Authors: Collette Scott
Yes, she loved him.
Returning her attention to her book, Diana blinked back sudden tears. Falling in love with him should not have been a surprise, for she knew from the start that she would have a hard time resisting him. But he was so charming and funny, and it had been so easy to let her guard slip. Diana could not remember a time when she had laughed so hard and long, and Devlan made her do it with utter ease. He had totally swept her off her feet in just a few days.
Now she needed to decide how to handle it.
Run away.
No, she could not run away. She was on a boat in the middle of the ocean, far away from cold and snowy Denver. But she would have to do something quick.
“Wow, Mommy, did you see what Uncle Devvie did?”
Hannah and her wet body were suddenly deposited on Diana’s lap, and she shot up with a startled yelp. Forgetting her somber thoughts, she watched as Devlan sat down on the towel next to her and shook out his hair. She was sprayed with the cool ocean water that caused goose bumps to rise on her flesh. She scowled, but Hannah giggled and imitated him and together the two soaked Diana’s warm skin.
“What are you two doing?” she shrieked.
She lifted Hannah off her lap and placed her next to Devlan. Grinning, the youngster whispered something in Devlan’s ear. That was the last straw. Coming to her feet, Diana stood before them with her hands on her hips while Mike laughed from a safe distance away. With a fierce frown she glared at them all, ignoring Devlan’s appreciative stare. His gaze swept her from head to toe and took in the revealing bikini with approval.
Eyes twinkling, he nudged Hannah. “Tell your Mommy how pretty she looks today and she’s guaranteed to forgive you.”
Hannah giggled again and stared up at her mother with wide, innocent eyes. “Mommy, you’re very pretty.”
Pointing her finger at Hannah’s nose, Diana frowned as fiercely as she could. “Flattery will get you nowhere, young lady!”
“But it is true,” Devlan said with a wink.
She glared at him, but his wide smile left her feeling joyful inside instead of angry. Unable to resist, she relented and smiled back.
Still smiling happily, Devlan glanced at the three of them. “I hate to change the subject, but it’s getting late. Are you ready to go?”
He came to his feet and began drying off his chest with the towel. Diana watched his smooth movements but hastily turned away when he turned back to her. “One second. I’ll get our things,” she said quickly.
Nudging Mike in the leg with one foot to force him up, Devlan wrapped the towel around his damp waist before briskly drying Hannah off as well. Mike carried everything the short walk down to the dock where they tied up the boat, while Devlan scooped up Hannah. Diana watched with her heart in her throat as her daughter wrapped her arms around his neck and held him tightly. It seemed all too soon that they were piling in to head back to the ship. She wanted to stay forever.
As they headed out to sea, Diana sent one last glance behind her. She watched the secluded area disappear with a sad eye. It was there she realized that she was in love with Devlan, and that would stay with her forever. No matter what happened to their relationship, Diana would always remember that short strand of beach and the few moments of pure happiness that had touched her soul.
~
Francois Rat bowed politely and handed Diana the menu for the following day’s meals. She smiled and thanked him again, all the while telling him to call her Diana. But it was a futile gesture, and she watched the eccentric chef with the wild gray hair bow from the room with a bemused smile. Heading to the lounge to wait for Hannah to wake from her nap, Diana wondered yet again if she could ever get used to someone catering to her every need. At present, it was disconcerting.
She had just kicked off her sandals and reclined across the soft cushions of the sofa when the steward arrived carrying a glass of wine.
“Can I put on some music for you, Mrs. Somerset?”
“Thank you, Justin,” she said, accepting the glass.
With a returning smile, he crossed the carpeted room on silent feet to the entertainment center and inserted a CD. Before she knew it, she was reclining to the music of “The Nutcracker”. With a sigh of resignation, Diana accepted that he was doing his job and thanked him again before he stole from the room. The dark-headed college student left as quietly as he had entered, leaving Diana alone with her thoughts. And, of course, the menu beckoned.
Devlan was working hard in the library off their suite. She had been in there once, which had been enough. The room was fully equipped with computer, fax, satellite phone, and all sorts of devices she had no idea what they were or how to use them. While she completely agreed with Mike that Devlan needed to spend more time relaxing, he had made it clear that even while he was spending time with her and Hannah he still had to report in to work. There was a reason why the man had so much money – he worked for it. Kathy had not been kidding when she said that was all he did.
That he was enclosed in the electronics room served to remind Diana that they owed him so much. To let him get his work done was a small price to pay for such a wonderful vacation. Even if it meant she was left alone. Mike had retired to take a nap, the crew was busy preparing dinner and their next move, and Hannah’s new physical therapist was unpacking her belongings in the stateroom next to Hannah’s. That was the stateroom that was supposed to be hers, she thought with a flutter in her belly.
No matter what happened, she had to admit that this trip was truly an incredible experience. Though the attention from the crew was unnerving, she was smart enough to realize that she should enjoy it while she could. Devlan may be with her now, but that would not always be the case. For now she could live her little fairytale dreams that she never realized she had, but instead of getting too comfortable and wishing for her happily ever after, she needed to use her quiet times to make a plan for when they went their separate ways.
She still could not trust him completely.
“Where’s Mr. Doyle?” Mike asked. Fresh from his nap, he sauntered into the room and threw himself into a chair across from her, stretching his legs out before him.
Thrusting aside her thoughts, Diana sat upright and pasted a smile on her face. “He got a message. He’s working.”
She caught the flicker of exasperation in his eyes before he changed the subject. “Is the menu okay?”
Diana reached for it again and read it aloud. “Grilled salmon with Francois’ special sauce, angel hair pasta with pineapples, papayas and mangoes, oven-roasted potatoes and white wine.” She looked up at Mike with a playful smirk. “What more could you ask for?”
Mike grinned. “My thoughts exactly. It’s a wonder I keep my trim figure.”
Diana laughed and handed him the menu. “I can probably get Hannah to eat most of it, but there are a few mysterious things I doubt she’d even try. Francois tells me to make a list of things to buy her, but I don’t want him to go out of his way like that.”
“It’s no trouble,” Mike said with a shrug. “Besides, it gives the man a chance to get off the ship every now and then… I think everyone is so happy that Mr. Doyle is actually taking time to relax with you instead of working with a bunch of old men that they would walk the plank if you asked them to.”
A small smile curved her lips as she envisioned the sight of the crew walking the plank. To think that it was her causing such a change in him was flattering and frightening at the same time. “I’m glad to help. It’s just awkward to feel like you’re taking and taking - all the time.”
“I know what you mean, but I certainly have gotten used to it,” Mike agreed cheerfully. “I see you’re working on your tan.”
She glanced down at her arms, which were fast becoming a light brown. Her legs too were starting to darken in color. “We’ve seen so much these past two days… Waimea Canyon and Na Pali Coast in Kauai, Waikiki and Pearl Harbor yesterday – well, you know. I’ve been outside, but not necessarily working on my tan.”
“You look healthier.”
“Thanks, Mike, you too.” She laughed, her blue eyes twinkling. “Although you have more freckles than I.”
As Mike looked down with a scowl, Hannah’s new physical therapist entered the lounge. She was a small young woman, with large brown eyes and closely cropped brown hair. She sported a hesitant smile until Diana came to her feet and welcomed her in.
“I love ‘The Nutcracker’,” she said approvingly.
“Me too,” Diana said. “It was always one of my favorites. My mother took me up to Boston once to see it when I was a kid. It was the most beautiful ballet I had ever seen, and it’s stayed with me. One day I’d like to take Hannah.”
Mike cocked his head to the side, listening astutely to their conversation. It occurred to her that Mike may not have been introduced to her yet. She smiled in apology.
“Mike O’Hare, have you met Lani Matthews? She’s here to help Hannah’s leg get better.”
Mike nodded politely and held out his hand, but he retreated to the back of the room while Diana and Lani shared small talk.
“He’s so stiff,” Lani remarked, nodding her head towards Mike.
“Not really. He just takes his job very seriously,” Diana said.
“Well, you can still do your job and have fun at it. That’s my motto anyway. It also helps the patients when you make it fun. Today Hannah and I had such a good time, and she didn't even seem to notice the discomfort as much.”
“Oh, Lani, I’m so glad to hear that,” Diana said. “I mean, she’s been so good and doesn’t seem to be having nightmares like they warned me, but I still worry. She’s been through so much.”
“I know,” Lani said with a sympathetic smile. “And it helps when they have someone who can relate to their confusion and loss.”
“I hope you’re right,” Diana whispered.
“You have an exceptional daughter, and I’m happy to be here. She’s a hard worker.”
“I’ll make sure I tell her that you said so.”
“She’s going to do great.”
Lani smiled encouragingly and continued to smile straight through dinner. Eager to chat, she was very attentive to Hannah, and Hannah was excited to have someone new to show all her presents to. The pair hit it off, and Lani good-naturedly went along with Hannah after dinner to play with her dolls.
Devlan watched it all and merely shook his head in wonder when the pair slipped away. But he was quick to capitalize on the missing distraction. No sooner had they left the dining room than he was reaching for Diana and leading her to the salon to watch a movie. Diana followed happily and tried not to see how easily their activity could become a nightly habit.
Justin and Betty had dimmed the overhead lights and lit candles to add a bit of romance to the room. Stretching lengthwise along the sofa, Devlan pulled her onto his lap.
“I missed you this afternoon,” she said as she snuggled into his chest.
“I know what you mean. I can’t believe I went three hours without seeing you,” he teased.
Chuckling, Diana reached for the remote and leaned back against him. Though she knew he was teasing her, she could not stop the thrill his words gave her any more than she could stop the fantasies of this dream becoming a reality. But reality was always close by, and they were just about to start the movie when Devlan’s phone rang again. Straightening slightly, he pressed it against his ear but refused to let Diana pull away. She closed her eyes and listened to the deep timbre of his voice through his chest.
“Tomorrow?” He asked sounding slightly irritated. “We’re going to Molokai tomorrow. What? Maui? You couldn’t…? All right, I’ll meet him there. Thanks Kathy, I know you tried.”
As he hung up the phone, he let out an exasperated sigh. “What was that all about?” Diana asked.
His lips nuzzled the top of her head. “I have to go to Maui tomorrow. Business meeting on the green.”
“Golf?”
“Yes.”
“So? That sounds like fun.”
“I haven’t enjoyed a vacation in far too long. It’s been great to get away and be with you and Hannah.” Devlan sighed deeply. “It would be more fun to visit Molokai with you. It’s one of the quietest islands here, and the most beautiful.”
Feeling a twinge of guilt, Diana straightened. “Look, Devlan, we don’t have to stop at every island. I know you’re a very busy man. You’ve done so much for us; we’re having a great time.”
“I want you to go to Molokai with me. There are some beaches there that people rarely set foot on, which means privacy for us,” he said pointedly.
“So we’ll do it another day and skip an island further down.”
The room fell silent as Devlan toyed with her idea. Almost absently his fingers went to her white cotton blouse and slowly the buttons fell open to reveal the pink bikini top. He glanced down and stared appreciatively.
“Did I tell you just how beautiful you look in pink?” he asked huskily.
Pushing his hand away, Diana ignored the flutter in her chest. “Have fun tomorrow, Devlan. Enjoy the day without your poor relatives.”
His hand came up to cup her cheek, and his fingers stroked lightly before he drew her down once more. “I’d rather be with you and Hannah.”