Their Festive Island Escape

“Celeste.” She froze.

“Reid?”

“Hey.” He lifted the envelope in his hand. “Thanks for bringing this by.”

“The text I attached it to kept bouncing back. The file must have been too big.”

That explained the printout. He could release any notion that she might have come by the office hoping to run into him. He should have discounted that possibility in the first place. She had left it for him at the counter after all.

“Oh. Thanks for taking the time to print it out, then.” How many times could he thank her in one conversation? He had no reason to be this tongue-tied around her. He had to get a grip already.

“You’re welcome.”

The toddler threw the ball back at her. Celeste flashed the child a bright smile and tossed the toy back once more.

“I’m looking forward to reading it,” he told her when she’d turned back to him.

“I hope it helps.”

“There’s still the matter of your compensation. I can have papers drawn up—”

She held a hand up before he could continue. “That won’t be necessary. I won’t accept any type of payment from you.”

A boulder settled in his chest. Part of him was convinced she’d take him up on the free annual vacations. That he would at least be able to see her again once every year. Though he’d feel gutted every time she left. “I don’t understand. I don’t feel right having you do all this work for nothing.”

The ball landed between their feet again. They both turned to find the same toddler boy giggling.

Come on, pal, Reid thought, groaning inside. This was hard enough without a toothless lothario intent on a game of catch with his woman.

His woman?

He cleared his throat. “I’d like to talk about this.”

She gave a slight lift of her shoulder. “If you wish. Sure, we can talk. But I won’t change my mind.”

Reid quickly took her by the elbow and led her to the poolside cabana bar before the beach ball reappeared. Celeste allowed him to guide her onto one of the stools. He motioned for the bartender and ordered two rum punches. He never drank during the day when he was working. But this was an extenuating circumstance if ever he’d encountered one.

He’d missed her. It had only been a few hours since he’d left her this morning. But he couldn’t deny that he’d spent those hours wishing she was still by his side. He missed her smile, her wit. The way she smelled.

“Tell me why,” he said once their icy drinks had arrived.

Celeste took a swig from her paper straw and his gaze immediately fell to her lips.

“I thought we had an agreement,” he added.

“I’ve changed my mind. Consider it professional courtesy on my part. As your resort guest.”

So that’s all she was going to classify herself as. He had no business being disappointed. He wanted this distance, didn’t he? It’s why he had fled her room after the night they’d spent together.

For such a hot, pleasant day, they were the only two people seated at the bar. The bartender was busy at work several feet away with his back to them organizing bottles and tidying.

If they were a real couple, Reid might take the opportunity to kiss her.

His cell phone started to vibrate in his shirt pocket before he took that thought any further. He quickly removed the device and set it to do not disturb, ignoring the risk of missing an important business call. And if it was his father calling yet again...well, he’d had enough of his father’s interruptions for a lifetime.

“I don’t mind,” Celeste said, pointing to his phone on the bar. “You can answer that, if you want.”

“I don’t want.”

She lifted an eyebrow in question. “Oh?”

Reid blew out a deep breath. “I’m in the middle of something rather unpleasant. It involves my father. He wants to talk about it. Only there’s nothing left to talk about.”

“Ah.” Celeste took another sip of her drink. “If it makes you feel better, I wish I hadn’t received a call from my own parent this morning.”

He laughed. “Yeah?”

“Oh, yeah. It was a doozy.”

“Maybe we’ll have to compare notes on our parents someday.”