“I hope so. For your sake.”
He finishes off his drink and we’re both quiet for a minute while my mind spins with our conversation. I try to find a way to change the subject, but my thoughts refuse to morph into anything other than wondering if I’m right and that Guy will pay me back for all these years of loyal service.
“Hey, Paige?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you ever wonder if maybe Guy hiring a college student was by design?”
“What do you mean?”
“Maybe he knew that if you didn’t finish your degree, you’d be beholden to him and he could string you along for as long as possible,” he says, quickly adding, “I mean, I’m not trying to upset the apple cart here or anything. I admit I don’t know him at all and I could be completely wrong, but based on what you’ve told me, it sounds possible.”
His words have a weight to them that I wish they didn’t, and the pancakes and vodka are suddenly sitting heavy in my stomach. “That’s what my parents think. And my best friend, Vivian. But they’re wrong. They don’t know him like I do.” As soon as the words leave my mouth, I hear them for myself.
“Whoa, you sound like someone in an?—”
I cut him off before he can say it. “I know what that sounded like, but it’s not. He’s my boss. He expects a lotbut he’s also taught me everything he knows. Seriously, he hasn’t held back in that regard, and he’s seriously a magician when it comes to getting clients and delivering what they need. Nobody knows more about gaining visibility than him. Nobody. And I’m incredibly lucky to have been able to absorb all that knowledge. I’ve been soaking it in like a sponge the entire time, and when I’m ready, I’ll be unstoppable.”
“Who decides when you’re ready? Him?”
“No, me,” I say with a shrug. “Honestly, I haven’t even asked him for a shot. Not for a long time anyway, but when I do, he’ll give it to me.” Okay, so I may be making it sound like more of a sure thing than it is, but the last thing I want is to have to continue justifying my job to someone who doesn’t know the first thing about my field.
“So when we get off this island, you can march into his office and say you want a promotion and a big raise, and he’ll give it to you?”
I nod, even though the thought of doing that sounds impossible. “I’d need to find the right time, of course. When I get back, there’ll be a mountain of things for me to get caught up on, but after that, sure.”
“I hope you do it. The second the timing is right. Or even right when you get back. Just … go in there and find out, once and for all.” He sits up and swings his legs off the chair. Standing, he reaches down and takes the ice pack off my ankle. “Time’s up. I’ll go pop this in the freezer.”
He disappears into the house, leaving me to mull all the questions he’s just put into my brain. Questions I don’t want to think about. Ones I have no way of answering until I get back to Manhattan. Although, deep down, there’s a tiny part of me that already knows the answer. And she knows I’m fucked.
15
Mad Men, Caribbean Edition…
Mac
Sleeping outside was a bad idea.I mean, it was the smart choice. The safe bet. But also, a terrible, terrible idea. The birds were up before the sun, and they were so loud, it was as if they were shouting at it to hurry up and rise already. I should’ve slept long and hard after all that hiking and the physical exertion yesterday, but instead, my sleep was fitful, restless, and way too hot with dreams that took me all the places I want to go with Paige and ended with us smiling and panting, our naked bodies tangled up in each other.
As soon as I woke, I knew there was no point in trying to get another couple of hours of shuteye. Not with the way I’m feeling. Instead, I got up and got to work, burning off some of the pent-up energy that I’ve got coursing through my veins. I went for a long walk and found some mangoes that need ripening, more star fruit, a coconut, and a couple of passion fruit that look ready. Then Igrabbed my fishing gear from the plane and spent the next hour casting out in the bay in front of the cottage, not wanting to be gone when Paige wakes up.
The truth is, I’m worried about her ankle. It looks like a pretty serious sprain, based on all the colors it was turning last night and how swollen it is. It could be weeks before she’s up to walking around on it. I’m also worried about Grandpa Jack. Each day that ticks by is another chance for Violet to tell him the truth, which is not something he needs to hear. I have to find a way for us to get off this island as soon as possible. Otherwise, Paige might be facing some serious health risks without access to proper medical care and Jack might be facing an eviction notice.
I cast out again, releasing the line into the crystal-clear waters, hoping that some hungry fish takes the bait. Behind me, I hear the door of the cottage close and Paige’s voice. “Good morning!”
I turn and give her a quick salute, then reel in the line and hurry up the beach to her. “How’d you sleep?”
“As well as one can when their ankle is throbbing,” she answers with a small smile.
I glance up and down, taking in the sight of her in an outfit I haven’t seen before. She’s in a pair of cutoff jeans with an oversized white linen shirt over a pink bikini top. It’s a good look on any woman, especially her. “That’s too bad. I was hoping the vodka would help numb the pain for you.”
“It did. Well, until it didn’t,” she says, glancing down at the fruit on the side table. “I see you’ve been up for a while.”
“Yeah, I was planning to sleep in but the birds had other ideas.” The birds and my raging libido, that is. My mind floats back to me helping her into the house, thenwaiting at the bathroom door for her to brush her teeth so I could help her get into bed. The alluring scent of her skin as she leaned on me for support until she reached the bed. The way she looked up at me when she said, “Thank you,” as if she was contemplating asking me to stay. How she licked her lips when she said goodnight. A warning bell goes off in my brain, the one that went off the first time I laid eyes on her. The one that said she’s trouble for a guy like me. My gut tightens a bit and I set aside all those thoughts of getting her naked.
“You’ll have to catch a nap this afternoon,” she says, pressing her fingers to the mango to test its readiness.
“I intend to. Probably in that hammock over there.” I take a couple of steps closer and pick up the fruit. “The mango’s not ready yet but these are.”
