CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Paolo
“Thank you for getting this done so quickly, man, I really appreciate it,” I leaned forward and shook Enzo’s hand.
“It was no problem,” he said easily, sliding his hands in his pockets and looking cool, calm, and collected.
He almost always did. Still, there was something about him that had always made me a little more…
aware of his family’s connections. With Nico and the rest, I forgot all the time.
They were just my friends. The fact that Carlos had rumored mafia ties and had made at least some of his money in less than legal ways slipped my mind around everyone else.
But Enzo? Not so much. It wasn’t really anything he did. We were friends. We joked around. We’d gone after the same women in Cayenne without it being a problem. I should have felt as easy and mindless about our relationship as I did with the other Salazars.
But I didn’t.
“Everything look the way you want it to?” he asked.
He’d already taken me on a tour of the beach house and its surroundings.
It was right in front of the place on the beach where I’d really started to fall in love with Jelly, the day I knew for sure I felt more for her than simple lust. I looked out the window as the waves crashed onto the beach.
I think it was the day she started to fall for me, too.
“Yes, this is perfect. I really appreciate it.” We walked out on the front porch to admire the view.
Enzo smiled cooly. “It’s not a problem. You know, this was Salazar property, Salazar land.
My dad bought it back when he and Mom were just starting out.
He knew this place was going to grow up and be a big deal.
So, he bought up as much of the beachfront property as he could afford.
” He gestured to some of the hotels down at the public beach areas, far from where we stood.
“He bought the whole strip, from down at the first hotel all the way down to the last condo past the pier.” He turned, pointing as he talked.
“But this? This portion we’re on? It’s always been in the family.
Dad intended for it to stay in the family.
He bought enough land and built enough matching houses for ten children.
Of course, they only had six.” He watched me with his dispassionate blue eyes.
“That’s lucky for you. And more than likely Reynolds and Byron.
We only want to have people who feel like family in these cottages.
Not sure who the last one will go to. I guess we’ll see.
Or maybe it will always stay empty. It would be a good place for the teenagers to sleep once we all start having kids and they get to that age. ” He shrugged. “Who knows?”
I smiled, but the more he talked, the more nervous I was getting. I knew all of this was leading up to something, and I wasn’t sure what it was.
He leaned against the porch railing, looking incongruous in his bespoke suit.
I went and stood next to him, watching as some of the big cargo ships docked in the far distant port area.
I wondered briefly if my brothers were in charge of whatever processes that boat would go through as it unloaded, reloaded, and headed back out to sea. Probably.
Closer to us sailboats, ski boats, and small yachts were scattered throughout the waters leading all around the large bay area.
Enzo turned his head to look at me. He’d put on sunglasses when we’d walked outside, and I couldn’t see his eyes. “Before you sign the paperwork and make this little piece of heaven yours, I’d like a favor.”
My hands started to sweat.
“You see, both Dad and I have been passed over for the hospital board. Mom, too. All three of us are interested in being on it. I think there’s something about the impression people have about the Salazar family that is keeping the hospital administration from choosing us.”
Shit. There probably was. The administration only picked the most upstanding members of society.
Hell, I was pretty sure there was a nun on the board.
They cared less about money and more about high moral standards.
Carlos and Enzo’s business practices were questionable, and the fact that Carmen and Nico owned a sex club and a strip club didn’t help anything.
Jeez. Most people had no clue about the auction Carmen ran. That was even worse.
I ran a hand through my hair and pulled on the collar of my shirt. It suddenly felt tight on my neck.
“You’re head of surgery at the hospital, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Thought so. And didn’t the hospital dish out a rather large salary in order to keep you here? To keep you from going to bigger, more prestigious hospitals around the country?”
“Yes, that’s true. They extended certain privileges to me to entice me to stay.” I scrubbed a hand over my face. Emory, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Johns Hopkins, the National Institute of Health—they’d all wanted me.
“I happen to know there’s a vote coming up next month. Three members of the board have terms coming to an end, and they’re not looking to be re-instated for another term.”
“Really?” I was shocked. Once people were named to the hospital board, the only thing that got them removed was either a grievous error on their part… or death. People did not just step down.
“They might have been persuaded,” Enzo said casually, making my blood run cold.
“Anyway, before I sign off on this purchase of a beach cottage on Salazar family land and meant for Salazar family and close friends only, I’m going to need an assurance from you that Dad, Mom, and I are voted onto the hospital board next month.
” He cocked his head at me. “I think my brother also helped you out with a nasty little blackmailing situation recently. Is that right?”
It was a rhetorical question.
I gaped at him.
He blinked at me.
We stared at each other. I knew I could do it.
I could go to the hospital director and ask him for the favor directly.
I could make it sound as if I was looking at jobs in other parts of the country.
They wanted me to stay. I was far and away the most prestigious member of their staff. To keep me, he would do what I asked.
“Why do y’all want to be on the board? What do you hope to achieve?”
His pushed his sunglasses on top of his head, and his eyes glittered in the sunlight. “Mom wants on so that she can plan the hospital gala. She thinks it sucks and wants to make it better. Dad wants on so that he can say he’s on it. It’s solely for bragging rights.”
“And you?” I prodded.
He got a half grin on his face that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Let’s just say I have my reasons and leave it at that.”
Damn. What did he think he could do? The hospital board members didn’t have that much power. But I couldn’t see where it would hurt anything.
“Sure. I can talk to the hospital director and make that happen,” I said.
“Great.” He slapped the rail with his hands and grinned at me. “Then let’s go sign those papers and make this yours.”
I was more than a little hesitant at this point, but what could Enzo really do that would cause any harm to the hospital?
If anything, given his financial genius and ability to think outside the box, he’d be an asset.
“Let’s do it!” I smiled and followed him into what was about to be my beach cottage.
***
“You know this is weird, right?” Jelly sat in the passenger seat wearing a blindfold, a simple sundress, and sandals. I hadn’t wanted to tip her off to where we were going.
“It’s only a little weird,” I hedged. I pulled into the parking area, which was conveniently located under the house.
We could either use the stairs or the elevator to get inside.
I thought the elevator was a bit much for a two-story beach cottage, but…
the Salazar’s built it for themselves originally, so I shouldn’t be all that surprised.
We got out, and I was thrilled the ocean sounds were muted inside the garage. I pulled a couple of suitcases out of the back of the SUV and headed for the elevator.
“Uh… Paolo?”
“Shit.” I set the suitcases down and hurried over to the car, opening the door and untying Jelly’s blindfold. “I had to do something before I came to get you,” I lied.
“You forgot about me, didn’t you?” She grinned.
“Yeah,” I admitted.
She looked around the dimly lit garage. “Well, this is creepy. Did you bring me here to serial kill me?” She winced as soon as she said it. We’d had too much of that in West Bay to make jokes about it. “Sorry. That was in poor taste.”
I grabbed her to me and planted a kiss on her head. “Nah, it’s fine. I’m just thrilled the killer either left town or is laying low for a while.”
“Not long enough for Jack and Daisy to come back,” she said a little sadly.
“Baby, Jack’s never coming back. Even if they find the killer, he seems content to stay in the islands forever.
He’s in the perfect situation for himself.
He doesn’t have to be around people, he can design his games to his heart’s content, and he can talk to his family via online presentation software.
Most importantly, he has Daisy. Let’s be honest, as long as has her, I don’t think he cares much about anything else.
And I think she’s perfectly happy there, too. ”
She nodded. “Yeah. I think you’re right. I shouldn’t be so sad. They come back fairly often to see us.” She walked around seeming to look for clues. “So… where are we?”
“Oh, right.” I laughed. “Let’s go inside.” I used the key to unlock the elevator and watched her face as we came to the ground level.
We stepped out and she gasped as she looked around. “Oh my God, it’s near where we had our first real date.” She wrapped her arms around me and gave me a kiss. My hands went to her waist. “Did you rent the cottage for the weekend?”
“No.”
She looked a little disappointed. “The night?”
“No.”
She looked confused. “A week?”
“No.”
She looked irritated. “My God, Paolo. Did you rent it by the hour and you’re about to fuck me over the back of one of those sofas?”
Damn. That sounded amazing. I had to adjust my pants a bit at the thought. “I bought it.”
Her eyes got wide. “The cottage? You bought it?”
I nodded.
“Wasn’t this part of the Salazar’s properties?”
“Yep. I worked out a deal with Enzo.”
She looked a little wary, and I wasn’t surprised that she’d picked up on his mob boss vibes.
“So, you can come here whenever?”
“We can come here whenever.” I said, then I got down on one knee and pulled a distinctive blue ring box from my pants.
She gasped. “What the hell are you doing? I thought this was just a date…”
“I love you, Jelly. I always will. Those months without you were the worst of my life.”
“Now you’re being dramatic,” she folded her arms across her chest.
“No,” I grabbed her hand. “I’m serious. I thought I’d lost you forever.
And I’d already decided I wanted to marry you.
Then I fucked everything up so badly. I know this date was supposed to just be a new start.
But I can’t wait to show you how I feel.
” I opened the ring box to reveal a huge diamond solitaire. “Will you marry me?”
She covered her mouth with her hands. “Yes! Oh my God, yes.” She practically knocked me down, but ended up sitting on my leg, her arms around my neck. “I never thought I could love a person as much as I love you.”
“Jelly, I choose you. Just the way you are. I love everything about you, and I want you to always be yourself. I will never leave you. And I will never expect you to be someone you’re not. I will also never tell anyone your name is Ann Ray again. You’re perfect.” I slid the ring on her finger.
She brushed tears off her face. “Don’t tell anyone I cried, or I’ll punch you,” she laughed. I wasn’t sure she was kidding, though.
“I have a chef coming to cook a meal for us. I thought we’d eat by candlelight on the side deck. It’s screened-in, so there won’t be any bugs bothering us.”
“That sounds amazing.”
I moved my hand under her dress and squeezed her thigh. “Now, about that idea you had about me fucking you over the couch…”
She jumped up. “How much time did you say we have?” She headed over to the couch.
“God, I love you so much.”