Read Online From Manhattan With Revenge Boxed Set by Christopher Smith - Free Book Online Page B

What’s on
your agenda today?”
    She
leaned back as he poured her coffee into her favorite mug and felt a
groundswell of relief and gratitude when she said, “Something different.”
    He put
the omelet in front of her.   He was
playing it cool and she loved him for it.   “What’s that?”
    She
picked up her fork and dug in.   “I
think I need to get out,” she said.   “One more day here and I’ll likely have mold on me.”   She pointed down at her omelet.   “This, by the way, is delicious.”
    “It’s
the cheese.”
    “Whatever
it is, it’s fantastic.”
    He
cracked two eggs and started beating them in a bowl.   “So, what’ll you do?   I’m doing my soup kitchen runs
today.   Want to join me?   I could use a hand unloading the food.”
    Ever
since she’d known him, the one thing he’d never given up was helping those less
fortunate than himself.   He’d taught
her plenty about that.   There wasn’t
a soup kitchen in New York that hadn’t benefitted because of his efforts.   “Actually, if you don’t mind, I think
I’ll go to work,” she said.
    He
sprinkled cheese into the bowl with some peppers and onions and she could sense
that he was suppressing a smile.   “Work, huh?   You ready for
that?”
    “I’m
ready,” she said.   “In fact, I think
I’m beyond ready.   I’ve been pretty
self-indulgent lately.   It’s time
for that to end.”  
    Just
hearing the words spoken aloud thrilled her as much as it unnerved her.   She was no fool.   She knew what she was facing.   She knew the expectations and the burden
that would come her way when the press found out she was back on site and
working to turn her hotel into something unforgettable.   She also knew the comparisons that would
be made between her and her father, and her and Celina.   Was this Redman as talented as that
Redman?   Did Leana have what her
sister had?   What her father
had?  
    She
didn’t know.   But in spite of all
the pitfalls and all the things that could go wrong over the next year, there
was one thing she couldn’t deny, and that was the rush of excitement and
adrenalin that shot through her senses now and made her feel as alive as the
first time she met and fell in love with Mario.  
    She
could do this.  
    She
could feel Harold in her heart, Mario at her back and even Celina, on some
ethereal level, cheering her on.  
    It was
time for her to make a name for herself--and not just by writing a check.

 
 
    *   *   *

 
 
    Save for
the black bikini bottom she wore, Carmen Gragera walked naked onto the dock of
her round Bora Bora hut, which stretched deep into the Pacific ocean, and
looked down at the impossibly clear blue water before she dove into it.   Below her, she could see a wave of fish
scatter in her wake and it occurred to her again that if this wasn’t paradise,
she’d never see it in her lifetime.
    She
heard another splash come behind her and popped to the surface just as Alex
did.   They smiled at each other,
circled each other and eventually swam toward one another.   After spending four weeks with him here,
if this wasn’t love she was feeling, she wasn’t sure what it was.
    “What
are we having for dinner?” he asked.
    “Whatever
you poke with your spear.”
    “So, it
might be you on the menu?”
    “You’re
hilarious.”
    “Whatever
keeps you happy.”
    “Did you
get the goggles?”
    “I put
them on the edge of the dock.”
    “Want to
explore?”
    He swam
over, snatched the goggles and tossed one of them to her.   They put them on.   “Think we’ll see sharks again.   It’s been days.”
    “You
never know.”   She spit a jet of
water at him.   “But in case we do
see them, just know I’m getting out of the water this time.   You won’t trick me into hiding behind
some reef like you did last time.   They came too close.   They freak
me out.”
    “They’re
just black-tipped reef sharks.   They
have zero interest in us.