Pushing was not going to do it.
Apollo didn’t know how he was going to get Popi to get off her feet and rest, but he was determined to do everything he could to make that happen as quickly as possible. And so he attempted not to say anything else to upset her.
He soon learned the plan was to clear the resident bungalows of their furnishings and the boxes so that tomorrow work crews could come in and give these older bungalows a makeover. Apollo wasn’t sure exactly why this was being done for the whole island. All he was able to discern was that it had something to do with yesterday’s wedding.
But he really didn’t care about the island’s makeover. All he cared about was Popi and the baby she was carrying. That acknowledgment struck him as he helped carry a couch out to the waiting trailer that would then haul everything to the warehouse.
This was the first time in Apollo’s life where he had to put someone else’s needs and well-being ahead of his own. He realized, at the age of thirty-two, that was a sad commentary on his life. But his father never needed or wanted anyone to fuss over him—Apollo wondered if his mother had been the exception. And his older brother, Nile, took care of Apollo, not the other way around.
As for his romantic relationships, well, after college they never got serious. He was never in one place long enough for any of that to take place—not that he would let it. “Once bitten and twice shy” was what they said. He said he was better off alone—that way he didn’t fail to live up to other people’s expectations and they didn’t let him down.
As the work crew moved on down the lane to the next bungalow, Apollo turned, looking for Popi. She was nowhere in sight. Thinking that she’d gone on ahead, he returned to the bungalow to close the door.
He’d just pulled it closed when he heard, “Here, kitty, kitty. Come here, sweetie.”
What in the world?
He moved to the side of the bungalow to find Popi down on her hands and knees. Her butt was sticking up at him. As she moved to look under a bush, her backside wiggled. For a moment, he was tongue-tied. He just watched—unable to take his eyes off her.
What was it about this woman that had him acting so out of character? Until now, he could take or leave female companionship. He kept to himself for the most part—communing with nature and its wonders. And the only time he cooked for others was when they shared a camp in the wilderness. When traveling together, it was common for everyone to take turns with the cooking.
But Popi was getting under his skin. And it was more than the baby she was carrying. And then there had been breakfast. Well, it had been nice—almost domestic. Not that he was thinking of settling into a life of domesticity or anything.
“Come on, kitty.”
Popi’s cajoling voice stirred him from his thoughts and released him from the trance she’d cast over him.
He stepped up next to her. “You shouldn’t be down there. Let me help you up?”
Popi leaned back on her heels with a little gray kitten clutched to her chest. “Look who I found?”
“You have a cat?” He wasn’t a cat person. Dogs, yes. Cats, no. Definitely not.
Cats couldn’t go for walks or hiking or camping. When he was a kid, his friend had a cat. It was needy, pampered and wouldn’t listen to a thing it was told. Apollo didn’t need that in his life.
Popi shook her head, indicating that the cat was not hers. “It must have been left behind when all of the pets were moved to the mainland to be cared for until their owners returned from their cruise.”
Apollo breathed a little easier. There were already so many distractions, so he didn’t need more. As soon as he was done making sure Popi didn’t overdo it today, they were going to revisit their prior talk and he was going to convince her that the best place for her and the baby was his family’s home—the baby’s future home.
He glanced down, finding Popi still sitting on the ground. “Give me your hand.”
She appeared to be so distracted by the kitten clutched to her voluptuous chest that she did what he said without giving him a hard time about being able to do it herself. That was a first. Maybe if he was very lucky, it would be the start of something new between them. He could only hope.