“Yeah, I don’t think so.”
“Seriously, babe. Not every relationship has to go somewhere. You can have some fun. You’re in a tropical paradise. Take Tyler to the hotel day care and go have yourself a good time. You’ll feel a 1,000 percent better.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“You do that. Call me later.”
“I will,” Lena said.
Iris was saying hi to her cowboy before she’d even ended the call.
Lena put the phone onto the table, her mind turning over what Iris had said. The memory of Elliot’s rock solid body rising out of the pool, water streaming over the lines of his muscles, made her belly tighten and heat up in places she usually tried very hard to ignore. It had been a very, very long time since she’d “had a good time” as Iris had put it, with any man.
She’d tried dating a few times, but she hadn’t found anyone worth spending what little free time she had. And with Tyler’s tendency to latch on to any friendly male face, Lena was incredibly careful who she introduced him to. There had only been one boyfriend, actually, that Lena had thought might make the cut. And when it hadn’t worked out, Tyler had been more crushed than she had. There was no way she’d let that happen again.
Sure, she could probably have a harmless hookup. But… Well, she’d never done that before and didn’t even know how to go about it. Having a good time wasn’t as easy as Iris made it seem. Especially when the man in question was going to be her brother’s brother-in-law. Which meant they’d probably see each other now and then. Which meant awkward. Which meant absolutely no hookup. Which really kind of sucked. Elliot, with his laughing eyes, absolutely gorgeous body, and fun, carefree attitude, would have been perfect.
Too dangerous, though. A girl could get addicted to a guy like Elliot. And even if her circumstances were different, Elliot didn’t seem the type to be into long term, monogamous relationships, with a single mom, no less. Which meant he was off-limits.
Damn it.
Chapter Four
Elliot fumed, but arguing with his parents wasn’t going to make the situation better. He’d pulled them aside to talk to them about his goal of doubling the funds he brought in for the charity. And while they were on board with that, it hadn’t been enough to really impress them and prove that he was capable of running the children’s charity on his own.
His mother stood to leave first. “I’m happy to see you making some sort of effort, Elliot. And increased funds would, of course, be welcomed.”
“But it’s going to take more than that to prove to us you’re serious about your role in this charity,” his father added. “I agree with your mother that this renewed interest from you is a good thing. But you’ll have to forgive us if we don’t put much faith in how long it will last.”
Elliot bit his tongue again. That was the crux of it right there. He couldn’t argue. He hadn’t ever shown much interest in truly running the charity and the few times he had hadn’t lasted long. So how in the hell was he supposed to convince them he meant it now?
His mother patted his cheek as she walked by. His father stopped in front of him, sizing him up. “The last thing I want to do is discourage you from finally stepping up. But this charity is too important to let you continue to ignore your responsibility. If you can come up with an idea, something concrete, I’ll think about it. But for now…”
He left it at that and escorted Elliot’s mom from the dining room. Elliot gave them enough time to be gone from the hallway before marching out. So… He needed to come up with something better, more concrete, and soon. Or he’d be leaving the island and going home to the same old, same old. He couldn’t blame them for their stance, but that didn’t mean he liked it. The thought of being demoted on the board sent a wave of anxiety through him that was strong enough to make him nauseous. The charity was the only thing of any substance in his life. He wanted to truly make it his.
The sound of children’s laughter made him pause. He glanced in the windows of the big double doors he’d been passing and realized he was standing in front of the hotel’s day care center. He took a closer look. Damn. It would be fun to be a kid again if he could hang out in that place. It looked like a McDonald’s Playland on crack. Cleaner and more organized, maybe. But just as fun.
Then he saw something even better. Lena. Saying good-bye to Tyler. She must have decided to get a little alone time, after all. And he happened to be right here. It was fate. Hanging out with her would definitely cheer him up, if he could convince her to tolerate his presence for a few minutes. With that idea-centric brain of hers, she might even help him come up with something good enough to convince his parents to let him rejuvenate the charity.