Page 2 of You Make Me Feel
She hugs me again, then turns to talk to one of the resort staff, as I head back out into the sultry night, where the band has already started to play. There’s a crowd here,mostly investors in the resort along with locals, but some friends and family members have joined in support of West. By the bar I see Autumn, Eden’s older sister, laughing with Francie, the local writer whose romantasy books are best sellers in my shop.
They wave at me and I head toward them, not noticing the man striding past me until it’s too late.
His arm bangs hard against mine. It makes me wince.
And then I turn to look at him.
Dear God. My breath catches as I take him in. He towers above me, and I’m a healthy five-foot-seven. In his expensive linen pants and dark shirt, he has the confidence of a man who turns heads wherever he goes.
The weird thing, though, is that he’s wearing a pair of mirrored sunglasses. And the sun has almost completely set. Maybe that’s why he didn’t see me. Probably too busy looking cool to be looking at where he’s going.
And that brings me back down to earth. Because I learned a long,longtime ago, that men as handsome as this one only bring trouble.
For a second he just stares at me. Or at least, I think that’s what he’s doing, because the only thing I can see in his sunglasses is my own reflection. And apparently I’m scowling.
Then he slowly pulls the glasses down. Enough for me to see the bright piercing blue of his eyes. He blinks, like he’s finding it hard to focus, as our gazes connect and every cell in my body feels like it’s on fire.
“Sorry,” he murmurs, turning away, so I can see the sharp line of his dark hair as it meets his neck. He walks into the resort, and I turn and walk away, feeling weirdly like I know this man, even though I don’t.
“Want a glass?” Autumn asks, as I walk over to the bar.She holds out a champagne flute, the liquid fizzing against the glass as I take it.
“Thanks,” I murmur, lifting it to my lips.
“No problem,” she says smiling. “I just saw you get barged by my brother.”
I turn around, but he’s gone, the resort door closed behind him.
“Is that who he was?” I ask. Maybe that’s why I reacted the way I did. Something inside of me recognized him as a Fitzgerald. “Which brother?”
Because there are only two Fitzgeralds I haven’t met. Her brothers – Wyatt and Zach. Both have been in and out of town faster than you could blink, causing us to never meet. The rest of the family I know very well. Hudson, the eldest, who owns most of the land on the island along with the quaint Grand Liberty Hotel that’s been standing for over a hundred years. Then there’s Asher, the second eldest, who runs a security business in New York, but spends most of his time here since he fell in love with his wife, Francie.
And of course, there’s Eden and Autumn who are two of my closest friends since moving here. Eden runs the resort and Autumn has an interior design business, though since she had her baby, she’s been a little distracted from that.
Although I can tell by the sparkle in her eye that she’s not letting her gorgeous baby hold her back.
“It’s Zach,” Autumn says. “He’s here to surprise Eden.”
I think I remember her mentioning him before. The third of the four Fitzgerald brothers; he’s an art dealer. He travels the world, working for rich clients with millions to spend on their art collections.
And then he takes a generous cut. Which explains the expensive clothes and suave exterior.
I send myself a mental reminder that I’m not interestedin men, especially men like that. Even if I can still remember how he made my skin tingle.
“You should go talk to him. You’ll have a lot in common with your art gallery and his job,” she says. Then her eyes light up in a way that I don’t like at all. Nobody on this island schemes better than Autumn Fitzgerald. “Actually…”
“Actually, I need to find Eden,” I say quickly. Another thing I’ve learned about Autumn, she’s easily distracted. “I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
Because I might have a lot in common with Zach Fitzgerald, but I’ve just got my life back on track, and I don’t need any complications. Especially not of the male kind.
Even if thinking about the impact of his body against mine is making me feel breathless.
Nope, I’m a strong independent woman. I have my own business, my own home, hell I even have an accountant. There’s no space for making bad decisions anymore. I’m moving forward, all on my own.
“I hope you’re proud of me, Mom,” I whisper, hoping she’s still looking down on me. “I think I’ve finally grown up.”
ZACH
I try to ignore the floaters in my eyes as I walk through the door into the main lobby of the resort, taking in what I can see of the white walls, the blue and white striped furniture, and the wooden accents that all come together to create a nautical theme that I imagine has a lot to do with both of my sisters’influence.
