Page 79 of Unexpected Entanglement

“Turn over,” Chris whispered in her ear when he was done with her back. “Did you doze off?”

“Can you blame me?” Rowan murmured as she rolled onto her back. “You have excellent hands, you know that?”

Chris smiled as he put more oil in his hands and worked on the upper side of her leg after rearranging the sheet covering her. She kept her eyes open this time and watched him focus on the massage.

“You’re pretty good at this. I should hire you permanently,” she joked.

“I think I’ll stick with management.” His hand left her for a second to adjust the crotch of his shorts. The bulge under it was unmistakable. “I’m enjoying this way too much.”

“Oh.” Her eyes lingered there for a breath too long.

A sudden buzz interrupted the background music playing. Chris glanced at the display for a second to see what it was.

“Sorry, I kept that on in case Walt or Jane need to reach me,” he explained.

Chris’ assistant and event manager were coming from New York tomorrow. They were still understaffed, and Chris brought them on with no expense on Bright Head. Though her pride had wanted to say no, Rowan had accepted the generous offer.

“Is everything okay?” Rowan asked, seeing his lips flattened.

“Yeah. It’s just a text from my dad."

“Oh, is he all right?” Rowan pushed up to a sitting position, holding the sheet to her chest.

“He’s asking again when I’m heading to the Cape,” Chris said, urging her to lie back down. “Nothing serious.”

Rowan laid a hand on top of his instead, stopping him from massaging her. “You’re upset.”

Chris met her eyes. “No. Annoyed, maybe. I’ve already told him I’ll get there when I can.”

“He may just need a date. My dad lived by the calendar on his smart phone. He had his assistant to book every appointment—business or personal—a few months ahead.”

“My dad’s assistant is his calendar. He barely can use a cell phone. In fact, I’m shocked he’s been texting me so much. He hates typing on the tiny buttons.”

Rowan smiled and added, “My point is just give him a date. So he can have something to look forward to.”

Chris laughed with a hint of irony. “George hasn’t looked forward to seeing me for at least two decades. He summons me once a year.”

“That can’t be true.” Rowan squeezed his hand.

“I don’t have the same relationship with my dad as you obviously had with yours, Rowan,” Chris said. “My dad hasn’t looked at me the same way since my mother died.”

Though his voice was steady, Rowan heard the underlying pain in it. She asked, “How old were you when she died?”

“Almost fourteen.”

“That’s awfully young to lose a parent. I’m sorry, Chris.” Rowan’s heart broke for the boy he was. She lost both of her parents as an adult, and it was the most devastating thing she’d experienced in her life. She couldn’t imagine dealing with that loss as a teenager.

“Thanks.” Chris pressed a kiss to her hand.

“What happened, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Chris sighed, resigning to telling a story. “My parents tried for a long time for another child. They’d actually given up after years of different fertility treatments, and we were happy with just the way we were.”

A reminiscing smile emerged on his lips. “We were a team—the three of us. My dad managed the financial, top management, business development. Though my mother had a hand in all areas of the business, she focused on personnel, customer service, and the aesthetic. I bounced around between them, shadowing and learning from both of them since I can remember.”

Rowan curled her legs under her to give more room for Chris on the bed. “Hospitality has always been in your blood, huh?” she prompted as she watched him lie on his side.

“Born and bred for it,” Chris confirmed. “I loved watching my mom direct the decor staff during the holiday seasons. It washer favorite time of the year. She and her team would make the lobby of the Boston Sullens into an elegant winter wonderland.”

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