Tropical Getaway by Roxanne St. Claire

Author:Roxanne St. Claire
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Pocket Star Books
Published: 2003-03-06T05:00:00+00:00

Before he left for the deck, Dane tried Genevieve’s cell phone again. Voice mail. Where the hell was she? He didn’t want to go to the constable or alert anyone to the situation until he’d had a chance to talk to her; he owed her that much. Hell, he owed her grandfather a whole lot more. He called his secretary, Claire, who hadn’t heard from Genevieve either, and then he tried her home phone repeatedly. Nothing.

Ava waited for him near the tender embarkation, in intimate conversation with that dog Arnot, who obviously wanted more from her than a little assistance in the galley. They stopped talking as soon as he approached.

“It is a disappointment that my new sous-chef is leaving, Monsieur Erikson.” Arnot peered at him with his beady brown eyes. The bon vivant French chef act really annoyed Dane. Especially when it worked so well on Ava, who all but melted into a puddle around the little twerp.

“I’m sure you two have had a chance to exchange recipes,” he said dryly and turned to her. “You all set?”

She hugged Arnot. “Merci beaucoup, Chef. I’ll see you on dry land, I promise.”

“Ah, cherie, I leave this ship and go right back to Valhalla, then Celestia. Eventually, I will get a holiday. Hopefully before you leave for home.”

Ignoring Dane’s watchful eye, Arnot air kissed both Ava’s cheeks and then planted one right on her lips. The little son of a bitch.

“Okay, kids. You’ll only be separated for two days.” Dane put his arm around her with a deliberate squeeze and guided her toward the platform. “We need to go.”

They hadn’t settled on the seats of the launch before she attacked. “Why are you so rude to him? He’s a—”

“Genius. I know.”

She tapped his forearm. “Yes, as a matter of fact, he is. And a very nice man. Unusual for great chefs, you know.”

“I wouldn’t know. I’ve never met any.” Dane pulled his sunglasses out of his pocket and polished the lenses with his shirt before putting them on. “Present company excluded, of course.”

She stewed for a minute, blessedly quiet, letting him think. But all he could envision was Arnot and Ava together on the deck, whispering and serious. She couldn’t be attracted to that little geek, could she? Or perhaps they were talking about something other than ingredients.

“You didn’t tell him anything, did you?” he demanded.

She kept her gaze on the water. “No.”

“Why did you tell him we were leaving? What reason did you give him?”

“I told him it was personal.” She turned to him with an accusing eye. “And like everyone else on the ship, he probably assumes it’s…we…I’m…romantically involved with you.”

No doubt they did assume just that, and frankly, that was fine with him. They’d stopped in the lounge together, late at night. They’d traveled to Antigua and kissed on the water taxi, if only because of her persistent questions. By now the entire crew undoubtedly knew he had dined in her cabin and that she’d spent last night in his.

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