The Parking Space (9 page)

“So I can just jump off my deck into the ocean?”

“Yes.”

“Well, now I really don’t know how I’m going to be able to leave this place in a week.”

“Hello? Helen? Julien? Where are you guys?” Lisa called from the front door as she tiptoed inside and glanced all around.

“My apologies, Miss Carter, I was just showing Miss Wright her amenities.”

“Oh, it’s no trouble. Take your time. I just wanted to see her room.” She smiled and bit her lip as her eyes danced from him to me.

I shook my head, knowing the gleam in the deep shade of blue.

Did she seriously think we were in here flirting with one another? Oh yes, that’s exactly what I needed—a boyfriend thousands of miles away from San Francisco. Not to mention, one with . . . yep, that’s a wedding ring on his finger. Way to catch that, Lisa.

“I know ours will be the same, but I just wanted to see it,” she continued. “And I have to say if it’s anything like this one, I don’t know how I’m going to leave this place.”

Julien clasped his hands together and turned toward me. “Do you have any questions before I leave you, Miss Wright?”

“No, none that I can think of.”

“You can reach the main desk through the telephone. There you can order room service, book activities, make reservations at one of our restaurants or the spa, or if you need anything like extra towels, laundry service, or the maid service. Should you need me personally, just ask for me and they will transfer you through.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

“Are you ready to see your villa, Miss Carter?”

“Is grass green?” she laughed. “Heck yes, I’m ready. Let’s go.” Lisa bounced as she followed Julien a few steps. “Oh wait.” She glanced over her shoulder and pointed at me. “Dinner tonight. You with us, okay?”

“Oh no, you guys should have dinner by yourselves.”

“We aren’t going to let you eat alone on your first night here. No way.”

“I’m more than capable of eating alone. I do it all the time.”
Geez, do I ever sound lonely.
“Not to mention, I have a lovely deck with a beautiful view where I can enjoy some nice and relaxing room service. You know, this is pretty much your honeymoon. You might as well enjoy it as such.”

“I know. Look, Ben and I plan on spending a lot of time alone, believe me, but tonight, our first night here isn’t one of them. All right?”

Her lips curved into a half smile as she slacked her jaw and narrowed her eyes. A look I knew well. Never one to back down when she set her mind to something, I knew there wasn’t any chance I would get out of having dinner with them tonight.

“Fine. I’ll go.”

“Great. Six o’clock at the Le Lagoon Bar and Restaurant.”

With a wink, she trotted down the pathway toward Ben and Julien.

I shut the door and spun around to face the room, inhaling and exhaling several deep breaths as I closed my eyes and squealed.

One whole week, one whole, wonderful week in this villa.

All the stress and worry faded, replaced with the hardwood floors, yellow painted walls, palm leaf ceiling, and luxurious furniture surrounding me.

I would sleep as late as I wanted. I would eat whatever I wanted, and I would eat those meals outside, on my deck, with the view more beautiful than I had even dreamed. I would dive into the ocean whenever I wanted, and would soak in the hot tub with fruity cocktails chilling in my hand.

I glanced over my shoulder toward the bathroom.

And I would shower without a curtain
.

“WELCOME, MADEMOISELLE. DO you have a reservation?” Tall and slender, the beautiful brunette hostess stood behind her podium.

“Yes. I have reservations with Mr. Hogan and Miss Carter at six. The name is Miss Wright.”

The woman scanned her clipboard. Her dark brown eyes moved from name to name as she searched.

“Ah, yes, here you are. Dinner at six and it’s a party of three, correct?”

Yep, three. A couple in love and their third wheel.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Monsieur Hogan and Mademoiselle Carter haven’t arrived yet, but we can seat you without them.”

“Oh, they aren’t here?”

“No, not that I’m aware of.”

“I can wait out here if you need to seat us all at once.”

She smiled and shook her head slightly. “No, that won’t be necessary. We can seat you now and that way you can enjoy an evening cocktail or a delicious appetizer if you like while you wait. Follow me, please.”

Her hips rocked from side to side as she glided along the floor. With every long stride, her shoes clicked on the Spanish style tile while my flat sandal soles made not a single sound. A beautiful stone fountain rested in the middle of the room, which played the perfect echo pitch for the cascading waterfall.

Giant windows replaced the walls, opening the restaurant up to the surrounding white sand beach outside and allowing a gentle ocean breeze to whisper inside. Some of the flames of lit candle centerpieces flickered as the hostess led me toward a table in the corner with a perfect view of a row of palm trees, their leaves swayed in a back and forth dance as I sat down.

“Enjoy your evening.”

“Thank you.”

As the hostess sauntered off, a gentleman approached with a broad smile across his face.

“Hello, mademoiselle. My name is Maurice, and I’ll be your server tonight. Can I start you off with something from the bar?”

“A glass of merlot, please.”

“But, of course, and are you waiting for another?”

“Oh, yes, two more. I know that she’ll order a Chardonnay, but I don’t know what her fiancé would like.”

“Well, I shall bring your merlot while you wait. Would you like for me to start an appetizer, too?”

“Oh. Um . . .” I flipped open the menu and scanned the first page. “How about an order of the grilled shrimp, please.”

“Certainly, I’ll get your order in immediately.”

While most of the other tables were empty, a few couples dined around me. Either in deep conversations over fruity cocktails and glasses of wine or enjoying their meal while they fed each other, none of them paid any attention to the single woman who’d just sat down.

I continued to scan through the menu. My stomach growled with each of the entrées that appealed to me—steak, seafood, pasta—picking just one to take pleasure in proved harder than I thought it would be. My concentration so focused, I almost didn’t notice Maurice place the wine glass on my table.

Scooping the glass in my hand, I noticed the minute hand on my watch.

That can’t be right? Twenty after six?

Lisa was never one to be late unless she had a good reason.

Then again, I supposed a big comfy bed in an overwater villa with a sexy, probably naked, fiancé was a good reason.

I looked out of the window across the beach. As I took another sip of wine, I contemplated whether to call their room.

“Miss Wright?” A deep voice asked.

I turned toward the sound. I don’t know whom I was expecting, but the hazel green eyes of the handsome Dr. Stark were not the person. Sheer shock slapped me in the face and the gulp of burgundy hit my throat then poured down the wrong pipe, choking me. The robust and sweet flavor burned my nose and tears blurred my vision as I coughed and coughed.

“Are you okay?” His hand hit my back several times while the hostess stared at me. Her wide eyes blinked as she clutched her chest.

“Miss Wright,” Dr. Stark asked again. “Are you okay?”

Still coughing, I nodded and raised my hand in a silent request for some time. He fetched me a glass of water from another table.

“Here drink this.”

My throat scratched something awful, but after a few sips, I finally gained control of my lungs. “Hello, Dr. Stark.” My voice cracked. “Thank you.”

Why is he here? Of all the restaurants in the world, why did he walk into this one?

He handed over my napkin, clearing his throat. “You’re welcome.”

Without saying another word, he stepped away, glancing over his shoulder at the hostess. Her eyes danced from me to him. “Let me know if you need anything,” she whispered before hurrying after him. “Right this way, sir. Your table is just right here.”

I rubbed my temples.

Why is he here? And why did he have to walk into this place while I’m sitting here, alone. Darn it, Lisa. Where are you?

He sat at a table mere feet from mine. Dressed in casual jeans that had just the perfect amount of bagginess and a button up cotton shirt, the sight of him weakened my knees. His muscular build was just enough in my line of sight, the notion of glancing at him toyed with me.

Don’t do it. Don’t look at him.

I shook the thoughts from my head. My fingers trembled down the spine of the menu. While the words popped from the page, my mind played a jumbled mess, unable to focus on the print that blurred together.

Where the heck is Lisa?

A plate with several grilled shrimp sitting on a bed of decorative lettuce hit the table in front of me. The fire-licked delicate spirals made my stomach growl.

“Have you decided on what you would like for your entrée?” Maurice asked.

In my peripheral vision, Doctor Stark turned his head toward me.

“Um, no, not yet. Can I have a moment, please?”

“Certainly.” With a slight bow, Maurice strolled away, his slim shoulders squared in a regal pose.

I clutched one of the small plates and a fork, before scooping a couple of grilled shrimp onto the bone white china. After setting the plate in front of me, I cut the delicious meat into small bite sized chunks then leaned back in my chair as I looked out onto the sandy beach.

“Excuse me, Miss Wright?” The hostess’s voice distracted me.

“Ye . . . yes?”

“I have a message for you from Miss Lisa Carter. She said to tell you she is incredibly sorry, but they won’t be making the reservation tonight.”

“Is everything okay?”

“She said to tell you everything is fine. They just lost track of time.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

As she nodded and sauntered off, my eyes traced over the rest of the shrimp on the plate. Should I order dinner and enjoy my evening? Or should I return to my room, order a buffet of room service and soak in my private hot tub?

“Ahem,” a deep voice cleared his throat behind me.

I glanced over my shoulder and heat rushed to my cheeks. “Is there something I can do for you, Doctor Stark?”

“I was just wondering if you . . . would you mind if I joined you for dinner? Since your other party has cancelled, I mean.”

Huh?

“Oh, I suppose, you may, if you want to.”

I wonder exactly what the record is for how many times a person has uttered ‘heck yes’ in one sentence.

Because, surely, I’m about to break it.

He fetched his beer and sat across from me. “So, fancy meeting you here,” he laughed.

“Out of all the restaurants in the world . . .”

“We happened to walk in the same one.”

Our eyes locked and my cheeks radiated heat.

“I’m actually here for Lisa’s wedding,” I said. “She and Ben are getting married in a few days, so I came to witness.”

“I’ll have to congratulate them when I see them next.” He took a swig of his beer and set the mug down. “And here we thought we wouldn’t see a soul from San Francisco.”

“We?”

Crap. He brought a girl? Ugh. Figures.

“A buddy of mine came along with me. He’s . . . well, he’s off enjoying a few of the local places tonight.” The smirk on his face proved half amused and half annoyed. “He tends to do that a lot. Not that I mind. I have important stuff to do anyway.”

“Sounds like a fun person to vacation with.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “So how is Charlie doing?”

“Fine, just fine. He hates his diet. I swear he thinks I’m starving him on purpose.”

“He’ll get over it.”

“Maybe. I keep waking up in the morning wondering if he’s torn my furniture to shreds out of revenge.”

“I’m sure he’s not holding it against you that much, Miss Wright.”

“Probably, not.” I tucked my hair behind my ears and cleared my throat. “Um, you can just call me Helen, if you like. No sense in being so formal.”

He stuck out his hand, offering it to me to shake. “Rick.”

Warm and soft, the touch of his skin sent sparks through my body. Heat warmed through me, speeding up my heartbeat.

Lord, how I would love to thank this man’s mother for bringing him into the world.

“May I?” Rick asked, pointing to the plate of uneaten shrimp.

“Oh, yes, of course. I, certainly, won’t eat them all. I mean, they are beyond delicious, but I don’t want to fill up on just an appetizer.”

He plucked a few from the platter onto his own small plate and popped one in his mouth.

“Wow. You’re right, they are delicious.”

“Probably the best I’ve ever had, and I live in San Francisco.”

Maurice approached a second time with his hands clasped behind his back. “And are you two ready to order?”

“Um,” Rick raised one eyebrow with a look of curiosity. “I guess we are.”

“Lovely, for you, mademoiselle?”

“Oh, I’ll have the beef tenderloin with the roasted vegetables, and can I also add the side of garlic mashed potatoes?”

“Certainly, mademoiselle. And for you monsieur?

“I’ll have the seared Ahi tuna with the rice, and I’ll add a side of the grilled vegetables.”

“Very well. I shall put your order in immediately.”

“Thank you.” Rick scooped the menus from the table and handed them to Maurice. “I’ll have another beer, too.”

“Of course, monsieur.”

I unfolded my napkin in my lap and played with my wine glass, twisting it in circles. Speaking about Charlie felt so easy, like a topic that we both could dance around without a bit of seriousness or embarrassment. One so mundane and pointless, we could dwell in the casualness of it and not worry about what the other was thinking.

Questions like did I say the wrong thing, did his opinion differ from mine, or did I just make myself out to be a dumbass, were lost in the mindless blather about a fat feline. However, the sudden interruption of our waiter left a cringe-worthy silence between us that grated on my nerves.

Rick cleared his throat. “So how long have you been in Bora Bora?”

“We arrived this afternoon.”

“Ah, first night. Those are always hard. You’re excited for the adventure . . .”

“But tired from traveling,” I said, finishing his sentence.

“Exactly. So which villa are you staying in?”

“Um, you know, I can’t remember the number.”
Great. I’m going to have a super time trying to remember which one I’m in.
“It’s one of the overwater villas.”

His eye widened and he nearly choked on a sip of beer. “Splurged for the ritzy villas of the resort. Impressive.”

I laughed. “That would be a no. I’d like to think I have the guts for that, but actually, Lisa and Ben surprised me with the upgrade as a gift.”

“That was nice of them.”

“Yes, it was.”

“I clicked through the pictures of them when I booked my trip, but I knowing my schedule, it just wasn’t enough to warrant the cost.”

“What do you mean?”

“I knew I wanted to see the island and have fun, not just sit around. I have activities planned all week—hiking, four wheeling, snorkeling, visiting the Discovery Park, you know those types of things.”

Ah yes, all the fun stuff that I hadn’t thought of because I’m so bloody boring.

A sudden lump caught in my throat. Here he planned to do all these wild and crazy things—things people usually do on vacations to have fun—and all of my thoughts centered around room service and sitting in my hot tub . . . alone.

How utterly pathetic am I?

“How long are you going to be on the island?” he asked.

“Until next Wednesday. What about you?”

“I leave next Tuesday.”

“How long have you been here already?”

“Just two days. I decided to take an extra few days just for myself after I took care of my business here. I figured I’ve dealt with enough in the past year that I deserve it.” His face twisted and a scowl spread across his lips. Irritation darkened through his blue eyes as though memories he wasn’t fond of popped inside his head.