Page 41 of You Know You Wanna

She spun toward me, a radiant smile gracing her lips as she shook her head. “No, of course we don’t mind. In fact, we’d love it if you joined us. Won’t we, Daddy?”

Oblivious to him having already extended the invitation, she turned to give him a hopeful look. Remington tried to hide a smile as he nodded. “Of course, she’s right. We’d love it if you join us.”

I grinned back at him, winking as I took the seat. I ordered a Chai tea for myself when they got coffee and juice. Once we were alone again, I looked at Laurene. “How was your sleepover?”

“It was so great,” she gushed, joy lighting those pretty eyes as she leaned closer to me. “I can’t remember the last time I built a pillow fort, but we did and it was amazing. We even slept in it, and we read books and played board games.”

“Wow.” I grinned at her. “I’m a little bit jealous right now. It sounds like a blast. I’m glad you did it.”

“Me too, baby,” Remington agreed, giving her a fond smile before he pushed back his chair. “Should we go hit the buffet for round one?”

Laurene nodded enthusiastically and my stomach rumbled its consent, but before any of us could move, something behind me caught Remington’s attention, and surprise washed over his features. It was followed shortly by a wide, welcoming grin and then he got up.

I twisted in my seat, noticing a tall, handsome man I’d never seen around here before briskly striding up to the table. Since he was grinning too and holding out his hands like he was saying “well, here I am,” I was assuming this was who had gotten Remington’s attention.

The guy was dressed like he’d just jetted in from Milan, wearing a navy business suit with a crisp white shirt, shiny shoes, and that same polished, professional look about him Remington had had at first.

As I watched him close the distance between us, I wondered why his sudden appearance set something inside me on edge. There was nothing overly threatening about him at all. In fact, he looked like a model, with blond hair cut longer at the top than on the sides, intense slate-gray eyes, and a jawline that could cut stone.

His grin seemed to come much easier than Remington’s, not seeming nearly as uncomfortable on his face. It told me that he was friendlier. Smiled more often, and yet, something about him being here didn’t feel right.

“Dec!” Remington exclaimed when the man finally reached us, taking his hand in a firm but somehow warm shake before clapping him on the back. “It’s good to see you, man. What are you doing here? I didn’t know you were getting in today.”

“Neither did I, but plans changed,” he said, still grinning. He opened his arms for Laurene when she stood up. “Baby Lulu! Look at you. How many inches have you grown since I last saw you?”

“Probably a few, Uncle Dec.” She shrugged, hugging him and not appearing as if she didn’t like him, but she also didn’t seem thrilled that he was here. “I didn’t know you would be joining us this summer.”

“Just for a few days, kiddo.” He released her, stepping back before his gaze settled on mine. “Well, well, well. Who do we have here?”

“This is Birdie,” Remington said with a smile at me. “She works here at the resort and she’s a friend. Birdie, this is Declan. My business partner.”

As he said it, it suddenly made sense why my senses had been on high alert since I’d first laid eyes on this man. I knew very little about what Remington did for a living, but now it was clear and I immediately questioned whether Alan had been right after all.

Two investors who worked together were suddenly on the property, one of whom had appeared unexpectedly and hadn’t come here with a child. Given that he was wearing a suit, it also didn’t look like he’d come here to crash their vacation for a few days.

No, this man is here to work.

The realization dawned on me like a lightning strike, and instantly, I was uncomfortable and maybe even a little bit heartbroken. I stood up, managing to force an apologetic smile at Laurene. “You know, I just remembered that I have to go.” I glanced at the interloper. “It was nice to meet you, Declan. I hope you have a pleasant stay at the resort.”

With that, and without saying goodbye to Remington, I spun and left in a hurry, practically breaking into a run once I was out of the lobby. I felt like thick wool had been pulled from my eyes and I was only now realizing what Alan had known all along.

Remington wasn’t who I’d thought he was. He hadn’t come here just to spend time with his kid. I still didn’t know if he was trying to buy the property, but with his business partner’s arrival, it seemed likely that they were both here for something—and it definitely wasn’t summer love.

21

REMINGTON

After breakfast, I took Declan up to our suite and Laurene headed over to the Kids Camp for the day, a little bit mopey now that Dec had shown up. I blew out a frustrated breath as I showed him in, wondering why Birdie had run off the way she had.

God, the women in my life are confusing. Not that Birdie was really in my life, but shit. She’d run off and Laurene had barely managed to force down some food before she’d fled to the camp. Why they’d both reacted that way to Declan’s arrival, I didn’t know. It made no sense whatsoever.

Laurene adored her Uncle Dec and Birdie didn’t even know the guy, yet they were both clearly unhappy that he was here. For his part, my friend seemed oblivious, rocking back on his heels and running a careful eye over the interior of the suite before he glanced at me.

“I see what you meant,” he said. “It sure is rustic. If rustic means outdated and in dire need of an update.”

I grabbed us each a bottle of water from the fridge in the kitchenette before going to take a seat on the couch. “Yeah, I know, but to be honest, people seem to like it this way. They’ve been full since the day we arrived. As soon as guests check out, there are new people arriving to take those rooms. It’s crazy.”

Dec took the water from me and shrugged as he sat down. “Maybe people like it precisely because it’s not overly modern.” He took another look around. “Personally, I don’t really understand the appeal, but I happen to like luxury.”