“I loved my life on the island,” he told her. “I loved the freedom I had there. I loved the structure of my simple job. I was happy there. Or, at least I thought I was. And then I met you.”
Her eyes flickered up to his.
“And suddenly, I needed you to be happy,” he said, his voice soft and full of emotion. His palms were sweating with nerves. He felt a little sick to his stomach.
If she left him now, he'd be heartbroken.
“Me?”
“Yes. You make me feel complete. You make me happy,” he answered simply. “I want you to be in my life. If I can't be a bartender anymore, then so be it. I'll be anything you want, just as long as it's me you want. Not what I have.”
Cassie took a slow sip of her wine. “I think we can try again. We have to take things slow. I'm not jumping into something this big without some planning.” She set her glass down, and a slow smile crept across her face. “But, you make me happy, too.”
Wyatt thought his heart might burst. The anxiety, joy, worry, and relief of this conversation were rough on a man. Now that he knew where they stood, he could start to relax and enjoy the evening.
“I hope I'm not causing you too much trouble at the hotel,” he told her. “I know my presence at places can cause problems.”
“Oh, no. You're fine.” She grinned. “Actually, I'm probably going to get a raise or a promotion because of you. My boss is super pleased. But, if Lenny asks, tell him I really sold you on the rewards credit card.”
Wyatt laughed, feeling the tension leak out of him. With her smiling at him, it felt like they were back on the island.
“You won't get in trouble for dating a guest?” he asked, thinking of how he didn't have a job anymore for that very reason.
“Well, we aren't dating. We're taking it slow, remember?” She played with the stem of her wine glass. “It's frowned upon by corporate, but there's no official policy against it. It's one of the very few things corporate doesn't have specific rules about.”
“At least that means I've got a chance,” he told her.
She smiled and then quickly hid it again. “So, what are your plans while you're in town?” she asked him, changing the subject. “I hope you're not just going to hang out at the hotel all day. The bar isn't nearly as nice as the one at the resort, and we aren't hiring.”
He chuckled. “I have some business to attend to since I'm stateside,” he told her. “There's always paperwork and charity fundraising. I have plenty to do, although I'd rather work for you.”
The waitress arrived then to take their order. He had the lobster ravioli. She ordered eggplant parmigiana. He had half expected her to choose the most expensive item on the menu, as most people did when dining with a billionaire. Yet, she didn't.
Their conversation flowed comfortably. Wyatt could almost pretend they'd never left the island or been apart. If not for the occasional glance, he would have thought that nothing had changed.
She told him of her family, how her father was out of the picture, and her mother currently between men.
“If you ever meet my parents, don't tell them how much you're worth,” she told him. “They'd just take it to the casino and blow it all. Luckily, they don't live here. It's one of the reason's I moved to Arizona.”
She told him about her first marriage. She told him about how her ex-husband had changed when she'd had a pregnancy scare. She'd been excited, her ex had been terrified. After that, he changed and started blaming her for everything wrong in his life.
“I started just staying at work,” she explained. “I didn't want to go home. I didn't want to be yelled at for things I couldn't control. I didn't want the blame anymore. He didn't want me. I guess it was good that we didn't have any kids.”
She kept things vague, yet there was a hurt to her words that cut him to the core. The people she had trusted most had hurt her. Her parents had gambled everything away. Her ex-husband had broken her joy.
It made him regret not being honest with her even more. He could see how her parents' bad decisions guided her current ones. Her ex had marked her even more. She was cautious now. She didn't let surprises change her decisions. She wasn't going to take a risk that she wasn't sure was going to pay off.
He loved watching her talk. She used her hands, and she smiled when she spoke. She would ask him questions and wait with an interested look for him to answer. The conversation flowed into the night.
Dinner was good and the dessert excellent. Wyatt ate slowly, trying to make the meal last. He was afraid that if they left this restaurant, the magic of being together would vanish. He knew she was still unsure of him, and to be honest, he was slightly unsure of her now as well.
He was a billionaire again. People wanted money and power from him. He hoped she wasn't one of those people. He thought she wasn't back on the island, but now...
She'd turned him down when he was a broke bartender. What was different about him being a billionaire now?
“I should head back to the hotel,” he said long after they finished dessert and the bottle of wi
ne emptied. The restaurant was nearly deserted, and he had a feeling the manager would be coming soon to kick them out for closing time.