Barefoot Bay: Silhouettes on the Sand (Kindle Worlds Novella) by Chris Keniston Read Free Book Online Page B

wallet on the night table. Chase's. He must have emptied his pockets earlier when he'd gone upstairs to check on her delivery. The master was by far the biggest room. Even bigger than she'd expected and, of course, with a king-size bed. A bed intended to be used by two people. Which matched the enormous Jacuzzi in the bathroom, also intended for two. The oversize shower, on the other hand, was large enough for a small cocktail party.
    Most of her adult life she'd lived on base; it was easier and cheaper. Deployed, well, she was lucky. As a female officer she could expect a tent with a half a dozen or less fellow officers instead of the fifty or more marines crammed into a human oven. But at no point in her life had she ever set foot in luxury anywhere close to this. Talk about living in two different worlds. Until today she didn't realize just how much “the haves” had compared to “the have nots.”
    "I hope you find the room satisfactory." A young woman with a slight accent smiled up at her. "I'm Rosa, the maid. If you need anything, dial nine to call me. My room is off the kitchen so you have much privacy."
    "Thank you. I'm sure I'll be fine." She wouldn't have the first clue what to ask a maid to do for her.
    "Very well. Mr. Ivory has asked for lemonade on the terrace. I will go now and take care of that."
    C.J. bobbed her head. Lemonade on the terrace. She had a feeling the lemonade wasn't made with crystals from a packet, but that Rosa would be downstairs squeezing lemons the old-fashioned way.
    "Any problems?" This time the voice in the doorway belonged to Chase.
    "No. It's fine, but I still don't need the master."
    "We won't be here very much anyhow. I've asked Rosa to serve lemonade on the terrace, but I'm afraid I have to head to the N'Vidrio and my laptop. Once I take care of a few details, I'll be back with my things. Will you be all right on your own?"
    "Of course." She'd been taking care of herself and everyone around her for a hell of a long time; she could certainly handle herself for one afternoon. Even if she did feel like a bull in a china shop.
    "If you want company, Beth has already moved into her villa. My brothers are off playing tennis with Nate's friend Elliott, but they should all be moving onto the property soon too."
    "Sounds good." She nodded.
    He bobbed his head back at her, but neither made a move. She thought for a second his attention had darted over her shoulder to the bed behind her, but he blinked and instead focused on her. "Well"—he cleared his throat, his gaze lingering on hers—"I should get going."
    All she could do was nod again. How ridiculous was it that she didn't want him to leave. She'd known this man less than twenty-four hours and, in the grand scheme of things, knew next to nothing about him, and yet a part of her missed him.
    Tapping his hand on the door jamb, he took a step back. "I won't be long."
    She opted not to follow him out of the room. Instead she waited until she heard the door downstairs click shut and wondered what in the hell was happening to her?
    * * *
    The call from Chase's office had caught him off guard. Beth was right; the last few years he'd eased away from social responsibilities, leaving any representation of the Ivory name at galas, charities, and fund-raisers to his siblings. Instead he tied himself to board meetings, factory inspections, OSHA committees, and the occasional golf game if it meant closing another deal. Except the last two days he'd been so wrapped up bringing C.J. into his world, he'd forgotten about today's scheduled videoconferences.
    "Hey, bro." Nate waved from a side path. "Where you off to in such a hurry?"
    "Back to the N'Vidrio . Have a videoconference with the chief engineers at the new Honolulu project." He flipped his wrist. "Ten minutes ago."
    "Use my office. It's just on the other side of the tennis courts." Nate waved a thumb over his shoulder, then turned to his brothers and friend. "You guys don't mind taking a