Queen’s Knight (Invitation to Eden) (3 page)

The derision in Preston’s voice was evidence in more his tone than the words, but it was the disappointed expression in Jeremiah’s eyes that hit home. As the two men walked off, Evan sat down heavily on a nearby chair. Line by line, he went over the entire conversation in his mind and came up with answers far better than the nothing that had left his lips.

Why couldn’t he come up with those quips on the spot? Why only after the fact?

He ran a hand over his face, suddenly tired, and glanced back toward the pool. The bar in the middle of the water had several people, but he didn’t see the woman in the white bikini.

Regret tore through him.
Dammit.
He’d made the wrong choice.

Evan’s phone buzzed with another email, and he checked it absently. He deflated when he saw it was from his father, and pocketed the phone without reading the note. Gideon McQueen likely wanted a detailed update on how things were going, and wouldn’t be pleased with his son’s apparent lack of progress.

He wasn’t in the mood to deal with his father. Flagging down a waiter in khaki shorts, he asked, “Where would I inquire about the island tours?”

––––––––

D
ani hated removing stripped bolts, ones that wouldn’t come out with any kind of tool but a drill. They always made the supposedly simple jobs like changing a leaky gasket much harder than they should have been.

The handheld impact driver should be turning the bolt, but no matter how much she whaled on the tool it wouldn’t budge. She’d already drained the oil, removed the plastics and carburetor, but she couldn’t get the rusted bolts loose from the frame. The four-wheeler wasn’t giving up its engine without a fight, and Dani was ready to take a hacksaw to the whole thing. Stubbornly resisting the impulse, she almost cried in relief when she finally succeeded in turning the offending bolt a fraction.

Only to pull the tool away and find she’d instead twisted off the entire head of the bolt.

The urge to throw the impact driver across the shop overwhelmed her, but at that moment her cell phone rang. She knew it was a probably a bad idea to talk to anyone right then, but Dani grabbed the phone out of her pocket and answered with a flat, “What.”

Silence rang on the other end for a moment. “Baby, did I catch you at a bad time?”

Dani’s shoulder slumped, and she stared up at the metal roof of the shop. “Hi mom,” she said, plopping down on a nearby work stool. Of all the people to call at that moment, why did it have to be the one Dani needed to be the most careful with?

“You haven’t called in a while.” Her mother’s voice sounded brittle, hurt, and Dani’s heart squeezed. “If you’re busy, maybe I can call back at a better time.”

“No, mama, you just caught me at a bad time.” If Dani had known the caller was her mother, she wouldn’t have answered. As much as she loved her mother, Ava Knight didn’t always see eye to eye with her daughter. Dani wasn’t in the mood for lectures, but having answered the phone like that guaranteed at least a few minutes of regular conversation. Yay, the power of guilt. “So, what’s new with you?”

“Well, yesterday I got a wedding invitation in the mail from David. I guess he’s finally getting married to that girlfriend of his.”

Silence fell over the line as Ava awaited her daughter’s response, but Dani didn’t know what to say, let alone feel. She took a ragged breath as her mother continued. “They’ve been together almost two years, probably met not long after you...well, afterwards. They look really happy in the pictures.” Another pause. “I’m sorry, baby.”

Ah, there it was. The old familiar pain. “I’m happy for him,” she murmured, but the words rang hollow. David Blake had been Dani’s friend for as far back as she could remember, the son of family friends. They’d grown up together, dated all through middle and high school. He’d been her brother James’ best friend; everyone had assumed that the two of them would get married.

Then that dream had shattered in a million pieces and everything had gone to pot.

“Your father’s out working on the boat,” Ava continued quickly, as if only just realizing she probably shouldn’t have opened with that tidbit of news. “I can go get him if you’d like, he’d love to talk to you.”

“No, I, I need to get back to work.” She swallowed thickly, and then took a deep breath. “If you see David, can you please tell him I’m happy for him? Really, I am.”

“You know, it’s not too late for college.”

Dani’s shoulders slumped. “Mom...” she started, already knowing where the conversation was going.

“Plenty of folks start later these days. I know you missed out on the whole college experience...”

“Mom, you do remember I did almost two years of college. Believe me, I didn’t miss out on anything.”

“I’m just saying that, baby, you’re not too old to go back to school.”

Dani blinked. “I’m twenty-four years old, ma,” she said, frowning at the phone. Had her own mother just called her old? “And I’ve already decided college isn’t for me, you know this.”

“Oh honey, I just wish you lived closer. I miss seeing you, and your grandmother is getting older.”

From somewhere behind her mother’s words, Dani heard an older voice squawk, “I’m fit as a fiddle, and you can tell her I said that too.”

Dani grinned, recognizing her grandmother’s voice, but Ava wasn’t finished. “I just worry about you. All those dangerous countries on that motorcycle of yours.” Her voice grew more distressed with each word. “I don’t hear from you for weeks at a time, and I worry that, that...”

“Mom.” Dani readied herself for a battle, but surprisingly her mother immediately subsided. Dani thought a moment about what to say, then sighed. “I love you.”

Silence fell on the other end, and Dani knew her mother had finally gotten the hint. “I love you too, honey. Please, please stay safe.”

“I will, promise.”

Dani knew her mother never believed those promises, but they were all she could give. She hung up the phone, and looked around the garage.

Ten years ago—heck, even just five—she never would have believed she’d be here. This kind of scene had been James’ territory; he’d been the mechanic in the family, the daredevil, the adventurous one. Dani had been the good girl, the one who did what was expected, the one who’d hung on her brother’s every word when he recounted his adventures. She wondered again what he would think of her now.

He’d probably want to give me a high-five.
That thought of her brother made her smile.

Sighing, Dani took a step backwards...

...right into the container of oil she’d drained only moments before.

Rose stuck her head in through the door right then before Dani could even get a curse out. “Hey, looks like we’ve got company.”

Kicking and screaming were out then, but she was so not in the mood to entertain guests. She hadn’t even realized Rose was in the other room. The other woman sometimes liked to come down here to do her work, said it gave her a change of pace.

“Give me a minute,” Dani called, pushing back the errant strands of hair with the back of her hand and hopping on one foot, trying to keep her now-oily boot over the container.

Conceding defeat for the moment, she grabbed a nearby shop towel and wiped off her boot, then quickly began putting tools in their rightful places. She’d learned the hard way years ago that tools had a way of disappearing if they weren’t put away immediately.

Oil and grime coated her fingers, and she didn’t think customers would appreciate her getting their hands dirty. Usually Eugene, the concierge, sent word ahead of time if anyone wanted to take a ride or hike, so they didn’t have many unexpected visitors to the garage.

“Need a hand with anything?”

Dani’s head shot up at the familiar voice. Evan stood at the entranced, watched her in bemusement. “Oh, hey,” she said, fighting to keep the silly grin that threatened to burst forth off her face. “Well, unless you can magically remove a sheered bolt from this cylinder head, I think we’re both SOL.”

“If you have a decent power tool with the right sized bits, maybe I can drill and tap you a new threaded hole.”

Dani blinked at him. “Whoa.” Talk about underestimating someone. “Where’d you learn how to do that?”

“My grandfather used to be a mechanic, did most of the work on his old cars and motorcycles.” He walked into the garage and looked around the garage, his face tinged with almost nostalgia. “He taught me a few things the summers I spent down there with him.”

“Huh. You may come in handy after all.” She continued wiping her hands, studying him as he looked around the small shop. “Decided to take one of the island tours?”

“What can I say?” He grinned, flashing perfect teeth, and Dani’s heart skipped a beat. “You made a compelling case at the pool. Although, I’m not quite dressed for the occasion.”

God, he’s handsome when he smiles.
Even in the low light of the garage, his blue eyes sparkled, and she could tell he was excited.

She blew out a breath, trying to keep her response to him hidden.
Business, Dani, this is all business.
“We have gear you can rent, ranging from gloves to full-body armor.” She looked him over, liking what she saw. He was over six feet tall, which, as a tall girl herself, suited her just fine.

Stop it. He’s a customer, not a date. Get your head on straight.

“What were you thinking about then? The hike is gorgeous, and I know a few ATV trails that are pretty easy.”

“What about dirt bikes?”

She tried and failed to keep the answering grin off her face. “Ah, a man after my own heart. You’re going to need full body armor then, mainly for safety reasons.”

“Whatever the lady decides.”

The way he said that made her belly clench, and she turned quickly to hide her reaction. “We have a full assortment of gear,” she said, suddenly breathless, “I know something will fit.”

Geez Dani, get a grip.
Apparently, it’d been too long since she’d had any interest in the opposite sex. Dani couldn’t tell if he was being polite or was similarly interested, and she didn’t want to know. The nature of the resort was that customers came, enjoyed themselves, and left.

That was her plan too. She didn’t intend on staying here much longer, and any romance certainly wasn’t in the books for her.

The equipment room was small and cluttered. Evan toed a large container of kitty litter. “Do you have a cat?”

“No, we have a mechanic,” Rose piped up from the adjacent office, and Dani grinned.

“We use the litter to help clean up oil spills.” She picked up the container and, taking off the lid, sprinkled it liberally over the oil she’d spilled. “Helps wick up the oil and other fluids that are water resistant, making it easier to clean up.”

Bending down, she quickly sought to put a few things back where they belonged, muttering about her lack of domestic skills. Most folks who asked for her services wanted to do hikes or the ATVs. “What size shoe do you wear?” she called over her shoulder. He looked like he’d fit a medium pant and jacket, although his broad shoulders might require a large.

“European size or American?”

She started at his voice so close and spun around. Evan stood right behind her, head cocked to one side just studying her. He was standing close but not obscenely so, but Dani could almost feel his presence on her skin. Her heart rate sped up and rational thought fled her mind.
He’s even more gorgeous up close.

He stepped forward and leaned in, as if to kiss her. Dani trembled, swallowing hard.

“I think these will fit me.”

Dani blinked as he straightened back up, then realized that he was holding a hanger of clothes. Flustered, she cleared her throat and grabbed a set of nearby boots. “Try these and see if they’ll work.”

She hadn’t meant to shove the boots into his chest quite so hard, but his grin just widened. Dani realized he’d likely seen and understood her reaction to him.
Bastard,
she thought, but couldn’t resist an answering grin. He was going to regret that, he just didn’t know it yet.

“Get dressed, and I’ll show you what bikes we’ve got.” Head high, she squeezed past him, ignoring how her skin heated up anywhere it touched him. He smelled divine too, which made her hate him more.

“Yes ma’am,” he called after her, but she didn’t look back. She had the perfect trail for him, one guaranteed to wipe that knowing grin off his face.

Oh yeah. This afternoon was gonna be
fun.

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H
e’d been thrown straight into the deep end and he knew it, but Evan was having a blast.

The motorcycle he’d been given had no lights of any kind, just a plate where the headlight would go, and was much taller than anything he remembered from his youth. It’d been a good while since last he’d ridden a dirt bike but he picked it up again quickly. Which was good, because Dani, his guide, wasn’t going easy on him.

Maybe you shouldn’t have teased her like that.

Nah, it was all worth it. He’d seen her wide eyes, the way she’d responded to his presence. Kissing her in that closet had more than crossed his mind, but he’d enjoyed it when she saw the jacket and pants in his hand. Normally, he didn’t tease ladies but, in this instance at least, it had been fun.

It made him want to do it again. Unfortunately, he was having trouble keeping up with her.

But, oh, what a view.

“I take it you go this way often?” he remarked through the headset. He’d been surprised to find that the helmets had their own set of communications so that the riders could talk to one another. Dani had been quiet for the most part once she’d explained the basics of riding off road and seeing how he was with the bike.

He’d give his right eye to know what she was thinking right then.

“Not really, no,” she replied after a brief hesitation. “Although it wouldn’t really matter here anyway.”

“What do you mean?”

This time the pause was longer, and he thought maybe she was ignoring his question before she finally replied. “The island is strange. I can take a trail I’ve been down a dozen times before, and every time I go I see something new. It’s like the island wants to show itself off and isn’t afraid to bend reality a bit.”