“Are you okay, Trudy? Do you need to sit down and rest?”
Trudy shook her head and sucked in a deep breath of air, disappointed when the other woman broke off the touch.
“Well, speak out. It doesn’t do a woman any good to want something, then be too scared to ask for it.”
This was her opportunity, the one she’d been waiting for, except now that the moment was upon her, she felt tongue-tied and idiotic, especially after all that had gone down this morning. She took a deep breath and on an exhale blurted out, “Ms. Blackhorne, you must hate me something awful.”
The tenseness in the other woman deflated, and she sighed as she grabbed Trudy’s elbow and tugged her after the men who were getting further ahead. “Call me Marla. And no, I don’t hate you.”
“Marla,” she whispered, then mentally kicked herself for the reverence in her voice. Gosh, she was such a sorry excuse for a woman. She hung her head and barely missed catching her toe on a tree root. Although, she realized, what was wrong with admiring someone so much that she wanted to be exactly like her? “If I were you, I’d hate me.”
There was another sigh, this one a little softer. “It’s my own fault for not paying attention to what was going on around me. If I hadn’t been so wrapped up in my work, I might have seen the signs. Then maybe I could’ve stopped you from making the biggest mistake of your life.”
She nearly said that Bill wasn’t a mistake, but she caught the words back before they could escape. Instead, she took a deep breath and jumped in with both feet. “I don’t have anyone to go to for advice. Will you please-please-please be my mentor?”
One perfectly shaped eyebrow—in Trudy’s opinion, everything about the boss lady was perfect—arched. “Your mentor?”
She clasped her hands together at her waist and twisted her fingers together. “I know, it’s a lot to ask. And after finding out about Bill and me like that…” She glanced away, then looked at the woman she admired most in the world. “I promise not to be an annoying pest.”
The corners of Marla’s mouth turned up slightly. “Well, when you put it that way, I guess I could advise you on stuff. Anything in particular?”
“Mostly career. You always work so hard, and you’re dedicated to Mr. Readner and the firm.” She peered at the group ahead, but no one was paying the slightest attention to them. Leaning in closer, she lowered her voice. “Just between you and me, I think you deserve the partnership, not Bill.”
This time Marla laughed outright, which caught everyone’s attention, including the captain’s. A person would have to be blind to miss the interest in his gaze, and the only thing Trudy was blind about seemed to be Bill.
Then her new mentor’s gaze dipped to Trudy’s chest before returning to her face. “If you want to be taken serious, the first thing you have to do is cover your assets.”
Trudy glanced down at her breasts and scowled. “They’ve always been this way. Too big and in the way. I haven’t told Bill yet, but I’m planning on getting a breast reduction.”
“Really?”
She thought she heard laughter in that one word, but when she raised her gaze back to the other woman’s face, she saw only serious intent. She wrinkled her nose. “I need the ten thousand dollar bonus though in order to afford it.”
The other woman had something new in her eyes, something contemplative and interested, something that gave Trudy a smidgen of hope for the future of their relationship. “I can definitely help you get the ten grand, as long as you understand that Bill won’t like it.”
Trudy felt the edges of her mouth turn down. “Bill’s not going to like the breast reduction either, which is why I’m not telling him until after it’s done.”
There was a nod of approval from the other woman, and then silence fell between them. Not quite a comfortable silence, but Trudy hoped that would come as their relationship grew. Cautiously she said, “Ms. Blackhorne—Marla—can I ask you another question?”
“Sure.”
She shore up her nerve. “Why did you and Bill divorce?”
The other woman gave an easy shrug. “He hated being married.”
Her heart slammed into the wall of her chest. That was the exact thing Betty had said. “What did he hate about marriage?”
“Besides me and sleeping with me?” A frown formed between the other woman eyebrows as she shifted her attention in Bill’s direction. Her voice turned quiet. “Working with me. Listening to me. Basically, I think he had a problem being with me.”
Trudy wanted to touch the other woman and offer comfort, but she decided it might be too early in their relationship for personal gestures. “Weren’t you both in love when you got married?”
The older woman’s steady attention shifted to Trudy. “How can you tell love from infatuation or desire?”
Trudy felt her stomach clench.
Marla’s gaze dropped to Trudy’s breasts for a brief moment before she refocused on the path. “For starters, how do you know men want to be with you and that they’re not only after your physical endowments?”
Trudy felt the muscles in her back pull and she did a shoulder roll. “It’s true. Men don’t usually look past these—” She pointed to her breasts then tapped a spot near her temple. “—to find out what’s up here.”
Marla nodded, the stiffness in her shoulders easing just the tiniest. “I tell myself it’s in the past so it doesn’t matter. That there’s someone better out there for me. Bill and I make better co-workers anyway.”
As Marla’s attention shifted toward the front of the line and the captain, Trudy mulled over her words.
Had the divorce soured Bill against marriage?
She glanced down at her chest and for not the first time, cursed the size of her over-abundant breasts and the inconvenience of having them.
Okay, she’d known from the start that Bill was a breast man. It was what had attracted him in the first place. But now, seven months later, she wanted it to be more. How could she tell whether Bill felt love or lust for her?
Because if their relationship didn’t have a future, then why was she wasting her time with him? She not only wanted a career, but she wanted the security of marriage and a family too.
Unfortunately, she realized as the jungle opened up to reveal a small lagoon, she wanted it all with Bill at her side.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
By the time the group returned from the journey inland, Marla was hot and sticky and thankful the sun had begun its descent toward the western horizon. She dumped the mangoes in her arms onto the makeshift table, and without a word to anyone, ran down the beach into the surf and dived headfirst into the waves.
The water cooled the heat from her body, washed the sweat away. As she got caught by the pull of the undertow, she planted her feet on the ocean floor, and popped out of the water. Pushing the hair from her face, she turned back to the beach, and froze.
Reed was headed her way, a spear in one hand, his sun-bronzed shoulders and chest glistening with sweat. It was all she could do to keep her feet planted firmly in place and her head planted firmly in the game.
Except it wasn’t a game. It was her life. She’d heard Bill’s plan to fire her ass straight toward the unemployment line if he got the partnership, and it confirmed her worst fear. That her ex was actually playing to win. One of them had to go.
She slogged through the water toward the man approaching her, her gaze fastened on his face instead of his body, mostly because every time she went there, she lost sight of the partnership.
As they met in water up to her thighs, a particularly strong wave pushed her onto her tiptoes forcing her to plant her palm against his chest to keep from toppling into him.
“Whoa there, French Fry,” he said as he steadied her with his hand on her back, drawing her closer to his broad chest.
Beneath her hand, she felt the steady thump of his heart. “Wow, that undertow catches me off-guard every time.”
“Which is why you shouldn’t
be out here by yourself.” His voice was low and serious, and she raised her gaze to his face. “Be careful or you’re going to give me a heart attack. Just like on the boat. One moment you were there. The next you were gone. I thought the worst.”
She gave a funny, breathless laugh as another wave tugged at her feet, forcing her to lean closer or lose her balance. So close they were chest to chest. “I’ve been careful all my life and look where it’s gotten me. Stuck on an island with my ex, his latest squeeze and—” She paused, then softly finished. “—and you.”
His eyes were pools of hot emotion that made her want to press even closer. “I’m warning you right now, French Fry, I’m not the kind of guy who sticks around. My job takes me all over the world and there’s no guarantee that I’ll come back.”
This was it, the moment of decision. She could run back to her safe little windowless office, or jump into the deep end of the ocean with her eyes wide open.
She held his gaze and chose to jump. “I’m not looking for anything permanent, Reed. Just a warm body to snuggle up to at night.”
“And when we return to Serendipity Island, we both go our separate ways?”
Removing her hand from his warm chest, she broke body contact and gave him a saucy grin. “When the rest of our shipmates are in bed tonight, I’ll still be out by the fire with you. And I’m not going to promise that I won’t make the first move.”
She skirted around him and headed toward the beach where she saw Trudy digging through the pile of clothes. When the younger woman pulled out a blazer and stuck it on, she somehow managed to do up the buttons so she wasn’t popping out all over. The triumphant smile on the her face softened Marla’s heart even more.
Their receptionist still looked ridiculously sexy, but at least those D cups were no longer front and center.
Her gaze slipped across the beach, past the wreckage washing up on shore, past the rest of the castaways loitering near the fire where Mary had begun to prepare their meager supply of food, and finally returned to their hotter than sin boat captain.
A few feet from the shoreline, Reed stood knee deep was in the water, the spear in one hand, his gaze fixed on the water while he patiently waited for the fish to approach.
Perhaps she should thank Trudy for taking Bill off her hands.
She’d known right from the start that Reed wasn’t a long term kind of guy, which made them perfect for each other because she’d given up the idea of a long term relationship with anyone. Which meant she wasn’t going to be hurt when they returned to Serendipity Island and he walked back out of her life.
Marla turned her attention to the items washing up on shore, and gathered up a variety of crotchless panties and matching bras, then snagged a particularly interesting colored thong before it got dragged away by the undertow. She held it up against her hips to see if it would fit, then realized what she was doing. Glancing around to make sure no one was watching her, she stuffed the item into the pocket of her shorts where it joined the valentine red thong.
Despite Bill’s words, she knew she could be sexy if it was with the right man. And Reed was definitely right.
She headed up the beach and hung the items up to dry on the line one of the moms had strung near the shelter. Judging by the size of some of them, not all of them were the ones her mom had packed.
Her mom wandered past, her waterlogged cell phone in her hand as she moved it here and there, and attempted to catch a signal. “Next time, I’m getting myself one of those waterproof models. If you’re going to swim with the sharks, you better have the best tools for the job.”
Marla fell into step beside her, ridiculously thankful that the older woman would have an eternity to drive her nuts. “Good idea, Mom.”
Halfway down the beach, her mom lowered the cell phone and paused to stare out across the vast ocean. “Maybe this is what happened to your dad.”
With a shrug, she stuck her hands into the pockets of her shorts. “I doubt it, or by now someone would have found him and brought him home.”
“Maybe not. Maybe he’s still stranded somewhere. He didn’t even take his belongings with him. He got on that boat and that was the last time I ever saw him. Maybe it’s going to happen to us too.” She peered up at Marla, a desperately apologetic look in her eyes. “I should never have given you that suitcase, honey. It’s cursed. It’s brought you nothing but bad luck, just like it did me. It brought your grandma bad luck too. Did I ever tell you about the time—”
Her mom stiffened as a shadow crossed the sand.
“Bitch,” Mary said as she strolled past, her nose in the air, her mouth barely moving. She stopped at the edge of the water, hollered for Reed to come in for supper, then once again crossed their path as she headed back to the camp.“If you two want to eat, you better help with the supper rations. I’m nobody’s slave.”
“Hag,” Betty hissed back before she sighed and leaned down to dig a knitting needle out of the sand. Along with the phone, she tucked the item into the bag she had slung around her shoulder. “It’s never nice to discover someone has lied to you, is it? I suppose you feel like Mary felt when she found out about Paul and me.”
Marla grabbed her mom by the upper arm and stopped her. “What did Mary mean on the boat when she warned you away from Paul?”
A bit of guilt crossed Betty’s features. “I never told you about that? It’s why Mary and I don’t talk anymore.”
Aghast, Marla stared at her mom. “Please don’t tell me you slept with Paul.”
Her mom shrugged off her hand, turned on her heel, and headed toward the fire. “Okay, I won’t.”
Stunned, Marla just stood there and stared after her mother.
Paul had cheated on his wife? Impossible. The man was obsessed with his work, as if spreadsheets and balance sheets were the perfect mistress.
Her attention focused on Reed. Did he know?
As he stepped out of the surf and headed her way, she drew in a sharp breath and tried to even out the erratic beat of her heart. When he reached her, she said, “Hey there.”
“Hey back.” He grinned down at her, the spear in one hand while he wore that sexy slumberous bad boy grin that probably made women’s panties fall off.
She gave a tug on her own shorts just to ensure they were holding fast around her hips. Yep, still safe…for now. “Did you catch anything?”
“No. I’ll try again tomorrow.” He grabbed her elbow and turned her toward the fire. “Looks like our moms are finally burying the hatchet.”
Marla followed his gaze. “Not even close.”
Reed glanced back down at her. “What’s going on?”
She leaned into his shoulder, caught off guard by the strength of his stance, caught off guard by her soul deep reaction to him. “I’ll tell you after everyone else has gone to bed.
As they reached the fire where Mary and Betty handed out the tiny portions of food, Marla took a seat across the fire because sitting close to him totally fried her common sense.
As she watched him from beneath the sweep of her eyelashes, she realized that merely being in the same vicinity as him had the same result.
He was bare-chested and savage looking and he reminded her very much of the Neanderthal who grabbed his woman by the hair and dragged her away to a secret cave to ravish her.
A delicious shiver walked up her spine, and without thinking, she loosened the knot on her hair and let the weight of it tumble down her back.
All she wanted to do at that moment was put on the thong in her pocket, straddle his lap, and forget about being hungry and dirty, and her ex sleeping with a woman half his age, and her mom possibly sleeping with the man who was more father to her than her biological dad.
She needed a distraction.
Or maybe just an island of her own.
Maybe with just her and Reed as its sole occupants.
Beside her, Betty bumped her shoulder and whispered, “What are you planning?”
A naughty grin flir
ted with her mouth. “A little nighttime reconnaissance.”
Betty snickered and pulled the knitting needle out of her purse. “A chip off the old block. You go, girl.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
After their evening meal, stomach still cramped with hunger, Reed dragged the radio onto his lap and began to tinker with the various parts.
Marla sat across from him, chatting with his mom as though they were at a garden party instead of stranded on this deserted island.
Paul and Bill were engrossed in a game of chess, while Trudy was holding out her hands so that Betty could wrap the dried yarn around them.
The sun was low in the sky, which meant it would be dark soon and everyone would be heading into the shelter to sleep. Reed couldn’t help but wonder about the sleeping arrangements.
Would Marla go against Paul and sleep out by the fire again tonight? He kind of suspected that she wouldn’t want to piss off the older man that she admired so much.
With her hair floating down her back, the ends wispy in the warm breeze, he could barely take his eyes off her, but he forced himself to focus on the radio and block out everything but the task at hand.
After a while, his mom stood up. “Well, I’m heading off to bed. Paul, are you coming?”
His dad didn’t look up from the chessboard. “I’ll be along shortly.”
As his mom disappeared into the shelter, Reed watched Marla get up to throw another log on the fire. Then she sat down again and stared into the flames, silent and contemplative and beautiful.
He glanced aground at the group and Trudy caught his eyes, let her gaze slide in Marla’s direction, then smiled and winked at him.
She knew.
He shifted on the log, suddenly self-conscious.
Did everyone know that he was infatuated with Marla? Was he that obvious?
A curse to the left drew his attention as Bill pushed to his feet and glared down at his boss with an angry glint in his eyes. “Someday, old man, I’ll beat you.”
Caught Between a Rock and a Hunka Man (Caught Between Romance Book 3) Page 12
