“Unimpressive. I simply want to know how serious the man is. If he travels the world, you’re going to spend a lot of your time waiting or, worse, worrying about each other.” Her father sipped from his glass, but like a high-powered laser beam, he never took his attention off Rafe. “It would be a shame for her to get sidelined in the prime of her career. She’s one of the top athletes in her sport, ranked third worldwide.”
“Second,” she amended. Or she had been when she’d started her break. The only surfer better than her was Loni Kalakaua. The woman was a dream on a board. As much as Kelly wanted to beat her, she also admired her. “But I haven’t decided whether I’ll be touring extensively this year.” Or ever.
She liked having a home, one place, with friends and coworkers who cared about her.
“She’s an incredible surfer, sir,” Rafe said proudly. “You are right, even though we don’t know each other that well, I would miss her.”
Only Rafe could bat away the pointed questions her father was laying on him and have Kelly sound like an angel.
And he would miss her. She sighed happily.
“You say that now, but celebrity has a way of making people do strange things.” Carter’s troubled expression intensified as he looked past them.
“And it makes bitter fools of others.” Raina strode into the living room in a completely new outfit. The black-and-silver gown more suited for an awards show than a family dinner. Impeccably groomed, she knew exactly how to make an entrance.
“Good evening, Rafe. Please ignore my husband. He’s always a bit ridiculous when he’s had one too many Scotches.” She offered a hand out to Rafe and he had to release Kelly to accept it.
“I’m sure the two of you can email if you’re separated. And then there’s this newfangled technology called texting, dear,” she said to her husband with one eyebrow up, “where people can let each other know what’s going on in an instant, without worrying for days or weeks.”
The temperature in the room plummeted a good ten degrees. Carter grunted something unintelligible and gulped his drink. Kelly coughed and stared at her mother. Please don’t say anything. Please don’t say anything.
Raina gave her an almost absentminded wave. “Am I wrong?” her mother tried to ask innocently, but Kelly knew it was an act. “With all the advances today, it’s not as if you have to be on the same continent to share a romance. Oh, and there’s that Skype. One of my friends has, well, she keeps her relationship going by video conferencing with her lover every night they are apart.”
Her father’s shoulders stiffened.
Rafe nodded slowly and gave her mother an easy smile. “Absolutely, ma’am. Can I get you a drink?”
“Aren’t you the charming one? You should hang on to him, Kelly. He’s a keeper. They just don’t make men like that anymore.” She laughed with a light tinkle in her voice. A voice that had charmed princes and male chief executives alike.
Her father’s expression became downright menacing, but Rafe managed a polite smile.
“Maybe we should go ahead and sit down to dinner,” Kelly suggested, before her mother said something else to aggravate her father.
Yet she was smart enough to know that the Raina and Carter show had only just begun.
Maybe they’d get lucky and the storm would hit a few hours sooner than expected.
How sad was it that she’d rather face a tropical tsunami than her parents over the dinner table.
What happened to wanting to impress the marine? Kelly wondered. Her parents were nothing close to impressive, and her dad was as grumpy as she’d ever seen him.
She rescued Rafe from her mother’s clutches and led him to the dining room.
As they went, she prayed to the heavens that no one tried to commit murder before the night was over.
Of course, if her parents didn’t straighten up, Kelly would be the one going to jail for that particular crime.
* * *
GAMES. HE’D NEVER come across people who were so fond of playing one-upmanship. Problem was, he didn’t understand why they’d want to. In his view, well, at least from what Kelly told him, her parents had made mistakes. But if they just stopped and listened to each other, things would be better.
Rafe wasn’t sure if there was a planned seating arrangement at the table. There were only four of them for dinner. He claimed the chair to Kelly’s left and deliberately shifted it closer to her and away from the sea of icy tension that churned between her parents. The small grateful smile Kelly tossed him was reward enough.
Silver domes kept their food covered and warm. Glasses filled with ice water sat next to empty wine goblets. He nudged one of the goblets aside and set down his beer while he waited. His mother had taught him that men didn’t sit down until all the women were seated.
Raina and Carter were in a staring contest as to who would sit first.
He tucked Kelly into place and made the executive decision to pull out a chair for Raina. The older woman rewarded him with the same grateful smile her daughter had bestowed on him, although Raina’s didn’t quite reach her eyes.
Her daughter’s eyes crinkled at the corners whenever she laughed. She smiled with her whole face. Maybe models didn’t want to deepen any lines, but wrinkles, as his mother used to say, gave a face character and demonstrated life.
The surfer girl was full to the brim with those traits. She was everything he hadn’t known he wanted in a woman. But their meeting came at an awkward time in his life. A time when he had no idea what the future held and he would be a jerk if he tried to make any kind of commitment to a woman. Hell, that he was even thinking about it after knowing Kelly for only a short time showed he was a fool.
He met Carter’s cool stare with a bland look and the two men sat.
Kelly reached over and lifted the silver dome top off his plate and hers at the same time. The fresh grilled fish on a bed of zucchini, carrots and mushrooms smelled fantastic. It wasn’t a steak, but after hauling sandbags, hammering up window coverings and trekking back and forth to all the bungalows with Adrien, he was starved.
At Kelly’s sigh, he leaned closer. “Everything okay?” He made a show of flipping out his napkin.
She shook her head ever so slightly and murmured, “Dad hates fish.”
So they’d upset her with their sniping. More than likely her mother had chosen the menu so that it would cause her father to lose his temper. Rafe also wasn’t terribly thrilled with their choice of battlegrounds, either. Kelly didn’t deserve to be stuck in the middle of a private tug-of-war.
He picked up his fork and knife. “I love fish,” he announced with a smile. Personally, he didn’t give two figs about fish. He was a beef kind of guy, but Kelly’s relieved grin told him he would eat every bite and he would enjoy it, no matter what it tasted like.
“Wonderful.” Raina nodded approvingly and sent her husband a definite look of victory as she lifted the silver dome off her own plate. The meal was a silent one and Carter didn’t bother to uncover his plate; instead, he sat there nursing his Scotch.
Kelly tried several times to open the conversation, but she was rebuffed by her parents’ single-syllable answers.
Rafe cut into his fish but remained focused on her. Her parents could erect the former Berlin Wall at the dinner table if they wanted; metaphorically, he was moving her to Switzerland.
“So Adrien mentioned the storm could be bad, but probably won’t be. Is that right?” He tacked a question onto it to pull Kelly out of the quiet, miserable shell she’d retreated into.
“If the storm hits the island head-on, which it almost always does, it’ll be very bad for a few hours and then blow out. However, if it glances by the island and swings around, it won’t be as bad, but will last longer.”
“Which are we rooting for? Direct hit?” The fish tasted pret
ty good. Light and flaky, and he detected some kind of citrus and a spicier hint of chili. The vegetables were vegetables, but Rafe pretended it was the best meal he’d ever eaten.
“Direct hits are better even when the ferocity is increased, since they blow past sooner. Most of the structures on the island can take the battering. It’s the flooding and rising tides that will be the real issue.”
Last Resort was located right on the beach. A fast-rising tide might sweep the place away. Her hand came over to lie across his. “We’ll be fine.” She grinned. “It’s a squall, not a hurricane. Kind of like the terrible twos’ version of a storm.”
“So, lots of noise, but not a lot of substance.”
“Something like that.” Her voice gained in strength and she didn’t look quite so defeated. He preferred her this way, open and not hiding. He had to wonder if this family tension was another reason she competed so often. She had mentioned traveling a lot on the circuit, farther and farther away from the social circles her sister and mother moved in.
Made sense.
“You want me to stay here with you? I don’t mind being in the bungalow, but I’d be worried that something might happen over here.” Not to mention he truly didn’t want to leave her with her parents. Squall or no squall, the frosty tempest indoors might be worse than the one outside.
The sound of Carter’s chair scrapping back ripped through the stony silence.
“We’re not done with dinner, Carter.” Raina’s tone had edged into a higher, more dangerous register.
“As there is very little for me to eat at this table, I’ll simply take my drink into the other room.” Generals spoke more warmly to misbehaving privates.
Kelly put a hand to her forehead, her gaze focused on her plate.
“In this family, we sit together for a meal and we stay there until our guests have finished. Obviously, you’ve missed so many family meals that you’ve forgotten your manners.” Her mother’s voice wobbled as though threatening hysterics.
Carter made a faintly rude noise, which incensed the woman. Rafe put down his utensils, a prickle of unease creeping up the back of his neck. He got the same sensation just before walking into heavy fire. Situations like this led to a lot of collateral damage.
“You’re embarrassing Kelly, Carter. Sit down.”
“You know, the only embarrassment in this family is the over-fifty female who refuses to age gracefully, flirting with her daughter’s lover right in front of her. And for the record, you, too, have missed your fair share of family meals.”
“Me! How dare you? Running off with the tennis floozy! A woman from the club, Carter? One that every man there has slept with multiple times? Surely, you could do better.”
And there it was.
Kelly’s fist slammed into the table, making plates and glasses clatter and even Rafe drop his fork. She shoved her own chair back and stood up. “Shut up, Mother.”
“Kelly! Do not speak to your mother that way.” Carter stared at his daughter.
“Can it, Dad. I’ve never known two more ridiculous people. I’m embarrassed to call you my parents.” She threw her napkin down and Rafe rose, more in support and to protect her in case dishes or crystal started flying. Who needed a storm with these people in a house together?
“Kelly, watch your tone of voice.” Raina sounded impressively shocked, while her hand flattened against her chest like some Southern belle in the midst of having the vapors.
“You know what—Raina—I wouldn’t talk to you like a child if you didn’t behave as if he’d pulled your pigtail and you want to make him pay. You’re my parents. You’re supposed to be supportive. I haven’t seen you guys in forever. And yes, I’m happy to say it’s on purpose. There’s an exceptionally good reason why I stopped coming home, even for the holidays. If you aren’t fighting, you’re acting so gooey-eyed you exclude anyone else who’s around. You make Mimi and me feel like third and fourth wheels. You always have.
“And you talk about manners!” She angrily pointed a finger at her mother. “You served a meal you knew Dad would hate. You wanted to get back at him because he runs off without you.
“And you—” She swung her attention to her father. “You could have at least eaten the vegetables and potatoes that we all know you love. No, you have to make a scene.”
Rafe’s head bobbed back and forth as if he were watching a tennis match. His girl was mad, and he kind of liked that she was standing up to these irresponsible people. It made him miss his mom and dad.
Her shoulders straightened, and he could have sworn he heard her growl. “Dad, you get pissed off because Mom does something you don’t like and you disappear. Mom, you get pissed off because Dad disappears when you won’t leave him alone. But instead of talking about it, you bring it here to my island. To my home where I am trying to get to know the best guy I’ve ever met and I wouldn’t be surprised if he dumped me after meeting the pair of you. Who would want to be involved in this?” She threw up her hands, wildly gesticulating at her parents.
Tears shimmered across Kelly’s eyes and his heart twisted. He put a hand on her arm, but she shook him off, trembling.
“I’m sorry, Rafe. I’m sorry my father is a selfish jerk who can’t tell Mom what he wants, and I’m sorry my mother is a diva who uses fake affairs to get even with her husband when he doesn’t do what she wants. I’m done with you two. I want you out of my resort and off my island. I don’t care if you have to swim to do it. Get out! And don’t bother coming back until you’ve grown up.
“Rafe, you are a lovely man. Once again, please accept my apologies.” The last thing she needed to do was apologize to him, but she ran out of the room before he could say anything. He glanced at her shell-shocked parents and grabbed his beer and Kelly’s.
“It’s not my place, but I care about your daughter. You hurt her tonight, and I’m not okay with that. You stay away from her, parents or not. She doesn’t deserve to be treated this way. She loves you both so much, and the two of you just throw it away. I lost my parents a few years ago, and I would do anything to have them back. But I wouldn’t blame Kelly if she never wanted to see either of you again.”
The front door slammed and he raced to follow her outside. The tang of rain was in the air, but unlike his first three nights on the island, no moon shone over the sand.
He stood still, letting his eyes adjust to the dimness, and tracked her to where she stood by the water’s edge. Quietly, with the steady wind ruffling his hair and clothes, he walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.
She stiffened at first, but then leaned into him.
“You must think I’m a terrible person.”
“Nah. I’m just glad you didn’t start throwing food—or china. That would have made a really big mess to clean up.”
Her watery laugh went straight to his soul. He squeezed her tighter to his chest and kissed the top of her head.
“I hate that they do this to me.”
“Me, too. My parents didn’t hide anything, which I used to hate. Everything was shouted out right then and there. But now I see the beauty in it. They never built up resentments. They didn’t always agree, but they did find common ground.”
“You’re lucky to have had such a great example of a loving relationship,” she said sadly. “My parents do love each other in their own way, but I’m tired of being stuck in the middle. So is my sister. I meant it when I said I don’t think either of us has been home for Christmas in years.”
She cleared her throat. “But it’s lonely. I miss them, even though I can’t stand to be around them sometimes.”
In a show of solidarity, of respect and of heart, he turned her around.
“You aren’t alone anymore,” he said, putting everything he felt for her in those words.
And he meant them.
> Hell, I’m in trouble.
14
KELLY LET RAFE hold her to his chest, absorbing the inner strength he gave her. He didn’t even sway with the breeze that tugged at her hair and whipped her skirt around her legs. “The shrinks always say it’s better to talk about it,” Rafe said as he caressed her cheek. “I’m not sure I always agree with that, but, in this instance, it may be the right idea.”
Kelly still couldn’t believe he wanted to be with her after what he’d just witnessed. Her parents were difficult to accept.
“I don’t want to burden you with their theatrics,” she explained. “You’ve heard enough.”
Rafe kissed her forehead. “You need to vent, though you were doing a pretty decent job of it in there.” He frowned when she started to speak, so she stopped. “They got exactly what they deserved, Kelly, after the way they treated you in your own home. You had every right to say what you did.”
Kelly tightened her arms around his waist. He’d become her anchor in a rather choppy sea. “You really are the best,” she said. “If I were you, I’d be running for the airport.”
“I’m a marine. We face the enemy head-on. Now, tell me what set them off.”
“There was a story in the tabloids about Mom and this male model. They’d been photographed while they were on a shoot. But the pictures were all grainy and low-grade quality. The speculation ran for weeks that the two were having an affair. My dad was livid. He hired a private investigator. He did everything to find out what was going on, and the P.I. always reported to him when we were at the beach. The guy could never find anything on her. She was flirty, but there were no sordid meetings in hotels or anywhere else for that matter. Dad spent a fortune trying to find something that wasn’t there. In a weird way, Dr. Ego didn’t think he was enough for her.”
“Maybe you should be a therapist.” Rafe pushed a stray hair out of her eyes. The wind whipped around them, but it was welcome after the stuffy atmosphere at the house.
“The waves are my therapy,” she said, and laughed. “I don’t think I’ve ever told anyone that.”
Mission: Seduction Page 11
