Superfan (Brooklyn #3)(42)

I almost didn’t come. And not because this trip is inconvenient. Charla Harris is working hard to line up songwriting dates for me, and I had to delay them for this trip. And getting here wasn’t easy—a flight to San Juan, followed by another to Tortola. I put Mr. Muscles up at a hotel there for five days, because it was cheaper than flying him home.

Besides, who wouldn’t want a free trip to Tortola? But my bodyguard seemed more anxious than happy. His security company didn’t like this trip. At all. Not that I care.

But the biggest problem with this trip is me. I’m a nervous wreck. What if it’s weird? What if Silas and I don’t have as much to talk about as we thought? What if he’d rather party with his friends than spend time with me?

What if it’s just not the same? I’m worried that I’ve built up our one night together in my head.

The woman next to me reaches over and covers my hand with her own. And I realize that I’ve been drumming anxiously on the gunwale. “Sorry,” I say quickly.

She laughs, and I turn to see that we’re wearing almost identical big dark sunglasses and floppy hats. She also has thick, dark hair. We could be cousins. The biggest difference between us is the squirmy toddler on her lap, who is currently trying to pull her own sunhat off.

“I’m Zara,” the woman says. “And I can’t believe I just did that. It’s a mom thing. If your drink was too close to the edge of the table, I’d also move that away from your hand. Hopefully I won’t actually wipe your face with my napkin. It’s a sickness.”

“I’m a nervous tapper,” I admit. “My assistant does the same thing, but she isn’t as nice about it.”

“Not a fan of the water?” she asks.

“No it’s…” There’s no explaining it to a stranger. “I’m Delilah, by the way.”

“Oh!” Her eyes light up. “I thought you looked familiar, and now I remember why. You’re Silas’s date. He’s the cutest. They’re taking bets over whether you’ll show up.”

“Yes. Right.” I am stammering. “Wait, why?”

“Just to tease him. He never brings a date anywhere.” She smiles again. “They’re always betting about something. You get used to it. There’s also a betting pool over whether Dave and I will have a second child by the end of next season. Dave just retired, so I guess that’s where their minds go.” She rolls her eyes.

“Daddy coming now?” the little girl asks.

Zara replaces the hat on her bright red hair. “You’ll see Daddy in five minutes, I swear. Now leave that hat on before I glue it to your head.”

The little girl gives her an evil grin.

“We’ve lived apart,” Zara says. “Long story. Nicole is fascinated with the idea that Daddy is going to live at our house.” She laughs. “But when you’re two, normal is whatever you know.”

“I think normal is generally pretty elusive. Right now, for instance.” Flying to a private island to see Silas feels so crazy. And yet here I am.

“Too late now,” Zara says cheerfully.

I look up to see an island on the horizon. On one end, the land rises to showcase a mansion with a multifaceted roofline and a sweeping terrace. Trees hide any other buildings on the property. There’s a little harbor with a dock. “Wow.”

“I know!” Zara says.

“Daddy!” the little girl screams, scrambling to climb up her mother for a better look.

“Easy, killer.” Zara sighs, freeing a small, sandaled foot from her crotch. “The flight was basically just like this. Hey—I think the whole team is waiting for this boat.”

Indeed, there’s a crowd of handsome men standing around in swim trunks and sunglasses. I scan their faces, spotting Silas on the end. He’s wearing a tight gray T-shirt and has his hands thrust into his pockets.

And, wow. Hi, hormone rush. If there’s a more appealing man on the planet, I haven’t ever seen one.

The moment the boat nudges the dock, the dark-skinned pilot hops out to secure it. That’s when Zara’s daughter gets free of her mother and scrambles, dodging other passengers as she breaks for the dock.

“Nicole!” Zara calls, her voice sharp. She stands up, but there are others in her way now.

The pilot steps back into the boat and catches Nicole neatly by the T-shirt before she can climb overboard. And a redheaded man, laughing, runs down the dock toward the boat. “I’ll take that off your hands.”

“DADDY!”

There’s a wave of laughter from the people onshore.

“Mom fail,” Zara says with a sigh. “I may not sit down the whole time we’re here.”

“That sight, though.” The redheaded man has his little girl wrapped in a tight hug, and it’s so sweet that watching them makes me feel like I’m intruding.

When it’s my turn to step off the boat, Silas is waiting. “Hi,” he says quietly, lifting the brim of my hat a few degrees so he can see me. Then he gives me a quick kiss on the jaw.

“Hi, yourself.”

He smiles, and the corners of his eyes crinkle. I could stand here admiring him all day, but a gauntlet of his friends are waiting, and I am suddenly intimidated.

For someone who is required to meet and charm strangers all the time, I’m not very good at it. And Silas has a lot of friends. They’re all tall and healthy-looking and staring at us.