," I told my sister. "You've only seen the front doors so far." When Jenny had peeled her newly married self from my body, I stepped forward to hug Chris. "Congratulations again," I told them both.

  Jenny and Chris had said goodbye when we'd docked in Miami, and while Jenny had been very clear that she wasn't looking for anything serious, Chris had made it clear that she was the woman for him. She'd held him off for a little while, feeling it was too soon after her last failed relationship to pursue something new, but Chris was persistent, charming, and completely in love with my sister.

  "I'm so excited you wanted to honeymoon here," I told them as one of the porters pulled bags from the trunk of the taxi. "It's incredible to welcome you as our very first ever guests."

  "Where else would we have gone?" Chris asked.

  "I wanted to go to Tahiti," Jenny said, making a comical frown.

  "No you didn't," Chris laughed.

  Jenny laughed and hugged me again. "Of course we'd come here!"

  We went into the lobby, which we'd kept airy and open, a few indoor tropical plants here and there and some caned and cushioned furniture scattered around. But the high windows let in lots of natural light, and the dense foliage outside had been kept wherever possible to make even the lobby feel just a bit secluded and hidden away. The Dolphin Bay Resort specialized in honeymooners, and every guest area and bungalow—even the lobby—was set up to maximize the feeling that wherever you were on the property, you were the only people here.

  Lincoln escorted Chris and Jenny to their room after we'd checked them in, and I felt my excitement rise again as another car pulled into the drive. We'd opened for bookings six months ago, and the resort was sold out every week through December already.

  But this first week? Thi
s week was special, and all the guests would be familiar faces.

  Guests continued to arrive throughout the afternoon, and it was like seeing a movie you'd filmed finally played on the big screen. All the careful thought Lincoln and I had put into building our property was paying off, each purposeful decision we'd made was now coming into play. My sister and Chris were swimming in the pool, taking advantage of the swim-up bar I'd insisted we needed. My cousin Sasha and her boyfriend were enjoying the private beach, while Sasha's parents relaxed in the library with a drink. Lincoln's brother Malcom and his wife and children were snorkeling, and my heart swelled to see the dolphins we hoped to become known for swimming near them in the bay. Our dive master was with them, ensuring the wildlife and reef just off our shore were protected and cared for.

  Music flowed over the outdoor patios around the central hub of the resort and the pool, and now familiar voices mingled with those of our carefully selected staff, and it was like seeing my best daydream come to life. Lincoln's parents had arrived a few hours earlier and were napping in their bungalow, and finally, just before dinner, my own parents' taxi brought them to the front door where I'd been waiting eagerly.

  "You're here!" I cried, as my mother stepped out of the taxi, looking around her with an appreciative wide gaze.

  "Of course we are," she said, reaching for me and pulling me into a warm hug.

  "Hey sunshine." Dad slid out of the back seat to stand next to us and he pulled me into a hug next.

  "I'm so glad you guys could come," I told them, feeling the tears of happiness sliding down my cheeks.

  "We had to see the finished product," Dad said. "And we wouldn't miss your wedding for anything."

  My whole world felt like it was spinning more slowly, turning in slow motion as if to say: Pay attention. Don't miss anything. This is the good stuff right here. And I intended to do exactly that.

  * * *