Chapter 12
KAT
We sit in silence and sip on our drinks.
I fire off an email to James and his team. This is not something that can wait. I’m sure there’ll be additional items that will need to be addressed. The report told me as much, but this is the most urgent by far.
Bethany appears a little while later to deliver us to Jax’s water villa.
I’m not sure what possessed me to agree to stay with him.
The only thing I can think of is that exhaustion has stolen my sense of self-preservation and impaired my judgement.
That and the guilt of displacing the general manager, even for forty-eight hours.
It simply seemed wrong when we got there.
The staff would also have felt ill at ease. The CEO living amongst them.
I listen in fascination as Jax questions Bethany about the sustainability factors the hotel has in place. She’s surprisingly knowledgeable and offers him a behind-the-scenes tour should he want one.
His enthusiasm is contagious, and I find myself looking forward to learning more about how this hotel operates. At the end of the day, it has to sustain itself. It’s an island, so water, electricity, and sewage disposal all have to be dealt with on-site.
Bethany turns off the main island and drives us along another jetty. This one houses all the water villas. Individual buildings, mounted on stilts, sit in the shallow waters of the reef that surround the island. Fish, reef sharks and manta rays circle beneath us.
Several maintenance men are working on the thatched roofs of some of the buildings.
“Storm damage?” I ask, making a mental note to speak to Mr Baskin about how often this happens.
“Sadly, yes,” Bethany says. “But they’ll all be fixed by nightfall.”
She pulls up outside one of the villas.
“Here we are again,” she says, smiling at Jax, before taking out a keycard and opening the door.
I follow her into a hallway with a floor-to-ceiling glass window at the opposite end. The crystal clear water of the Indian Ocean spreads out as far as the eye can see, stealing my breath.
“To the left is the bedroom, the right, the bathroom. There’s plenty of storage for clothes here. On the balcony, you have your plunge pool, sun loungers and steps leading down into the sea.”
I leave Jax with Bethany, and step into the main bedroom.
A small, single bed has been added to the space.
“If you have any questions?”
“I think that will be all,” I hear Jax say.
I turn and look towards the hallway. “Thank you, Bethany.”
She smiles before letting herself out.
“It’s a beautiful location,” Jax says, entering the room and throwing his bag down into one of the chairs near the window. “The water looks tempting, I might go for a swim.”
His presence and accommodating attitude are doing strange things to my equilibrium. I need to put some space between us.
“I’ll leave you to unpack,” I say, suddenly. “I’m going to explore.”
“Are you sure? I can leave if you want me to.”
I shake my head and hold up a hand, stopping him.
“I’m fine,” I say before cringing at my words.
Jax chuckles.
“I’ll rephrase that. I could do with a walk. If I stop now, I’m likely to fall asleep, and it’s too early.”
I turn and leave before he can say anything else, or worse, offer to come with me.
Jax has always had a profound effect on me, almost from the beginning.
It’s not just his looks. He is, by anyone’s standards, beautiful.
His chiselled jaw and high cheekbones have caught the eye of both men and women.
I’m surprised he was never approached to model.
His swimmer’s physique, broad shoulders and trim waist make his frame perfect for modelling.
But I don’t need to think about him, and certainly not in that way.
That ship sailed a long time ago.
I make my way along the jetty, passing the other water bungalows.
It’s hot despite the time of day, and it’s not long before I have an uncomfortable stream of sweat trickling down my spine.
I curse myself for not thinking of changing before I left.
My need to put space between myself and my old nemesis was stronger than my common sense in that moment.
I hit the island itself and kick off my shoes. The pathways are sand. I make my way to the bar we were in earlier.
There are a number of guests, couples sitting in seats, sipping on cocktails.
Several look up as I pass and smile.
“Hi,” I say, moving towards one of the empty tables.
I take a seat, and a bartender appears almost instantly with a menu.
“Welcome to The Frazer Hotel. Can I get you anything, or would you like to see our menu?”
“I’ll have a Mai Tai and a water, if I can.”
“Perfect.”
He disappears. I close my eyes and allow my senses to roam. Something I always do when I arrive at one of our hotels. The gentle roll of the waves on the sand, the murmur of guests talking, laughter, birds, a splash and a squeal of delight from a guest.
I open my eyes and take in the view.
The enclosed bar sits at the top of the beach. Its sides are open, but can be closed if a storm comes in. Outside, there are a variety of seats, doubles and singles, some with shade and others for those guests who prefer to sit in the sun.
The bartender returns, carrying my drinks and a selection of nibbles.
“Here you are,” he says, placing them down on coasters in front of me. “If there is anything else?”
“This is perfect, thank you.”
Once he’s left, I sit back and soak in the rest of the atmosphere. For the first time in months, I can feel the stress beginning to ebb away, despite my exhaustion and knowing I’ll be sharing a living space with Jax for the next two days.
My phone pings.
CALEB:
I’m sorry. This is on me. Please don’t blame Jax.
I clench my jaw as I stare at the message. I draw in a long and ragged breath.
ME:
What the fuck were you thinking, Cal? I told you to stay out of it.
I reply, trying to keep a lid on my rising temper. My stress levels are rising exponentially.
Three dots appear and disappear several times as my baby brother decides which excuse to come up with.
CALEB:
You actually told me to deal with Jaxson.
ME:
How is sending him on my business trip, you dealing with Jaxson?
CALEB:
I thought it would help. He needed answers to write the proposal.
ME:
So you decided to blindside me?
I take a deep breath as more dots appear and disappear. I’ve half finished my Mai Tai by the time his reply finally lands.
CALEB:
I’m really sorry, Kat.
CALEB:
Believe me when I say, April, Pen, and Leah have shown me the error of my ways.
I choke on my Mai Tai.
I just bet they have!
Knowing my best friend and sister-in-laws, he’s been raked over the coals and back, and as a minimum, been read the riot act.
CALEB:
In my defence, meeting him away from the office seemed like a good idea.
CALEB:
At the time.
CALEB:
He needed answers.
CALEB:
You’ve always approached things head on. With Jax you don’t. I didn’t want you to derail yourself or this project, just because I forced you to work with him.
His words surprise me, insightful for Caleb.
When it comes to Jaxson, I do have a mental block. I just never dreamed Caleb would take it this far. Gatecrash my trip.
ME:
I’d sent him answers. Fifty plus pages. You were out of line.
CALEB:
Oh shit. How was I to know?
CALEB:
Just don’t kill him. Jax is a good guy.
ME:
I won’t kill him. You, on the other hand. All bets are off when I get back.
I smile as I hit send. Let him stew. Cal knows better than to mess with me.
CALEB:
I deserve it. Try to enjoy your break. And I mean it. Please don’t kill Jax.
My mind returns to my discussion with Pen.
It’s been playing on my mind since our lunch, waking me up in a bath of sweat.
Was I really that na?ve? Did Zach, Darra and her friends really play me like a fiddle?
Did I accuse Jax of something he was innocent of?
Does it really matter anymore? Some things have been said that can never be taken back.
I keep our sleeping arrangement to myself. No one at home needs to know that.
I know Caleb meant well with his plan. He loves both me and Jax, of that I have no doubt.
I know after everything that went down with Zach, he and the rest of the family are worried about me.
It makes sense that he wants to help fix my problems, but he doesn’t know what inviting Jax in means. None of them do.
I take another sip of my Mai Tai.
It will be fine. You’re older and wiser now.
Jax said we can both be professional, and we can. Professional is my middle name after all.
I finish my drink and make my way back to the villa, hoping that Jax has done what he said and gone for a swim.