Sixteen

“All dressed up and nowhere to go again, huh?” Dana asked sympathetically.

Zoe gave her a wry smile as she tossed her cell phone back into her purse. “That’s life when you date the big man,” she replied, attempting a feeble joke. In truth, it shouldn’t have been much of a surprise to her that Dylan stayed so busy. Maybe a part of her had hoped that he’d be able to carve out a little more time in his schedule for her, and she knew that he tried, but there were only so many hours in the day. They’d been together for almost three months now, and other than feeling like ships that passed in the night at times, it had been amazing. They had settled into the relationship as if they’d been born to be partners. On the nights when he worked late, she’d wake up to find that he’d come to her place and crashed beside her at some point. It wasn’t a perfect situation, but just seeing him lying there the next morning made her absurdly grateful that he was trying.

“It still sucks, though,” Dana pointed out. “But luckily for you, I have no plans for the evening, so we’re going out. How about a drink at Breakers? It’s a new place right on the beach. I’ll even buy you one of those cute little umbrella drinks.”

Her first inclination was to refuse the offer and head home, but then she thought why not? She needed to have a life outside of Dylan, and sitting at home watching television for another night didn’t sound appealing. Which was funny considering not long ago that had been her nightly routine. But Dylan had changed that somewhat, and she had no desire to go back to the Zoe of before. So plastering on a bright smile, she said, “You’ve got yourself a date. Let’s lock up and get out of here.”

Dana gave her a high five and they quickly shut off the lights in the shop and left the hotel. Dana volunteered to drive, promising only to have a glass of wine. If that changed, they could always call a taxi later. The new bar was less than five miles from the resort and Zoe had to admit that it had a lot of character. There were tons of smaller tables situated against a solid wall of glass facing the ocean. And if you were in the mood to be outdoors, there was plenty of seating there as well, along with volleyball courts for those who wanted to do more than sit. Obviously the locals and tourists loved it because the place was packed. Eighties rock blared inside as people stood in crowds talking, while some danced to the beat. “Let’s go outside,” Dana yelled out. Normally Zoe would have preferred to stay where there was air-conditioning, but a cool front had passed through a few days earlier, making the humidity almost nonexistent.

They grabbed a table that someone was in the process of vacating and ordered glasses of wine. “This tastes so good,” Zoe moaned as she sipped the merlot. “I owe you for dragging me out tonight. I’ve already caught up on all the Golden Girls reruns, so tonight I’d have been starting Seinfeld.”

Dana pretended to wipe a tear away. “That’s so sad. He may be an ass sometimes, but you’re dating one of the hottest men in the state. You should never even turn your television on, much less be watching marathons of old shows.”

Zoe shrugged. “You know how busy he is. It’s not his fault that I don’t have some hobbies to keep me busy. Plus, I work late most evenings as well so what can I really say about him doing the same?”

“But you always make time for him,” Dana pointed out. “Don’t get me wrong, I know it must be a big job to run a resort like the Oceanix, but it’s never going to get easier. Have you thought about that? Unless Dylan makes some changes, like hiring someone to help him, then this is your life forever. Sure, there’ll be times when he has a break here and there, but understand in the years ahead that he’s going to be an absent husband and father a lot of the time.”

Zoe’s laugh was strained as she attempted to lighten the effect that the other woman’s words were having on her. “We are nowhere close to being married, much less having kids. And of course I know Dylan has a hectic schedule. Remember I’ve been friends with him since we were kids. It’s not exactly a newsflash to me.”

“Yeah, but you weren’t dating him then. I’m not trying to be negative, but even though you’re the happiest I’ve ever seen you, it’s also impossible to miss the way your face falls when he calls or texts to let you know that he’s either held up or can’t make it at all. He’s a good guy and you two are perfect for each other, but I just think you’re making all the sacrifices here, and as long as you’re willing to do that, what incentive does he have to change?”

Zoe slumped in her seat and gave up defending the man that she loved. It was actually a relief to talk to someone about it. “I feel crappy for complaining, but I miss him. Even when we’re together at night, he’s just a body in the same room with me. And I don’t have the heart to tell him how I feel because he does try really hard to make time for me. With the expansion plans for the resort moving ahead, it’s worse than ever. I can’t imagine how it’s going to be when they actually break ground soon. I went by his office last night to surprise him with dinner and he was asleep on his desk with his cell phone in one hand and a set of blueprints in the other.”

Dana put a hand over hers, giving it a squeeze. “Oh, honey, I knew all this had to be getting to you. And even though I’m usually one to charge ahead and think later, I also understand why you’re hesitant to tell him how this is making you feel, even though you’re dead wrong about it.”

Giving voice to her fears, Zoe admitted, “I’m afraid he’ll say that we should go back to being friends. This isn’t simply a job for him, it’s his family business. He’s not going to walk away from it and I wouldn’t want that. But unfortunately, now that I know how good we are together, I want more. Even a meal or two a week where he’s not spending half of his time on the phone or with his computer sitting on the table while he reviews a proposal.”

“That man loves you, Zoe. You may think that you’re the only one whose heart has been involved over the years, but he’s invested as well. In true guy fashion, it might have taken him longer to realize it, but it’s there. He’s not going to be able to downgrade to a platonic relationship with you, and I know he doesn’t want to lose you. So talk to him. It’s not as if you’re issuing some kind of ultimatum. You’re simply letting him know where you stand and that you want more time together.”

“You make it sound so easy,” Zoe murmured as she stared into her now empty glass. “I don’t want to add more stress to his life. He has enough for ten people already.”

“But you have to be a priority too. I know he isn’t neglecting you intentionally, but he needs to see that this is hard for you both. Just think about it.” Zoe opened her mouth to respond when Dana suddenly whispered, “Incoming.”

“What?” she asked in confusion before feeling a hand on her shoulder.

“Zoe! I thought that was you,” boomed a voice that had become all too familiar. Dana gave her a grimace of distaste as Josh circled around to stand in front of their table. This was the first time she’d seen him since he’d popped into her office unexpectedly a few weeks earlier. She hadn’t mentioned it to Dylan because he stayed so stressed that she didn’t want to upset him if she was making something out of nothing.

“Hey, Josh,” she said uneasily. “I didn’t see you when we came in. It’s so crowded, though, that would have probably been difficult.” Without invitation, he pulled the chair out next to her and lowered himself onto it.

“Yeah, this is the new cool place in town. I was just having a drink with some buddies. You’re both welcome to join us if you’d like.”

“We’re leaving shortly,” Dana tossed out. “We were having a little girl time after work.” If Dana thought Josh would catch the emphasis she put on the “girl” part, she was sadly mistaken.

“That’s cool. I’ll keep you two company until you leave. Don’t want any of those freaks messing with the prettiest women here.” Dana made a gagging motion when he turned his head away that had Zoe biting her lip to keep a straight face. “Hey, where’s Dylan? Still tied up with the new project?”

“He had a meeting with the city zoning board. He’s trying to avoid any delays, but it’s always something,” she added lightly. The last thing she wanted was for Josh to run to Dylan before they talked and tell him she was whining about his work schedule.

Josh studied her carefully—which was more than a little unnerving. Finally, he said, “You and I have known Dylan for a long time. He’s always been a go-getter, even in college. We put him in charge of damn near every event because we knew he’d kick ass until he made it happen. He’s an ambitious SOB—which makes him good at everything he touches. Doesn’t leave much for you, though, does it?”

Don’t let him see he got to you. Zoe wanted to kiss her friend’s feet when Dana stood up, yawning loudly. “Damn, I’m beat. Sorry to be the party pooper, but this girl needs to get home.” Grabbing Zoe’s arm, she pulled her up from the table. “Good to see you again, Jack,” she added, no doubt intentionally messing up his name.

“Bye, Josh,” Zoe threw over her shoulder as Dana propelled them across the sand and back through the packed bar. “God, thank you,” Zoe hissed as they got in the car.

“I swear that dude is a real creeper.” Dana shuddered. “I don’t like the way he keeps popping up everywhere now. He’s like your stalker or something.”

Laughing, Zoe said, “We have a lot of people who come into the shop way more than he does. Plus, his best friend owns the resort, so it stands to reason he’d be around some.”

“The guy wants in your pants, sister,” Dana said bluntly. “And he’s not above trashing Dylan to do it.”

Zoe wrinkled her nose in disgust. “That’s gross. There’s no way that’s happening, even if I wasn’t with Dylan.”

“Just be careful around him. I’ve known guys like that before and he’s far from the harmless, good-time boy he tries to make himself out to be.”

Trying to look more confident than she felt, Zoe shrugged. “It’ll be fine.” She’d told Dana about him making her uncomfortable in her office and Dana had warned her not to underestimate him. She was beginning to see that the other woman might be right. She’d avoid Josh until things calmed down with the expansion, then she’d take her concerns to Dylan.

•   •   •

It was almost midnight when Dylan got to Zoe’s. He let himself in the door quietly, then promptly removed his coat and tie before unbuttoning his shirt. His body was beyond exhausted, but his mind was going a mile a minute as it often did after a long day. He stopped at the hallway closet and kicked his shoes off before going to the kitchen to get a bottle of water.

His life was always hectic, but this last month had been a whole different animal as the new construction moved from the planning to the execution stage. Despite his best intentions, there were still problems, delays, and a shitload of red tape to be dealt with on a daily basis. He had moments when he didn’t know how he was going to manage a project so big. The Oceanix Resorts in Florida were by far the most profitable, and his location did more business than all the others. Without Lisa working equally long hours, he’d probably have sunk long ago. But he knew that, at some point, changes would have to be made. When Lisa eventually decided to start a family, she couldn’t continue to pull the responsibility she was dealing with. Shit, just thinking about it made his head hurt.

All he wanted to do was go curl up with Zoe and enjoy some stolen moments with the woman he adored. Their time together lately had been far too short and he hated himself for letting her down so often. The fact that she was always so gracious about it almost made it worse. Hell, he’d have felt better if she’d cussed him out. No one liked or deserved to be neglected and he knew that’s what he was doing. Truthfully, he’d known all along that he didn’t have time for a relationship. Sex here and there, yeah, most men would find a way to make that happen. But she was so much more than that to him. Even Ash had been sympathetic when he’d mentioned it to him earlier. He’d been frustrated as hell over bailing on their plans yet again, and it had come pouring out after he’d snapped his brother’s head off a few times. “I know you don’t want to hear it, bro, but it’s the nature of the beast,” Ash had said. “I’m not saying it can’t work, because Seth has managed to do it. But you’re going to have to be willing to change the way you’ve always lived your life.”

“I thought I already had,” he’d joked weakly. “I’m in a real relationship for the first time in my adult life.”

“Yeah, you are. But are you prepared to do whatever it takes to keep it? Because if you’re not, then you should throw in the towel now before anyone gets hurt.”

He’d mulled those words over long after he’d ended the call with Ash. He didn’t have any answers or even suggestions at this point, knowing what the construction period at the resort would be like, but he knew that he needed to talk to Zoe. If for no other reason than to let her know he was aware he’d been a shitty boyfriend lately. Together he had to believe that they could come up with a way to make it work. He knew they’d promised to remain friends regardless, but he didn’t want to go back to that because when he’d made that agreement, he hadn’t understood how much he’d come to love having her in his arms at night. The feel of her breath on his chest and the steady thump of her heartbeat lulled him to sleep when nothing else in the world could.