Deserted Desire

Chapter 10

The first thing Alec did when he woke up was check his phone for reception. He couldn’t believe his eyes when a single bar lit up on his screen. Yes! He quickly fired off an email to Sandra, letting her know what happened, and instructed her to add a standard hotel rate for two nights to his expense account and to have a check sent to Desirée Grimaud at the time of invoicing. He also asked her to contact the rental company and sort everything out with them.

Desirée would help him get a taxi, he was sure of it. She would probably only be relieved to see him go. The way she’d shied away from him when he innocuously kissed her cheek the night before suggested as much.

Alec sighed and got out of bed to take a shower in the small bathroom.

~~~

Desirée took a deep breath before she opened the door to her studio, balancing the breakfast tray in one hand. It was a beautiful morning; the grass glistened in the early morning sun, still damp from last night’s rain shower, and the birds were chirping.

The power was back on and she’d been able to make a call to Zach to check on Juliette before she started preparing breakfast. There was nothing stopping Alec from leaving now that the cell tower was back up and working again. She could call him a taxi and have him taken to the airport. As she stood outside his door, ready to knock, she asked herself why she hadn’t already called for a taxi. Why didn’t the thought of him walking out of her life for good sound as appealing to her as it had just a few days ago?

Before she had the chance to knock, the door opened in front of her and she took a step back in surprise.

“I thought I heard footsteps,” Alec said and leaned against the doorway, studying her. 

She tried not to gawk at the smooth expanse of chest on display right in front of her or the towel wrapped around his hips and raised her eyes to his green orbs.

“Coffee and pancakes,” she blurted and held out the tray. “I had an American Pancake mix in stock. I figured you might be tired of bread by now,” she shrugged with a smile.

Alec glanced down at the platter of neatly stacked pancakes with syrup drizzled over them and the smell of fresh ground coffee. Not exactly the healthiest breakfast around, but when a woman made you breakfast in bed, you didn’t count calories – just contemplated how to burn them off.

“Thank you,” he said, his voice still a bit gravelly from sleep. “Won’t you join me?”

Desirée cast a glance into the room and the rumpled sheets on the bed. No, she wouldn’t join him.

“I have to…” Desirée trailed off. Usually, she would spend the day with Juliette, but without her, what did she really have to do?

Alec simply nodded, saving her the explanation, and Desirée spun around and hurried out of the guest house.

~~~

Busying herself with cleaning the entire cottage – now being able to use the vacuum cleaner – Desirée managed to pass the time. She had expected Alec to come over to the cottage when he’d finished his breakfast, but he’d stayed away. Maybe he was already gone, she mused, but highly doubted it. He would need her to call a taxi. He was probably busy making traveling arrangements, checking flights, that sort of thing…

When she’d finished cleaning, and started a new load of laundry, Desirée checked the time. Almost one o’clock. She felt her stomach rumble and made her way to the kitchen to get lunch started.

While the soup was cooking, Desirée grabbed her phone and called Zach. “Hi, how’s it going?” she asked as soon as he picked up. “Did you have lunch yet?”