Chapter Six
Abe was happy to spend another adventure-filled day with Rachel but could hardly wait for the nighttime to come. Last night they’d kissed for a long time and he’d finally forced himself to walk her back to her bungalow so he didn’t push her too fast. She was strong and brave, he knew that, but she’d also been through something horrific and was still recovering. He didn’t want to damage her fledgling trust in him and kissing her was so intense and all-encompassing he actually feared his iron self-control might slip when he had her in his arms.
He really wanted to kiss her again but he also wanted to hold her close and talk through her healing, her scars, and see if he could help her accept them. He wanted to tell her about his past, his resentment, and have her help him heal as well. He wanted more than this week of vacation with her. He wanted to develop a relationship, make Rachel Jewel a part of his life, a big part. He was concerned though. Would his trust issues and bottled resentment at Angel rear its ugly head?Wounds buried alive never die, was his a saying his mom repeated and it was true. His anger at Angel was buried but sadly still there. More importantly, was Rachel ready to commit to him? He might be a rebound relationship for her, not from another man but from her accident. He didn’t want that. He wanted her.
They started their day with a run around the entire perimeter of the island. A couple of times they hit rocky outcroppings on the beach and had to work their way over or around them, which added to the fun and didn’t slow Rachel down at all. He loved how adventurous, fit, and fun she was. Had she shut that part of herself down since the accident as well? She seemed like a little child at Christmas as they did different adventures.
After breakfast they went out on a deep-sea fishing excursion with a couple twenty-year old guides from Belize who were hilarious and couldn’t stop looking at Rachel. Abe didn’t feel any jealousy but he did have this odd urge to cover up her long, shapely legs, kind of similar to how he felt when men checked out his little sister, yet with Rachel he wanted to be the one checking her out.
The experience was pretty lame as far as fishing trips went. They only got a few bites in four hours, but simply being around the bewitching, adorable, beautiful Rachel and then watching her face glow with excitement when she fought with, and reeled in, a twenty-pound tuna made it the most exciting fishing trip he’d ever been on.
One thing he’d noticed yesterday, and she did again with their fishing buddies, was she really focused on them. Asked about their families, past experiences, education, hobbies, how they ended up here, what they thought about the island and their work, etc. She was incredibly thoughtful and friendly, which was impressive to him as he’d initially sensed she didn’t want to be around unknown people staring at her scars, but for some reason he sensed an underlying need to know if her brother Luke’s employees were happy and well taken care of. Was Preston right and she was spying on him? Abe shook the thought away. It didn’t seem like Rachel would do that and what reason would she have to? Preston was an amazing employee and manager.
After a late lunch at his bungalow they went on a bike ride, exploring all the trails through the jungle and going back to the waterfall again, where they ran into his group. It was bound to happen, but he had been dead-on about how great his employees were. They all greeted Rachel with warm enthusiasm, chatted for a while with them, and then let him and Rachel go on their way. Maybe tomorrow he’d spend more time with them. He glanced over at Rachel as they pedaled sedately along a wide part of the trail and she grinned at him. Then again, maybe not. No one could blame him for craving every minute he could get alone with her.
He was getting ready for dinner when a rap came at his door. Buttoning his shirt and thinking maybe Rachel was early, he hurried to the door. He swung it wide and grinned. “Hey … oh hey.”
Preston smiled and arched an eyebrow. “Not who you were expecting? I hear you’ve spent every spare minute with Rachel Jewel.”
Abe nodded. “It’s been fabulous.” He gestured for his friend to come in.
“Sorry, no time, I’ve got a dinner appointment with my own beautiful lady.”
“Anybody I know?”
Preston’s blue eyes flashed but his smile was smooth. “Nope. Just a beautiful single guest. I just wanted to let you know that there’s a storm warning for tonight. It should pass by morning, but you might want to cuddle with the beautiful Miss Jewel and keep her safe.” He winked. “There are candles and flashlights in this closet.” He pointed to a closet next to the door.
“Thanks for coming by yourself,” Abe said. As the manager Preston had plenty to keep him busy, but he’d taken the time to tell an old friend that a storm was coming.
“Of course.” His eyes darkened a little bit. “Hey, not to sound … unconfident, but has Rachel said anything about the resort or how I’m running it or what her brother is thinking? It’s kind of unnerving to go through a change in ownership and I haven’t had the opportunity to meet my new boss in person yet.”
Ah, this was why Preston had come. Preston was a tremendously hard worker, but he wasn’t the guy who was going to be self-employed. The embezzlement nightmare had affected not just Abe and Angel, but Preston as well. Preston had worked with them for McKnight and he’d lost his job, even though he’d done nothing wrong besides being close to Abe and Angel. He’d lifted himself back on his feet and had worked his way into resort management, running different resorts in the Caribbean and securing this incredible spot over four years ago. He seemed to love what he did here but Abe could understand him being uneasy about an ownership change. Abe was grateful that he was his own man and didn’t have to worry about a boss, but he remembered those feelings with that first job after college that had gone so horribly wrong.
“She hasn’t said anything about you or her brother in regard to the island but I know she loves it here.” He didn’t know how to tell Preston that she did kind of quiz each employee, but he felt like that was just Rachel being interested in people and their stories. It was nothing to concern his friend about. “She’s commented plenty about how fabulous the resort is and how great the staff are.” Abe clapped his friend on the shoulder. “This place is incredible and you’re doing an amazing job. You shouldn’t worry.”
Preston smiled but still looked uneasy. “Thanks. If you hear anything …”
“I’ll let you know,” Abe filled in for him. They’d been friends since before college, of course he’d let him know if there were any real red flags from Rachel about Preston and his work performance. His friend had worked hard to reach this spot and Abe was loyal to him.
“Thanks.” Preston backed away. “Enjoy your night.”
“I will.” Abe lifted a hand. “You too.”
“You know me.” Preston pumped his eyebrows, turned, and walked away.
Abe shut the door and smiled to himself. Preston didn’t need to worry, this island was the most amazing vacation Abe had ever been on and as he thought about it, all the employees had responded very positively about their work here. Plus, Abe would definitely, definitely enjoy this night. He’d be with Rachel. What could possibly be more enjoyable?
* * *
Rachel walked along the tiki-lit path toward Abe’s bungalow. Excitement pulsed through her at the thought of being with him, but she felt a little apprehension as well. She was wearing a fitted, pale blue dress. For this trip she’d only brought her new tailored formals that covered her left shoulder, leaving her right shoulder bare. The style covered as much of her scarring as possible and focused the eye to the smooth skin of her right side. Crazily enough, she wished she’d brought one of her older dresses that showed off both shoulders.
She tossed her long hair back and realized that showing as much of the scars as she was currently doing, was brave enough for tonight. Her hair was styled in long curls and draped down her back. For the first time since her experience at the law school and around someone other than her family, she was willingly revealing her face and neck. When she’d gotten ready tonight she’d put on lighter makeup than she usually would for a dinner date and styled her hair to reveal her scarring instead of hiding it. Her scars didn’t look as repulsive to her tonight. Was she seeing herself through Abe’s eyes? Would he still tell her she was incredibly beautiful or would his gaze get stuck on the scarring and not be able to drag away?
She pressed a hand to her stomach and said a prayer in her head. Abe was amazing. He’d love her, all of her. She gasped as she realized what she’d just thought. Love? They hadn’t known each other long enough for love. She knew she wanted more time with Abe and that this relationship could easily grow to love and beyond.
“Rachel?” a man’s voice said from a path to the side.
Her head darted that way and she saw Preston approaching. She hadn’t done as thorough of a job researching him as she should have the past two days. Though she’d talked with every employee she encountered, she hadn’t hacked into his personal computer and combed through his accounting, like she had planned. She smiled to herself, knowing Luke would never have her do something like that and also realizing she’d been too busy enjoying time with Abe. She knew Luke would be thrilled at her emotional progress and not care at all that she hadn’t gone to the extreme with her duties, but it irked her to not have followed through the way she usually would.