What had the old man been thinking by changing up things at the last minute? Just like him to pull some trick on them, something to pay them back for going their own ways after Mother passed away. Well, Colton had long ago lost his respect for his father and had no regrets. None whatsoever.
* * * *
Two years later
“You cut the ribbon.” Duncan held out the over-sized silver scissors to Colton. “You’re the one who put the down payment on the land. If it weren’t for you, we’d not even be able to do this project together.”
Colton took the scissors and patted his brother’s shoulder. So much had changed between them over the past couple of years. So much had changed period. Duncan was now engaged to a lovely woman. Elisa Lucken, who was building her own event planning business. She was not only beautiful but a huge influence on his brother’s more pleasant attitude. Duncan no longer acted, or looked, like a bear woken too early from its hibernation. He’d come out of hiding to become quite the public figure with his flourishing custom designed jewelry business and growing number of fundraisers and other charitable projects. They’d projected that he’d meet Father’s trust condition in the next year or so.
Jeremy, the youngest Grimwood had already met his conditions, the little rat. But he understood money and how to make it grow like weeds in a vegetable garden. Jeremy stood beside his new wife, Melody Carson-Grimwood who owned the mountain ski resort. Their family had vacationed here for years. At least this place offered more happy memories than their other vacation destination he had ahead of him.
He and Duncan planned to build a new hotel and therapy spa around the natural hot springs Melody had found nearly a year ago.
Colton gave a nod. “Fine, I’ll cut, you talk.”
Jeremy checked his watched and motioned with his hand for them to get a move on. He was so ready to start his honeymoon. Colton didn’t blame him. Both of his brothers had chosen well. It almost made Colton rethink his personal promise to never give his heart to another woman for as long as he lived.
But he’d see how these marriages worked out. They were new. Their love was still full of those first excited emotions that drove two people together. Let them see how they handled life’s storms when they came. And they would come. He knew this with complete certainty.
Duncan gave a wonderfully short speech about the history of the resort, their association with the Carson family, and the need to grow to cater to more people in search of a homey, yet exciting place to spend their vacations. The summer crowd was much smaller than those who came to ski the winter slopes, but Melody still made a good living with those who enjoyed camping, hiking, mountain climbing, and hunting.
Duncan gestured toward Colton with a nod. “We give you the future spot of the Legacy Hotel and therapy spa.”
Colton snipped the bright blue ribbon and stepped back as people moved closer to the small box where Melody and the Grimwood brothers would each break ground with a brand-new shovel. Of course, it would be tractors and earth diggers that arrived early next week to begin construction.
Duncan promised to oversee the project while Colton finally made sail for the family’s private resort island. Colton would have given anything to trade places, but the island was the provision that Marcus Grimwood had given him to take care of. A cruel joke, far as Colton was concerned.
Dad knew how he felt about that cursed island. It brought out the worst in people, from his experience.
Colton was to fly to New York tonight with the girls. After a two-day stop to stock up on food and clothing, provided by Auntie Suzette, they’d set sail south toward the islands surrounding the southern tip of Florida. One of those little bumps in the ocean belonged to him now. Well, not for long, if he had his say.
Colton secretly hoped a hurricane would rear its ugly head and prevent him from reaching his destination. Except they were out of hurricane season. Maybe some sea serpent would gobble them up. One could only hope.
For the last place on earth Colton Grimwood wished to be was at the very place where he found out not only the true nature of his father but also his wife, Ally Lea, right before she died. He’d never even had a chance to confront Ally over what he’d seen. She had taken the truth to her grave, but it plagued his heart like a patch of mold that grew darker and darker each year that passed.
Well, he’d take care of that infernal island. Once and for all, he’d take get rid of it, even if it ended up costing him everything he had coming to him.
Chapter One
Priscilla Finley sat in the wicker chair in the shade of the porch. Beside her sat an older man who gazed out across the residential garden with pinched brows. She reached over and squeezed his rough hand. He didn’t even seem to notice.
A tan baseball cap with a bass on the front sat perched low on his head. Snowy white hair poked out from under the edges around his ears. His blue-plaid shirt wasn’t buttoned up right, but when Cilla tried to fix it, he’d slapped her hands away.
This was not one of Daddy’s better days. But at least he had on clean jeans today. That meant at some point in the morning, he’d allowed his nurse to shower and dress him.
Maybe Cilla should have come earlier, but her swim class ran longer than anticipated and the ride to the mainland took over an hour. She had to get someone to look at the boat’s motor before it completely gave out on her.
Cilla’s mind raced with possible topics she could try talking to him about. He didn’t understand her mermaid business. When she did try to talk about the new girls she was training at the aquarium, he’d gruffly spout that there was no such thing as merfolk and she should take her foolishness somewhere else.
An older woman pushing a walker ambled past. “Good morning, Teddy,” she greeted with a wave of the powder blue scarf clutched in her hand. “It’s a beautiful day, don’t you think?”
Daddy stared at her for a long moment, then offered a slight nod. “Would be if people’d leave me be for a change. They’re always jabbering at me and trying to steal my blood. And other things.” He gave an ominous nod and glanced around nervously. “Keep me locked up here like I’ve done some kind of crime. I don’t…understand.”
Cilla was about to tell him that he wasn’t locked up but knew better than to argue. She reached over and patted his arm. “I can push you around the garden—”
He jerked his arm away and growled for her to not touch him.
Cilla smoothed her greenish blue skirt over her legs, trying to remind herself to not take offense. His actions weren’t about her. Honestly, she was almost sure that he didn’t even know it was his only daughter sitting beside him.
She turned her attention to the elderly woman who was shaking her head in sympathy. “You look lovely today, Mrs. Olivia,” Cilla waved back. “I love that peach blouse on you. It’s your perfect color.”
Mrs. Olivia smiled. She’d forgotten to put in her uppers today. It happened from time to time. Cilla had grown used to the oddities she’d seen at her father’s retirement home.
“Thank you, dear. I love those shells in your hair. Don’t see that kind of adornment often.”
“Oh, yeah.” Cilla’s hand quickly went to the netting she’d woven into her hair that morning. “I didn’t have time to change after work.”
She’d had a small class today, but was determined to always stay in character when she taught her mermaid swimming lessons. Soon as it was over, she’d ditched her aquamarine and purple tail to set sail for the mainland. Visiting hours would be over once they started calling everyone to the dining room for dinner. She needed to leave soon if she hoped to practice with her new fin before nightfall. The hot summer day wasn’t providing much in wind speed, so she’d have to depend on the craft’s failing motor to get her home.
Mrs. Olivia moved on in search of someone who might actually respond to her greetings. There were fewer and fewer in this ward. At least Mrs. Olivia still had more good days than bad.
Daddy, unfortunately, had sta
rted to go downhill rather quickly. They were worried about his heart, and they had a difficult time keeping his diabetes under control. One of his attendants said Mr. Finley was always stealing extra desserts from those who didn’t have the wherewithal to stop him.
“Daddy, I should be heading back home. I’m a little worried about the boat’s motor. It needs some repairs that I can’t afford right now.” She stood and draped her bag and sweater over her shoulder. She’d brought him some dried apples and bananas, hoping he’d snack on them instead of the stolen desserts. Most likely he’d toss her healthy alternative in the trash.
“How about I wheel you to the dining room?”
He didn’t respond, so she took the grips of his chair and turned him around anyway.
As they entered the automatic double doors, he said, “I once had a sailboat. What a fine craft it was. Could cut through the water like hot butter on toast.”
The boat he remembered. Go figure. “You still have that boat, Daddy. I’m taking good care of it for you.” She wasn’t sure why she refused to sell it for a newer craft. It wasn’t as if he’d ever ride in it again.
A hot lump of pain lodged in her chest, right at the base of her throat. And no matter how hard she tried to swallow it away, the ache only intensified. The only reason she stayed on the island was because of him. She lived in his old bungalow and rode around the islands in his old sailboat. His pride and joy that he’d named the Flippin’ fin.
One of the reasons she started her mermaid business was because of his delightful stories about creatures of the sea. Both real and mythical. He had a tale for every occasion.
Daddy used to lead scuba diving excursions for guests of the island resort. She’d taken over the business when he became too old to handle going underwater. Then his mind began to slip and after several late-night rescue searches and two boat thefts, she’d finally agreed it was time to put him in a home.
“Boat’s gone,” Daddy grumbled. “Home is gone. I’m in prison. Amelia wouldn’t approve.”
Amelia was her mother who’d died over ten years ago in a boating accident. He seemed to remember his wife clearly, too. Cilla wiped away the errant tears escaping her eyes. It was the sickness that stole his memories of her. Daddy hadn’t forgotten her completely. Sometimes when she visited, he knew her. Those were the best days and the ones she cherished the most.
They’d reached the dining room where a few residents had already gathered. She pushed him up to his regular table. They seemed to have some unwritten rules about where people sat and it was bad, bad, bad to take a claimed seat. She’d learned the hard way, setting off a woman and throwing her into a screaming fit that took the attendants a half hour to calm down.
Never again. Matter-of-fact, Cilla usually dropped Daddy off at the door and let one of the workers push him to his table.
“This is where I leave you, Daddy.” She turned him so he faced her and bent to kiss his whiskered, wrinkled cheek.
“Oh, you are here,” he said grabbing her wrist. “I’ve been wondering where you got off to, precious.”
Praise the Lord! Tears flooded Cilla’s eyes. “That’s right, I’m right—”
“Amelia, now listen to me,” His tone grew serious. Cilla’s heart fell from her chest and rolled across the floor. “I don’t like it here. You need to break me free, Darlin’. We’ll take that trip I always promised you. Forget work. You’re right, I spend too many…”
“There you are Mr. Finley, just in time.” A young man wearing blue scrubs took the grips of Daddy’s chair.
Before her father could start kicking up a fuss, Cilla patted her hand as she pulled out of his tight grasp. “I love you, Daddy. I’ll be back, I promise and we’ll talk about this then. You don’t want to miss your dinner. It’s meatloaf night.”
His brows furrowed again and the look of confusion returned. “But—?”
She kissed his forehead then quickly turned and walked-jogged toward the exit. She could barely see where she was going and almost ran into a group of seniors riding along on their power scooters. This bunch wasn’t in the special ward where they kept her father. The women and one man laughed at something, but then stopped to glare at her as she quickly made her apologies and darted around them.
That’s all she needed was to knock some poor old unfortunate off their scooter.
Her sandals slapped over the hot concrete as she made her way toward the docks. Soon she’d be back to her tropical paradise. There were no concrete roads on the island. Everyone traveled around on bikes, mopeds, or covered golf-carts if the weather was bad. Cilla got around on her feet, or by boat.
She did love the little island but dreamed of traveling to new places. Meet new people. Perhaps find a well-to-do man who’d fall totally in love with her. A girl could dream, she often reminded herself.
The concrete turned into a wooden walkway as she passed small and larger boats. What would it be like to live on one of those fine yachts?
Cilla sighed. Such silly dreams. She needed to keep her aspirations more practical. Over the past couple of years, she’d met several others who were professional mermaids. Some she kept in contact with on the Internet. One had invited her to Australia to visit and swim with the whales. Wouldn’t that be a grand adventure?
But not now. Daddy needed her, whether he realized it or not.
Once she was in her old, but sturdy boat, she found that a slight wind had kicked up, so she took advantage of it, hoisting the sail and letting the wind stream carry her back home.
Except, she had no desire to return to Daddy’s old bungalow and mope away the rest of the evening. She glanced at the canvas bag hidden beneath one of the bench seats. It contained the new tail she’d just ordered. A very extravagant expense, but one she’d well earned.
Cilla had saved up a whole year for the four-thousand-dollar custom made fin. She’d tried it out in the pool but wanted to visit her sea friends in the lagoon. Her little piece of heaven. Not many people knew about the hidden cove so it was safe for her to swim without worry of a run in with boats. Only a couple of fishermen came from time to time, along with residents who enjoyed swimming like her.
Yes, that’s what she’d do. She turned for the far side of the island, past the main docks. A new yacht had come into port. Wow, it was huge! And very luxurious.
She smiled with a deep, longing sigh.
Was this the rumored owner? She’d heard that the one of the Grimwoods had inherited the island and was due to make an appearance. The management of the resort’s hotel seemed nervous about the impending visit, last time she’d worked one of the mermaid shows. A few of the girls that she’d trained had taken ill after they’d eaten a bad batch of fish.
The hotel had a floor to ceiling circular aquarium where her mermaids often swam for shows. The kids loved them.
Cilla offered private mermaid swimming classes to the rich kids and also kept up her father’s scuba business. She didn’t make a lot of money, but she was a miser with what she did earn, saving up for that trip of a lifetime that someday she’d take.
Much as she hated the idea of Daddy passing on, she knew it would come soon. He was the only thing keeping her chained to this little island. She’d stay as long as he needed her, but once he was gone, she’d pack her tails and few belongings and explore the world.
That dream kept her going. It spurred her on and kept her from falling into a dismal depression. That, and her hope that someday she’d find someone to love as much as Daddy and Momma loved each other. A love that transcended time, death, and Alzheimer's.
Did you enjoy this sample of My Wayfaring Billionaire? Be sure to stop by the Grimwood Legacy page on my website to learn when this next book is scheduled for release. Also find fun facts and other stuff about the Grimwood family.
About the Author
Jackie Castle looks for the extraordinary in every ordinary day that she experiences. She is the author of the Madison Creek Bed & Breakfast romance series.
> She also writes fantasy under the pen name J. R. Castle. Look for her White Road Chronicles and The Alburnium Chronicles on her website
Castle has also published articles and short stories in numerous magazines. She's enjoyed many crazy adventures from working as a hairstylist to her bravest quest: teaching children in daycare and elementary schools. Eventually, she settled down to a somewhat safer pursuit of becoming a Story-weaver.
Now she lives in her comfortable Texas home where she spins marvelous tales and enjoys relaxing in the evenings with her husband Bob, their children, and grandchildren.
Her favorite pastime, besides reading, is traipsing through her imaginary worlds in search of another story.
Find out more about her shenanigans over at Jackie Castle's Story World: www.jackiecastle.com. There you can also sign up for her monthly newsletter.
Visit Jackie at…
www.jackiecastle.com
http://www.jackiecastlebooks.blogspot.com/
Also, find her on these social networking sites:
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads
Pinterest
Wattpad
Tumblr
My Charming Billionaire (The Grimwood Legacy Series Book 2) Page 18
