Chapter 28
The sea heaved at the shore, and wind blew over the tops of the swaying fronds of the palm trees. Hammocks swayed lazily as people reclined in long chairs shaded by umbrellas and stands of tall trees. More people splashed in the crystalline waters that, every so often, darkened into indigo with light jade hues, from the return of the ever-rushing tides.
Gray spotted Riley weaving her way around a cluster of tables near the pool. He couldn’t help but admire her figure in a pair of denim shorts cut high on her flat, tan thighs, but a small frown marred his forehead. He didn’t like to see her working so hard, but they’d agreed that they wouldn’t live off of her trust money. Even though the place where they’d landed, the Dominican Republic, was cheap enough, it certainly had its own cost of living, like everyplace else. Nothing’s ever free, Gray thought as he stared at her.
They’d settled into a small apartment right on the beach, and woke every morning to stunning vistas of sand, sun, and water. Every day, Grant’s first thought was a hard wave of love for her and great gratitude for that spectacular view in their private little corner of the world. Unfortunately, they’d been fighting a lot lately. Apparently as the tourist season dimmed, so did the money in their pockets. They both had to work harder and longer to pay the rent, and the stress was starting to take its toll.
For Riley’s part, Grant knew she was rapidly tiring from the hard labor of waitressing at a resort. The only reason they’d both landed jobs so quickly was because they both spoke both Spanish and English. That made them godsends at the resort, but as guests dwindled, so did their tips and the goodwill of the formerly jovial owner. He began to retreat to a position of entitlement and had the gall to ask them to work more hours for the same pay.
Grant knew it was time to simply move on, but the tension seemed to set them at odds with each other. He wanted to head to the South Pacific, perhaps Australia or somewhere equally sandy and warm, but Riley was becoming weary of the constant summer climate and said she wanted something different.
Gray sighed as he gathered glasses from the emptying bar and washed them quickly before hanging them to dry. What’s so great about snow and ice anyway? he wondered as he recalled Riley’s mention of a few winter-themed resorts. What had she tried to convince him? ‘We should enjoy the change in seasons, get away from the ocean for a while.’ He simply didn’t agree and arguing with her about it wasn’t getting them anywhere either.
He knew he had to make a decision soon, but he felt paralyzed from so many fronts. For one thing, he’d always wanted to run his own place, but didn’t have the money. Riley didn’t think it was a bad idea to buy a place they could own and run, except they couldn’t agree on where they wanted to end up. Pin-the-target-on-the-map was no longer an option, and, worse, the arguments about her using some of her vast fortunes were now never ending. Which was only exacerbated by the fact that she had to take care of all that money, too, so she had daily sight of it. Gray snorted. Apparently being aware of all that cash when she felt she couldn’t touch it weighed heavily on her mind as she slopped out plates of food to cheap tourists and surly natives.
Endless, perfect summer, my ass. It’s just a matter of time before the whole thing comes crashing down, Gray was sure of it. The charm was wearing off of Riley. That thought terrified him, knowing that she would eventually go and leave him. Why wouldn’t she? She’d be a damn fool not to, he reasoned. They certainly couldn’t seem to agree lately, even on the simplest things. They only thing they did agree on was that they still loved each other, but in spite of what all those stupid chick flicks and romance novels said, it just wasn’t enough. They couldn’t seem to stop the bleeding. Their lives were not just hard. The bills, the rent, and the increasing workload with no benefits, all of it was going to come crashing down. And he’d be left alone, trying to pick up what was left of his heart.
“Yeah, we definitely have to haul ass for better climes, and I don’t mean any snow-riddled mountains,” Gray mumbled as he shoved another glass in its slot. The whole idea of all that coldness literally made him shiver and cringe. He hated arctic temperatures, anywhere that required a coat. Riley, on the other hand, was acting like some kind of Aspen snow bunny, going on and on about how she wanted to relax in a luxury suite. She had the money to do it, to go anywhere and do anything she wanted, but Gray constantly reminded her that they had agreed not to live off her wealth. Deep down, he had the unshakeable feeling that as soon as he said yes to her cutting into her funds, he would end up as nothing more than a cumbersome weight, an unnecessary guy who was not able to give her anything she deserved. Even worse, he would feel like some kind of mooch, and he didn’t want that.
They had to make it on their own.
He gave the glasses a sour look, then cast his gaze to Riley again. As if I’m giving her anything she deserves now, he thought with a groan. She damn sure deserves better than to be working fourteen hours a day under this sun that bakes us into the dirt. He checked his watch. They’d both be finished shift in a few minutes.
The relief bartender strolled up from the sand, his swarthy skin gleaming as he climbed behind the bar. “You can go now, Gray,” he said and grinned. “I need a drink before I settle in for my shift. Care to join me?”
“Gladly.” Gray took his tiny collection of tips and raised the beer glass in a toast. Downing it quickly, he tossed the glass at the new barman and strolled out gratefully.
Riley met him at the front ten minutes later. There was a tight smile on her face and a deep vertical slash between her eyebrows as they set off walking toward their apartment.
“How was your day?” Gray asked, wondering what her odd expression was all about. He felt stupid even asking, as he’d watched her working her butt off all day.
“Same as always. Did I see the manager’s got you down for a second shift tonight?”
Gray sighed. “I’m afraid so.”
“Me, too. It’s bullshit. Actually, no. It’s…insane. I made next to nothing all day, and I know I won’t make much tonight, if any at all. I don’t know about you, Gray, but I’m getting really sick of being there all day and most of the night to make hardly any money.”
He moved to put his arm around her shoulders, but Riley walked faster, dislodging his arm. Guilt and apprehension ran through him as he realized he was, in fact, losing her. Fear spiked through his body, shaking him to the core. The idea of Riley walking out of his life sent a shockwave right to his heart. He’d thought it might happen, but to know it was really going to happen, was terrifying. He felt it as physical pain, a lancing, vicious thing that made him shudder all over. His eyes went to the sky. It darkened rapidly, an ominous sign that he could not help but understand. Are we dimming too? he questioned the cosmos, but he didn’t want to hear the answer.
“I say fuck it,” he said, his voice dripping with desperation. “Let’s take the night off…and tomorrow too. We’ll enjoy the place and skip outta here. I mean, we’re supposed to pay the rent in a few days, but if we just go, that’ll be money that stays in our pockets, right? We’ll use it to buy tickets to wherever you want.” They had no lease on the place, they just paid each month upfront.
Her face immediately lightened, as did her plodding footsteps. A smile lifted her mouth, and a long grin elevated her cheekbones high. “Do you mean it?”
He didn’t really mean it, as he had zero interest in traveling off to some frozen, isolated tundra. What was more, there was no way in hell the money they had between them would buy either of them a ticket there. Still, he couldn’t say no. She was so obviously unhappy, and he hated that almost as much as he hated the idea of being a totally dependent boy toy. “Yes, I mean it,” he said, then finally released the breath he was holding. He didn’t even want to think about what he was agreeing to. He already knew most of her friends would be around, and all of them would think he was some hot-bodied gold-digger with the ability to make Riley part with her money. He just hoped they didn’t turn out to be right.
Riley hugged him. Her hair smelled like tropical flowers, and her skin carried the strong aroma of heated suntan oil and sweat. Her arms were sleek and toned; she was already in great shape when they arrived, but carrying around all those heavy loads of trays and dishes only helped. She pulled him closer.
Despite her happiness, Gray wished he could immediately take it back, to tell her he’d changed his mind. He didn’t want anyone to think of him as her poor little lover boy, a stray she’d brought home. Deep down, it was a ridiculous notion. Granted, he had no money of his own, but his family wasn’t exactly poverty stricken. He tried to hold his head up high, but he still wondered if he had a right to. Even more misgivings thundered within him when they resumed walking, her fingers curled tightly into his. He cleared his throat and said, “I’m sorry. I thought this would be way better than it was.”
Riley gave him a rueful grin. “Please say you mean this…and not us.”
“I do,” he said, though he wasn’t really sure about that either.
Riley chuckled. “Yeah, I’m sorry, too, but what can we do?” She shrugged and grinned. “We get outta here! That’s what we do. Another adventure for us!”
Besides spend your money, my little trust fund baby? Nothing else we can do. They’d be stuck here for the rest of the year trying to earn enough cash to leave, and while the view was great and the rent, food and everything else was cheap, neither of them were happy. Worst of all, Riley was not happy with him, and he didn’t have to follow that grim thread of thought for too long to realize that the outcome would be terrifying.