Kate Carlisle - An Innocent In Paradise

Grace clutched the damp towel as she stared at Logan’s backside until he disappeared through a door into the hotel. Then she pressed the towel to her face to cool herself off. She was certain she’d never met such a formidable man. Certainly not one with a body like that. Or eyes like that. Or hair, so adorably short and blond and spiky when wet.

But for goodness’ sake, did that mean she had to practically drool in front of him? And could she possibly have thought of anything dumber to say to him? How in the world do you stay upright on that thing? What was wrong with her?

She blamed it on his smile. This was the first time he’d smiled at her without showing his sarcastic or ironic side. The sweetness of it had nearly blinded her. And talk about upper-body strength. The man was built. She’d wondered what he looked like under his business suit and now she knew. The knowledge was life affirming, to say the least.

She turned back to her task but was still trying to shake off the effects of Logan’s smile ten minutes later. She silently recited the periodic table of elements, an effective trick she used whenever she was having trouble concentrating. Unfortunately, it wasn’t working today. She feared that smile of his might have a half-life of more than several hours because she was still caught up in its spell.

With a sigh, she walked away from the beach and deeper into the forest of vegetation. Despite the heat, she appreciated the extra layer of humidity, knowing it was the best breeding ground for her beloved spores.

“Beloved spores,” she uttered aloud, shaking her head. Did that sound pathetic or what? But the truth was, sometimes she felt closer to the tiny, one-celled meiotic organisms than she did to people. Well, except for Phillippa, of course. Her lab partner and mentor had been her friend for years and right now, she could use someone to talk to. One thing she loved about Phillippa was that she always had an opinion about everything. Grace wondered what her friend would think of Logan Sutherland.

Grace was certain Phillippa would declare him “hawt.”

Okay, he was hot, all right. But as she pushed past a giant fern, Grace gave herself a good talking-to. It didn’t matter whether Logan was hot or not. He was her boss and Grace had no business thinking of him that way. All she needed from Logan Sutherland was his approval of her work in the cocktail lounge, nothing more.

She forced all thoughts of Logan away and got to work, backtracking to the palm trees where she’d found spores yesterday. Close to the base of each tree, she pounded a discreet wooden marker into the sand so she would know the trees from which she’d already extracted specimens. She planned to remove the stakes on her last day here; but, until then, they would provide a handy map for her to follow.

An hour later, she left the palm trees behind and headed back to the hotel. After running into the staff commissary to grab a sandwich, she returned to her room to document her findings and refrigerate several more petri dishes filled with fresh specimens. She showered and dressed for work, happy she’d been assigned to the swing shift from two o’clock to ten. The bar stayed open until three in the morning and the servers on the late shift got the best tips, but Grace preferred to wake up early and go to bed relatively early.

As she walked through the lobby toward the cocktail lounge, she passed a pretty young woman sitting on one of the smooth rocks that surrounded the tropical waterfall, crying. Grace paused, wondering if she should say something. Would the management frown on a cocktail waitress approaching a hotel guest? Did it matter? The woman was clearly distressed, so Grace went with her instincts and walked over to the woman.

“Are you all right?” she asked.

The woman looked up and pressed her lips together to stop from blubbering in front of a stranger. “I’m fine.”

“We both know that’s not true.” Grace sat next to her. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

Fresh tears dripped down her cheeks. “I’m on my honeymoon.”

“Then you should be happy, not sad,” Grace said.

“But…I can’t talk about it.”

“Sure you can.” Grace patted her knee. “I’m not sure I can help, but I can certainly listen.”

Logan halted halfway across the lobby when he spotted Grace deep in conversation with one of the hotel guests. They sat by the tropical waterfall and he approached cautiously, not wanting to make a scene. But caution wasn’t necessary. The women were so engrossed in their chat, they didn’t notice him.

Grace was dressed for work in her bikini top and sarong, and Logan knew without checking his watch that her shift was about to begin. So what was she doing out here? He stepped closer.

“So if he spends more time right here at this spot,” Grace said, tapping her notepad with her pen, “I think you’ll be very happy.”

The young woman took Grace’s notepad and stared at some diagram she’d drawn. “Are you sure it’s right there? He didn’t seem to get anywhere near that spot.”

“But he will,” Grace said. She took the notepad, tore out the page with the diagram and handed it to the woman. “It’ll make a big difference, I promise.”

“I hope so,” the woman said with a watery smile. “I don’t want to spend my entire honeymoon crying.”

“I’m sure your husband doesn’t want that, either.”

The woman hugged Grace, then jumped up. “You’re so smart. Thank you.”

Grace looked at her wristwatch and stood. “Please let me know how it goes. I work in the cocktail lounge in the evening or you can find me on the beach most mornings.”

“I will.” She waved the piece of paper as she hurried away.

Grace waved, then turned toward the cocktail lounge-and gasped. “What are you doing here?”

“I own the place,” Logan said, folding his arms across his chest. “What was that all about?”

She fluttered her hands in the air. “Oh, nothing. Sorry I can’t talk now. I have to get to work.”

“It’s okay. I know the boss.” He grabbed hold of her arm. “You can be a few minutes late. Now tell me what’s wrong with that woman. Did someone from the hotel bother her?”

“From the hotel? Oh, no. Absolutely not.”

“You sure?”

“Yes, I swear it. She just had a…a little disagreement with her new husband. I saw her crying and I tried to comfort her.”

“That’s it?” Logan glanced in the direction the woman had gone, then back at Grace. “Is she all right?”

“I think she’ll be fine,” Grace said.

“Good,” he murmured. “That’s good. I don’t like to see my guests crying in the lobby.”

She nodded earnestly. “I can see how that would be a problem. But she’s okay, I promise. Now I’d better get to work.”

“Fine.” Logan watched her walk all the way across the lobby and into the lounge. No doubt about it, the woman had a world-class backside and he itched to get his hands on her. He wasn’t particularly happy about it because she was basically a pain in his neck. But as he walked back to his office, he resolved to seduce her as soon as possible. And then he’d kick her off his island.

“Six piña coladas, Joey,” Grace said, and wished she could sit down and rub her feet. Anyone who ever thought waitressing was an easy job should be forced to do it for a week wearing high heels.

“Coming up, Gracie girl,” Joey said.

She smiled at her coworkers’ nickname for her. Nobody had ever called her Gracie until she arrived in Alleria. She liked it. She’d never thought much about it before, but back home, everyone took her so seriously. A few people called her Grace, but usually she was addressed as Doctor Farrell. Even by her parents, who were completely intimidated by her title and her intelligence. Nobody here called her Doctor Farrell, thank goodness. They had no idea she had four PhD’s and would probably laugh their butts off if they found out.