Chapter Five

Paradise Island was exactly as cheesy as all the online reviews Zach had read on the flight down had suggested. He could hardly believe that Jenna would actually choose to honeymoon here or that she thought Elliot wouldn’t take one look at the place and immediately insist on going somewhere else, sexy lingerie or no. But when somebody allowed sentimentality to trump logic, this was the result. Had she even read any of the reviews when she’d planned the trip?

To begin with, it wasn’t a hotel, but a cluster of small huts, which were probably supposed to suggest some kind of alone-on-a-tropical-island fantasy, on which continent, he had no idea. From the pictures online, it looked like someone had bought up all the set pieces from Gilligan’s Island, stuck them on sketchy dock structures the middle of a shallow inlet, and opened for business. Each cluster of huts had its own pier leading from a main building where the shops, restaurants, and spa were located, and each individual hut was spaced along the pier far enough from its neighbor to guarantee “privacy.” In other words, honeymoon gymnastics could take place without couples in the other hump-huts having to listen.

The flight had worn Jenna down, and she’d hardly argued at all when Zach insisted on making sure she got to the resort safely instead of sticking her in a cab and immediately getting back on the plane to fly home. By the end of a long cab ride and a hike to the check-in desk, she seemed ready to pass out.

The main building looked like the jungle had eaten it, but Jenna didn’t seem to notice. Dark circles under her eyes, and a subtle slump to her shoulders told Zach that the day was finally catching up to her. Even though she was a day early, they had Jenna’s room ready. The desk clerk handed Zach the room key and welcome packet and wished Mr. and Mrs. Hansen a good week, but Jenna didn’t even bother to correct him.

Zach led the way out of the building and down a paved path, pulling Jenna’s bags behind him. He would just get her settled, make sure the place wasn’t crawling with bed bugs, and then head out. Lush greenery and tropical flowers grew tall on both sides of the path, making it seem like they really were in Gilligan hell. It was dark outside, but the paths were illuminated by strings of white Christmas lights and occasional poles crafted to look like a torches. Really. Torches. The kind that traditionally came with pitchforks and angry villagers.

They came to a crossroads, and he had to consult the paperwork to figure out which hut was Jenna’s. “You’re in Lovers’ Lagoon,” he said. “Not to be mistaken for Kissing Cay, Ardor Isle, or my favorite, Passion Pools.” There might have been a little bit of sarcasm in his voice. But really, who would find this kind of thing romantic?

Jenna huffed and moved ahead of him on the path. “I think it’s cute.”

“Come on. Passion Pools? Sounds like something that requires mopping up afterward.”

“That one isn’t the best. I’ll give you that,” she said. “But I love Kissing Cay.”

The overgrown greenery ended at a white sand beach, and the bay came into view.

“See, this is nice,” she insisted, pausing to take in the dark water, rippling softly under an almost full moon. The moonlight touched her dark hair, giving her silvery highlights and making her upturned face glow, erasing all the strain that had been there.

“Sure,” Zach said, tearing his gaze away from her.

Not. His.

Beautiful? Yes. Kind and sweet and funny? Also, yes. Lonely? Yes. And not just because of leaving Elliot. How did he know all this after meeting her only a few hours ago? Not a clue. It wasn’t logical.

She sighed. “You don’t have a romantic bone in your body, do you?”

“Romance is for people who sell greeting cards and jewelry,” he grumbled. He’d said the same more than once to Marcy and the other women who worked for him on made-up holidays like Valentine’s Day and Sweetest Day.

“Gee, I can’t imagine why you’re single,” she said drily and continued on to the hut. “That’s just what the ladies want to hear.”

She might have a point. But Zach could see making an effort for the right woman, if that’s what made her happy. He’d just never met that woman. Building a business had always been his sole priority. At first because he didn’t want to starve and later because, well, it had just become habit. It was easier to deal with numbers and data sets than people.

Jenna unlocked the door, and they entered the hut. It was basically a studio apartment whose main feature was a large bed strewn with the requisite rose petals. Another door, he guessed, led to a bathroom. On the other side of the room was a small kitchenette. A sofa and television with a DVD player took up real estate in the center. The whole mess was decorated in a shamelessly flamboyant island theme—no surprise there. Someone must have gotten a bulk discount on fake greenery and coconut shells.

“See, this is nice,” Jenna said, walking around the room.

Zach wondered if she kept saying that to convince herself.

“There’s a bearskin rug over there on the floor,” he pointed out. “Since when do bears live in the tropics?”

“Stop,” she said, setting her purse on the bed and sitting down on the edge. She kicked off her sandals.

“Is it a water bed?” he asked. “Or just one of those you put quarters in?”

“It’s perfect,” she said. “Stop being so critical.” She brushed aside some of the flower petals and lay back on the gaudy tropical bird bedspread.

“At first I thought this place was a Gilligan’s Island cast-off, but now it looks more like the set of a seventies porno.”

That got a giggle out of her, which made him smile, too.

“It kind of does,” she admitted.

She sat up. “Well, I think I’m all set here,” she said. “I’m just going to shower and hit the sack. Thanks again for everything, Zach. I really do appreciate it.”

That was his cue to leave. His mission was done. He’d been her getaway driver, smuggled her out of the city, flew her to an island hideaway she seemed to like, and made sure she was all checked in and settled. It was time to go.

“Have you eaten?” Zach blurted out, surprising himself.

“No,” she said, stifling a yawn. “I’m too tired to even think about food right now.”

“You should definitely eat something,” he said, opening the welcome packet. “I’ll bet there’s a room service menu in here.”

A piece of pink paper fluttered to the floor, and he leaned down to pick it up. Jenna’s itinerary for the week. Shit. A list of romantic couples’ activities she’d planned to do with Elliot was the last thing she needed to see right now. It might make her rethink her broken engagement or just feel bad about the whole thing. Jenna needed to think about what was ahead for her, not what she’d left behind.

“What’s that?” she asked, going over to him. “Did you find the menu?”

She plucked it out of his hand before he could stop her. Her face crumpled when she realized what it was. “Oh. I guess I won’t be needing that.”

Zach took the paper back, folding it up and putting it in his shirt pocket.

“Here’s the room service menu. Twenty-four hours. We’ve got…” He looked again. “Seriously?”

He turned the menu so Jenna could see.

She read the list of available dishes then covered a snort. “It was someone’s job to come up with those names, you know. Someone got paid cash money to sit there and invent filthy names for common food.”

“That someone was a perv.”

But Jenna had forgotten about the itinerary that wasn’t and was smiling again.

“I think I want a Sizzling Threeway,” he said. “With a side of french-kiss fries.” He handed Jenna the menu.

“Hmmm, the Giant Conch sounds filling, but I can’t do pizza on an empty stomach. I’m going to have to go with the Meat Between the Sheets.”

“So a burger, fries, and club sandwich,” Zach said, rolling his eyes.

“You just have to embrace the cheese factor.”

“That’s a big ask.” He pulled out his phone. “You shower, I’ll order. We’ll eat, and then I’ll head out.”

“Won’t Billy be waiting for you?”

“I’ll call. He won’t mind spending a couple extra hours flirting with the women at the airfield office.”

“Okay. If you’re sure.”

“I’ll be kicking myself if I miss out on that Sizzling Threeway,” he said.

With a shake of her head, Jenna gathered some toiletries and change of clothes from her bag and headed into the bathroom.

Zach dialed Billy and let him know about the change in plans, then he called Marcy.

“Mr. Ruiz. Always nice to speak to you after ten p.m.”

Shit. He checked his watch. “Sorry, Marcy. I lost track of the time.”

“I assume you’re on your way back to the city?”

“Well, no, actually. Jenna—Miss Taylor—and I made it to the hotel, and I’m just getting her settled in. She hasn’t eaten all day.”

There was silence on the other end of the line. He looked at the screen to see if the call had dropped. “Marcy?”

“Can you repeat that last part?” she asked after a long pause.

He was confused. “That I’m getting Miss Taylor settled in and making sure she eats something before heading back?”

“Yes, that.”

“What’s not clear?”

“You’re not exactly the nurturing type, Mr. Ruiz.”

She had a point. “I’m not a monster, either.”

“Did you forget about the Tower Media prep session you scheduled for first thing in the morning?”

“No, of course not.” Absolutely, it had slipped his mind. And this planning meeting with his team was important. Tower Media was prepared to give Zach all their business. He’d been working on it for over a year. “I’ll be back in time. I’ll leave here in an hour, after we eat. Two hours, tops.”

Silence again.

“What?” he asked, a little sharper than intended.

“Sleeping with Mr. Hansen’s fiancé might seem like perfect revenge, but it’s a little thoughtless, even for you.”

“Ex-fiancé. And I’m not sleeping with her.” His jaw tightened. “You think I’d do that to her? For revenge?”

“No. But you’re not always very sympathetic to the needs of others, either. That’s why I’m confused.”

“I just…” Marcy had a good point. Why was he doing so much to help Jenna? He could have dropped her at a hotel. He could have dropped her at the airport. Hell, he could even have sent her on his plane without going through the bother of accompanying her himself, especially given that he had a big pitch to prepare for.

“I just couldn’t leave her alone,” he said finally.

“I see.”

Zach couldn’t tell from Marcy’s tone exactly what she “saw,” but it annoyed him anyway.

“I’ll see you in the morning, Marcy.”

“Good night, Mr. Ruiz.”

Was he thoughtless? He didn’t think so. He was driven to make his business a success. Maybe even teetering on the edge of obsessed sometimes. He didn’t really think about other people very much—not that there were many people in his life to worry about anyway. He had few friends outside of work, and his parents and siblings lived across the country. But it wasn’t like he was actively an asshole to his staff. Well, other than calling them at home at weird hours.

Zach ordered the food, refusing to use the ridiculous names, then sat down on the sofa and pulled Jenna’s itinerary out of his pocket. He read down the list of activities. Couples’ yoga, couples’ massage, private candlelight dinner on the beach, a sunset photo session. Couples’ towel-animal making…what the hell was that? Some sort of sewing class? Were these activities private or were they going to be packed to the gills with newlywed couples?

Zach was a fool. How the hell was Jenna going to spend a week among happy newlyweds doing all the sappy couples’ stuff when she was trying to get over not actually being wed? He should have taken her somewhere else. Somewhere that wasn’t going to remind her of wedded bliss. Tulsa, maybe. Nobody ever thought “romance” when they thought “Tulsa.” But no, he hadn’t stopped to think, and now she had to spend a week nursing a broken heart at honeymoon hell. Alone.

This was exactly why he didn’t get involved in peoples’ personal lives. He only made things worse.

Zach looked at the stupid list again before wadding it up. Jenna didn’t need that. She needed something to take her mind off of things and make her feel okay about not being a newlywed. What, he didn’t know. Burying himself in work had always been his favorite coping mechanism, but he didn’t even know what Jenna did for a living, if anything. He didn’t know what her hobbies were, or her passions.

Why was he obsessing about this?

None of this was any of his business. Zach didn’t know what had happened to make Jenna leave Elliot at the altar, whether it was just that she’d changed her mind or whether he’d done something specific that made it impossible for Jenna to go ahead with the wedding. But she seemed determined that she definitely did not want to marry Elliot. No dithering, which Zach liked. When hurt, some people curled in on themselves and retreated from life. Others took it as a personal challenge, and it made them stronger and more determined to grab what they wanted from life. Jenna was the latter. She’d be just fine on her own. After a week here, he’d be willing to bet she’d come roaring back.

Zach would have dinner with her, wish her luck, and go back to his data and remember the next time he had an urge to help someone that getting involved was messy and unpleasant and in the end made things worse.