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“That sounds great,” Sandra said, her face lighting up.
“But you almost tripped on a rock yesterday,” Dale replied, frowning at her. “A long walk sounds too dangerous. Why don’t we just go back upstairs?”
“You worry too much,” she said, unphased by his concern. “Let’s go.”
She didn’t wait for him to agree, and I had to smile as I watched her strut off toward the front door. I liked her style.
Dale let out a long exhale through his nose before following her, looking exasperated. I had a feeling he’d loosen up when they got to the natural pool. It was a great place for them to have some privacy.
Once they were gone, I went to the living room and looked out the window. Rylee was in the same place she’d been for the past hour, on the beach with a book from my library. She was lying on her stomach, and she’d occasionally bend her legs at the knee, bringing her bare feet into the air in an almost childlike way.
Why did I find that so adorable?
My first instinct was to go out there and get her riled up. Teasing to get a reaction was my default when it came to certain people in my life, like my oldest brother, and it usually amused me. But I was starting to know Rylee well enough to be able to figure out that she was more likely to just get irritated and shut me out than anything else.
I didn’t have time for games like that. I was on an unknown deadline.
So, I headed to the library myself, grabbing a book I’d been meaning to read about the Berlin Wall and strolling out to the beach. I walked right up to Rylee and plopped myself down in the sand next to her. I was so close that we were nearly touching each other.
She narrowed her eyes on me. “You know, you could go anywhere on this beach instead of sitting right next to me.”
“Baby, I own this whole island,” I reminded her with a grin. “But I’m right where I want to be.”
“You’re being ridiculous.”
“It’s not my fault that you happen to be in my favorite spot to sit and read,” I teased her. “You’re more than welcome to move somewhere else.”
Of course, I’d just follow her.
She didn’t move, though. It seemed that she was just as stubborn as I was. If neither of us were going to give in, that was perfectly fine with me.
I started to read, but it didn’t take long before I was distracted by being so close to Rylee. I looked over to see that a strand of hair had fallen into her face as she focused on the book on the ground in front of her. I reached over to tuck it behind her ear without thinking about it.
She shifted onto her side to look at me and take herself just out of my reach. “You don’t hear the word no often, do you?”
There was a hardness in her eyes, and I hated the tension in the air between us. It was even worse than when we met on the plane because she’d been a stranger then. Now, in just two days, I felt like I had gotten to know her and it felt wrong for her to look at me like I was some unwanted intruder on her little beach vacation.
“I really don’t,” I admitted, opening up to her. “You know how it is when you run a business. As the COO there aren’t many people in a position to argue with what I say.”
“Yeah, I’m sure that’s the only reason.” She rolled her eyes, and I had the sudden urge to kiss her. But I wasn’t a fool. She was barely talking to me, and I didn’t want to ruin it by making a move that was sure to get rejected.
“What do you mean by that?” I persisted, trying to get to the bottom of her irritable mood. “You think people kiss my ass because I’m rich?”
“Don’t they?”
“Not everyone.” A small grin tugged at the corner of my mouth. “You weren’t exactly my biggest fan when we met.”
“I guess I’m the exception.” She smiled a little, propping her head up on her hand. Her shirt rode up a little, exposing a strip of skin on her flat stomach. “I just think that your wealth is wasted on you.”
“That’s a bold accusation.” But I wasn’t upset. I wanted to hear what she had to say. Shockingly, I cared about her opinion.
“And your family has a ridiculous amount of money. You own a freakingisland.Do you know how many people you could help with the kind of money you paid for this patch of land in the middle of the ocean?”
“So, you’re saying we shouldn’t buy expensive things?”
“I’m saying that you’re known in the tabloids for being a good-time Charlie. Instead, you could be known for building a homeless shelter or feeding hungry children or funding Alzheimer’s research. There are so many people in the world that could use your help. Hell, even just in the United States. Pay off lunch debt for an elementary school or something. The possibilities are endless.”
I didn’t want to tell her this, but I’d never really thought much about giving back before now. That was more of my mom’s thing. She was the philanthropist of the family, and I always kind of thought that her efforts were enough. She gave to charity, so the rest of us didn’t need to worry about it.
