“That was fun.” She laughed and scrambled out of his arms before sliding off the mat and onto the ground. Fun? Abe would show her fun. Instead of acting on the overwhelming desire to grab her and kiss her, Abe followed her off the mat. Their guides jumped down to meet them shortly after.
Abe shook each of their hands, feeling awkward that he didn’t have cash to tip them but Preston had been insistent that he not carry money and just enjoy all the experiences, worry about tips at the end if he wanted. It was kind of freeing, but Abe liked tipping, partly because it showed gratitude for a job well done and partly because it showed how generous he could be. He’d come from a solid family but there hadn’t been extra money. Now that he had it, Abe liked to share his wealth. He knew it was also a prideful streak in him, it felt good to have extra money to bequeath on others.
“Where to next?” he asked Rachel, instinctively taking her hand.
She looked down at their joined hands then up at him. “Carlos said the waterfall hike is only a mile. Do you want to do that?”
“Sure.”
They grabbed water bottles from their guides and set off on the trail to the waterfall. It was a beautiful trek with thick trees and bushes lining the trail. Within minutes a babbling creek trickled beside them.
“So, you grew up in Jackson Hole, Wyoming?” he asked. She’d told him about each of her siblings but only briefly mentioned where they’d lived.
“For the most part, but we spent time in Vermont, Puerto Rico, and Georgia. My mom liked to follow the sun. As soon as Eve started college she started the schedule of Vermont in the fall, Puerto Rico in the winter, Savannah Georgia in the spring and Jackson Hole in the summer.”
“Sounds like a great plan.” His parents could barely afford one middle-class home in Rochester. They didn’t like that he’d paid their home off, hired contractors to do every upgrade and expansion his mom had ever dreamt about, and put millions into their account so they could retire and travel. Neither of them complained about being able to support his sister in her acting career.
“I think they’ve enjoyed it, until …” Her mouth pursed and she focused on the stream. “They started rebuilding the Jackson house, but it won’t be done for this summer and because of me they spent most of the winter in Vermont.”
Their footsteps and the stream were the only sounds for a few seconds as he debated if he dared go deeper into the explosion and her pain. “I’m so sorry about the explosion,” he murmured, gazing at her profile. He noticed she kept him on her right side whenever possible.
“Me too,” she grunted out.
“Do you feel like you’re … recovering all right?”
She glanced at him. “Yep. Doing awesome, great, perfect.” Her smile was the fakest he’d seen on her. How he thought he knew her so well after one day should’ve been a question to dwell on. Instead, he tugged her to a stop on the trail, put both hands on her waist, and turned her to him.
“Would you lie to me?” he asked.
Her eyebrows arched. “No. I’m not a liar.”
“Would you lie about how you’re doing?” He was pushing it, but he found he couldn’t help himself. He wanted to be there for her, help her, and he felt like he knew exactly what she needed.
“All day long,” she said, jutting out her chin.
She was so brave and amazing, yet there was a glint in her blue eyes, a glint of pain and humiliation and anger at the injustice of some idiot blowing up her parents’ home to get back at her brother, and Rachel being caught in the crossfire. Abe felt like he could empathize. He’d felt similar when he’d been wrongly accused and thrown in prison. He’d been certain his future had been ripped apart, but he’d gotten through it and was stronger because of his experiences. He might never forgive Angel but that was another story.
Abe wanted to help Rachel get past her pain. He questioned his judgment, but only for a second. He knew he was being braver than facing down thugs in prison as he gently pulled her into his arms. Rachel let out a small noise of surprise and was stiff and unyielding for long enough he almost released her and groveled until she forgave him for his impetuous move and hopefully didn’t back out of her agreement to spend the day with him.
The moment when she relaxed against him, wrapped her arms around his lower back, and laid her head against his chest was a better victory than the national championship his junior year of college. They stood quietly on that trail, holding on to each other for a long time. Abe wanted to murmur comforting words and platitudes, but he imagined she’d heard them all. He remembered when he was in prison and some buddies, including Preston, came by to visit. They meant well but all the well-meaning condolences and empty “it wasn’t your faults” really just ticked him off. He felt guilty being mad at his friends, even at the time, but the pain and anger just wasn’t something you could talk through and make better. His hatred of Angel wasn’t something he let himself dwell on, but it still had festered throughout the years. Maybe since all he’d tried to do was bury it and not deal with it.
Abe could’ve held her all day but Rachel shifted, glanced up at him, and murmured, “Thank you. I think that was more effective than months of therapy.”
Abe gave her a soft smile. “Anytime.”
She smiled at him and he knew she meant her words and believed his. Holding Rachel was definitely not a hardship for him. He was quickly becoming attached to her. Would she let him into her life, into her heart? Was he ready for that after he thought he’d suffered the ultimate betrayal? It had been ten years but he’d let the anger and resentment chafe and grow like an infected splinter that he refused to remove. Sometimes he wondered how he’d to let it all go so he could have a healthy relationship. Could he let it go? For Rachel? He wanted to think he’d do anything for her but forgiving Angel and moving on had always been a taller order than he’d been capable of.
* * *
Rachel loved every minute of the day spent with Abe. They’d swum in the small waterfall pool then had lunch on a private table near the outdoor pools. After lunch they’d done a scuba dive in the quiet bay. Rachel thought she’d be humiliated adjusting the mask over her face but it was above her scars and her rash guard covered her shoulders and part of her neck and her long braid covered the worst of the scarring on her neck and chin. Though some of the employees’ eyes throughout the day had flitted to the scars on her cheek, that she could only hide with her hair long and flowing, they didn’t stay there and they were all friendly and fun with her. More importantly Abe never so much as flinched when he glimpsed the scars. He acted like he almost thought they were … attractive? At the very least, they definitely didn’t seem to bother him. At best, he seemed to like the variety in her face. How amazing would that be?
They’d barely begun their dive when she noticed Abe was descending much too quickly. Rachel was an experienced diver, and one glance at his eyes through his mask told her the pressure was building in his head. She’d grabbed him by the arm and quickly removed a weight from his belt and dropped it to the ocean floor then waited while he equalized. After the dive, the scuba instructor and Abe had praised her quick action and Abe kept saying she was his hero, which made her smile. She could admit to herself she liked her ability to react quick and she liked being with Abe.
After they removed their scuba equipment and handed it over to the instructor they swam in the ocean for a while then relaxed in cushioned chaise lounges beside the private infinity pool outside of Abe’s bungalow overlooking the beach. If this two-story fabulous suite of rooms could be called a bungalow. She enjoyed the tropical air and the beautiful view. Mostly, her view of Abe. She took a sip of a strawberry daquiri and stared at him.
He lifted his sunglasses and winked at her. “Liking the view?”
“Very much.” His shirt was off, and she thought he was glorious.