Trust In Us

The high back of the chair provided the perfect headrest and Alythia indulged. “My sister is married to a pretty awesome guy who I’m not ashamed to say I’m just a little in love with.”

Gage’s whistle ushered in quick, hearty laughter. “Does your sister know this?”

“She does.” Aly joined in when Gage laughed again. “Doesn’t matter, though. The man only has eyes for her. He’s been known to actually stop talking midsentence when she walks into a room. And that’s just a little piece of what makes him so incredible.” She sighed, but the sound held a dreamy vibe. “Men like him are in short supply.”

Gage focused on where his thumb brushed Alythia’s skin. “So while your sister is taking great men off the market, you’re putting great clothes on it?”

Alythia’s expressive gaze widened. “That’s a fantastic way to look at it. Hmph, do you mind if I use that?”

Again he performed the permissive wave. “Not at all.”

“Your attention, please.”

The mixed conversations were interrupted then by the sound of the captain’s voice merging in among the warm drone of voices, clinking glasses and laughter.

“We are within thirty-five minutes of our arrival time and ask that you please begin your return to the main deck...”

“We’ll have dessert and coffee upstairs, guys,” Gage called out while the captain continued his message.

“Can we talk more later?” he asked Alythia while the others were pushing out of their seats.

Her smile brightened and she accepted when he offered her his hand.

“I’d like that,” she told him, barely noticing the looks passing between the other couples at her and Gage’s expense.

Chapter 4

As the captain’s instructions hadn’t demanded an immediate return to the main level, some decided to indulge in a few additional moments of getting acquainted. Alythia and Gage had the main cabin all to themselves for over fifteen minutes following the group’s departure from the dining area. The bride and groom were the first to rejoin them.

Alythia didn’t frown on Orchid’s missing earring or too-tousled hair. A little lovemaking among the clouds would be the first of many happy memories for the soon-to-be-married couple, Alythia hoped.

Her contented thoughts about lovemaking at plus or minus forty thousand feet began to ebb when the last two “couples” arrived. Myrna was smoothing down flyaway tendrils of her straight shoulder-length bob. The gesture may not have seemed so out of place were it not for Dane. He strolled in behind Myrna and made no secret of drawing her back to him for a throaty kiss before he situated himself inside his jeans and tugged the zipper in place.

Zeke and Jeena proved to be a bit more discreet. They were not quite beyond the cabin’s viewing range when Zeke plied Jeena’s cheek with a parting kiss. He took it upon himself to secure the remaining few buttons on Jeena’s blouse before they rounded the corner to join the others.

Alythia lost her taste for the drink she’d been watching Gage prepare. She reclaimed her spot along the window and far away from the main seating area. She’d been seated less than five minutes when a heavenly smell drifted beneath her nose. She found Gage setting two plates of the fragrant apple cobbler on the table between them. He retrieved their drinks from the bar and then took his place across from Alythia’s seat and handed her one of the Baileys on the rocks.

When Aly looked his way, an understanding smile was tugging at the appealing curve of his mouth.

“It helps when you just ignore it,” he said.

Aly didn’t pretend to misunderstand. “And at what point does that become impossible?” she countered.

Gage sipped at his Baileys. “Been asking myself that for years,” he muttered.

Aly raised her glass, set it down on the table and crumbled into uninhibited laughter. Gage joined her moments later.

Anegada, British Virgin Islands

Sitting farthest north of the British Virgin Islands was Anegada, a low, flat island known for its miles and miles of white-sand beaches and its commercial fishing success. While tourism served as the primary business on the island, the area was sparsely populated throughout much of the year. Alythia felt her well-being improve the moment she’d inhaled a few gulps of the floral air and absorbed the dazzling hues of blue and green that composed the environment.

Curiosity instigated a frown when she focused in on the local who had greeted them and was then shaking hands with Gage and his friends. By the time the man had made his way around to her friends, Aly knew exactly who he was.

“Clive Weeks?” she said before Gage could make the introductions. “Alythia Duffy,” she supplied, watching the man’s expression go from welcoming to surprised to stunned to pleased.

“Incredible!” he greeted, taking both of her hands in his and shaking them energetically.

“How?” Alythia looked to Gage, her meaning clear.

“College roommates,” Gage and Clive explained in unison.

Alythia nodded but she didn’t feel quite as at ease as she would’ve liked to at the moment.

“Absolutely incredible.” Clive was pleased enough for them both.

The fact settled Alythia’s suspicions somewhat. She was, however, very aware of her friends, whom she wasn’t quite ready to share her business plans with. Thankfully, all the new lovers were still wholly absorbed with one another.

“C, why don’t you let the woman get some rest before you load her down with business?” Gage suggested as though he’d sensed Alythia’s reluctance to get too chatty with Clive around her friends.

“Right, right.” Clive’s baby blues registered apology and he gave Alythia’s hands a final shake. “What was I thinking?”

“It’s fine.” Aly’s smile was genuine. Clive’s enthusiasm was very contagious.

“We’ll talk tomorrow. Tonight is for fun.” Clive left Alythia with a decisive nod before he turned to regain everyone else’s attention. “Folks, the shuttle will be ready to carry us back to the resort in just a second!”

Jeena and Myrna had been conducting a silent inventory of the pier. For the time being, their minds seemed to be off the new men in their lives and on their surroundings.

“Clive? Will it be like this the entire time?”

Clive’s accommodating smile never wavered. “What do you mean?” he asked Myrna.

“She means dead,” Orchid said.

Alythia closed her eyes out of equal parts dread and mortification.

“You’re about to be amazed,” Clive promised, apparently taking no offense to the insult to his home.

From a brief conversation amid the group, Alythia learned that one year Clive had visited Anegada during the off-season. He’d taken an extended vacation from his once-thriving law practice in Greensboro, North Carolina, but he’d never gone back. He’d been in love with Anegada for ten years and mentioned that the love affair showed no signs of growing old.

“You guys are arriving, luckily, on the tail end of the storm season. It’s also after our tourist season, as well,” Clive continued. “That accounts for the lack of bodies, but I can assure you that my resort, which is just outside Keel Point, is definitely not dead.”

This news drew hearty laughter from everyone—including Alythia, who had mixed a healthy dose of relief into hers.

Clive stepped aside to speak with his shuttle driver. In minutes he announced they were ready to set out. Alythia celebrated the fact that Gage and his friends were speaking with Clive and missing the conversation while she and her girls boarded the shuttle. Just then, Jeena was agreeing with Orchid that they would’ve expected for Gage to have a car waiting for them.

* * *

Anegada Weeks Resort was a play on Clive’s surname and a tribute to the love he had for the place he called home. The multilevel main villa was a grand structure that provided a spectacular view of any area of the property.