Free False Pretenses by Tressie Lockwood Page B

fun. I’m not sure.”
    “You should. I think you’d enjoy it. There’s usually one at the beach outside the hotels, and maybe you’ll let me buy you a drink. The music here is not to be missed.”
    She clapped her hands. “Oh, the steel drums! I’d forgotten about that. I want to hear them in real life.”
    His eyes brightened. “I’ll take you to the best spot.”
    She stopped walking. Now was the time to tell him she wasn’t available, which was a shame. He seemed nice, and he was sexy as hell. Aside from that, he was also a regular middle-class person like her. “Do you live here on the island?”
    “No, we’re down for the week. I was born and raised in New York.”
    Despite herself, excitement rose. “Me too!”
    “So that’s a yes to our date?”
    Before she could answer, her cell phone rang, and she pulled it from her shorts pocket. Nathan’s name flashed on the screen, and guilt assailed her. She glanced at Cullen. “I’m sorry, I have to take this. I can’t go on that date. Probably wasn’t meant to be, but it was nice meeting you.”
    She turned away and hurried down the beach in the direction she’d come while stabbing the connect button. “Hey, Nathan, everything okay?”
    “Yes, everything’s fine. I wanted to call and apologize for leaving you so abruptly this morning.”
    “Don’t worry about it.”
    “Dad’s fine. He just overdid it watching us play the game. Got too excited. They’re letting him come home.”
    “That’s great. So soon?”
    He chuckled, and she heard the relief. “Trust me. He’s better off at home, which is where he wants to be. The doctor believed he would wear himself down more wanting to be home and thinking he kept us from enjoying our time together. He also chewed my ass for not bringing you with me this morning.”
    “Me?”
    “Yes, he’s taken with you and said I was not treating you like family.”
    “Nathan, I don’t feel right about deceiving him.”
    “He’s happy, Alyssa. That is more important to me than a lie. Period. Are you backing out?”
    She sighed and rubbed her damp forehead. “No, I’m not. It’s just…”
    “Good. I’ll be home soon, and we can do something fun, just the two of us. Dad will need to stay in bed until tomorrow, so we’re free.”
    “Fine. I guess I’ll see you in a little while.”
     
    * * * *
     
    “Are you serious?” Alyssa had trouble pulling in a breath as she stared at the yacht anchored just feet away from where she stood. “We get to go on that?”
    Seeing her excitement, Nathan grinned, and she thought he must be proud of himself. “Yes, it’s mine. I figure I might as well get a little use out of it.”
    She croaked, “It’s yours? Damn, it’s huge. Does it have bedrooms in it?”
    “Of course, but you’ll never see them if you don’t come on.” He held out his hand, and she took it, her heart hammering out of control.
    Yachts were synonymous with the wealthy as far as the average Jane was concerned, and she never imagined she’d get to go on one. As he escorted her around the vessel, she discovered Nathan’s included four bedrooms, or cabins, as he called them. Eight people could sleep there, not including the space for the crew. The cute little kitchen with small eating area off of it impressed her, but he assured her the boat included a formal dining room as well.
    “Do you throw parties here?”
    “I have in the past. When Dad was well, he headed many corporate meetings here.”
    “That’s the way to have a working lunch,” she agreed.
    He grinned.
    “Well, for such a special treat, I can cook us lunch in the kitchen. That is if you have the refrigerator stocked.”
    “That’s not necessary. I’ve hired a chef for the afternoon.”
    She shook her head. “Of course.”
    Soon they were under way, and rather than sit in the lounge, she opted for the deck and leaned on the rail at the front of the yacht. The breeze whipped her hair about, and the spray peppered her skin