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Dune went back to his house for the first time in a week. He showered, shaved, and dressed in slacks and a button down and sprayed his cologne, hoping Caroline liked the smell on him. He normally didn’t care—never had to—but Caroline was different from the other women who came to the island. This was clear by the extent he was going to, to give her a night out.
He drove to her rental, parked in the driveway, and got out. Dune rushed up her steps to the porch and raised his hand to knock but the door opened with a whoosh and the sight of Caroline took Dune’s breath away. They stood there, taking each other in. She wore an orangish pink colored dress, and coupled with her tanned skin, it made her look as if she glowed. Her hair, which she normally kept down in a braid, was in a high sleek ponytail. Dune’s eyes traveled down her body, swallowing hard the farther he went. When he came to her shoes, he groaned internally at the heels she wore, accentuating her already long legs.
“Are you going to be able to walk in those?” he asked, even though the image in his mind had her legs over his shoulders, heels still on. “Or do you need me to drive?”
“I can walk,” she said as she stepped out of the house. He took two steps back to give her space. “You look very handsome.”
He grinned. He rarely heard the word handsome come out of someone’s mouth. Mostly, women told him he was hot or sexy, and he rather enjoyed being called handsome.
“You’re beautiful,” he told her. Dune reached for her hand and gripped it as they descended the stairs. They turned toward downtown, where they spent a majority of their time.
“Where are we going?”
“Someplace you haven’t been,” he told her.
“Honestly, since I started working, I haven’t been to nearly any of the places I’ve wanted to go.”
Dune’s steps faltered. He hadn’t thought about her plans while here when he offered her the job. He just didn’t want her to get bored and leave.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t think—”
“It’s not your fault. I can easily tell you when I don’t want to work.”
“True,” he said. “You can have whatever days off you want.”
“But you depend on me?”
He nodded. “Once the high school kids return, things get easier.”
“Then that’s when I’ll take some days off.”
He had to think like a boss and not someone who had feelings for an employee. He wanted her on his crew every day, but that was selfish of him. Caroline was in Seaport on vacation, not to be at his beck and call.
They made their way past Diego’s and the Sea Shanty, which had music blaring and a line to get in. Dune groaned, knowing Caroline enjoyed this establishment because it catered to tourists.
Dune caught Caroline looking over her shoulder at the Sea Shanty. He bit back a nasty comment and asked, “You like it in there?”
“Yeah,” she said, shrugging. “It’s the closest place on the island to a nightclub.”
“Did you go a lot when you were at Yale?”
She nodded. “They’re fun.”
Dune chuckled. “What’s so fun about them?”
“Oh, I don’t know. I’ve told you I like to dance and sometimes you can be someone different in a club. There’s no one there to judge you.”
He didn’t fully get it, but he also grew up in a place where everyone knew him and everything about him and his family. When he and his brothers were younger, it was often “Here come those Carter boys.” They rarely got into too much trouble, at least none that they would admit to.
After passing by the marina, Caroline squeezed Dune’s hand. “Where are we going?”
He motioned ahead. “Not far, just up the street a bit.”
“I’m not one for surprises, but I have a feeling I’m going to love this one.”
You’re going to love it.
They arrived at Carter’s and when Dune made a move to open the door for her; she halted. He followed her gaze and suspected she focused on the word diner.
“Don’t let the word confuse you.”
“Okay,” she said hesitantly, but didn’t budge when Dune tugged on her hand.
“I promise,” he said. He stepped forward, cupped her cheek, but this time he gazed into her eyes. He had never promised anything to another woman in his life, aside from his mother, and here he was promising her she wouldn’t be disappointed.
Dune motioned for her to go inside. He guided them to the back, where he could hear laughter and music. He opened the door and motioned for her to go ahead of him.
Caroline gasped, which made Dune’s heart skip a beat. “What is this place?” she asked.
Before them, the outside of Carter’s Diner had turned into what he would describe as a tiki bar with flare. White lights hung along the fencing, and propane heaters provided warmth. In the corner, Crew played music from a DJ booth, and his mom somehow had hung a crystal ball in the middle of the makeshift dance floor.
