Trust in Us (4 page)

“How’d
that
friendship happen?” Gage glanced over to Orchid and Jayson. “I thought, with her family’s money, she’d have been in some private school.”

Aly levered a weighty look toward her friend. “Yeah, she was, but there were...problems with following a few choice rules and Mr. Benjamin said if she wanted to rule-break, he wasn’t gonna pay an arm and a leg for her to do it. So he sent her to public school.”

“Damn. I heard he was a tough man.” Gage studied Orchid for a moment or two and then shook his head. “Hard to believe she got into so much trouble with a parent like that.”

“Well, Ork’s always done her own thing...but Luther Benjamin was a really great man.” Alythia set down her fork and leaned back into the chair, reminiscence filling her striking stare. “He never treated his daughter’s new public school girlfriends with anything other than acceptance and respect. He was the kind of dad we all wanted.” A sigh followed the admission.

“Wanted but...didn’t have?” Gage carefully probed.

“Myrna’s mom and dad separated when she was little.” Alythia hugged herself a bit, raking her square French tips over suddenly chilled arms. “Jeena never knew her dad, and mine...” She resisted the urge to allow resentment to close her eyes. “Mine was in and out, in and out of my mother’s pocketbook when he’d drank or gambled off his own. If he didn’t steal it, she’d give it to him, no questions, no matter if she had to pay rent, buy food or...”

“Clothes.”

His voice was quiet with understanding that made Aly smile while she nodded slowly.

“My mom died of a broken heart. She tried to be everything my father wanted. When that didn’t work, she tried to buy his love and when that didn’t work, she killed herself.”

The stunning revelation was interrupted when a belt of laughter rang out from Zeke and Jeena’s direction. Gage paid no mind to the outburst on the other side of the room. He appeared stricken and remorseful.

“Hell...” He groaned, having taken her elbow and drawn her so near to him that she was practically seated on the line between the cushions of his chair and her own. “God, I’m sorry for making you remember that.”

“No, Gage.” She smoothed her hand across the one that clutched her arm. “It wasn’t like that. She—” Aly inhaled around the sudden emotion swelling her chest. “She passed slowly over time. There was nothing...physically wrong. She just didn’t want to live—lost the will...”

“I’m sorry anyway.” He squeezed her arm and gave it a little tug.

“Thanks.” Her smile harbored none of its earlier somberness. “I’ll never own up to the idea that I have any ‘daddy issues.’ My sister and I are too busy living our lives for that.”

“I like the sound of that.” Gage applied a soft thumb stroke to the bend of her arm.

“It’s true. We live our lives in tribute to our mom.”

Suspiciously amused, he smiled. “How?”

The high back of the chair provided the perfect headrest and Alythia indulged. “My sister is married to a pretty awesome guy who I’m not ashamed to say I’m just a little in love with.”

Gage’s whistle ushered in quick, hearty laughter. “Does your sister know this?”

“She does.” Aly joined in when Gage laughed again. “Doesn’t matter, though. The man only has eyes for her. He’s been known to actually stop talking midsentence when she walks into a room. And that’s just a
little piece
of what makes him so incredible.” She sighed, but the sound held a dreamy vibe. “Men like him are in short supply.”

Gage focused on where his thumb brushed Alythia’s skin. “So while your sister is taking great men
off
the market, you’re putting great clothes
on
it?”

Alythia’s expressive gaze widened. “That’s a fantastic way to look at it. Hmph, do you mind if I use that?”

Again he performed the permissive wave. “Not at all.”

“Your attention, please.”

The mixed conversations were interrupted then by the sound of the captain’s voice merging in among the warm drone of voices, clinking glasses and laughter.

“We are within thirty-five minutes of our arrival time and ask that you please begin your return to the main deck...”

“We’ll have dessert and coffee upstairs, guys,” Gage called out while the captain continued his message.

“Can we talk more later?” he asked Alythia while the others were pushing out of their seats.

Her smile brightened and she accepted when he offered her his hand.

“I’d like that,” she told him, barely noticing the looks passing between the other couples at her and Gage’s expense.

Chapter 4

A
s the captain’s instructions hadn’t demanded an
immediate
return to the main level, some decided to indulge in a few additional moments of getting acquainted. Alythia and Gage had the main cabin all to themselves for over fifteen minutes following the group’s departure from the dining area. The bride and groom were the first to rejoin them.

Alythia didn’t frown on Orchid’s missing earring or too-tousled hair. A little lovemaking among the clouds would be the first of many happy memories for the soon-to-be-married couple, Alythia hoped.

Her contented thoughts about lovemaking at plus or minus forty thousand feet began to ebb when the last two “couples” arrived. Myrna was smoothing down flyaway tendrils of her straight shoulder-length bob. The gesture may not have seemed so out of place were it not for Dane. He strolled in behind Myrna and made no secret of drawing her back to him for a throaty kiss before he situated himself inside his jeans and tugged the zipper in place.

Zeke and Jeena proved to be a bit more discreet. They were not quite beyond the cabin’s viewing range when Zeke plied Jeena’s cheek with a parting kiss. He took it upon himself to secure the remaining few buttons on Jeena’s blouse before they rounded the corner to join the others.

Alythia lost her taste for the drink she’d been watching Gage prepare. She reclaimed her spot along the window and far away from the main seating area. She’d been seated less than five minutes when a heavenly smell drifted beneath her nose. She found Gage setting two plates of the fragrant apple cobbler on the table between them. He retrieved their drinks from the bar and then took his place across from Alythia’s seat and handed her one of the Baileys on the rocks.

When Aly looked his way, an understanding smile was tugging at the appealing curve of his mouth.

“It helps when you just ignore it,” he said.

Aly didn’t pretend to misunderstand. “And at what point does that become impossible?” she countered.

Gage sipped at his Baileys. “Been asking myself that for years,” he muttered.

Aly raised her glass, set it down on the table and crumbled into uninhibited laughter. Gage joined her moments later.

Anegada, British Virgin Islands

Sitting farthest north of the British Virgin Islands was Anegada, a low, flat island known for its miles and miles of white-sand beaches and its commercial fishing success. While tourism served as the primary business on the island, the area was sparsely populated throughout much of the year. Alythia felt her well-being improve the moment she’d inhaled a few gulps of the floral air and absorbed the dazzling hues of blue and green that composed the environment.

Curiosity instigated a frown when she focused in on the local who had greeted them and was then shaking hands with Gage and his friends. By the time the man had made his way around to
her
friends, Aly knew exactly who he was.

“Clive Weeks?” she said before Gage could make the introductions. “Alythia Duffy,” she supplied, watching the man’s expression go from welcoming to surprised to stunned to pleased.

“Incredible!” he greeted, taking both of her hands in his and shaking them energetically.

“How?” Alythia looked to Gage, her meaning clear.

“College roommates,” Gage and Clive explained in unison.

Alythia nodded but she didn’t feel quite as at ease as she would’ve liked to at the moment.

“Absolutely incredible.” Clive was pleased enough for them both.

The fact settled Alythia’s suspicions somewhat. She was, however, very aware of her friends, whom she wasn’t quite ready to share her business plans with. Thankfully, all the new lovers were still wholly absorbed with one another.

“C, why don’t you let the woman get some rest before you load her down with business?” Gage suggested as though he’d sensed Alythia’s reluctance to get too chatty with Clive around her friends.

“Right, right.” Clive’s baby blues registered apology and he gave Alythia’s hands a final shake. “What was I thinking?”

“It’s fine.” Aly’s smile was genuine. Clive’s enthusiasm was very contagious.

“We’ll talk tomorrow. Tonight is for fun.” Clive left Alythia with a decisive nod before he turned to regain everyone else’s attention. “Folks, the shuttle will be ready to carry us back to the resort in just a second!”

Jeena and Myrna had been conducting a silent inventory of the pier. For the time being, their minds seemed to be off the new men in their lives and on their surroundings.

“Clive? Will it be like this the entire time?”

Clive’s accommodating smile never wavered. “What do you mean?” he asked Myrna.

“She means dead,” Orchid said.

Alythia closed her eyes out of equal parts dread and mortification.

“You’re about to be amazed,” Clive promised, apparently taking no offense to the insult to his home.

From a brief conversation amid the group, Alythia learned that one year Clive had visited Anegada during the off-season. He’d taken an extended vacation from his once-thriving law practice in Greensboro, North Carolina, but he’d never gone back. He’d been in love with Anegada for ten years and mentioned that the love affair showed no signs of growing old.

“You guys are arriving, luckily, on the tail end of the storm season. It’s also after our tourist season, as well,” Clive continued. “That accounts for the lack of bodies, but I can assure you that my resort, which is just outside Keel Point, is definitely not
dead.
”

This news drew hearty laughter from everyone—including Alythia, who had mixed a healthy dose of relief into hers.

Clive stepped aside to speak with his shuttle driver. In minutes he announced they were ready to set out. Alythia celebrated the fact that Gage and his friends were speaking with Clive and missing the conversation while she and her girls boarded the shuttle. Just then, Jeena was agreeing with Orchid that they would’ve expected for Gage to have a car waiting for them.

* * *

Anegada Weeks Resort was a play on Clive’s surname and a tribute to the love he had for the place he called home. The multilevel main villa was a grand structure that provided a spectacular view of any area of the property.

Wide floor-to-ceiling windows were accentuated by billowing drapes, filling the expansive, comfortably elegant rooms with refreshing breezes that mingled with the scents from vast floral arrangements that decorated every room, corridor and window.

Aside from the staff and grounds, only the guests rivaled the resort for beauty. As Clive had promised, the place was certainly not dead. While there wasn’t an overflow of bodies, the surroundings were more than alive with the sounds of music, life and laughter. The Weeks Resort boasted live music twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. The grooves were piped in to all areas of the vibrant establishment, with the exception of the suites.

The amount and variation of the excitement must have appeased Orchid, Jeena and Myrna, for they were quick to abandon their male love interests. Their plan was to follow the baggage carriers to their suites for a quick change of attire and then return to the array of bars, hot-tub lounges and poolside cafés for an afternoon of socializing.

As pleased by her friends’ contentment as a mom leaving her squealing child with a sitter, Alythia envisioned an afternoon of sleep. She hoped her friends would find much to do and not miss her company for at least a couple of hours.

Aly could have kissed Clive Weeks when she discovered she and her girls had been spread out in suites along different wings of the resort. Satisfaction settled like a warm blanket the moment the door closed behind the polite porter. The middle-aged Haitian man must have sensed Alythia’s exhaustion, for he bid her pleasant dreams before making his departure. Happiness manifested then in the form of a sigh when Aly marveled at the king bed with its four tall posters. The engraved mahogany supported gauzy curtains that puffed out in an elegant display thanks to the tropical breezes that circulated through the open windows. The broad frames were bumped infrequently by the heavy leaves of gigantic palm trees that danced wildly amid the wind.

Alythia approached the windows, wishing to be showered by the strong gusts of air. She discovered that there were fine screens behind the panes that admitted the sensational breeze and not much else.

The lullaby performed by the palm-tree leaves gradually returned Aly’s thoughts to her desire for sleep. She’d kicked off her sandals and managed to exchange her travel clothes for a new pink-and-black sleep ensemble when the sound of jolly chimes mingled with the palm tree’s song. Her mobile. She’d almost forgotten having taken it off airplane mode after they left the jet. Myrna and Jeena had suffered no bouts of amnesia. They’d made quick work of reminding everyone to rejoin the land of the living when they dug out their phones.

Tired as she was, Aly didn’t resent answering the call when she saw the name on the faceplate.

“Well, hello!” she greeted her business manager.

“You sound awfully chipper.” Marianne Young’s husky voice would’ve sounded much deeper were it not for the underlying amusement that often colored her words.

“So how goes it?” Mari queried. “Any new scandals brewing?”

“Mari, shame on you,” Alythia halfheartedly scolded while she placed her sandals in the elm-wood wardrobe across the bedroom. “Why would you think such a thing?”

“Oh, Lord...is it that bad?”

“Not yet. Suffice it to say that bed partners have already been selected and...tested.”

Marianne whistled. “Wait a minute. How are you talking about this? Where is everyone else?”

“Separate suites, on separate wings of a huge resort.”

Another whistle sang through the phone line. “Did you arrange that?” Marianne asked.

“Hmph.” Aly wiggled her freed toes. “Not me. The fates did.” She smiled when Marianne laughed.

“So? Any word?” she asked once the woman’s chuckles softened.

“No decision has been made yet.” Marianne needed no clarity on what her client was referring to. Alythia had been in an almost-constant state of anxiety over the past few months. “Our proposal is sound, Aly. Try not to worry over this while you’re there.”

“Do you think there’s anything more we can do to better our chances?” Aly persisted, perching on the arm of a deep chair near the open windows. “Maybe we could amp up our radio and TV advertisements. Do you think that might help?”

Marianne’s laughter had returned. “Girl, you’re too keyed up. You know that, right?”

“I know....” Alythia went boneless as she eased down into the chair, her long legs dangling over the arm. “I’ve been really edgy with the girls, too, and they don’t deserve it. They’re here to have fun, like I should be doing.”

“Exactly.” Marianne’s strong voice was successful at driving home her encouragement. “We’ve done everything we can for the time being. Trust me, I’ve checked to see if we’ve left any stones unturned and I’ll continue to check, all right?”

“All right.”

“All we can do is wait.”

“All we can do is wait.” Alythia came down from her anxious high while repeating Marianne’s precaution.

“Good. Now, you enjoy what I’m sure is gonna be an exquisite getaway.”

“It
is
that.” Aly closed her eyes as a strong breeze hit her face. “It’s definitely that, but all I want to do right now is go to sleep.”

“Well, there you go! I’m hanging up now. Sweet dreams...” Marianne’s connection ended a second later.

“Sweet dreams indeed.” Alythia sent a dreamy look in the bed’s direction. She left the chair with the intention of placing her mobile on the stately elm-wood-and-bamboo nightstand. Rethinking that decision, she returned it to her overnight case. There was enough business to keep her occupied in Anegada without calling home for more.

Aly was on her way to bed when there was a knock. She stopped just short of the door to offer up a fast prayer that it be none of her friends. Not yet—she really needed just a couple of hours of downtime. Heck, she’d settle for
one
hour at this point.

Fortified by the prayer, she pulled open the door and let Gage witness her relief when she saw him in the hallway.

As relieved as Alythia was, though, Gage appeared anything but. A mixture of uncertainty had illuminated his dark, handsome face. “Is this a bad time?” He put obvious effort into asking the question.

“Going to bed.” Aly rested her head on the side of the door. Her tone was lazy, eyelids heavy in anticipation of sleep.

“That part’s obvious.” A peculiar smile curved his fascinating mouth.

Alythia hadn’t noticed him blatantly raking his beckoning stare along her body before. When he lowered his gaze in a more direct manner that time, she took heed and received her second round of mortification for the day.

She’d been so focused on praying for it not to be her BFFs on the other side of the door that she had completely dismissed what she was wearing when she opened it.

Gage briefly set his hand across his mouth to shield a broadening smile as she bolted from the door to go in search of a robe.

* * *

He shut the room door and followed her deeper into the suite. In the bedroom he leaned back against the door and indulged in the long, unconscious glimpses she offered of surprisingly shapely limbs and other plump assets that were emphasized by the skimpy top and panties she was about to wear to bed.

A scrap of peach-colored material caught his eye and Gage braced off the door to investigate. He discovered the robe she was so obviously searching for. A light fragrance drifted from the satiny garment when he pulled it from beneath a bag on the armchair nearest the closet. He stole a moment to savor the feel of the material between his fingers. He let himself imagine how the item must feel with her filling it.

“Is this what you want?”

Alythia straightened, turning into his deep, close voice. She resisted the urge to let her lashes flutter out of embarrassment as she took what he offered.

“Thanks.” Her tone was hushed as she slipped on the robe. “I probably shouldn’t tell you I’m sorry about this, huh?”