PARADISE COVE (PARADISE SERIES Book 1) (12 page)

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Sean drove along the Overseas Highway, heading toward the Lower Keys Medical center. It was half past eight in the morning, and he spotted the Golden Arches straight ahead and decided to pull over. He didn't know if the Hernandez family had ever enjoyed a McDonald's breakfast but he figured today was a good time to find out. Besides, he had a big hunger going. All that activity during the night had whet his appetite.

Once at the hospital, he presented his I.D., got a new visitor's pass and was told their room number. He proceeded down the stark, flawlessly cleans halls to the elevator, and hit the third floor. The nursing station was right in front of him, but no one questioned his appearance so he followed the room signs until he came to 311.

He knocked softly, and then pushed the door ajar. "Good morning," he said loudly, waving the savory McDonald's bag high in the air. "American breakfast," he told them with a friendly grin. "Hope you're hungry."

Raul grinned. "Si, si. Me hungry!" His eyes lit up with delight.

Miguel jumped out of his seat, making room for their visitor. "Dr. Sean. Thank you again. You've already done so much for us. How can we repay your kindness?"

"No need. Just have a fine baby, that's all I ask." Sean patted him on the back and put the McDonald’s bag on the tray next to Juanita's bed. "How are mother and baby doing?" he asked, taking her hand.

She nodded happily. "Good. Very good, thanks to you."

He could see that for himself. She looked better than he expected, sitting up in bed watching TV—her son lying at her feet. There was an oversized chair on the other side of the bed where Miguel had slept.

The three of them seemed one hundred percent better than they had the previous morning. But considering how close they’d been to death, it couldn’t be otherwise.

"We have egg sandwiches," he said. "Some with cheese and sausage, others with bacon or plain. Sausage burritos, a dozen pancakes, and oatmeal with fruit." He handed the wrapped packages to them, and then stood with his back to the window, happy with the healthier choice of fruit and maple oatmeal.

Raul didn't need any convincing, but Juanita seemed afraid to open hers. "We can't pay," she said quietly.

Sean shook his head sadly. "Please help me with all this food. I can't possibly eat all of this. I'll blow up like a big balloon, and then go poof!" He waved his hands in the air, making Raul giggle.

The man and son made quick work of their sandwiches and started on a stack of hotcakes loaded with syrup. Juanita picked at her burrito, then seeing how much her men were enjoying their meals she gave in, eating heartily until she was full. She wiped her mouth and sighed. "I love American breakfast," she said, patting her extended belly. "But it makes me fat." Then she laughed and they all joined in.

Sean took note of how something so simple made this family happy. Of course, their true happiness was due to the fact that they had survived the journey, and Juanita would be giving birth to their American miracle baby.

"I have good news for you." Sean cleaned up the wrappers and stuffed them in the now empty bag. "I'm going to take Miguel and Raul home with me until you can join us, Juanita. Kayla and her family are going to let you stay in your own cabin."

"We must leave?" Miguel asked, with a frightened look toward his wife. "My wife needs us here." He patted her hand, and bent to kiss her forehead.

"Your wife needs rest, and you two need a place to live while she's in the hospital," Sean reassured him. He smiled warmly at Juanita. "The three ladies who own the resort have offered you a cabin in exchange for some light work around the place.”

Tears rolled down Miguel's cheeks. He hugged his wife. "You are too kind. No need... we are fine here. Or with you. Unless we are too much trouble?"

Sean smiled. "No trouble, but this gives you more room. And privacy." He shrugged. "Better for me too."

Miguel straightened up, and was silent for a long moment. Then a big smile engulfed his face. "A home of our own!" he exclaimed. "Only in America."

Sean had a sinking feeling in his stomach. Did they think they could stay here forever? He had better set things straight. "Only until the baby comes," he said," then you can relocate anywhere you want."

"Here. We stay here." Miguel bobbed his head. "We can work. I can garden, work with tools. Handyman, yes?"

"Yes. Until the baby comes." Sean wanted to make that clear—it was a temporary solution to their problem, until the Refugee agency stepped in. "You could help around the place. Spruce it up. Do you paint?"

It didn't take much more for Sean to convince Miguel and Raul to leave so Juanita might rest. Especially since she and the day nurse practically pushed them out the door.

On the return drive, Miguel chatted about the work he would do, and knowing how important it was to his pride, Sean didn't object or indicate that perhaps he should give himself some time to heal from the arduous journey. Instead he stopped at Home Goods and let Miguel choose the items he'd need for the jobs he had planned.

While he was there, Sean found some flowered baskets that would look nice on the cottage decks or around the pool. Since he didn't have any idea of colors that Kayla would paint the cabin exteriors, he bought cans of primer and roller brushes to get the job started.

When they returned, he stopped at the office hoping to catch Kayla, but Anna greeted him instead.

"I have Miguel and Raul with me," he told her. "Juanita is doing well. I brought them McDonald's for breakfast." He made a face. "Not exactly heart healthy I know, but they enjoyed it and needed something to fatten them up."

Anna smiled. "Absolutely right. I'm so glad you brought them here to stay with us. Do you think Juanita will be released in a few days? The cost of a hospital stay would be exorbitant, and I don't care who's paying for it."

"The Refugee program takes care of medical bills, but I'm sure they don't want any unnecessary costs either. Once she's properly stabilized they'll release her in our care."

"That's good, then. The girls have got Smooth Sailing ready for them. Do you need a key?"

"No. Kayla gave me one last night." He cleared his throat. Talking about Kayla to her mother—after the things he'd done with her last night—well, it was a touch uncomfortable. The sooner he said what he needed to say, the quicker he could get out of here.

He glanced out the window where Miguel and Raul waited in the car. "I wanted you to know that we stopped at Home Goods and ordered some supplies. Should arrive later today. Miguel refuses to stay unless he can work, and I remembered that Kayla mentioned she wanted the cabins painted. So Miguel has offered to do it."

"Oh my!" Anna gasped and put a hand to her throat. "We certainly did not expect that! He's in no condition to do manual labor. That poor man—the whole family! We only want them to rest up from their terrible ordeal and build their stamina. They might need it for whatever comes their way. Heaven knows what will happen to them when they leave here."

She glanced at the Toyota Corolla, and gave a little wave. "Please tell them we appreciate the offer but it's not necessary." Then a thought occurred to her. "Unless we can pay them, of course. They will need money, and his wallet was lost at sea. Correct?"

"Yes, but he won't take your money. Having a roof over their heads and food in their stomach is more than they could expect. You may try, but I don't think you'll have any luck. He's determined to earn his and his family's keep."

"I understand. A man has his pride. I'll ask Kayla to speak with them this afternoon. Perhaps she can sort something out—a light work schedule that won't tax his strength."

He almost laughed. Miguel was a wiry little bugger, and would likely outlast him when it came down to physical labor in these hot, humid conditions. He'd put money on it, and the fact that the man would sleep better for it.

"Sounds good." Conversation over, Sean headed for the door. He didn't look at Anna as he spoke, "Where is Kayla now? I could order the paint and have it delivered at the same time, if I knew the color scheme she had in mind."

"She's sleeping," her mother said. "She seemed unusually tired after she came back from making up the two cabins. Taylor and Brittany helped a little, but then they both had other jobs they needed to do. Neither of them like grunt work, I'm afraid." The phone rang and she moved to answer it. "Go ahead and wake her. It's been a couple of hours and she won't mind." 

Sean had a hand on the door and didn't look back. "Let her rest. Just let her know that she doesn't need a handyman. Miguel and I will get the cabins painted for her."

Anna smiled. "How nice of you. She's a stickler when it comes to keeping within a budget, so this will be a big help." Then she picked up the phone. "Paradise Cove Cottages. How can I assist you today?"

Sean let himself out and drove down the dusty road to Rhapsody. Kayla had told him how embarrassed they all were with some of the names, so as a surprise he’d picked out some wood. Figured he could carve out a nice new nameplate for his cabin too.

Miguel and Raul climbed out of the car just as a new family arrived. There was a boy about the same age as Raul, with a younger sister that looked about four or five. The couple had parked their car in front of the cabin where the honeymooners had stayed, and were unloading their belongings.

"Can I help them?" Raul asked. "I'm big and strong, and I want to work too."

Sean laughed. "Why don't you just relax for a few days? You know how to relax, don't you?"

The boy looked at his father. "
No entiendo
." He looked from one male face to the other. "In America we no work?" He scuffed the ground with his freshly bought sneakers. "Everything is free?"

"No, not free," Sean hastened to assure him. "But children go to school, and when they come home they help their family with chores. But you are a guest here. Like the other families. So, no work." He ruffled the boy's head. "Can you read? Do you like books?"

"I can read a little, and spell and write too. I was taught by a woman in our village. Education is very important," he said proudly, "but so is work." With that said, the boy turned and ran off in the direction of the new family. He grabbed the bag out of the lady's hand, and grinned. "My name is Raul," he told them. "I'm a guest here too, but I like to work." He grabbed the little girl's bag that she was rolling, and headed for the cabin. "I help carry bags."

Mystified, the family didn't even try to stop him.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Kayla stormed over to Rhapsody, almost glad that she had something to be angry about. It was better to have an emotion to galvanize her, rather than dwell on the subject of Sean and how she was going to handle her feelings for him.

She ran up the stairs, rapped on the door, and took several deep breaths. What had he been thinking? Yes, she needed the work done, but no way
in hell
would she let Miguel do this without being paid. They had twelve cottages in all, and she’d already budgeted for that expenditure. It wasn't cheap, but it needed to be done, and done correctly. She knew Miguel's heart was in the right place and that he felt a certain obligation to repay her and her family for giving them a much needed break, but not like this.

She rapped on the door again. "Hey, Kayla," the voice came from behind. Whipping around, she saw Sean standing there, fishing rod in hand. Raul and another young boy about the same age carried a pail with what she hoped was a dead fish flopping over the edge.

"Hi boys," she said, then whispered, "I need to talk to you," as pleasantly as she could. "About the delivery we just got from Home Goods." She had seen some lumber and primer, and paint brushes, and flower baskets?

"Sure. No problem. Why don't you come in? As you can see Raul and his new buddy, Jack, caught themselves some fish, and we need to gut them and clean 'em up." He grinned. "You want to help?"

Damn, he was cute—especially with that cocky grin of his. Her heart fluttered like a silly girl's. She wasn't sure if she wanted to kiss him or smack him. He made everything difficult. How could she be mad when her entire insides were doing the cha-cha-cha?

"I'm not really into gutting fish," she told him, "but I'll come inside and have some iced tea." She stood out of the way while he opened the door, allowing the boys toting their prized fish to enter. "You have iced tea?"

"Check the fridge. I know I have beer and bottled water." He turned his attention on Raul and Jack. "Drop the fish in the sink, and then go into the bathroom and wash up," he instructed and she watched as they quickly obeyed.

Kayla was pleased to see Raul looking so normal and happy, and that he'd made a friend already. And she tried not to be too impressed at how easily Sean handled the young boys. He would have been a terrific father. How unfair that his young daughter had been taken at such an early age.

The knowledge seeped into her, melting her anger and warming her heart. Here stood a man that she could easily love, but couldn't keep, and yet, every time she was in his presence she cared a little more. Sean had no idea of the ripple of feelings that turned her into a pile of mush, and he mustn't ever find out. She couldn't burden him with that.

She opened the fridge and peeked around for iced tea. There was a small bottle of orange juice behind the beer, and a liter of Coke that was still half full. She pushed aside a package of smelly cheese to grab a bottle of water and took a big sip.

Sean had his back to her, rinsing the two fish in the sink. He patted them dry with paper towels, then wiped his hands and turned to her. "What's up? You don't look too happy about something."

She advanced on him, not sure what she'd do when she got there. Luckily there were two boys in the cabin, or she might have suggested going back to bed, and starting over. Her eyes roamed over his face, and lingered on his mouth. Her pulse speeded up, but she did her best to squash the turmoil of emotions she felt in his presence.

"Why did you tell Miguel he could paint the cabins? I had hoped that he could do some minor work around the place, but I need a professional to do the outside paintwork. I already hired someone for the job."

"Then call them and cancel. Might lose a deposit if you had one, but it'll still work out a whole lot cheaper."

"I don't care about that." She shrugged with frustration. "I don't want them working so hard. We're doing this as a kindness. We have no wish to be repaid, especially not when they are recovering from their ordeal." She put her hands on her hips, and spoke quietly. "Raul and Miguel should be in the hospital too. Have you seen how battered that boy is?" She blinked rapidly. "He's got a lump on his forehead, and his little legs and arms are badly bruised." She bit her bottom lip. "And so skinny. A good wind could blow him away."

Sean tugged her close. "You know how pretty you are when you're mad? I could kiss you right now."

"No, you can't!" She pushed at his chest. "And the baskets of flowers? What were they for? Last night?"

"It was just a gift. I thought you could use them to spruce up the office or Passions. Heck, I don't know."

"A gift." She lowered her voice. "I don't expect or accept gifts from men I occasionally sleep with."

"Mr. Sean?" Raul pulled at his shirt. "My hands are clean. Can I gut the fish?"

Reluctantly, Kayla took a step back. "Good job catching that yellow tail snapper, Raul. It's a tasty fish." She smiled at the other boy. "And you're Jack? Which cabin is yours?"

He answered shyly. "We're staying in the cabin next door."

"That's how I met him," Raul said. "His screen has a hole in it. Dad's patching it up."

"That's nice of your dad," Kayla said, "but he shouldn't be doing that." She sighed and glanced at Sean. "This is wrong."

"No, it isn't. Let him help. He wants to."

"I know." She sighed, and turned to the new boy. "Welcome to Paradise Cove, Jack. Did you have a good trip in? You drove from North Carolina, didn't you? Straight through?"

"No, we stopped in Disney. It was super cool. Wish we could have stayed longer, but Dad said we were going to do some fishing."

"You’ve come to the fishing capital of the world, right here," she answered, "as you can see by these beauts you caught in such a short time. And it may not be as exciting as Disney but I think we have lots of fun things for you to do." She glanced over at Raul and winked. "How did you boys meet?"

Jack answered. "We were unpacking the car, and Raul offered to help. Then his dad came over and said there was a hole in one of our screens. In the living room."

"I see. I'm sorry. You should have reported it to the office."

Raul scuffed the toe of his shoe on the wooden floor. "Did we do something wrong? Do we have to leave?"

The look on his face shamed her. "No, you don't have to leave. You have to eat and sleep and get well. Soon the baby will be here, and then there'll be no time to sleep." She tried to gentle her voice and ease the boy's worry. "I'm sorry if I seem grumpy."

"Why won't we sleep?" he asked. "When the baby comes?"

"Because babies cry a lot."  She bit her bottom lip and glanced over at Sean. He was busy cleaning and gutting the fish, but she knew that he was listening to their conversation.

"That's why I don't want you and your father working. You will have your hands full once your mother is here, and when the baby is born." She wiped her damp palms on her jean shorts, feeling embarrassed now.

"That's okay," Raul said. "Dad doesn't sleep much. Me neither."

Her shoulders slumped, and she knew that she'd lost the battle before it even began. "No problem. Did you boys have lunch? You want me to make a couple of sandwiches? How about you, Sean? Why don't I run back to the cottage and make a picnic lunch? If you like you could take it down to the pool and have a swim."

Sean turned slowly and his eyes washed over her, from head to toe. She flushed under his scrutiny. "I hear you were working hard today, and that your sisters ran out on you. We'll have that picnic, but only if you'll join us."

"Uh, uh, I don't usually swim with our guests," she stammered. "Use the beach when I want a dip."  

"Gotta watch out for sharks," he replied, glancing at her body once again. "I think you should put your swimsuit on and meet us at the pool in half an hour. What do you say boys? Is that a good idea?"

Jack nodded enthusiastically. "I'll go ask mom and dad. They might want me to bring Megan along. She has to use her swimmers though. She can't swim, but she can float."

"Tell your parents that I'll be along to look after you kids," Kayla told him. "Or if they like, they can join us too."

"Okey-dokey," he answered. He ran off and the screen door slammed behind him.

Raul walked toward his bedroom. "I don't have a swim suit. Can I wear these shorts?"

She nodded. "Sure you can. And we will buy you some tomorrow."

Sean stepped closer and lowered his voice, "Wear a bikini," he said. "It's awfully hot."

She narrowed her eyes. "All the more reason to cover up. I don't want to burn."

He shifted his large body, crowding her space. His eyes were on her mouth, making her remember the taste of him. "I'll put sunscreen on you. No need to worry."

Damn, he was impossible! Impossible not to want, not to love. How could she mend his broken heart and not end up with one of her own? "Just what I was afraid of," she mumbled under her breath. "So what are you going to do with the snapper?"

"Eat it, of course. It'll make a nice dinner for Miguel, Raul and myself."

"Oh. I'm sure it will be, but if you'd like to wait until the happy hour is over, you could bring it over and Taylor would cook it up. All three of you are welcome."

"Well, that's a nice thought." His eyes caressed her face. "It's almost two now, so we won't be hungry after the sandwiches you promised us."

"It's a date then." She blushed. "Not a date date. You know what I mean."

"I do." He darted a quick glance at Raul, but he was busy playing with his fish. "And I can't wait to get my hands on you later."

Her pulse jumped into high gear, and she turned to flee, and ran smack into Miguel. "You," she gasped. "Thank you for fixing the screen, but really, you don't need to work. I want you and Raul to rest before the baby comes."

"Relax!" he scoffed. "That's an American word for lazy. I help you instead. Si?"

"Si," she gave in, not wanting to insult him or strip his pride. "Is it okay for Raul to come swimming with us? You're welcome to come too."

He shook his head and glanced at his son. "Swimming, Raul?  Don't we have more important things to do?"

The little boy's face crumpled and his shoulders sagged.

"It was my idea," Kayla said. "He needs to help look after Jack's younger sister. She might be coming to the pool too. And he can help me carry the picnic basket, and set things up."

Miguel mulled that over in his head and then nodded in agreement. "Okay. Raul can help you. It's good."

"I understand, Miguel. He'll be a big help." Kayla would make sure that Raul's work included having some fun. After all, he came from a place where life was hard. Miguel had been a carpenter and worked from dawn to dusk, and Juanita had taken laundry in. She'd overheard them tell the refugee people at the hospital about their life at home. Raul had had a little schooling but then he'd been pulled out when they lost their older boy. No longer in school, he'd helped the fishermen down at the docks, and they had paid him with scraps of fish.

He was still a small child, and already he had experienced more than most people in their lifetimes. He knew grief and hardship and a great many things. But did he know how to laugh and enjoy himself? Kayla wondered. It would be her job to teach him that.