Secrets Under the Sun, page 14
At her casual question, his shoulders lowered. “For the most part, it runs well. Aarya does a great job.”
“No mention of the assistant manager, huh?”
He stayed silent. The man wasn’t terrible at his job, but there was room for lots of improvement in his mind.
“I am going to demand a raise for myself and all the maintenance staff, however.”
She squeezed his hand. “You definitely deserve it. I’ve seen how hard you work.”
He grinned. “Thea mentioned you liked watching me. That I had nice muscles.”
“Oh, God.” Her cheeks turned pink, and she glanced away. “I can’t believe she overheard that. Or that she told you.”
His thumb stroked her skin, and she squirmed in her seat.
“I’m glad she did.” He gazed at her until she blushed even more. Her face was almost crimson now.
“Are you on a spy mission tonight to check out the competition?”
“No, I just wanted somewhere fancy. I may have to tell Vlad about the shrimp and crab dip here, though. It’s excellent.”
“Actually, he just added some shrimp and crab puffs to the specials menu recently. I’ve taste tested a few, and they might be better than the dip here. He may have to put them on the menu permanently.”
“I haven’t tried any of the food in the restaurant since I’ve been here. Good to know.”
Eleni grinned. “Get in good with Vlad, and he’ll give you samples every now and then if you stop by the kitchen. He doesn’t do it for everyone,”
His first reaction as the owner of the resort was that the chef shouldn’t be giving their food away for free. However, now that he’d seen how hard Eleni worked, as well as a number of other employees, he didn’t think having them sample a bite here or there was a bad thing. They could give meaningful suggestions on meal choices if asked by guests.
“Have you gone to any of the other resorts and spied on them, too?” She scooped out the last of her chocolate mousse and licked the spoon.
Shivers ran down his spine at the sight of her tongue running along the utensil. What had she asked? Oh, the resorts.
“I’m not an actual spy. This is just a favor for the owner.”
“A pretty big favor, considering what you have to do. I hope they’re paying you extra for dealing with…some of the staff.”
She meant Hugh, although Reva had been a pain in his backside with her personal requests and little tantrums. He didn’t care how much she did for Trey while he was in town, Dean and his brother needed to have a talk about his hiring practices.
“I’m getting compensated fine. Thus, my not worrying about the price of this dinner like I know you’re doing.”
The guilty expression on Eleni’s face said it all. “Then, thank you for spending some, hopefully not all, of your compensation on me.”
Dean sent her a smile he hoped would assure her that he didn’t mind at all. The waitress stopped by and asked if they needed anything else.
“I think we’re all set.” He glanced at Eleni, who nodded.
Once the check was paid and he’d left a generous tip on the table, he steered Eleni toward the side of the building. “Are you up for a walk along the beach? Unless you need to get back.”
“The kids’ll be in bed by now and most likely Mom is watching a movie or reading. We should be okay for a little stroll.”
Dean took her hand and led her down the walkway that ended at the sand behind the resort.
“Hold on. I need to take these shoes off. They’re great for a nice dinner out, not so much for beach walking.” She held tightly to his arm as she removed the high heels that made her legs look even more fabulous than ever.
They ambled down to where the surf kissed the sand and headed away from the resort. The silence was comfortable as Eleni nestled against his arm.
“Hey, I forgot to tell you. Hugh gave me a big apology for the nuts. Said it was irresponsible of him to have them around, and he’d make sure to remember about my allergy in the future.”
“That’s great. I hope he does.” Pretty sure it was the word that came from corporate that had him handing out the “I’m sorry”.
“Have you had a bad reaction before? What are the symptoms?”
“It depends on where the oil gets or if I eat it. The very first time, I was small, and my mouth swelled up, as well as my throat. My parents got me to the hospital quickly. After that, I was super careful about what I ate.”
“So you haven’t had a reaction since then?”
Eleni eyed the moon, shining brightly in the night sky. “A few times I got oil on my skin, and it started to swell. But there was one time Sean had eaten peanuts at work and must have gotten the oil on his pants. I probably touched it doing laundry and wiped my fingers across my mouth, because my lips started swelling. Scared me, for sure.”
“But he got you to the hospital in time?”
Her eyes lowered to the ground, and she inhaled deeply.
“Eleni?”
When she gazed back up at him, her lips were in a straight line. “Unfortunately, Sean wasn’t in any shape to take me anywhere. The kids were babies and already asleep. I didn’t want to try and get them in the car and drive myself there, but once you use an Epi Pen you have to seek medical help. So…I took a few Benedryl and hoped for the best.”
“Does that work?” His arm circled her shoulder, and he pulled her closer.
“If I had ingested the nuts, no it wouldn’t. However, since it had only gotten on my skin, I was able to ride it out. With a really swollen lip and half asleep because of the medicine, but it ended up fine.”
Dean wanted to rip into her husband for his stupid negligence, but the man wasn’t around. He hated that the kids didn’t have a dad, yet who knew what would have happened to Eleni and the children if Sean had continued on the way he was. They could have been killed just as easily in some other incident.
After a while, they circled around and started back the way they’d come. It had been forever since Dean had enjoyed a night like this with a woman. Most wanted whatever he was willing to buy them. Eleni simply wanted to be with him. It was refreshing.
Once on the walkway, she slipped her shoes back on and gazed up at him. “Does the owner expect you to go back to the Cape Cod resort?”
Dean’s stomach clenched. “I can if I want to.”
She tapped his hand with her finger. “Do you want to?”
If he did, that whole becoming her boyfriend thing would be a moot point. How disappointed would Thea be? Or Xander, since he’d promised to help do dad stuff? They’d started to build a small birdhouse using instructions they’d seen online.
“I thought I would at first. Now, I’m finding Last Chance Beach has some definite advantages over New England.”
Eleni’s smile grew, and she gave a deep sigh. “The warmer weather, of course.”
Was she hoping for him to stick around? What did he want? It was something he needed to think about.
Both his hands found hers as he said, “Definitely warmer. All around.”
“You are a saint for helping me with this, Dean.” Eleni hugged the man briefly before dragging him along to the back of the house.
“Happy to do it. Not every day you turn nine. Only one year left until double digits.”
Eleni swung around and frowned. “Don’t remind me. I’m already feeling old, wishing they were babies again.”
Dean chuckled as he followed her. Her back yard wasn’t big, but there was enough space for some games for the boys Xander had invited. Thea’s activities would be inside the house. Thank God, Dean had offered to lead the boys with the events she’d planned.
“Marek said he could stay if you needed help. This is one of the difficult things about having twins that are different genders. If I had two girls, we could all do the same thing. Xander absolutely refused to do hair and nails.”
“I don’t blame him. Not that I don’t like the results of hair and nail work, but I’m not sure I’d enjoy doing them myself. We’ll be fine with the sports theme you’ve got planned out here.”
Eleni peeked around, then tugged his head down for a kiss. His arms snaked around her and kept her in place.
“I’ll do this every weekend if this is the reward I get.” His eyebrows rose and fell comically.
After another quick kiss, she showed him the games she had set up and how to play each of them. “I’ll bring the girls out to play, too. Maybe when the boys use the basketball hoop.”
“It’s too bad you couldn’t use some of the resort amenities. They’ve got the volleyball and tennis courts. That large grassy area near the horseshoe pits. Both pools, not to mention the entire beach front area. I’m sure Vlad would be happy to make up something special for the birthday kids.”
Eleni laughed and shook her head. “Are you kidding me? Have you noticed how many children are at the resort? Very few. All of the activities that Reva organizes are geared toward adults. Wealthy adults.”
“I know, but it’s really slow right now. They should be happy to bring people in, regardless of their usual clientele.”
Eleni replaced a few of the bean bags she’d thrown to show Dean how the game worked. “Oh, believe me, I’ve had tons of ideas for how they could get business in during the slower months. Hugh always makes me feel like I’m stupid for even suggesting it. He said corporate would never approve of anything like that. Since I haven’t had many dealings with them, I figured he knew best, so I never mentioned them to Aarya when she took over. The hotel seems to market to rich singles and couples. Not families.”
Dean’s eyebrows drifted together, and his lips thinned. “That’s too bad. They’re missing out on some good business and lots of fun.”
“I know, but it’s not my job to come up with marketing ideas. I just make sure what’s already planned runs smoothly. Like today. We need this party to run smoothly.”
Rubbing his hands together, Dean inspected the yard. “I’ve got this part. When are the guests arriving?”
She glanced at her watch. “In about fifteen minutes. Come on into the house and grab something to drink first. I made some food for the kids to nibble on, so they aren’t totally jazzed on cake and junk food.”
Her mom bustled about the kitchen, getting food on trays and placing them on the kitchen table and the counters. Dean tapped her mom on the shoulder, then gave her a peck on the cheek. Was her mom getting attached to Dean as much as the kids were?
“You’d think you were feeding an army,” he said. “How many kids are coming?”
“Four for Xander and four for Thea. We belong to a homeschool group, and these are kids who are in it. There’s been some talk in town about building an elementary school, but who knows if it’ll ever come about.”
Dean snatched a carrot stick. “Most likely, when your kids graduate from high school and you don’t need it anymore.”
“Exactly. That’s just the kind of luck I seem to have.”
“Mom, Livy and Kandra are here,” Xander shouted, running through the house toward the door.
Eleni took a deep breath. “Showtime.”
Thea ran after her brother. Dean stood behind her, his hands on her shoulders. “They’re kids. Anything you do will be amazing for them. Just having their friends over will be fun.”
His lips touched her neck, and she melted against him. If only they were alone. As it was, her mother was probably watching them from the kitchen.
“Maybe after the kids are all gone, if you still have any energy left, we could walk down to the beach and just sit and watch the ocean.”
She spun in his arms. “I’d love that. Depends on how they are once they’re hyped up on birthday cake and party goods. I don’t want to leave Mom here with two wild monkeys.”
Both Marek and Nadine ended up staying to help, and Eleni couldn’t help but peek out the window every now and then to see what the boys were up to. She loved how Marek and Dean seemed to get along so well. They kept the boys under control yet energized and having fun at the same time.
She and Nadine were up to their eyeballs in nail polish, plastic jewelry, glitter makeup, and shiny fabric. She’d bought several yards of fancy, but cheap, fabric on her last visit off-island, and the girls were having a ball draping it over themselves in a variety of ways. Pictures were snapped, and Eleni sent them immediately to her printer, so the girls would have a copy to take home with them.
“This was such a great idea,” Nadine commented after the girls had all been dolled up. “It’s too bad The Pearl doesn’t offer something similar. I know so many moms who would love something like this, without having to do all the planning and executing.”
“It does look fun.” Dean’s voice had her spinning. He hovered in the doorway, grinning at the silly antics of the girls. “The boys are ready for cake and ice cream whenever it’s good for you. We can run them around the block once or twice if you need more time.”
“No, I think we’re good. Bring them in.”
The next hour was filled with candles, singing, sugar highs, and birthday presents. Dean insisted they both open his gift at the same time.
Eleni gasped when she saw the intricate wooden box with seashells carved on the top.
“I had Ben Hadley make them. I thought you should have a special place to put all your best shells, so they don’t get damaged.”
Thea rushed over and hugged him tight. Xander, aware his friends were watching him, thrust his hand out and gave a firm shake with his thanks.
“How about Marek and I take them all out to run around the yard if you want a few quiet minutes until their parents get here?” Nadine offered.
Eleni gave her friend a quick hug. “You’re amazing. I’ll clean up a bit, then come out.”
Dean stayed behind to give her a hand. As her mom emptied the trash and took the bag outside, Eleni rushed to Dean and threw her arms around him.
“That is the most thoughtful gift ever, Dean. I love that it isn’t some hastily bought present from the store. Thank you.”
He touched his lips lightly to hers. “Maybe you can thank me later.”
She wrinkled her nose. “The children should be thanking you. It’s their gifts.”
Another quick kiss. “I like your thank yous better.”
A car pulled up, and Eleni reluctantly eased out of his arms. “I’ve got to say goodbye to the kids.”
Once all the kids were gone, as well as Nadine and Marek with theirs, she, Thea, and Xander trooped back into the house. She froze when she got to the kitchen. It looked like there’d never been a party there.
“How did you clean this up so fast?” she signed to her mom.
“I had help.” Mom said and pointed to Dean coming in from the back door.
“Dean, you didn’t need to do all this.”
He shrugged. “It’s what I do all day long. I’ve got it down pat at this point.”
“I know, and you shouldn’t have to do it on your day off.”
He narrowed his gaze at the kids. “I was hoping if I helped enough, I might get offered another piece of your birthday cake later.”
That meant he was planning to stick around for a while. Not something she’d object to.
He ended up staying through dinner, delivery pizza—she couldn’t even fathom cooking anything—and a movie. She’d insisted the kids get pajamas on first and brush their teeth. They piled on the floor while she and Dean occupied the couch. Mom had begged off and retired to her room for the night to read.
The movie was goofy, but whenever she peeked at Dean, his smile was real. Maybe he enjoyed seeing the kids as they watched, or perhaps it was his hand that kept sneaking over to rub her thigh.
Eleni went boneless and rested against Dean’s shoulder, not caring what the actors on the screen were doing. Being next to him, soaking up his warmth and strength, gave her the best feeling. One she hadn’t experienced in a long time. Maybe ever.
Ever? She’d loved Sean. She had. Over the years, some of those feelings may have dwindled as he sunk deeper and deeper into the bottle. Sometimes, it was difficult to dredge up the feelings she’d had for him once upon a time.
Then, she’d look at Thea and Xander and know they’d been there. But it was time to move on. Five years was a long time to be alone. Was Dean someone she could count on to stick with her? And the kids?
His presence next to her now, as well as the entire day, seemed to indicate he would. He hadn’t once complained about the kids, the noise, or the long day. Nothing non-verbal either. She knew how to read people. Often, someone might say they were fine doing something, but their posture, body language, and facial expressions told the real truth.
“I think they’re both out cold, Leni.” Dean’s voice tickled her ear, and she roused from her sleepy state.
“Mmm.” Snuggling closer, she closed her eyes again. She could get used to having him right here.
“Stay right here. I’ll put them in bed.” He rose from the couch, and she started to object, but he tucked a pillow under her head and kissed her cheek. One at a time, he picked up the children and hustled them into their room.
She should be helping him, tucking them in and kissing them goodnight. She’d do it before she went to bed. Thoughts of having Dean next to her as she slept crept through her, causing all sorts of delicious feelings throughout her body.
When he finally came back, he scooped her up, and she gave a tiny shriek. “What are you doing?”
“You can’t stay awake either. You’ve had a busy day and have to work in the morning. Time for you to sleep, too.”
Luckily, she’d thrown on loose yoga pants and a sweatshirt when the kids had gotten in pajamas. She’d been self-conscious at first, but if Dean was planning to stick around, he had to know she wasn’t always pulled together.
He set her on her feet inside her bedroom and gave her a chaste kiss. Twining her arms around his neck, she deepened the kiss. God, she wanted him to stay. But with the kids here, not to mention her mother…not a good idea.
“I wish—”
He pressed his finger against her lips. “Lots of wishes. Tonight, you need rest. We can talk about wishes later. I’ll let myself out and lock up behind me.”
