Marni Read online

  “You’re kidding, right? You want to spend a week on a deserted island with a strange woman?”

  “She might not be so strange, Chase.” He laughed at his pun. “They let you pick an island resort, so there’s stuff to do. And having all that concentrated time together lets you know someone a lot faster than texts and a movie.”

  “You’re really serious.”

  “Yeah, I am.” Matt drew in a deep breath. He felt as if he’d just bared his soul. Don’t tell Hope, though, like I said.”

  “Hey, if it’s Marni you want to know better, we can invite her here for a week. Save yourself the trip.”

  “What part of island resort did you not understand? And, Marni’s not ‘the one’. I would have known that at your wedding. She’s fun, but not for me.”

  “Famous last words. You want me to find out what resort she’s going to, so you can be sure to pick another?”

  They reached the stretch of fencing that was damaged, and Matt dismounted. “What are the chances we’d end up picking the same week, the same island, the same resort? If that happens, I’m buying us all lottery tickets.”

  “I’ll remind you that when you come home with Marni on your arm.” Chase brought over the saddlebag with their tools, and Matt dropped the roll of wire he’d carried on his shoulder.

  They set to work as they always did, talking only when the work required it. Matt was lucky to have his best friend as his boss. They’d grown up together and knew everything about each other. His secrets were safe with Chase.

  Chapter Three

  Marni set down her suitcase in her room at the White Sands Resort and exhaled, letting loose the last of the hurry, hurry tension in her shoulders. She was there, no plane delays, no check-in headaches. Her suite was a blend of luxury and tropical fun with bamboo print bedspread and curtains, and pale green upholstered chairs. Her window looked over the bay—all the rooms did, she’d been told. No one was short-changed at the White Sands.

  She took all this in while clutching the envelope telling her about her companion for the week. Her hands actually shook as much as when she’d prepared to open acceptance letters from the universities she’d applied to during her senior year in high school. How silly. This was just a man’s name, not something as significant as getting the university of her choice.

  And she couldn’t bring herself to open it. While the flap remained sealed, her date could be anyone, a tall, handsome, intelligent man with a great sense of humor and a love of family, chosen just for her. Once she opened the note, her fate would be sealed.

  Stop this! This was the entire reason she was in St. Croix, this man chosen through algorithms or the intuitive powers of Dawson Yates. It was time to read her guy’s name and find out when and where they’d meet.

  After another long stretch of a few seconds spent studying her handwritten name on the front, she tore open the envelope.

  No. Way.

  Matt. Frost.

  No. Way.

  How could Hope do this to her? Was there really a service called Perfect Match or was this all a ploy to fix up her and Matt? No, that was ridiculous. At the most, Hope and Chase might have begged Dawson to type that name on the form letter. Marni would find the real man waiting when she met him at two o’clock that afternoon.

  Shaking off the bit of frustration she’d felt at reading Matt’s name, Marni began to unpack, then slipped into the shower. Whoever she was about to meet was going to fall in love with her at first sight, so she needed to look her best.

  ****

  At one-forty-five, Marni chose a seat at a small table just off the lanai, shaded by a papaya tree. The rattan chair had a pillow on the seat for comfort, and it faced the bay. She hoped looking over the bay would keep her from appearing desperate, watching the hotel for Matt’s arrival. Much better that she seemed calm and confident.

  Her date’s arrival, she corrected herself. The name on her card was a practical joke.

  She repeated that each time she checked her watch. Why had she come so early? Whatever happened to “fashionably late?”

  Marni couldn’t be late, no matter how hard she tried, barring heavy snow or an accident on the road. Punctuality was her way, and if she were honest with herself, she looked for it in a man, too. He needn’t arrive as early as she did, but being late showed a lack of enthusiasm for their meeting, and a lack of respect for her time.

  He’d better be on time.

  Three other couples sat at nearby tables, and a random assortment of guests were in sand chairs on the beach. Marni had no way of knowing who might be guests of Perfect Match. They all looked happy, relaxed, so that bode well if they’d met through the service.

  The crackle of sand beneath shoes on the bricks behind her announced her date’s arrival. Marni’s heart jumped. She drew in a deep breath, smiled, and shaded her eyes as she turned to look up at…Matt.

  “It is you.” She hoped her voice hid her disappointment.

  “You were expecting some other Matt Frost?” His teeth shone white against his tan. He wore a pale gray t-shirt with sleeves short enough to show he didn’t have a farmer’s tan. He must work without his shirt often enough to keep his coloring even.

  Of course, if he cared about his health he’d use sunscreen like she did. One day he’d regret that warm glow. She waited for him to sit before responding to his question. “I kind of thought Hope had pranked me using your name for my perfect—my date.”

  “Perfect date. I like that. I hope you’re not too disappointed.”

  She carefully maneuvered the conversation away from her feelings. “What about you? I’m sure you didn’t come here looking for me.”

  Matt motioned to a server. “What would you like, Marni?”

  “A mai tai.”

  “Make it two,” he told the young man.

  “You drink mai tais?”

  “No,” he admitted. “But this is St. Croix. I can’t just drink craft beers here.”

  When their drinks were served, Marni sipped the fruity freshness. “You never answered my question. Did you come here looking to meet me?”

  He lifted his sunglasses and studied her. The smile lines beneath his eyes were faint when he was relaxed like this, but there was still happiness in his eyes. “Is this one of those trick questions, like ‘does this shirt look good on me?’ How do I answer honestly without hurting your feelings?”

  “Ouch. A yes or no would have sufficed.”

  Laughing, Matt said, “I’m not disappointed, but you asked if I was looking for you. I knew you’d signed up with Perfect Match, but I doubted a random draw would match us, and based on our personalities I was sure we wouldn’t.”

  “You’re sure Hope and Chase didn’t set us up?”

  “Hope doesn’t know I’m here,” he said. “I told Chase I’d joined the site but asked him to keep it quiet. I don’t want expectations when I go home. And I especially don’t want her disappointed that my match didn’t work out.”

  She raised an eyebrow but waited to respond until she’d taken another sip. “You’re that certain we don’t suit each other.”

  “You’re the one who called me a prank. This is an awfully expensive practical joke.”

  “Oh, no, did you have to pay for the trip?”

  “No, but I will if I leave early.” He leaned back, stretching his long legs out. She’d never seen him in shorts. He had nice legs, long and lean like the rest of him. She had to admit he was handsome. Really good-looking. His eyes were hidden behind sunglasses, but she remembered them as laughing and brown. His sandy hair was cropped short enough to not be affected by his hatband. All the lines on his face, shallow though they were, were smile lines. He had no creases between the brows from stress or worry.

  “I suppose we’re stuck with each other,” she said.

  “Hey, free trip, tropical beaches with lots to do, and a companion who isn’t desperate to please you. What’s wrong with that?”

  “Nothing, I suppose.” Yet di
sappointment weighed on her. How ridiculous. She’d told Hope she was perfectly happy alone, she didn’t need to find a man. And that was the truth. But coming all this way and not even making a new friend was a let-down.

  “Great, then what shall we do first?” he asked. “I’ve been looking forward to learning to scuba dive.”

  Marni’s heart raced with apprehension at the idea. “Scuba? Underwater with all those fish? What about sharks? Manta rays?”

  He grimaced and shook his head. “All right, then, what do you want to do?”

  “I saw a place nearby with horseback riding tours of the forest.”

  “Yeah. I know I didn’t pay for this trip, but I didn’t come all this way to sit behind a desk, which is what riding is for me. That’s my office six days a week. Would you want to spend your vacation doing…what do you do?”

  “I’m a librarian.” She grinned evilly. “And yes, I’d love to spend a week surrounded by books. But not here, and not this week.”

  “What else is there?”

  She opened her phone’s notes app and read the list of ideas she’d noted once she’d learned when she’d be traveling. There were more things to do than she’d written, but like scuba diving, they didn’t appeal. Hopefully there were enough areas where they agreed that she didn’t have to compromise too much.

  “The day’s half done, so why don’t we do something here? Maybe just swim. You do swim?”

  “I love the water. It’s just being dinner for some big fish that scares me.”

  “Please tell me we have to skip that amazing ocean and settle for the pool.”

  “No, as long as I can reach bottom I’m fine.”

  “Great. Why don’t we put on our bathing suits and meet in the lobby?” Matt rose and pulled out her chair.

  “Sounds great.” When she stood, he was blocking her way. Unable to read his expression, her stomach fluttered as if she was waiting to see if he’d kiss her. She pulled her purse strap onto her shoulder, the action drawing her arm across her body like a shield. There’d be no kissing this week.

  Marni took a step closer hoping he’d step back, which he did. She was quite pleased with herself that she wasn’t disappointed at the lack of a kiss. She couldn’t get to her room soon enough, where she was safe from any ideas there could be chemistry between them.

  Chapter Four

  Matt and Marni decided upon the beach behind the hotel as their destination, and he helped her spread towels in the white sand. He kicked off his flip-flops and yanked off his t-shirt, then looked at Marni and whistled under his breath.

  She glared.

  “Sorry. You do know you’re beautiful, don’t you?”

  “Whistles don’t mean pretty. They mean easy.”

  He raised his palms and stepped away from her side. “Wow. Extreme, but if you say so…”

  She shifted uncomfortably in the sand, crossing her arms over her slender middle and looked down, clearly self-conscious. After an awkward moment, she said, “I’d never have taken you for a flip-flops guy.”

  “Stereotype much?” He regretted the words as soon as he said them. Her shoulders hunched, and she withdrew even further into herself. He needed to help her loosen up. “Race ya!”

  Without waiting to see if she followed, he ran into the waves. The water was warm and relaxing, and he ducked his head under before turning to look for Marni.

  She bobbed up in the water a few feet away, her grin wide. Her long blonde hair was plastered to her head, several strands covering her face. She pushed them aside. Blue eyes sparkled as much as the water droplets on her lashes. “This is what I came for.”

  “That’s it? Just the water?” He stood and wiped the water from his face. “Seriously, why did you sign up?”

  “Isn’t this where you say I don’t seem the type?” She shook her head and looked up the beach. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m so snippy. I signed up mostly to support Dawson, because it meant a lot to Hope.”

  A small wave swelled behind them and he hopped to let it pass. “She really was passionate about it, wasn’t she?”

  “What is it about lovers that they think everyone needs what they have to be happy?”

  Hope and Chase were still in the honeymoon phase of their marriage, so they didn’t have bad moments when Matt was around. Dylan and Tara, his brother and sister-in-law were expecting their first baby, so they had a glow around him that Matt envied. He wouldn’t mind having what either couple had. “They care. Everyone should know that joy.”

  Marni studied him. “You sound like you’ve experienced it.”

  He shrugged. “Not to the same level. I married my high school sweetheart. The high of believing your life was set left quickly in our case, though. We split up a few years later.”

  “That’s my point. Falling in love doesn’t guarantee happily ever after. I’m not jaded or anything. It’ll happen if it happens.”

  He didn’t agree. He planned to make it happen. Not with Marni—they’d never suit—but with someone. Now that he’d gotten his toes wet with this vacation, so to speak, he could sign up for other services. He’d find his perfect match one way or another.

  Chapter Five

  The next morning, Marni met Matt in the dining room for breakfast. She looked forward to spending the day with him. They were developing an easy friendship that would make the week enjoyable, even minus romance.

  She ordered dry toast and Matt rolled his eyes. “I’ll have the buffet,” he told their server, and proceeded to load a plate with one of everything and an omelet on the side.

  Marni’s eyes widened at the amount of food in front of him. “How come you aren’t big as a house?”

  He nodded toward her toast. “How are you even alive?”

  He had her there. She didn’t actually count calories, but she ate the same things to keep her daily total consistent. “It is a bit boring.”

  Matt slid her plate toward him, sliced off an end of the omelet and placed it on her toast before pushing it back. “Much better.”

  The food was tempting. Technically, it would be rude to not eat it. She’d risk passing on the avocado, which she couldn’t stand, but she wouldn’t hurt his feelings by refusing the rest. She put one triangular half of the toast on top of the omelet to make a sandwich.

  The first bite was heaven. Ham, cheese, onion and salsa with a bit of cilantro. “Oh, this is good,” she said after swallowing.

  He watched her take another bite and she grabbed her napkin, suddenly self-conscious. Blotting her chin, she asked, “Did I spill?”

  “No. I was, uh, thinking.”

  “About what we’re doing today? I thought we’d agreed on the historical tour.”

  “Yeah, we did.” He shoved a bite of waffle in his mouth and chewed, clearly avoiding further discussion.

  Whatever. She continued to eat, ignoring him. Maybe he was more like a little brother than a friend. An annoying little brother who she loved but had no desire to see 24/7.

  When his plate was a lot closer to empty, Matt slowed. “You’ve seen where I live, what about you?”

  “It’s nothing special.” She added artificial sweetener to her coffee, which the server had just topped off. “A ground-floor apartment outside Mt. Vernon, nice neighbors, close to the school where I work.”

  “How big is Mt. Vernon?”

  “It’s a bit smaller than White Oak. You have to drive some ways to find entertainment at night.”

  “That’s definitely like White Oak. The Royal Oak Bar and Grill is great, but it’s not anything special for a date.”

  “Do you date a lot?” Marni asked, looking at him over the brim of her coffee cup before taking a drink.

  “No. I grew up with everyone in town. They all know my ex-wife. It feels…strange…to date old friends.”

  “I thought friends made the best relationships.”

  “That might be so, but not for me. Let’s just say no one in White Oak has that spark of long-term.”

>   She nodded. “I understand. There are only a few single men in Mt Vernon. What was your wife like?”

  How should he describe her so he didn’t sound bitter? He searched for the qualities that had made them friends. “She liked to laugh, have a good time. We weren’t demonstrative, though. We didn’t hold hands or kiss a lot in public, like Hope and Chase do.”

  “No PDA. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as long as the displays of affection do happen at home, at least.”

  There hadn’t been a whole lot of that, either, once the fun of having sex regularly wore off. They’d gone from a couple to good friends, to roommates. “At least she didn’t want kids.”

  Marni’s gaze jerked up to meet his. “Oh?”

  “She’s too self-centered to share the attention with kids. Life in L.A. and her pursuit of the camera suits her.”

  “Mmm.”

  Had Marni’s expression closed off? She’d asked about Kelly, it wasn’t his fault for talking about her. Matt tossed his napkin on the table and tucked a few bills under his plate for the server’s tip. Standing, he said, “What time are we supposed to meet the tour shuttle? We don’t want to miss it.”

  Marni picked up her purse and glanced at her phone. “We’ve got about twenty minutes. I think I’ll go brush my teeth first. Meet you in the lobby?”

  “Perfect.”

  Watching her cross the room, he noticed other men doing the same. She held her head high and walked slowly, casually, like whatever she was planning to do would wait for her. The gentle sway of her hips was sexy without being a tease of something she wasn’t offering. She was a nice girl in the nicest sense. She’d make someone a good wife, just not him. She was attractive, but there was no spark. Good thing, since she obviously wasn’t interested in him.

  ****

  That evening, they sat in the hotel bar after having eaten in town. The music was suitable for slow dancing rather than a wild party, which was fine with Marni. She was tired but not ready to call it a night. She swayed to the country tune.