scent. Always fresh, robust and manly.
“Thanks for bringing that in, Garth.”
“No problem. I hope you find everything satisfactory.”
He had to be kidding. The room was gorgeous, and the view of the mountains outside one window and the sea out the other was spectacular. But then, she could say the same thing about the château itself. It sat high on a hill that overlooked the ocean as well as lush green valleys.
When they’d arrived, she’d been awestruck. The house was a lot bigger than she’d thought, spread out in a way that there were views from every window.
“It’s beautiful here, Garth. Thanks for inviting me to stay.”
“What time do you want to eat dinner?”
Regan glanced up at him. She hadn’t thought they would be sharing all their meals. She’d figured they each would be doing their own thing. “We ate a big lunch, so a late dinner will suit me fine.” The tacos had been delicious, and she might have eaten one too many.
“Late is fine with me, too,” Garth said. “I’ll let you unpack. If you’re not too tired in an hour or so, I’d like to give you a tour of the place.”
“Okay.”
He walked out, leaving her alone. Sighing deeply, she strolled to the window. How many times had she dreamed of this very scenario? To be alone with Garth on some remote island. In her dream it had been a lovers’ tryst. One she had hoped for, longed for, for years.
A few minutes later she was unpacking, when her phone rang. She smiled when she saw it was Simone Brinkley, her best friend from college. “Simone, thanks for calling me back.”
“No problem. Have you left Santa Cruz and headed my way?”
“There’s been a change in plans. I won’t be coming to LA just yet. Garth invited me to join him at the château for two weeks,” Regan said, placing the phone on speaker so she could talk while putting her clothes away.
“Why would he do that? When we spoke yesterday you suspected he was meeting some woman for a romantic rendezvous.”
“I still believe that was the plan, but for some reason, she didn’t show up.”
“The woman was a no-show and he invited you to stay with him instead?”
Regan began hanging her new outfits in the closet. “It’s not like that, Simone. He’s my boss.”
“A boss you happen to be in love with. How can you do it, Regan?”
She opened one of the dresser drawers to place her lingerie inside. “How can I do what?”
“How can you love Garth the way you do and yet be okay that he only asked you to spend time with him because some woman didn’t turn up?”
“Again, Simone, it’s not that way. Garth has no idea how I feel about him, and I’m not taking any woman’s place. At least not in the way you’re insinuating. He doesn’t see me that way. To him I’m his employee. He was merely kind enough to invite me to the château to enjoy myself. Not to enjoy him.”
“But you love him.”
Regan drew in a deep breath. “Yes, but my feelings for Garth are something I have to deal with. Eventually I’ll fall out of love with him.”
“So far you haven’t, and it’s been how many years now, Regan? When we were at UCLA, he was all you ever talked about, and whether you’ll admit it or not, I know he’s the reason you left LA to return to Fairbanks. Who in their right mind leaves sunny California to go back to icy Alaska?”
Simone was right: Garth was the reason she’d gone back. “It doesn’t matter.”
“It should matter.” Simone paused and then said, “Umm...”
Regan frowned. “What is that ‘umm’ for?”
“I’m thinking.”
Regan knew when it came to Simone, that could be dangerous. As much as she loved her best friend, she refused to let Simone pull her into any shenanigans, and with Simone there could be plenty. As the only child of a single mother, Simone had been raised to believe that she could get anything she wanted if she worked hard and went after it.
“Please don’t think, Simone. I’ve got this.”
“No, you don’t have this. If you did, you would have Garth Outlaw right where you want him.”
“Simone...”
“No, Regan, this might be your only opportunity to go after the one thing you want. The two of you being at the château together is perfect. If I were you, I would seduce the hell out of him. What do you have to lose?”
Regan rolled her eyes. “My job,