Rescue Me (23 page)

“This must be it. I told the driver L’Oasis. He announced
that we were with the Holmes party when we stopped at the gate, and they let us in.”

“But this is … it’s unbelievable.”

“That’s Eli for you,” Alex said. “For what he probably spent to rent this sucker for a week, he could have thrown the big, fancy wedding Mama was hoping he would have back in New Orleans.”

“Let’s go to the pool,” Jasmine said, pulling Alex’s hand.

“We need to wait for Uncle Eli,” he said. Just as the words left his mouth, another taxi pulled in from the winding road. “Here they are,” Alex announced.

The rest of Alex’s family alighted from their cab. The two men went for the luggage, but Alex’s soon to be sister in law slapped him on his uninjured arm.

“Don’t you dare,” she said.

“I was going to use my left hand,” Alex argued.

“Get away,” she hissed. “You put that down, too, Eli. The cabdriver will bring these in.”

“Actually, you have a butler who will bring these in for you,” a short, caramel colored woman with long, braided hair and an island accent said as she came from seemingly out of nowhere. “Welcome to L’Oasis.” She spread her hands wide. “Here are your keys. You will have a butler, maid, and the services of our chef from seven a.m. to nine o’clock at night.”

“We won’t need the chef,” Alex’s mother piped in.

“Yes, we will,” Eli said. “You are not lifting a finger while we’re here,” he warned her.

She mumbled under her breath, and rolled her eyes at her son. Renee decided she liked Margo Holmes. In a way, she reminded her of her aunt Lorna. From their brief conversation on the plane, Renee could tell Margo had Alex’s and her granddaughter’s best interests at heart.

“Follow me into the villa, if you please,” the hostess encouraged.

Few things literally left her breathless, but Renee acknowledged
she would have to add the entryway to L’Oasis to her short list. It was mesmerizing, with a fountain and a high, domed ceiling made of frosted glass.

“Lord, have mercy. Eli, how much did this cost you?” his mother asked.

Renee was dying to know the same thing.

“You’ll never know,” Eli answered.

“The bedrooms are all ready, with all of your amenities. If you require anything additional, please let me know. Damien, your butler, will put your bags away if you will just let him know which bags belong in which room.”

“Monica and I are in the first master bedroom, Mama is in the second. Alex, I had you and Jasmine in another bedroom,” Eli continued. “There’s one for Toby and Sienna, and another for Nia and Phillip. I figured Aria and Monica’s younger sister, Ashley, could share the suite with the twin beds.”

“That’s where I want to sleep!” Jasmine yelled.

“Well, I guess you can sleep in there, Sunflower,” Eli said. “Renee, maybe you can—”

“Renee will be with me,” Alex interrupted his brother.

It was as if a giant vacuum had sucked out all the sound in the room. Alex looked across the span of the foyer where she was still standing. “Is that okay with you?” he asked, his voice not nearly as confident as it was just a few seconds ago.

All eyes were on her. Her heart started beating quadruple the normal rate, and Renee was pretty certain she would faint in the next minute. Even though they hadn’t discussed it, she had assumed she would be sleeping in the same room with Alex, but now she wondered how it would look to his family—especially his mother, who until mere hours ago had no idea Renee existed.

“Sure. Of course,” she answered.

“It’s about damn time,” Eli said. Monica pinched him on the arm, but she was smiling, too.

Renee chanced a glance at Margo Holmes. The smile on
her face was more inquisitive than anything else. Lord, what must this woman think of her? With his pronouncement that they would share a room, Alex had basically proclaimed to his entire family that they would make love.

She was going to make love to Alex.

The reality hit her like a two by four. Renee felt as dense as the pieces of driftwood she’d spotted along the shore of the road they’d taken to this island. Of course they were going to make love, and now all of Alex’s family knew it, too. Her skin burned with embarrassment.

Thank you
, Alex mouthed. A rare smile lifted the corner of his mouth, and Renee just about melted. She loved making him smile.

“All right, then,” Eli said. “Now that the room assignments are taken care of, we can eat and, later on, go swimming. That sound good to you, Rosebud?”

“Yes, yes, yes!” Jasmine jumped up and down.

“Come on, let’s check out the rest of this place,” Eli said. He crouched down and pulled his niece onto his back, letting her ride piggyback. “What do you want to see first?”

“The pool!” Jasmine screamed, pointing to the pool that was visible through the bank of floor to ceiling windows that stretched across the back of what Renee presumed to be the villa’s living room.

“Would anyone care for a formal tour of the house and grounds?” the caretaker asked. “There are several features I would like to point out before leaving you to your stay.”

“I would,” Monica said. “Want to join me, Margo?”

Alex’s mother had been quiet since Alex announced that he and Renee would share a room. Renee wasn’t sure what to make of her assessing stare. She didn’t look upset or offended. Margo Holmes looked almost confused, as if she didn’t know what to make of the situation.

“Margo?” Monica prompted.

“Of course,” Margo finally answered. “I’d love to see where I’ll be sleeping, and I heard there was a nice lanai
with a hammock. I brought along a couple of books I’ve been meaning to read.”

“Oh yes, ma’am,” the caretaker said. “You’ll have ample time to relax at L’Oasis.”

The three women took off for rooms unknown, leaving Renee still standing in the massive foyer with Alex.

“Should I apologize for what just happened?” he asked. “I didn’t mean to put you on the spot. I just didn’t want there to be any doubt about who you are to me.”

“Well, judging by the looks of things, this promises to be the most luxurious place I’ve ever visited. And I get to cuddle up next to the most scrumptious man I’ve ever known.” She reached over and trailed her fingers lightly across his hand, before capturing it and bringing it to her lips. “All joking aside, I came here because I want to spend time with you, Alex. That includes spending the night with you, and everything that entails.”

He dipped his head low and captured her lips in a soft, slow kiss. Heaven had to feel like this, Renee thought as she was twisted up into the magic Alex wove around her. She twined her arms around his neck and worked her fingers underneath the collar of his polo shirt. Alex wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her in until she stood flush against his body.

“We should stop,” Renee murmured against his lips.

“Why would I want to stop this?” Alex asked as he deepened their kiss.

She didn’t want his mother to walk in on them in a tongue lock, but Renee decided to keep that to herself until the end of round two. She had one ear trained on listening for others. The rest of her focus was squarely on the man surrounding her with his incredible warmth.

“Maybe we
should
stop,” Alex said. “Just in case Jasmine and Eli come back in.”

“What do you think Jasmine will think of us sharing a room?” Renee asked.

“I don’t know,” he said. “Maybe it’s time I explain to her that grown ups who like each other sometimes share a room.”

“Are
you
ready for that conversation?”

“No, but she’s growing up,” he said with a deep sigh. “I need to accept that.”

“You don’t have to go into the birds and the bees, but be honest with her, Alex. Your little girl is smarter than you think.”

“The house is lovely.” Monica’s elevated voice traveled across the room, and Renee sensed she’d found an ally. Monica probably realized she and Alex might need some warning that they were about to be joined by company.

“This is more than just a house,” Alex said to his future sister in law as she and Margo reentered the living quarters.

The cook announced that lunch would be ready in twenty minutes.

“I still want to know how much this cost the two of you,” Margo said. “This big house, a private chef, it’s all too much.”

“Stop worrying about it. Eli’s got the money,” Alex said. “You should be happy you don’t have to worry about cooking.”

“That cook will be gone by tomorrow morning,” Margo replied.

“Margo, this is supposed to be a nice, relaxing vacation for you. Hang out on the beach, have a massage—there’s a masseuse on call,” Monica explained.

“There’s also really good shopping,” Renee decided to add. “I read up on a few places in the local shopping district on the Internet.”

“So, you’ve known for some time that you would be joining us?” Margo asked. “I mean, you must have if you had time to research the island.”

Renee opened her mouth to speak, but Alex stepped in. “I asked Renee to join me a few weeks ago,” he said.

“That would have been nice to know beforehand,”
Margo told Alex with a pointed look. She captured Renee’s hand. “I know I speak on behalf of our entire family when I say we are so happy to have you here.”

Renee hadn’t known what to expect, but the unabashed welcome in Margo Holmes’s eyes meant more than she had ever thought possible.

“Thank you, Mrs. Holmes.”

“It’s Margo,” she said, patting Renee’s hand. “This is a first name basis type of family.”

“That sounds lovely,” Renee said, encouraged by the warmth in Margo’s sincere smile. Renee struggled to hold back her bewilderment. Such open kindness within a family was foreign to her. She wasn’t used to a family where laughter and teasing were the norm; it made her long to be a part of them all the more.

“I won’t lie,” Renee said, “I wasn’t sure how I would be received.”

“I told you you’d have nothing to worry about,” Alex said.

“Of course you would have nothing to worry about,” Margo said. “Which is why my son should have told us all about you a long time ago. But that’s okay.” Margo wrapped an arm around Renee’s waist and squeezed. “I’m looking forward to getting to know you over the next few days. Any woman who’s captured Alex’s eye must be very special indeed.”

Chapter Sixteen

 

Alex had done a credible job of avoiding being caught in the same room alone with his mother, but eventually, luck must run out. It had just done so for him.

“Alexander,” she called as he passed the door to her bedroom on his way to the villa’s private pool. Or at least he
thought he was on his way to the pool. This place was so big he wasn’t sure where this hallway led.

“Alex, come in here, please,” his mother called.

Suddenly, the house didn’t seem big enough.

Alex pushed through the partially open door, finding his mother sitting on the plush queen size bed, her open suitcase next to her.

“What is it, Mama?”

She gave him a look. Playing stupid wasn’t the brightest idea. He should just get this over with.

“What do you want to know about Renee?” he asked.

“How long have the two of you been seeing each other?”

“I met her the day I started volunteering at the school.”

“Is it serious?” she asked. She patted the bed and Alex took a seat.

“Yeah, Mama. I think it is serious.” Alex raised his hands in bewilderment. “It just feels right. When we’re together, we have fun. She makes me laugh,” he said simply. “Does that mean we’re serious? I guess it depends on who you ask.”

“I know the type of man you are, Alex. If you thought of her as just a friend, she would be sleeping in another room.”

“Don’t think badly of her because of that, Mama. We hadn’t even discussed sleeping arrangements. I kind of sprang it on her. It probably wasn’t very smart of me,” Alex admitted.

“It doesn’t seem as if she minded very much.” Mama smiled. “How does Jasmine feel about her?”

“She loves her,” Alex said. “We talked a little about it, and she seems okay with calling Renee my girlfriend, but I don’t know if that’s because she likes Renee as a teacher. You know what I mean?”

“I think she’s at that age where she can accept that you have someone else in your life. She needs to understand that she cannot have you to herself, Alex.”

“I’m not sure if I want her to think that, though.”

“Alex, you cannot live your life for Jasmine.”

“I don’t want her to want for anything, Mama, especially my time. I’m convinced that’s part of the reason she had those problems at school in the first place.”

“I’m not going to let you blame yourself for this, Alex.”

“At least Jasmine is getting better,” he sighed. “She’s not acting up, and we’ve started talking about things more. I guess that psychologist knew what he was talking about.”

He rose from the bed and planted a kiss on the top of Mama’s head. “Can I go out to the pool now? The one outside has a much better view than the one at my physical therapist’s office. It’s a lot bigger, too.”

“Alex,” she called before he was able to leave the room.

“What is it, Mama?”

“It has been a long time since you’ve been happy, hasn’t it?”

Much longer than she knew.

“It has,” he answered. “It feels good.”

“I’m happy for you, baby.”

“Thanks, Mama.” He smiled, before leaving his mother’s bedroom.

When Alex finally made it poolside, he found Renee and Monica stretched out on matching dark brown lounge chairs. An open hardback book lay across Monica’s stomach, but Alex could tell she hadn’t read a word for some time now. By the way her head lolled to the side, she was definitely asleep behind those sunshades.

Renee’s eyes were covered with sunshades, too, but the smile that drew across her face as he walked up to her lounger told Alex she was wide awake.

“Hello there,” she said.

God, she was beautiful. The understated black one piece suit fit her body to perfection, and whatever lotion she’d rubbed over her skin made it look as if she’d been covered in sun kissed honey.

“You look beautiful,” Alex said.

“So do you,” she answered. She scooted a couple of inches to the right. “Have a seat?” she offered.

He shook his head. “I’m afraid of what might happen if I sit that close to you,” he said. Alex lowered himself to the edge of the lounger next to her. He nodded toward Monica. “How long has she been asleep?”

“About five minutes after she sat down. She said she’d worked a double shift before they left New Orleans, which is why they were late getting to the airport.”

“That’s why she and Eli are such a perfect match. They’re both frighteningly dedicated to their jobs.”

“She’s very nice,” Renee said. “Your entire family is wonderful, Alex.”

“Spoken like a woman who’s only known my family for ten hours,” he said. “Let’s see how you feel by Tuesday.”

“I will still think they are wonderful,” Renee said.

“Renee?” he asked after a long moment. “Are you hoping it was already nighttime?”

“Yes,” she breathed deeply. “Very much so.”

“If you could only see the images running through my head,” Alex said.

“Okay, stop,” Monica said. A lazy smile curled the corners of her mouth. “As much as I’d love to hear the rest of this conversation, I don’t think it’s meant for my ears. I’m going to help Eli and Jasmine with their sand castle.” She pushed up from the lounger and headed out to the private beach.

“I swear I thought she was sleeping,” Renee laughed.

“You know,” Alex said, enclosing her delicate wrist in his hand and rubbing his thumb along the sensitive skin. “We can both pretend we’re sick when everyone goes out to dinner to night.”

“Oh, sure. Your family would so buy that,” Renee said.

“Of course they would. We can say we ate bad fish at lunch.”

“The same fish they ate?”

“I’m trying to think off the top of my head here,” Alex said. “Cut me some slack.”

She scooted up and threw her legs off the side of the lounge chair. “The night will come soon enough, Alex. You know what they say, the anticipation is half the fun.”

Renee twisted in front of the mirror and peered over her shoulder, making sure the silky, floral print fabric draped just right over her rear end. She swept on another swipe of lip gloss and popped her lips.

“I’d do you,” she said to her image.

“Renee.” There was a slight rap on the door. “We’re leaving in five minutes,” Alex said through the door.

“I’m done,” she returned. Renee took a deep, steadying breath and opened the bathroom door. Alex stood not even a foot in front of her, looking like the most enticing dessert a girl could ask for in his navy slacks and moss green silk button down shirt.

“Oh, wow,” she said. “That tainted fish story is sounding better to me.”

“I told you it would be a good excuse,” Alex said. “You look amazing.” He held his hand out and she placed her palm inside the warmth of his.

“So do you,” Renee said. She tilted her head up to receive his kiss, but before their lips could touch, the door to their bedroom suite burst open.

“Come on, Daddy! The big van is outside.” Jasmine ran up to them. She grabbed Alex’s hand, then Renee’s, and started pulling.

“It’s okay, Jazzy. Uncle Eli isn’t going to leave us.”

“Yes, he will,” Jasmine said.

Alex looked over at Renee. “She’s probably right,” he said.

Margo, Eli and Monica were already sitting in the van. Renee allowed Alex to help her in; then she grabbed Jasmine and sat her next to her in the backseat.

“You had fun building that sand castle?” she asked.

“Yeah, until Uncle Eli pushed me away,” Jasmine said.

“You pushed her away?” Margo directed the question to her son.

“I was helping,” Eli defended.

“Nah uh,” Jasmine said. “You told me you wanted it to be a fancy sand castle, and made me find seashells to use as the windows. And when I came back, you wouldn’t let me touch it.”

“Elijah Marcus.” His mother’s chastising tone said it all.

“I was just trying to give the sand castle a little more depth,” he said.

“E, just stop trying,” Alex advised his brother.

“The parts you worked on were beautiful,” Renee said, pinching Jasmine on the nose.

“Thank you, Ms. Moore.”

The driver dropped them off in the heart of Marigot, the capital of St. Martin.

“We have reservations at Le Chanteclair in about an hour,” Monica said. “I thought we could walk around the city for a bit before meeting up for dinner.”

“Will I want to eat anything at this Le Chan Whatever place?” Alex asked.

“It’s French cuisine.”

“Again, will I want to eat anything there? Don’t the French try to feed you snails?”

“Snails?” Horror washed over Jasmine’s face.

“Don’t worry about it. Every restaurant has steak and potatoes,” Eli said.

“You boys need to broaden your horizons every now and then,” Margo said.

Alex and Eli looked at each other over their mother’s head. “Steak and potatoes,” they both said.

“It’s no use,” Monica laughed. “The restaurant is in the Marina Port La Royale. What do you say we all meet up in the lobby at about quarter of eight?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Alex said. “Jazzy, what do you want to see first?”

“Actually, I was hoping to take Jasmine sightseeing,” Margo said. “We can walk through that marketplace over there, and you and Renee can enjoy some time alone in the city.”

Renee tried to hide her smile, but couldn’t. She’d been so afraid Alex’s mother didn’t like her. Here she was, trying to buy them time alone.

“That okay with you, Pumpkin?” Alex asked.

“That’s fine with her,” Margo answered for Jasmine. “She’s okay with sharing her daddy’s time, right, Jazz?”

Jasmine looked from Alex to her grandmother. “I just want to buy Kayla a T-shirt.”

“You see?” Margo smiled triumphantly. “We’ll go to some of the shops and check out souvenirs. And you two”—she pointed at Eli and Monica—“and you two,” she said to Alex and Renee, “can explore the city. Us girls will see you at dinner,” she said, then took Jasmine by the hand and they headed toward the cluster of cafés and shops along the harbor front.

“That woman is a force of nature,” Eli said.

“I realized years ago that it’s just easier to let her have her way,” Alex said. He turned to Renee. “So, you up for a little stroll through… where are we?”

“Marigot,” Monica supplied. “I’m ready to do a little exploring myself,” she said, wrapping her arm around Eli’s. “Remember to be in the lobby of the marina in forty minutes,” she called as she and Eli went in the opposite direction of where Margo was heading with Jasmine.

“Where does that leave us?” Renee asked.

“I have no idea what there is to do in this city, so I’m not going to be much help.”

“I looked it up on the Internet, and there’s supposed to be some great French architecture. You mind strolling through one of the neighborhoods for a bit?”

“That’s okay with me,” Alex said.

They walked along the edge of a cobblestone road. Quaint, colorful cottages sat close upon each other. The salt tinged sea air blew lightly across her skin.

“Your mother is pretty slick,” Renee said. “But in a good way. I can see why you boys are so protective of her.”

“She’s such a strong woman,” Alex said. “My dad died when he was thirty nine, and Mama hardly missed a step. She worked two jobs to make sure we didn’t feel the loss of Pop’s salary and she still didn’t miss one of Toby’s basketball games, or Eli’s Quiz Bowl matches. She’s amazing.”

“And she loves you all so much,” Renee said, her heart filling up with sorrow at the thought of her own mother. A mother whose only show of affection came in the form of taking punches from her husband so Renee wouldn’t bear the brunt of his rage. Not that it did much good.

If she’d really loved her, she would have gotten them both out of that house.

“What’s wrong?” Alex asked. “You’re frowning.”

“I never had much of a poker face,” she said. She didn’t want to get into this. The night held too much promise to have it marred by talk of her family’s crippled relationship. Yet Renee still found herself saying, “I was just thinking about my mother.”

“What about her?” Alex asked.

Renee shook her head. “I know she loved me, Alex, but…”

“But what?” he asked.

“He used to beat us,” she finally admitted. “My father, he was abusive to both me and my mother.”

Renee saw the sympathetic horror that flashed across Alex’s face.

“I got out a long time ago, but she’s still there. How could she stay with him, Alex?” Renee asked. “If she really loved me the way a mother is supposed to love her child, the
way
your
mother loves her children, she would not have stayed with him.”

“You’ll never know what was going through her head,” Alex answered. “Maybe she thought it was for the best.”

“How could remaining with someone who takes pleasure in torturing you, in demeaning you, ever be for the best? Even after he became wheelchair bound and could no longer hurt her physically, she still puts up with the mental abuse. I’ll never understand her.”

“I’m so sorry, Renee,” Alex said, squeezing her hand. It was exactly the support she needed.

“It’s all behind me,” Renee said, taking a deep breath. “Let’s enjoy the rest of the city. We only have twenty minutes before we have to meet everyone back at the marina for dinner.”

They strolled, arms intertwined, down the streets of Marigot, but Renee had a hard time concentrating on the quaint homes or the romantic atmosphere. Being around the love that exuded throughout Alex’s family had an adverse affect on her. She couldn’t help but feel melancholy when comparing Alex’s family to her own.

She knew every child did not grow up in fear of feeling their father’s wrath on a day to day basis, but she truly did not know people could care so much about each other. Until she’d met the Holmeses.

Monica Gardner had better appreciate how lucky she was to have the chance to become a permanent member of this family. Renee tried not to entertain visions of herself joining the Holmeses, but how could she not? After her dismal childhood, being welcomed into this family would be like a fairy tale come true.

“Renee?”

Alex halted his steps, stopping in front of a sand colored cottage with bright blue shutters. He captured her hands, and pulled her closer to him, until her breasts lightly touched
his chest. Renee tipped her head up, instantly drawn into his smoldering gaze.