Chapter 2
KAT
What in the world is going on outside? I peek through the office window and frown at the group laughing and playing by the pool. They stand all huddled up like a team ready to hit the court, their expressions eager. What is it about them that low key irritates me?
One of the women grabs a man by the arm and they leave the pool area, heading down the path that leads to the beach. The woman stops and leans in close to smell the roses, her eyes alight with laughter when the guy says something into her ear. She plucks a rose and twirls it between her thumb and forefinger.
“Aunt Marg won’t like that. Not supposed to take the roses.” I’ll have to make sure she adds another sign to the fence. Ugh. Great. I’m getting as bad as my nosy older neighbor when I lived on the mainland. I swear that woman called if she noticed I stayed up later than usual or left my kitchen light on past ten pm.
I’m not normally this annoyed at guests doing what guests do, but I’m not gonna lie, it’s been a heck of a day and I’m over it. “Must be nice to take a vacation and spend all your time by the pool.” I grumble and yank the curtain back over the window.
“Did you say something, dear?” Aunt Marg breezes into the kitchen, humming one of her favorite tunes. “Is something wrong?”
I shake my head even though her back is to me. “Nope. Just being grumpy,”
“Oh dear. Is your computer giving you trouble again?” Marg’s white hair curls around her head in a bright halo that makes her look like the angel she is.
“It’s fine.” It’s not, but I can’t keep complaining to my aunt about my laptop woes. It’s my own fault for not upgrading when I took on the medical billing and coding work on top of my admin position. “Are those for the guests?”
The air conditioner chugs hard to pump cold air into the kitchen and I shift closer to the vent to catch a breeze before heading back to the office to finish out my day. I came to the resort for a change of scenery while I worked. Now I’m thinking I would’ve been better off staying in my unit down the path.
Aunt Marg scoots a flaky strawberry danish to the edge of the tray. “Oh, shoot. Looks like that one isn’t going to fit. Mind taking care of that for me, dear?”
I can’t help laughing at her obvious excuse to get me to eat one of Ellie’s scrumptious treats. I’m also not going to pass up the chance for a bite of sugar. I grab the pastry and shove it into my mouth. “You’re the best.”
She waves me off with a flick of her hand and lifts the tray to her hip.
“Let me take those to the guests for you.” It’s the least I can do to help out since Marg is letting me kick up my heels in her kitchen while she works. Maybe stepping out into the sunshine will cure my bad mood. I gobble up the last bit of pastry and wash my hands before reaching for the tray. If it was just me, I’d lick my fingers clean. But Aunt Marg would have my head if I handled her guests’ food with dirty hands.
She releases the tray all too easily and brushes her hands together. “Well, if you’re sure you don’t mind. I need to check on Steve and get ready for tomorrow’s guests.”
Before I can remind her that Uncle Steve is on the water with Samantha and won’t be back until dinner, she’s disappeared.
Huh. That’s odd. If there’s one thing my aunt loves, it’s chatting. I’d halfway expected her to be my biggest problem and distraction from getting my work done today.
A childish scream rips through the air, followed by a massive splash. I yank my entire body around in time to see a little boy doggie paddling over to the edge of the pool. He drags himself out of the water and takes off running around the pool. A wild mix of nausea and fear cramps my stomach around the pastry.
Where are his parents?
Gripping the tray with one hand, I yank open the sliding door and hurry toward the pool. The boy never stops his headlong rush as he aims at the pool and jumps.
“Hey,” my voice is lost in another huge splash as the kid cannonballs directly into the pool.
Bright sunlight reflects off the pool and blinds me. My foot catches on the edge of a lounge chair and I stumble several steps before regaining my balance. That was close. I drop the tray onto the closest table before it ends up in the pool and look around for an adult.
The little boy paddles around the pool, grinning from ear to ear. Straight across from him, a large white sign covered in black lettering spells out the rules for the pool.
Number one is no running.
Number two is no diving or cannonballing into the pool.
I glare from the kid to the sign and back again. He’s too young to know how to read, so I can’t blame him for his actions.
His parents, however, are perfectly capable of reading and making sure their kid obeys the rules. They’re there for a reason. One injury is all it would take, not just to get the pool shut down but for the kind of agony I can only imagine as a parent. The mere thought of a kid getting hurt out here sends terror spiking through my heart.
I keep one eye on the boy and have every intention of stopping him if he decides to make another run around the pool. For now, he’s content paddling back and forth. Sweat gathers on my forehead and trickles down my nose. I swipe it away and tap my foot while I wait for an adult to show up.
A man’s voice trickles out from behind the wall that separates the main pool from the sauna and showers. I latch onto the space and wait with a sort of eager anticipation as the man’s voice rises in pitch, then falls low. He sounds annoyed as he ends the call and finally steps into view.
The sight of him almost makes me forget why I’m out here, but the boy’s laughter reminds me and gives me a sense of fierce satisfaction as I stomp across the concrete and point at him. “What do you think you’re doing?”
He steps between two lounge chairs and looks around, his eyes wide and his brow furrowed. “Me?”
“Yes, you.” I motion at the pool. “You can’t leave your kid unattended.” I slam my hands onto my hips.
“I—”
I cut off his excuse with a slash of my hand through the air. “Don’t you dare say you didn’t.” My eyes narrow and I give him a look that would make a lesser man take off running. “I’ve been standing here for five minutes while he swam alone. You were nowhere to be found.”
“Well.” He rubs the back of his neck, pink tinging his cheeks. The move causes the muscles in his chest and arms to flex.
And he’s not wearing a shirt. Yikes. Now my face is hot and there’s no doubt I’m red as a tomato. It’s not like I don’t see guys shirtless all the time. I mean, hello. I live on Nantucket, where people barely bother throwing on anything that isn’t beach ready. Something about seeing him bare chested is different. I can’t put my finger on it, but it takes way too much effort to drag my gaze away from the toned muscles. Even though he’s so pale he’s already getting sunburned, the guy is ridiculously fit.
It’s an image I’ll have trouble getting out of my head, but his looks are not important. Not when he leaves his kid alone in the pool.
“The rules are right there,” I say while jerking my chin toward the sign. “He’s been running and doing cannonballs into the water. Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?”
“Uh, yeah, actually, I do.” His voice is solemn, matching the dark brown eyes and flat lips that look like they haven’t smiled in years.
Do not feel guilty, Kat. I give myself a firm peptalk and barrel ahead. It’s nothing to do with me if the guy hasn’t found anything to smile about. Maybe he should spend more time with his kid and not on his phone.
We glare at each other for a full five seconds before I harrumph and shake my head. “Make sure you read and follow the rules. He’s too young to be out here alone. You’re lucky I saw him and came outside.”
The guy looks around as though he’s searching for someone, anyone. Well, there’s no one out here to take responsibility for his mistake except him.
Splashing water has us both spinning toward the pool.
“Watch me.” The boy heaves his little body out of the pool and gets ready to bolt.
“Rex, stop.” The guy holds up his hand in a stopping motion, and the kid looks at him with his mouth puckered. “It’s not safe to run, okay. Or jump in the water. You could get hurt.”
He looks at me with an expression that looks like he’s seeking my approval. I don’t give it to him. I did what I came out here to do. “Aunt Marg wanted me to bring out some snacks. They’re on the table.” I motion toward the tray and spin around, more than ready to get back to work now that I’ve averted certain disaster.
Man and boy fuss behind me. The boy—Rex—insists that he’s being careful, and I lose track of the guy’s words as I step into the house and close the door firmly behind me. I catch one last glimpse of them before I walk away.
Matching heads of dark hair lean toward each other. The man whose name I didn’t bother to learn, motions toward the sign and the boy frowns. He must be explaining the rules.
Good, and not a moment too soon. It should have been the first thing on his mind when they arrived at the pool, not whatever the phone call was about.
His actions scream workaholic. Nothing gets in the way of his work. Why is he even here if he’s not going to leave his work behind? I roll my eyes and head toward the reception area. It’s none of my business.
“Did you meet the new guests?” Aunt Marg stands from her chair and rushes over.
I start at the sight of her. “I thought you were looking for Uncle Steve?”
She waves off my question. “He’s still out with Samantha. You know how those two are. Once they start talking about boats, they’ll be out until dark.” She drags a second chair over to the desk and motions for me to sit. “Keep me company for a bit.”
“I should get back to work.” The urge to call it a day is fierce. I’m caught up on recent billing and really all I’d be doing for the next two hours is trying to get the spreadsheet updated. It’s nothing that can’t wait until tomorrow.
Funny how I was just harping on the guy about responsibility and now I’m contemplating playing hooky for the rest of the day. It’s different for me. I’m not putting a kid at risk.
“I’m so glad Melanie and Adam came back.” Marg’s eyes gleam as she rubs her hands together and laughs. “I wish you’d been here that week. Oh we had such a good time.”
Her steady chatter keeps me from having to respond, but when she brings up the boy, Rex, I tune back into the conversation.
“That boy, I tell you. He’s going to be so much fun. He’s a handful. Pam and Dalton sure are going to be busy keeping up with his energy.”
I sink my teeth into my lip to keep from telling her that I caught Rex doing cannonballs into the pool. She’d worry, and I don’t want to put any additional stress on her.
“Liam brought his brother this time.” Marg continues. “He certainly seems nice.”
“That’s good.” It really is. I like when nice people stay here. It makes life easier and it helps Marg and Steve keep the resort going. “I should head out.”
I know Aunt Marg well enough after all these years to recognize when she’s up to something. Now is one of those times. Her eyes practically dance with that inner light of mischief. It always means she’s sticking her nose in her kids’ business. I might not be her child, but I’m her niece, and as far as Marg is concerned, that’s excuse enough to deep-dive into my life too. I’m not sure what’s going on this time, but it’s time for me to go.
“Oh.” Marg snaps her fingers and reaches behind the computer. “Before I forget, Ellie left a message for you. She said she called your phone but didn’t get an answer.”
The slip of paper is a leftover scrap from an old brochure, and Marg’s pretty handwriting covers the image of the lighthouse. I tilt the paper to get a better look at the words. “She needs me to work the bakery tomorrow? I can’t bake.”
“Just keep an eye on the front.” Marg doesn’t look at me but turns her attention to the windows stretching across the front of the reception area. The ocean glitters in the distance, the soft crashing of waves beckoning me to stick my feet in the cool water. I never get tired of this place. Getting to come back here after my annulment was the biggest blessing of my life.
Pain shoots through me at the reminder of my failed marriage. It wasn’t fair that the man I’d loved lied to me about his condition. It wasn’t until he turned violent and possessive that I knew something was wrong and finally learned the truth.
A shudder wracks my spine. I hope he’s getting the help he needs.