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ELIJAH PLANNED A TRIP. Instead of a date, he wanted her just to himself. At least that’s what he said. He wouldn’t tell her anything except they were going to have a weekend away with just the two of them. No work allowed. She agreed and booked the time off. The next weekend she was up early and heading to the airport with no clue where she would be by the end of the day.
“Where are we going?” Charity glanced in her rear-view mirror as she spoke to Elijah using the Bluetooth in her car. It was just past six-thirty on Friday morning. “You have me book three days holiday and send me to the airport. You didn’t even tell me what I needed to pack aside from a bikini and some hot bed numbers.” She then went shopping at Victoria’s Secret and picked out a negligee and a gorgeous matching bra and thong. She had her black and lace set from Valentine’s that had been worn once and never seen the light of any male’s eyes.
Elijah’s low chuckle filled the car and vibrated against her chest. “You’ll know soon enough.”
“I don’t even know what airport terminal I need to park at.” Charity knew the excuse was weak, but she tried it anyway.
“You’re flying Delta.”
“Domestic? Or are we going international?”
“We barely have three days! I’m not spending it up in the air.”
Domestic it was. “Can you please tell me where?”
Elijah laughed as a flight announcement echoed through the phone. He was already at the airport in New York. “I’m emailing you the e-boarding confirmation number. Just show it when you get to the Delta counter and then you’ll know where we’re going. Have some fun and be surprised. Pretend it’s your birthday or Christmas like when you were a kid.”
She blew her bangs away from her forehead. “Fine. But just so you know, I was the kid who always guessed her presents before opening them. I never had a surprise present.”
“You’d get them all right?”
“I can’t remember not, so I’ll have to go with yes.”
“And you think your dad’s the control addict.”
She raised her eyebrows at the phone lying in the cup holder but didn’t snap back a reply. She was nothing like her Dad... in her opinion. “I’m taking the exit for the airport so I will call you once I’m checked in.”
“I’ll already be inflight. I’m leaving in about five minutes. I’ll meet you at your terminal when you arrive. I’m in my seat on the plane now and the stewardess is signalling to me that I need to turn my phone off. I’ll see you shortly.”
The Bluetooth clicked as Elijah ended the call. Charity pulled into the long-term parking. She grabbed her suitcase and checked her phone as she waited on the little bus that took her from parking to the terminal.
SC – South Carolina. Myrtle Beach.
They were going to Myrtle Beach. She laughed out loud and received a pair of strange looks from the couple sitting across from her. She’d spent spring breaks in grade school and high school heading to MB. Usually with just her mom and a friend, or the odd time her father would come along too. She hadn’t been in years.
She smiled. It was going to be a fun weekend.
––––––––
THE FLIGHT TOOK NEXT to no time. It felt like she spent more time in the airport than on the actual plane. True to his word, Elijah stood leaning against a pillar as she de-boarded the plane. He wore golf shorts and a polo shirt, fitting in with the locals perfectly. He had a bag slung over his shoulder and a set of golf clubs beside him. His face lit up when he saw her.
She kissed him lightly on the lips, feeling shy to be showing affection in public, even in front of a bunch of strangers who were pretty much paying no attention to them. “Missed you.” She hugged him and loved how he hugged her back tightly, as if he didn’t want to let her go. She could easily live with that feeling for the rest of her life.
“Hey, gorgeous.” His bright blue eyes never left hers. He didn’t move to release her, just continued to smile and watch her. “Surprised?”
“Pleasantly.” She grinned, his excitement catching on.
He tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. “Have you been here before?”
Did she lie? He seemed to so want this to be something special between just the two of them. “As a kid. I haven’t been in years.”
He grabbed her hand and squeezed it, finally releasing her hips against his.
She momentarily felt disorientated. The heat pressing from him now left a cool breeze which her body seemed to disagree with. It wanted him in a primal way. She stepped back, trying to get her brain to control her thoughts, not her body.
He grabbed his golf bag and slung it over his other shoulder. “Shall we head to the hotel then?”
“Where are we staying?”
“A place called the Island Vista. You haven’t stayed there, have you?”
She laughed. “Nope. It doesn’t ring a bell.” They walked through the terminal and headed toward the exit where the car rental signs led. “Do you plan on golfing?”
“I thought you’d be game for eighteen holes.” He must have noticed the look on her face. “Or maybe nine?”
She shook her head. “I don’t golf. Can I be your caddy or driver or something?”
His eyebrows rose. “Really? You do all these fundraiser things. I assumed you hosted golf tournaments galore.”
“I have done quite a few tournaments but never played in them. Golf seems... kinda boring.”
“You’re joking!”
She laughed again. “Why would I joke? You hit a ball, walk over to it, hit it again, trying to miss some water or sand. I’d rather be lying in the sand by the water.”
“It’s all about strategy. I figured you as an avid golfer.”
“Sorry. I’m game to go a round of mini putt. Myrtle Beach has some of the best mini putt courses in the country.”
He shook his head. “What am I going to do with you?”
They arrived at the car rentals and Charity waited with their luggage as Elijah went through getting the car. She laughed when they walked through the parking garage and stopped at the exact same car she had when they first met. The rental place in New York had given her a ridiculous sports car and Elijah had gone to the effort to rent the same.
“Did I ever mention how cheesy you are?” She tossed her luggage in the trunk and settled into the passenger seat.
“I believe you mentioned it back when we first met.”
She thought back to the evening at the Twisted Cork when her father had set up dinner with the three of them and then left early. She snapped her fingers. “You were laying it on pretty thick. You said something about having to go back to the hospital to have your heart checked.” She giggled. “Yup, you’re the epitome of cheese.”
Elijah pretended to look offended. “Some people would consider it romantic.”
She unclicked her seatbelt and leaned over to let her lips nibble on his ear and slowly make their way to his mouth. She slipped her tongue against his and enjoyed the sensation running through her head and down to her groin. “Romantic, Cheesy... Potato, Potatoe... it’s all wonderfully good.”
His hands curved around her chin and his fingers found their way into her hair. He sighed when their lips finally parted to come up for air. “Should we try making it to the hotel first?”
Her stomach grumbled in response. She grabbed it and sat back against her seat.
“Maybe we should grab something to eat first?” He started the car. “That tummy of yours frightens me.”
“Sorry. I had a coffee but was too tired to eat at five thirty this morning.” She yawned, as if by cue. “Last night was late trying to organize stuff for the Diamond Gala. It’s two weeks away and I’m suddenly worried everything won’t be ready.”
“It’ll be fine.”
“Fine isn’t good enough. It has to be perfect.”
He glanced at her from the corner of his eye but didn’t say anything. He concentrated on the road instead.
She took it as a cue to let her vent. She needed it. The only person who understood it was Julie and Charity barely ever said anything to her about her father. It wasn’t like she could get Julie to dog her boss or feel like she had to choose sides. They weren’t kids anymore. “You probably think I’m being silly.”
“No. You just want to please your dad, make him happy.”
“Ha!” she scoffed. “Happy would be a wonderful goal. You know the man. You know how hard it is to make him happy. The man is a control-freak who believes my job is a disgrace. Even though we talked at Christmas, the man still believes my dropping out of med school is the worst thing I’ve ever done. He thinks I did it to spite him!”
“Did you?”
She blinked in surprise.
Elijah turned his head for a second to look at her. “I’m not siding with you father. I’m just looking at this as an outside third party. Dr. Thompson is an amazing surgeon and the kind of doctor everyone dreams to be like. He had a hospital named after him! You can’t argue he isn’t good at his job.”
“I’m not arguing. The hospital was going to close because of government cut backs. Dad took everything he had, his life savings, the insurance money from my mother, everything, and put it back into the hospital. He brought it back to life.”
“I didn’t know he used his own money.”
“And mine.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s fine. I’m not mad or holding some kind of grudge because of it. My mother’s will stated that everything was to be split equally between me and my father. My mom told me what he was doing with the hospital and I told him to use my inheritance as well.”
“That’s very generous of you.”
“Compared to what your family has in New Zealand and what your father’s donated during his lifetime, I’m sure mine is diddly-squat.”
Elijah pulled off the highway and headed down one of the main streets Charity recognized. It would take them to Ocean Boulevard. “I’m not comparing. However, Charity you do realize there are very few people in this world that would give up their riches for causes or people they don’t even know. My father was one and you are one.” He grabbed her hand and kissed it. “I have no clue how you make money at your job.”
She laughed. “I am on contract and retain a small percentage. But you’re right, I can barely live off it. However, I was an only child, my mother was an only child and when her parents both passed, they left everything to me. So I use that.”
“Would you ever stop working?”
“What do you mean?” She thought the question was odd. Why would he ask that? “Would you? Ever stop being a doctor? It’s not like you need to work to support yourself.”
“I don’t do it for the money.”
She smiled. They were having this (what she considered) deep conversation but it felt completely laid back. He was just trying to get to know her and she wanted to do the same. “Please, you choose to be a doctor in America. That’s partly because of the money.”
He grinned. “You’re probably right. However, I love my job. Shoot, I basically live my job.”
“That’s why my father hired you. You are simply the younger version of him.”
“Gee, thanks.” He looked completely disappointed.
“I thought you said my Dad was one of the most amazing doctors you knew. That should be a compliment.”
“Sure, if you look at it that way. If you look at it my way, it sounds like you’re dating your dad.”
“Ew!” She shuddered. “Yuck! Thanks for the horrifying mental image.”
He laughed. “You started it.”
“No, you did. You asked if I would ever quit my job.” She gazed out the window as they turned onto North Ocean Boulevard. The beach and ocean lay to their left, hotels giving glimpsing images of the sand and water in between them.
“I’m just curious. I get the impression you spend six months at one place, a couple of years at the next and then move to the next contracted city. You don’t really have a place that feels like home, do you?”
The question surprised her. Not because he had the audacity to ask, but because she didn’t have an answer. “I guess I always thought of New York as home.”
Elijah stopped at a red light. He reached for her hand and in the kindest voice, said, “But you haven’t lived there in how many years? Would you ever consider moving back?”
The light turned green and his hand left hers to return to the steering wheel. He turned into the parking area of a large, gorgeous brownish-orange hotel marked Island Vista. Charity tried to enjoy the view from the front window but her mind kept repeating his question. Would she ever move back? Would she? Was she the kind of person to give up her job for a boy? She had never thought of herself as that kind of person. Was Elijah asking her to come to New York and give their relationship a shot? Did he want something more? She inhaled and forced the air out of her nose. He knew she had signed the two-year contract with Atlanta. Yes, she was ahead of schedule but it would still be at least a year before she finished. He had no right to ask her to give up her job. Was he even asking that? Suddenly the car felt too stuffy. She unclicked her seatbelt and jumped out as soon as Elijah put the car in park.
Warm, slightly salty air filled her nostrils. The humidity was already sticky. It was unusually warm for the beginning of March. At least it felt like it. Maybe she was the one who had grown warm and sticky. She walked around to the back of the car and waited for Elijah to pop the trunk.
He came around and grabbed her hand. “Let’s go get something to eat. We can check in after.” He pointed at his stomach. “I’m starving now and a little worried my stomach’s going to growl louder than yours. I’ll be so embarrassed if that happens.”
She smiled. He wasn’t going to push the question and she had no problem with that.
“The restaurant looked amazing on the internet. Let’s go find out if the food is as good as the pictures.”
Hand in hand they walked into the lush hotel and found the restaurant. Elijah picked a booth and sat across from her, peering over the large menu at her. They both settled on the breakfast special.
“What do you want to do today?” she asked him after the waitress left with their orders.
He grinned slyly. “Well, we are at a hotel...”
She ran her tongue across her lips without thinking about it. She saw his eyes follow. “And after that?”
“Have dinner?” He reached for the menu. “Should I order something now and see if they can deliver it to our room?”
“We don’t even have a room yet!”
“True.” He slipped the menu under his shirt. “I’ll just sneak this out so we can look through it later. When, you know, we come up for air.” He winked at her.
“You can’t sneak that out without getting caught. You’ll end up being arrested and spending the weekend in jail. I’ll have the car and hotel all to myself then...”
He set the menu back on the table. “You wouldn’t bail me out?”
“Do you have a get out of jail free card?”
He shook his head.
“Well, you’re feeding me breakfast and telling me I won’t get any more food until dinner time.” She shrugged, hoping the corners of her mouth weren’t twitching as she teased him. “I’m having a hard time deciding if I’d vouch for you.”
“Did you bring your bathing suit?” When she nodded he blew a short breath out. “If I can manage to keep my hands off you, we could hit the beach. I just keep picturing that incredibly, hot sexy body of yours in a bikini...” He gave a low whistle. “I’m not sure I can share that with strangers.”
She thought of his body and knew she definitely didn’t want to share it with anyone. She looked over his shoulder at the waitress carrying their food. She spoke low so nobody else would hear her but Elijah. “Be ready to scarf that food down. I want to test out the springs in our mattress.”
The desire on his face equalled her own.
