Page 7 of The Last Bachelor Dragon (Mysteries of Dragon’s Island #8)
CHAPTER 6
***MAX***
M ax set his breakfast down on the edge of his desk, then sank into his chair with an exhausted sigh, wishing he could just go back to his cabin and sleep the day away. Closing his eyes for a second, he tried to relax, but Nora’s face kept popping into his mind just like it had done all night long, and just like that he found himself thinking about her again.
She’d let her guard down just a little bit for the first time since she came to the island last night, but as usual he’d messed the whole thing up and pissed her off. He never met anyone as stubborn as she was and he wasn’t completely convinced that she wasn’t in some kind of trouble. No one needed to disappear without a good reason, and Nora had made it very clear that vanishing had been the only option to save herself, which just made him feel even more protective of her. If she would just let him in, give him a chance to prove to her that he could be trusted, everything would be so much easier for both of them.
Feeling the usual frustration building up inside him, he pushed Nora out of his mind. He couldn’t control her, he could only go forward with his plan to make her miserable enough to open up to him. He’d long ago stopped enjoying it, but he wasn’t about to give up. He needed to get her off the island before he did something stupid and messed up his future with the woman he was destined to meet and fall in love with.
It was a relief when his phone began to buzz and he pulled it out of his pocket, glad for the distraction. “Archie, it’s about time you called me back,” he said. “Where are you and Felicity this week?”
“We’re actually back home for a few days, that’s why I didn’t call you back right away,” Archie said. “Should I be making room in our schedule for a wedding? That was awfully quick, but the island doesn’t mess around, I guess.”
“That’s not why I called,” he barked. “I’m not getting married; that’s the last thing on my mind.”
There was a short silence on the other end. “Okay, sorry I said anything. I can see that you’re still a little sensitive about the topic,” Archie said, his voice full of amusement. “Just wait until you meet her, that will change your mind, you’ll see.”
“The last thing I need now is another woman driving me crazy,” he said. “I’ve got enough trouble on my hands, which is why I called, I need your help.”
“Wait, what do you mean, another woman?” Archie asked, his voice filled with curiosity.
“Just pretend I didn’t say that, I don’t want to talk about Nora right now,” he said. “Can we get back to me needing your help?”
“In just a second, I want to hear more about this Nora,” Archie said. “Who is she, and why is she driving you crazy?”
“She’s just a woman we pulled off that boat when we rescued Juliet,” he said. “She won’t tell me who she is or where she came from. She seems to think that it’s a good idea for me to dump her in Bermuda with no money and no passport.”
“Sounds like she’s running from someone,” Archie said. “That’s interesting.”
“It is not, it’s driving me crazy, but I’m dealing with her,” he said. “Now, can we get back to why I called? I’ve got a drug dealer trying to take over the island, my problems with Nora are nothing.”
That got Archie’s attention. “Okay, I’m listening now,” he said. “Who is he? Why isn’t the government doing anything to help you?”
“Carlos Adaloni, everyone around here is scared of him, including the government,” he explained. “They basically told Mateo that we’re on our own, they’re not going to lift a finger to help us.”
“Sounds to me like someone is bribing them,” Archie said, his voice thoughtful. “You’re going to need help defending the island. We’ll be on the first flight we can get. When is everyone else getting there?”
“In the next couple of days,” he said. “I already talked to them all; you were the last one to call me back.”
“It will be good to have everyone together,” Archie said. “I just wish it was under different circumstances.”
“Yeah, me too,” he said. “Let me know when you book your flights so I can have someone meet you.”
When he hung up the phone, he let out a long sigh. It had been years since all eight of them had been together, and now with the wives, it would be a huge group banding together to save the island. He was suddenly very glad that his friends had all fallen for strong women. They would be nothing but an asset in the coming battle, even if they had to stay in the background to protect the next generation they were all carrying. More than aware how lucky he was to have them all in his life, he began to feel more confident that Carlos Adaloni would never get his hands on the island.
His breakfast suddenly much more appealing, he opened it and started eating and making plans in his head as the food slowly disappeared. Harrison and Juliet would be back from their honeymoon the next day, then the planning could really start, but first he had to find room for all his friends. It briefly occurred to him that he could kick Nora out of the cabin with the excuse that one of the couples needed it, but then thought about how angry she would be and changed his mind. He’d just have to find another way to get to her.
When his breakfast was gone, he got to his feet, deciding it was time to check on her. He was looking forward to seeing her hot and sweaty in the dish pit of the kitchen. If he was lucky by the end of the day she’d be begging him to listen to her, and he could finally be rid of her once and for all.
***Nora***
“This is my last table,” Nora called, punching in the order. “I think everyone else is done too.”
“Another perfect service,” Carla said, a satisfied smile on her face as she shoved plates across the pass through. “Brandi is tied up with that table of eight. Can you take these to table six?”
“You bet,” she said, grabbing the hot plates carefully and loading them onto a tray. “I’ll be back for my order in a few minutes.”
After dropping off the food, she made a quick round of the dining room with a full pot of coffee, then headed back to the kitchen, surprised to discover she was having fun. The restaurant was nothing like the diner; there were no junkies, prostitutes or drunks hanging around. The customers were pleasant and fun to talk to, and she enjoyed hearing their stories, loved getting a glimpse into other people's lives. Working there until she saved enough to convince Max to take her to Bermuda wouldn’t be that hard, and she still had her time with Marie to look forward to. If she was lucky, by the time she left she’d have some valuable skills to help her land a job.
Slipping back into the kitchen, she went back over to the pass through and waited as Carla plated her last order. “You’ve done a great job today,” Carla said. “You’ve got a place on the team if you want it.”
“Are you kidding? I’d love to work here,” she said. “I had so much fun today. This is nothing like the last place I worked, everyone is so nice.”
“Then it’s settled,” Carla said, smiling at her. “Why don’t you finish the rest of your tables? Then come find me so we can talk about the details.”
“That’s a deal,” she said, lifting the tray expertly onto her shoulder like she’d been doing it all her life. “I’d better get these out before they get cold.”
An hour later, she found Carla in her office doing paper work. “Hey, sorry that took so long,” she said, hovering in the open door. “I couldn’t just go off and leave everyone else to clean up.”
Carla looked up at her and smiled. “I knew you had potential,” she said, then gestured to a chair. “Come in and sit down. Make yourself comfortable.”
She settled herself across from Carla, suddenly nervous. “Thanks for giving me a chance today, I really did enjoy it,” she said. “It was interesting being on the other side of things.”
After studying her for a few seconds, Carla sat back in her chair. “I’m dying to ask you a bunch of questions, but I’m not going to do that to you,” she finally said. “I’m going to respect your privacy, but if you ever want to talk, I’ll be here to listen. Everyone needs a little help now and then.”
“Stella said that same thing to me yesterday,” she said. “Thank you for the offer, but what you can teach me here is going to be a huge help when I finally get off the island. I’m a little short on marketable skills; a degree in art history doesn’t lead to very many job opportunities.”
“Art history, that’s a worthless degree,” Carla said. “Let me guess, it was your father’s idea.”
“How did you know?” she asked, suddenly a bit nervous that Carla might have figured out who she was.
“My father tried to pull the same thing on me,” Carla said, shrugging her shoulders. “He tried to run my life, make me get a degree I didn’t want, and marry a man he chose. I put a stop to it as soon as I turned eighteen. I walked away and never looked back. I’ve been on my own since then, but I’ve done okay.”
“You’ve done better than okay,” she said, a flicker of hope suddenly coming to life. “If you can do it, so can I.”
“You can do anything you put your mind to,” Carla said. “And you certainly don’t need a man telling you what to do.”
“I just want to live my life my way; that shouldn’t be too much to ask,” she said, relieved to find someone who understood how she felt. “But if he finds me, he’ll drag me back home and never let me leave again. I can’t let that happen.”
“We won’t let that happen,” Carla said. “We girls have to stick together.”
“I’ve never really had anyone on my side,” she said. “My sister is perfectly happy to play along, she could never understand why I fought it so much.”
“Because you’re a strong, intelligent, independent woman,” Carla said, smiling at her. “I think you’re going to be just fine, Nora, and I’ll do everything I can to help while you’re here. ”
“Thank you, I really appreciate it,” she said, then hesitated. “Max is going to be angry when he finds out. He’s been trying to make me miserable, so I’ll tell him who I am, but I’m afraid that as soon as I do, he’ll be on the phone with my family. I’ve asked him to take me to Bermuda, but he refuses, then gets mad when someone tries to help me. I just don’t understand what’s wrong with him. Just because he saved me, he seems to think I’m his responsibility.”
A look of surprise appeared on Carla’s face, then a little smile turned up the corners of her mouth. “How interesting. I’m glad you told me,” she said, then shook her head. “I’ve got bad news for you, when Max makes his mind up about something, he rarely changes it. You might be here for a while.”
“I was afraid of that,” she said, letting out a sigh. “I don’t know why he can’t just let me go, we barely know each other.”
“I can’t answer that, but I will say this, you aren’t the only one who has secrets. Max has a few of his own,” Carla said. “Now, let’s talk about your schedule.”