Love Me if You Dare

by Toni Blake

  She smiled, felt his relief all over again, and quietly said, “Good.” And inside, she couldn’t help thinking about the fact that Phil, Vanderhook, and Windchime weren’t going to take this well, but she was too tired to think about how she was going to cast it in the best possible light. Maybe she could find reasons why another spot in the area would actually be more favorable. A big part of her job was spinning things the right way, so surely she could figure out how to do it in this situation, too.

  “And with any luck, that damn Windchime sign will come down soon and I can get back some of my business, too.”

  She offered a nod of agreement, then realized exactly how sleepy she was. “Would you mind,” she asked, “if I head back to my room to grab a few more hours’ sleep? I’m more wiped out than I thought—and I should really check on the cat, too.”

  “Oh yeah,” he said, his voice teasing. “I forgot the Happy Crab has a resident cat now.”

  But he said it as if the cat could stay—would stay—and she couldn’t help thinking it implied she would stay, too. And the truth was, as strange a suggestion as that would’ve sounded like a week ago, now she was beginning to imagine it could be so; she was beginning to imagine a whole, new simpler way of life. She wasn’t entirely sure of her role in it yet, other than being with Reece, but . . . well, don’t worry about that right now. You have a nap to take, a cat to tend to, and Vanderhook to deal with.

  So she kissed Reece goodbye—a long, passionate kiss she felt all the way to her toes—and they agreed to meet up later.

  REECE greeted Fifi—to whom Riley had given great care in his absence—then started in on the tasks he’d told Cami he wanted to accomplish today. As he spent time cleaning the boat, it struck him what a beautiful day it was, even with the heat and some humidity thickening the air. The bold blue of the sky seemed more vibrant than usual, and the clouds floating past appeared . . . softer somehow.

  After that, he called in an order to replenish his pool chemicals. And that got him in the mood to clean the pool—which was a job that took some muscle, but once he got going, he realized he had a lot more energy than he might have expected after yesterday.

  And then it hit him that especially blue skies and extra energy might just be because he was . . . hell, he was happy. Really happy. Relieved the drama was over with Vanderhook, and . . . in love. Damn, he hadn’t seen that coming.

  When his family had died, he’d broken up with his girlfriend, Stacy, soon after, mostly because he’d decided he hadn’t wanted to be in a relationship. Even then, he’d realized that most people would cling to the only other important relationship left in their life—but he’d been so lost at the time that he’d ultimately turned inward, told himself he didn’t want something serious, didn’t want to feel obligated to someone. Now he wondered why.

  Maybe I was just afraid to lose her, too. Maybe having no ties felt safer.

  He’d been twenty-five at the time, and he hadn’t had an official “girlfriend” since, by choice. Until now. Today.

  Seemed Cami brought out all kinds of new sides of him—first water sex, and now this. He laughed as he dragged a big sponge along the side of the pool. Or . . . maybe he’d just grown up a lot since then. Maybe he’d finally started to heal from the loss.

  Although he didn’t like it, he couldn’t deny something she’d said to him last night—that he’d worked hard to keep everything the same since they’d died. And it was true. It was true that he hadn’t wanted anything else to change, or fade away, or stop being the way it was. The house where they’d lived, the Happy Crab, the Lisa Renee.

  But suddenly he felt as if . . . well, as if change might be okay. Some change. Would he ever be ready to give up the Happy Crab? Nope, probably never. Would he be willing to let go of the house? He wasn’t sure, but . . . maybe. Either that or he really would move back into it eventually. And if he did that, he’d . . . make changes there. And that might not be easy, but he’d do it, because he could now.

  Letting himself love somebody . . . hell, that was a pretty big change to start with. From here, maybe it would just be a matter of baby steps, and of . . . letting himself feel secure in new ways. In ways that would help him let go of the past because the present and future looked brighter to him than they had in a long time.

  Not that he’d been leading a bad life. He thought he’d coped pretty damn well with his losses. But maybe it was time to start coping better, moving forward instead of just standing still.

  “You need any help with this, padre?”

  He looked up to see Riley exit the office, Fifi meandering out along with him, and smiled. “No—thanks, but I’m good.”

  Riley smiled back. “I’ve never seen a fella so chipper about cleanin’ a pool.”

  And Reece decided to confide in his friend a little. “Guess I’m chipper for other reasons.”

  “Did you make some better memories on that boat ride?”

  Reece let his smile widen. “You could say that.”

  “That makes my heart happy, my friend.”

  “And not only that,” Reece told him, “but Cami’s not trying to buy the Crab anymore. So it’s a big relief to know I’ve heard the last from Vanderhook, too.”

  Riley and Fifi kept him company as he finished the job, and he informed Riley they had a cat now. “I’m not thrilled about it, but Cami seems attached to it already. And considering my own attachment to the Feefster here, I figure I gotta be understanding, right?”

  “Exactly right,” Riley said in his quiet way.

  And then it hit Reece that he’d let the cat thing go from the moment he’d found out about it, like it was nothing. Which kind of proved right there how crazy about her he was. And reminded him how damn good it was to feel that way about someone, and to have someone feel the same way about him.

  After he finished the job and had put his cleaning stuff away, Reece lay back on a lounge chair for a few minutes to just bask in the sun—and in the brand new happiness he found himself floating in. He’d loved Stacy, and he’d been in love once when he was a teenager, too, with his high school sweetheart, Heather. But this, with Cami . . . it felt like a grown-up sort of love, something he simply hadn’t been capable of . . . before right now. And he knew they’d only known each other a short time and that this had come about in a pretty freaking unlikely way, but it still felt solid to him. She felt solid.

  He couldn’t wait to see her again in a few hours. He couldn’t remember a time when he’d looked more forward to the seafood buffet next door or the Sunset Celebration. Because Cami made everything new.

  Heading indoors, Fifi at his side, he took a shower, put on clean shorts and a T-shirt, then settled on the couch with his laptop, ready to place that new towel order online. Unlike most people these days, he wasn’t a guy who lived and died by technology, and he didn’t have email on his phone, so he decided to check his email while on the computer as well.

  He clicked to open his mail program and his eyes fell on—whoa—an email from Vanderhook. His stomach tightened. The message had arrived only an hour ago.

  DEAR MR. DONOVAN,

  AS YOU KNOW, VANDERHOOK,INC. WOULD LIKE TO ACQUIRE YOUR PROPERTY IN CORAL COVE, FLORIDA, ALTHOUGH YOU HAVE DECLINED OUR VERY GENEROUS OFFERS. IT HAS COME TO OUR ATTENTION, HOWEVER, THAT YOU ARE IN VIOLATION OF CORAL COVE HEALTH CODE ORDINANCE 354.76 WHICH STATES THAT NO REPTILE SHALL BE KEPT LOOSE ON THE PREMISES OF A BUSINESS.WE WOULD LIKE TO OFFER YOU ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO ACCEPT OUR MOST RECENT OFFER BEFORE WE ARE COMPELLED TO REPORT THE INFRACTION TO THE CITY HEALTH DEPARTMENT, WHICH WE FEEL CERTAIN WOULD RESULT IN THE CLOSURE OF YOUR BUSINESS, NOT TO MENTION THE POTENTIAL FOR HEFTY FINES.

  The letter went on, but Reece stopped reading. The words on the screen before him seemed to blur as certain facts raced through his brain. But he could barely process most of them, because the biggest one roared through his head—and heart—like a freight train.

  Cami had betrayed him.

  And everything t
hey’d shared last night was a lie.

  “Now we have him,” Hook shouted.

  J. M. Barrie, Peter and Wendy

  Chapter 20

  TAKING A deep breath, Reece tried to calm down. But how could he? He’d trusted her. He’d trusted her when he’d opened up to her about his family, his past. He’d trusted her when she’d told him she’d let go of trying to buy the Happy Crab. And—damn . . . he’d trusted her when he’d said he loved her. And when she’d said it back.

  Sitting there still staring at the computer, his heart shriveled into a tight little ball inside his chest.

  He’d trusted her—and instead of going back to her room and taking a nap, she’d instead taken what he’d told her about Fifi on the boat and used it to dig up information to strong-arm him into selling, then promptly turned that damning information over to her bloodsucking bosses.

  He slammed the laptop shut, thrust it aside on the couch, and ran his hands back through his hair, still trying to process it.

  How could she? How could she be so fucking cold? So heartless?

  Was it all an act? Was every ounce of softness she’d ever shown him all pretend—all designed to wear him down, lure him in, garner his trust?

  Well, he supposed everything she’d told him about her life in Michigan was true—it would take that kind of cold, unloving upbringing to create such a ruthless person.

  A million more questions raced through his head. How calculated was it all? Had she been gunning for Fifi all along—had the health department’s visit to the Hungry Fisherman given her the idea to find some way to bring them down on the Crab, too? Or had the nugget of insight he’d shared on the boat about Fifi’s care provided fresh inspiration on how to win her ugly game? And if he hadn’t told her that, what was the next step in her plan? How else had she been conspiring to get her way through lies and deception?

  He’d had no idea Coral Cove had a law on the books about reptiles—it was probably old, one of those laws people had long forgotten about, because most people in town knew Fifi. Hell, her picture had been in the Coral Cove Weekly Sun before.

  But the fact that iguanas were known to carry harmful bacteria could definitely make her a target, no matter how careful he was, no matter that the simple procedures he followed took care of the issue. If someone complained about her, he could easily see the health department shutting him down. Not just warning him to remove the iguana, but shutting him down and making it very hard—and probably time-consuming and expensive—to reopen.

  Still, it was hard to process all that in his brain—because it just hurt so fucking much.

  And the longer he sat there absorbing it, the deeper it stung.

  This was what it felt like to be betrayed. She’d made him into a fool. And she’d ripped his heart out in the process. He shut his eyes. God, to think how happy I was all damn day today, to think how good she made me feel, how ready I was to dive headlong into this thing with her. It had felt so real.

  And that she’d gotten to him through Fifi, the one thing she knew he really loved in this world—he shook his head—that was about the lowest blow he could imagine.

  It was difficult for him to understand that someone would do such a thing for money, for a job. But when he thought back to the Cami—Camille—he’d first met in his office not even two weeks ago . . . well, maybe it wasn’t so hard, after all. That woman had seemed capable of being morally bankrupt. That woman seemed like someone who would stab you in the back. He’d thought of her as a piranha—and now he only wished he’d kept thinking of her that way. That was the real Camille Thompson. And the rest was just pretend.

  But maybe it wasn’t all pretend.

  Screaming when Fifi had been in her bathtub—that had been real.

  He knew in his heart certain other moments had been real, too. He might be a fool for her, but he wasn’t an idiot.

  So he amended his thought. Maybe it hadn’t all been pretend—but the important parts were. And the most important part of all was that, in the end, she’d betrayed him, she’d screwed him over, and now he’d lose his family’s business, one way or another. Whether he gave in and took the money or whether he waited here until the health department came and shut him down, he’d lost.

  He’d lost the Happy Crab.

  He’d lost the love he’d thought he’d found.

  And hell, right now, this minute, he finally lost . . . hope.

  “ARE you hungry?” Cami asked Tiger Lily.

  “Meow.”

  She smiled down at the cat. “I’ll take that as a yes.” Then she fixed the kitty a bowl of food and refreshed her water. Watching the cat practically dive on it when she returned the bowls to the floor, she couldn’t help feeling good inside that Tiger Lily no longer had to scrounge and beg for something to eat.

  And she felt good in other ways, too. She’d slept sweetly, thinking of Reece. Then she’d showered and gotten ready for their date tonight—going to the Hungry Fisherman and the Sunset Celebration suddenly sounded more romantic than she ever could have dreamed.

  That was when a loud bang—bang—bang came on her door. She flinched, and so did the cat. What the hell?

  Tensing sharply, her first instinct was to go for the phone, call for help—only then she heard Reece’s voice. “Open up in there! Open the door, Cami! Now!”

  Her spine went ramrod straight. She’d never heard Reece sound so angry. What was going on? She rushed to the door, turned the lock, yanked it open. “What’s wrong?”

  “I guess you think I’m pretty fucking stupid.” His eyes were narrow slits.

  “What?” she asked, completely disoriented.

  “I heard from your bosses,” he snapped. “Got a nice, threatening message from them.”

  She blinked, drew back, all the more confused. “What?” she asked again.

  “Yeah, they let me know about the ordinance you found. That was pretty damn quick work. And wow, using my pet against me—that’s . . .” He shook his head. “That’s downright brutal. But at least I totally get it now, totally get who you are and what you’re about.” His eyes burned through her with pure contempt.

  It was all so shocking that she couldn’t even come up with how to respond. “I—I . . . what are you talking about? You heard from them how?”

  “In an email,” he said impatiently. Then gave his head a pointed tilt. “Look, you don’t need to keep on acting innocent—it’s all out in the open now. I was a big enough fool to feed you vital information that could get the Happy Crab shut down—and you ran with it. Just like the vulture you are.”

  She blinked again, let out the breath she hadn’t quite realized she was holding until she’d begun to feel dizzy. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Reece. Can you calm down and explain to me what happened?”

  He lowered his chin, his expression scornful. “Are you claiming you didn’t find some law about reptiles? That you didn’t tell people at Vanderhook about it?”

  “Well . . . I did, but . . .” She swallowed nervously. Crap, I shouldn’t have said that. I need to fix this somehow. “I—”

  “Stop,” he said forcefully, then held up his hand. “I never should have trusted you.” He was shaking his head again, his eyes spewing venom at her. “I guess I just forgot people like you even exist. Because, see, most people I know are pretty nice. And I guess I took that for granted. I forgot there were bloodsucking assholes out there who’ll do whatever it takes to make big money—even if it means lying and pretending and doing whatever else is necessary to get what they want.”

  “Reece, I didn’t do this.” It was the only defense she could come up with amid her shock. “Not really.”

  His eyebrows shot up in mock amusement. “Not really? That kinda sounds like you did. And I’d respect you more—a little anyway—if you just told the truth now and quit acting like someone you’re not.”

  “But I—”

  “And another thing—pack your bags. Get out of my motel. Now.”
r />   Cami blinked yet again, even more stunned now. Was this really happening? Everything suddenly felt surreal.

  “Meow.”

  They both looked to Tiger Lily, who stood across the room peering over at them.

  “The cat can stay, though,” he said. “It’s not her fault you’re a horrible person without a conscience.” And with that, he turned to go—and Cami’s heart sank.

  It was more desperate impulse than decision that made her reach out, grab his arm. “Reece, wait.”

  He jerked his head in her direction, glaring.

  “You aren’t even going to let me try to explain?” she asked. Her voice shook now.

  And his expression dripped sarcasm when he coldly replied, “There’s nothing you could say that I’d believe, so why waste my time?” Then he yanked his arm away and turned to leave again.

  Only he stopped just outside the open door and sent her one last scowl. “This is why I don’t get close to people anymore. In the end, you always end up alone, and the only question is—how bad does it hurt getting there? Thanks for reminding me of that. It’s a mistake I won’t make again.”

  “Listen, Tinkerbell,” he cried,

  “I am your friend no more.

  Be gone from me forever.”

  J. M. Barrie, Peter and Wendy

  Chapter 21

  CAMI FELT numb. She felt numb as she pulled out her suitcase and packed up her clothes and toiletries and zipped it shut. She felt numb as she looked down at her cat—Tiger Lily felt like hers now—and said, “I don’t know what to do with you right now. I . . . don’t know what to do about anything.”

  She couldn’t think straight. It took a lot to throw her off her game, and Reece Donovan had done it more than once. But this time . . . this time was a doozie. She hadn’t seen it coming. And she still didn’t completely understand it.