Rescue Me(10)

"I just want to be sure she has a good time. She works too hard and really needs to enjoy her vacation," Brandon said, but Cole was only halfway listening. He'd heard Meredith out on the patio and he was in a hurry to get Brandon out of there so he could go check on her. She'd probably woken up feeling terrible if she'd had enough to drink to pass out on him.

"Are you even listening to me? You do have someone in there, don't you?" Brandon narrowed his eyes suspiciously, trying to peek around Cole through the crack in the door. "You know I don't need you sleeping with the guests while you're here."

Cole held his hands up in defense. "I swear I didn't sleep with anyone last night." Not that he hadn't wanted to. "Tell me what you want me to do." He figured he'd get Brandon off his back sooner if he showed more interest in this sister of his he wanted entertained for the day.

"Just take her out on the boat, show her some of the islands. Teach her to snorkel if you can get her to. Or maybe show her some sailing basics. Most importantly, make sure she has a good time. You'll have a good time too."

Cole seriously doubted it. He'd rather spend his day getting to know Meredith a little better. That surprised him. He never let himself spend time with a woman if it wasn't directly related to sex.

"Why exactly do you want me to go out of my way to make sure she has a good time?" Cole figured this sister must be just as uptight as Brandon. He could just see her now, some mousy workaholic type that preferred to spend her time digging into her work instead of sinking her toes in the sand. Nothing at all like Meredith. His mind drifted back to when they were dancing and he couldn't keep the grin off his face.

Brandon caught the look but mistook its source. "Not that kind of a good time. Dude, this is my sister we're talking about. She is absolutely positively off limits. Got it?" He crossed his arms and stared daggers at Cole.

Cole shook his head, laughing. "I'm a reformed man, remember?" Besides, he really didn't think he'd be interested in her if she was as dull as Brandon was making her out to be. Who came to the beach and had to be forced to have fun?

"I'll believe that when I see it. But for now, you better make sure of it. See you at ten." He turned to leave.

"Maybe you should take your own advice, dude," Cole called after him.

Brandon didn't turn around but raised his middle finger over his head as he walked away. Cole laughed. Brandon was a good guy, one of the best, and they went back all the way to college, but sometimes they were so different that Cole wondered how they'd ever become such good friends.

Going back in the room, he shut the door behind him and walked toward the patio door. He'd left it open when he woke up and came inside. "Meredith?"

No answer. He was sure he'd heard her out there. When he went out and didn't see her, he continued across the balcony to the bedroom doors. The curtains were open, so he knew she was up. Sliding the door open, he glanced around the room and frowned when he didn't find her there either. She must have gone into the bathroom.

He waited, debating on what to say to her. He never did this morning after stuff, so he wasn't sure how to go about it. After a few minutes he started to worry that maybe she was sick, so he rapped softly on the door. It wasn't latched and opened slightly at his touch. "You okay in there?"

When she didn't reply, he pushed the door open all the way and peered in. He couldn't fight the unfamiliar disappointment at what he found. Or rather, didn't find.

She was gone.

***





Meredith shut the door to her room and dropped her head against it. She was pretty sure she'd made it back undetected, but all she needed was for some staff member to report to her brother that they'd seen her making the walk of shame. With a heavy sigh, she walked to the bathroom and dug through her bag for some pain medicine. She was going to need it if she intended to make it through the day.

A knock on her door made her groan. Brandon. She'd nearly forgotten. He had some crazy notion that he needed to keep her entertained, starting with her first full day on the property.

A quick glance in the mirror told her she was in no condition to answer the door, her hair full of tangled knots sticking out in all directions. Would Brandon be able to tell that she'd had a wild and crazy night?

"Mere?" The knock came a little louder this time. "Are you still asleep?"

He would be persistent until she let him in, so she only hoped he thought she always looked that disheveled in the mornings.

Meredith pulled the door open, feigning a yawn. She blinked groggily at her brother's cheerful smile and grimaced.

"Good morning to you, too. Time to get up, sleepy head," he said, affectionately ruffling her hair as if she were still a child. Sometimes she wondered if he realized she had grown up. He walked past her and sat down on a chair. She followed him back into the suite, stopping at the coffee pot to set it up to brew.

She turned around and found him surveying her carefully. "Long night?"

Meredith shrugged noncommittally. "Jet lag," she tossed back.

"We're in the same time zone."

"You want any coffee?" she asked, hoping to change the subject.

"Already had some. I've been up for hours."

Glancing at the clock, Meredith frowned at him. "It's only seven."