“Other than a handful of rules, like those in a no-wake zone, it’s pretty much an open field out here.” He bit into his muffin.
She relaxed back and for the next few minutes they enjoyed their breakfast as the sun continued to rise and heat them.
“You have a big party today?” she asked.
“Yes,” he said, finishing off the muffin and swallowing the last of his juice. “I’m going to be busy for the next few days. Until after the wedding Saturday morning.”
“I ran into the groom-to-be after I left your office yesterday,” Bella said after he started the motor again. She’d moved to stand beside him. When she swayed and almost toppled over, he reached around and wrapped his arms around her, tucking her between him and the massive wheel.
He felt her sigh against him.
“And?” he asked, enjoying her softness against him.
“I agree with your assessment. I can’t see why the bride doesn’t see through his fake charm. He was standing in the door to his room, berating the waiter who had brought up his dinner.”
“Which one?” He frowned.
Bella thought about it. “Ed?” She tilted her head. “I think that was his name.”
“Eddie.” He nodded. “Is there anything I should know in particular? What did Eddie do to instigate it?”
She turned to look over her shoulder at him. “I don’t think he did anything.” Cal slowed down as they pulled into the dock at the resort. “Whatever he did, I doubt it deserved the reaming he got.”
“Right.” He shifted. “Wanna help me tie this off?”
She bit her bottom lip in question. “What do I have to do?”
He smiled. “Toss a rope.”
She laughed. “Then I’m game.”
For the next few minutes, he instructed her on how to help until his boat sat secured in one of the slips. He couldn’t count how many times he’d boated to work over the last few years. Once, when JT had taken the ferry in for a new paint job, he’d used it to shuttle most of the employees to work for an entire week.
He pulled Bella to a stop at the end of the dock, figuring they should say their goodbyes in private.
“I don’t know when I’ll have time to see you today.” He brushed a strand of her dark hair away from her face, wishing they could spend the entire day together.
“That’s okay.” She smiled. “I have a few things I wanted to do.” She leaned up on her toes and kissed him.
“If you need anything,” he said when she moved back.
“I’ll find you.” She smiled up at him and he felt his heart skip at the look she was giving him.
Taking her hand, he walked with her to the main building and, just before stepping into the clearing, he dropped his hand, knowing that their relationship should remain private as much as possible.
Chapter Fifteen
Bella was floating as she made her way up the stairs. She’d never had a night as wonderful as last night with Calvin.
How was she supposed to focus on anything when her body was still vibrating from what they’d done to each other? What Calvin had done to her.
Her mind was so busy replaying last night that when she stepped into her rooms, the scene didn’t register at first. She had to blink a few times before the mess finally sunk in. She stepped back out of the door. She came to a stop when she bumped into a young maid pushing a cart.
“Is everything all right, miss?” the girl said smoothly in a southern accent.
“My… room.” She shook her head. “Someone broke into it.” She motioned towards the door.
The maid frowned at her, but then stepped past her and gasped as she looked inside. “Are you all right miss?”
Bella nodded. “I… just got back.”
“I’ll call the manager,” the woman said, touching her arm. “Why don’t you come over here and have a seat. You’re very pale.”
Bella allowed the woman to drag her to a settee underneath a wide window.
She didn’t know how long it took Calvin to get there, only that it seemed like he was there in a blink of an eye. He knelt in front of her, taking her hands in his.
“Are you okay?” he asked, concern flooding his eyes.
She nodded. “Someone broke into my rooms. They… destroyed everything.” She felt her eyes start to burn.
She wasn’t so concerned about the things she’d seen broken or thrown around the space, but for the intrusion into her privacy. Then she froze at remembering several of the threats she’d received. Did this have anything to do with Michael? Would he send someone out here to scare her? Could he stoop this low?
She realized Calvin had been talking to her and cleared her thoughts so she could hear him finish.
“…stay here.” He started to stand up.
“Wait.” She took his hands, holding him still. “What if they’re still in there?”
“I think we’re safe.” He smiled at her. “I’ll be right back.” He squeezed her hand lightly, then stood and nodded to the maid. “Linda’s going to stay with you.”
Bella glanced over to the maid, who moved over and sat next to her. Then she turned and watched Calvin disappear into her rooms. She held her breath, trying to listen down the hallway for any signs of a struggle.
It seemed to take forever and when he finally stepped out again, she relaxed. “I’ve called the police,” he said, avoiding her eyes as he motioned for Linda. “Let’s try to keep everyone clear of this floor until the police are done. Then we’ll need everyone up here to help clean the mess.” He sighed and Bella noticed a frustrated look in his eyes. “We’ll need a few things replaced in there before we let anyone stay in those rooms again.”
Bella swallowed at the memory of the destruction she’d seen.
“Hey, why don’t you let me take you on down to the dining hall? You can sit and have a cup of coffee and some of Adam’s coffee bread while we wait for the police to arrive.”
She took several deep breaths. “Did they destroy any of my things?” Before he opened his mouth to say anything, she knew the answer. “How bad?”
He sighed. “Your clothes are destroyed… well, most of them.” He had an odd look, but then he shook his head. “I’m afraid your iPad and laptop are toast.”
She closed her eyes and groaned.
“Come on.” He pulled her up into his arms. “Linda, I’m walking her downstairs. Make sure everyone steers clear of this floor until I get back.”
Linda nodded as Calvin led her towards the stairs.
“Cal, was there anything else?” she asked, biting her lip. If this was a simple break-in, they would have stolen her things instead of destroying them.
He stopped on the landing and looked down at her. Again, she could see that he wanted to tell her something.
“Someone used your lipstick to write a message on the wall.” He was running his hands up and down her arms, warming her. Suddenly, she realized she was freezing.
“What did it say?” she asked. When he opened his mouth, she could tell he was going to make an excuse not to tell her, so she gave him a look that said, don’t even try to hide it from me. It must have done the trick because he sighed and then answered.