Chapter Five
T here was nothing better than the moment the winch system brought her high in the air and all she could see or think about was the beauty around her. Being four hundred feet above water in a tandem harness, side by side with Dex, floating peacefully in utter silence, allowed for time to put things in perspective. For the next fifteen minutes she could decompress.
Once she landed and heard the ring of a cell phone, or as Dex reminded her of her brother’s need to speak with her before they stepped on the boat for their adventure, she’d be forced to reckon with her decisions.
Brandy was handling Samantha’s part of the business while she was gone, which enabled her to shake off thoughts of what waited for her on solid ground. Instead, she absorbed the utter beauty of the island and the surrounding water. She stared at the blue ocean below and looked out at the pink sandy shore, and the houses and hotels beyond, appreciating both nature and the pastel man-made structures that dotted the island.
Growing up wealthy, Samantha had always known how fortunate she was to not want for anything. The one time they’d realized money couldn’t buy happiness was when they’d found out their father had another family and her half-sister needed compatible bone marrow to live. That was also when she’d learned that life wasn’t perfect but if she looked hard enough, sometimes she could find a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Samantha was an optimist, it seemed, and after the storm that was her father’s destruction of their family, the rainbow came in the form of her new siblings. And the pot of gold was Sienna’s recovery, thanks to Avery’s generosity.
Hanging on to those memories would be what got her through the fallout of her wedding that hadn’t happened, her cheating fiancé, and the fact that she still owned a business with the son of a bitch. She’d survive this because something better was waiting for her on the other side. After she fought through this trauma.
She closed her eyelids and drew a deep breath, letting the warm breeze take her away, the silence and peacefulness making her smile. When she opened her eyes, Dex’s powerful body was facing her. He stared right at her and returned her grin, causing her belly to twist in an excitement that had nothing to do with parasailing.
The man was as handsome as they came, with his jet-black hair and light blue gaze hidden from her view by his sunglasses.
Still, when he looked at her, she felt like she was his sole focus. No one else mattered. God, she wished they’d had their chance years ago because now was the epitome of the wrong time to be thinking about any man.
The boat slowed, taking her focus back to the upcoming landing. They were lowered and put into a gentle free fall until her feet and butt dipped in the water. She rose once more, and then the captain finally landed them back in the boat.
“That was amazing,” she said, once they’d unbuckled their harnesses and life vests, returned to shore, and were walking back to the chairs they’d paid for at a nearby hotel.
“Exhilarating,” he agreed.
They reached their loungers and he picked up a towel, drying himself off.
Unable to stop herself, her gaze strayed to his bare chest, and the six-pack and muscles he maintained even after leaving football.
“Asher has a gym in the house,” she blurted out.
“What was that?”
She shook her head and lowered herself to the seat. No way would she repeat the words and embarrass herself.
A smirk lifted the corners of his mouth, letting her know he’d caught her words, but maybe he just wasn’t sure she’d actually said them.
He settled into the lounge chair beside her and stretched out. “So did you get what you needed up there?” He gestured to the sky.
“I did,” she murmured. “The peace and quiet gave me time to think.”
“And what did you come up with? Any sort of resolution?”
She shook her head and fixed her bun which had strands of hair falling around her face from the wind. “Just that things always work out for the best, but it will take time to learn why things happened the way they did.”
“So you’re a philosopher type, hmm?”
She shrugged. “Hard lessons learned, that’s all.”
“I can understand that.”
She twisted toward him. “How?” He’d questioned her enough about herself in the last eighteen or so hours. It was time she learned something about him.
His eyes seemed to glaze over and she suspected he was thinking about what he wanted to tell her. And probably what he didn’t.
“My biological parents died in a car accident when I was seven.” He continued to stare out over the water and she let him, understanding sometimes it was easier to tell a hard story without making eye-to-eye contact.
“I’m so sorry. I had no idea.” She couldn’t imagine how hard it was to lose both his mother and father at the same time.
Her father had traveled so often, she’d always relied more on her mother than her dad, but he’d existed in her life. Once they discovered he hadn’t been away on business but with his second family, it was harder to look at him the same way.
“Thanks,” he said at last.
A cloud passed overhead, one large enough to know they wouldn’t have direct sun for a few minutes, and they both lifted their sunglasses and placed them on top of their heads. She held back the laugh at their synchronized move.
“How’d you end up with the Sterlings?” she asked.
“We lived next door and our families were close. Gloria and Alex took me in and later on, adopted me. They’ve been my parents longer than my biological ones were.” He bent one knee and straightened in the chair so he was now in an upright position. “My point is that if my parents hadn’t passed away, I wouldn’t be part of the large family I have now and I actually consider myself lucky to be surrounded by them. So I can understand how bad things work out in the end.”
She wondered if he missed his real parents. Was seven old enough to still feel and miss that bond, she wondered but couldn’t bring herself to ask? If she and Dex ever got closer, she might learn more about him. But she didn’t see that happening. She’d hijacked his life and had no doubt when they left here, he’d distance himself from her all over again. The thought made her sad.
A server walked over, tray in hand. “Can I get you something to drink? Or something to eat?” She held out a plastic menu and Dex took it.
“I’ll have a pina colada,” she said.
“Corona, please.” Dex glanced at the menu and passed it to Samantha. “Want to get lunch?”
She nodded and they ordered burgers and fries.
The rest of the afternoon passed with lighter conversation until Dex’s phone rang. He glanced at the screen and groaned.
“Ian?” she asked.
He nodded.
She held out a hand. It was time.
He slid open his phone. “Ian?”
“I thought you said you’d have her call me.” Samantha heard Ian’s side of the conversation because her brother was speaking loudly .
She shook her hand at Dex. “Give it to me.”
He groaned and handed her the phone. “I texted you and said I’d call when I was ready,” she said to her brother.
“And I haven’t slept since you left because I’ve been worried sick.”
She closed her eyes, guilt flooding her. She’d known her brother would be concerned. “I’m sorry. I was just so angry at Jeremy, embarrassed that I had a huge number of people sitting, waiting for a wedding that wasn’t going to happen. And I was too mortified to talk to you,” she admitted.
“You have no reason to be embarrassed. That jackass is the one who should be too ashamed to show his face in Manhattan,” Ian muttered.
“But there’s a lot you don’t know.” She closed her eyes and a tear dripped out. Not because she was sad about losing Jeremy but because she’d been such a fool.
A warm hand came down on her bent knee. She opened her eyes to see Dex had put his hand on her, giving her his comfort, and she drew strength from that.
“Samantha Dare, I want you to listen to me. I can be a bossy pain in the ass, as my wife likes to say, but it’s only because I love my family. There is nothing you can tell me that will disappoint me. Or make me turn my back on you.”
She sniffed, her tears really flowing now. “You’re such a good man. A great brother. And an amazing father.”
“Tell that to my daughter who is testing her boundaries with the clothes she thinks it’s okay to wear to elementary school. Does she not understand boys get ideas even at that age?”
She was aware that he’d changed the subject for her benefit. “I am sure you’re teaching your daughter that if any boy looks at her wrong, to knee him in the balls.”
“Ouch,” Dex said, squeezing her knee.
“Harsh but true,” Ian said.
She managed to smile. “I’m also sure you are telling her she can wear whatever makes her happy and it’s on the boy to behave.”
He let out a low chuckle. “Damn right. I’m just not ready for her to grow up.”
“Well, she’s not yet a teen, so relax. You’ve got time.”
Ian snorted. “How did we end up not talking about you?”
“You brought up Rainey, not me. But give my nieces and nephew a kiss for me.”
“Speaking of Rainey, she says you owe her another chance to walk down the aisle as a junior bridesmaid.”
She’d had her nieces in the wedding party because the girls were so excited and wanted a part in the ceremony. She adored them all but she was closest to Rainey.
Samantha sighed. “Tell her I’ll take it under advisement.” But she wasn’t signing up for a walk down the aisle anytime soon. She’d been burned enough. “Ian, can a deeper conversation wait for a face to face? I promise you, I’m okay. I just need a few days to process things.”
“Sure, Sammy Bean,” he said, using his childhood nickname for her that had never made any sense but she liked it anyway. Only he gave her any form of nickname. She’d always been Samantha to everyone else.
“And don’t worry. I’m in good hands.”
Beside her, Dex groaned loudly.
“There’d better not be any hands on you or I’ll meet your plane when you land and show Dex what happens if he touches my sister.”
Her eyes opened wide. “Ian Carlton Dare. Stay out of my private life.”
That was apparently the wrong thing to say because Dex grabbed his phone back. “Relax, Ian. I’m just here as her sounding board. We need to go now. Lunch is here.” Dex disconnected the call without saying goodbye.
“Impressive,” she said, as the server handed her a plate with her lunch, then did the same for Dex. Their drinks came next.
“I’m not afraid of your brother, Samantha. I am, however, serious about my food.”
They ate in silence, leaving her wondering more about Dex calling himself just her sounding board and bemoaning the fact that she’d never feel those sexy lips on hers again, than about her screwed up life.
***
A couple of days later, Samantha sat on the bed wearing a silky robe she’d bought for her honeymoon. Most of her clothes had been purchased with that occasion—and Jeremy—in mind. Pushing that distasteful thought away, she leaned back and thought over her time here in the Bahamas with Dex. A man she preferred thinking about. Especially after seeing how hot he looked in swim trunks, his tanned skin and six-pack mouthwateringly sexy.
Keeping a smart, physical distance from the man she was so attracted to hadn’t been easy. Her emotional walls were high. How could they not be after how badly she’d been burned? Though she saw the interest in Dex’s eyes, he deserved more than being a rebound guy. Not to mention she’d be putting him in Ian’s crosshairs. She didn’t care what her brother thought about her love life per se, but it wasn’t fair to involve Dex when she was all tied up in knots over a marriage that should have happened less than a week ago.
So, since she’d been exhausted after parasailing, she suggested they put off their walk on the beach and Dex had agreed. Instead, she’d had dinner in her room, courtesy of Maggie, before turning in.
Yesterday, she and Dex spent the morning sunning on lounge chairs and after their time on the beach, they walked around town and hit up a restaurant her cousin, Asher, and his wife, Nikki, had recommended. During their time there, she’d purchased necklaces and bracelets for herself, her family, and her best friend.
She’d spoken to Brandy often, mostly, she admitted, to reassure herself someone she trusted had an eye on Jeremy and the business while she was away. Once home, she’d have to face the cheater and his assistant, who she intended to fire. Owning fifty-one percent of the company ought to allow her some perks, she thought. Still, her stomach churned at the thought of seeing the couple , feeling a healthy mixture of anger and frustration at Jeremy, at herself, and at everything she’d closed her mind to.
Her cell rang, interrupting her thoughts. A glance told her Jeremy was calling for the umpteenth time and she sent his call directly to voicemail. Then, keeping up with his behavior since she’d tossed the ring his way, he left a voice message followed by a text.
She ignored both. Since they shared a business, she couldn’t block him completely, but she’d rather continue to think about her time on the island with Dex. Their dinner had consisted mostly of her questioning him about his football career and his upcoming job as lead analyst with FSN.
Although Samantha saw the curiosity in Dex’s eyes, he humored her by replying and not tossing back some questions of his own. She appreciated him giving her as much information about himself as he had, despite the unfairness of her not offering the same in return.
Time on the island passed quickly and tonight they were going to take that days-ago promised walk on the beach… and she was going to pitch her idea for what she planned as their last night here. It was time to go home and face all she’d left behind.