Their Festive Island Escape

That thought had him feeling like a heel again for the way he’d behaved earlier when he’d first seen her. And also for the assumptions he’d made about her judging him.

In all fairness, Reid had been nothing less than judgmental himself.

Bouncy reggae music greeted her as Celeste made her way down the beach to the seaside cabana she planned to visit for her first dinner here. Her paperback tucked under her arm, she was looking forward to a relaxing evening with a nice glass of wine and a tasty meal of local seafood. Her morning plans had gone woefully astray. The least she deserved right now was a satisfying meal followed by a peaceful stroll on the beach. Then she’d spend the rest of the evening tucked in under her bedcovers, enjoying some further reading. To most women her age, such plans might sound boring and flat. To her, it all sounded like heaven. Exactly what she was looking for during her evening hours on this vacation.

Her step faltered as she approached the cabana. It was already packed and hopping. Every table appeared full. She approached the hostess manning the front entrance.

“Hi, it’s just me. Table for one please.”

The young lady gave her a sympathetic look before motioning toward the bar area where couples sat sharing various appetizers. Several bartenders stepped around each other mixing drinks and taking orders.

“I’m afraid all we have available right now is bar seating, miss. And those spots are going fast.”

Celeste released a sigh of disappointment and made her way to one of the few open bar stools. Squeezing herself in between a burly older man in a Hawaiian shirt and a bikinied brunette, she reached for the drinks menu.

One of the bartenders appeared in front of her within moments. His gold name tag said Phillipe in black lettering. “What can I get for the lovely lady?” He asked her with a wide grin. “And I do mean lovely.”

Celeste tried to smile back. He wasn’t doing any harm but she really wasn’t in any kind of mood for a flirtation. And she had no doubt the young man was flirting. The way he was looking at her left no question about it.

She almost wanted to tell him his efforts were hardly necessary. She always tipped well and if this was sympathy flirting simply because she was sitting at a bar alone in a popular resort, she had no need for it. She placed her order for a glass of sparkling wine and a plate of fish tacos without acknowledging the compliment.

She’d gotten through several pages of her book before her meal arrived.

Phillipe winked at her as he placed the plate in front of her on the bar.

Maybe she should have ordered room service. Now she would have to spend the entire time eating trying to avoid his gaze. And a quick cursory glance in his direction confirmed he was indeed staring at her. Oh, yeah, she couldn’t wait to submit an online review about this place after her stay. She’d normally go straight to the owner with her complaints, but he’d been a part of the problem.

Phillipe appeared as soon as she’d taken her last bite. “So, I have a break coming up in a couple of hours. Can I treat you to another drink then?”

She didn’t get a chance to answer as a thick baritone voice suddenly sounded from behind her. “Miss Frajedi, I hope you enjoyed your meal.”

She didn’t need to turn around, recognized the voice immediately as belonging to Reid. Unlike earlier, he wasn’t speaking in the low husky voice of a makeshift Santa.

Phillipe immediately took a step back. “Oh. Hey, boss.”

Celeste darted a glance over her shoulder. Reid stood only an inch behind her. Arms crossed in front of his chest, his chin tight. He didn’t look happy. He merely nodded in a curt acknowledgment of Phillipe’s greeting.

Then, to her surprise, he held her hand out to help her up off her stool.

“I haven’t settled my bill,” she protested.

Reid didn’t take his eyes off Phillipe when he answered. “It’s on the house.”

“Yes, boss,” Phillipe immediately responded. She could have sworn he clicked his heels behind the bar.

For lack of anything else to do, Celeste wiped her mouth with her cloth napkin and took Reid’s hand before standing. He gently led her away from the crowded bar toward the sand.

“I take it there’s a rule about the workers fraternizing with the guests,” she ventured after they’d made their way to the beach. The sun was slowly setting across the horizon, throwing brilliant shades of red and orange across the evening sky.

“Not yet, there isn’t. Though I’ve made a mental note to get one drafted ASAP.”

His voice sounded strained and tight. If there wasn’t any such policy, why did he seem so bothered by Phillipe’s behavior? Could it possibly have anything to do with her?

And how many times in one day could she wonder about whether her behavior was going to affect someone else’s livelihood, for heaven’s sake?

“I’m sorry if you were made to feel uncomfortable during your dinner. We strive to make everyone feel completely at ease at all times. I’ll have a word with the staffing manager to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

So that was it. She’d been foolish to even feel tempted to look further into it than what lay on the surface.

“Another apology from the top man,” she commented, kicking off her sandals to feel the silky soft sand underneath her feet. Reid paused while she nudged them off to the side.

He exhaled. “It appears we are off to a bad start.”

She knew he meant the resort, but she took the opportunity to address the proverbial elephant in the room. “Or we’re simply continuing along the same path as we were three years ago.”

His step didn’t falter but she could have sworn she felt him stiffening ever so slightly beside her. “I thought your intention on this trip was to forget all about it.”

“Believe me, I see the irony in all of this.” An exotic-looking bird flew past them at eye level, a myriad of colors along its wing.

“Tell me something,” Celeste began. “You never did appear to be on board with my and Jack’s wedding.” Or with her, for that matter.

“You didn’t seem right for each other,” he answered simply.

She couldn’t be offended. For he was completely right. Still, his words held enough of a sting that she wondered if she should have even started this conversation.

She could guess what he meant. She and her ex-fiancé were from two different worlds. Celeste had grown up struggling to merely survive while Jack was a trust fund baby who’d always known wealth and privilege.

Much like the man beside her now. Though she’d have to admit, if one were to look closely, the two men didn’t really have all that much in common besides factors visible on the surface.

While Reid had worked incredibly hard to make a name for himself in the hospitality business, Jack was a mere figurehead for the yachting company his family owned and operated. Reid had taken all that had been handed to him and then grown and expanded it, becoming an industry titan in the process.

Celeste gave a shake of her head. What good did it do to compare the two men? There was no reason for it. In fact, there was no reason to give Jack another thought. Why had she even brought up his name?

Still, something tugged at her to get to the bottom of Reid’s statement, she couldn’t seem to help herself. “What do you mean? That we didn’t seem right for each other?”

He gave a small shrug. “You’re very different personalities. He’s not as…ambitious, I guess. You’re much more driven. Yet, there’s a side of you—” He stopped abruptly. “You know what? Never mind. None of this is my place.”

Celeste halted in her tracks and gently nudged him to stop walking. His gaze dropped to where she’d touched him on the elbow. She ignored the way his eyes darkened and quickly dropped her hand. “Please finish what you were going to say. There’s a side of me that’s what?”

Reid released a deep sigh and looked off into the distance at the horizon. “Just that there’s a side of you which must have overwhelmed a man like him. An untamed, stormy quality just underneath your surface. A side a man like Jack wouldn’t be able to handle.” His eyes seemed to add the words unlike me.

Celeste’s gasp was audible over the crashing waves behind them. She wouldn’t challenge his words, couldn’t. For he spoke the very truth. Celeste did everything she could to hide the wild inner-city kid she’d grown up as behind a highly polished professional veneer. She’d made certain to bury the hardscrabble teen who’d bartered, begged and stole simply to survive when the three of them had found themselves homeless on the streets for close to a year.

Then there was her ancestry. She’d fully studied her absent father’s Persian roots, intrigued by all she’d learned about the culture. But she’d never explored that part of herself, hadn’t so much as looked into visiting that area of the world. Though she’d had plenty of opportunity.

Somehow Reid had seen through all those layers three years ago when they were barely more than strangers.

“I’m not sure how to take what you’ve just said, Reid,” she said once she found her voice again. “That I was somehow too much for Jack to handle.”

He turned to fully face her then. “You should take it as a compliment.”

Reid had no intention of stopping by the bar when he left his office behind the concierge lounge. He wanted nothing more after a long frustrating day than to head to his suite in the main quarters and pop open a bottle of cabernet and order a thick juicy burger.

But then he’d seen Celeste sitting at the bar by herself. He didn’t even want to examine what had made him stop and just watch her for a while. She was alone, but she’d made it clear solitude was what she was after. She’d seemed perfectly content with her book and seafood plate. He’d been ready to move on, get going with the rest of his evening, but then he’d seen the way the bartender had been watching her. He’d found himself moving toward her then. So much for having her forget he was here.

Some strange emotion lodged in his chest when he heard the other man ask to buy her a drink. He didn’t even know his intention until he reached her side. And what had possessed him to ask her to walk with him? He probably should have bidden her good-night right after intervening then went about his business. For now, they seemed to be awkwardly strolling along the beach, neither one managing to say anything much by way of conversation after the awkward words about their past.

He shouldn’t have told her all the things he’d just shared, didn’t even realize he was going to until the words were leaving his mouth.

Celeste cleared her throat. “So, you mentioned you’d recently acquired this place?” She was clearly looking to change the subject.

“Yeah. Last summer. I’d been looking to expand into the Caribbean resort business for a while. Luckily, it was one of the few islands that came through the hurricane season unscathed.”

She humphed out a small laugh.

“What?”

“That happens to be the only reason I’m here. My usual spot is in shambles.” The faraway look in her eyes told him she missed it. “This was one of the few places left to book.”

Reid clapped his hand to his chest in mock offense. “You wound me. You mean to tell me the only reason you chose my resort was for lack of other options?”

She smiled just as a slight breeze blew a dark tendril of hair along her cheek. How silly that his fingers itched to gently tuck it back behind her ear for her.

“I’m afraid so. I rather miss the other place. No offense.”

“I’m not so much offended as I am concerned as a business owner. What does it say about this place that you only booked it as a backup?” How many other potential clients were doing the same? The resort could face losing all sorts of business further down the line once the other resorts were back up and running.

“Would you like my professional opinion?”

“Can I afford it?” he teased. “You do have a reputation for being the best.”

“Consider this a freebie.”

He tilted his head for her to continue. “Well, to put it plainly, your marketing and advertising is somewhat subpar. Frankly, it’s garbage. Rubbish.”

Double ouch. “Hey, don’t get technical now.”

She laughed out loud. “Seriously. There’s nothing on the website to compel me to click Book Now. Aside from a few pretty pictures of the beach, you don’t really say anything very enticing about attractions, nearby landmarks, activities for the guests…”

“Yet you booked it anyway.”

“Like I said, I was running out of options and grew concerned everything would sell out. It’s competitive enough around Christmas under the best of circumstances. And it’s really important to me to get away from the city around the holidays.”

He could guess why. It was hard to forget that she and Jack had planned their nuptials around the holiday season. A wedding during Christmas in Manhattan. It was supposed to have been so romantic. Until it had all come crumbling down.

He’d been so quick to take Jack’s word for everything and toss the full brunt of responsibility for the mess on her shoulders. Alex’s words echoed through his mind. Are you sure you’re not confusing cause and effect, partner?

Perhaps he had been. All this time.

She continued, bringing his focus back to the matter at hand—his resort’s lack of a real media presence that would draw more potential guests. “And I have to be honest, now that I’m here, nothing really compels me to consider returning. Our mutual history aside.”

Sighing, he answered her. “You’re actually not telling me anything I don’t already know. But you have awakened me to the urgency of it all. It’s just one more thing on the list. We’ve been interviewing various marketing firms. None seem to fit the bill.”

“If I were you, I would make a decision fairly quick.”

She wasn’t wrong. The implications of the failure to do so weren’t lost on him. This was all so new. Not for the first time, Reid wondered if he’d bitten off more than he could chew. The differences between running a high-rise hotel in a metropolitan city and running a tropical resort were surprisingly vast.

He’d be even more lost if he didn’t have Alex by his side. But clearly it wasn’t enough.

“Any suggestions?”

“Are you asking for me to work on my vacation?” she asked, a teasing whimsical tone in her voice.

He couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m shameless.”

They’d reached the pier that moored the excursion boats. A couple of them were still out, it seemed. He was due to participate in a few of the outings himself, to get a feel for the experiences as the owner. He rested his arms over the steel railing and let his hands dangle over the side. Several blue-gold fish could be seen swimming right under the surface of the water.

“You’re absolutely right,” he told her. “About communicating better regarding all that we have to offer.” The excursions were a prime example. Sure, there were chalkboards and newsletters written up daily detailing the outings available to their guests. But they were only that, mere announcements. Nothing describing the thrilling adventures waiting for those looking for extra experiences, more than just beach volleyball or swim aerobics.

A glimmer of an idea began to form in his head. Reid knew he was too tired and too distracted—a fact that had everything to do with the woman standing next to him—to voice the notion aloud just yet.

But he certainly had some thinking to do. And when he did think it all through, he could only hope Celeste would be on board with his suggestion.

CHAPTER FOUR

CELESTE AWOKE TO the sound of a piece of paper being shuffled under her door.

What the…?

It couldn’t be the bill. She wasn’t due to check out for several days still. Honestly, if they had confused her with another guest, Reid was going to get an earful about the way his resort was run. A glance at the clock told her it was past nine thirty. That was surprising. She never usually slept this late. But she’d had a restless night. Every time she’d closed her eyes, she’d been met with a set of bright golden ones. Visions of Reid’s smile as they walked along the beach. The way he’d glowered at the flirty bartender when he’d approached her after her dinner.

When was the last time she’d taken a walk with a man? She couldn’t recall. Had she and Jack visited any beaches? She didn’t think so. Probably the reason she preferred to be on a tropical island this time of year.

For that matter, when was the last time she’d simply been with a man? Out on a date? Or in a capacity that wasn’t strictly professional? Too long. With groggily heavy limbs, she climbed out of bed, suppressing a groan of frustration. Such thoughts were only going to make her miserable, thinking about all she didn’t have in her life.

There’s a side of you a man like Jack can’t handle.

Celeste shook her head to push thoughts of yesterday’s conversation aside.

The item slid under her door turned out to be an envelope with a card inside. Curiouser and curiouser. Her heart thumped in her chest as she removed the card and read its contents.

Please join me for breakfast if you haven’t eaten already. I have a few matters I’d like to discuss. It will be worth your time. I’ll be in my office until you’re ready.

Reid

What in the world could he have in mind? A cry of warning screamed in her head. His cell number was printed on the top half of the card. She should just call him and tell him she had indeed eaten already. Or that she wasn’t available. Or just outright tell him she wasn’t interested in seeing him or in anything he may have to say. Though that would be a lie. She was more than intrigued. And more than a little excited at the prospect of seeing him again today. She could hardly get him out of her mind last night. And all the things he’d told her.

As if that wasn’t reason enough right there to turn him down.

The man was her ex-fiancé’s good friend for heaven’s sake. Two short days ago, he practically cornered her on the beach and accused her of being a scrooge. No doubt he still harbored suspicions that she’d ruined her ex’s life. After all, what else could he have meant when he’d said she was too much for someone like Jack to handle? Most likely that he thought her too uncultured, too unpolished to sully someone like Jack. Or Reid Evanson, for that matter. Somehow, Reid must have seen straight through her three years ago.

No. There was no reason to go see him.

So why had she walked over to the closet and taken out her prettiest sundress? The red one she knew brought out the hue of her olive skin. With thread-thin straps and a flowy skirt that accented her curves.

The warning cry sounded again, telling her to put the dress back and crawl back into bed if she knew what was good for her.

She lay the dress out on the bureau instead and walked to the shower stall.

It wouldn’t hurt to just ask her, Reid thought as he waited impatiently in his office for Celeste’s response to his written invite. He’d long ago given up any pretense of trying to get work done and now just stood staring at the tropical scene before him. A line had formed at the main dining hut for breakfast. He made a mental note to address the wait time in the mornings for food. But his thoughts immediately returned to the woman he’d spent the evening with. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d simply walked with a lady along a sandy beach, just talking and enjoying the sunset. He had to admit he’d enjoyed it.

Celeste was already sporting the beginnings of a golden tan, her hair had lightened since the first day she’d arrived. She’d looked like a tempting goddess standing next to him as they stood on the marina pier.

He’d been thinking about her all night.

But none of that had anything to do with his invite asking her to join him for breakfast. That was strictly professional.

The door suddenly flung open and Reid didn’t need to look up to know it was Alex. He was the only one who never knocked. “Morning, partner.”

Reid merely nodded.

“Your father keeps calling the main office,” Alex informed him. “Says you’re not returning his calls when he phones you directly.”

Reid tried to bridle the surge of irritation that shot through his core. His father. The man was determined to ruin himself at this golden stage of his life. And he’d nearly driven Evanson Properties to the brink of ruin as well until Reid had stepped in and taken over as CEO. All because of a woman. A much younger woman.

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