I waved a hand. "They're just being nice."
"They like you and want to get to know you better."
"It feels a little weird. I've always viewed myself as the nanny. I'm not part of your family." And I shouldn't want to be. This was temporary.
"I think if you were dating me for real, you would have agreed. It's the natural progression of a relationship to get to know my family."
"I suppose that makes sense. I can do that." It was a good reminder that what we shared wasn't real, and Dalton had his eye on the endgame: custody of his daughter. He wasn't interested in a relationship.
Did I want to form relationships with these women? Getting in deeper with his family and friends when we were planning to break up?
"I have a feeling that they want to be your friends. They don't view you as just the nanny."
I wasn't so sure about that. But then again, I was the one who had clearly drawn that line in my head. It was better to keep distance from the family itself. "It would be nice to have a social life on the island."
"We never discussed official days off. But obviously when Lilliana's with Oakley, you're welcome to do whatever you need to do, outside of our relationship duties of course. We should probably schedule more time together like this."
"Yeah, that's a good idea." This evening might have started out as a date, but it was all for show.
We finished our meal, Dalton insisting we share a slice of chocolate cake because that was a couple thing to do. I was disarmed when he insisted on feeding me the first bite. I returned the favor and couldn't help but blush at the way he held my gaze while he chewed.
When we finished, Dalton got the check. We walked through the restaurant holding hands, and it felt like everyone's eyes were on me. I hoped there wasn't any negative fallout from us being together. I only wanted to help Dalton and Lilliana, not make things harder for them.
The drive home was quiet, and when he parked, Dalton turned to me and said, "I'm not ready for the night to be over. Do you want to take a walk on the beach?"
"I'd love to," I said.
He helped me out of the truck again, even though there was no one around to see us. Then we dropped our shoes in the house, and he grabbed a flashlight to combat the darkening sky.
The sand was warm on my feet, a product of the glare of the sun during the day. I sank in the thicker sand until we made it to where the tide was coming in.
He kept my hand secured in his, and I wondered why he'd asked to go on a walk. Was this an extension of our fake date? Did he think we'd run into a lot of people on the beach and wanted to keep up appearances?
The perfect date on the island should end in a walk on the beach. If this were real, would he kiss me on the walk or by the door?
My mind was running rampant with scenarios. I hadn't even thought about a first kiss with a man in a long time.
"It's a nice night."
"Is this how you always end a date?"
"You know, it's been a while since I dated anyone who wasn't Oakley, and she was more of a bonfire kind of girl. She liked getting together with friends and being the center of attention. I kind of liked our quieter night."
"I did too."
We walked for a short while near the edge of the water. I was mostly avoiding the water, but the waves drifted closer.
Dalton tugged me toward him, and my hands rested on his chest. The water lapped at our feet, and I shivered slightly from the chill.
"It makes me feel more alive to notice the sand at my feet and the temperature of the water. Whenever things felt heavy with Oakley, and I was worried about not seeing Lilliana, I'd come out here and remind myself that there's this huge world out there and it's much bigger than us."
I allowed my mind to focus on the wind in my hair and the sand eroding under my feet from the receding wave. I liked that Dalton had shared something so personal with me. "I haven't slowed down to appreciate something like this in a long time."
"It's easy to get caught up in everything else. But I take time to appreciate nature and ground myself in the moment."
His face was illuminated by the moon, and his heart was beating a steady rhythm under my palm. His body was radiating warmth, and I wanted to snuggle closer. I wanted to see if he was hard everywhere, but he wasn't mine.
There was a soft rumble of thunder.
