Hurricanes in Paradise by Denise Hildreth (best ereader under 100 .TXT) 📗

shook her head. “Oh, if only getting rid of people were that easy. I’d walk around with my eyes closed all day.”

* * *

The Cove was still quiet at seven o’clock. Without Gabby at the house, Riley couldn’t sleep. But at least she was completely prepared for her day. She had spent most of the night and the wee hours of the morning finishing up the answers to all of Laine’s questions and officially OD’ing on Dr Pepper. Somewhere around 3 a.m., when The Cove was laying to rest its reds and magentas and awakening its yellows and oranges, she fell asleep. She wouldn’t awaken until The Cove began to play its piano and strings. Those were the sounds that were wafting through the breezeways while the staff flitted about like conductors of a new day.

A warm breeze blew through her soft curls, and the skirt of her red dress fluttered around the tops of her knees. She patted the double layer of matte gold beads that hung from her neck and straightened her collar. With as little sleep as she had last night, she was simply grateful she had been able to dress herself at all.

She headed to the far end of the entrance that presented a panoramic view of the grounds of The Cove and a breathtaking view of the ocean. She wanted to see it one more time before the day officially began. She placed her hands on the railing and leaned over slightly, closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. The salt air clung to her lungs and brought to mind every cherished memory of her childhood.

“You aren’t going to jump, are you?”

She opened her eyes and looked up to heaven quickly. She’d never heard an audible voice from above before. And she thought if God was omniscient and all, He’d know jumping hadn’t been on her Tuesday agenda.

“Riley.” Christian touched the back of her arm.

She almost jumped out of her skin. “Oh, my stars! You scared the living daylights out of me.”

He laughed. “Stars and living daylights?”

She leaned back against the railing, trying to steady herself and slow her heartbeat. “Yes, those are old sayings.”

“Well, you looked mighty serious leaning over the railing like that. I didn’t know what you might be planning.”

“Rest assured it wasn’t jumping. I’m petrified of heights.”

He turned and leaned against the railing too. They both stared at the long expanse of the lobby. “What are you doing here so early?”

“Trying to get some work done before Laine Fulton determines the rest of my day.”

“Still keeping pace with the writer, huh?”

She turned her head toward him. “She stood me up twice yesterday. She hugged Winnie and Tamyra. Hugged them! Oooh, she makes me crazy!” Her hands gripped tighter on the railing that she now held behind her. Her face scrunched up. “See? Just talking about her gets me all riled up.”

“You Southern women. You’re loud and passionate. You’re a lot like the women from my family.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

He laughed. “You obviously haven’t met the women from my family.”

She couldn’t help but laugh too.

“You watching this storm?”

“Get updates periodically. How’s it looking?”

“It turned into a tropical storm yesterday afternoon, and if it stays on course, it looks like we’ll be in its path. The swells have really increased and the waves are coming in quicker. So there is definitely something out there.”

“When did you find out it had been upgraded?”

“This morning.”

“Maybe Laine will fly out sooner.”

He smiled, his dimples deep and adorable. “From the sounds of Ms. Fulton, I can imagine her sitting on the beach, sipping a martini while it roars around her.”

“You’ve met her, then,” Riley quipped.

He shook his head. “So, lunch? Dinner? Midnight picnic on the beach before we pack away the umbrellas and lounge chairs?”

“Lunch and dinner will be determined by Ms. Fulton. And midnight, I pray, will find me comatose, since I was awake last night at midnight.”

“I should have called you then, huh?”

“Yes, you should have called me last night,” she said, smiling. He was undeniably charming.

“I hope you have a wonderful day, and I hope Ms. Fulton realizes how lucky she is to spend her meals with you.”

“Thank you. I’m really not crazy.”

“I know. You just play one on TV,” he said, offering her a wink as he headed through the lobby.

Riley covered the day with Mia, cleared all the messages awaiting reply from her desk, and headed to Mosaic to meet Laine for breakfast. By nine thirty she knew she had been stood up again, and something inside of Riley snapped. There was only so far she was willing to allow a customer to go. She didn’t care if Laine’s face was plastered across the backs of thirty million books. At this point Riley also didn’t care if she lost her job. And she wasn’t calling anyone to get permission. She was simply finding Laine Fulton.

* * *

Laine sat out on the balcony of Sea Glass. She had grabbed a croissant and a coffee and was enjoying the breeze coming off the ocean. She brushed crumbs from her breakfast off the mother-of-pearl and copper mosaic tabletop, then leaned her head back on the gray suede cushion, scooting her feet farther out in front of her.

“I dare you to say you forgot.”

She knew immediately who it was, although the fire behind the voice was slightly contrary to the Riley she knew.

“There’s no need to dare me,” she said, eyes still closed. “I didn’t forget; I simply changed my mind.”

She heard a loud puff of air come out of Riley. “What is it, Laine? Have I offended you or something? Because I have tried to do nothing since you’ve been here but serve you and make sure that you had every resource at your disposal to make this a productive and pleasant trip for you. So what is it? What have I done to make you act so incredibly rude?”

Laine raised herself from her seat. She turned her head to see Riley’s black curls bouncing slightly on