by Rye Hart
That was the paradox of Kevin. When he’d been good, he’d been very, very good. But when he’d been preoccupied with work, it had seemed like I didn’t exist. After being stood up one too many times, I’d broken it off, and what had really hurt, was that he hadn’t fought me on it one bit. He had simply said nothing as I walked away. Then six months later, a wedding announcement popped up in the local newspaper. Kevin was engaged to a woman named Sarah, and that was that. I had been nothing but a fun last fling before he had found a suitable wife for a billionaire entrepreneur.
I wondered where his wife was, since he and the kids appeared to be alone on the island.
Were they history?
Did he screw that up the same way he screwed us up?
“You got any more of that coffee?”
I turned my gaze to Morgan and was shocked to find her dressed in her bathing suit.
“Going somewhere?” I asked.
“Yep. To the beach, once I’m caffeinated,” she said. “Heard from lover boy yet?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Cut the shit. I know you gave him your number last night.”
I grinned as I took a sip of my coffee.
“No. I haven’t heard from him,” I said.
“Just guard yourself, Brooke. He already broke your heart once.”
“I know. I was there,” I said.
“You enjoyed spending time with him last night, didn’t you?” she asked.
“I did. It was a crash-course in reminding me exactly why I enjoyed being around him.”
“I’ll admit, I can see what you saw in him. He seems like a good guy deep down, not to mention great with his kids. But, we’re here to get over bad boyfriends. Just keep that in mind.”
“Don’t worry. I haven’t forgotten,” I said.
Morgan took a seat next to me and, like clockwork, my phone began to ring. I looked at the unregistered number calling me, and Morgan threw me a haphazard grin. She watched me, waiting to see what decision I would make.
She rolled her eyes when I reached for my phone.
“Hello?” I asked.
“Brooke. It’s Kevin.”
“Good morning,” I said.
“Wasn’t sure you’d be up.”
“So you decided to call anyway? What if I had been sleeping?”
“You sleep like a log. You wouldn’t have picked up.”
“You don’t know that. I might be a light sleeper now.”
Morgan started laughing as I shot her a look.
“I called to see what you guys were up to today,” Kevin said.
Silence fell on the phone call as Morgan looked at me with a curious eye.
“Um—we’re going swimming,” I said.
“Where at?” Kevin asked.
“Just off the pier,” I said. “Why?”
“Well, maybe the kids and I will see you guys out there.”
“Maybe,” I said.
I hung up the phone and dodged all of Morgan’s questions. My mind was still spinning the sound of his voice around like a song. I peeled off my pajamas and slipped into my bathing suit, then slathered sunblock onto my skin.
“Ready?” she asked.
“Ready,” I said with a nod.
The two of us dove into the water from the small porch of our hut and swam out into the ocean. I looked over and saw Kevin’s vacation home in the distance. I saw him bobbing up and down in the water while Daniel and Sydney were having a blast sliding down the waterslide. Soon the current was pushing us over to their side of the beach.
“Hey there, stranger!” Morgan said.
I shot her a look as Kevin whipped around.
“Fancy seeing you out here,” he said, with a grin.
“The kids look like they’re having fun,” I said.
“They love that waterslide. I knew they would when I found the house.”
“I wish I had a waterslide like that growing up,” Morgan said.
“You can go down it, if you’d like,” Kevin said.
“Oh, hell yes,” Morgan said. “See you losers later!”
I shook my head as my friend swam off to go indulge her inner child.
A cheeky grin slid across Kevin’s face as he looked me over. It was all I could do not to blush from head to toe under the weight of his gaze.
I utterly hated how he could do that to me.
“Did you catch the sunrise this morning?” he asked.
“I did. It inspired me to write a whole new paragraph in a book that’s going nowhere.”
“One paragraph is better than nothing.”
“But it isn’t nearly the kind of pace I’m used to. I haven’t been blocked like this since my freshman year of college.”
“What did you do then to get rid of it?” he asked. “Maybe it’ll work this time.”
“I don’t think drinking and fucking is really something I can afford to indulge right now.”
I turned my eyes up toward his and saw him staring down at me. His eyes were darkening, shadowed with the thoughts running through his head. I knew that look. I’d seen it many times during the three months we spent together.
The blood was rushing through my ears, drowning out any sounds as his eyes danced between mine. I had to get out of his trance. I had to pull myself away from him. I couldn’t allow myself to fall for him again.
If he didn’t have time for me before, two kids weren’t going to make it any easier.
I cleared my throat and pulled my gaze away, breaking the moment. I watched Morgan come down the slide with her hands in the air, followed quickly by the two kids. They were splashing around and dunking her, and Morgan was going along with it, faking like she couldn’t get away as the kids roared with laughter.
“She’s always been good with kids,” I said.
I saw Kevin’s eyes whip over to the shoreline. He started waving at someone and began walking toward the shore, leaving me behind to bob with the waves.
Guess some things never changed.
I swam up to Morgan coming down the slide again. The kids latched onto me this time, swimming around me and splashing me with their tiny little hands. The four of us played in the clear waters while Kevin talked with someone on the shore, then I heard my name being called out.
I turned and saw Kevin motioning to me before he yelled at me to bring the kids.
Who does he think I am?
His fucking nanny?
Morgan’s eyebrows hiked all the way to her head as I took the hands of his children. I swam to shore with them and we came out of the water.
At this point, I was painfully aware of how Kevin was looking at me. I was trying not to look at him. Trying not to stare at the lines of muscles that disappeared underneath his swim shorts. I tried not to stare at the small line of hair that traveled from his belly button and disappeared under the waistband.
I tried not to take in the sculpted muscles of his back as I approached.
“Kids, this is Gianni. Gianni, these are my kids. Daniel and Sydney.”
“Nice to meet you both,” the man said.
He had a thick Italian accent. With salt-and-pepper hair that was slicked back, he wore a tailored suit despite the sweltering island heat.
Something about him didn’t sit well with me. His eyes raked up and down my body and I tried to ignore him, as the kids clung to my legs.
I could almost feel the nervous tension coursing through their little bodies. Clearly, this man made them uncomfortable.
“And who is this beautiful young woman?” Gianni asked.
“This is a friend of mine. Brooke.”
“How do you do?” I asked.
“Much better now that I’ve had a chance to look upon such beauty,” Gianni said.
I had to fight the urge to roll my eyes right in his face. He was laying on thick and I could hardly suppress a laugh. Guys like him never ceased to amaze me. I felt the kids press themselves into me a little more, and I gather
ed them to me.
Their obvious discomfort was starting to translate to me and I wanted nothing more than to get the kids and myself away from this smooth-talking lothario. My protective instincts were kicking into high gear. “Kevin, I was wondering if I could talk with you for a second,” Gianni said. “I’m sure your nanny can watch the kids for a little bit.”
“I’m hardly a nanny,” I said, offended by the thought.
“Girlfriend?” he asked, a spark of interest in his eyes.
“He already had that chance,” I said.
“I told you, she’s a friend,” Kevin said, looking slightly annoyed. “And yes, we can talk. Kids?”
“Yeah?” they both said.
“Why don’t you guys show Morgan and Brooke those flipping tricks you were trying out yesterday?” he asked. “I bet they would love to see them.”
My eyes darted over to Kevin before I turned and walked away with the kids, their feet scurrying to get back to the house.
I took the kids down the waterslide once before Kevin was back in the water with us. Whatever it was, the talk must have been short. I felt awkward all of a sudden, like something more was expected of me, when I was simply trying to enjoy my vacation.
The more I thought about, it the more annoyed I became. “Brooke, could I talk with you for a second?” Kevin asked.
I looked around for Morgan and snickered when I found her chatting up some buff guy over by his hut.
“Sure,” I said. “What’s up?”
“I’ve got a meeting on the books with Gianni for tomorrow.”
“I thought you were on vacation,” I said.
“It’s just a quick meeting. No more than a couple of hours.”
“Business always calls,” I said, not bothering to hide the disdain from my voice.
“Look, it’s not like that. I made a commitment to have this meeting with him. That man runs the largest banking institution in Italy. Scoring him could open up an entirely different sector of my company.”
“And you want me to babysit. On my vacation,” I said.
“It’s just for a couple of hours, and I’ll pay you for your time. It’s just that I didn’t come out here equipped to have my children watched.”
“Then maybe you shouldn’t be conducting business on your vacation with your children. I’m sure you only get one weekend a month with them, right?” Now I was fishing, trying to determine exactly what his marital situation was.
I watched something flare in his eyes and it caused me to take a step back. He stared at me, saying nothing, until I felt compelled to speak again.
“Two hours?” I asked.
“Give or take,” he said flatly.
I’d pissed him off.
“Okay,” I said.
“Be here around eleven, please,” he said.
It almost sounded like a command.
I must’ve really stepped on his toes.
CHAPTER 5
KEVIN
The kids were running around and trashing the house when Brooke showed up. It pained me to have to work on the vacation I promised my twins, but I knew it was for the best. It would set my company up in an industry we’d been making strides to obtain for years and put us on an international map we’d never dreamed of. And I had plans to make it up to everyone, including Brooke. I would pay her generously for her time and foot whatever bill was necessary to keep the kids occupied in her presence. Even though she crossed a line with her snarky comment yesterday, I trusted her with the kids. How well they took to her. And when she appeared at my front door ready and willing to watch them, I was still happy to see her.
“Brooke!” Daniel said. “You’re here!”
My kids took off, running right into her legs. She stumbled backwards and wrapped her arms around them, and all I could think about was their mother. How she should’ve been the one doing these kinds of things for them. I knew that was why they had latched onto her. There was a motherly spirit about Brooke they had gone without their entire life.
It clenched my stomach with guilt as Brooke stepped inside.
“There’s an envelope taped to the fridge. It’s got plenty of money in it. Order you guys some lunch and go find something fun to do, and whatever money you don’t spend is yours to keep.”
“You don’t have to pay me, Kevin. It’s only a couple of hours.”
“I’m paying you,” I said. “That’s how this is going to work.”
“Okay,” she said. “I’m—sorry.”
“You’re what?” I asked.
Her eyes fluttered up to me as the kids held her hands.
“My comment yesterday. I’m sorry,” Brooke said.
“Water under the bridge. You guys have fun, okay?”
I wanted to stay a bit longer. But I couldn't. If I did, I’d miss the meeting with Gianni. Yet, somehow, as I got a good look at Brooke with my twins, that didn’t seem like such a big deal.
I took the golf cart and met up with Gianni in the middle of town. He insisted on this restaurant that supposedly had the best island food around. I wasn’t going to break it to him that it was subpar, at best. Gianni was one of those men that wouldn’t have been caught dead in a hut eating fish from a stick.
He had money and he wanted people to know it.
“Gianni, glad to see you again.”
“Kevin,” he said. “I’m so glad you could make it. I hope I didn’t throw a wrench into your vacation plans.”
“Not possible for you,” I said with a grin. “So, what can I help you with?”
“I’ll get right to the point so you can get back to those beautiful children of yours. The security company I use for my bank is no longer upgrading their software.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“I mean, their business is stagnant. They pedal the same product over and over without attempting to tweak it or overhaul it in any way. It is no longer sufficient to fulfill our needs.”
“So you’re looking for something else.”
“I am, yes,” he said.
“Then you came to the right place,” I said with a grin. “Our newest line of product has some things I think you might be interested in.”
“Talk to me, then.”
“Cameras you can hook up with night-vision surveillance. Applications you can install to access those cameras on your laptop wherever you go. Closed circuits that are accessible only to those who know the frequency and the passcode, so no intruders from the outside can see what’s going on with your institution.”
“I like what you’re offering,” he said.
“We have a variety of products, from cameras to lasers to ear-bleeding alarms that trigger when someone walks past them. Those things can bring a person to their knees within a half a second of hearing that noise. Stops anyone dead in their tracks.”
“Those could be useful in my vaults,” he said.
“Very. We also have cameras with backup batteries that are rechargeable in case power goes down. And we also sell top-of-the-line custom-made generators, so your institutions will never lose power.”
“See, that’s what I’m talking about. This is the kind of company I should be doing business with,” he said.
“We’re happy to help. Keeping my billion-dollar players safe in any way I can is my specialty.”
“Do you have material you can send me on all the things you offer?” he asked.
“Yeah, give me an email address and I can send it to you along with our standard contract.”
I walked out of that meeting with my head held high and a pep in my step. This would be huge for my company. For the longest time, I had been trying to break into the banking industry. I was in the hotel industry, the technological industry, and I’d even released my own line of high-end home security products. But banks were not only lucrative, they were also hard to get into. The banking industry kept a tight web of who they could trust and who they couldn't, and it was hard penetrating that web and proving someone was tr
ustworthy.
And if I could nail this contract with Gianni, I could prove just that.
I was prepared to celebrate. I called my chef and told him to prepare a celebratory dinner because the future of my company was on another cusp. I drove back to the house and relieved Brooke of the kids, but before she went to leave I grabbed her hand again to stop her.
I didn’t want her to go.
“Stay and have dinner,” I said.
“I can’t,” Brooke said. “I need to get back to Morgan.”
“Then invite her. What happened with Gianni today was massive. I want to celebrate. Come on, Brooke. It’s a good meal prepared by a five-star chef. Where else will you find that on the island?”
“I don’t need to eat five-star meals to be happy,” she said.
“It’s just dinner. Nothing else.”
I watched her mull it over before she pulled out her phone. She had a quick conversation with Morgan, but I could tell she wasn’t happy. She rolled her eyes as she hung up the phone call and I could hear my chef striking up the stove in the background.
“Everything okay?” I asked.
“Yep. Morgan’s found herself a man to spend the evening with,” she said.
“Good for her?”
“Eh, if she’s having fun then that’s all that matters.”
“Good, then stay and have dinner with us. You can brag to her about all the wine you got to drink that she missed out on,” I said with a grin.
That joke seemed to lower her walls and she finally agreed to stay. I knew it wouldn’t be easy to earn Brook’s trust again. I had really screwed things up in the past and I had a ways to go to make up for it.
I was grateful that she was giving me the chance – at least I’d hoped she was.
My chef prepared beef wellington along with a slew of vegetables. We ate until we couldn’t eat any longer and I talked with Brooke about what this would mean for my company. I was reminded of how easy it was to talk with her, something that was so very hard to find. She seemed so genuinely interested and soon two hours had gone by while I talked her through all the new additions to my company’s technology.
I missed having someone interested in things that interested me.
