Page 89 of Tell Me Something

“Hmm, sounds more like a compliment than a telling me something I don’t know about you.”

“Maybe. So what’s on the agenda today?”

His face leaned in for a quick kiss. “I thought we could go snorkeling today. Maybe tomorrow we can take out a boat and go to one of the other islands.”

“That sounds great except I don’t have any clothes.”

“Ah, that reminds me.” He handed me a robe and then opened the master bedroom closet. “Take a look.”

The first thought I had was that he had surprised me by packing my things. So when I glanced inside the closet to find at least twenty-five items of clothing I didn’t recognize, I was momentarily confused.

“What is all this?” I took out one of the hangers. It held a white bikini that still had the tags and appeared to be my exact size. There were a couple pairs of shorts, some cover-ups, sandals on the bottom, and even a wetsuit.

“I called a shop on the island, gave them your sizes, and requested that they bring these things by for you.”

“To borrow?”

“No, of course not. I bought them for you.”

I kept my back toward him as I processed this. Finally, I turned around, trying to find the best way to say it without insulting him. “It’s not that I don’t appreciate it, but I could’ve brought my stuff from home. I thought maybe you meant that we would be naked the whole time or in robes like this. But I didn’t think it meant you were going to buy me a new beach wardrobe.” He’d just given me a first class ticket to Australia and then flew me down to the islands. For some reason the new wardrobe pushed it over an invisible threshold for me.

“Haylee, I’m a wealthy man who hasn’t spent any money on you thus far. Can you please accept the gift?”

Great, he was offended.

I wished he would understand where I was coming from. “You bought me my iPad, a plane ticket to Australia, and this trip down here. Josh, I don’t want anything from you but you.”

That appeared to hit home as his features softened. He took my hand. “Come here. Let me tell you something about me.”

I followed him over to the bed where he sat me on the edge and then kneeled so that he was eye level with me.

“I’ve never been overly generous when it comes to giving gifts or making frivolous purchases. I don’t subscribe to trends. I’ve had the same suits for many years, the same furniture for many more, my father’s watches. The same man has cut my hair for the last ten years who still charges me sixteen dollars. And clearly I have judgment issues regarding those I perceive who do make frivolous purchases.”

“Oh, I’m well aware of that.” I thought of London.

“Yes, and I was properly and justifiably put in my place, which leads me to you. Most women— Actually, you know what? I’ve learned my lesson with that. Let me clarify, my ex-wife and even other women I’ve dated tended to have an expectation about me. They assumed if we went out to dinner, it would always be a four-hundred-dollar meal with the most expensive wine. If we went on vacation, it would be lavish. If they hinted that they loved a friend’s purse, then they expected I’d buy them one. Hell, my ex even went so far as to say I was cheap because I didn’t want a million-dollar wedding.”

“You’re talking to the wrong person if you want to me confirm that spending less than a million dollars on a wedding is cheap.”

“Exactly, and that brings me to you. From the very beginning, you didn’t have that expectation. Hell, you took me to In-N-Out burger. And you don’t hint or have an expectation for anything for Christmas, and then you get me an incredibly thoughtful gift.”

“It was only a cereal bowl.”

His eyes regarded me. “Haylee, it meant more to me than a lot of other gifts I’ve ever been given because you remembered something I told you and then thought about it. You didn’t give it with any anticipation of receiving something in return. Giving you that plane ticket felt good because I know how much seeing your family means to you. And no offense, but your best pair of underwear shouldn’t come from Catherine. And because I know you’d never splurge on yourself, it makes me incredibly happy to do it for you.”

“Well, when you put it that way, how can I possibly say no?” I took his face between my hands and kissed him thoroughly.

“Thank you,” he approved, obviously pleased that I was accepting the gifts.

“More like, thank you. Do you want a fashion show?” I wiggled my brows.

He laughed, helping me to my feet. “I would love one. But to warn you, it might mean that snorkeling gets postponed because I can’t be responsible for my actions.”

“Hmm, I like it even more, then.”

I proceeded to put on a show with my two new bikinis, one in white and the other one a fun navy-and-white stripe. Then I modeled a couple cute sundresses, two cover-ups that went great with the bikinis, shorts, and T-shirts of the softest material. In addition, he’d purchased four sets of bra and panty combinations in various soft-hued colors. My favorites by far, though, were the camisole and short combinations for sleeping; two of them were silk and two of them were cashmere.

“I feel like all I want to do is pet myself in this.” The feeling against my skin was luxurious.