Longing For The Beach Billionaire Daddy
Chapter 19

*Shelby*

The last thing I wanted to do was run into Todd, especially after his actions the night before; I thought it would be wise to avoid him completely. Book in hand, I headed to the secret deck off of the dining room balcony, where I had shared a few quiet moments with Michael.

I figured it would be the best place for me to hide out and also possibly run into Michael again. He had left in such a rush the night before; I was curious to replace out what’d happened.

I checked down the hallway before speed walking to the dining room. As soon as my hand hit the doorknob, Lauren’s voice sounded behind me.

“Shelby, I have been looking for you everywhere!”

I turned around quickly, and I was relieved to see that Lauren was alone. She was wearing a one-piece swimming suit in navy blue with the bust line cutting down to her belly button. She had a white sun hat placed on her waves of perfect curls and a pair of Chanel sunglasses to complete her beachwear.

“Lauren,” I said with a smile.

“Come with me down to the beach. I am so bored, and I can’t stand being on this boat for another second,” she said with an overly dramatic sigh

“I thought we were heading to your dad’s place and wouldn’t get there until tonight.” I turned and looked out the dining room windows. I was surprised I hadn’t noticed earlier that we weren’t moving.

“Daddy said we had to stop to refuel. He is also giving some of the crew their half-day break so they can go on land and contact family or something stupid like that,” Lauren said with a roll of her eyes.

“Oh,” I said, slightly irritated at Lauren’s insensitivity. “Well, a half-day isn’t that bad.”

“It is when you have an engagement party to plan. Plus, daddy told me that my mom is flying out for the party. She is going to be waiting at the house while we sit here all day.”

The thought of meeting Marmie made me slightly nervous. Maybe because I was worried she would be able to tell I had feelings for Michael. I couldn’t let Lauren catch me in a daydream about her dad, so I shifted the conversation as quickly as possible.

“Where is everyone else?”

“Everyone has a hangover. Todd started a drinking game last night, and everyone had a little too much.”

Well, that made a lot of the previous night make more sense. Todd was never one to handle his alcohol very well, and he was even worse at games.

I was curious as to just how many drinks made Todd forget himself the way he did last night. He was not waiting long into the engagement to show his true colors.

“How are you not hung over?” I asked, looking her up and down. She didn’t look like she had been drinking the night before at all. As always, she looked absolutely flawless.

“The bartenders know to give me water instead of an actual shot. I hate the way I get bags under my eyes when I drink too much. It is much better to stay hydrated than look hungover.”

“Right. Well, I was just going to go replace somewhere quiet to read, but reading on the beach sounds a lot more fun.”

“Great! I can wait for you to go get ready,” Lauren said, looking at my outfit. I had pulled my hair up into a ponytail and opted for a blue flowy tank top and jean shorts.

“I am ready, Lauren.”

“Oh, you look…cute. Anyway, let’s go!”

I followed Lauren out on the dock and quickly realized it would not be a simple morning on the beach.

A few members of staff had set up a large tan beach canopy surrounded by white gauzy curtains. In the center was a pair of chaise lounge chairs made of rattan and topped with matching white cushions. It looked like a photoshoot.

“Do you think you could take a few pictures of me? I haven’t posted anything in a few days, and my followers are getting antsy.”

The true purpose of Lauren inviting me to spend time with her this morning becomes very obvious. She needed a photographer, not a friend.

“Sure, I can take a few. I really want to read this book, though, so if we could be fast…”

“Oh, that is an awesome idea!”

Lauren grabbed the book out of my hand and flipped it from the front cover to the back. I must have looked confused because she quickly explained.

“We could take a few shots of me reading on the beach. I haven’t done that before. Is this one of those books that will make me look smart?”

“Yeah, I guess we could. It’s just a romance novel, I don’t know if your followers will think it makes you smart, but it might make you a little more relatable to some people.”

“Smart people read, Shelby. You, of all people, should know that. Maybe I will stop getting all those mean comments about being stupid. I can caption it ‘steamy reading on the beach.'”

Lauren took her place on the lounge in a very photogenic pose that made her look graceful while still artfully showing off her cleavage. She opened the book and draped it over herself, careful not to block her best assets.

After a few pictures, she would check my work and replace the smallest thing she didn’t like and would make me take more.

“Make sure you get the lighting just right and hold the camera up higher for a better angle. Oh, and make sure to get a good view of the ring. I’m hoping someone will notice it, and then my comment section will blow up.”

“Don’t you want to wait until the actual announcement?” I asked.

“Oh, no! I am going to pretend like it is a mistake that I posted a picture with the ring on; that way, it will attract more attention.”

“It’s always about the attention with you,” I said under my breath.

“What was that?”

“Tilt your head up higher, so you don’t have a double chin.”

Lauren gasped and asked to see the pictures I had taken, so she could search for the nonexistent double chin. I felt bad as soon as I said it; I didn’t need to stoop to her level.

After replaceing out so much about Lauren’s past, I understood why she could be so hard to be around at times. If I had found out my father wasn’t really my father after he passed away, I would have been devastated too.

“I think it was just a shadow, Lauren; you don’t have a double chin in any of these pictures. I don’t think it is even possible for you to have a double chin,” I said, trying to make up for my moment of weakness.

“Of course, you’re right,” Lauren said as she handed her phone back to me. Apparently, we weren’t done taking pictures.

“Maybe we could get a few shots of me in the sand. Those always get a ton of likes.”

Lauren began to position herself on her stomach in the sand with the book open in front of her. She bent her knees, so her legs were in the air, and she bit the end of her sunglasses while she pretended to read.

The pictures looked like they belonged on the cover of a magazine. Lauren looked so natural, even though she was strategically posing herself.

“Lauren, do you ever get tired of this?”

“Of taking pictures? No, not really.”

“Not just of the pictures, but of constantly worrying about what others are thinking of you.”

“That is why I take so many pictures; if you put your best picture out there, the only ones who comment mean things are the people who are jealous.”

“It just seems like so much work to paint yourself as perfect all the time. I guess that is why I stopped using social media so long ago for the most part.”

“For once, things actually are perfect. I have the perfect fiance, and soon I’ll have the perfect wedding too. If you ever want to get back onto social media, I could help you. A lot of guys have a thing for redheads.”

“I’m good for now, but thanks,” I said and resumed taking pictures.

I realized that Lauren likely didn’t know about my past relationship with Todd because I never posted anything about it on social media. If I didn’t tell her, she likely wouldn’t ever know, and I did not want to be the one to break that news to her.

So I kept my mouth shut and kept taking every picture Lauren asked for.

“I think I should have something I can work with from these. Thanks, Shelby, for helping me out. It was so much fun to spend some time with you,” Lauren said and made her way back to the ship without looking back.

It wasn’t exactly my idea of fun to take pictures all afternoon, but I was finally alone, and I could enjoy my book.

I took Lauren’s chaise lounge under the shade of the canopy. Even with the breeze gently fluttering the sheer curtains hanging off the canopy, I was still dripping sweat. I had to stand directly in the sun to get all of the shots until my wet tank top clung to my body.

I checked the beach to make sure it was empty before slipping my shirt off and setting it next to me on the empty lounge chair. I felt so much cooler as the breeze snuck through the gaps of my lacy bralette.

I opened my book and was so thankful for the silence. I got sucked into the story on the pages, so much so that I did not hear the voices approaching until they were only a few feet from me.

“Can you call and make sure the interest rate we discussed earlier is set in stone?”

“Of course, sir.”

I didn’t have time to slip back into my shirt, so I pressed the open book to my chest, taking advantage of the little coverage it offered me.

I looked up to replace Michael and Reggie staring at me. Reggie quickly averted his eyes, his cheeks glowing crimson.

Michael stared openly at my body, and when his eyes met mine, I knew he wanted me as much as I wanted him.