Katie shook her head at his plan. “What if I’d decided not to go?”
“I kind of made a wager that, by now, you’d think I was dead or had run off, and you’d be trying to pick up the pieces. Since you’re not the type to sit at home and mope, I expected you to go on the cruise. All I had to do was give Reynaud a handsome payment to pick you up, after I checked him out, of course, and the rest just sort of fell into place.”
“And if you were wrong?”
Carson’s grin faded just a bit. “Well, I could tell you about this plan I had to find you back in Delaware and get you down here without anyone finding out, but that would be a lie. I had no idea what I’d have done, but I’d have done something.”
She laughed. “I thought you didn’t like leaving things to chance, Carson. Sounds like you relied on a lot of luck.” She meant it as a tease, but Carson’s expression turned hard.
“After what we’ve been through, I knew there was no way you wouldn’t come to me – even if you didn’t know you were.”
Though it sounded silly, Katie knew exactly what he meant. “You know, a part of me wanted to sell my tickets, but I couldn’t. I just knew it would be a mistake.” Carson blinked hard, shaking his head as he tried to handle whatever emotion overtook him at that moment. Then he looked around the room.
“I bought this place about six weeks ago, and I’ve been planning and hoping I could get you here. It’s way too big for one person, but I think it’s just right for two.” He looked around the room. “I got this bed the day I moved in, but this is the first time I’ve even sat on it. I wanted it to be for us, only us, and I wanted the first time I used it to be the first time you used it too. I don’t want to ever be in it without you.”
Katie wasn’t sure she was following his meaning. “You want me to stay here, on this island, with you?”
“More than I’ve wanted anything in a long, long time,” he told her. “I’m ready to start my life again, but only if it includes you. If it doesn’t, this place, the money, it’s not worth a damn thing to me.”
Katie bit her lip. For what seemed like the hundredth time already today, the tears started flowing. She lowered her head to his chest, letting them drip out onto his shirt. “That’s all I’ve dreamed about for almost six months. Of course, it’ll be a struggle in this tiny place and in such a crappy location, but we’ll manage.”
Carson laughed softly. “That’s the spirit.” He stroked her long, red hair tenderly, causing her to relax all the more, but the spell was broken when it became her turn to have practical thoughts.
“What about the ship? Won’t they declare me AWOL or something? And what about my stuff? Come to think of it, what about all my stuff at home? I know women say this all the time, but I’ve literally got nothing to wear!”
Carson giggle turned into full laughter. “Good gravy, woman, are you trying to get the Oscar for over-acting?” he asked. “I’ve taken care of everything. Your luggage will be here in a few days, and I’ve retained some movers to clean out your house and deliver everything here. So relax.” He stared at her with a “what else you got?” look on his face.
“OK, so you’ve given this some forethought,” she admitted, not at all displeased to have her man take such good care of her. “But I still don’t have any of my things here. What about that?” She put her hands on her hips and wrinkled her nose in feigned anger.
“Oh, that,” he said, trying to look like he forgot something, but he didn’t fool Katie for a second. “I’ve got an ample supply of SPF 70 that I can’t wait to slather your body with. You’ll just have to spend a couple of days au naturel under the umbrella at the pool.”
Katie bit her lip in anticipation. “And you’ll be joining me, I hope?”
“Oh yeah,” he declared. “But I get to wear swim trunks.”
“Look, captain, if I have to be nude, you have to be nude!”
“Captain?” Carson replied with a confused smirk. “What happened to admiral?”
“It seems,” Katie said with a regretful shake of her head, “you’ve been demoted.”
