“Oo,” said Maryanne. “I’ll show you my room!” Her French accent was completely gone. She took Sid’s hand willingly and tripped off with him towards the staff housing.
Chapter 28
Tex growled at Fred to stay, and cowed him enough to obey while he ducked into the pool’s mechanical room and found the duct tape. “I’m afraid all we have on hand is pink duct tape,” he said without apology.
Fred gave a token struggle as Tex trussed up his wrists, thought about it, and did his ankles, too.
“Hey, I’ve got rights,” Fred protested. “This isn’t constitutional! You can’t leave me like this!”
“We’re not in the US,” Tex reminded him. “But you’re right, I can’t leave you like that.” Another piece of duct tape went o
ver Fred’s mouth, and Laura laughed out loud.
“That will do,” Scarlet said, not disapprovingly. “I’ll send Graham down to watch him.” She turned away from his wiggling protests to address Laura. “You are, of course, welcome to stay as long as you need. Your sister will need some time and help to come to terms with being a shifter, and this is a safe place to do that.”
“I can work,” Laura said automatically. “I’m happy to help at the spa, or make beds, or do laundry.”
“We can come to an arrangement in a day or two,” Scarlet suggested. “Get a good night’s — a good morning’s sleep. Eat and have a shower. Gizelle can watch over Jenny while you rest.”
Gizelle bobbed her head up and down vigorously and stepped forward to take the little bundle. “I won’t let the darkness burn her,” she promised.
Laura gave her a quizzical look, then reluctantly passed her the towel-wrapped otter.
As Gizelle trotted off to… wherever it was that Gizelle stayed at night, Scarlet frowned at Tex. “You head to bed, too. We’ll be seeing most of our guests off today, and everyone will get a little well-deserved break.” She strode off up the stairs towards the restaurant.
Tex suspected Scarlet would not be getting any immediate rest herself.
“Well, handsome,” Laura told Tex, “Let’s go to bed. You made certain suggestive promises on what was left of the boat that I expect you to make good on.”
Tex tried to tip his hat to her, and his fingers found the otter-chewed hole. “I could find the energy for that,” he agreed as they slowly climbed the stairs, headed without consulting each other towards Tex’s room in the staff house.
“We’ll get you a new hat,” Laura promised. “Jenny said we’re millionaires, remember?”
“I thought you hated the hat,” Tex said. “This would be your chance to get rid of it.”
“It’s grown on me,” Laura decided. “And you wouldn’t be you without it.”
“I wouldn’t be me without you,” Tex told her, stopping on the stairs to look her earnestly in the face. “Everything else is just trappings.”
“I love you, Tex,” Laura told him solemnly. “I love all the parts that make you, even the big belt buckle and the beat up hat. I want you to sing me the saddest, countriest songs you know, because you love them and I love you.”
Tex’s slow, earthy smile was as brilliant as the sun in the tropical sky. “I love you, Laurelangelina Lily.”
“Fancy you remembering that whole name,” Laura said, clearly impressed.
Tex moved closer. “I also remember that promise I made you about knocking your socks off when we were safe on land.”
“I’m not wearing socks,” Laura told him suggestively.
“I’ll improvise,” Tex promised.
Epilogue
Laura tossed her sandals to one side and settled into the nearest beach chair. Tex was restocking the little self-serve beach cabana and cleaning up the ravages of the party from the night before. The late afternoon beach was all theirs, empty lounge chairs and beach umbrellas invitingly lonely. The piece of the boat they’d been stranded on still lay at one end near the dock, a few crabs enjoying the rare afternoon shade beneath it.
“Everything’s sorted,” Laura said with great relief.
Tex closed the mini-fridge and walked over to pick up one of her feet to rub. “Did you talk to Tony?”