Playing the Playboy (20 page)

“Oh,” she said, feeling excitement bubbling as she saw a picture of her dream for this building. “You’re going to use my idea?”

“Of course. It was the best plan.”

They went to the next building, which was going to be renovated as she’d planned out as well. When she saw the renderings and how beautiful they were—exactly like she’d imagined them—she had to restrain the urge to clap with excitement.

Even if it wasn’t hers anymore, at least this part of the inn would be restored to the vision she’d always wanted for it.

The kitchen and dining level would stay the same, except the kitchen itself would be renovated. And then they reached the building with her old living quarters and the dog’s yard and den. The dogs, who had been following them from building to building—Theo limping slowly because he refused to be left out—got excited at the sight of their yard and immediately ran over to check out their food dish. It was empty, of course, since Agatha had probably fed them early.

Laurel knew this building and yard would have to change. The dogs wouldn’t be living here anyway, and it was prime space for additional guestrooms.

As she’d suspected, Andrew’s plan was to expand and renovate her apartment and then add another suite built off the cave with its own terrace, so the level could house two luxury suites instead of one domestic living quarters.

The final level was the pool deck. Laurel felt another twist in her stomach as they walked onto the deck and looked out onto the caldera.

She knew it would probably change, since the pool was too small, especially with additional guestrooms. But the setting reminded her so vividly of being with Andrew that she swallowed over a tightness in her throat.

“Are you going to expand the pool?” she asked, trying to look as excited as she’d been before.

Andrew’s expression was strange—almost diffident, somehow. “I don’t think so. I talked to the architect, and he said we could build further back into the cliff here. We can build a new apartment. Then this pool could be attached to it as a private pool and there would be room for a small yard.”

She frowned. It sounded absolutely delightful, but guests in Santorini wanted a pool.

“So no pool for the rest of the guests?”

He grinned—looking almost like the charming, rakish man he’d been the first day she’d met him. “Yes. There will be a pool.”

Appearing excessively proud of himself, he walked back down the steps and went over to the wall that divided her property from the college hangout next door. “Instead of building up this wall like I’d thought at first, we’re going to knock it down so their pool will be accessible.”

Her eyes widened. “The pool next door? You, you—?”

“I bought the place next door. I’d been working on all this before…before I left, and they were still interested. I signed the contract yesterday.”

She covered her mouth with her hand.

“So all that space is ours?” She hadn’t meant to say “ours,” and she flushed when she realized she had.

Andrew didn’t seem to notice. “Yes. I’m going to renovate the restaurant next door—so guests will have two dining options. I think we can bring in a world-class chef, so the restaurant will drive its own business. We’ll also get ten more guestrooms out of the other building next door.”

She couldn’t even breathe. She never would have dared to hope for such a thing. “It’s amazing. It’s going to be wonderful. You’ve done such a great job.”

He glanced away, as if he were self-conscious.

Gazing at him, Laurel was suddenly hit by the reality of what she stood to lose. And the beautifully renovated inn wasn’t even close to the worst.

The man standing in front of her—generous, laughing, strong, so kind—meant so much more.

Her eyes burned, and she had to swallow again over a lump of emotion. But she’d made herself vulnerable earlier, and Andrew hadn’t let her down. She’d started this, so she would do it all the way. “Andrew, do you think there’s any way…any way…”

She fought to find the words.

“Laurel,” Andrew said, his voice changing, growing thicker somehow.

She met his eyes at the shift in tone and then couldn’t look away.

“I can’t hire you as the manager.”

It wasn’t what she might have hoped he would say, but she wasn’t surprised at the sentiment. She nodded her head rather foolishly. “I know. I understand.”

He looked away briefly and then met her eyes again, holding them with an intensity that took her breath away. “I can’t hire you because I’m not hiring a manager. I’m going to do the onsite management myself.”

She blinked. “Oh.”

“I can’t be the person my uncle expects me to be. I can’t have a job like Harrison’s. I hate it. I
hate
it.”

“Then you shouldn’t do it. This is so good,” she said, meaning it, smiling up at him a little shakily. “You’ll be so good at this, Andrew.”

“I think so. I’m looking forward to it. The big-picture stuff anyway, not necessarily the everyday details. I decided earlier this week, when I was…when I was finishing another project. In fact, I was inspired by you, and I came up with a whole extended plan of action.”

Despite her emotion, her sense of irony was tickled by the little tilt at the corner of his mouth. “I’m so proud of you for making a plan. What is it?

“It might have changed a little now—I’m hoping.”

“What was it?” She really had no idea.

“I was going to do all of these renovations, and then move into the new apartment residence on the pool deck level.”

“Oh,” she interrupted. “That’s a great idea. Those would be ideal living quarters. And you’ll have the pool. It would be perfect!”

He frowned at her. “Would you let me finish telling you my plan?”

“Sorry.” For some reason, his disapproving expression made her mouth wobble in amusement. “Go on.”

“Then I was going to look for you—I had no idea you would still be on the island. I was going to find you and do whatever I could to convince you to trust me again, to open up to me, and to tell me the truth.”

“Oh.” She seemed to be saying that a lot, but she couldn’t say anything else. She couldn’t seem to breathe.

“I don’t know if there’s a chance for us, Laurel, but I’ll do anything it takes. I’m hoping now, since you came to tell me everything this morning, you might want it too. I’m not presuming anything, though. We can take it as slow as you want. I know we haven’t known each other long, and I know I let you down. If you want to keep working in that damned tavern and live in that horrible little room until you’re more comfortable with things, that’s fine. I promise I can be patient. But I hope, someday, you’ll want…”

Laurel was practically leaning into his words. When he stopped with the sentence unfinished, she wanted to shake the words out of him. “I’ll want what?”

“You’ll want to come back home. Here.”

Laurel had always considered herself a no-nonsense, practical woman. There had never been anything girly or silly about her. She certainly wasn’t a person who would squeal.

But she squealed now, throwing her arms around Andrew’s neck. “I don’t want to go slow!” The words were muffled because she was kissing him all over his mouth and jaw. “I don’t want to work at that tavern anymore. I want to come back home.”

“Oh, thank God,” Andrew groaned, burying his face momentarily in the hollow of her throat as he hugged her so tightly she couldn’t breathe. “I wasn’t too excited about being patient.”

She laughed into his shoulder and squeezed him as hard as she could. Her face sobered, though, as she pulled away. “I can be patient too. I let you down more than you let me down. If it takes a while for you to trust me again, I’ll understand.”

He shook his head. “Now that you’ve told me, I understand why it happened. I was so sure what was between us was real. That was why the lies hurt so much. That was why I responded the way I did.”

“I know why you did. I understand too. I won’t lie to you again. I promise.”

He pulled her into another hug. “Please don’t.”

She wasn’t going to lie again. For the first time in her life, she knew she didn’t need to. He knew her—he might even love her—as she was.

She finally pulled away and grinned up at him, too happy now to possibly hold it all in. “But you’re not expecting to be the boss of me, are you?”

“I wouldn’t dream of it. I told you I was more about the big picture. Maybe you can handle the everyday details, since you’re so much better at that than me. It will be an equal partnership.”

“Oh,” she said, suddenly remembering Theo, Circe, and Persephone, who were sprawled out on their sides in a row, soaking in the morning sun. “But the dogs will lose their home with the renovations. Poor things.”

Andrew shook his head and bent down to pick up the renderings they’d both dropped the minute before. “Do you really think I’m that clueless? Look at the apartment plan again.”

He showed her on the large sheet. “I told you I had it all planned out. This is the living quarters, here past the pool. And then this yard and this den in the cave wall here are obviously intended for the dogs. I can make a pretty good plan too, you know.”

He could.

***

Two months later, the renovations were finished, and Theo’s leg was finally completely healed.

The five of them celebrated by taking a walk to their favorite beach.

Andrew was absolutely exhausted, and he could see fatigue in Laurel’s face too. Her smile was radiant, however, as she watched the dogs leap and chase each other into the waves. She was stunning in the late afternoon sun, her long hair blowing back and her tanned skin almost glowing.

He knew she was happy—that she’d never been happier. And he took particular pleasure in that knowledge, since he worked hard to make sure she was.

He’d never been happier either.

“Did you talk to your uncle this morning?” she asked, her smile fading to concern as she turned to him.

“Yeah.”

“He sounded all right?”

“Yeah,” he repeated. “The good thing about his never having high expectations for me is that he wasn’t surprised or disappointed when I failed to meet them. I think he’s just glad I appear to be settling down.”

“Appear to be?” she asked, her eyebrows arching.

He tried to suppress a smile. “In this case, appearances are not deceiving.”

She took his shirt in both hands and pulled him into a kiss. “Good,” she murmured against his lips.

“He was actually complaining about Jonathan, my cousin.”

“He’s the genetic scientist, right?”

“Yeah. I guess my settling down has inspired my uncle, and he wants all his nephews to do the same. He was complaining about how all Jonathan cares about is his research and that something needs to be done about it.”

Laurel chuckled. “Poor Jonathan.”

“Yeah. At least it’s not me.” Then he made himself continue, trying to sound casual but ending up almost diffident. “Now that the renovations are done, do you think you’re ready to move into the apartment with me? It’s fine if it’s too soon.”

They’d been living in their old separate rooms for the last two months while construction was going on. Since things had gotten serious so quickly between them, they’d agreed to start by keeping their own space as they got used to the relationship.

Andrew had been chomping at the bit for the last few weeks, more than ready for Laurel to move in with him. Their whole relationship had happened quickly, though, and he was determined not to pressure her.

“Soon?” Laurel repeated. “I’ve been waiting forever!”

He laughed, the slight tension in his chest relaxing. It still felt like a miracle that she was his.

She leaned back against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her—she was warm and soft and strong and Laurel. He loved her more than anything.

“I love you. You know that, don’t you?” He’d told her before, many times, so he wasn’t quite sure why he added the questions or why it had sounded slightly hesitant.

She turned her head with a quizzical look that transformed into a teasing smile. “I might have had a sneaking suspicion, but it’s nice to hear again.”

When she didn’t say anything else, just gazed up at him tenderly, he prompted a little grumpily, “Well?”

She burst into rippling laughter and pulled his head down to kiss him soundly. “You idiot. You know perfectly well I love you too. I told you just last night.”

“But that was after a particularly…blissful moment when your judgment might not have been fully functioning. It wouldn’t kill you to say it again today.”

“Fine. I love you. I love you. I love you. There. Are you happy?”

He laughed. “Very.” He was about to say something else, but he caught a glimpse of motion out of the corner of his eye. “Theo!” he bellowed. “Come!”

Theo had started off in a mad dash after another bird, but the dog stopped abruptly at the loud command and turned, glaring at Andrew resentfully as he loped back along the beach.

Laurel walk over in what was supposed to be chastisement of the wayward dog, but she mostly just gave him a hug.