Page 51 of Blue Hawaiian
Brody put his hand on her arm. “You should have told me. I would have been happy to listen.”
“I know, but I was sick of feeling like a needy, miserable screwup.”
“It wasn’t your fault you were laid off.”
In her heart, she knew he was right. But losing her job, after less than a year, had been a huge blow. “It’s still debilitating. I’m done with Chicago. If I’m going to be unemployed, I’d rather be in Riverside. The winter isn’t brutally cold, and I can save money by living at home.”
Ahead of them, Marc and Gabi had stopped to take pictures. By now, the sun was beating down with a fiery intensity. Jess took another swig from her water bottle.
“Does Connor know?” Brody asked.
“Nope. I figured he wouldn’t be up for a fling if he thought I was moving back home. The last time he bailed, it was partly because I was too close for comfort. By telling him I’m going back to Chicago, I’m giving him the perfect out.” She sighed. “No one knows we’re sleeping together either, because Gabi asked me to stay away from him. She didn’t want us causing any drama at her perfect wedding.”
Brody wiped his forehead. “That’s a lot of secrets.”
“I know, but I can handle it.”
Three days remained until the wedding. Three more days of lying and sneaking around.
Not ideal, but infinitely better than revealing the truth.
Chapter 19
Connor groaned and opened his eyes. He lifted his head and winced at the crick in his neck. His laptop had gone into sleep mode, which meant he’d crashed out longer than he expected.
He cast a wary eye toward the clock on his nightstand. 6:30 a.m.
Shit.
He’d missed the van to Mt. Haleakala by a full three hours.
He checked his phone. No new messages from Jess. She was probably furious. Who could blame her? She’d expected him to stop by last night, but he’d ditched her without offering a full explanation. Then he compounded his assholery by failing to show up for the volcano excursion. Not only that, but he let down Marc and Gabi, after promising to be there. After all his declarations about being responsible, he’d already disappointed three people this morning.
Not a great start to the day.
He rubbed his eyes and woke his laptop out of hibernation. As he scrolled through his proposal, he was pleasantly surprised at how much he’d accomplished. Granted, his work needed editing and was rife with typos. But it was all there. Ten years’ worth of projections.
In your face, Darren.
He owed Jess a major apology, but he’d do it in person once she got back from Mt. Haleakala. In the meantime, he could polish up his proposal. But first, he needed to clear his head.
He changed into his swim trunks and left the hotel. After a quick jog down the beach, he spent the next hour bodysurfing. The bracing surf revitalized him. When a rogue wave churned him up, he spat out salt water and cleared his sinuses. Now he was awake.
By the time he showered and dressed, he was ready to dive back into his proposal. On the chance his father still refused to support him in any way, he could look for other investors. And if he needed a loan from the bank, he could offer his condo as collateral.
Or…
He could minimize his risk by apologizing to his father, promising to do better, and dedicating himself to Blackwood Cellars. If he put in the effort, the old man might come to trust him in a few years.
But even if Connor busted his ass trying to be a model employee, he’d never succeed, not as long as he worked directly under his older brother. Darren wanted to keep him in his place, which meant he’d undermine him at every turn. As long as their father kept believing Darren’s bullshit, he’d never come to respect Connor.
Better to take the risk and live with the consequences. Wasn’t that what Jess had done with her life?
He went down to the coffee bar and ordered an extra-large cappuccino. For the next three hours, he reviewed the document and gave it a final polish. He emailed it to his father, then sent a copy to Victoria, along with a brief note:Thanks for the support last night. Let me know what you think. If you can come up with any investors, I’m open to suggestions.
He stood and stretched. When he popped into the bathroom to shave, he heard the shower in Jess’s room running.
He hesitated. While he was grateful to have her friendship back, he was having second thoughts about their fling. Even if the sex was amazing, he wasn’t entirely convinced she could adhere to the no-strings rule. The more time they spent together, the greater the chance she’d get hurt. And he didn’t want to hurt her.
