The Marriage Promise (Billionaire Games Book 4) Page 4

  “Miss Deidra!” Emily stopped at her side.

  Deidra turned her head toward them, but John couldn’t judge her reaction behind her sunglasses. If her eyes lit up, he couldn’t see it. She did smile brightly, saying, “Well, hello there, Emily. What brings you down to the beach today?”

  “We’re not following you, really.” John laughed at himself. “It does appear that we’re on the same wavelength though.”

  “Great minds…” Deidra’s words trailed off.

  On the other side of Deidra, to John’s surprise, Phillip stood up. John dipped his head a little and saw Helen lying on the far chair beneath their umbrella. “Phillip. I trust you and Helen are enjoying your vacation?”

  “Yes, Mr. Sinclair. We are, very much.”

  “You two know each other?” Deidra asked.

  “Yes.” John nodded. “Phillip is my assistant. Phillip, this is Ms. Deidra Ferguson. The girls and I have had the pleasure of running into her a couple of times since we arrived.”

  Phillip returned to his chair, glanced at Deidra, and smiled. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Ferguson. This is my wife, Helen.”

  After the introductions died down, Deidra looked back up at John. “This umbrella is mine, as well.” She nodded toward the empty one to her right. “Be my guests.”

  “Daddy, you go sit with Deidra. Emily and I will take this umbrella,” Amy said, claiming the far chair.

  John looked at Deidra. “I don’t want to impose.” But deep in his gut, he wanted to sit with her. Talk to her. Get to know her.

  “It’s no imposition. Really.” Deidra shook her head.

  “Well, if you’re sure…” John waited a second or two, long enough for Deidra to give him a second nod before he went to claim the empty chair between her and Phillip. He glanced at Phillip as he sat down. “You look a little peaked, Phillip.”

  “Just a little tired. Helen and I went to a luau last night. I guess I overtaxed myself.”

  “Well, lucky then that you can rest up today.” John glanced out at the gentle waves before them. “And what better place to do that than here?”

  “Dad…?” Amy’s voice boomed over the space between them. “I want to ride a water trike.”

  “We’ve been through this, Amy.” John tried to curtail his frustration in front of Deidra. “We can’t leave Emily on the beach unattended.”

  “Unattended?” Amy screeched. “She’s got all kinds of people around her.”

  Deidra spoke up. “If you and Amy want to take a ride on the water trike, Emily is welcome to stay here with me.”

  “And we’re here as well,” Phillip said. “Between the three of us, Emily will have plenty of company.”

  “All right. All right.” But truth be told, John would much rather sit and chat with Deidra. Although, he could thank Deidra for attending Emily by inviting her to lunch. He glanced at Deidra. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”

  “It will be my pleasure. Emily and I might amuse ourselves by building a sandcastle,” she said in a casual, lighthearted way.

  “That’s very ambitious.” John chuckled and got up.

  “I didn’t say it was going to look good, though.” There was something warm and enchanting in Deidra’s smile.

  “I’m sure it’ll be the nicest sandcastle that I’ve ever seen.” John lingered, for a second or two, to admire Deidra’s beauty, then turned and headed for the attendant.

  After John and Amy headed out on their bright-green water trike, Deidra and Emily went inside the shop on the boardwalk under the Waikiki Shore Hotel, where they acquired a set of beach toys to aid them in sculpting their sandcastle.

  Once they had built four semi-crude turrets, Emily began construction of the moat. “I know…” Emily held up the pail. “When we’re done, we can use this to put water in the moat.”

  “That’s a very good idea, Emily,” Deidra said, trying to carve a window in her turret.

  “Look, Miss Deidra!” The excitement in Emily’s voice pulled Deidra’s gaze upward. She followed the direction that Emily’s finger pointed in, toward the ocean. Emily said, “It looks like a pirate ship.”

  “So it is,” Deidra said calmly. She recognized the pirate ship from the brochures she’d picked up in the hotel lobby. It was fueling Emily’s imagination, so Deidra decided to play along. “Your Majesty, perhaps we should secure the crown jewels?” Deidra asked in her best British accent. “Just in case the pirates come ashore. We wouldn’t want the scoundrels to make off with Her Majesty’s most prized possession.”

  “Your right. We must gather them at once.”

  “Where shall we hide them, my lady?”

  “What do you think, Lady Deidra?”

  Deidra gaze up and down the beach, then toward the park behind them. “Perhaps the brushy parameter along the royal square?”

  “Isn’t there a dragon in there?” Emily asked.

  “Yes.” Deidra nodded, remembering the shiny pink dragon on Emily’s purse the other day. “The legendary pink dragon. It’s said that she has taken a vow to guard the queen and all her possessions.”

  “Then it’s settled. We shall take the jewels to the pink dragon for safe keeping.”

  “Great.” Deidra laughed. “And we can go to the restroom while we’re there.” She hopped up and grabbed her beach bag from her chair. “Phillip,” she called to John’s assistant. When he glanced over his shoulder, she said, “Emily and I are going to the restroom. We’ll be right back.”

  Phillip waved. Deidra and Emily took off toward the park.

  “Did you bring the jewels, Lady Deidra?” Emily asked.

  “Yes, my lady.” She lifted the beach bag, then pointed toward the public restroom. “I understand the pink dragon lives behind the abandoned cottage ahead.”

  Emily ran to the side of the facility. “There’s lots of brush here for the pink dragon to hide our jewels.”

  “So there is. So there is.” Deidra smiled and laid her hand on Emily’s shoulder. “Let’s go inside the cottage. We’ll place the jewels on the dragon’s pedestal. She will rescue them from there.”

  “And they’ll be safe from the pirates.” Emily chuckled as they ventured through the door marked with the stenciled word: women. Emily said, “Miss Deidra, you’re fun.”

  After John and Amy returned from their trike ride, John went to Deidra’s umbrella and settled into the chair near Phillip. Amy was a little more pleasant now that she’d gotten her way about the water trike. John hoped she’d stay mellow for a little while. He’d like the chance to chat with Deidra. To find out more about her.

  “Well, Amy…” Deidra’s voice drew John’s attention. She was standing in the space between the two umbrellas she’d rented, and looking at Amy in the far chair of the second umbrella. “How was that water trike?”

  “It was awesome,” Amy said. “Thanks for hanging out with Emily so I could go.”

  “It was my pleasure.” Deidra touched Emily’s shoulder. “We had our own adventure, didn’t we?”

  Emily nodded, then looked at John. “Daddy! Miss Deidra and I saved the kingdom from pirates!”

  John didn’t know what to say, except that he felt indebted to Deidra for filling his youngest with such joy and inducing his eldest to offer up a simple thank you—something Amy hadn’t thought to do in a very long time. “Perhaps we could buy you lunch as a reward, Deidra.”

  “I would be delighted,” she said, and sat down in the chair next to him. She looked at John and offered a smile, but there was something distant and far away in her countenance, something he couldn’t quite put his finger on, but it resided somewhere in the neighborhood of sadness.

  “Wonderful,” he said. A part of him wanted to tell her why he was here. About Jessica. But he feared she might use it as an excuse to retreat, not wanting to impose on Jessica’s memorial.

  And God help him, the last thing he wanted was Deidra disappearing from his life so soon.

  “Thank you again for entertainin
g my daughter. It’s good to see her smile.” John had to fight the overwhelming need to be close to Deidra. As much as he wanted to touch her, to hold her hand, it wasn’t appropriate. Not when he was about to scatter his wife’s ashes. A little voice inside his head said softly, but it has been three years.

  “It was my pleasure,” Deidra’s voice broke into his thoughts. “Emily’s such a sweet, sweet girl.” Her words trailed off. John got the feeling she wanted to say more, but she didn’t.

  “I hope we’re not taking up too much of your time.” John looked back at her, wanting to see behind her shades. “You’ll tell us if we’re imposing, won’t you? We don’t want to ruin your vacation.”

  “No…” she said with a sheepish grin. “Meeting you and Amy and Emily are the best things about this trip.” And there it was again, that sadness in her smile trying desperately to escape.

  “We’re in complete agreement.” As he said it, John tried to contain the glee swelling inside his heart.

  Deidra leaned up and glanced around John toward Phillip and Helen. She looked back at John. “Are you sure he’s okay?” she asked. “He looks a little flushed.”

  John looked at Phillip. Deidra was right. He did look worn out, maybe even worse than when John had first come up. “Are you sure you’re feeling okay?” he asked Phillip.

  “Truth be told,” Phillip said, “I’m just not myself today.” He paused for a few seconds then pushed himself to sit up. “You know, I think I might like to go back to the room and rest for a while.”

  Helen began gathering their things and shoving them into the beach bag they’d gotten from the concierge at the hotel.

  “You’ll let me know if you need anything,” John said, and it wasn’t a question.

  “Yes, thank you, Mr. Sinclair,” Phillip mumbled as Helen led him away.

  John turned back to Deidra. “He didn’t look good at all, did he?”

  “No, he didn’t. I think a rest will do him good.”

  “As do I.” John glanced out at the tranquility of the ocean, then looked back at Deidra and said in a much more jovial tone, “So, what would you like to have for lunch?”

  At the Wai’olu Ocean View Lounge, Deidra and John sat across from each other with the girls at their sides at a four-person table. The centerpiece (flowers) was low, and Deidra was thankful for that so she had an unobstructed view of his handsome features, mostly notable by his sable eyes and alluring smile. His blond hair was short, like that of a business man. Even though he’d been dressed in Hawaiian casual attire every time she’d seen him, she got the feeling that John was used to wearing suits, most likely silk.

  Deidra was beginning to forget about the prospect of where was his wife in favor of maybe he’s divorced.

  John looked at her. “Do you live in Europe or the States?”

  She waited to answer until she’d completely chewed and swallowed the bite of chicken in her mouth. “The States,” she said, reaching for her water. “California.” She took a sip and set the glass back on the table.

  His face brightened. “We live in northern Nevada, along the California border.”

  “Tahoe area?” she asked. That wasn’t too far away, especially by airplane.

  “Yes. A little south of there.”

  John’s phone jingled, he glanced at the display and said, as he stood, “Excuse me for a moment. I need to take this.”

  As John stepped away from them, Deidra looked at Emily, then Amy. “How are you girls liking Hawaii? Is it your first time?” Both girls nodded enthusiastically.

  “Mine too.” Deidra had to wonder why her parents had never brought her here, since it was so important to them—important enough that they wanted their ashes scattered here.

  “We’re lucky we all decided to come at the same time,” Emily said.

  “Yeah,” Amy agreed. “Or we wouldn’t have met you.”

  “True.” Deidra smiled in spite of the fact that up until now, she hadn’t thought there was anything lucky about this trip. But she was starting to feel that way. She was starting to realize she was going to miss John and the girls when they all went home.

  “Did you know they have a fireworks show tonight?” Amy asked.

  “I had heard something about that,” Deidra replied.

  “It’s gonna be so cool!” Emily squealed.

  “Yes, it is.” Deidra nodded. But if she wanted to see the fireworks, she’d have to walk down to the beach because Trump Tower stood between her hotel and the show.

  “Deidra?” John called to her softly from the outskirts of the restaurant’s dining area. When she looked up, he waved her over.

  She dropped her napkin onto the table as she stood. “I’ll be right back,” she said, and quietly walked toward John. “What’s up?” she asked, stopping at his side.

  “That was Helen on the phone.” He squared his shoulders in such a way that Deidra knew the caller hadn’t been the bearer of good news. “Phillip has been taken to the hospital. It looks like he’s had a heart attack.” His voice trembled, matching the anxiety in his eyes. “I need to go there, but I can’t take the girls with me,” he said, shaking his head. “Would you mind terribly going upstairs and hanging out with them so I can go to the hospital?”

  Deidra didn’t have to think about it. “Of course I will.” She nodded. “You take as much time as you need. The girls and I will be fine.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive. Go.” She grazed his arm with a gentle caress. Touching him felt good. “Find out what’s going on. Helen will probably need your support.”

  “Thank you.” He blew the words out in a sigh, and it seemed to release a bit of the tension that had stiffened his shoulders. “We’ll tell the girls you’re going to hang out with them for a while, but I don’t want them to know about Phillip just yet.”

  “Whatever you think is best,” Deidra said.

  Deidra followed John back to the table, where he said, “I’m sorry, girls, but I have some business to attend to.” Their mounting protests quickly began to show on the new frowns tipping down the corners of their mouths. John glanced at Deidra and his own expression of guilt melted into a smile. “Deidra here,” he said and looked back at the girls, “has agreed to hang out with you in our suite until I get back.”

  “Really?” Emily’s frustration gave way first, then Amy’s quickly followed.

  “That’s so awesome,” Amy chimed in. “Can we go back down to the beach?”

  John cleared his throat, and Deidra knew he was about to cough up an objection. She saved him the hassle by saying, “Well, that’s probably not a good idea since I can’t swim.” She shrugged and offered Amy an apologetic smile. “But I’ll tell you what. I do know how to do something really cool. And we can do it in the safety of your suite.”

  Both girls were quick to agree, and Deidra breathed a sigh of relief.

  John signed the lunch bill, and as they left the restaurant heading toward the elevators, he whispered to Deidra, “What exactly is it that you’re going to do with them?”

  Deidra looked at John and bit back the urge to giggle. “Origami flowers.”

  He paused for a moment, then said, “Oh.”

  CHAPTER 5

  UP IN JOHN’S HOTEL SUITE, Deidra asked the concierge to find her some origami paper in a variety of colors. While they waited for it, she decided to give Lecie a call.

  “Girls, I need to make a phone call,” Deidra said. “I’m going to step out onto the lanai. Okay?”

  Both girls nodded as if it were no big deal, so Deidra took her phone and headed across the threshold of the sliding glass door, closing it behind her. She sat down in the nearest chair and set the call, waiting anxiously for Lecie to answer.

  When she heard Lecie’s voice, Deidra said, “You’ll never guess where I am.”

  Lecie responded with a hint of caution. “Where?”

  “In his suite.”

  “Whose?” Lecie’s interest perked up. “Not the h
ot dad?”

  “That’s the one.” Deidra could barely contain the excitement fueling her heart, even though she knew being here was a bad idea. This guy was probably married, and Deidra was destined for a broken heart.

  “So he’s not married.”

  “I don’t know.”

  “What do you mean you don’t know? You haven’t asked?” More dead silence. The direction of this call could go either way. Good or bad. “Why are you in his suite? And where are his children?”

  “It’s weird,” Deidra said. “I ran into them down at the beach today. As it turned out, John’s assistant and his wife were nearby, too.”

  “The assistant and his wife?” Lecie’s tone calmed. “Chances are he paid for their vacation too. So it’s not likely that he’ll turn out to be a scoundrel.”

  “I’ve already thought of that,” Deidra admitted. “I think he’s got plenty of money.”

  Lecie’s voice was filled with intrigue when she said, “Oh…?”

  “Well, he’s staying at Trump. We had lunch here today and the staff pretty much bends over backward to cater to him.”

  “His assistant staying at Trump too?”

  “Yes.” Deidra nodded.

  “Then, as Tasha would say, the guy is loaded.” Lecie let out a little laugh. “Good. At least we don’t have to worry that he’s after your money.”

  “No, I just have to worry about where the hell his wife is.”

  “Which brings us back to the question, what are you doing there?”

  “Phillip, his assistant, had a heart attack. John is at the hospital. He didn’t want to take the girls, so I’m here with them,” Deidra summed it up easily. But there was nothing easy about it. She was starting to really like this guy. And that, she knew, could and probably would lead to disaster.

  “It’s weird that this guy, his kids, his assistant and the assistant’s wife are all in Hawaii,” Lecie said, “but there’s no wife in sight for the father of two children.”

  “Tell me about it.”