Chapter 7
LUCAS
Lucas wanted to laugh at the idea that this woman could tempt him with a free vacation.
He needed a free vacation like a server room needed a surprise electrical surge — not at all.
He’d much rather be at work, and if he wanted to take a vacation, he could afford to pay for it himself.
The only thing he wanted was to lie low at his vacation house and not talk to anyone.
Kendra looked at him with those big green eyes, one pink lip tucked between her teeth.
Deep worry was etched on her soft features, as though she were really counting on him.
And the huge engagement ring on her hand made him wonder if the person she’d been meant to come on the trip with was her fiancé.
That part didn’t matter much to Lucas. He took pride in not getting involved in people’s personal lives.
But there was an advantage to going on the trip with her for him, too: it really would be a chance to lie low, as she’d mentioned.
After all, the media knew about his vacation house, and there was every chance that a few intrepid reporters would start showing up outside over the next few days. It would be better if he wasn’t there.
“I’ll do it,” he said.
The relief on Kendra’s lovely face was immediately clear. She slumped back into her seat, nodding and fiddling with the pretzel packet in her hands. The enormous engagement ring flashed beneath the artificial airplane lights.
“Thank you, Lucas.”
“Sure.” Lucas paused. “But just to be clear, I am going to take you up on your offer of doing our own separate things.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Kendra replied. She finally tore open the packet of pretzels, ate one, then made a face. “We need to pretend to be a couple in front of the staff, or they might kick us out. But after we get through check-in, I can’t imagine it’ll be a problem.”
“Great.” Lucas drained the last of his drink, put the wrapper from his pretzels in the plastic cup, and handed it to a passing flight attendant with a quick, “Thanks.” Then he grabbed his in-flight magazine again.
He’d already looked through the whole thing, cover to cover, but the sooner he made it clear that he wasn’t interested in being friends with Kendra or sharing sob stories, the better.
After Lucas had reread three of the articles and begun to wish that he’d brought something to read (he hadn’t read a book in years, since he was always working, but he could have started), the plane began its descent into Cabo.
Lucas looked over Kendra to see out the window.
The ocean below was a bright turquoise, and the land was a mix of rolling hills covered in scrubby vegetation and small mountains.
Lucas had fallen in love with the scenery here years ago, during his first overseas trip, and had bought his vacation house shortly afterward. Since then, he’d come to Cabo once a year or so, although he usually worked straight through with only small breaks to enjoy the scenery and eat.
They landed at Los Cabos International Airport a few minutes later. As soon as the seat-belt sign clicked off, Lucas was on his feet. He grabbed his bag and disembarked, not waiting for Kendra. As he was walking through the terminal, though, she caught up to him, grabbing his arm to stop him.
“We need to go out together,” she said. “There’ll be someone here from the resort to pick us up, and we need to act like a couple.”
He looked down at her slim hand on his arm, then at her. She blushed and released him.
“Fine.” He nodded. “Let’s do this, then.”
They went through customs and baggage claim, where their bags were some of the first out, before heading into the arrivals hall.
The warmth hit him as soon as they stepped out of the airport’s air conditioning, as did a faint smell of diesel and food.
Lucas scanned the waiting drivers for a sign with Kendra’s name, but he didn’t spot anyone.
“Over here.” Kendra nodded to a young man with a printed sign that read Mr. and Mrs. Louis.
“Mrs. Louis?” Lucas muttered. He’d seen the engagement ring, but he hadn’t thought she was married. And she’d said her name was Kendra Moran, not Kendra Louis. Lucas’s eyes widened and he turned to her. “Was this supposed to be—”
“Shut up,” she said under her breath. Turning to the man with the sign, she smiled.
“Hi! We’re the Louis couple — although my name is actually Kendra Moran. I think this was a joke from my darling husband.” She nudged Lucas with her shoulder, and he blinked.
“Right, I’m very funny like that.”
“Welcome to Cabo,” the man with the sign said in a light Mexican accent, smiling at them. His teeth were very white. “My name is Juan, and I’ll be driving you back to the Sol Y Estrellas resort. Can I take your bags?”
“That’s all right,” Lucas said at the same time that Kendra said, “No need.”
“Follow me, then.” Juan led them out of the airport, across the street into a parking area, and to a large, luxurious car with the Sol Y Estrellas logo on it — a bright sun surrounded by several pinpoint stars.
Kendra and Lucas got into the back seat while Juan loaded their bags into the trunk, and Juan drove them out of the lot.
As they headed toward the resort, Lucas couldn’t stop stealing glances at Kendra.
He’d known that she was supposed to come with a significant other of some kind, since the resort was couples-only, but he hadn’t guessed that she was supposed to be on her honeymoon.
Was her wedding what she was running away from?
His gaze went to her hand, but she’d slipped the engagement ring off.
She was looking out the window, almost pointedly, as though reminding Lucas not to ask her any questions.
Usually, he wouldn’t have. It was better for them not to get to know each other.
But he was curious about why she was here alone instead of with her husband.
After a forty-minute drive, they pulled into the resort.
Lucas had gotten used to luxury over the last decade, but he still found his mouth falling open at the size of the sprawling resort.
The hotel buildings were built in a colonial style, with enormous balconies for every room, and columns in the front.
He saw signs for swimming pools, golf courses, a spa, the beach, and in-house restaurants. This place had everything.
Juan stopped the car in front of the hotel and got out with them, flashing his bright smile again.
Lucas gave him a tip and a “thanks” before grabbing his bag and following Kendra inside.
The lobby was spacious and gleaming, with marble floors and high ceilings.
At the far end stood a counter, so Lucas and Kendra made their way over.
“You must be Mr. and Mrs. Louis,” the pretty woman behind the counter said.
She beamed at them, flashing another set of very white teeth, and smoothed her hair back into its long braid.
Lucas glanced at Kendra, his eyebrows raised.
He could pretend to be here with her, but he couldn’t pretend to be her would-be husband.
Eventually, he’d have to show his passport with his own name.
“Well, almost.” Kendra smiled. “See, Maria,” she said, looking at the woman’s nametag, “we booked this vacation through a travel agent, and I think something might have gone wrong with our names.”
“Is that so?” Maria smiled understandingly. “What seems to be the trouble?”
“Well, first of all, our last names aren’t Louis,” Kendra explained. “But my husband’s first name is Lucas, which is probably where the confusion came from. And I kept my last name. So, I’m Kendra Moran, and my husband’s name is Lucas Chambers.”
“I see.” Maria’s brow furrowed. “That is most unusual. Why didn’t you check the names on the reservation beforehand?”
“I would have liked to,” Kendra said with a strained laugh. “But all the wedding planning had me absolutely run off my feet.”
Maria still didn’t look convinced. She looked between Lucas and Kendra, and Lucas realized she was about to say something that would ruin all their plans.
Taking a deep breath, he put his arm around Kendra and pulled her to his side.
She stiffened momentarily, then melted against him, warm and soft.
“Actually…” He smiled self-deprecatingly. “This is all my fault. Kendra gave me one task in the whole wedding, and I couldn’t manage it. I feel awful.”
Maria looked back and forth between them. Then her face softened. Apparently, she believed that Lucas was enough of an idiot to have messed up the names, but that Kendra wasn’t. Lucas would try not to take that personally.
“Let’s get your names all sorted out, then,” she said. “Can I get your passports?”
Lucas and Kendra handed over their passports. Lucas still had his arm around her, and he was very aware of her warmth beside him. Her soft, floral scent enveloped him, and one of her hairs tickled his neck.
After a few minutes, Maria handed their passports back, along with two key cards.
“Keep track of these,” she said, with a wink at Lucas. “You need them for everything — from getting into your room to ordering meals to going out for activities. You’re staying in our honeymoon suite on the top floor. I’ll show you where it is in just a minute.”
“That’s okay,” Lucas said quickly. “I mean, we can find it ourselves. We’ve been around people all day and want a little time on our own. Don’t we… sweetie?”
“We sure do, honey.” Kendra gave him a look before smiling at Maria. “Thank you so much.”
“Of course.”
Kendra and Lucas stepped apart, grabbed their bags, and headed for the elevators.
Lucas pressed the button to call one. Neither of them looked at each other as they waited, but once they were alone inside, Lucas turned to Kendra.
She was staring at the floor selection buttons as though they held a fascinating secret to eternal life.