Happy Endings (3 page)

His ready smile burst forth again. “Of course, Larissa.”

She didn’t know if it was intentional, but the way he said it still caused her heart to race. Her name had never sounded so seductive.

“I’ll be back soon.” He turned and opened the door, glancing back as he stepped into the hallway. “Oh, and call me Quinn.”

Q
uinn returned to his room and changed from his usual business suit into black slacks and a deep purple dress shirt. He left the top buttons undone and skipped the tie. Looking in the mirror, he realized his hair was a mess and he smoothed it down, practicing smiling at himself in the mirror.

He didn’t know why he cared so much what he looked like. This wasn’t a date, after all. Smoothing things over with Larissa and welcoming her to the McCallister Paradise family was his job.

Not that he’d be against dating her if he had more time to pursue his own agenda instead of always working. She’d looked so distraught when she first opened the door, Quinn’s first instinct had been to take her in his arms and kiss her pain away. That was a dangerous fantasy he didn’t have time to entertain. He needed to be careful around her so as not to get distracted.

Camille’s parting shot, while taking half of Quinn’s assets in the divorce, had been to say he’d never love a woman half as much as he loved the island and his ‘damn office.’ The fact that her leaving didn’t hurt had proven to him she spoke the absolute truth. He’d never been too concerned with Camille’s happiness if it interfered with his job.

So why did Larissa’s opinion bother him so much? He’d been with a few other women in the three years since his divorce, usually a seasonal employee who was looking for a good time but nothing serious. They’d have a few nights of fun, and then Quinn could get back to the business of working, with no interference or distractions.

Larissa would live on the island full time, even in the slow season. It would be dangerous to think about her too much. No—he definitely couldn’t date her.

Tonight sure felt like a date though, and part of him wanted it to be one. When Quinn passed through the lobby of his building and spotted the vase of white roses on the front desk, he didn’t even hesitate in grabbing them. White roses seemed to suit Larissa’s wholesome beauty.

It was quite the distance back to her building, since his room was in one of the lavish beachfront properties, but Quinn walked rather than taking the four-wheeler. He didn’t want to mess his hair up again, and also didn’t want to rush Larissa. She’d seemed hesitant enough about allowing him to be her date—
escort!
—tonight.

The sun was just starting to set, and Quinn lengthened his stride, suddenly anxious she’d miss the view of the sun meeting the ocean. With the wispy clouds surrounding the island, the colors would be breathtaking in a few minutes.

It surprised Quinn that sweat coated his palms as he rode the elevator to her floor. This sure felt like all the nerves of a first date. What was he thinking?

He smiled at his reflection in the mirror-like surface of the metal door, knowing he was halfway there to talking himself into pursuing Larissa. What could it hurt, really? She was attractive and seemed sweet. Maybe there could be something worth looking into with her.

The slow season started tomorrow. Even though Camille had been right about work being the most important thing to Quinn, there wouldn’t be as much to do from December to the end of February once he finished the energy consumption project he currently worked on. He could afford to relax some next month. Have a little fun.

When he reached Larissa’s door, he knocked lightly. “It’s Quinn. Are you ready?”

The door opened immediately, and she stood in the waning light coming from the window.

Quinn’s mouth dried out and his pulse rate rose. “You look beautiful.”

Larissa smoothed her hands across the skirt of a white summer dress. “I’m glad this is okay. I didn’t know what to wear to eat dinner with my bosses.”

The earlier evidence of her crying was gone, and she’d pulled her hair into a flirty ponytail. A touch of blush graced her high cheekbones and her lips shimmered with a hint of pink gloss.

An overwhelming urge to lean forward and kiss her took over again, and Quinn actually leaned in slightly before remembering they weren’t on a date. And she definitely wouldn’t want to kiss him after what he did today.

Larissa’s eyebrows narrowed. “You’ve got a funny look on your face. Are you sure this is okay? I can change into slacks or something if that’s—”

“No, no. Don’t change. You’re perfect.” He thrust the vase of roses between them to keep himself away from her lips. “I saw these and thought they’d look nice on your dresser.” Without asking permission, he pushed past her—inhaling the scent of her lightly flowered perfume—and crossed the room. He centered the flowers on the dresser.

“Thanks, I guess,” she said, not sounding impressed.

He yanked his head around. “What do you mean, you guess?” His voice came out sharper than he intended, and Quinn winced. That wasn’t the way to make friends. Or get her to kiss him tonight during the fireworks.

No! He had to stop thinking of that. Maybe he had let himself go too long since his last dalliance. He needed to be on better behavior. His hormones were on overload.

He didn’t want to admit that it might just be Larissa sparking his hormones. She definitely intrigued him.

“I don’t mean to sound ungrateful.” Larissa gestured toward the flowers. “It’s just that you’re a pushy man, Quinn. Twice you’ve forced your way into my room. I’m not comfortable with it.”

Quinn breathed deeply before answering. He was not winning points with his assertiveness, that was for sure. “We should head to the beach. The sun’s setting and I want you to see it. It’s going to be beautiful.”

He wondered if she’d argue with him taking charge again, but she merely nodded. “Let’s go.”

She motioned for him to go out the door first, but after she locked the room, he offered her his arm. He had to salvage something of the night. Obviously his thoughts of a winter romance with this girl would not happen, but if they were spending dinner together, he wanted to get along.

Larissa looked at him for several long moments before finally tucking her hand into the crook of his arm. “So, how long does this party generally last?”

He pushed the call button for the elevator and glanced down at her. “It sometimes goes far into the morning. Most people leave the island tomorrow, so this party gets wild. I usually just stay for the fireworks and then leave. My mornings start pretty early.”

“Fireworks?”

At least she sounded excited about that. Maybe the night wouldn’t be a complete loss.

“A huge display,” he told her, leading her into the elevator. “Probably bigger than anything you’ve seen. My dad hires a company who comes out and sets it all up. It lasts a long time. It’s actually my favorite thing of the year.”

“Seems romantic,” she breathed, sounding awed.

That was a good opening for him, especially since she seemed in the mood to talk now. “Is there anyone special you’d like to watch it with? Maybe a boyfriend back home or something?”

“No. I’m single. When I was in the hospi—” She stopped and peeked at him from beneath her straight bangs. “I was too busy back home to worry about relationships.”

Curiosity about what she’d really been about to say ate at him, but Quinn already violated her in so many ways today. It was none of his business if she didn’t want to share.

“I don’t have anyone to watch them with either,” he said. “I was divorced three years ago, and since then it’s been the bachelor life for me.”

“Divorced?” Her eyes widened as the elevator opened on the ground floor. She didn’t take her hand back from him, but Quinn got the feeling she wanted to. “I can’t believe you’re divorced. How old are you? You seem too young to have been married and divorced already.”

Hmmmm...shock wasn’t the normal reaction he received when telling people about his marriage. Maybe Larissa didn’t approve of divorce. “I’m only thirty, which I know might seem young to have already ruined one marriage. Trust me, divorce wasn’t in my game plan. My parents have been married for forty years and are still going strong. I always thought that’s what I’d have, never even got a pre-nup because I was so sure it would last when we were first married, despite my parents’ protests. Unfortunately, they were right. Things with my ex just didn’t work out. At least my job keeps me busy.”

He disentangled his arm from hers and opened the front door, holding it open wide.

When she stepped outside, she paused for a minute and sucked in a loud breath. “Oh, Quinn, you were right. The sunset’s going to be great. Let’s hurry to the beach.”

When she threaded her arm back in his, Quinn didn’t argue. She might not approve of his divorce, but she seemed to be more comfortable with him now than she was up in her room.

“So, how old are you?” he asked, wondering if that was inappropriate. Some women were ultra sensitive about their age, but Larissa looked quite young.

“Twenty-seven,” she answered without hesitation.

He would have guessed twenty-three or younger, but that was probably due to her wholesome appearance. It made her seem naïve and younger.

“Twenty-seven, huh?” He shortened his normal strides, not wanting her to have to strain to keep up. “And you’ve never been close to marriage?”

“I’ve had other things to think about.” She yanked on his arm slightly, urging him more quickly down the path to the beach.

“Well, since we’re both flying solo, maybe we could watch the fireworks together?” He tried hard to keep his voice from sounding too pathetically hopeful.

A half smile curved her lips. “Okay.”

“Okay?” He was a bit surprised. Maybe Larissa was more forgiving than his ex-wife. Camille would hold a grudge for months when Quinn upset her. Making up with Larissa was almost too easy. “That’s great. I have a perfect spot to watch them from. It’ll be fun.”

As they broke out around the guest cottages and the ocean came into full view, Larissa stopped walking. “Wow.”

Wow was right. The clouds were a bright red closest to the sun, fading to different shades of pink and orange. The blue water sparkled in the fading light, looking silver in places. It had been far too long since Quinn stopped to appreciate the wonders of the island he was fortunate enough to call home.

“It’s great,” he agreed.

Her face glowed with excitement. “All this
and
fireworks? I can see why everyone has been excited about this night for so long. I can’t believe I was going to miss it.”

“It wouldn’t be nearly as nice without you here.”

He hadn’t meant to say that. What wrong with him?

Quinn resumed walking at a quicker pace. “We really should get down there. I’m surprised my family haven’t texted to ask where we are.”

He couldn’t look at Larissa’s face. If she was upset with him for sticking his foot in his mouth again, he didn’t want to see it.

Out on the beach, the portable wooden dance floor had been set up to the left of the buffet and tables and chairs. His family, as always, sat at the largest table, centralized to the other tables so guests and employees could feel free to mingle with the McCallisters.

Quinn’s parents believed good customer relations was the thing that made their family-operated resort such a success. People liked feeling as if they were a part of something special when they visited McCallister’s Paradise. Something they didn’t get at more commercialized resorts was the family touch.

The rest of the family already had their food in front of them by the time Quinn and Larissa made it down the beach. Two empty chairs were open at the end of the table opposite his parents. His sister sat next to them and waved Quinn over.

The smile on her face widened as they approached. “Who’s your date, Quinn? I didn’t even know you were bringing one until Dad said to leave two chairs open together.”

Well, it looked like it was officially a date, whether Larissa wanted it to be one or not.

“Larissa Benner, meet my sister, Sydney McCallister.”

The women shook hands.

“Sydney runs the McCallister charity funds,” Quinn explained. “It’s a big job.”

“That sounds interesting.” Larissa returned Sydney’s smile. “You all have a charity fund that’s a full-time job to manage? You McCallisters must give away a lot of money.”

Sydney tucked light brown hair behind her ears and smiled. “Yeah, it’s a large fund. I’m responsible for going over all the request proposals and deciding where our grants will be allocated each year. It’s rewarding work, making a difference in people’s lives.”

“I’m sure it is,” Larissa said.

Parker, the brother closest to Quinn in age, jumped up from his seat, bumping Quinn out of the way as he took Larissa’s hand and bent over it in a flourishing kiss. “So nice to meet you, lovely lady. I’m Parker. My job isn’t quite so glamorous as Syd’s, but I’m the scuba diving and snorkeling instructor. Maybe you’d like to ride my boat sometime?” He wiggled his eyebrows up and down.

Larissa laughed softly and her cheeks reddened. “Scuba diving sounds fun. I love being on the ocean.”

A thread of jealousy coiled in Quinn’s stomach, and he tried to ignore it. Parker flirted with all the girls. It was just his way. But Quinn didn’t like the sparkle of attraction lurking in Larissa’s eyes. He pushed Parker out of the way, putting his arm around Larissa’s waist. “Larissa’s the newest member of the full-time McCallister family,” he said. “She’s replacing Vanessa.”

“It’s about time that hussy was replaced.” Sydney raised her upper lip in distaste. “That was horrible and almost ruined us. I trust you’re not a little slut like Vanessa?”

“Syd, that’s not cool!” Quinn shook his head at his sister. “Have some respect. Larissa’s a professional, and damn good at her job.”

“Yes, I am certainly a professional,” Larissa agreed. “Your brother made doubly sure of that before hiring me.”

The strain was back in her voice. Damn it. Sydney never did think before she spoke, and now Larissa was uncomfortable again.