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As soon as she pushed down her shorts, the pain in her hip flared. She took a look in the mirror. Her upper thigh was turning a deep shade of purple. “No wonder it was hurting.” The thought of putting on more clothes that might bind against her injury was too unpleasant, so she put on a black sundress and skipped panties.
“Better?” Zane asked, wearing a dry pair of gray shorts and no shirt. He was currently toweling his hair and making it look like a seduction move. He was clearly oblivious to his effect on her.
She decided to save them both the lecture about how he should really be wearing more clothes. “My hip is all messed up.” She lifted the hem of her dress to show the edge of her deepening bruise.
“We need to get some ice on that, stat.” He made off for the kitchen.
“I doubt the fridge is working,” she said, gingerly sitting at the foot of the mattress.
“Got it,” Zane said, rattling a white plastic bin presumably filled with ice.
“Wow. A second round of applause for the solar.”
Zane dug around in a drawer, eventually finding a towel and placing a handful of ice in it. He brought it to her. “Scoot back on the bed.”
She raised both eyebrows at him. This was way too much like yesterday’s invitation, and she already knew this wasn’t going to end well, either. “Maybe I should sit on the floor.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re hurt. You should be resting. Scoot back and lie on your side.”
She didn’t have the strength to argue. Zane sat next to her on the mattress, placing the ice pack on her hip. She winced at the pain.
“Just relax,” he said, grabbing a pillow for her.
She took a deep breath, extended her arm and rested her head. “Thanks.”
“Looks like the rain and wind aren’t letting up anytime soon.”
Indeed, there were sheets of sideways drops again. They pelleted the surface of the pool, creating ripples and waves. It was oddly soothing, which was nice because not much else could make her happy right now. It felt as though life was playing a cruel trick on her, sticking her in the honeymoon cottage with Zane.
“So, I wanted to ask you something,” he said.
“Go for it. It’s not like I have anything better to do.”
“Were you serious when you said you’d been waiting fifteen years to have sex with me?”
Seven
Zane didn’t enjoy putting anyone on the spot, but he’d been wondering about this since the minute Allison said it. Between that and the storm, his mind had been occupied with nothing else. Had she really had a thing for him all these years and he’d somehow managed to be oblivious? When she’d kissed him at Scott’s birthday he’d assumed it was nothing more than the impetuous move of a woman who’d had a few glasses of wine with dinner. Now he was eager to find out if he’d been wrong.
Allison stared at him, shaking her head. Her talent for making him feel like an idiot was unparalleled, but she somehow managed to make it charming. “You know, I’ve been thinking about it, and there’s no way you’re this clueless. You had to know I had a crush on you back in school. So if this is just some exercise to stroke your ego, I’m going to skip it.” She snatched the ice pack from his hand, climbed off the bed and tossed the cold bundle into the freezer.
“I swear I had no idea.” Of course, all those years ago, his brain had been occupied elsewhere. Women seemed to be the only thing that distracted him from the misery of his family’s abrupt and complete falling apart. Plus, Allison had been totally off-limits. Scott’s friendship and support had saved Zane. There was no breaking that trust, but it had been especially true at that time. “But I was pretty stuck in my own head when we were younger.”
“I think you’re still stuck in it.” She walked back to the bedside and planted her hands on her hips.
Zane was sitting on the edge of the mattress, looking up at her, mystified. “Excuse me?”
“Your loyalty to Scott all stems from this time in your life that you aren’t willing to let go of, Zane. It’s not healthy. Being a good friend is one thing, but it’s not like you’re forever indebted to my family because we were kind to you. Because we welcomed you when things were rough. That’s just what people do.”
“You didn’t go through what I did, Allison. You have no idea what it felt like.”
She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, as if she couldn’t possibly be more frustrated with him. She chose to sit next to him on the bed, which was of some consolation. “You know what? I don’t know, exactly. But I do know what it’s like to struggle or to get knocked down or to have a hard time. You don’t have a lock on that. You need to find a way to let go of what happened. Or at least move past it.”
“That’s why I came to this island. To clear my head. To try to let go of my animosity toward Black Crescent and the Lowell family. Or at least some of it. I don’t know that I can ever let all of it go.”
“Why not? Why can’t you just forgive everyone at Black Crescent for what Vernon Lowell did? It’s not their fault.” Allison’s eyes were wild and pleading. Meanwhile, the storm outside was starting to rage like never before. The windows rattled, and rain made a thunderous chorus on the roof.
“The Lowells destroy everything. Families most of all. They ruined my family. My parents got divorced because of the things they did. And for what? So somebody who was already making way too much money as far as I’m concerned could makemoremoney? I just can’t forgive them for that. It’s the worst kind of greed.” As if Mother Nature was on his side, a massive gust of wind whipped up, smacking a massive palm frond against the French doors. He and Allison both jumped.
