120 days... (9 page)

There was no denying it; she was worried about him. Seeing Dolores collapse had gotten to him more than he wanted to admit. Sam was pretty sure he hadn’t fully dealt with his brother’s death and that hadn’t helped anything. She was beginning to wonder if this really was the best place for him, or maybe it would be best if she let him go to find his own way, not to be surrounded by death every day.

Since she had some time for herself, she finally admitted that every day she specifically searched him out, wanting to spend time with him. She’d had a hard time falling asleep the previous night. His scent still clung to her from their dance together. He wasn’t the first man she’d danced with. They held dances every few months and she’d always danced with guests or staff, but Ethan was different. There was no denying his good looks and long lean body. It was the fact that she fit so perfectly in his arms, and how good they felt around her, which concerned her. She hated knowing she was losing the battle and it would only be so long before she fell for him. Getting involved with a staff member wouldn’t be good either, even one who was only going to be staying until he felt he’d repaid his debt.

Her thoughts were still going around and around when headlights cut across the night sky. He was home. Jumping up, she ran out to meet him, compelled to find out if he was okay. Pulling the door open, she looked at his face. Normally his expression was hard. But not now. The man before her was broken. Without thinking, she pulled Ethan out and wrapped her arms around him, hoping to infuse him with some of her strength and hope.

Awkwardness suffused her while his arms hung by his side. Finally, his arms came around her waist and rightness settled in her. Cold rain seeping into her clothes, she pulled away and grabbed his hand. “Come on.” Quickly, she ducked into his car, shut the engine off and slammed the door. He followed behind her without objection as she jogged down the path to her house.

Once inside, she dropped his hand and went over to the fireplace and knelt, striking a match to the wood which was already there. Within a couple of minutes, the fire was blazing. She watched as he slowly walked over to her. Taking his hand again, Sam pulled him down next her. Once she was sure he was settled, she stood up and walked to the linen closet to grab a couple of towels, draping them around his shoulders first before pulling one around herself.

Going into the kitchen, Sam flipped the switch on the coffee pot and breathed deeply as the aroma filled the space. Taking a couple of cups from the cabinet, she went to the pantry and decided the night called for some cookies. Chocolate chip were her weakness and she always baked them. They never went to waste around her. Placing some on a plate, she poured the coffee and arranged everything on a tray, and headed back into the living room. Still staring into the fire, Ethan trembled, his skin freezing. She’d felt him shaking when she’d hugged him and figured he was soaked to the bone and needed to warm up, from the inside out. She let him sit there and drink his coffee, absently eating the cookies she pushed toward him, waiting for him to arrive at the point where he wanted to talk.

She didn’t have to wait long.

“When they say you can’t go home again, they sure were right.” His low voice filled the room.

“Is that where you went?” She gripped her coffee cup wanting nothing more than to reach out to soothe him.

“Yeah . . . Seeing Dolores collapse was too much. It got me thinking about Evan and how I wasn’t able to be there for him.” He shrugged. “One thing led to another and I had to get out of here. I ended up back at the house. The one we lived in before my parents died. I hadn’t been back there in years. In some ways, it hadn’t changed; in others, it was completely different.”

Evan had already told her about his past and what had happened to his parents, and how Ethan had raised him, but somehow it was completely different hearing the story from his perspective. Her heart had gone out to the little boy Evan had been, so young and losing his parents, and it went out to Ethan, who had just started living his adult life when responsibility had been thrust upon him. Losing a parent was never easy, Lord knows she knew, but somehow, it seemed all the more tragic for them. Especially when years later they had both grown so far apart. And since Evan had died, there would be no going back. They’d never have the chance to reconcile and become brothers again.

As his voice trailed off, she couldn’t take it anymore. She put her arm around his shoulders, resting her head on the one closest to her. Feeling a tremor go through him, she knew she couldn’t waste any more time; he needed to get warm. Giving him a quick squeeze, she stood, and went to the downstairs bathroom where she turned the shower on as hot as it would go. Running upstairs, she went to the spare room where she kept racks of clothes, which had been donated to the resort. The guests typically lost so much weight during their stay that what they’d showed up in never fit for too long and they needed new clothes to wear. Grabbing some she thought would fit him, she dumped them, along with extra towels, in the bathroom before going back out to him.

“Ethan . . .” She stood in the doorway waiting for him to turn to her. When he did, she continued. “You need to get into some dry clothes. I’ve started a hot shower for you and left you something to change into while yours dry. Just leave them outside the door before you get into the shower and I’ll put them in the dryer for you.”

Standing slowly, like a man much older than his years, he walked toward her, pausing when he was next to her and putting his hand on her shoulder. “Thank you.”

“It’s no problem.”

He looked down into her eyes. “Is anyone ever there for you?”

Her heart clenched painfully. “That’s not what tonight is about.”

“Samantha, if there’s one thing I’ve learned is that eventually, everyone needs someone. You take on everyone else’s problems. Someone should be there for you.”

She shifted, uncomfortable under his watchful gaze. She was sure he didn’t miss much. What she never told anyone was the fact that she’d resigned herself to being alone for however long she was allowed to walk on this earth. Running the resort was all-consuming. It would be difficult to have a normal relationship with anyone. Besides, the last thing she ever wanted was to start relying on Ethan, no matter how attracted she was to him. “Some people are put here to help others. I do as much as I can.”

“You could do more if you’d let people in to help
you
once in a while.” He patted her shoulder and walked away, gently closing the door behind him.

Sam leaned up against the wall, her head tipping back to rest on it. Ethan didn’t realize she’d already let him in further than anyone else. Her stomach knotted, after all of these years someone meant more to her than a friend. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves and hoped she was strong enough to find out what was happening between the two of them.

Ethan woke up with a pounding head and tried to remember what had happened the night before. Six months ago, he’d have to wonder if there was some woman next to him who he’d have to find some way to get rid of before she started seeing hearts and flowers whenever she looked at him. He was, however, sure he was alone. His thoughts turned to the pain from the night before, and Sam. She seemed to be the first thing on his mind every morning. He’d never met anyone as strong, or as stubborn as she was. She gave this place her all, but the longer he was around her, the more he realized she always held a little bit of herself back. He wondered if it was a defense mechanism or something else that kept everyone apart from her. He frowned considering her past, losing both of her parents to cancer, and now running Last Resort, surrounded by death. Knowing each and every person was going to die sooner rather than later, it made sense not to want to get too close to them. Then there was the staff. She’d need to keep separate from them as well, because at some point, they were all going to move on. Not everyone could spend every day for years watching people die.

Glancing over, he saw the clothes she let him borrow from the night before and he frowned. Whose clothes were they? He didn’t think she had a boyfriend; frankly, he didn’t know when she’d have the time to see anyone. She also didn’t seem like the type to screw around for fun. Maybe he’d have to do some more digging. Swinging his legs around to get up out of bed, he stopped himself. Why was he wondering about her? Sure, he came here to dig into her past, figure out how she was scamming people, but it was almost like he was starting to care what happened to her. He rubbed his hands across his face feeling the growth of stubble across the palms of his hands. This place must be getting to him, making him go all soft.

The alarm on his phone went off. Turning it off, he stalked out of the room. It was time to get back to business. Figure out what was going on and get out. He needed to get back to what he was used to, what he knew.

Day 17

Ethan–

I have to admit it is so bizarre here. Now, don’t get all worried thinking something evil is going on. It’s the fact that we’re all dying and yet I don’t know if I’ve ever been closer to anyone since we were living together, or when Mom and Dad were alive. There’s this bond that brings us all together and closer. It’s sad it has to take something like this to bring people together.

Evan

“Ethan! Ethan, wait up!” Dolores called from the garden.

He stopped and turned toward her. “What are you doing up? Shouldn’t you be resting?”

“Shit, I’m dying, not dead. Sam made me rest yesterday. I’m as good as I’m going to be and not about to miss this gorgeous morning.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Smell that? Everything always smells so clean after a good rainstorm. It’s like all the bad stuff is washed away, you know?”

“The rain can’t wash it all away.” He thought back to last night when he was standing outside of his old home in the rain, wishing for everything that went wrong to be washed away and go back to how things used to be.

Dolores moved closer and put her hand on his arm. “The rain is like tears, Ethan. It’s a cleansing, a release. Even if you don’t realize it, they both help.” Squeezing his arm, she gave him a small smile and walked away.

Shaking his head, he started walking toward the main house again. After everything that happened the previous day, he couldn’t remember what was on the schedule. Going into the meeting room, he stopped when he saw most of the employees around the table. “Am I late?” He looked down at his watch.

“No,” Sam said from the doorway. “You’re right on time.” Crossing over to the head of the table, she opened up a folder and tapped it. “Today is going to be our first rehearsal for Shakespeare in the park. We have a few guests who’ve always wanted to act and a few others who are willing to try. The performance is this Saturday, so we are going to be heading down every day from now until then. Since we never know how any guest is going to feel on any given day, we are also going so we can aide them in any way they may need and make sure they fulfill their dream.” She handed the sheets out to everyone. “I’ve assigned one staff member to each guest. We’ve already talked to the troupe who is performing and worked out parts.”