Thousands of my hard-earned dollars were spent learning how to cope with the emotional shipwreck that came with being the daughter of the biggest jackass to ever walk the planet. In the end, physical distance seemed to be the only thing that worked for me, which was why I sent his calls straight to voicemail. Truthfully, it was past time for me to block his number altogether.
A line of sweat trickled down the side of my face, reminding me of the air-conditioned room beckoning me. Glancing at the phone still in my hand, I frowned when I saw it was nearing two o’clock. I’d wasted almost an hour thinking about a man who was the source of my anxiety. It was sixty minutes of my life I’d never get back.
“Not another second, Waverly,” I grumbled, tossing everything in my beach bag.
Stepping off the beach onto the concrete surrounding one of the resort's three pools, I veered to the left toward the outdoor bar and grill. Dinner was four hours away and since breakfast consisted of a bowl of fruit, along with a half a pot of coffee, I decided a snack was in order.
“What can I get you?” the bartender asked as I slid onto the only vacant stool at the bar.
“A blue mojito and an order of shrimp tacos please.”
“You got it.”
While he prepared my order, I took the opportunity to really look around. I’d chosen this particular resort for two reasons. First, it was an all-inclusive, which meant my meals and drinks were included in the price. Second, it had a beautiful lagoon in the front, stretching from one end of the resort to the other. It was the perfect place for first time snorkelers like myself—or so I’d been told. The water wascalm, not rippled with wave after wave which would have undoubtedly left me queasy. Yet, my newly bought gear remained untouched in the bag it came in.
With a job as demanding as mine, there wasn’t time for much more than work, eat, sleep, and repeat. It was an excuse; one I'd used for so long I actually believed my own bullshit. Something had to give. I was tired of watching from the sidelines while the rest of the world rotated around me.
“Here you go, ma’am.”
When the bartender placed a plate of food and an electric blue drink down in front of me, I made a critical decision. After thanking him, I grabbed my goods then marched toward the concierge desk in the main lobby. The resort offered a variety of activities, however, there was one in particular which would have been on my bucket list, if I actually had one.
Shayne was right. I did want to try scuba diving.
Go big or go home.I chanted the phrase repeatedly in my head as I signed the waiver for a lesson the next morning, which consisted of an hour learning the basics in the resort pool. If I was still interested afterward, there was another hour class leading up to a forty-five minute dive with a small group and a couple of instructors. The jury was still out on whether I’d have the courage to go through with any of it. Still, I’d taken the first step. That had to count for something, right?
On the balcony of my ocean-view suite, I inhaled the cold, delicious food while sipping my drink. The mint from the mojito was refreshing and meshed perfectly with the cilantro dressing drizzled over the shrimp. Seafood wasn’t normally something I’d choose for myself, but the combo had become my go-to cuisine since arriving on the island.
It seemed stepping out of my comfort zone was going to be the running theme of this vacation; the second half of it anyway. Diving and a date? What the hell had I gotten myself into?
The shock to my system might be exactly what was needed in order to climb out of the whirlpool of complacency which had become my life, both personally and professionally. I’d spent so long fighting everyone else’s battle’s, I’d forgotten how to fight for myself; for the future I wanted.
There was a crucial piece missing to the Waverly Mitchell puzzle. I just needed to be brave enough to find it.
2NINE DAYS
Waverly
When the elevator doors opened up to the hotel lobby at five fifty-five, breathing became difficult. It had nothing to do with the wall of humidity which smacked me in the face and everything to do with the gorgeous man casually leaning against the wall. If I thought Kier in swim trunks was a sight to behold, it didn’t even compare to the way he looked now.
The khaki dress pants he wore fit like a glove, accentuating his thick, muscular thighs, while the baby-blue, short-sleeved dress shirt tucked into the waistband, stretched across his expansive chest, leaving very little to my imagination. His smile lit up the dim lobby as he pushed off the wall and strode toward me.
“You’re incredible, Waverly.” He leaned down to kiss my cheek.
My clothing options for the evening had been limited. I’d chosen a cream-colored sundress covered in a pale green floral print, with straps wide enough at my shoulders to hide my bra. It was light and airy and flowed down my body,landing just below my knees. On my feet, I’d traded my flip-flops for a pair of white slingback wedge sandals. They weren’t my usual high heels, but they were the closest thing I’d packed.
“Thank you. You look very handsome yourself.”
“Shall we?”
Heat spread across my back where his hand sat low on my spine, steering me through the tall automatic sliding glass doors at the entrance. Vibrant orange and deep blues stained the sky as the sun reflected its waning light along the rippled surface of the Caribbean Sea.
“This way.” His fingers curled around my hip, leading me toward the beach, away from the cluster of buildings which housed the two on-site restaurants. My interest piqued.
“Where are we going?”
He didn’t answer as we descended a set of stairs leading to the edge of the sand, instead he grinned and jerked his head to the left. That’s when I truly lost my breath.
Fifty yards down the beach, a large white canopy was erected in the same spot where our loungers had been earlier in the day. Candles buried in the sand illuminated a path to our destination, surrounding the structure on three sides while their flames flickered in tandem with the slight breeze coming off the water.
