Chapter 9
LUCAS
Lucas threw on a pair of khaki shorts and a button-up top, the most upscale clothing items he’d packed for the vacation he’d assumed would be at his second house.
There was the suit he’d worn on the plane, but that seemed like a little too much — until he saw Kendra, anyway.
She looked breathtaking in a dark-green dress printed with tiny flowers that clung to her curves and brought out the emerald of her eyes.
He’d seen it when she’d gotten out of the shower, but he’d been focused on reading the news and hadn’t really taken it in.
“Are you ready to go?” she asked. She’d been sitting on the edge of the bed while he was showering, but now she stood and brushed the wrinkles out of her skirt.
“I suppose.” Lucas wasn’t exactly looking forward to dinner with Kendra, especially after the kayaking fiasco, but he was starving.
Those tiny pretzels on the airplane hadn’t done much to fill his stomach.
He reached for his phone, hoping he could use it to distract himself over dinner, but Kendra shook her head.
“Resort rules. No phones allowed in common areas.”
“Seriously?” Lucas groaned and dropped his phone onto the loveseat. “What a dumb rule. I guess we’ll have to talk.”
“Great,” Kendra muttered. She grabbed her key card and headed for the door, Lucas following behind her. They were supposed to eat dinner in one of the resort’s restaurants. Susie had left a message saying to go to the Blossom Room.
Kendra stayed a few steps ahead of Lucas as they headed downstairs.
Dusk had fallen while they were changing, and the air was fresh and cool.
The sky overhead was streaked with deep purples and reds, and the faint sound of birds singing their evening songs filled the air.
They followed signs to the Blossom Room, where a waiter escorted them to a table at the edge of a balcony overlooking the ocean.
The small table was draped with a pristine white cloth and topped with two long, tapered candles and a small vase of flowers.
Lucas and Kendra sat across from each other.
Avoiding eye contact, they reached for their menus, and Lucas scanned what was on offer.
When the waiter returned, he ordered a ribeye steak with potatoes and greens, as well as a glass of wine.
Across the table, Kendra gave him an odd look before ordering vegetable fajitas and a margarita.
With their food ordered, Lucas swept his gaze over the other diners.
Of course, everyone was in a couple, though the ages ranged from mid-twenties to late sixties.
All seemed wealthy and were well-dressed and confident.
A few of them shot odd glances at Kendra and Lucas, which made Lucas worry that it was obvious that they weren’t a real couple.
“Maybe we should talk,” he said. Kendra glanced at him, then smoothed her hair behind one ear.
“Should we?”
Lucas nodded his head at their fellow diners. “I don’t want them to get suspicious.” Not only would they be kicked out of the resort if they were found out, but it would draw more unwanted attention at a time when Lucas wanted only to disappear.
“Well, what should we talk about?” Kendra asked. Lucas scanned his brain for a neutral topic. Most of his conversations were professional, with Omegron’s employees and fellow C-suite members.
“What kind of music do you like?”
“Classical,” Kendra answered easily. Lucas snorted, and her eyes narrowed. “What?”
“Who actually listens to classical music?” He shook his head. “It’s something people say when they want to sound interesting.”
“Excuse me?” Kendra’s brows shot up. “I actually listen to classical music.”
“What’s your favorite piece, then?”
“I like Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.”
Lucas stifled another snort, and Kendra glared at him.
“What now?”
“That’s a very basic piece for someone who’s supposedly a connoisseur of classical music.”
“Just because it’s well-known doesn’t mean it isn’t good.”
Their drinks arrived, and Kendra took a long sip of her margarita.
Somehow, she managed to keep glaring at Lucas the entire time, and he realized that he needed to change course.
He didn’t want to be friends with her, but they should at least be friendly if they were going to survive the next two weeks.
“Fine, maybe you’re one of those rare people who really does like classical music,” he said, holding up his hands in surrender. “I’m more into classic rock myself.”
“Good for you,” Kendra muttered under her breath. Lucas took a sip of his wine, resisting the urge to chug it. This was going to be a long couple of weeks.
“Let’s talk about something else,” he suggested. “It’s your turn to suggest a topic.”
“All right.” She met his eyes across the table. “You said you were trying to disappear for a while. What are you disappearing from?”
“Whoa. I thought we agreed not to get to know each other,” Lucas said, sitting back in his chair.
“We did, but you know that I was supposed to get married, so I feel like I should know something about you in return.”
“Why?” Lucas shook his head. “We’re strangers lumped together by fate and resort policy. There’s no reason to know anything about each other beyond what’s necessary.”
“Fine.” Kendra sat back in her chair, folding her arms. “Then why are we even talking?”
“I have no idea.” Lucas gripped his wine glass a little too firmly. “Maybe we shouldn’t.”
“Hello.” The waiter, through a stroke of incredibly bad timing, appeared again with their food. “I have a ribeye steak for the gentleman, and vegetable fajitas for the lady.” He set the plates in front of them. “Be careful; the plates are hot.”
“Thank you.” Kendra smiled at the waiter, but it looked a little forced.
“Thanks,” Lucas agreed. Smiling, the waiter left, and they went back to glaring at each other.
“Why did you look at me funny when I ordered the ribeye?” Lucas asked, taking his fork and knife. “Are you a vegetarian or something?”
“No.” Kendra took a corn tortilla and began piling sizzling mushrooms and bell peppers into it. “I was supposed to eat almost that exact same meal today. That’s all.”
“At your wedding?”
She shrugged, adding a dollop of guacamole to her fajita. “Don’t pretend to be interested.”
“Sorry.” Lucas drew out the word to show how unsorry he was.
Kendra was being completely unreasonable.
The fact that she was supposed to be here with her husband was something he needed to know, whereas the fact that his company was falling apart was none of her business.
And who actually listened to classical music for fun, anyway?
Maybe this woman does. Lucas glanced at her across the table. For all that he found Kendra annoying, she had her surprising moments, too. She could be funny when she wanted to be. And when he’d pulled her out of the ocean while kayaking, he’d felt protective of her in a way he hadn’t expected.
None of that meant that he wanted to get all touchy-feely with her, though. Or with anyone. He just needed to get through the next few weeks until he could go back to LA and repair Omegron’s damaged reputation.
“How is everything?” Susie appeared with a big smile, putting her hands on her hips and looking back and forth between them. “Is the food good?”
“It’s great, thanks,” Kendra said, smiling at her.
“Very nice,” Lucas agreed.
Susie looked at them, her brow furrowing. “I wanted to apologize again about the kayaking. Don’t worry. Tomorrow’s activities will be fun and won’t involve any unscheduled swims.”
Lucas’s heart sank at the idea of more activities. All he wanted to do was sit on the loveseat and read news about Omegron, even though every article and social media post made his stomach ache and his head spin. The last thing he wanted to do was a bunch of “fun” vacation activities with Kendra.
“Maybe we could cool it on the activities a little?” he suggested to Susie. Her face fell, and then she shook her head.
“No, no. Don’t worry! I’ll find activities you both like.” And she hurried off again. Lucas glanced at Kendra.
“She really likes to disappear at the wrong moment, doesn’t she?”
Kendra gave a small smile. “She does. I think she really wants us to have a good time, and she’s going to make it happen, even if it means ignoring everything we say.”
Lucas chuckled. “I wonder what’s in store for us tomorrow.”
“Something terrible.” They smiled at each other for a moment. Then Kendra looked away, and Lucas remembered that they weren’t becoming friends or anything like that. He turned his head, too.
The waiter came back to take away their empty plates. “Was everything to your liking?”
They both nodded and thanked him.
“Can I get you dessert?”
“No, that’s all right,” Lucas said. “We’re both feeling tired.
” Kendra looked a little disappointed, but she didn’t contradict him.
All he wanted was to get out of the restaurant, where it felt like everyone was looking at them.
It was probably nothing, but Lucas couldn’t help wondering if they knew about Omegron or if they doubted his “relationship” with Kendra.
“Have a nice evening,” the waiter said. He headed off with their plates and, by unspoken agreement, Lucas and Kendra quickly got up and left the restaurant.
Only when they got upstairs did Lucas realize his mistake.
He’d escaped from the prying eyes of the other guests, but now he and Kendra were faced with the prospect of an evening alone together — and only one bed.
“I’ll be on the balcony,” he said quickly, grabbing his phone. If Kendra replied, he didn’t hear it, because he was already outside with the door closed. The last thing he wanted was to sit with her for some kind of heart-to-heart — or, more likely, more fighting.
Lucas spent the next three hours reading and rereading articles about Omegron, then typing and deleting messages to various members of his staff asking for more information. He knew he needed to keep his distance, but it was torturous.
His only distraction from the news was the thought of Kendra in the room somewhere, getting ready for bed.
He stayed out as late as he could, hoping she’d have gone to sleep by the time he went back in.
Finally, he slipped inside and went to brush his teeth and put on a pair of boxers and a T-shirt as pajamas.
Kendra was already in bed on her side of the pillow wall, but she wasn’t asleep. She was reading something on an e-reader, her hair fanned on the pillow, her eyelids fluttering. When Lucas climbed into bed, though, she sat up a little, looking more awake.
Lucas had no idea how to handle this. Should he make conversation with her? Ignore her? Just grab a pillow and try to sleep on the floor? No options sounded right.
“Good night,” Kendra said, putting down her e-reader.
“Good night,” Lucas replied quickly. They both reached to turn off their bedside lamps and settled into the darkness.
Though they were separated by the wall of pillows, Lucas was deeply aware that Kendra was beside him.
He could hear her soft breathing and feel when she turned over or adjusted the blankets.
Lucas had shared beds with women before — his usual mode of dating was one-night stands with women who didn’t expect anything from him but one night of fun — but not like this.
He lay awake for a long time, staring at the dark ceiling overhead.
Eventually, Kendra’s breathing slowed into the deep ocean rhythm of sleep.
A while after that, Lucas’s eyes drifted shut, and he, too, fell asleep.