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***
Light posts illuminated the boardwalk, allowing visitors to enjoy an evening stroll. Live music mixed with the sound of the waves filled the night air, providing the perfect summer atmosphere and giving visitors a small taste of heaven. Or in Scott’s case another taste. He’d already had two back in the hotel room. He’d expected Paige to be a more passive lover. Scott smiled as he thought of her in bed. She was anything but passive. Thank God.
“This is gorgeous. I can’t believe I’ve never done this before,” Paige said as they strolled hand in hand along the concrete boardwalk.
So far they’d walked from their hotel all the way past the Old Coast Guard Station in silence.
“It’s almost magical in a way. Like the rest of the world doesn’t exist, and it’s just us.” Paige stopped at the railing separating the boardwalk from the beach. Behind them, couples strolled hand in hand while people of all ages rode bikes or sat on benches. “I’m glad you could meet me here.”
He might be a guy, but even he got what she said about the area being magical. The atmosphere around them was different. Special somehow. “Me too. I wish we could stay longer.” Releasing her hand, he put an arm around her shoulders and watched the waves. “Next time we’ll take a longer vacation.” Scott didn’t know when or where but they’d go on a lot more vacations together. When he’d agreed to the auction, he hadn’t been looking for a relationship. He’d merely wanted to get it and the required dates over with so he could get on with his life. Thanks to Bebe Fleming’s interference, he’d found Paige. One of these days hopefully he’d get a chance to thank her.
“Where might you want to go next?” It might be time he took a page from his friend Dylan’s book and stopped letting his life revolve around work. It’d always be there. “Christmastime in Paris is beautiful. Do you ski? We could spend a week or two in France and then some time in Switzerland.”
“Sounds great, but I get two weeks’ vacation a year. After this trip, I have one left.”
“We’ll stay closer than. How about Musha Cay? If we fly out of either Boston or Providence, we can be there in about three hours.”
“Never even heard of it. Where is it?” Paige pushed away from the railing and took his hand as they continued their walk toward the far end of the boardwalk.
“The Bahamas. It’ll be just you and me on our own island for the week. Absolutely nothing and no one to bother us.” The more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea. Maybe they could do Paris in the spring instead.
“Our own island for a week? Something tells me a vacation like that isn’t in my budget. If we go somewhere, it’ll need to be less extravagant. Maybe skiing in Vermont or Maine? There are some great ski resorts up that way.”
When he’d told her about their reservations here, she’d brought up paying for half. He’d changed the subject and hoped to avoid it altogether. He should’ve known it would come back to bite him in the ass again. Other people might go for sharing the cost of dates and vacations. He didn’t. Half the fun of having money was spending it.
“Our vacations are on me. All you need to do is tell me where and when, then pack a bag. I’ll handle the rest.”
She stopped short, forcing a teenager on a skateboard to either go around them or plow into them. Thankfully the teen picked the first option and kept on going. “Don’t think so. If we go on vacation together, I’ll pay my half.” Shaking off his hand, she crossed her arms and waited for his reply.
He had enough headstrong and stubborn women in his family to recognize the signs. Paige was prepared for a battle and no matter what he said he wasn’t going to win. “Let’s not spend our night fighting about this, please.”
She shrugged. “Fine with me. That doesn’t change my mind. Maybe other women you’ve gone out with do, but I don’t expect or need you paying for everything.”
Word choice was paramount right now. “Paige, I know, but —”
“No buts. We’re not married or engaged. We haven’t even been together long. I can’t let you cover everything. It’s not who I am. If you don’t understand that, I’m sorry.”
They’d be at this whole night if one of them didn’t give in. “How long we’ve been together doesn’t matter to me. I want to spoil you. Take you to private islands and on ski trips in Europe. Buy you jewelry or whatever else you want. Let me.”
She should teach Uncle Warren to glare like that. It would come in handy when he ran for reelection again in a couple years. “Scott—”
“Not all the time. But if I surprise you with a trip, let me worry about the price tag. Don’t whip out a calculator and start dividing bills in half. And if we plan something together, then we can do things your way.” The last sentence stuck in his throat. Giving in grated on his conscience, but he didn’t see an alternative. At least not tonight.
Her expression softened, but her arms still remained crossed. “May
be. I guess so. But don’t do it often.”
“Define often?” He wanted the Paige he’d walked out of the hotel with. Not the version that was pissed off at him.
She uncrossed her arms and closed the small space left between them. “No more than once a year.”
Bullshit. “Yeah, that’s not going to work because I love you and plan on spoiling you all the time.”
Like the Fourth of July when the reporter stopped them, Paige did her imitation of a fish as her eyebrows got acquainted with her hairline. “You…. Wow, I didn’t…. You love me?”
He hadn’t meant to tell her tonight, but he couldn’t take the words back. With a nod, he said, “I’d hoped for a different response from you.”
“People say actions speak louder than words. When we get back to our room, I’ll show you again.”
