by Jill Sanders
“Thank you, Calvin.” Sarah smiled up at him.
“If you need anything…” He nodded to the family and made his way back inside.
For the remainder of the day, he couldn’t get his mind off the image of Bella tucking her legs to her chest and jumping into the water with a huge smile on her face. He’d never seen anything sexier in his entire life.
Chapter Three
Spending time with her family improved Bella’s mood considerably, and she was sure this was the best decision she’d made in a long time.
Just spending an hour in the water with her nieces had lifted the heavy burden from her shoulders. Playing with Aurora and teaching Luna how to swim had worn her out.
Just before lunchtime rolled around, Lilly and her two kids, Alex, who was three, and Brooke, who was the same age as Luna, arrived.
They all sat around the pool area enjoying the lunch that Adam brought up from the kitchen himself. The kids hit the pool again shortly after until it was determined to be their nap time.
After everyone left, she decided to stick it out at the pool and rested back to enjoy the sun and some quiet. She hadn’t planned on falling asleep, but sometime later, a shadow fell over her, causing her to jerk awake.
“Sorry.” Calvin smiled down at her. “I just came to check up on you.” He motioned to the seat next to her and she nodded. “You might want to put some sunblock on soon.” He motioned towards her.
She glanced down, but since her eyes had yet to adjust to the light, she shrugged. “I was about to head in,” she lied, thankful she had on a pair of dark sunglasses so he couldn’t tell that she wasn’t fully awake yet or that she’d been asleep in the first place.
“Did you enjoy your visit with your family?” he asked.
“I did.” She smiled. “My nieces seem to like you a lot.” She shifted to sit up a little.
Hearing Calvin’s chuckle had her insides doing little funny flips. God, he’d grown even more sexy over the years. His smile melted her knees and insides.
“I know the way to a woman’s heart.” He leaned forward. “Cheese crackers.” His smile doubled.
She felt her entire body ignite. “They were pretty good,” she admitted.
“Adam orders them direct from France.” He shrugged and waved to a few guests as they passed by. “I hope everything was to your liking.” Her eyebrows shot up in question. “Lunch, that is. Do you need another drink?” He glanced over to her tea, which she’d forgotten about.
“No, thank you. Everything has been wonderful.” She glanced out over the pool to the waters of the bay beyond the green grassy yard. “Then again”—she turned her eyes back towards him— “I don’t think I’ve ever been here when things weren’t perfect.”
He nodded. “If you need anything during your stay…” He started to get up, but she held up her hand to stop him.
“While I’m here…” She swallowed. She needed to talk to him but had wanted to wait until her brother and Sarah weren’t around. “I would appreciate the inn’s discretion. I’m here to escape and don’t want the news to get out that I’m on the island.”
He was silent as if thinking about something, but then he nodded in agreement. “You have my word. No one will bother you while you’re here.” His eyes continued to scan over her as if he were trying to figure her out. “Your brother was worried about you.”
“Oh?” she asked. She’d asked Ben why he’d hired Calvin when she’d had a moment alone with him when Sarah and Lilly had gone inside to take the kids on a bathroom break.
He’d informed her that he’d hired Calvin because he’d needed someone he could trust, and he’d known Calvin longer than anyone else in his life. He trusted the man completely. Besides, he’d been stuck at a dead-end job in the city, or so Ben had told her.
Since they hadn’t had a lot of time to chat, Ben had quickly told her that he’d hired him on full time when Lilly had taken off to have her first baby. Then he’d convinced Sarah to hire Calvin permanently when Lilly decided to work from home instead.
“He’s struggled with some dark things in his past, and I could hear it in his tone that he needed a fresh start. After Aurora was born, I’d heard that he was looking for work,” her brother had told her. “So, when Lilly took off to have Alex, we brought him on. He’s been doing great ever since.”
“What kind of dark things?” she’d asked, but before her brother could answer, Sarah and the kids had come back.
“You don’t really remember me, do you?” Bella asked, turning slightly towards Calvin now. Her eyes had finally adjusted to the bright light, and she was fully awake. The man was sexy, that was for sure. His dark hair was cut short around the sides and left longer on top. He had one of those neatly trimmed beards that she loved on men. But it was his eyes that kept drawing her in and had her trying to avoid them. Somehow, they seemed to almost pierce into her, seeing things she wasn’t ready to share with anyone, let alone a stranger.
“Of course, I do.” He smiled again, and she felt her heart flutter.
Okay, if she was having a hard time avoiding his eyes, his smile was like the sun. Every single time his lips curved up, showcasing his perfectly pearly whites, her entire body heated.
“Ben was about the only friend I had during a dark time of my life. That summer in Mexico was one of the best of my childhood. I know you may not have seen it as such, but I had needed it.” His eyes moved away from hers and he looked off to the horizon.
“It was a good summer,” she added quickly. “And now you’re working for him?”
“He and Sarah are the best bosses I’ve had so far,” he said with a chuckle.
“My parents wanted to send me to the same boarding school you went to,” she admitted, and his eyes returned to hers quickly.
“Oh?” He leaned his elbows on his knees. “What happened?”
She smiled. “Ben saved me.” She chuckled. “Well, I ran away first. But in the end, he convinced my parents to allow me to move here.” She glanced around again and sighed. “I don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t come here.” She turned back to him. “They’re the ones who allowed me to follow my dreams and sing.” She sighed. “Sarah actually was the one who pushed me the most. If it wasn’t for her and her mother’s connections… I wouldn’t have gotten the record deal.”
“Crystal is an amazing woman. Her new husband, Rory, is pretty cool too. He’s taken over doing all the books for the resort.” He chuckled; the deep sound warmed her even more. “The man saved me on that one since I hate crunching numbers. It freed up my time so I could do more important things.”
“Like sitting around the pool, chatting with me?” she joked.
His smile was back. “Yes.” He stood up suddenly and straightened his shirt and slacks, a move she’d seen him do earlier. It told her that he was a stickler for perfection. “Well, I’d better get back to work. We have a new group of guests coming in this afternoon. If I can do anything to help make your stay more relaxing, just let me know.”
“Thank you.” She smiled and watched him walk away. If she’d thought his front side was sexy, watching his butt in the tan slacks as he made his way across the pool deck had her convinced that every part of the man oozed with sex appeal.
When she was alone again, she glanced around. The pool had filled up with more families, and she decided to pack up her things.
The resort had three pool areas, and because she’d been hanging out with her family, they had picked the family-friendly pool to enjoy with the kids. But now, as a large group of parents with young children arrived, she determined she wanted some place quieter to relax. She decided to take a walk instead of heading upstairs, and she strolled through the large gardens until a bead of sweat rolled down between her shoulder blades.
The small private beach area was packed with guests as well. Even the gardens were busy, which had her turning back towards the main building and up the stairs to her room.
After shower
ing and changing into a soft cream sundress, she headed down to the dining room for some dinner. She knew it was early, but her schedule was off, and she figured that the best time to eat was when she was hungry. At least until she acclimated to the time change.
She stepped into the dining hall and was seated by the large windows that overlooked the grounds and the bay outside. The well-maintained yard stretched out to a fence that blocked the cliffs that led down the water’s edge on this side of the island. It was one of the best views she’d seen in a while.
She enjoyed the beaches in California, when she’d had a chance to visit them, but watching the waves crash on the rocks below the small cliffs here somehow had her heart filling.
After ordering a glass of wine and a salad with a side of grilled shrimp, she pulled out her phone and looked at the screen for the first time since arriving on the island.
She dreaded knowing if there was anything about the incident circulating in the usual tabloids. After a few clicks, she tossed her phone down and wondered why she’d picked it up in the first place. Of course, there would be outlandish lies spreading. It was Hollywood.
“You okay?” a deep voice asked her.
Glancing up, she smiled at her waiter. “Yes.”
“Bad news?” he asked with a slight smile.
“No, just…” She shook her head. “I’m on vacation. I should have known better than to try and look at anything work related.” She picked up her wine glass and sipped it as he set her dinner down.
“You don’t remember me, do you?” he asked her.
For the first time she ran her eyes over the man. He was tall and thin with jet-black hair and dark deep-set eyes. Not terrible looking, but the fact was, she had no clue if she’d ever met the man before. Had he worked at the resort back when she’d been there before?
“No, sorry.” She smiled slightly at him.
Something crossed his eyes, but then he chuckled. “I didn’t think so. Ed Simons.” He pointed to his chest. “I went to school with you at Brighton.”
“Oh.” She relaxed slightly and smiled a little more. Even though she didn’t remember the guy, she nodded up at him. There were over a hundred kids in her class alone. She’d only known a handful of them when she’d gone to school there. Usually she’d only hung out with her three girlfriends. She hadn’t even dated anyone from school back then since she’d struggled with not knowing if her parents would change their minds and show up one day to pull her out of the private school and ship her across the world to a school of their choice.
“You still don’t remember me.” He frowned slightly.
“I’m sorry.” She shook her head. “I didn’t have a lot of time to socialize back then.”
“No,” he agreed. “You kept pretty busy and to yourself. I was valedictorian.”
“Of course.” She remembered him now. The jet-black hair, the thin frame. He’d changed some in the past few years. His face acne had cleared up and he’d actually gained some weight, even though he was still rail thin. “How are you?”
He rolled his eyes. “Working here.” He shrugged. “So much for Harvard or Yale.”
“I’m sorry.” She frowned.
“Well, we can’t all have connections like you, can we?” he added. She was slightly taken aback by his words but guessed that he hadn’t meant anything by them. “Let me know if you need anything else,” he said, looking over her shoulder.
“Thanks…”
“Ed,” he said, not looking down at her before he moved away quickly.
She took one bite of her salad before someone else stopped at her table.
“Evening.” Calvin smiled down at her. “Did you enjoy your afternoon?”
She smiled up at him. “Yes.” She relaxed and motioned to the chair opposite hers.
“I wish I could,” he sighed. “I’ve got a meeting with the kitchen staff in”—he glanced down at his watch— “five minutes.” He sighed. “Gotta get them before the big rush tonight.”
“Then I guess it’s a good thing I decided to eat dinner early.” She smiled and glanced around at the empty dining room. “Best seat in the house, full service, and I only waited about ten minutes for my food.”
“Just don’t expect that for breakfast, unless you wake up at two in the morning,” he joked.
She chuckled. “Until I get used to the time change, I may be waking up at two in the afternoon.”
“Either way, we’ve started serving breakfast all day long.” He leaned a little closer to her. “You’d be surprised how many people want pancakes for dinner.”
“I’ve been known to partake in that madness once or twice.” She smiled back at him.
His smile doubled. “Let us know if you need anything else. Room service is only a call away. Goodnight.” He glanced towards the kitchen doors and started to move away.
“Calvin?” She stopped him before he moved off.
“Yes?” He returned his attention to her.
“I know it’s strange of me to ask but, if possible, can I meet with you first thing in the morning?” She’d been thinking about talking to the man about the possibility of an influx of security issues while she was there. Not that she didn’t trust the current security measures at the resort. She just wanted to give the man and the employees a heads-up as to what might be coming.
“Sure,” he responded easily. “Just let me know once you’re up and around. I can make time,” he said smoothly.
“Thank you.” She relaxed a little.
Instead of moving away, he looked down at her. “Are there problems?”
“No. It’s… just precautionary. Thank you.”
He nodded again. “Enjoy your dinner.” He moved away and she turned back to her meal.
She loved the food from the resort. Adam Carriveau was one of the best chefs around. His food even rivaled the food at some of the Hollywood restaurants she’d enjoyed.
By the time she’d stuffed herself with dinner and had a to-go container filled with cheesecake to take back up to her room, she was wired. But since the sun had set sometime during her dinner and the dining hall had filled with other guests, she decided to spend the rest of her evening upstairs, alone.
She had planned on spending part of this trip writing and working on a few new songs she had in mind. And she figured the best time to work on them was when she was in self-quarantine. After all, there was nothing else she could do while she waited for her world to settle back down and return to normal. If it ever did.
Chapter Four
Calvin didn’t really mind the crazy hours of his job at the resort. He normally clocked out shortly before the dinner rush most days and was on shift an hour before the breakfast rush.
There were exceptions to that, however, and last night had been one. With the large party that had come in for a family reunion, he’d been forced to oversee room changes, party details, and a few disgruntled employees who had argued over shift changes. He’d finally gotten home around ten last night and had arrived back on the island around five that morning. He knew that today was going to be another long day, since the first formal party for the Schaffer group was that afternoon and he was on schedule to oversee that everything ran smoothly.
Heather, the resort’s official events director, oversaw all the details, but it was his job to ensure that all the employees were in place to fill each task.
It was like a dance each morning as the employees moved around getting ready for the breakfast rush.
He didn’t expect to see most of the guests downstairs searching for food until after eight, though there were the occasional early risers, mostly older people or parents with younger kids.
He hadn’t expected to see Bella until sometime after noon and was surprised when he stepped into the dining hall to see her sipping a cup of coffee and looking out over the lawn.
Her long locks were piled on top of her head in a messy bun, and she had a large hoodie on that engulfed her, making her appear smaller an
d frail. Her legs were tucked up under her as she stared out over the water. She looked deep in thought, and he was about to head down to the kitchen to make sure everything was running smoothly when she glanced over and waved him over to her.
“Good morning.” He smiled down at her.
“Morning.” She motioned for him to sit. “Do you have time?”
“Sure.” He sat down and waited as Heather, one of the waitstaff, delivered Bella’s breakfast.
“Morning, boss man.” Heather smiled at him. “Want a cup of joe?”
He nodded. “Thanks, Heather.” The teenager moved away and came back less than a minute later to pour a cup for him. “If you need anything else,” she said smoothly to Bella.
“Thank you.” Bella smiled up at the girl.
“How did you sleep?” he asked, once they were alone.
“Wonderfully.” She smiled and took a deep breath. “I’d forgotten how fresh the air is here and how it helps me sleep.” She took a bite of her breakfast, which he noted was a small bowl of fruit yogurt and a piece of raisin bread on the side. She looked unsatisfied with the simple meal. “You?”
“Yes,” he answered and waited for her to open up to him about what was bothering her. He could see something deep behind her eyes. Even though she looked refreshed, there was something eating at her.
When she set her spoon down and took a sip of her coffee, he could see the decision to share with him cross her eyes.
“I don’t know if you read the tabloid papers…” she started, avoiding his eyes. He didn’t respond to her, and she looked up, her dark eyes meeting his.
“No,” he finally answered. “I don’t fall into the gossip trap.”
She nodded quickly. “Then I’ll start at the beginning.” She leaned back slightly. “I’m having issues with… a man.”
“Okay,” he said when she didn’t continue.
“One that has power.” She closed her eyes. “Have you heard of Michael Himes?”
He was silent for a moment. “The director?”
She nodded slowly. “We… went out on a few arranged dates.”
