A Masterpiece Of Our Love (The Masterpiece Trilogy Book 1) (11 page)

"No this isn't okay Becca, but thank you for being so patient and understanding with me." This was not how he expected this trip to go. Maybe he should call home and check in with Shara for any news. He debated on going back to the front desk to ask about switching rooms. He wanted to be closer to Becca. If someone had some strange idea of harming them, he wanted her close by.

He had to admit to himself that he wanted her close by for other reasons, too.

Too many thoughts crowded his mind. He needed to clear his head.

*****

Becca knew Hunter had been reluctant to part from her after they both had concerns over those letters. He had phone calls to make though, and she wanted to check her own messages. An hour later, she had her easel and paints set up near the window. She'd wanted to go out on the balcony, but the rain had begun once again. Closing her eyes, Becca thought back to the image from this morning of the fog, the island, and the sunrise.

Vince had left a few messages, but she wasn't ready to deal with him yet. He sounded all high strung again, worried about something that she would probably never know about. She would call him after she had a bit of a break and got some painting done.

She put the brush to her canvas and began the process. Thinking back to Hunter's words, she smiled. She was excited to show him the finished project. She loved that Hunter took a serious interest in her work. He wasn't one of those that faked it or brushed her off. He had genuine enthusiasm for her passion.

She'd just began painting the colorful sky when someone rapped at her door. Hunter? Maybe he'd finished with his phone calls and decided not to take a nap after all. Eager to see him, she put the brush down and ran to the door, her heart racing.

She gasped in surprise when she opened it.

Vince stood there, frowning at her. "Well, it's nice to know you're still alive and well, since you don't care to answer my calls. Why were you ignoring me?" He pushed the door open further and stepped into her room, looking around.

"What are you doing here?" Becca crossed her arms over her chest. How dare he just show up and act like this! What was his problem? She didn't have to answer to anyone, least of all him!

"I've been calling you!" Vince snapped, narrowing his eyes. "I stopped by your apartment to bring in your mail and came across a strange letter-"

Ignoring the fact that a strange letter had been delivered at home too, Becca fumed. "Strange letter? So you just opened my mail? What right do you have to invade my life like that, Vince?"

He whipped out a piece of paper and shoved it at her. "How about we get to the bottom of the letter instead of jumping all over me. Come on Becca, give me a little credit. I came all the way out here to check on you. The least you could do is show me a little consideration." He sounded hurt. A little angry, even.

She stared at the words on the note.

You left me to die.

What did that mean?

She wanted to snatch it from Vince and run to Hunter to show him, but her feet were planted firmly where she stood.

"When you didn't answer your phone for over a day, I freaked, jumped on the next flight out and came straight here." Vince softened his tone and reached for her. "I'm glad to know you're doing all right. I'm sorry for being so snippy when I knocked, but I really was worried. To see that you're perfectly fine ... I guess I just felt slighted that you couldn't even let me know you're fine."

"I'm not a child, you know," she said quietly. "I'm not going to respond to every little thing all the time. I understand your worry when you see something like that, but I'm a grown woman. You didn't have to make a trip all the way out here to check up on me." She sounded rude. No, not just sounded. She was rude, but she also had a good argument. Why did Vince feel the need to rush up here to check up on her? Let alone, he'd opened her mail! Did he really think they were so serious that he could just check her mail? What else did he see? He'd been given a spare key only in case of emergencies, and that was done by her grandparents without even asking her. She'd put a hold on her mail, anyway. She hadn't told him that because it never came up. Besides, it wasn't his business anyway. "And tell me, why were you at my apartment?"

Something that resembled guilt flashed across his face. He was hiding something. What, and why? "I was planning a surprise for when you arrived home," he said quickly. Too quickly. Was that the truth? Why would Vince lie? Something didn't add up. "Why have you been avoiding my calls?" Oh, so he wanted to divert the blame away from himself? No, she wasn't going to play that game. He had a lot of explaining to do.

"The cell reception isn't the best out here," she said simply. Truth, but of course he had no idea about the storm, the boat, and her night with Hunter. And he didn't need to. "I've been spending time near the water and enjoying myself. I don't always take my phone with me." She glanced back at her easel. The brush would dry soon with all the paint on it. She should have washed it, but she never expected Vince to show up. Needing to distance herself from him, she excused herself and went for the brush. She stepped into the bathroom and washed it. Oranges and reds swirled along the white of the sink. She held the brush under the water and spread the bristles with her fingers until the water ran perfectly clear. Satisfied, she flicked her wrists and set the brush on the counter.

Vince had settled himself in the beige chair near the window. His gaze traveled from her painting to her face. "You really should just come home with me tonight," he said briskly.

"I don't think so Vince. This is my time. I'd like to finish my vacation."
Without you hovering.
Of course, she didn't dare say that out loud. He always found a way to get under her skin, and not in a good way. She couldn't marry a man like Vince. It just wouldn't ever work. Not that he was a bad man, but she didn't find him attractive, nor did she feel any sort of romantic feelings for him.

Did he honestly feel something for her, or was it all for show because of her grandparents? She'd never know.

The tension between them was so strong, she thought she'd be pulled right back if she moved. What now? She couldn't just run from him. He'd probably stay in the room until she returned. How could she get him to go home and just let her be for a while? Becca suppressed a sigh.

"I'll admit it's a beautiful island, but why do you need to come back year after year?" He shot to his feet and moved toward her, taking her hand in his.

"I feel close to my family here. It's my way of honoring their memory," Becca said firmly. She squared her shoulders. Vince's hardened expression softened just a bit as understanding filled his eyes.

"I guess I can see that. Still..."

"No still. This is something I need and want to do, and I shouldn't have to explain myself to anyone."

"Becca, I-"

Someone knocked on her door once again. Oh dear, if that was Hunter, things were about to become even more interesting. She had to keep from running to answer the door. Instead, she took quick steps, trying to not appear as if she were anxious to get away from Vince. She pulled open the door and peered out. Sure enough, Hunter stood on the other side. "Hey." She gave him a half smile.

"How are you feeling? Everything seems to be going well back home. Want to do anything?" Hunter returned her smile. Did he always have that little crease every time he smiled? She'd never noticed before.

"Who is this?" Vince pulled the door open a little more from behind her, forcing Becca to move out of the way. What was his deal? He'd only been here fifteen minutes and already she wanted to knock some sense into him.

Hunter's eyes widened. He shot Becca a questioning look.

"Vince, I'd like you to meet Hunter. Hunter, this is Vince." She mouthed an "I'm sorry" to Hunter as Vince stepped forward. He held out a hand to Hunter.

"Hunter. I've heard so much about you." Becca could tell Vince found it difficult to be polite to him. Was he jealous? His voice was cold, even while being polite. Hunter shook his hand, looking uncomfortable all the while.

"Nice to meet you." Hunter used the same strained, unsure-what-to-say voice as Vince. "I had no idea you'd be joining Becca down here."

"Neither did I, but she has a tendency to not answer her phone and that had me worried."

Becca rolled her eyes at Vince's back. Hunter caught it and stifled a laugh. She shouldn't act so childish, but sometimes Vince pushed all the wrong buttons. "I still stick to the fact that you wasted a trip down here," she said stiffly.

Vince whirled on her. "No future wife of mine is going to run off and hide every summer!" His face reddened. He pinched the bridge of his nose as his nostrils flared.

"Future wife? Vince, I never agreed to marry you, so you shouldn't go around telling anyone that I'm your future wife." Becca pursed her lips and bit her tongue before she said other things she really didn't want to say here or now. "Secondly, I'm not 'running and hiding'. If you'd listen to what I have to say every once in a while, you might actually get it! Instead, you brush off everything as if I'm a child that doesn't need to be heard. And you know what? I've had enough of it. I appreciate your concern, but I think you need to leave now. I'm not some little person you can pull around on your string and do everything you say."

"I've angered you. That was never my intention." He looked stricken. Vince reached for her, but Becca practically jumped out of his reach.

"Of course I'm angry! You're no better than my grandparents! I'm not a child and I'm not an invalid. I'm perfectly capable of making my own decisions and you all hover over me as if I can't do anything on my own. It has to stop!" Fury bubbled up inside her. It was powerful and strong, like a raging river current. She'd had enough! She bit her lip and shot another glance at Hunter. Poor man. He had no idea what to do. He hung back and watched the exchange with a frown.

"You say to leave, but where am I supposed to go?"

Becca laughed, the sound coming out more than bitter. "I'm sure you can find something. You don't need me to tell you where to go. Get a room, or even better, go home." She'd never had the nerve to stand up to Vince like this before. He'd always been overbearing, but this time he'd crossed the line. Opening her mail, going into her apartment for no apparent reason, and coming out here because she didn't return his calls? It just had to stop. All of it.

"I think we'll talk again when you've stopped your anger fits. I'm sorry that being concerned about you has turned you this way," Vince snapped and stalked off, brushing rudely past Hunter without another word.

"Ugh." Becca shook her head. Her entire body trembled. What nerve! He dared to blame her for having an anger fit? Yes, she was angry, but she had a right to be. She had never once told him he could go through her mail. Then, to just show up and think he could push her to end the vacation at his word? No, just no. Absolutely not. Most times, she kept her cool around him. Today, she didn't care.

"What the hell was that about?" Hunter asked softly. "He's got you all rattled. Are you okay?" He reached out for her. His warm hand on her shoulder comforted her.

"I'm really sorry you had to see that." Becca stared down the hall at Vince's retreating back. "He crossed a major line today. He can be such a back side of a mule!"

So that was Vince. Bravo to Becca for standing up to him. Hunter's first impression of the guy wasn't a good one. As he'd already anticipated, the man was uptight and very much like her grandparents. Vince wanted Becca right under his radar. All she'd ever wanted was to live a normal life, to get past some of the things that held her back. People still walked on eggshells around her, or they acted as if she couldn't do anything on her own. It annoyed him to no end.

"Come on in before he comes back," Becca pleaded. She stared down the hall again. "When he knocked, I thought it was you."

Hunter touched her shoulder gently. He wanted to hug her, but held back. "What did he come here for? Because he couldn't get a hold of you?"

Before she turned to walk back into her room, Becca nodded. Her nostrils flared. Despite the fact that she did that out of anger, Hunter found it kind of cute. At that thought, he stopped cold. What was with him? He stole one last glance in the direction Vince had gone before moving into Becca's room. In the corner by the window, he spotted her easel and the unfinished painting sitting there. Just as he thought, she'd begun to capture this morning's scene.

"It's going to be perfect." He pointed and smiled.

"I'll have to finish it later." Becca perched at the edge of the bed. She heaved a sigh. "I'm so irritated! But I'm also bothered. Vince went to my apartment and found a letter which he thought was okay to open. That in itself makes me mad, but the letter- what it said..."

Hunter flew to her side and sat next to her, his instincts on high alert. "What did it say? Can I see it?"

"I'd let you see it if I were smart enough to ask Vince to give it to me." She shook her head. "It said 'You left me to die'."

"What the hell?" Hunter shouted, startling Becca. He reached for her. "Sorry, I didn't meant to scare you. With the letters we both found earlier ... do you think they're connected?" Why hadn't he gotten one at home? Or maybe he did and no one had noticed yet. Not that he wanted to get one, but if Becca did, he figured it was only a matter of time before Shara or someone else told him about a letter.

The only thing that connected both of them like this was the crash. But why after twenty years would they start getting letters? Twenty years! This made no sense.

"I can't imagine them not being connected," Becca said quietly. Her body trembled slightly. "I just don't get it. Why now?"

Thunder rumbled outside. Another storm was coming. Hunter wrapped her in his arms and rested his chin on the top of her head. She smelled so sweet. Whatever shampoo she used, he liked it. "I imagine this has to do with the plane crash. I just don't know why it would come up now, either. And what the letters say doesn't make sense to me." You left me to die? That sounded as if there had been someone else on board. But no one else had made it! They'd been the only survivors!