Chapter 15 Emery
EMERY
I was sore by the time Abigail shut and locked the doors to the shop. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d done so much manual labor. Working corporate had made me weak.
Truth was, after my embarrassing meltdown about Rex, I was grateful for the work.
I’d needed the distraction. I was also grateful that Noah didn’t ask me questions when I got back to the register.
Apparently, he’d finished serving Rex and the man had been sent on his way.
He was just a blip on my healing journey.
Just before closing time, Bash texted to say that Timothy wanted us to go swimming with him. I was excited to see the hotel that I’d help create and to spend some time with my son. I missed him and was ready to get back to mom mode.
We helped Abigail clean up the shop before we headed back to her apartment.
Thankfully, she had a pair of Bash’s trunks for Noah to borrow.
Apparently, he hadn’t packed a pair for himself.
I threw my swimsuit and a change of clothes into my bag and headed out to the living room, where Noah and I waited for Abigail to emerge from her room.
I sat up front with Abigail while Noah rode in the back as we drove to the hotel.
Abigail kept my mind busy by listing off the single guys on the island that might be at the event tomorrow night.
Apparently, Bash had been sharing the details of the dinner with her, and she was more than excited to relay them to me.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about going to the event. If my reaction to Rex was any indicator of how I was going to respond to a room full of men, I might as well call it here. I was a mess, and I doubted magnifying my anxiety was the best way of handling my stress.
But I couldn’t let it overwhelm me. I had to find someone to marry, or I was going to lose everything I’d worked so hard to keep alive after Carson’s death. I was broken, but I wasn’t a quitter. I’d find a way.
I blew out my breath as Abigail turned on Sweet Tea Street and I got a glimpse of the hotel in the distance.
My entire body froze as I stared at it. It stood tall against the backdrop of the sky.
We’d gone with a more classical design with columns and exquisite architecture.
The glass windows shimmered in the orange and purple sunset.
The ocean could be seen in the distance, perfectly framing it in.
“Beautiful,” I whispered, unable to pull my gaze from it.
Carson had drawn up the designs for this hotel before he passed away.
It was an idea that wouldn’t leave him alone and allowed him to exercise his love of creating.
He was ecstatic when his father approved of the hotel and agreed to invest in it.
After Carson passed, the idea had been tossed into a drawer until I pulled it out a few years ago.
I’d been waiting for the perfect place to build it, and when Harmony Island came on Torres’s radar, I searched for the perfect piece of land. Now seeing Carson’s plan come to life in front of me, I fought the tears that brimmed my eyelids. This was the perfect place to build his legacy.
I was still in awe as Abigail pulled up to the front doors and parked her car.
The parking lot was basically empty, no doubt the construction workers had left for the night.
Noah, Abigail, and I all climbed out of the car and slammed the doors at the same time.
I pulled the strap of my bag up onto my shoulder and followed Abigail into the building.
I knew the design like the back of my hand, but Abigail obviously knew where she was going, so I was going to rely on her expertise.
“We’re hosting the event tomorrow in the ballroom,” Abigail said as she nodded to the room to the left of us.
The large doors had been left open, revealing deep, rich wood flooring and chandeliers that glimmered in the setting sun. The place smelled like new carpet and fresh paint.
“They’ve really come along quickly with the build,” she said as she took a left and headed down another hallway. “Bash has been riding them to get it done.”
I nodded. I was grateful that Bash cared about this place as much as I did. He knew how important it had been to Carson. It was an unspoken pact between the two of us—to finally see Carson’s dream come to life.
“It’s beautiful,” I said, my voice faltering as my emotions choked me.
Being here made Carson’s absence that much stronger. I missed my husband. I missed my friend. I missed my partner in crime. I wished he could have been here to see this place. He would have been so proud.
Abigail stopped near a pair of solid metal doors with glass windows at the top. She glanced inside and then nodded for me to do the same. I could hear Timothy’s muffled screams followed by the sound of splashing.
“Bash has been talking about taking Timothy swimming ever since they finished the pool,” Abigail said.
Her smile was infectious and my entire body itched to get into the water with my son. Abigail opened the doors and I walked in. Timothy was treading water in the middle of the pool, and as soon as he saw me, he cheered and started doggy-paddling towards me.
"Mommy! Mommy! You're here!” he exclaimed through gulps of water.
“Yep, I’m here,” I said as I approached him.
It didn't take long until he was gripping the edge of the pool. He wiped the water from his eyes, and he frowned as he took me in.
"Are you not swimming?"
I held up my bag. "Just have to go change," I said and gave him a wink.
He glanced over at Noah. "Do you have to change, too?"
I glanced behind my shoulder to see that Noah had approached but, like always, had kept his distance from us. He was starting to feel like my shadow. Quiet and always around.
“Yep,” he said as he held up the trunks that Abigail had picked out for him.
Bash suddenly surfaced right next to Timothy. “Are those mine?”
“He didn’t bring any swim trunks, so I had to give him some of yours.” Abigail stood next to me.
Bash eyed Noah before he glanced back over to Abigail. “I’m not sure they are going to fit,” he said.
I glanced over at Noah and appraised him. He was definitely taller than Bash. And more muscular. His thighs were bigger, but his waist looked about the same size. They were probably going to be a bit tight, but I didn’t think it was impossible.
I brought my gaze up to Noah’s face only to see him staring at me. His cheeks were red and his gaze dark as he studied me. That’s when I realized I had been staring at the man. Not just staring, assessing him. Analyzing the size of his thighs, stomach, and body.
My face felt like it was on fire. I needed the cool water of the pool to splash on my skin immediately.
“I’m going to change,” I said, deciding to leave the swim trunks debate with the two engaged people—them staring at the man wouldn’t seem so inappropriate—and headed for the changing rooms.
I slipped into my black swimsuit and took a quick shower before I padded out to the pool. Abigail was already in the water and engaged in a squirt gun war with Timothy. Bash was in the middle, trying to keep Abigail distracted so Timothy could get away.
I cannonballed into the water, reveling in the cool temperature as it enveloped me. As soon as I surfaced, I did the breaststroke over to Timothy, who was gleefully spraying the water where Abigail had just gone under.
“Hi, my lovely,” I said as I pulled him into my arms and smushed my lips into his cheek.
“Mo-om,” he complained as he wiggled against me.
When I didn’t let him go, he leaned to the side to spray around me. Apparently, Abigail had resurfaced in a different spot.
“What did you do today with Uncle Bash?” I asked as I held onto Timothy, refusing to let him go even when he was very vocal with his frustration.
Timothy finally relented and turned to face me.
Water clung to his eyelashes. “We got lunch at a bakery, and then he took me to a toy store where I got a dinosaur, then he took me to a meeting where I watched a movie on his phone, then we got spaghetti for dinner, and then we came here.” His words flowed like one run-on sentence.
When he finished, he stared at me expectantly. He’d done what I asked, now he wanted me to let him go.
“Did you have fun?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.
He closed his eyes, tipped his head back, and groaned. I just held him tighter.
“Yes,” he said with his eyes still closed.
I wrapped him up into another tight hug, kissed his cheek, and slowly released my grasp on him. The minute he could, he wiggled and thrashed against me until he slipped through my arms. He was across the pool and away from me in record time.
“You’re a great mom,” Abigail said from behind me.
I turned to see her swim up to me. Her brown hair floated around her in the pool as her head bobbed up and down.
My body warmed at her compliment. “Thanks,” I said. I wasn’t sure if her words were true, but I appreciated the sentiment.
“He really is a great kid. I know Bash loves him.” Her focus was on Bash, who was now letting Timothy spray him directly in the face.
“Bash is a great guy.” When Abigail didn’t respond, I glanced over at her. To my surprise, her gaze was focused on something behind me. Confused, I turned to see what had caused her to stare.
Oh.
Noah. He was what had stopped Abigail in her tracks.
He’d emerged from the men’s locker room in Bash’s swim trunks.
This wasn’t the first time I’d seen this man shirtless, but there was something about seeing him in a pair of tiny, barely-covering-anything trunks that had my mind and my entire body seizing up.
His chest was broad. His six pack was unmistakable. He had a tattoo that ran the length of his left thigh. His dark hair was damp and sticking straight up.
He looked like he belonged on a fitness magazine, not driving me around the streets of New York City.
“Wh-who is Noah again?”
I could feel Abigail’s stare on me.