by Rye Hart
“Yeah. I do.”
“And even though you won’t admit it, you do like spending time with him.”
“That’s kind of my whole point.”
“And there’s money involved. Which is not something you’re coming across that easily right now. You don’t have anything you have to get back to. So what could it hurt? It’s money in your pocket. Hell, you could probably pay off your credit card with his and he wouldn’t give a shit.”
“I’m not doing something like that,” I said.
“All I’m saying is, shit like this doesn’t come around very often. Remember the envelope of money he gave you after only two hours with his damn kids. He’d probably give you enough to buy a damn house after a week or two!”
“But you’ll be traveling home by yourself, Morgan.”
“I’m a big girl, Brooke. In case you hadn’t noticed, I can take care of myself these days. It’s a straight-shot flight that dumps me right in our backyard. I’ll let you know when I get home.”
“So, you think this is a good idea?” I asked.
“I think it’s a good opportunity to get your head on straight. The island’s doing you some good, whether it’s the beauty or the sex. Either way, it looks good on you and you could use some more of it.”
“Thanks,” I said.
“So, in celebration of your new job, you’re going to come to the bar with me beside the airport and we’re going to get me liquored up for this flight.”
“Oh boy. And who’s going to keep you out of trouble on the flight?” I teased.
“I’m sure I’ll find some poor unsuspecting shlub to woo,” she said. “So come on. The cleaning people are already trying to shove me out of here.”
I met Morgan at the edge of the pier and took my suitcase and purse from her. I shoved my phone into the depths of it before we took a cab to the bar. We threw back a couple of drinks, reminiscing about our trip, and she told me all the sordid details of her island love affair. She was nuts, but she was my best friend, and she had never steered me wrong before. The only time I ever got hurt was when I didn’t take her advice, so I wasn’t going to start ignoring her again. Not after what happened with my ex. And she was right. I did need the money, and the island had been a great place to get some writing done. With any luck, another week or so would get me that much closer to finishing my book. I just had to guard my heart, and that would be hard.
With a hug, I saw her off to the airport. I knew she would have two or three more drinks on the plane ride back, and most likely would end up making out with someone in the tiny bathroom on board. I grabbed my suitcase tightly and watched until she disappeared into the small island airport, then I turned to survey the scene around me.
Tourists bustling.
Islanders trying to help any way they could for some tips.
Cabs driving up and letting people out.
The smell of salt in the air.
I flagged down a cab and put my stuff in the trunk, then I gave the driver the description of Kevin’s house and he knew exactly where I was talking about. The cab pulled away from the airport and I felt a twinge of mystery crackle in the air.
I was about to embark on my own island adventure.
Just like the woman in my book.
CHAPTER 9
KEVIN
It looked like a storm was brewing on the horizon and I gathered the kids to go inside. Island storms were always my favorite. The ocean would kick up and the wind would howl against the windows. There was a beautiful fury to the entire thing, and it was something I never tired of watching. My first trip to the Caribbean had been in celebration after Owen and I had made our first massive client score. We had come to celebrate and outline a business plan, but a storm had barricaded us in the hotel suite we had rented for the entire week we were there. Owen was pissed, but I was fascinated by it.
And it looked like another one was headed our way, and fast.
A knock at my door surprised me, and I furrowed my brow. Whoever it was, they needed to seek shelter quickly. I walked down the hallway and saw Sydney opening the door and, the moment I saw Brooke was standing there with her suitcase at her side, my chest filled with warmth.
Though I was happy to see her there, I needed to have a serious talk with Sydney about not answering the door by herself.
The kids rushed Brooke, and she gathered them in her arms. She walked them into the house as I pushed by her to get her things. The rain was beginning to trickle from the sky as I closed the door behind me, and I moved her bags to the side and set them by the door that led to the private part of the house.
I had originally planned to use it for myself, but immediately realized it put me too far away from the kids.
“Miss Brooke! Miss Brooke! Are you staying?” Sydney asked.
“Daddy said you could stay,” Daniel said.
“Oh, he did, did he?” Brooke asked. “Well, you’ll be happy to know that I am staying!”
“Glad to hear it,” I said with a grin, as the kids cheered.
I was ecstatic that she had taken me up on my offer, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. I had another lunch meeting with Gianni, and I was going to be late if I didn’t start getting ready. I had been on the verge of cancelling when Brooke showed up. I pulled my wallet out of my back pocket and slid my emergency credit card out of it. I handed it to her and she looked down at it, seemingly hesitant to take it.
“I told you I would provide you with a credit card, so here it is,” I said. “As far as payment goes, I can either pay you in bulk at the end of the week or I can pay you daily. Which would you prefer?”
“One check might be simpler,” she said. “I don’t have access to my bank while I’m here, anyway.”
I nodded my head. “Okay, if that’s how you want it, that’s how we’ll do it. Thank you so much for doing this, you are really helping me out. We can iron out the rest of the details when I get back, but right now, I need to get to a meeting.”
“In this storm?” she asked. “It looks nasty.”
“Business stops for nothing. And thank you again. I mean it.”
I hated to run so quickly but being late for an important meeting didn’t leave a good taste in the customer’s mouth. I took a quick shower and picked out my best suit, then rummaged around for my umbrella. I called for a cab and waited by the door for it to show. The rain was coming down pretty hard and the lightning in the distance was impressive. The thunder cracked above our heads, causing my kids to cling to Brooke.
“What do you say we watch a movie?” she asked. “We’ll find one with music and we’ll turn it up really, really loud. And we can sing at the top of our lungs.”
“I love to sing,” Sydney said.
“Me too,” said Daniel. “Can we watch Trolls?”
“I haven’t seen that one yet, is it good?” Brooke asked them.
“Yes, it’s the best!” Sydney said.
“Then Trolls it is,” Brooke said as the kids danced around her belting out a song from the movie.
A warmth spread through my chest at the sight and sounds around me. I had definitely made the right decision asking Brooke to watch the kids, and I was doubly grateful that I’d run into her on this island after all these years.
I slipped out during the moment, not wanting to ruin the momentum Brooke had going with my twins. I ran with my umbrella to the taxi and went to meet with Gianni. He had all sorts of questions about our equipment that I could answer on the spot, and he even had a few things circled in the contract that he was unsure of. I explained things to him and we ate a decent lunch at yet another overpriced restaurant, and it seemed as if things were going well.
Even if the storm was still raging outside.
After almost three hours of Gianni prodding me with questions, we shook hands and set up a formal meeting to go over official documents. He had circled a few things he knew he wanted and highlighted some things he was still on the fence about. I was getting exc
ited. This was a huge step for my company, and we were so close I could taste it.
I walked back into the house and was promptly greeted with a finger-painting mess. The kitchen table was covered in the children’s artwork, and they were running around trying to paint one another. Brooke’s face was covered in different colors and Sydney looked like she had spilled all the yellow on her lap. The kids were laughing, and Brooke was smiling, but the moment she saw me the smile slipped from her face.
“Don’t let me stop the fun,” I said.
“I’m sorry for the mess. I’ll get it—and them—cleaned up. We’re almost done.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m just glad they’re having fun.”
“I’m gonna get you, Daddy!”
“No, you’re not!”
I took off running from Sydney as she came at me with her red fingers. I knew the paint would easily come out of my suit but chasing me around made my daughter happy. Daniel was running after Brooke and I could hear her squealing halfway across the house. We all met back in the kitchen and I found Brooke’s shirt covered in the green handprints.
“Looks like I need to do laundry,” I said.
“Oh, I can get that. But they need to have a bath,” she said.
We stripped the kids down and I went to go get them into a bath. I heard the laundry being started downstairs before Brooke came running up the steps, and it wasn’t a moment too soon. I had just enough time to change my shirt and take a quick video conference call with Owen and some investors before dinner time.
“So, Kevin! Talk to me about what's going on with Gianni.”
“The investors there?” I asked. “Their screen is still black.”
“We’re here,” I heard someone say. “Just get going.”
“Well, the meeting with Gianni went well. He was concerned about a few bullet points in the contract. You know how lawyer-speak goes. But besides him wanting his lawyer to take a look at it to make sure it’s a good deal for him, he’s already got an order he wants to place.”
“That’s a good thing,” Owen said. “One step closer.”
“You got another meeting on the books?” one of the investors said.
“I do. The next time we get together, he’ll have his determination on the contract, any adjustments he might want to make, as well as his finalized order,” I said.
“Any estimates on what we’re looking at?” Owen asked.
“From what he’s talking about, it’s seven million with potential for more.”
I could hear the investors clapping and cheering as Owen smiled at me.
“This is going to be great,” he said.
“We want you to keep us updated every step of the way,” one of the investors said. “If you can nail Russo with this contract, we see a lot of money in your future.”
“Don’t worry. I feel confident about this. Thank you for sticking this out with me as far as you have, gentleman. You’ve been much appreciated. That’s the only update I have for now, but it was a big one so I wanted to talk to you all at once. After my next meeting with Gianni, we’ll have another sit down like this,” I said.
“We’ll be here,” an investor said.
“Just let me know if you need me out there. I’m still on standby. But we’re getting things up and running on our end to begin production the moment he signs,” Owen said. “And tell him to expect a call from me soon, given the payment plan he’s interested in.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it on both ends. And I’ll let him know.”
I cut the call just as my chef was walking by my office. He knocked on the door and asked if I had any preferences for dinner. I shook my head. I could hear him striking up the stove and pulling out pots and pans, then a light voice wafted down the hallway.
Brooke.
She was in the kitchen talking with the chef.
It was amazing to me how well she fit in here. She was cleaning off the kitchen table and hanging artwork on the refrigerator. The chef was making her laugh and Brooke was watching everything he was doing, in absolute awe, like my kids at the waterpark the other day.
I couldn’t take my eyes off her.
The sound of a movie came from the other room, and I followed it to find my kids. Daniel and Sydney were curled up on the couch, taking yet another small nap. I went over and kissed their foreheads before I smoothed their hair from their faces. Turning around, I found Brooke staring at me, like she was in a trance.
“You okay?” I asked.
She jumped a bit, almost as if she was lost in another world.
“Yeah. I’m fine. I got the kitchen cleaned up for the chef”
“Thank you for that,” I said.
“He’s cooking a massive slab of salmon. I mean, it’s gigantic.”
“I told him to cook whatever he wanted for tonight.”
“Well, it looks like it’s going to be delicious.”
I watched her watch my children with adoration in her eyes. She was vibrant and full of life, just how I remembered her from all those years ago. I couldn’t help the hurt that flooded my stomach as I gazed at her beautiful face.
I had done her wrong so many times.
And I wasn't sure if I knew how to make up for it.
All I knew was I wanted to.
CHAPTER 10
BROOKE
As I lay there, staring up at the ceiling of Kevin’s guest room, I felt my heartstrings flutter. He was tugging at them strumming them in a way only he could. But I didn’t like it. I didn't trust him after what he had done to me all those years ago.
Seeing him with his children, though, was a side of him I’d never envisioned back in college. It was beautiful seeing how tender and loving he was with them, how they were the shining apples of his eye. The way he looked at them almost convinced me he had changed, that he was a different man than he was when we first met.
Part of me didn’t want to be here. I didn’t want to be around him, considering how weak my inhibitions and self-control were around him. But the money he was paying me would be worth the trouble, plus I adored his kids.
Spending time with Kevin was bringing back old memories and it was wearing me down in ways I could never have foreseen. The dinner we all shared the night before over that massive fish with all those vegetables had been the most fun I’d had in years. There were moments where I could’ve sworn he was watching me, looking at me with lust in his eyes. I felt myself heat from the inside, just as I had that night on his porch where I’d lowered my guard enough to let him in.
“Miss Brooke?”
A small knock came at my door as I rolled over and smiled.
“Are you awake?”
“Come on, kids. Let her rest,” Kevin said.
“It’s okay,” I said. “They can come in.”
I heard the door open before two small bodies rushed my bed. Sydney and Daniel clambered up to me, burying their faces into my shoulder. I laid my arms out for them to cuddle in and I pulled them close, almost forgetting that Kevin was there as well, sitting on the edge of the bed with his hand on my thigh.
“I was thinking we could go check out some of the island museums today.”
“Still storming?” I asked.
“They’re calling for storms most of the day, yes,” he said.
“Then museums sound awesome. What do you think, kids?”
“Are you coming?” Sydney asked.
“Please come,” Daniel said.
“Of course I’m coming. I love museums,” I said.
I began to tickle the kids, rolling over and pinning them underneath my body.
Kevin joined in the tickle fight before everyone turned on me. Sydney had my feet and Daniel had my neck, and I could feel Kevin’s fingers dancing along my skin. They were tickling me and making me laugh while filling my gut with a white hot need for him. I wiggled away as quickly as I could and rolled off the bed, taking the kids with me as they crashed onto my body.
We hopped into a cab and
rode to the first museum, which was filled with all sorts of science experiments. I walked around with Sydney and Daniel, gawking at all of the turning gears and bubbles and exhibits. It might have been made for children, but I was just as enamored as they were.
Then thirty minutes into the trip, Kevin got a call.
“It’s Owen. Hold on,” he said.
I sighed as I turned toward the kids. I caught them just in time to see their faces fall as their father walked away. I shook my head and walked toward them, ushering them to the laser tag exhibit.
I knew how to get their minds off things.
We stood in line for fifteen minutes before someone tapped me on my shoulder. I turned around and saw Kevin standing there with a look of sorrow on his face.
“We’re running into some issues and I have to get back to a computer.”
“It’s okay. I’ve got the kids. You go,” I said.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
“It’s what you’re paying me for. I’m sure. Go and save the day, and I hope everything’s all right.”
“Thanks. Me too. I’ll get back as soon as I can.”
He squatted down and gathered the kids to him, telling them he loved them and that he’d be back soon. I hoped for their sakes that he was right. The kids and I played laser tag three times before their minds were off their father leaving. We walked through the pirate exhibit and watched a small show the workers were putting on. We walked across the street to a history museum where Sydney and Daniel gawked at the dinosaurs and other extinct animals. They were entranced by the tour guide who was answering all of their questions, and it almost made me forget about the fact that Kevin had left us for work.
I checked my phone to see if he had called, but I didn’t have anything.
Not even a message updating me on what was going on.
I should’ve known better than to expect anything else. This was exactly how it was while we were dating. I knew he was better than that for his kids, but I was still disappointed. I looked up from my phone and saw a man staring at me, and I nodded my head before I walked with the kids to the next exhibit.
