by Eliza Boyd
But not without asking questions first.
“Everything going okay on your trip, missy?” he asked.
She scoffed. It was the last thing she wanted to think about. “It’s not what I thought it’d be.”
He glanced at her through the rearview mirror. “Because it started off with you getting hit by a car door and you should have gone to the hospital when you didn’t?”
Meeting his gaze in the mirror, she saw humor in his eyes. Unable to help it, she laughed. It soon grew into a full belly laugh as she thought about how ridiculous that was. “No,” she finally said as her giggles died down. “No, it’s not that. I’m fine, thank goodness.”
With tipped-up lips, he said, “Then what is it?”
Sighing, she turned her attention out the window. Paradise whizzed by, palm trees dancing in her field of vision. She shouldn’t have been so upset about Gabe’s appearance, but he was being a huge thorn in her side.
Yet it wasn’t just Gabe. She had to admit that Maxwell was having an effect on her too.
“Ahh. I see,” Jeff said.
Alexis lifted her gaze to the mirror again and found him looking at her knowingly. “You see what?”
After he pulled onto the side of the road, he shifted the car into park and spun in his seat, facing her with one arm behind the passenger’s headrest. “That man who hit you with his car. You like him, don’t you, missy?”
A short burst of laughter bubbled up from her chest. “That sounds ridiculous.”
“Only because of the way I worded it,” he said, chuckling a little. “But the idea isn’t and we both know that.”
She opened her mouth to answer him, but the words got stuck. In her brain, in her throat, somewhere else? She wasn’t sure. They just wouldn’t come out. Perhaps they were the wrong words. Maybe denial wasn’t the right answer here.
After moments of sputtering, she finally admitted, “Okay, maybe. But it’s not like it matters, Jeff. You heard my sob story on the way here! Plus, he lives in Malibu. Or Vail. Or it might be Vermont soon.” She threw her hands up into the air and let them slap against her lap on the way down. “Whatever. It doesn’t matter where he lives because it’s not where I live.”
Jeff narrowed his eyes at her. “Do you really wanna live where you live though? With that sleaze ball ex of yours in town?”
Alexis gave him her own narrow-eyed glare at that. “It wouldn’t matter. I’d get over it. And Maxwell seems to be on Gabe’s side anyway. You know,” she said, getting worked up, leaning forward in her seat, “I saw him flirting with multiple women at the bar yesterday and Maxwell said Gabe’s allowed to do that because we’re broken up. He actually said that!”
Blinking rapidly, Jeff said, “Ain’t that the truth, missy? You two aren’t together.”
“So?” she screeched. “He didn’t need to defend him.”
Jeff took a deep breath and adjusted his twist to face her better. “Maybe he wasn’t defending him. Maybe he was reinforcing the idea of you being single so you’d see what was right in front of you.” With his index finger, he pointed to his temple. “Ever think about it like that?”
Her head jerked back as surprise washed over her. No. No, she hadn’t thought about it like that. She’d tried her hardest not to consider the fact that Maxwell might feel something for her because there were too many other moving parts. Sure, they might have almost kissed—twice—but once they left the resort, they’d get on with their regularly scheduled lives. She’d go back to Montana to figure her life out again. She’d find a new job and avoid Gabe like the plague now that he wasn’t her boss or her fiancé anymore. And Maxwell would buy that place in Vermont and the resort in Hawaii, collecting his checks the way rich men did.
She didn’t fit into his plan, and he didn’t fit into hers. It was crazy to think they could make something work.
But her pesky heart sure wanted to try.
That was exactly why she hadn’t thought about it the way Jeff just had. She hadn’t wanted to think that were possible because she absolutely did not want to get hurt again. And wealthy men were ruthless. They hurt people. Gabe had hurt her.
How would Maxwell be any different?
It was her turn to take a deep breath. “Thanks for the ride, Jeff,” she said as she opened her door, not wanting to continue that conversation.
He exhaled deeply as he twisted back around to face the steering wheel. “You’ve got my number, missy. Call me when you’re ready to be picked up.”
If it meant another conversation like that one, she’d highly consider walking back to the resort.
With her bag in her hand, she walked over the warm sand to a sparsely populated beach. Only a few people lounging on towels covered the sand, which put her at ease. If this wasn’t a popular place, she could get that break she so desperately needed. No one would find her there.
Upon finding her perfect spot, she spread her towel out and took her shorts and her tank top off. Then she smoothed sunscreen over the parts she could reach between her bikini, catching herself before wishing she’d had company to help her get the parts she couldn’t. If she was careful when she flipped to her stomach, she’d be fine. She was an independent woman who could visit a beach alone and not get sunburned, dang it. She didn’t need anyone.
When she found a comfortable position on her towel, she closed her eyes and focused on her breathing. Long, deep breaths in and out felt soothing. The sun kissed her skin and warmed her up, and the breeze was just enough to keep it from being too hot. If she ended up that way, she could take a dip in the ocean, which was a fun option to have. Nothing like this could have ever happened back home in Montana, so she was thankful for this experience.
This was why she’d gone to Hawaii. For time in the sun, on the beach, and in solitude. For rest and relaxation. Not for a crazy story to tell Heather when she got back. Just for the time alone.
Unfortunately, the universe didn’t feel like giving that to her.
Not two minutes later, a shadow fell over her, darkening the shade behind her closed eyes. When she opened them, surprise wasn’t the word for what she felt. Shock wasn’t it, either.
She was irate. Angry. Frustrated as all get out.
“Are you serious?” she seethed, propping herself up with her elbows behind her. “Did you follow me here?”
Gabe, looking seriously out of place in his dress slacks, a white button-down, and shiny shoes that covered all of his feet, stared down at her. “You’re in the middle of nowhere, Lexi.” He swung his hands all around as if that proved his point. “You had a strange man drop you off on a beach not even on the map and you’re mad I followed you here? You could get killed or robbed.”
“So what?” As she stood, she raised her voice. “That’s none of your concern anymore.”
“You’ll always be my concern,” he reasoned, sand sliding over his shoes as he adjusted his stance.
Resolutely, she shook her head. “No. No, I won’t be. I’m not. You have to leave me alone.” She started gathering her things, throwing her sunscreen in her bag, and hastily folding her towel in uneven creases. “You and I are so beyond over. I won’t be with someone who’d treat me like that. Ever.” Then she shoved it into her bag and stomped away.
But she froze when Gabe returned with, “And you think he’ll treat you better?”
Whipping back around, she poked a finger at him. “It doesn’t matter how he’d treat me. Anyone would treat me better than you did! You disrespected the vows we were about to make, Gabe. There’s nothing worse than what you did, and not one part of me thinks Maxwell would treat me that way.”
“Because he has more money than I do?” he asked, daring to take a few steps toward her.
Alexis backed up, not wanting to be any closer to him than she already was. Her feet sank in the loose sand with each motion backward. “I don’t care how much money either of you has. It was never about the money. It was about love, respect, and growing old together while treatin
g each other with kindness and passion.” Out of frustration, tears built in her eyes. At least she tried not to attribute them to the pain she felt at having lost out on those things. “When you cheated on me, you threw away the best thing in your life, Gabe. Now…” With a deep exhale, she let all of the emotion go, her shoulders falling away from her ears. “Now, you need to live with it.”
12
“Have you heard from Ana?” Maxwell asked Phillip as they sat in the living space, going over the numbers one more time on the Hartford deal. They had a meeting the next morning to finalize the last details, so now that he’d gone for his morning run, he wanted to be prepared. “How’s her mother doing?”
He should have asked earlier. In fact, he should have reached out to her himself. He’d been so caught up in… Well, he couldn’t quite blame it on the mission of purchasing the resort, now could he? There’d been much more going on than that.
Like the woman who’d left an hour ago without any word except a note that said she’d be back and to call her if he needed her.
While he didn’t want to admit that he was more than curious about where she’d gone, he had to admit that he missed her. After three days, he’d grown used to waking her up and challenging her with a short time in which to get ready. He’d grown fond of seeing how much she’d test her boundaries when it came to her appearance. And he wondered what she’d done this morning with more time than he’d allowed.
“She’s much better, sir,” Phillip answered, bringing him back to the moment at hand. “She’s in stable condition and expected to make a full recovery within a month’s time.”
“That’s great.” Maxwell slid a piece of paper closer to him to go over the fine print. “Send them some flowers from us.”
“I already have, sir.”
He glanced up at his personal assistant, thankful for the way he ran his life so smoothly. These were the moments when he appreciated the people in his life and what they did for him. He wouldn’t be able to do what he did without them. But he also wouldn’t need them if he didn’t do what he did. And in that moment, he couldn’t tell which one he preferred—or which terrified him.
He’d never felt like he’d made the wrong decision. But with Alexis’s appearance in his life, he was questioning a lot of things. Mostly her, but he was questioning her because of himself. How he was feeling. The way he was acting.
Two days in a row, he’d put enjoyment over business, mixed business with pleasure, and he was confused. He’d always been so sure, so positive that investing and building wealth had been his one true path. But this woman had him wondering if he was sure anymore. Maybe there was more to life. A life he could spend with someone who didn’t want him just for his money.
Was that someone Alexis though?
Maxwell didn’t want to invade her privacy, but with the resources Phillip had, he could easily find out the information he needed to make that decision. All he had to do was give him the word and he’d do the digging required to find the truth about what happened with Alexis and Gabe. Yet he hadn’t pulled the trigger because he wanted Alexis to open up and tell him herself. He’d asked a few times, but she’d shut down. He needed to figure out how to get her to speak before he had to rely on more drastic measures.
Measures like throwing money at people to get them to talk.
He didn’t want to do it, but if he wanted to get to the bottom of his feelings, he might. He just might.
“Thank you,” he told Phillip. Then he sucked in a breath, deciding whether or not to pull that trigger. He hesitated so long, the inhale hanging in the air, that Phillip furrowed his brow.
“Is everything okay, sir?” his personal assistant asked.
Maxwell’s chest grew tight the more he thought about it. Break her trust or let her open up? She might not do it fast enough—before it was too late and he was head over heels. Or he could simply put his walls back up and try to forget about the whole thing. There was always that option.
Except no. There wasn’t that option. And if he wasn’t careful, he’d end up like Gabe, flying all over the world to get Alexis back after he’d lost her.
He had to know. This could be the thing he needed to make his mind up once and for all. If he could just know what had caused their breakup, he’d be able to get back on track with his life. Or even start a new one. Or pick up the pieces of his old one. He wasn’t sure, and not knowing was killing him.
When he had the money to go after what he wanted, why shouldn’t he? She wouldn’t have to know. He could keep it a secret until she finally told him the truth about her past. Right?
He’d figure out a way. That’s what he always did. And that method hadn’t failed him yet.
So he sucked in a second breath to ask Phillip to dig some more into why Alexis and Gabe had split, but a sour feeling sank deep into his gut. When he shut his mouth, he was so glad he did.
Because the door to the suite swung open, revealing the woman in question.
And she looked panicked.
Maxwell rushed to his feet, the force of it nearly pushing the couch back behind him. “Is everything all right?” he asked, a crease forming in his brow. His heart picked up its pace, and he willed it to slow down.
“No,” she sighed, “but it’s not your problem. I’ll handle it.” She started to go up the stairs.
“Alexis, wait.” He hurried over to her, which made her pause. Placing his hand on the railing, he held her gaze. “If it’s going to affect our working relationship, then it is my problem.”
“Oh, and you can throw money at it to make it go away?” she spit back at him, rubbing her forehead with her hand. But she immediately deflated, her shoulders slumping as her arm fell to her side. “Sorry. That outburst wasn’t meant for you. I’m just…” As she trailed off, she shrugged.
He ascended the first step, feeling the need to be closer to her. “Is it your ex?”
After releasing a strong breath out through her nose, she nodded. Rolling her eyes, she said, “He followed me. I was trying to get away from again, but he followed me. Again.” Her fists clenched against her sides. “I just never want to see him again!”
“Okay,” he said, his hand moving on its own accord and reaching for one of her fists. “You never have to again.”
“How?” she cried. She didn’t shake his hand away, which felt like a win. But she didn’t open it up to hold his, either. “We’re on this tiny island together right now. And when I go back home, he’ll be there. He’ll be everywhere! He owns half the town. I can’t escape him.”
“Then we’ll leave.”
She made a scoffing noise, her chin dipping low as she eyed him with disbelief. “Really?”
He pushed up one more step, eye level with her now. “I have my own plane, you know.” Trying to lighten the mood, he smirked at her.
When he felt her hand relax a little, he was able to wiggle his index finger around to the tops of her fingers. He used his thumb to rub the top of her hand to coax her fists to relax even more, and when it worked, he threaded his fingers through his. By calming Alexis down, he felt like he was on top of the world. She even laughed a bit at his silly joke.
It only lasted a few seconds though. “But see? This is affecting you and that’s not fair. This isn’t your problem.”
She tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t let her get too far. He hung on to her hand, following her up one step.
“Hey. Why don’t you explain to me what happened? Maybe I can help you figure out a solution,” he offered when she faced him again.
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I want to.” He caressed her hand with his thumb again, hoping the reminder that he was there for her would help. “Let me. As payment for all of your help this week.”
Alexis rolled her eyes again, but the smallest hint of a smile curved her lips. “I’ve been more trouble than I’m worth this week.”
Phillip, who Maxwell had almost forgotten about in the heat of the mome
nt, cleared this throat, making his presence—and his opinion on the matter—known. They’d worked together long enough for him to know what that action meant: his agreement to Alexis’s statement.
Maxwell felt torn. The woman before him was hurting. He had the means to help her. He even had the desire to help her—a stronger desire than he’d thought possible in such a short time. But the man he trusted to keep his life in order didn’t think that was wise. He didn’t keep Phillip around because he liked to spend an exorbitant amount of money to have people in his life. He kept him around because he trusted him implicitly.
Even though Phillip had a sound reason to feel the way he did, something in Maxwell’s gut disagreed. And that confused him more than ever.
“You’ve been unexpected,” he told her, settling for a middle ground. “And I have to say that hitting you with my car has made this week more interesting.”
That got a chuckle out of her, and it was like music to his ears. The way the skin around her face relaxed made his heart lose the clench around it too. And it didn’t hurt that she curled her fingers around his, though she didn’t seem to notice she’d done it.
“You know,” Alexis said, her head lolling to the side, “Jeff reminded me of that today too.”
“Jeff?” he inquired, raising his eyebrows. Was this someone else he needed to worry about?
“The taxi driver who brought me here. The one you paid a hundred dollars when my forty would have been just fine.”
“Oh, right.” He remembered that man: an older gentleman. Probably no one he had to pay any mind to. But still… “You saw him today?”
She nodded. “He took me to the beach. It was a nice, secluded spot off the side of a road.”
With one eyebrow up, Maxwell said in a low voice, “Alexis. That sounds dangerous.”
Her free hand flew up into the air, her finger wagging at him. “Not you too!” The smile on her face gave away that her anger wasn’t real though. “Jeff wouldn’t have recommended the place if it was going to get me killed, you know.”
