Nineteen

Zoe muttered a thank-you to Dylan as he brought a blanket over to her sofa and tucked it around her legs. She’d been released an hour earlier and he had driven her home. She’d rebuffed his attempts at conversation since he’d shown up at the hospital shortly after the accident. Truthfully, she was still trying to make sense of everything in her head, so she didn’t really know what to say to him. “Would you like something to drink, sweetheart? Maybe some water or coffee?”

Shaking her head, she said softly, “No, nothing right now. I’m just going to rest for a little while. If you need to go to work, I’ll be fine.”

He looked appalled by her words and she wondered why. They both knew the Oceanix came first. He sat down on the edge of the sofa next to her and cupped her cheek. “I’m not going anywhere. You’re the most important thing to me, and I’ll be here until I know that you’re okay.”

A few days ago, she’d have been thrilled to hear him say that. But now she was confused and unable to think with him watching her every move. She knew it would hurt him, but right now what she wanted more than anything was to be alone. She’d had someone with her since the accident, which meant there had been no time to process what had happened. “Dylan,” she began softly, “I really need some space right now. Please don’t think I blame you in any way, because I don’t. But I could use some time to work everything out on my own. I promise I’ll call you, but can you give me that?”

She could see his inner struggle. He wanted to argue. He thought she was angry because Josh was his friend, but that wasn’t the case. Right now she didn’t have the strength to reassure him further, though. If he didn’t leave soon, she was going to crack in front of him, and she very much wanted her privacy for that. “I don’t know,” he murmured hesitantly. “I’m not sure you should be alone so soon.”

Reaching over, she took his hand, saying earnestly, “I need this.” With those words, she knew she had him. He might hate it, but he’d never been good at telling her no.

“All right, sweetheart. But promise me you’ll check in tonight to let me know you’re okay.” She nodded her agreement and he bent to drop a kiss on her forehead. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” she replied. Her love for him had never been the question, but she was starting to realize that possibly it wasn’t enough to build a future on, no matter how much she wanted it, unless something changed.

•   •   •

“How’s Zoe?” Ash asked as he strolled into the office. Dylan looked up in surprise, having had no idea yet again that he was coming to Florida.

“What are you doing here?” he asked in confusion. When he’d asked his brother to handle things, he hadn’t thought it would be in person. After all, he had a hotel to run as well.

“I caught a flight out after I talked to you. I left Hudson in charge of daily operations at the resort. I can handle anything else remotely.”

Ash had bragged about his new operations manager, and Dylan had to admit he must be good for his perfectionist brother to turn over the helm to him on such short notice. Hell, maybe he needed to recruit him to come here. “Apparently I spoke too soon anyway because my girlfriend doesn’t want me around right now.”

“Ouch.” Ash whistled before dropping into a seat in front of him. “What’s going on? Is she home now?”

“Yeah, I just came from her place. She said she needed some time to think about things.” Running a hand through his hair, he admitted, “I feel as if I’m losing her. And the shit thing is, I can’t blame her at all. I haven’t been there for her. She almost got killed last night because I was here instead of with her. Hell, I didn’t even walk her to the car, Ash. It was late when she left and I let her go into the parking garage alone. What kind of man does that?”

“One with far too much on his plate,” Ash said. “You’re overwhelmed here, and before you think I’m insulting you, hear me out. This location does far more business in a year than the others. You’re sitting on a gold mine and it’s only going to get bigger. Hence the need for an expansion. I can’t believe you made it on your own for this long. None of us could handle all that you do. We’ve discussed it before. We have no idea how you do it.”

“No life and a shitload of antacids,” Dylan deadpanned.

“Well, I’ve got an idea I want to run by you. I think you’ll agree that it’s in your best interest, so I hope you’ll keep an open mind.”

“And what will this big plan of yours do for me exactly?” Dylan asked, intrigued despite himself.

Ash sat forward, putting his hands on the edge of the desk. “It may save your life in more ways than one. Interested?”

“I’m not doing a great job of it on my own, so let’s see what you’ve got.” He didn’t expect a miracle, but at this point, he certainly didn’t have any answers of his own.