More laughter then he said, “Okay, I’ll meet you on the beach. Fifteen minutes good?”
“Sounds great,” she said, relief and joy flooding through her. “I’ll see you there.”
The ordeal over, Dana hopped off the bed and picked up the towel she’d tossed onto the sofa. Rock was coming down to the beach with her and she couldn’t have been happier. In fact, corny as it sounded even to herself, her heart sang at the thought.
And for now her fears from the night before disappeared in the brilliant sunshine of a new day. She was going to see Rock and that was all that mattered.
Dana got down to the beach long before Rock did. She’d run down as soon as she’d hung up the phone. Now she sat on her beach towel, her back to the ocean, watching the steps that led from the pool patio to the sand.
And then she saw him, tall, bronzed and muscled, his eyes hidden behind sunglasses.
Immediately, Dana hopped up and waved Rock over. He waved back and headed in her direction.
As she watched him saunter over, Dana’s heart did a backflip. He looked so sexy with his chest bare, wearing only knee-length swim trunks and sandals. Why did he have to be her boss? How she wished he could be hers.
As he came up to her she dropped to her knees, back to the safety of her beach towel, but she pointed to the space beside her. “You can put your towel there.”
He made no move to comply but frowned slightly and looked around. “What about lounge chairs?” he asked. “Did I come all this way to bum it on the ground?”
“Wimp,” she teased, a flash of bravery coursing through her. “It’s Saturday. All the lounge chairs are taken. What? Too sophisticated to rough it on the ground beside me?”
Rock laughed and dropped his towel on the ground. “What do you know about roughing it? I bet you’ve been pampered all your life.”
“Oh, yeah?” she growled, digging her fingers into the sand.
“Yeah,” he responded with confidence as he flopped down beside her. “You’re probably a daddy’s girl and a spoiled brat.”
“We’ll see who’s spoiled,” she challenged. “Take that.” And she threw a handful of sand right in the middle of his chest.
His body jerked in surprise but he recovered quickly. With a low growl he reached for her but she was expecting his move.
Quick as a flash, Dana shot up and took off for the shoreline. “Last one in is a rotten egg,” she yelled, her hair flying in the breeze. She didn’t look back but she knew Rock was after her when she heard footsteps pounding on the sand behind her. And they were gaining on her.
With a squeal she speeded up, trying to reach the water and dive in before he caught her.
But too late. With a roar Rock reached her side then his arm shot out and he lifted her off the ground. “You’re going to pay for that mud pie, little missy.”
And even though she yelled and squealed and pleaded, Rock walked with her held high in his arms then he threw her up into the air and watched her plummet like a stone into the rolling water.
Dana’s body slapped the surface and she sank beneath the waves but she shot up straight away and flung her body at Rock with such force that he stumbled back, arms flailing. Then he, too, was underwater.
Revenge. What could be so sweet? Dana burst out laughing as her victim struggled to his feet, coughing and sputtering as he rose. His sunglasses were gone…somewhere underwater. Rock blinked, then as he caught her in his sight, he glared. “I’m coming to get you.”
This time there was no way he could catch her. Dana was an expert swimmer who had been on her college swim team. It would take quite the man to catch her once she got her first two strokes in.
But Rock did try. He took off after her. She could hear his splashes behind her but then they got fainter and fainter until she knew there was no longer any need to flee.
When she looked back Rock was a speck bobbing in the distance. She treaded water and waved to him and he beckoned to her to come back. She stayed out there for a while longer, just to rub it in, then she headed back toward him.
When she finally floated to a halt by his side he shook his head. “You are such a show-off. Why didn’t you tell me you were so good?”
She gave him a crooked grin. “And spoil the surprise?”
After that, things settled down and they began to behave like adults again, swimming side by side in a leisurely fashion and actually engaging in friendly conversation. Now the day flew by and before Dana realized it, two hours had passed and Rock began to complain about feeling hungry.
“Starving would describe the way I’m feeling right now,” he said as he took her hand. “Come on. Let’s go get some food.”
Dana had no objections. The morning’s swim had left her hungry, too, so she ran alongside him as they headed for the barbecue hut on the beach.
After lunch they got dressed and went for another drive, this time to a totally different part of the island, away from the hotels and tourist sites. Dana enjoyed driving through the communities of Clifton Bay and Adelaide Village on the southwestern side of the island, and enjoying the view of the impressive homes on Eastern Road. They even got a chance to visit Fort Charlotte, which provided a panoramic view of Paradise Island and the city of Nassau. Their final stop was the Queen’s Staircase which, they were told, was built by slaves to honor Queen Victoria for her help in abolishing slavery in the Bahamas. For this one day, while on the island of New Providence, Bahamas, she felt like a real tourist.
When the day finally came to an end and they rolled up to the entrance of the hotel, Dana turned to Rock with a sigh. “Thank you for the most wonderful day ever.”
He tipped his head to her. “You’re most welcome, mademoiselle.” And then he did something that made her heart melt. He leaned over and gave her a soft peck on the forehead.
The gesture seemed so genuine, so full of affection that she had to blink back a quick tear. Did he truly like her?
“I’m glad you enjoyed your day,” he whispered.
The lump in Dana’s throat made it impossible for her to answer. Instead, she gave him a nod and a shaky smile.
When he got out of the car to walk around to her passenger door she knew that she didn’t want to say goodbye. Not yet. She couldn’t bear it if this amazing day ended like this. She began to think fast.