Joni was damn cute, but the woman heading his way in full rain gear, hood up, was even cuter, and sexy as fuck. He stood as she returned for her bag. He was used to getting lost in deals and negotiations, but he couldn’t remember the last time a woman had held his attention beyond business or a quick and greedy tryst. Most women flirted with him like they’d never get another chance and would have made excuses for their drenched appearance, as if they could gain his interest if he’d seen them when it was sunny out. But this feisty woman hadn’t fluttered her lashes, giggled, or made an excuse for a damn thing, much less her gorgeous, albeit drenched, appearance, and he freaking loved that about her.
“Would you like me to get your car and bring it around so you don’t get soaked?” he offered.
“I won’t melt,” she said as she hoisted the messenger bag from the counter. It slipped from her hand, dropping to the floor and spilling its contents at his feet.
She crouched to collect them with a groan, and he bent beside her, gathering piles of sticky notes and helping her put them in her bag.
“Thank you. I’m such a klutz,” she said, exasperated.
“Accidents happen.”
Her gaze softened. “What did you say your name was?”
“Armani, when it suits me,” he said coyly as they rose to their feet. “And yours?”
“Miss Fine,” she said flirtatiously. Then she spun on her heel and headed for the door.
“Damn right you are,” he called after her, chuckling.
She looked over her shoulder, and when her baby blues hit his, another jolt of electricity arced between them. She winked, and in the next breath she was out the door, struggling against the wind and rain to keep her hood on as she darted into the parking lot. He could go after her, but he was in town for only two nights, and he had to deal with the Carlisle issues. The last thing he needed was a distraction. Besides, in his experience most women didn’t live up to the impressions they gave.
But there was no denying that Miss Fine was an alluring little bird with the keenness of an eagle and the femininity of a dove.
Holy shit. Birds? He was losing it.
He sat on the stool and peered into his coffee cup, wondering if there was some hippie shit in there that had stolen his manliness and turned it into touchy-feely nonsense.
Chapter Three
JETT WAS STILL thinking about the blonde when he parked in front of the office of Bayside Resort in Wellfleet, the beachfront property his younger brother, Dean, co-owned with their buddies Rick and Drake Savage. They’d all grown up together in Hyannis, along with Jett’s older brother, Doug, a physician working overseas, and Rick and Drake’s sister, Mira, who was now married with two children and had recently moved closer to her son’s school. Most of Jett’s childhood friends were still living on the Cape, but the day he’d left to attend college, he’d known he’d never move back.
He cut the engine and gazed out at the driving rain. Winter had left a skeleton of the Cape behind for spring foliage to eventually nurture back to life. But instead of seeing the dismal sky and desolation of a land ravaged by weather, he saw images of the feisty blonde pushing off his suit coat and loosening his tie with a curiously sexy look in her eyes. He sank back in the driver’s seat, in no hurry to push those images away. But he needn’t have worried, because more visions rolled in. Like a movie playing in reverse, he saw her hair whipping across her face as she wrestled with her hood at the gas station as she peered around the gas pump, smiling at him like he was the best thing she’d seen all year.
And he’d never fucking see her again, which was probably for the best, but hell if it didn’t leave him with a dull ache in his gut.
He grabbed the gift bag for his friend Daphne’s daughter from the passenger seat and tucked it beneath his coat before stepping out of the SUV and climbing the porch steps to the office. He raked a hand through his hair and headed inside quickly to keep the cold from infiltrating the cozy space. As he closed the door, two-and-a-half-year-old Hadley toddled over carrying a stuffed bird in a nest. Her fine brown hair was pulled back with a pink barrette, which matched her pink hoodie with white letters across the front that read MAMA’S LITTLE TROUBLEMAKER.
She stared stoically up at Jett with her adorably chubby cheeks, lifted the nest in two hands, and said, “My bird!”
Jett had never known such a serious child. He heard Daphne, the curvaceous blonde who ran the office for the resort, talking with someone in the stockroom. She and Hadley lived in the apartment above the office. Dean had told Jett about Hadley’s new favorite toy, and he’d come prepared. He crouched before her and said, “Hey there, pretty girl. What’s your bird’s name?”
“Bird,” she said flatly, brows knitted.
“Do you think she’d like a few friends?”
Hadley nodded, watching intently as he withdrew the gift bag from beneath his coat and said, “This is for you.”
“Hold bird!” She thrust the nest toward him.
He chuckled as they exchanged the nest for the gift bag. She plopped down on her bottom and shoved her grabby little hands into the bag, taking out the peekaboo fabric birdhouse and four stuffed birds. Even as she played, her brows remained knitted, and her lips pursed, like a discerning adult.
Daphne poked her head out of the stockroom and her eyes widened. “Jett,” she said softly. She touched the ends of her long blond hair, and her eyes darted to her daughter, who was playing happily with her new toys.
Daphne was always a little flustered around him, which he found endearing. She was a beautiful, smart young woman, but she was also sweet as sugar and she had an amazing daughter, both of which made her the wrong person for Jett.
Cool quasi uncle he could handle. Stepdad, not so much.
He’d never had a great role model in that department. Jett’s father hadn’t been the easiest man to be around for most of Jett’s life. He’d gone through cycles of being an attentive father and then an arrogant, self-centered prick. And though he’d been on the good side of that for the last couple of years, Jett didn’t trust him to remain that way. While his brothers had made amends with their father, Jett and his dad were still trying to find their new normal. Things were cordial but not warm. He knew they might never be on solid ground again, but at least they were trying.
“Hey, Daph,” he said, rising to his feet. “You look great.”
She blushed. “Thank you. You didn’t have to bring Hadley a gift.”
Jett didn’t know the circumstances behind Daphne’s divorce, but he knew it must have been bad since Daphne had not only walked away from her marriage but had also left the state and moved back to her hometown. Daphne was a great mother, and she and Hadley deserved a man who would appreciate and protect their tender hearts. Someone who would love them forever and hopefully wash away any of the hurt Hadley’s absent father had left in his wake. While Jett wasn’t that man, he loved them like family. Did he have to bring a gift for Hadley? No. But he wanted to make sure that little girl knew that all men didn’t suck.
“Yes he did!” The familiar voice came from behind Daphne seconds before Dean’s wife, Emery, ran past Daphne and threw her arms around Jett.
“How’s it going, spitfire?” Jett loved Emery. She adored his brother and she was good for him, but he had special admiration for the energetic brunette because she was the reason their father had begun trying to change his ways. Emery was a yoga-back-care specialist and she taught yoga next door at Summer House Inn, which was owned by Rick’s wife, Desiree, and her sister, Violet. Their father had been less than accepting of her, believing his son could make more of his life without her by his side. One night he’d pushed too far, and Emery had lost her cool, telling their father exactly what she’d thought of the way he treated people—especially his family. She’d forced him to take a good, hard look at who he had become.
Emery stepped back and put her hands on her hips, looking Jett up and down, and said, “Gosh, I’ve missed your ugly mug. I�
��m so glad you’re here!”
“I’ve missed you, too.” Jett took off his coat and tossed it on a chair on his way to Daphne. “Get in here and give me a hug.” He embraced her and said, “Good to see you and the little one, sweetheart.”
Hadley scooped up her birds and pushed to her feet, toddling over to Daphne. “Birds!” she exclaimed. “My birds!”
“I see that.” Daphne ran her fingers over Hadley’s head. “Did you say thank you?”
Hadley turned around, arms full of birds, and said, “Thank you birds!”
“You’re welcome, Had,” Jett said as she plopped down on her bottom to play.
Rick’s office door opened, and Dean and Rick stepped out.
“We thought we heard you out here. Good to see you, buddy.” Rick opened his arms to embrace Jett.
“You, too. How’s Desiree feeling?” Jett asked.
Pride shone in Rick’s eyes. “She’s doing great. Due in July. Thankfully the morning sickness has subsided.”
“And her breakfasts are even better when she’s pregnant,” Emery added.
Desiree made breakfast for all their friends during the warmer months, and from time to time in the winter and early spring. There was a running joke about her cooking being reflective of her and Rick’s sex life.
“Glad to hear it.” Jett shifted his focus to Dean and couldn’t keep from rattling his brother’s chain. “Hey, bro. I got a nice long squeeze from your beautiful wife.”
Dean narrowed his eyes. They were both over six feet tall and athletic with blue eyes, but that was about as far as their similarities went. Jett was fit but not ripped. He spent too many hours traveling and confined to offices to be a thick-bodied powerhouse like Dean, who worked with his hands creating incredible landscapes and hardscapes. While Jett had their father’s dark hair, Dean was fair-haired like their mother, and his thick beard gave him an even more imposing, Viking-like appearance.
“Keep your filthy hands off my wife,” Dean said stern and low, his eyes darting to Hadley, who was completely absorbed in her toys. “What happened? You pop all of your blow-up dolls?”
“I’ve got dolls who blow, and I’ve popped a good number of them, but none quite as fine as that wife of yours,” Jett teased, but his mind reeled back to Miss Fine. Why was he still thinking about her? The hell with it. Here for only two nights or not, he’d been an idiot not to pursue her.
Dean chuckled, his eyes shooting straight to Emery, who was beaming. He winked at her, then set a serious stare on Jett and said, “Don’t make me kill you in front of our friends, man. It’s bad mojo.” He hauled Jett into a manly embrace and said, “Missed you, bro.”
“You, too,” Jett said. “But I’ve got to tell you, your wife is far more squeezable than you are.”
Dean crushed him tighter against his chest.
“Dick,” Jett choked out under his breath.
Dean tossed him away with a hearty laugh and reached for Emery.
“Does Jett look different to you?” Emery asked.
Dean looked him up and down. “Nope. Same old ugly bastard as always.”
“I think he looks different,” Daphne said. “There’s a light in your eyes or something.”
“I’ve had a strange day.” And that light is caused by a spunky, smart-mouthed blonde who was making a business plan on sticky notes.
“From that smirk on your face, I’m not so sure I want to hear the details,” Rick said.
“No, man. It’s not like that,” Jett said. “I just…” Can’t stop thinking about this woman. He grasped for a subject change. “Where’s Drake?”
“He and Serena went to check on the music store, in case the storm gets worse,” Rick said.
“I just heard the weather report on the way here,” Jett said. “The worst of it isn’t expected until midweek.”
Rick sat on the couch and said, “You know Drake, always overprepared. I was surprised to hear you were coming for the bachelor party, given the weather. You know Gavin’s wedding isn’t for two weeks, right?” Their buddy Gavin Wheeler was an interior designer, and he was business partners with Drake’s wife, Serena.
“Are you staying until the wedding?” Dean asked. “Mom and Dad must be psyched.”
“No. Sorry, Dean. I’m leaving Sunday morning. But since you eloped and ripped me off of the pleasure of throwing you a bachelor party, and our straitlaced older brother didn’t want one, I don’t have many chances left to enjoy bachelor-party debauchery.”
“Gavin’s not exactly the debauchery type,” Daphne said a little sheepishly. “Something tells me you’re not, either, Jett.”
Hadley pushed to her feet and held a red cloth bird out for Jett. “Dett. Bird!”
“Thanks, baby girl.” He took the bird and leaned down to say, “Can Uncle Jett get a smile?”
Hadley closed her mouth, giving him a deadpan look that made everyone else crack up.
“Aw, come on. You’re giving me a bad rep.” Jett swooped her up and lifted her over his head, earning a huge toothy grin and a sweet giggle. “Attagirl,” he said as he lowered her to his hip and kissed the top of her head. “I feel like Superman, getting Hadley to smile.”
“She’s my man meter,” Daphne said. “She smiles for you, which is why I’m not buying the whole debauchery thing. You just haven’t found the right woman yet.”
Hadley tried to wiggle free, and Jett set her on the floor. She snatched the bird from his hands with a tiny scowl and stomped back to the rest of her toys.
“I think your man meter is off, Daph,” Rick said. “This guy’s not ever going to settle down. But, Jett, you’re barking up the wrong tree if you’re looking for a debauchery-filled party. I’m sure most women around here are hunkering down with a good book in front of a warm fire like Des is.”
“I know I am,” Emery said. “Except for Harper’s bachelorette party, of course.”
“Me too,” Daphne added.
Jett wasn’t really interested in debauchery, unless the blonde from the café was involved, but he had heard that the party was going to be wild. “The bachelor party is at the Salty Hog. I heard it was going to be packed.”
“Packed with bikers, not single women,” Emery chimed in. “You grew up here. You know the Dark Knights hang out at the Salty Hog.”
He might have grown up there, but he hadn’t been to the Salty Hog in years.
“Maybe my brother is into big, hairy bikers,” Dean teased, earning laughs from everyone.
Jett ignored the barb and sat on the edge of Daphne’s desk thinking about the blonde from the café, who he was fairly certain would not be at the Salty Hog. He wondered how he could run into her again. She was a gorgeous single woman. Surely she’d be doing something fun on a Friday night besides reading. “What’s open around here tonight?”
“Nothing,” Emery said. “Colton is opening Undercover for Harper’s bachelorette party tomorrow night. There will be plenty of women there, but no guys allowed. Sorry, Jett.” Colton was Harper’s brother and he owned Undercover, a nightclub in Truro.
He might just have to make another visit to the café tomorrow. Maybe she’d make that place a habit.
“Jett, let’s get your stuff over to the house.” Dean snickered and said, “We got you noise-canceling headphones, so you can sleep this time.”
“That won’t be necessary.” Jett pushed from the desk. “I learned my lesson when you and Em kept me up all night over the holidays. Daph’s got me covered, right, babe?”
“I sure do.” Daphne went to her desk and took out a set of keys, dangling them from her finger. “Cottage number seven.”
“Seriously? You’re not staying with us?” Dean asked.
Jett snagged the keys. “Thank you, Daph, and yes, seriously. You don’t need a third wheel. Besides, I’ve got work to do while I’m here.”
Daphne picked up Hadley and said, “I’m going to run my big girl upstairs for a try at the potty. It’s great to see you, Jett. I’ll see you at th
e wedding?”
“Definitely.” He held up the keys and said, “Thanks for having my back.”
“Jett, you know we love when you stay with us, and we really did put noise-canceling headphones on the guest bed. Just in case. I’ll leave you boys alone to figure things out.” Emery went up on her toes and kissed Dean, and then she headed up the steps to Daphne’s apartment.
Rick grabbed his coat from the closet. “I’m heading to the inn to see Des. See you tomorrow night at the party.”
After Rick left, Dean crossed his arms and lowered his chin, staring at Jett. “You know our family wants more time with you, not less, right?”
“Of course I know that, and at some point I’ll make more time. But I’m knee-deep in preparations to acquire Carlisle Enterprises, which will be a profit machine once I get my hands on it, and I’ve got Fortune magazine breathing down my neck to do a feature on rich guys who give back, or some shit like that.” He’d been featured in Forbes magazine a few years ago as one of five entrepreneurs who made it big paying it forward.
“Tough life,” Dean teased.
“Hey, I didn’t ask to be featured.”
“Let me guess, you’re trying to get out of it.”
Jett clapped a hand on Dean’s shoulder and said, “You do know me well, little brother. It’s all bullshit. Let them give it to the guys who live for that stuff, like the kid. One day he’ll be on there. I’m sure of it. The little starry-eyed bastard is going up against me for Carlisle.”
When Jett first went into business, one of his favorite professors had asked him to take a graduating student under his wings and show him the ropes. Jett had enjoyed mentoring so much, he’d accepted several mentees since, and was currently mentoring a bright young man named Jonas Cross. But none of the people Jett had mentored had the arrogance, confidence, and skill that Zack Kingsley, aka the kid, possessed. Jett had mentored Zack for two years and Zack had been out on his own now for three. He was doing well, and Jett was proud of him. They kept in touch, and they had a fun, though competitive, relationship. Carlisle Enterprises would put Zack on the map, but he didn’t stand a chance with Jett in the game.
Bayside Fantasies (Bayside Summers Book 6) Page 3
