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It took another fifteen minutes before the sheets were dry, folded, and put away before she could clock out and finally go back to Austin’s room. She knocked on his door, ready to take off her sandals. Her feet were killing her.
Austin took one look at her and ushered her inside. “What happened?”
She sat on the couch and put her head back. “Just a hard day.”
“Are you ready to go shopping?”
“Can I rest here a bit first? I don’t feel like shopping right now.” Dani closed her eyes before he could respond. She didn’t think she’d ever said those words before in her life. But, she’d also never had a job that sapped the energy out of her. Plus, no matter how much she wanted to ignore what the women had said, she couldn’t. It depressed her.
“Sure.” She felt the weight of him as he sat beside her. “Rest as long as you need.”
“Thanks.” She didn’t need long. Maybe just a minute or two. But drowsiness settled in and before she knew it, she was coming back to her senses, the feeling of having slept for a while heavy on her eyelids.
The sound of the ocean waves came in the open patio door, and Dani was snuggled against something warm and soft. It felt comforting, like when she was little and her father would tuck her into bed at night, which was rare. But what was she snuggling with? She pried her eyes open. Crud. She was snuggled up against Austin. She jerked back, embarrassed. “Oh, no. I fell asleep.” She wiped at her mouth in case any drool had come out. Luckily, she didn’t feel any.
“It’s okay. I didn’t mind.” He gave her a smile. “You weren’t hurting me.”
She rubbed at her eyes. “How long was I asleep? Weren’t you bored just sitting there?”
“You were only out for twenty minutes.”
“Oh.” She blinked, trying to get the fuzzy feeling out of her head. “Felt like longer.”
“Do you need to rest more?” He pointed to his shoulder. “I make a good pillow.”
She was sure her face was now crimson, with the massive waves of heat that was coming from her cheeks. “No. I’m good.”
He leaned a bit closer to her, and she realized he was only inches from her face. Definitely within kissing distance. Was that because she was still practically snuggled into his lap? Why had she not moved away?
“You sure?” His breath tickled her cheek. He looked at her, and for the first time, she noticed the tiny flecks of gold in his blue eyes. Why was she staring into his eyes? It made her stomach flutter.
“Yes,” she said, unable to catch her breath. What was wrong with her?
His gaze dipped to her lips, and she flushed. Did he want to kiss her? Not that she would mind. Wait, what? She pulled back, unable to stand the tension. She couldn’t kiss him. The last man she trusted had broken her into a million pieces. She didn’t even really know Austin. He was being so nice, but that usually meant a guy wanted something from her.
“I’m ready to go shopping now,” she said as she jumped off the couch, her heart beating erratically.
“All right.”
Was that disappointment in his voice? She really wasn’t sure. But she needed to get away from him so she could put herself back together. Nothing ever worked right in her life when she was impulsive and dove into things without thinking.
Austin grabbed a set of keys and motioned. “I’ve rented transportation.”
When they got to the front of the resort and Austin climbed into a golf cart, Dani snorted. “That’sour transportation?”
He patted the seat beside him. “Hop on.”
She did as she was told. “I thought you rented a car.”
“I did. Well, sort of.”
“Yeah, hate to break it to you, but this isn’t a car.”
“It will get us there.” He started the engine and the cart took off.
Dani grabbed onto the bar next to her seat so she wouldn’t fall out. “How fast does this go?”
Austin grinned. “Twenty miles per hour. It’s cool, right?”
