“No, you’re just finding ways to blame yourself. For the cowardly way he treated you. For the way your family members treated you. None of which had anything to do with you.” He emphasized the last word with heavy inflection.
Suddenly, anger and frustration flooded her chest. She hadn’t confided in him to be scrutinized or lectured to or somehow analyzed.
“Spare me the empty platitudes, Reid. I’m not telling you any of this to garner some sort of sympathy or for your pity.”
“Then why did you tell me?”
“So that you know why I can’t keep coming back here year after year. Seeing you again. That part of the deal is absolutely off the table.”
She sucked in a labored breath. “And there’s absolutely no way I’ll take any money from you. I just wanted you to understand why.”
She brushed past him and rushed through the canvas flap before he could see how close to breaking down she really was.
He didn’t try to follow her.
* * *
Celeste hadn’t stopped shaking by the time she reached her room and slammed the door shut. Her gaze immediately fell to the bed, bringing forth haunting and erotic images of all that she and Reid had shared the night before. How foolish she had been to fall in love with a man who was so terribly wrong for her. Her heart felt heavy and bruised in her chest. Like someone had struck a physical blow. She didn’t know if the ache would ever heal. Her breakup with Jack had been a hard hit to her ego. The loss she felt now felt like an open wound, one she might never recover from.
But now wasn’t the time to dwell on any of that. She had a call to make. With shaky fingers, she reached for her phone and clicked on her mother’s contact icon.
Wendy picked up after several rings. “Did you pay the bill?”
Not even a hello. Why was she even surprised?
“Momma. Listen to me. There’s something very important I need to explain to you.”
Celeste didn’t give her mother a chance to protest. She just calmly and distinctly went over the decisions she’d recently made. Then she clearly explained the steps she planned to take in implementing them all.
Her determination must have rung through clearly in Celeste’s voice because her mother didn’t argue. In fact, Celeste thought she might even have heard a tinge of relief in Wendy’s voice.
* * *
The perfect setting to fall in love...speaking from personal experience...
Reid reread the same passages from the file Celeste had turned in yet once more. He’d lost count how many times he’d already read them. As a marketing plan, she’d handed him pure gold. Her suggestions were sound, and many of her ideas could justifiably be described as brilliant. But those were the only lines he cared about.
She’d made it personal. And she was telling him she’d fallen in love with him. He was glad he’d made it back to his living quarters before taking the time to read her report. Something had told him he should be alone while looking at the file, someplace he wouldn’t risk being interrupted. Finally putting the papers down, he walked over to the wet bar across the sitting area and poured himself a generous amount of aged dark rum.
She loved him. It said so in black and white. Written by her hand.
Lord knew he didn’t deserve it. That he fell far short of the type of man someone like Celeste was worthy of. So now the only question was what was he going to do about it?
He downed the rum all at once, felt the satisfying burn of the spirit travel down his throat. It did nothing to ease his inner turmoil.
He’d called her ex a coward earlier today in the beachside cabana when he’d pulled her in there after her so-called “admission.” He had to examine whether he was the one being cowardly now. Was he going to let her walk off this island in a few short days and out of his life for good? Or was he going to be as brave as she was? The woman had fearlessly laid it all on the line by putting her feelings into words that the whole world was meant to see.
He wasn’t worthy of such a selfless act done on his behalf. But he’d been bestowed with it nonetheless. He couldn’t walk away. He would find her, and they would determine once and for all how to move forward. Together.