By the time dinner rolled around, he’d definitely decided that pursuing Lena would not be in either of their best interests. However, five seconds after Lena walked in, he regretted that decision. Big time. She looked incredible in a blue, sleeveless sundress that almost exactly matched the shade of her eyes. Her hair was pulled into a haphazard bun that left little tendrils escaping down her neck. His fingers itched to wrap those locks around his fingers, see if they were really as silky as they looked.
Well, he didn’t have to pursue her, but it probably wouldn’t hurt to be friendly. They were going to be family, sort of, after all.
It only took about two minutes of the meal for him to realize Lena had avoidance plans of her own. She entered the room, and although there were two seats right next to him, she headed to the opposite side of the table. Tyler, however, spotted him and refused to move once he planted himself next to Elliot, so Lena reluctantly followed.
Elliot had his reasons for avoiding her, but the thought that she wanted to keep her distance made the perverse anti-authority side of him want to redouble his efforts at getting her attention. Reverse psychology at its best. Of course, the fact that he wanted her to want him confused the hell out of him. Her disinterest should have been a good thing. So why did his gut twist in a knot every time she looked away or avoided his attempts at conversation?
The resort had a live band playing tropical versions of non-tropical songs that Elliot had done his best to tune out. They weren’t bad. Just not his thing. But when they segued into a Johnny Cash song, Tyler shot to his feet.
“Mommy! It’s the face song. You gotta dance!”
Lena’s pale cheeks flushed red, but she didn’t argue. She stood and took her son’s hand. He climbed onto her feet, put one hand on her waist and held the other, and they danced as a man with a thick island accent crooned about the first time he ever saw her face.
Cher leaned over to Elliot. “Oz told me she’s been singing this song to Tyler since the day he was born. They are so adorable.”
Elliot turned his attention back to Lena and her son. Yes, they were adorable. And it was obvious how close they were. Even more reason for him to leave them the hell alone. But he couldn’t. Even though if things went south with her, it wouldn’t just be her life he messed up.
The song ended, and Tyler bounced back to the table.
“You are an excellent dancer, little man,” Elliot said, high-fiving him.
“Thanks.” Tyler shoved a piece of pineapple into his mouth. “Do you want to dance with my mommy?”
Elliot opened his mouth to say no but couldn’t seem to get the words out. The truth was he’d love to dance with her. He just couldn’t. Or shouldn’t. But oh yes, he wanted to.
Not that it mattered. Lena beat him to it. “No, Tyler. We don’t need to bother Elliot. Besides, I’m all danced out.” She smiled down at her son, and the sheer beauty of her in that moment had a small headache forming between Elliot’s eyes.
The internal fight between wanting to charm his way into Lena’s life and knowing he should do no such thing was going to make his head implode.
Perhaps he was going about it all wrong. They didn’t need to have a relationship. He was no good for her and wouldn’t have the first clue what to do with a child in his life. But he’d caught her eye on him when she thought he wasn’t looking, so she wasn’t totally immune to him. And while they were on the island, their real lives were put on hold. Why couldn’t they have a little fun together?
“So, have you ever been to the island before?” he asked her, determined to capture her attention.
Lena yanked a sugar packet from Tyler’s mouth and barely spared a glance for Elliot. “No, I don’t travel much.”
“That’s too bad. Well, you’ll have to make the most of it while you’re here then.”
“Huh?” she said, squinting at him. “Tyler, put that down and sit in your seat,” she said, grabbing a coconut that Tyler had snagged from the centerpiece in front of them.
“I said you’ll have to make the most of it while you’re here,” he repeated.
“Oh. Yeah.” She yanked Tyler back into his seat with one hand and rescued a nearly overturned cup of water with the other. Multi-tasking at its best.
“So, if you don’t travel much, what do you do for fun?” he asked, trying another line of questioning.
She gave a short, humorless laugh and snagged the knife Tyler was trying to cut the table with and placed it out of reach. “I don’t really have much time for fun.”
She kept her attention on her son and his antics, avoiding eye contact and interaction with him whenever possible. She answered any questions he asked her, but despite turning on the charm higher than he’d ever had to before, he couldn’t pull her into a conversation. Granted, she continued to have her hands full with Tyler. The kid was a hyper ball of energy. He bounced in his seat, climbed under the table a few times, and almost over it once.