Chapter 17
Chapter
Seventeen
Tessa slipped through the fringe of leafy trees, moving quietly along the narrow sandy path. The music faded to a muffled pulse behind her, and the warm scent of sea salt and tropical flowers clung to the night air.
She found a spot in a small grove behind two leafy banana trees, close enough to see the dance floor from a distance, but far enough away not to be easily spotted.
Her heart beat faster in her chest. This was risky.
Probably even foolish. She was alone, after all.
Not far from everyone else, but far enough.
But no, it was fine. She wouldn’t stay long if he didn’t show. That’s why she’d given him a five-minute deadline, so she’d know right away if he’d be able to show or not. Still—she really hoped he would.
She hugged her arms to her chest. A breeze rustled the palm fronds above, and in the distance, she heard laughter. Then footsteps—nearby .
She tensed, ducking quietly behind the trunk of a banana tree. No need to be seen by anyone else.
But it was just another couple. They passed by, murmuring to each other, completely unaware of her presence, heading farther past the trees toward the water’s edge.
A minute later, she heard more footsteps.
Quick. Purposeful.
Her breath caught when she saw him, and she stepped out from her hiding place.
Russ.
The moonlight hit him in slanted silver as he stepped into view. His shoulders seemed tense, his face tight with worry—until he saw her.
“Tess,” he said breathlessly, looking her over. “You’re okay!”
She nodded, heart lifting that he’d come.
“I’m fine,” she said. “I just... I wanted to talk to you. Alone.”
She stepped toward him, and he opened his arms without hesitation. She threw hers around him, burying her face in his shoulder. He held her tightly.
“I missed you, Russ.”
“I missed you too,” he said, voice low. “But you caught me off guard, doing this. I didn’t like you coming out here alone.”
“I know. I wasn’t going to stay long if you didn’t show.”
His arms still held her tightly. “Of course, I’d show. You had me all worried.” He sounded as if he’d been frightened. “I didn’t want anything to happen to you out here.”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to scare you.” That was the last thing she’d meant to do.
He leaned back just enough to down look at her. “You look amazing tonight, by the way.”
Her cheeks flushed. “Thank you.”
“And I’m so sorry I forgot to wish you a happy birthday this morning. I’ve just been so… distracted. But it’s no excuse.”
She smiled and reached for his hands, and he let her take them.
“I know. And it’s okay. I figured it was something like that.
But I’ve been worried,” she admitted. “You didn’t say much last night, and then on the hike today, we didn’t get a chance to talk and you were still distant with me.
So, what’s going on? Is there something I should know? ” She just wanted an honest answer.
He shook his head gently and linked his fingers with hers. “No, everything’s fine.” He wrinkled his mouth, and she could see he was frustrated. “I mean—nothing’s fine. Because you’re leaving tomorrow.” His brow tightened.
Her heart sank, although she felt the same way.
“But for right now, I just—Tess, we can’t act like we’re together out there, with all those people watching.
Those captains out there—they work for my charter company.
And all that crew… they know who I am. I wish we could.
You know that, right? You have no idea how much I wish we could. ” He squeezed her hands.
She nodded, her chest filling with a mix of warmth and sadness. “I know. But... it’s our last night. I don’t want to spend it watching you from across the sand, like we’re strangers.”
“I don’t want that either,” he said, his hands tightening around hers. “I just... I’m trying to do the right thing and be smart. We can hang out later tonight—on the boat.”
She searched his face, saw the weariness in it. The weight. The sadness.
He was losing faith in them, wasn’t he? She was leaving tomorrow, and he no longer thought this could work. She had to let him know how she felt before she lost him for good.
Russ studied her in the slanted moonlight, taking in the way her hair framed her face, the earnest hope in her eyes, the vulnerability beneath her words. His heart clenched.
She was everything he wanted.
And he was going to lose her.
He ran his fingers through the locks of her long, dark hair as if it was the last time he’d be able to touch her.
He couldn’t promise her a timeline. Couldn’t say when—or even if—he’d make it back to the States. And women didn’t wait around for a man with no plan. They wanted stability. Certainty. He couldn’t offer her either of those things.
Yes, Walker had offered him a lifeline—but it might be a long shot. He’d take it, of course, but he couldn’t get ahead of himself again. That’s what had landed him here in the first place.
He had to tell her about the job he hadn’t gotten—the one she’d been counting on. She deserved to know—now. It was obvious to him, finally, that it couldn’t wait until tomorrow when she was leaving.
She stepped closer, wrapping her arms around his waist.
“I care about you so much, Russ,” she whispered. “You’ve made me a better person. I feel more alive now than I have—in so long. You’ve done that for me.”
He swallowed hard, aware of the surrounding darkness, of the quiet, of the insects humming softly in the trees, as if nothing was different.
Her voice trembled, but her eyes were steady. “I’ve fallen for you. I want to see where this goes. You’ll be back in Florida in no time, and we’ll take it from there. You’ll see. We can do this.”
She reached up and kissed him. Softly. Just once.
And just like that, his will crumbled.
He kissed her back, his mouth claiming hers in a way he hadn’t allowed himself to do in over twenty-four-hours, which felt like a lifetime ago.
He felt everything in that kiss—the ache, the longing, the joy of having her this close again.
She’d said all the things he wanted to hear.
She was promising him everything he needed—if he’d been able to promise her he’d be back in the States soon.
He felt her hands threading through his hair, her fingertips grazing his scalp in a gentle, shivering touch as he kissed her lips. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, the warmth of her skin radiating through his shirt. She was his again. All his. For now.
But this wasn’t fair to her. His stomach twisted, heavy with guilt. He had to tell her. He forced himself to pull back, the warmth of her breath lingering against his cheek. His hands, which had been gripping her waist, felt suddenly cold and empty. He had to be fair. He had to do it—now.
He lifted his hands and cradled her face, then whispered. “I have to tell you something, Tessa.”
She studied him, blinking. “What is it?” she said, her eyes filling with concern.
Overhead, the wind whispered softly through the leaves of the banana trees.
He took a deep breath. “I don’t know when I’ll be coming back to the States. I might not be coming back at all.”
Startled, she pulled back slightly, and he felt his hands almost tremble. “What?”
He nodded, his throat thick with words that he didn’t want to say.
“It’s why I’ve been so distant, so distracted.
I didn’t get the job, Tess’. They filled the position already.
I found out at the dinner show last night—just before it was over—and I didn’t want to upset you while you were still on this trip.
” The words were like a runaway train he couldn’t slow down.
“But I’m back at the starting gate. I’ll have to start applying again, and then it could be weeks, months, or who-knows-how-long before I even hear anything. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. ”
Her face fell as she gazed into his eyes. She shook her head, unwilling to accept it. “But… what we have is worth it. I want us to be together. I’ll wait for you.”
His brow pinched.
I want us to be together. Those were the words he’d wanted to hear from someone he cared about—for years.
And they crushed him.
But it wouldn’t work. “No, you won’t, Tessa,” he whispered, the soft breeze gently cooling the dampness on the back of his neck.
She blinked. “Yes… Yes, I will. I can wait,” she insisted.
He shook his head. “No,” he said more firmly.
Her voice sharpened, and her words came out desperately. “Why not?”
He drew a breath, forcing himself to say it.
“Because after tomorrow, there won’t be an ‘us.’ I didn’t want to ruin the rest of your trip, so I was waiting to tell you, but the moment you step on that plane in Raiatea tomorrow night, things between us are done.
They have to be. I’m sorry. It’s for the best.”
She gasped. “So, you’re just giving up on us?”
He looked down at their joined hands, his heart crushing like a thin glass pane hit by a golf club.
“Look, I gambled on us, and I lost. And now, before anyone finds out what’s been going on between us, I’ve got to save what I have left—this job, and the jobs of my crew.
Because if I lose those... I might not get another chance in this business. Anywhere.”
Her expression crumbled, and she reached up to touch his face. The gentleness of it shattered him all over again. “No,” she said.
He grabbed her hands, holding them tightly, tears welling in her eyes.
“Let’s just try to make it work long-distance…” she begged. “No one needs to know. No one needs to lose a job over this.”