Chapter Two
Janie tapped her foot impatiently as she sat in the waiting room of the island’s small clinic. Despite Larissa’s teasing about Janie ditching her for the man she’d rescued, Larissa and Lilly sat next to her, waiting for any news on his condition.
“You did good,” Larissa said, checking on the sleeping infant in the nearby chair before patting Janie’s arm.
“I could kill Doug! What sort of inept lifeguards have we been hiring?” Janie let loose the frustration she’d held in thus far, feeling free to vent now that she was alone with her friend. “If Archer hadn’t gone after the girl, she likely wouldn’t have made it. This could have been so bad.”
Larissa wrapped her hand around Janie’s, squeezing it. “But everything is fine. I could tell you were trying so hard to hold back your anger on the beach in front of all the guests. You need to let the frustration go though. You saved them, which is a great thing! Don’t let anger ruin your day. Everything’s okay.”
Janie had figured Larissa understood what was going on with her while they were at the beach. As desperately as she had tried to smile and joke with Archer when he’d regained consciousness, the thing she had really wanted to do was beat the shit out of Doug for abandoning his post without telling anyone.
“That’s why you teased me about finding a date. You were trying to distract me from my murderous intentions.”
Larissa giggled. “I had to find some way to make you smile. When you looked at Doug, I thought that might truly have been the end of the road for the poor, stupid kid.”
“It still might be,” Janie said, venom in her voice. “I’m going to speak with Brad and Matt about this. That guy doesn’t deserve to work at a resort if he can’t even warn someone when he takes a break.”
Brad McCallister worked as the island’s manager, along with his brother-in-law, Matt Coleson. The two ran a tight ship. Brad didn’t put up with any nonsense, and Janie was sure he’d deal with Doug appropriately.
“Are you sure you want to sick Brad on the poor kid?” Larissa bit her bottom lip with an expression of worry. “You said Doug’s new, right? Maybe he didn’t know he had to notify someone else if he was gone for a quick minute.”
“If that’s the case, the training manager needs the punishment.”
Janie wasn’t willing to let this go. People’s lives were at stake when a lifeguard made a mistake. She was as angry as she’d ever been on the job, but she also knew Brad would blame her if she didn’t report it. She and Brad had dated for a few weeks, back before the love of his life moved to the island. Janie had spent more nights with him than most of her boytoys back before Brad took over managing the island and became too busy for mindless bedroom romps.
She’d like to think she’d gotten to know his personality a bit. He seemed angry all the time to those who didn’t know him well, but it came from a place of truly caring about the island and his family. He would want to know what happened today. His punishment of Doug or the lifeguard training staff would be both swift and just. The man could do no less than his very best.
She let out a sigh and squeezed Larissa’s hand, not wanting to worry her friend more. “It’ll be fine. I doubt Brad would really fire him. You know how particular he is. He’ll be stern, but it’ll probably amount to retraining and a probation period.”
“Stern? That’s mild for the way he acts.” Larissa chuckled. “I’m just glad, what with Quinn running the art gallery now, we don’t actually have too much to do with the business side of the island. I can enjoy all the McCallisters and go to the family dinners every week, but Brad isn’t butting into our everyday lives. Quinn pays the rent for the gallery’s building and that’s the extent of it. We get to spend our evenings deliriously happy while raising Lilly.”
Janie smiled, thinking of everything Larissa and Quinn overcame to get where they were. She was truly happy at how things worked out. Even though she kept saying she enjoyed her carefree, commitment-free lifestyle, sometimes looking at Larissa made Janie wish things could be different.
No, she reminded herself. Things like that won’t last forever, especially not for people like me. Maybe for Larissa since she’s sweet and kind and innocent. I don’t get that sort of life. Not someone so unlovable as me.
“I wonder what’s taking so long,” Janie said to change the awkward subject running through her mind. “The little girl was released ages ago. Do you think that man is having complications?”
“That man?” Larissa grinned. “Don’t you mean... Archer?” She said his name in a desperate, seductive voice, sounding like she would burst with desire.
Janie chuckled. “Is that supposed to be me?”
“Who else?” Larissa rolled her eyes. “You’re as transparent as a window, my friend.”
Picturing Archer’s firm, muscled body, the dark green of his gorgeous eyes, and the rugged line of his square jaw, Janie couldn’t exactly argue. The man was fine! While she wouldn’t be able to have her way with him until he recovered from this ordeal, Janie didn’t intend to let the opportunity pass by without taking advantage of what he could offer a woman.
“He’s totally hot,” Janie admitted.
“Is that all?” Larissa pouted slightly. “You just see him as hot? No flutters in your chest at the way he selflessly protected a child? No spark or connection when he stroked your shoulder and called you an angel?”
Connection? Listen to her. Larissa truly was a hopeless romantic.
“If I feel a so-called connection with a man, you’ll be the first I tell.”
Larissa scoffed. “Like that will ever happen. Even if you felt a connection, you’d probably convince yourself the butterflies in your stomach were indigestion.”
Janie grinned at Larissa’s good-natured teasing, happy she had insisted on coming to the clinic to keep her company.
As they sat chatting about nothing important, the door to the examination room finally opened. Dr. Peterson’s wife, who acted as the clinic’s nurse, walked out.
“Betty?” Janie sat up straighter. “Is he okay?”
Betty nodded, her regular cheerful disposition putting Janie at ease. “Everything checked out fine. He’ll be sore for a few days, but he’ll recover. You did good work today, Janie.”
Janie heaved a relieved sigh. “I’m glad no one was seriously hurt. I think that’s the closest to disaster one of my rescues has come in a while.”
She much preferred the uneventful, boring days where she never had reason to go into the water.
“Someone does need to watch over him for a while though.” Betty’s smile faltered. “We aren’t set up for that here. Carl’s talking about sending him to the hospital in Kona just to be safe.”
“So, Dr. Peterson’s not completely sure Archer will recover?” Janie didn’t understand why that caused a pang of panic in her heart. After all, she’d just met the man. It wasn’t like she cared for him personally. She’d done her job as a lifeguard and rescued him... wasn’t that the important thing?
Larissa cleared her throat to catch Betty’s attention. “But he’s stable now. Does he need hospital care or just someone with him?”
“Just needs watched for a few days,” Betty replied, “but I don’t think that would be possible here. We don’t exactly have the staff for it or the extra room to hold him in.”
“But I have room. Quinn and I have that huge house now,” Larissa replied. “We don’t even use the upper floor. He could come stay there. Janie and I could take turns between work, keeping an eye on him and watching for any problems.”
Janie whipped her head around to give her friend a narrow glare. “Why would you offer that? Don’t you think you should ask Quinn if he’s cool with some strange man staying in your house before saying you’ll do it?”
Larissa giggled. “Not at all. You’ll be staying there too, so I’ll only be alone with Archer while you’re working. I’m sure Quinn won’t mind. Let’s figure out our schedules so that one of us is always home while he recovers.” She looked back at Betty. “How many days should we do this?”
“Carl was talking about three to five days for the hospital stay, but I’ll check with him for sure. It could be longer if the chest x-ray shows any broken ribs.” Relief was clear in Betty’s eyes at having a solution. “You’re such a sweet woman, Mrs. McCallister.”
“Don’t speak so formally, Betty! Please, I’m Larissa and that’s all,” she scolded gently. “You’ve seen me at my worst. We’re friends, right? That’s why I want to help Archer out. He’s part of the McCallister’s Paradise family. We take care of our own.”
Betty wrapped Larissa in a soft hug. “You’re too nice for your own good. However, I’m sure having him at your house should be fine. I assume Archer wouldn’t be allowed to work on the island if his background check hadn’t been pristine. He must be an okay guy. I’ll get Carl’s instructions on what to watch for and write them up. Why don’t you go in and tell Archer the plan?”
As Betty walked back to the office area, Janie glared at Larissa. “What are you doing? We can’t play nursemaid to some stranger.”
“Oh, really? Yet it’s okay for you to sleep with him... hmmm, weird.” Larissa met Janie’s icy glare with a gentle smile that softened her harsh words. “Wouldn’t it be better to know him a bit while he’s recovering before jumping to sex? Maybe he’s someone worth more than a single night? A guy who would sacrifice himself to save a child must have some good qualities.”
Of course, it was a foregone conclusion that Janie would have sex with the man. But why did Larissa care so much whether Janie knew him beforehand. Larissa had never pushed herself into Janie’s life quite this firmly before. It was like Larissa wanted to force her into some sort of real relationship.
It had never bothered Janie to hear the whispers of the other women working at McCallister’s Paradise. She knew they all called her a slut behind her back and kept a fearful eye on any man they happened to date, afraid Janie would indiscriminately sleep with them even if they weren’t single. She’d never felt it was terribly important to ease those women’s minds and tell them she only went after single guys. After all, they judged her for enjoying life, so she owed them nothing.
However, seeing that look in Larissa’s eyes and knowing her best friend judged her too—it hurt, more than Janie had ever imagined someone’s opinion could.
She sighed and stood up, looking down at Larissa when the other woman remained seated. “You can’t force a storybook love on someone. I know you have Quinn and are so happy that you want the same thing for me, but it isn’t going to happen. Stop pushing so hard.”
“It certainly won’t happen if you don’t give it a chance.” Larissa stood up, lifting Lilly and cradling the sleeping baby against her shoulder. “Why not try something different just this once? I’m not saying you have to marry the guy, but maybe you should know more about him than what size condom he needs before hopping in the sack.”
With that parting shot, Larissa headed toward Archer’s room.
***
“How’s our hero feeling?”
Archer turned to the doorway as the woman from the beach, Larissa, walked into the examination room.
She grinned widely, her child perched sleeping against her shoulder. “Nurse Betty says you checked out okay and will be fine! I’m so relieved.”
Archer smiled bashfully, unable to stop himself in the face of her infectious cheer. “Yeah, looks like I lucked out. You’re Larissa, right? I heard your name from that lifeguard who rescued me.”
“Oh, Janie? Yeah, she’s right here...” Larissa glanced over her shoulder. “Oh, what a pain that woman can be. Janie, get in here! We can fight about this later.”
Fight? They’d harassed each other earlier about dates even though it had seemed the wrong time to talk about that. Now the women were in a fight? What in the world were these strange ladies doing? Why bring it to him?
The beautiful lifeguard appeared in the doorway. Although she shot Larissa a glare, she held her head high and walked toward the bed. Every movement she made was elegant. She’d make any man stop and take notice, even one who’d sworn off women like Archer had.
While her breasts were smashed flat against her chest by her tight-fitting swimsuit and Janie was not too large of a woman, she oozed femininity in all the right places. Her curvy hips and toned arms and legs made Archer’s mouth water. Her curly black hair in a high ponytail split to hang down on either side of her face, already dry after the rescue she’d performed. And her dark eyes captivated him... they had a soft, seductive quality to them in addition to the humor he’d noted earlier. His assessment from the beach still held. She looked like some sort of angel. Absolutely beautiful.
The hard glare she’d given Larissa softened a bit as she reached him. “Are you truly okay? That was a scary way to end my shift.”
“I’m fine.” He wouldn’t admit that the pain was still bad, despite whatever medication the doctor had provided him with. His muscles were also so fatigued that he wondered if he’d be able to walk back to his room in the employee housing building.
Janie snagged the doctor’s rolling chair with her foot and pulled it toward the bed, sitting and then taking his hand gently in her own. “The little girl’s been released. She had absolutely no problems. Thank you for helping her.”
Archer closed his eyes briefly and squeezed her hand. That was all that mattered. He couldn’t imagine anything worse than being that mother on the beach, watching helplessly as her child was swept away in the waves. He was glad it ended well.
“You aren’t in the clear, though,” Larissa said from the back of the room. “You need ‘round the clock care for a while.”
Archer’s eyes flew open, and he pulled his hand away from the lifeguard, frowning. “What do you mean?”
Larissa smiled again, entirely unconcerned. “You’re super weak now, right? I can tell by the way you moved your arm. You probably also have bruised ribs from the CPR. You’ll need someone to help look after you. Also, the doctor thinks, with as long as you were under water, you need to be watched for future complications. They’re talking about sending you over to the Big Island to stay at a hospital in Kona.”
Well, that sucked. It was only his third day of work and already he would be taking time off? That wasn’t the way to get on Chef Shane McCallister’s good side. Archer’s dream when landing the job on McCallister’s Paradise had been to work in the prestigious Paradise Point restaurant. Instead, he was stuck in their secondary location, The Pavilion, and now this happened. What could he do, though? Even if he had known what would happen afterward, how it would set back his career goals, he still would have helped the little girl.
He stifled a sigh. “Guess that’s what has to happen. I hope I can explain this to the McCallisters. When Brad McCallister hired me, he was pretty intimidating.” He turned his gaze on Janie. “Have you worked here a while, Angel? Any tips on how to approach him?”
Janie lowered her lashes, the length of them spreading down her face in a look that might have been considered seductive if they’d been alone in the room. “Brad’s not that bad. I’m sure Larissa can explain the situation so he understands. Plus, if you’re a chef that means you’re part of Shane’s crew. He’s totally easy going. He’ll be fine with you taking time off to recover. After all, that could have been his daughter out there that you rescued. Shane would never fault you for that.”
“Oh, you’re on a first-name basis with the McCallister siblings? Do you know them well?” He found himself sidetracked at that revelation. Maybe she’d be willing to give him an introduction to Shane. He didn’t consider himself a hero, but if it could help further his cause, he’d use it, claiming Janie owed him a reward if he had to.
She shrugged, batting her lashes and meeting his gaze with her rich brown eyes. “Considering my best friend married into the family, I’d say I know them all pretty well.”
“Ladies, I appreciate you checking on me,” he said, “but I suppose the doctor can take care of my transfer to Kona. Feel free to go somewhere else and finish that fight you were talking about.”
“Oh, goodness!” Larissa clapped her free hand over her mouth. “Look at us, getting all carried away talking about the family. We came in here to talk about you not going to Kona.”
“What?” he glanced at her, confused.
Larissa sat in the room’s free chair and patted the sleeping child’s back. “We have a proposition for you.”
A proposition? He sucked in a breath, the shock he felt overriding the pain of breathing. Were they looking for some sort of sport with him? He was new to the island and didn’t know how the employees passed their free time. Maybe they were hoping for a threesome. Judging from the smoldering look in Janie’s eyes whenever she looked at him, he seriously thought that might be what they wanted.
Not that he would ever consider doing something like that. It didn’t matter that both women were beautiful—especially Janie—he wasn’t that sort to enjoy such a thing. Hopefully the doctor returned soon, before things became even more awkward. Forget using Janie to arrange a meeting with Shane McCallister. Archer just wanted away from this pair.
“Larissa! Really?” A smile flirted across Janie’s mouth as she looked back at him. “I see that look on your face, Archer, but it’s not what you think. Larissa’s so bad with wording sometimes. She’s such an innocent little soul that she doesn’t realize what that just sounded like.”
Larissa glared. “What what sounded like?”
“See?” Janie quirked an eyebrow. “Telling you she has a proposition? Seriously! Only someone either shameless, like me, or innocent, like her, could say that without blushing. Look, it’s an offer is what she meant. Larissa has an idea to keep you on the island.”
“What’s the difference between proposition and an offer?” Larissa asked, truly looking perplexed as her eyebrows squished down and she pouted slightly. After a minute, her expression cleared. “Whatever, you must be being dirty minded again. Archer, you can stay at my house instead of leaving for Kona if you’d like. Betty said you don’t need actual medical care, just supervision and help with things until you can move around more easily. If you stay at the house, we can take care of that.”
It was a relief to know Larissa was just clumsy with her words and so innocent her mind didn’t run in the gutter that way. Also, it was an incredibly kind offer. However, he’d just met these women. He couldn’t take advantage of their kindness and sympathy.
“I couldn’t impose on you like that.” Archer shook his head in flat denial. Glancing at the baby in her arms, he took a wild guess that she was married. “I’m sure your husband wouldn’t be okay with it either.”
Larissa’s tinkling laughter brightened the room. “My husband’s busy painting the next few weeks. I’m sure Quinn would hardly notice you. Even if he did, you’re part of the McCallister’s Paradise family. It’s our duty to take care of you. Also, Janie’s going to stay over too. She’ll help. It’s not like I’m a married woman doing something indecent. Quinn would insist we help too, if he were here.”
Her husband was Quinn... a painter? Archer was new to the island, but even he knew the names and occupations of the resort’s founding family.
“Your husband is Quinn McCallister?”
Janie laughed. Hers wasn’t tinkling and cute like Larissa’s. It was deep and throaty, so damn seductive it made a man’s balls ache with need. “I told you my best friend married into the McCallister clan. Don’t look so shocked. Anyway, they have a huge house they recently finished construction on. Larissa’s bright idea is for me and her to arrange our work schedules the next few days so that someone can always be with you.”
“I couldn’t ask you to do that. You don’t even know me.” He was shocked that they’d even consider it. Why do that sort of thing for a stranger?
Janie shrugged. “Doesn’t matter if we know you yet. The McCallisters take care of their people.” She leaned in closer to his face and lowered her voice. “You might as well say yes. No matter what you and I think of this plan, we can’t get out of it. Once Larissa sets her mind to something, it happens. If we don’t agree, she’ll get Quinn to strong-arm us into it anyway. It’s easier to give in now.”
He wondered if Larissa was some high-maintenance woman used to getting her own way. Living with that for a bit could become stressful. However, her gentle laugh and ready smile made him think she couldn’t be all bad. “I really don’t want to trouble anyone.”
“It won’t be trouble,” Janie said. “I’m already off work tomorrow so I can be with you then. Larissa will take morning massage appointments at the spa the next few days after that, and my shifts are already in the evenings. It’ll be fine.”
He didn’t reply, still uncertain what to do. The women had been fighting with each other when they first came in, and Archer suspected it had to do with him. Janie said Larissa was forcing her into this plan, which meant it was going to be a burden for his own personal angel to help care for him. Besides, if he spent too much time with the beauty, he might forget the rules he made about no more women when he fled his former home.
Seeming to sense his continued hesitation, Janie shrugged. “You were worried about being away from work, right? If you stay on the island, it means you don’t have to go through all the hassle of flights to Kona, hospital discharge paperwork, and all that crap. You’ll be able to return to the restaurant just as soon as you feel up to it. Maybe sooner than the week you’d be admitted to the hospital for.”
She made a good argument. The sooner he returned to work, the sooner he could impress Shane McCallister and earn himself a promotion.
With a resigned sigh, Archer nodded. “Fine. You win. I’ll get out of your hair as fast as possible.”