Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 68743 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 344(@200wpm)___ 275(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68743 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 344(@200wpm)___ 275(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
He’d left her alone with Maggie. So that was how it was going to be, she thought, trying not to be insulted. It was fine. She knew how to entertain herself.
“Well.” Maggie spun to face her. “Let’s get you settled, shall we? I’ll give you a tour of the place, too.” She pulled out her phone and sent a text. “Just letting Corey know which room to put your bags in.”
Maggie gave her a quick tour of the house, which thankfully was an easy layout because Nikki was directionally impaired, to put it mildly. They walked through the state-of-the-art kitchen, where Nikki remembered to tell Maggie she was allergic to peanuts. One taste and she ended up covered in hives. It was odd, the allergy having developed after she turned eighteen, but the doctor told her one in five adults suffered with the issue.
Maggie was sweet, promised she’d be careful, and continued her tour. She showed Nikki the back exit to the veranda, which led to a patio with tables and chairs for outdoor eating, and gave her directions to the pool and the beach.
After escorting Nikki to her room, Maggie left her alone. She glanced out the window, took in the view, and decided to spend what remained of the day on the beach. Sometime during her tour, Corey had left her suitcase on a luggage stand at the foot of the queen-sized bed.
Nikki took out a bikini and changed into the bathing suit, pulling on a loosely crocheted cotton cover-up and flip-flops. She grabbed her beach bag and filled it with her phone, Airpods for music, and a few other things she might need, deciding she’d worry about unpacking later.
Then she headed downstairs, planning to ask Maggie where to find Corey so she could get towels and a lounge chair. As she neared the bottom step, he walked in the front door.
“Just the man I was looking for,” she said, capturing his attention.
He stopped to wait for her, his gaze looking her over. “Hey. Headed for the beach or the pool?”
“I take it the bathing suit gave me away?” She laughed. “The beach. I was going to ask Maggie how to find you to hook me up with a lounge chair and towels.”
He ran his fingers through his surfer-boy-styled hair and grinned. “Happy to oblige. Come on and I’ll get you set up.”
“Great!”
She walked beside him through the house and out back, glad at least Maggie and Corey were pleasant to be around. Because her host obviously planned to be rude and distant for the duration of her stay.
* * *
It didn’t take long for Asher to set up his workstation in the room he used as his office whenever he was on the island. He had his twenty-four-inch screen and had brought his laptop along with him. Either would suffice. He changed into a pair of cargo shorts and a tee shirt and sat down behind the desk, pushing aside the fact that he’d abandoned Nikki as soon as he possibly could.
He tried to tell himself her chatter grated on his nerves, but the truth was the exact opposite. She was fun, easy to be around, and everyone liked her. Corey had been all too eager to offer his assistance on the beach, and Asher had almost bitten the guy’s head off for flirting, when in reality, he had just been doing his job.
Then Maggie had been pleased to see him arrive with a woman, something Asher had never done before. Why? Mara, who’d come before Christy, had taught him if he opened up this part of his life to a female, she’d try to get her hooks into him and his money. He would never know if a woman liked him for himself or what he could buy her, and the sting of betrayal was too great to try again.
These days, he let women warm his bed, but they never insinuated themselves further. Which meant the only chitter-chatter he ever listened to were his sisters’ and the kids in the family.
To keep Nikki at a necessary distance, he told himself she annoyed him. In reality, he could look at that gorgeous face all day and listen to her talk for hours. And considering her brother, Asher’s friend, trusted him to take care of his sister? Keeping that distance was essential.
The sound of voices drifted through his open window that overlooked the ocean. He glanced out to see Nikki and Corey heading toward the beach, their laughter carrying back to Asher at his desk. Nikki wore a cover-up with more holes than fabric, a sight that had him clenching his fingers into fists.
He continued to watch the scene unfold. Corey left her and headed to the storage sheds where the lounge chairs and clean towels were kept and returned holding a chaise he set down then wrapped with towels.