Chapter 8 #2
Charli burst out laughing. “Do you even hear yourselves? Trust me. You’re exactly alike, and you’re totally adorable.” She decided to change the subject. “Speaking of...how’s the cruise going so far? Lots of eye candy to enjoy?”
“Oh, girl,” Annette crooned, fanning herself with her hands. “There are some exceedingly hot men on that boat and they’ve been flirting with us nonstop.”
Amy snickered. “We’ve been on the boat two days and Annette has two guys fighting over her already. We literally had to sneak off the boat so they wouldn’t follow us.”
Charli nudged Annette. “Oh, really! I’d love to hear more about that.”
Annette snapped her fingers. “It’s nothing and you can quit trying to change the subject. I want to hear more about you and Jack.” Her tone was firm and told Charli there’d be no further evasions or sidetracks.
Charli pressed her lips together and thought about the last week.
God, has it only been a week? It seems like a lifetime ago. What on earth do I say? How do I explain how I feel about Key West, about Jack, and about this project? It makes no sense, and yet everything in me feels RIGHT here...with him.
Finally Charli shrugged and her discreet nature won out. “There’s not much to tell.”
Annette stopped in her tracks, hands on her hips. “What the hell, Charli Harris? Don’t for a minute think that I’ll believe that crap. Now spill it,” she snapped, circling her fingers in the air.
Charli released a short breath and rolled her eyes. “Okay, but you have to let me finish without interrupting,” she replied, wagging her finger in Annette’s face.
Annette nodded eagerly with an evil grin, holding up her hand. “Girl Scout’s honor. Give it to me, sweet thang.”
Charli chuckled and began the story with how Jack had met her at the airport, holding a sign with her name on it and ending with their adventure to the Dry Tortugas to spread Dottie’s ashes.
“That was four days ago and since then, he’s been nothing short of a gentleman.
Hasn’t even tried to hold my hand again,” she finished, her voice thick with disappointment.
“I think I really offended him with the whole homosexual thing, but he’s just too nice to say anything to me about it. ”
Annette and Amy had followed her story with wide eyes and exclamations but hadn’t interrupted once.
“Oh my god!” Annette exclaimed, her hands clasped under her chin. “This is better than a romance novel. He sounds like a freaking dream.”
Charli smiled and sighed. “He’s unbelievably hot—which is another reason I thought he was gay.
He’s almost too pretty, a total gentleman, and beyond thoughtful and sweet.
Plus, there are literally no women around him that I’ve seen outside of his family.
There should be an army of women swarming around him. ”
“You’ll understand when you see him.” She shrugged and continued. “Everyone around here seems to know him, and they all love him. But there’s no one lining up to date him from anything I’ve seen...I just don’t get it.”
Annette snorted. “You’re a typical lawyer, overthinking and analyzing everything to death as usual.
” She pursed her lips and tilted her head.
“Think about it, Charli. He’s grown up on an island that has a reputation for drunk tourists.
If he’s a local, like you say, he probably avoids those women like the plague. ”
“Yeah, I can see that. But there are a lot of attractive women who actually live on the island, too.” It was a thought that had gone through Charli’s brain—a lot of very attractive women. She ignored the sudden and intense flare of jealousy.
Amy shrugged. “He probably grew up with all of them and has already tried dating them, but nothing fit.” She gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. “What if he’s been waiting for you all along...like kismet?”
Charli snorted and rolled her eyes. “Kismet? Seriously?”
Amy and Annette both nodded in unison, eyes wide.
“Kismet. Fate. It’s a very powerful thing that you don’t fuck around with,” Annette answered urgently, completely ignoring Charli’s skeptical reaction. Her eyes were fierce as she plowed ahead. “I think you two were meant for each other, and I’m certain its fate that has brought you together.”
Charli chuckled. “It’s getting pretty deep here already, and you’ve only been on the island ten minutes. Plus, you haven’t even met him yet.”
She gestured at the upcoming intersection. “We’re taking a right here.”
“Oh, wow!” Amy exclaimed. “The colors are just so vivid here,” she said, pointing to a large flowering tree.
“That’s a bougainvillea tree, and if you look a little closer, it’ll have little orchids growing on it.” Charli indicated the delicate flowers nestled between the branches.
“And over there...” Charli directed their attention to the trees as they crossed the street. “Those are hibiscus trees. The flowers are used quite a bit in tea.” She waved her hand, urging them to the left. “Come on, my house is down this way.”
She grinned when she spotted Jack and his crew still planting the trees. “Ah—you’re in luck. Jack and his guys are still working on the garden.”
Annette stuck her head up and peered down the street. “Which one is he?”
“The tall guy, mid-length dark hair, blue shirt who’s giving the orders,” Charli answered, noting that he looked particularly gorgeous and manly at that moment with his shirt sweat-soaked and sticking to his muscled torso.
As they got closer, Annette gasped and stopped in her tracks. “Holy shit, Charli. He’s a total hottie.” Amy nodded in agreement. “He’s like freaking model hot.”
Charli grinned, not saying a word as they continued down the street. “Almost too pretty to be straight, right?”
As they approached, Jack glanced up and did a double take. He waved, making his way over to them.
Charli chuckled when she heard Amy mumble under her breath. “Holy Mary Mother of God...” and Annette simply mumble, “YUM...”
Jack reached them in just a few steps. “Well, that didn’t take long at all,” he said as he brushed Charli’s hand with his, eyeing Annette and Amy the entire time.
“Which one of you is Annette?” he asked.
To Charli’s absolute amazement, Annette turned a brilliant shade of crimson and began to stammer and blink rapidly. She’d never seen her assistant bashful or unable to form a coherent sentence, especially around a man.
“Um...uh...um...I...I...I am,” Annette babbled. Her mouth continued to move but nothing came out. To Jack’s credit, he merely grinned and very formally drew her hand up to place a kiss on its back.
“You and I have some things to talk about,” he said in a conspiratorial tone, giving her a wicked wink.
“And this is your sister?” he asked Annette, who seemed to have some difficulty snapping out of her daze.
“Uh...yeah...um...shit. Yes. This is Amy.”
“Charmed,” he replied as he took Amy’s hand gently into his and kissed the back while looking into her eyes.
Charli’s hands came to her hips as she watched Jack weave a magic spell around her friends. “What the hell is this, Jack?” she snarked with mock outrage. “You never kissed my hand.”
He gave Charli a mischievous grin. “I’m open to suggestions on kissing you whenever and wherever you’d like.”
Annette choked and Charli’s jaw dropped at Jack’s uncharacteristic public display, and her mind raced knowing how their audience was going to take this information.
One glance at Annette confirmed it, and Charli suddenly knew how a lobster on a platter felt: hot, totally cooked, and definitely a bright shade of red. Both Annette and Amy stared at them with mouths agape.
Charli mentally rolled her eyes. She could literally see Annette’s wheels turning.
Oh, this is just freaking great...I’m never going to hear the end of it.
Charli released a deep sigh and waved her hand at the garden. “I can see you and the guys are almost done here. Do you have time to give Annette and Amy a quick tour of the compound?”
“Of course! It would be my pleasure.” He released Charli’s hand and offered Annette and Amy each an arm, which they eagerly took and began to stroll along the compound wall toward the back gate.
Charli followed along behind, watching them with narrowed eyes.
Jack began outlining the property and the renovation plans, pointing out key structures in the garden as they walked.
“Hey, Jack!”
They all turned at the shout to see Gus running up to them.
“Ladies, this is my business partner, Gustavo,” Jack announced. “Gus, these lovely ladies are Charli’s close friends who are visiting for the day.”
Gus gave them a charmingly brilliant grin, his teeth brilliant white against his olive skin. “You two make the island prettier just being here,” he replied, his eyes glued on Annette, who preened at his flattery.
In a nearly exact repeat of Jack, he gallantly lifted her hand. “My friends call me Gus.” He kissed her hand lightly and gave her a seductive leer. “But you, my gorgeous dove, can call me anything you’d like.”
Charli stifled a giggle as Annette batted her eyelashes at Gus. “You’re not so bad yourself, handsome,” Annette purred, fairly stripping the man with her eyes.
After several seconds, Jack cleared his throat and asked, “Was there something you needed, Gus?”, breaking the staring spell between Gus and Annette.
Gus blinked his eyes and shook his head as if clearing it and returned his gaze to Jack. “Uh, yeah, sorry. We’re nearly finished with the garden.” He gestured over his shoulder. “I was thinking we could move to the main house when we’re done. What do you think?”
Jack nodded. “Sure. You can have them start on the foundation if you’d like.”
“Good call.” Gus turned his attention to Annette, his gaze hot. “I certainly hope I’ll see more of you later,” he offered. “How long are you in town, gorgeous?”
Annette gave him a flirtatious smile and a shrug. “We leave first thing in the morning. But I’m sure I’ll be back here at some point,” she practically purred.