Chapter 10
10
W ith Greer’s gentle touch against his cheek, Dean murmured, “I need to fix things with my daughters.”
Her smile heated him as much as her hand. “Then you will. I know it.”
For a long moment, there seemed to be a heavenly communion between them. If he hadn’t heard Bernice calling his name, he might have done the unthinkable right then and kissed Greer.
Not a sweet peck on the cheek. Not even a soft brush of their lips. But a deep, passionate, all-consuming kiss.
“There you two are.” Bernice called from the turnstiles above them.
Greer stepped back, dropping her hand, leaving a cold spot where her palm had been. Catching up to them, Bernice asked, “Where’re the girls?”
Dean pointed to the bottom of the boardwalk.
“They walk too fast,” Nana grumbled as she joined them.
Ralph, Nana, Ian, Sylvia, and Fabiola accompanied Bernice. Looping her arm through Greer’s, she stole Dean’s chance to do so. As a group, they marched down the boardwalk to the courtyard outside the park’s entrance tunnel. With the square relatively uncrowded right now, they found the rest of the grandchildren, including Fabiola’s granddaughter Cora and her baby girl, Nana’s first great-great-grandchild. Cynthia and Lisa had already joined the group.
When he shared a brief look with Greer, the blink of her eyes told him she agreed it wasn’t the right time to continue their conversation.
“This is totally impressive,” Bernice said to Phillip, releasing Greer to grab his arm.
And the park was impressive. They entered the wide tunnel, hundreds of flowers laced through its metal framework and planters overflowing with blooms.
“It’ll be stupendous when the whole thing is open,” Phillip said. He flourished a hand for them all to proceed him, following up by saying, “And the volcano show is not to be missed.”
They all passed out of the tunnel onto a circular walkway surrounding the central fountain. Rising like the rows of an amphitheater, stair-stepped flower beds filled the sides, all in a profusion of color—pinks, reds, purples, yellows. Evenly spaced around the perimeter, replicas of Aztec temples topped wide waterfall chutes, which were empty for now.
The show had already started, even though it wasn’t dark, with water jetting out of pipes in the enormous fountain, pulsing to the rhythm of the music playing through loudspeakers.
“Don’t get too excited yet,” Phillip said. “What you’re seeing now plays continuously all day. But at night, we do two fire shows. Find a place along the railing so you’ll get the best view when the performance starts.”
Spectators lined the railings front and center, right out of the tunnel. The teenagers turned to the right, Bernice’s granddaughter Jenny saying, “You guys go that way.” Cynthia and Lisa followed the rest of the kids.
As instructed, the adults turned left.
Dean leaned close to laugh against Greer’s ear. “I guess the youngsters are embarrassed to be seen with us old folks.”
She rewarded him with a husky, sexy laugh. “Who wants to hang around with Mom and Dad?” Only the youngest children stayed with their parents as the others headed around the fountain, as far away as possible.
Phillip, acting as leader, stopped opposite the parachute drop, its flowers already lit up. “This’ll be good. You’ll see everything perfectly.”
Lit by spotlights, water spouted from pipes positioned all around the fountain. Jets of water danced to the music, shooting high during a crescendo, dropping off when the songs hit a lull. The Aztec temples let loose with each tempestuous swell of a song, water cascading down their chutes, lit from beneath by red, blue, yellow, and green lights.
Greer leaned against the railing. “It’s like the water show at the Bellagio in Vegas.”
Dean craved more details about her. “You’ve been to Vegas?”
Her eyes sparkled in the dancing lights. “I used to go with my girlfriends for spa weekends. We’d walk up and down the street to watch all the outdoor shows.” Her lips drooped in a frown. “Sadly, the pirate show is long gone. Do you remember that one?”
“The girls loved it when they were young.”
“You took time off to fly the family to Vegas? As well as coming down here to the resort a couple of times?”
He shrugged. “Yeah.”
She nudged him. “See, you’re not so bad.”
“We did it all too. The roller coaster at New York-New York, the jousting at Excalibur, all the street shows. We even saw Celine Dion. The girls adored Celine.” Then he admitted, “Besides coming here, it was one of the few vacations when I actually went with them.” Jessica had taken them to Disneyland, Universal Studios, the Grand Canyon.
He saw now, more clearly than ever, all that he’d missed. And the damage he’d done to his family. He was like an eagle who swooped in every once in a while, staying only long enough for them to appreciate him. Until they’d stopped appreciating his drop-ins.
Greer squeezed his hand. “You’ll make things better.” Then she changed the subject as if to dispel his maudlin thoughts. “I love the flowers all around and those Aztec waterfalls.”
“The landscaping is incredible,” he agreed.
Darkness fell quickly then, and Greer pointed across the central fountain. “Look, lights are coming on throughout the flower beds. And the Ferris wheel is a light show all on its own.” Lights pulsed around the center spokes in all the colors of the rainbow. The park wasn’t just a water show, it was a light show too.
Nana clutched Phillip’s arm and hung on. “Oh my dear, this is so beautiful. You have done such a wonderful job here.”
Phillip laughed. “I had nothing to do with this part of the resort, Nana.”
She swatted a playful hand at him. “You’re so modest. I’m sure you’ve given plenty of people all your ideas.”
Phillip began again, “I assure you—” but she cut him off.
“Do not be modest,” she said sternly, wagging a finger at him.
But Phillip smiled, shaking his head. “Thank you so much, Nana. I appreciate your appreciation.”
“Your mother is so proud of her family.” Greer slipped her arm through Dean’s and squeezed close to his side.
He suddenly felt hotter than any volcano.
Guests packed the railings, and the lights in the flower beds glowed beneath the blooms, colors flashing in time with the music. Water spouts pumped higher, and waterfalls flowed harder. The songs had been on a repeat of about ten minutes, and now it all changed. A marching song beat out of the speakers, the water pounding from the pipes, shooting sky high, following in patterns around the fountain. Up, down, and around, and at the final crescendo, the waterfalls gushed from the Aztec temples, soaking the nearby spectators on the far side, including the kids, their shrieks of laughter carrying all the way across the fountain.
“I’m glad ours didn’t do that,” Nana said. “It would have mussed my do.” She patted her hair.
Beside Dean, Greer laughed softly. “I adore your mother.”
He leaned close, breathing the sweet scent of her hair. “I do too.”
“The fountains are gorgeous, don’t you think?”
They were so close, bodies pressed together. And he thought how gorgeous she was, how good it felt to have her on his arm, to feel her heat along his side.
The music flowed from one song to another, and the water gushed and fell to each different rhythm, the lights throbbing along with the music. The tune turned into a jungle beat, like something from King Kong , and the pulsing of the water grew, reaching ever greater heights to the delight of the audience.
Bernice was taking a video, and sure she’d share it with everyone, Dean didn’t pull out his phone. He and Greer simply watched, enjoying every moment. The jungle beat thrummed in his blood, his ardor rising, the need to grab Greer and kiss her almost overpowering.
It wasn’t the time. It wasn’t the place.
Yet deep in his gut, he knew the right time and place for them would come.
As the music hit a fever pitch, pipes rose above the water, shooting fire into the air, leaving behind great puffs of smoke.
Everyone shouted and clapped as the flames jetted higher, then higher still.
He whispered to Greer, “That’s actually pretty damn hot.”
She looked at him, the flames reflected in her eyes, telling him she felt the same passion he did.
Just when he thought the show was over, a great column of fire burst from the tall central pole, spewing flames at least twenty feet into the air. It was incredible, breathtaking, exhilarating, and the crowd went wild, laughing, clapping, shouting.
Greer whispered, “That was mind-blowing.”
And he wanted nothing more than to kiss her senseless and blow her mind.
The music still beat in her chest, and the flames heated her cheeks.
But even hotter was the look in Dean’s eyes and the warm press of his fingers around hers.
She wanted him to kiss her. She should have kissed him.
Yet so many things held her back, not the least of which was his family surrounding them. The show was over, to be repeated in a couple of hours.
The crowd pushed toward the entrance, dragging Greer and Dean along with it. She hadn’t realized how many people filled the fountain area. Beyond it were two tall metal gates walling off the construction work still being done.
The teenagers were shoving their way through to make it to the family, another group of young people trailing behind them. Jenny, Bernice’s granddaughter, called out to whatever adult could hear her, “We want to stay for the next show. Is that okay?”
Bernice had given Greer the lowdown. Jenny was a high school senior, and her brother Lucas was a junior. Jenny could have been a Bernice clone, with her thick dark hair and lovely brown eyes.
Someone yelled, “Yes, that’s fine,” though Greer couldn’t tell who.
And another voice called out, “Do we want to stay?”
The consensus was that the young kids needed their beds, and the adults needed a cocktail. Cynthia and Lisa stayed back with their cousins to wait for the next show.
The family drifted with the crowd back to the boardwalk and the gondolas. Getting a car didn’t take as long as Greer had thought, and they piled in, six to a gondola, when it was their turn.
She and Dean squeezed in with Bernice, Ralph, Fabiola and Nana, all of them talking over each other about the fabulous show and what fun it had been and suggesting they should come every night.
As they all climbed out of the car at a station close to one of the cocktail bars, Nana said, “I’m dying for one of those yummy, minty grasshopper drinks.”
“It’s way past your bedtime, Nana,” Bernice said firmly. “We don’t want to tire you out. And a grasshopper with probably keep you up all night.”
Dean leaned in. “You can’t to treat her like a kid.”
Ralph agreed. “If Nana wants a cocktail before bed, she should have one.”
Bernice harrumphed and said, “Okay, you’re right. Let’s go.”
Dean held back and murmured to Greer, “You’ll join us for a drink, won’t you?”
She felt the heat of him, drank in the scent of him, reveled in his deep, sexy voice. “I’d love to. But just for a little while.” Hand to her forehead, she said, “I’ve still got a bit of jet lag. I didn’t sleep as well as I wanted to last night.”
She’d been thinking too much about Conrad. And fantasizing too much about Dean.
Did a woman ever get too old to fantasize about a man? Violet would say never.
The open-air bar occupied a wooden deck surrounding a pond with a fountain in the middle. Comfortable sofa and chair groupings faced a piano on a dais, the female singer belting out songs from the seventies and eighties.
Fabiola, Sylvia, and Ian soon joined them, and the men adjusted the chairs so they all faced each other. It seemed only natural that Greer and Dean took seats together. Nana collapsed into a big armchair. “So I can be the center of attention,” she said with a smile before she turned to Greer. “Did you find the show amazing, dear?”
Clearly, the elderly woman wanted to make her feel part of the group. Such love and caring emanated from this family, even with Bernice fussing over her mother.
Greer smiled. “It was even better than the Bellagio show.”
Nana clapped her hands. “I’ve never seen the Bellagio show. I need to make one of these children—” She pointed to all her children surrounding her. “—take me to Las Vegas.” Then she looked down her nose at them all. Waiting.
“What about having your next birthday bash in Las Vegas?” Dean suggested.
Nana pouted. “What if I’m dead by then?”
Bernice flapped her hand. “Oh, shush with the what-if-you’re-dead thing.” Which meant Nana frequently employed that reason to get what she wanted.
Dean murmured, “Don’t mind us. We’re like this all the time.”
Greer loved how they were, and she tipped her head back to look at him. “No worries. Like I said, your mother is adorable. She’s so with it.”
He laughed softly. “She’s certainly stubborn, I’ll give her that.”
The bickering was so obviously good-natured, showing how close this family was. No one got mad. They all laughed. And boy, did this family know how to laugh.
After ordering drinks, Nana finally received her grasshopper, closing her eyes in ecstasy as she sucked on the straw.
Bernice clapped her hands to her chest. “This was one of my favorite songs.” She dragged Ralph to his feet, dancing in the wide aisle to Donna Summers’ Hot Stuff .
Sylvia and Ian joined them. There was no proper dance floor, but none of them cared, and other couples from surrounding tables joined in, spilling onto the patio in front of the bar.
With everyone having a fabulous time, Dean held out a hand. “Would you care to dance?”
Greer was afraid of embarrassing herself. “You should ask your mother instead.”
He gave a belly laugh. “Mom, what do you say? Shall we cut up the floor?”
His mother made a funny cross-eyed face. “With all that jumping around out there, I’ll pee my pants.” Even as Dean laughed, she waved him off and said to Greer, “You need to dance, dear.” She punctuated with a finger point at the makeshift dance floor.
Dean looked at Greer, his smile too big, and maybe too knowing. “Since Nana says.” He waggled his fingers, and Greer could do nothing but follow him.
She’d never been much of a dancer, just shuffled around the floor. But with the fast beat of a song like Hot Stuff , she bounced around to the rhythm.
It was fun. She couldn’t help laughing, raising her arms in the air, waving them back and forth, twirling, dipping down. She kicked off her sandals and danced barefoot with Dean.
His moves mirrored hers, and she spouted through a laugh, “I take it you’re no better at dancing than I am.”
He snaked out an arm, wrapping it around her waist and pulling her in. “I’m a terrible dancer. But it doesn’t matter with this kind of music.”
“That’s because you’re hot stuff.”
They swayed together for a long moment, the heat of his body pressed to hers, a fire coming to life inside her, as if she were hot stuff too.
Separating then, they bounced again, showing off ridiculous moves, laughing until her sides hurt. Greer wasn’t even self-conscious, though she’d been too self-conscious to go dancing with Conrad. Yet with Dean, his whole family surrounding them, she didn’t care. It was all about the fun, the bodies they bumped into, the laughter, the jeers and cheers, and finally the resounding applause for the singer and the piano player.
They started up with another heart-pounding tune, the Bee Gees’ Stayin’ Alive .
“Oh my God,” she said, dragging Dean back to their seats. “I’m too old for another one. I need to rest first.” Breathing hard, she wondered if it was all about the dance. Or if it was Dean, the way he’d held her against him for those few moments.
It was probably both.
Nana’s children sagged into their seats, Bernice fanning herself, Ralph gulping the water he’d ordered. The waiter had brought a round of water for everyone, and they all drank thirstily.
“Well,” Nana huffed. “I don’t think any of you are ready for a dance troupe, but it sure looks like fun.”
“Thank God, I didn’t pee myself,” Bernice said like a foghorn. Everyone laughed, especially Nana.
What a wonderful family. Greer loved the way they’d taken her under their wing. She loved the laughter and the camaraderie and the joy flowing all around.
Conrad had two brothers and a sister back in Wisconsin who lived fairly close to his parents. But he’d never even invited Greer to fly back and visit the family, not even for Thanksgiving or Christmas. He claimed his family were all sticks-in-the-mud. And yet he visited them for the two holidays, and usually once halfway through the year. Greer was used to spending the holidays on her own. Violet always invited her over, and sometimes she went, sometimes she didn’t. Violet’s parents were great, so were her brothers and sisters and all the kids. But sometimes you had to let family have family time. She didn’t want to the odd man out.
Yet with this clan, she felt as if they pulled her into their circle, treating her the way they treated each other.
But all good things must end, as her mother used to say, and the dance had taken the last of her energy, especially since she hadn’t slept well. She turned to Dean. “It’s time for me to go. It’s hard to keep my eyes open now.”
He stared into her eyes with that beautiful, sexy gaze of his. “I’ll walk you back.”
She shook her head. “You don’t need to do that. It’s not like we’re on city streets.”
But he stood, holding out his hand, and saying to the group, “I’m taking Greer back to the hotel. Some of those walkways can get you mixed up.”
Bernice asked, “Are you coming back?” Her eyebrows moved, almost as if she were about to waggle them, but, thankfully, she thought better of it.
Dean smiled in answer. “Probably not. Jet lag. I need another night of good sleep.”
He kissed his mother on the head, and Nana waved her arthritic fingers at Greer.
Then Dean took her hand, her heart fluttering the moment they were alone.