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.
Hopefully, she wouldn’t shoot him down the second she walked out the door. He’d never had to work this hard to get a woman’s attention. But there was something about the way she looked at him. She was interested. She was just trying to ignore it. He knew the feeling. But he couldn’t seem to ignore her.
Lena gave Tyler one last hug and started for the door. Elliot hurried over to stand on the opposite side of the hallway. Didn’t want to look like he’d been totally stalking.
She breezed through the door, and Elliot froze for a second, captivated by the sheer beauty of her. The couple times he’d seen her after the pool incident, she’d been tense and on edge. But now she almost bounced down the hallway with a naturally carefree gait that he loved. Her honey blond hair was twisted into a messy bun on the back of her head, and as far as he could tell, she wore no makeup other than a hint of mascara on her long lashes. Her sleeveless maxi dress left her toned arms bare to the sun, and when she lifted the hem to hop up the few stairs that would bring her into his part of the hallway, he got a delicious view of spectacularly muscled calves. She worked out. Or maybe it was from chasing Tyler around. That had to be a workout all on its own.
Whatever she did, it showed. She was natural, easy going, and totally unpretentious and somehow managed to be incredibly sexy even with that damn fanny pack around her waist. It was refreshing. Her cornflower blue eyes sparkled. The exact opposite of everything he usually found attractive.
His girlfriends ran more to the overly made up, designer, high maintenance end of the spectrum. And they generally tended to want him. Or at least his connections. Not something Lena apparently suffered from. For the thousandth time, he wondered why he didn’t go find some other woman who would be happy to hook up with him. But Lena was different. That’s what he was looking for.
She glanced up and caught his gaze. Her face lit up at the sight of him, and all his concerns flew right out the window. The happiness to see him lasted only a second before she seemed to remember she wasn’t supposed to be interested, but that moment was more than enough encouragement for him.
“Hey there,” he said, giving her the full Debusshere charm.
She smiled but her eyes skittered away, no longer meeting his gaze.
He wasn’t going to give her a chance to vanish on him. He started talking before she had a chance to make an excuse to leave. “So I guess your friend won’t be making it, after all?” he said, nodding toward the day care doors.
“No. Thank God the hotel has a day care center.”
“Definitely a plus,” he said, pleased. “I was hoping I’d run into you. I found this great spot I think you’ll really love.”
She hesitated. “Oh, that sounds fun but…”
“Don’t worry. It’s not near any water.”
She blushed and his heart rate kicked up a notch. She opened her mouth to object again, but Elliot pressed on. “I was actually hoping I could pick your brain a bit.”
Her eyes widened in what he hoped was interest.
“About what?” she asked.
He took her hand and drew her along with him. She didn’t pull away, and he resisted the urge to fist bump the air. He wasn’t free and clear yet. But she hadn’t run screaming down the hallway, either. That was a good sign.
“Well, I was thinking about all those cool ideas you’ve had.”
Lena blushed again. “Most of them aren’t worth anything. I mean, I think the concepts are good. Some of them, anyway. But either I have no way of actually getting things going or I come across some other issue. Nothing has panned out.”
“Hmm, well I might be able to help in that department. And I’m hoping you might be able to help me.”
A delicate blond eyebrow arched. “I don’t see how. I might have good ideas, but like I said, they never go anywhere. A good idea doesn’t mean much if you can’t follow it through.”
Elliot scoffed. “Don’t underestimate yourself. Maybe you just haven’t found the right business partner.”
The other eyebrow joined the first. Before she could say anything else, Elliot stopped.
“What do you think?”
She glanced around at the lush paradise surrounding them, her eyes widening the more she took in. Her mouth dropped open to form a little O, and happy pleasure zinged through Elliot. He’d done well.
“What is this place?”
“I found it last night when I was wandering around after dinner. The concierge said there are several of them hidden away around the resort.”
“It’s gorgeous. Really. Just incredible.”