“Not really. But please get lover boy,” she winked and backtracked to the door.
Claire tossed the pillow at her, but she desperately wanted Amy to be right. She was still smiling at the thought of Chance coming after her when he knocked on her door. She had a bright smile for him.
“Don’t tell me I caused that,” he said.
“Caused what?”
“Your smile,” he laughed.
“You did,” she said. “Amy and her guy are waiting for us.”
“Then let’s go.”
“Amy!” she called from the hallway. “You’re late.”
Amy opened the door. “Well, hello,” she said when she saw Chance.
Chance smiled and nodded at her. “Hi, Amy.”
“Ok. Well, let’s go,” she said. “Mario’s waiting in the lobby.”
Mario turned out to be quite a handsome islander with a body crafted in the gym; he had muscles bulging from every inch of him, and Claire found it hard not to giggle. “Just your type,” she whispered to Amy. Amy punched her gently on the shoulder, and the men looked on as they shared their private moment.
“Oh, my apologies,” Amy said. “Claire, Chance, this is Mario. Mario, Claire and Chance.”
“Nice to meet you both,” he said and reached out to shake Claire’s hand. She was surprised at how soft it was; it didn’t match his outward appearance.
“Okay, let’s go! I’m excited,” Amy said. She stopped walking and turned to the group. “Which car are we going in?”
“Mine is fine,” Chance smiled.
The group made a stop at the tour company that would lead them to the Gros Piton hike, one of St. Lucia’s volcanic mountain trails. It wasn’t hard to convince Claire to experience the mud baths after all the complaining she did along the trail. They had to stop several times to wait for her to catch her breath. They spent most of the day sightseeing along the trail, and by the time they decided to go back, it was evening.
“There is a bonfire party on the beach tonight,” Mario told them when they returned to the hotel. “You’ll love it.”
“Count me in,” Amy said.
“Me too,” Claire added. “As long as it doesn’t involve walking.”
They all laughed when she spoke and agreed to shower and return to the beach.
***
The bonfire was just what Claire needed to get closer to Chance. She enjoyed his embrace as they watched the locals play games and dance around the fire, yanking the tourists from their perches to join them in several line dances. Towards the end of the party, she snuggled next to Chance, and he wrapped his arms around her as the air grew chilly.
“Would you care for a walk?” he asked her.
“Sure.”
He held her hand as they walked along the seashore, saying nothing and doing nothing other than enjoying each other’s company and feeling the splash of the waves on their skin. Chance brought her to a stop, turned her to him, and planted a hot, wet kiss on her lips. He pulled her to him and drank her in, and she could feel the need in his kiss. As he held her, Claire felt a sudden confidence that he wouldn’t let her go, and she clung to him and received him like never before.
“I’ve wanted to do that all day,” he told her.
“I’ve wanted you to,” she smiled back.
He put his arm around her waist and led her back to the others. Amy was just about ready to leave; she held Mario’s hand as the four of them returned to the hotel.
At the elevator, Claire heard someone calling to her excitedly. “That’s my mom,” Claire said as she stopped and waited, planting a smile on her face as her mother approached them. A man walked behind her, and for the first time Claire officially met her mother’s mysterious man.
“Claire, I’d like you to meet Bryan,” Willow said.
“I’ve met him before. Though not officially,” she smiled. “Back on the island.”
“Okay, that’s good. It will make this a whole lot easier,” Willow said, glowing when she turned to the man.
“Make what easier?” Claire asked, looking at her mother suspiciously. She didn’t like the tone of her voice.
“Bryan and I got married this afternoon,” she glowed.
“You what?” Claire asked, looking from her mother to Bryan and then Chance. Amy and Mario slipped away.
“Dad?” Chance asked. “You did what?”
Willow turned to Bryan. “This is Chance?”
“Yes,” Bryan said. “This is Chance, my son. And this must be Claire.”
“Yes,” Willow said simply. “This is my daughter.”
Claire looked at her mother, unable to formulate the words she needed to express her feelings. She wanted her mom to be happy and finding a man who made her happy like Bryan was her dream for her mother. But Bryan was Chance’s dad, and she had just given her virginity to Chance. What are the odds that the one man who made her forget Trent had just become her stepbrother? No one had even bothered consulting her.
“Mom, you know Chance and I are seeing each other, right?”