He holds the bag out toward me, and Dean rips it out of his hand and tosses it onto the counter. “And you didn’t think to call someone?”
“I ain’t no snitch, man!”
While Dean starts arguing with Bodhi, Owen finally makes an appearance, sheepishly sticking his head around the corner from the hallway. “I’m sorry; please don’t kill me!”
I can only keep the disappointed look on my face for about five seconds. Grabbing Owen’s arms to keep him in place, I start peppering kisses all over his face while he squirms and laughs and pushes me away. I’m just thankful he’s safe and nothing too bad happened here tonight. He really was quite smart about the whole thing, making sure everyone who attended the party walked here, so there would be no drunk golf cart driving at the end of the night. Just a bunch of idiots stumbling home. There’s no point in yelling at him. Wren and Shepherd will do plenty of that when they get back tomorrow.
When I finally let Owen go, Dean immediately grabs onto my shoulders and steers me over to the small table in the kitchen nook, pointing at one of the chairs.
“Sit. You’ve been working on your feet all night. I’ve got this.”
Giving me his back, he takes over and takes charge. It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him not to order me around, that this is my problem to clean up, but nothing comes out. My body slowly slumps into the chair without argument, and I just stare at him while he hands out orders to Bodhi and Owen like a drill sergeant, putting them to work to clean up the house. He follows them around with a box of garbage bags, making sure they don’t miss a single piece of trash or one hidden penis, straightening cushions and righting tilted picture frames on the walls as he goes, and my eyes follow him the entire time.
“You are too smart to let what happened to you thirty years ago stop you from finding real happiness now.”
Karen’s words from a few days ago ring in my ears. As well as all the things my daughters have been saying about finally putting myself out there with someone in my age bracket who has potential. Dean has potential. He has so much potential that it scares the hell out of me. And doesn’t it just suck that the first age-appropriate man I find myself attracted to in thirty-five years will be gone in just a handful of days, completely negating all of that potential?
“You okay?” Dean asks, pausing in front me on one of his trips back and forth between the dining room and the living room.
I look up at him and see the concern in his eyes, even while he’s holding a handful of multicolored penises against his chest. My heart flutters, and a lump forms in my throat while he waits for my answer, wondering if I’ll ever be okay again after he leaves this island.
“I’m feeling quite firm in your decision for me to relax.” I finally smile up at him.
Dean groans with a laugh and a shake of his head. And then he wanders back out of the room to take care of the chaos that is my life.
While I sit back and let him. Just this once.
After this night is over, I can go back to being annoyed by the sight of him, reminding myself that his time on this island is temporary. Tomorrow, I can go back to taking care of my own life, by myself, like always.
Chapter 11
“Fucking ducks.”
Dean: Hey, it’s Dean. Who is the groin question mark. Fun honey more ducks and I laughed send.
Laura: Forget asking how you got my number. Are you having a stroke?! Do I need to call 911??
Dean: Stupid fucking speech to text. Palmer keeps telling me it will make my life easier. How in the hell is this easier?
Laura: What were you even trying to say?
Dean: What I actually said was, “How is it going? Find any more ducks after I left?”
Dean: Ducks.
Dean: Fucking ducks!
Dean: GOD DAMMIT! Why are these smart phones so stupid?
Laura: I think your phone is just traumatized by all the dicks you had to deal with tonight.
Dean: It really was a startling amount. Did you call Wren after I left? How did she take the news?
Laura: You don’t have to do this.
Dean: Do what?
Laura: Check in on me or whatever. It was really nice of you to help tonight, and I can’t thank you enough, but you are officially off duty now. You are supposed to be relaxing and enjoying your vacation and the wedding festivities, not worrying about me. I’m fine. Bodhi went home to Tess, Owen went to bed, and I’m crashing here until Wren and Shepherd get home in the morning. It was nice of you to text, as confusing as that initial one was, but you didn’t have to.