of his Speedo. Ally bit her lip as her eyes moved upward, past the gold chain tangling in his furry chest hair to the three-day salt-and-pepper stubble, the ridiculous iridescent blue wraparound sunglasses and wide-brimmed Panama hat.
She was being hit on by a bad cliché. This horrible vacation experience was now complete. “I’m sorry, what?”
“You look like you could use some company. How about we have a drink and get to know each other?” Without waiting for her response, the man lowered himself into the adjacent lounge chair, took off his sunglasses and stuck out his hand. “Fred Alexander.”
With no excuse to deny the tenets of her proper Southern upbringing, she shook the proffered hand. The palm was damp. He held her hand a bit too long, and she fought the urge to wipe it on her towel once released. “I’m Ally. It’s nice to meet you, but—”
“A pretty girl like you shouldn’t be sitting out here alone. No telling who might come along to bother you.” He winked at her.
Yeah, no telling. There were plenty of people on the beach. Why had Fred picked her to hit on? Because you are a loser magnet. First Gerry and now this guy. At least Gerry had been good-looking, a fact he’d never let her forget.
She had to escape. She should have just stayed in Savannah. Oh, but no, she’d been steamed over the loss of so many other down payments that she wasn’t going to let a vacation go to waste, too. It had sounded so practical at the time. She knew better now.
“I was just about to go in, actually. I think I’m getting too much sun.” She reached for her bag and slid to the edge of her seat, ready to beat a hasty retreat. Fred placed his hand on her wrist and stroked his thumb over the skin. Ally gently moved away from his hand and out of arm’s reach as she stood.
“I’d be happy to rub some lotion on you.” Fred’s eyes roamed slowly down her body and back up to her cleavage, making her skin crawl. With a slow shake of his head, he said, “That’s a crime, Ally. A girl with a body like yours should be showing it off in a bikini.” She’d never been so glad to be wearing a one-piece in her entire life, and as he licked his lips in appreciation, Ally felt as if she needed a hot shower.
“Thanks, but no. I’m—”
“Dinner, then. I saw you checking in alone yesterday and figured you’d be looking for some company.”
Ugh. She took another step back. “Um, well, I…”
“I’m staying here, too. Suite sixteen. It must be fate that we’re both here on our own…”
It was in her nature to make people happy, but this crossed the line. There was “nice” and then there was “stupid.” She’d made enough stupid decisions—no more.
“Enjoy the beach.” She could hear Fred muttering something about her attitude as she left. Whatever. What little enjoyment she’d had just relaxing to the sounds of the surf evaporated in the wake of being hit on by some creepy guy old enough to be her father.
Maybe the TV in her room had a movie channel. She could take that shower, order room service for dinner—if they even did room service in this hotel; she hadn’t seen a menu when she’d checked in last night—and plan to do some sightseeing on the island tomorrow.
This was the most pathetic vacation ever. Or was she the pathetic one?
The lobby was mostly empty as she waited behind a couple checking in. More honeymooners. The young woman carried a bouquet, and the red-haired man at her side was having a hard time checking in since he couldn’t seem to keep his hands off his new bride. They seemed happy, and Ally silently wished them well as they headed for their room.
“I’d like to see about ordering room service to suite twenty-six.”
The hotel clerk shook his head. “Sorry. No room service. Just the restaurant.”
Lovely. She thought she’d hit her low spot on this vacation with the arrival of Fred, but obviously there was much more awaiting her over the next few days. Like eating every meal alone.
“But I do have a message for you, Mrs. Hogsten.”
“Miss Smith,” she corrected automatically. Another good reason not to marry Gerry. She’d never liked the sound of his last name.
The clerk’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, and he rechecked his computer screen.
Ally sighed. “I know. It says Hogsten, party of two, but it’s just me. Miss Smith.”
She saw the flash of pity in the man’s eyes as the implications of staying alone in a honeymoon suite registered.
No sense trying to explain she wasn’t the least bit sorry to still be single. “The message?”
He handed her a folded piece of paper. “Enjoy your evening.”
“Thanks.” She flipped it open for a quick peek as she walked back to her room. Her mother’s number.
Good Lord, what now? She’d hadn’t been gone that long, and she’d made sure all of them were squared away before she left.
Kicking the door closed with her foot, she dug in her bag for her cell phone, only to flip it open and remember she didn’t have service here.
The minifridge in her room was well stocked after her trip to the local liquor store last night, and the bottle of Chardonnay called her name. She poured a glass and took a drink before dialing the long string of numbers to call home.
“Oh, honey, it’s so good to hear from you!”
Her mom sounded as though the phone call was a nice surprise, which meant nothing was seriously wrong on the home front. That didn’t mean she was off the hook, though. Ally drained her glass before she spoke. Instead of refilling it, she took the bottle with her over to the bed and sat down. She might need the whole thing. “You asked me to call. Is everything okay?”
“Oh, we’re fine. I guess.”
Ally waited.
“Well, other than the fact your sister is going to put me in an early grave with her dramatics…”
Oh, goody. Ring the bell for Mom versus Erin, round 427. Did she really need to be discussing this long-distance?
Breathe in. Breathe out. How typical. Could her family not function for at least a few days without her there? She’d like to think that if she’d really been on her honeymoon, no one would expect her to deal with this. Who was she kidding? If her family tree were any nuttier, squirrels would start showing up at Thanksgiving dinner. She loved them, but not a one had an ounce of sense.
Maybe she’d been adopted. Switched at birth. Or had she been intentionally placed in this family simply to keep them all from spiraling out of control with their dramatics? It sucked to be the grown-up all the time.
When her mom finally paused for a breath, Ally started her peacekeeping duties. “Mom, it is her wedding—”
“Maybe so, but you’d think she’d understand how important this is.”
It was
