Bayside Fantasies (Bayside Summers Book 6)

by Melissa Foster

  “Well, that says something. Do you think he can ever give you what Harvey and Adele had?”

  She swallowed hard, trying to push past the painful nugget of truth lodged in her throat. She thought about what Rowan had said about knowing he loved Carlo because nothing could have kept him away, and she knew that for Jett, it wouldn’t matter if he fell in love with her. Work would always come first.

  “Teg?” Jock nudged her knee.

  She met his gaze and shook her head. “But I don’t know if anyone can give me that.” Agitated, she pushed to her feet, determined not to wallow in the reality of her and Jett’s future, when their present was so wonderful. “Let’s get started on the den. We have a lot to do and can’t afford to be sidetracked.”

  IT HAD BEEN a hell of a day. Jett had woken up worrying about Tegan, and that worry had been his constant companion throughout the entire day of grueling meetings. Thankfully, the Carlisle information was coming together well. The kid had emailed today, just to needle him. He was heading to London this week to meet with the Carlisles. Jett wasn’t worried. Zack was a lot of things, but richer and savvier than him weren’t among them. If things continued progressing without any hitches, Jett and his team would be in London the week after next, meeting with the owners and evaluating their current staff and procedures. Unfortunately, what they’d discovered about Mitchell’s company, and several of the other Hyannis businesses Jett was considering helping, wasn’t as promising. Most were barely keeping their heads above water. They were anything but solid investments. Jett didn’t know what to do about that, because for some fucked-up reason, he couldn’t stop seeing the defeated look in Mitchell’s eyes, or the challenge in his father’s when he’d brought up the idea of Jett’s helping them. He had no idea how he’d live with himself if Mitchell had to sell out because he had no other option, much less if those hallmark stores of his youth were wiped out by big business.

  He pulled out his phone, and the sight of Tegan’s beautiful face on his lock screen loosened the knots in his chest. He still couldn’t wrap his head around the power she had over him. When they talked at night, he ached to hold her, to feel her breath on his chest as she slept safely in the confines of his arms. She’d sent him several pictures from the other night when she’d had dessert with their friends at Summer House. The one on his lock screen was his favorite. She was holding a gigantic piece of cake, speckles of paint dotting the bridge of her nose, and she was grinning from ear to ear. He was pretty sure that grin was meant for the cake, not for him, but he didn’t care, because seeing her joy made him happy.

  He swiped to unlock his phone, revealing his second favorite picture, taken later that night in the dim evening light of her bedroom. She was lying on her belly, gazing into the camera, giving off a gently sexy vibe, like a warm breeze he couldn’t help but get caught up in.

  Damn, he missed her.

  He thumbed through the pictures of her and the girls making silly faces. Tegan had taken pictures with everyone that evening, including Dean. His brother’s muscular arm was around Tegan’s shoulder, and he was giving Jett the finger, despite his smiling eyes. When she’d shared the details of her evening with him and told him how much fun she’d had with Drake, Rick, and Dean, he’d been jealous as hell that he’d missed out on the time with her. He knew he was different from the guys he’d grown up with. They knew how to be boyfriends and husbands, how to put down roots so deep they’d never break free. Even his brothers, who had grown up in the same house with him, knew how to be the kind of men Tegan deserved. They knew how to settle down, to spend evenings chilling by a bonfire, or under the moon in a hut, not thinking about work or the ghosts of their pasts. So why the fuck did Jett see his father and all that he didn’t want to be every time he looked in the damn mirror?

  He glanced at Tegan’s picture again. Why do you make me question everything?

  It didn’t matter why.

  Despite his private vow to never be in a position to disappoint a woman or a family as his father had, Tegan had gotten under his skin, and he didn’t want to tear her out. But he couldn’t silence the voice in his head reminding him of the truth. Didn’t the fact that he was in LA while she was at the Cape working through her grief alone prove that he couldn’t be the man she needed?

  His hand fisted around the phone, and he pushed to his feet, pacing, fighting that voice. He wasn’t his father. He’d made damn sure of that, hadn’t he? He’d sent chocolate-covered fruit. He’d texted. He’d done what he could. His father wouldn’t have even noticed his mother’s pain, much less tried to ease it.

  The gnarly feeling in his gut told him he might be wrong.

  Fuck…

  He could fix this. He called Tia.

  “What’s up, boss?” she said when she answered.

  “I need you to change my flight to Silver Island from Saturday to Friday morning, and I want to fly into Hyannis, not the island. Early. Crack of dawn.”

  “You’re meeting with the directors of EBC Friday.”

  Jett had purchased EBC, a healthcare management company, six months earlier and had done major restructuring. The six-month reviews of his acquisitions consisted of looking at the company from the top down. Jett met with and reevaluated management, operational processes, and employee morale, to get a general feel for how his new endeavors were shaping up on their turf, not just on paper. He prided himself on that personal commitment, but what the hell good was that if he let Tegan down?

  “I don’t care. Rearrange it. I’ll stay late Wednesday and Thursday, whatever it takes.”

  “I’ll try. What’s going on? Is this about the Hyannis properties?”

  “No, but I might have a meeting about them while I’m there.”

  “Okay, let me know what you need for that. But why the rush to get to the Cape?”

  “I have to take care of a few things.”

  “Anything I can help with? Should I call Daphne and book you a cottage?”

  “No. I’ll stay with Tegan.” He closed his eyes. Shit.

  “Whoa, hold on a second,” she said. “Tegan? Does Tegan have a last name?”

  “Fine,” he relented.

  “Your booty call?”

  “T, stop. She is not a booty call.”

  “She was,” she reminded him. “Remember when you asked me to track her down for you?”

  He ground out a curse. “Yes, and you refused, which means you lost the right to be annoying.”

  “We both know my annoyingness has no limits. Is she the reason you canceled your flight last week?”

  “Yes. Now can you please stop the inquisition?”

  “In a sec. You’ve never once mentioned a woman other than the girls at your brother’s resort or your mother or grandmother, much less put off work for one, which means this is a bigger deal than Carlisle Enterprises.”

  “No, it’s not.”

  “You might be excellent in business, boss. You can spot weakness from a mile away and negotiate the hell out of a deal, but I’m not so sure you know how to decipher women, or your feelings toward them. Have you done your due diligence?”

  “I’m not doing due diligence on Tegan.”

  “See? You just proved my point. You’re lost when it comes to dating.”

  “We’re not dating.”

  She sighed. “Again, you’re out of touch. Pretend you’re me and I’m taking off work to be with a guy. You’d call Reggie Steele and know everything about the guy two hours later.”

  “It’s different. You’re a woman. Guys take advantage of women.”

  “And women take advantage of men. Are you certain she’s not after you for your money?”

  He scoffed. “She couldn’t be less interested in my money.”

  “Does she know about your schedule? That you’re going to London for almost a month? Possibly longer if you close the deal? That you change your plans on a dime and zip out of the country to nail a deal?”

  “She knows work comes first.”


  “Well, she won’t after Friday, will she? You have to think of the message you’re sending.”

  He thought about that for a minute before responding. “I’ve got it under control. Anything else?”

  “Yes. It’s about time you let a little sunshine into your life. Can you tell me something about her?”

  “No.”

  “You know I can find out anything I want about her. You taught me how. Just give me something small. Anything at all.”

  He chuckled. “Okay. She’s as smart as she is beautiful.”

  “Come on, boss. That’s not news. You’re gorgeous, so of course she’s attractive, and you don’t have patience for stupid people, so smart is a no-brainer. Stop playing games and cough up a nugget to satisfy my curiosity.”

  “God, you’re a pain. She makes me think in ways I haven’t in years.”

  “She’s kinky. Gotcha!”

  “T!” he snapped.

  “I’m kidding. That’s good, Jett, and I’m proud of you. I feel like my baby boy is going to the prom.”

  “Goodbye, Tia…”

  Jett was in a great mood when he ended the call, and he knew he’d done the right thing. He checked the time. It was still too early to call Tegan, so he called Mitchell.

  “Hello?”

  “Mitchell, it’s Jett Masters.”

  “Hi, Jett. How are you doing?”

  “Great, thanks. The reason I’m calling is that I heard you and some others have been approached by an investor.”

  “We have, and quite frankly, they’re talking numbers that would be hard to turn down for folks around here. The insurance companies have been slow, and people are getting antsy. It’s been a rough few years.”

  “I understand. Do me a favor. Don’t sign anything yet, and ask the other business owners on your block to do the same. I’m flying into town Friday morning, and I’d like to talk with you and the other business owners later in the day to toss some ideas around.”

  “What type of ideas?” Mitchell asked.

  “I’m not sure yet, but I’m working on a few things. Think you can pull people together between now and then?”

  “I can do that. Where do you want to meet?”

  “I have no idea. I haven’t thought that far ahead.”

  “Why don’t we meet at my house?” Mitchell suggested. “What time are you thinking?”

  Jett quickly thought through Friday. He had seen the piles of Tegan’s uncle’s things stacked around the house, and he didn’t want to rush her through the process of going through them. He assumed they’d work all day, grab some dinner, and then he could meet Mitchell.

  “How’s seven thirty?” Jett suggested. “Is that too late?”

  “That’s great. I don’t know what you have up your sleeve, but whatever it is, I sure do appreciate you keeping us in your thoughts.”

  “You’re never far from them.” Anymore.

  After talking to Mitchell, Jett was too psyched about his plans to see Tegan to wait until eight o’clock to give her the news. He went to the window, looking out over the lights of the city as he called her.

  “Jett, hi!” She sounded out of breath.

  “Hey, babe. How are you doing?”

  “Good. My friend Jock has been here for hours helping me go through my uncle’s things. We might have to pull an all-nighter to get through it all, but we’re making progress. I’m so sorry, but would it be okay if I called you tomorrow?” She lowered her voice and said, “Or I could try later, but he’s sitting right here, and I don’t want to blow him off since he came into town just to help me.”

  He ground his teeth together, silently cursing himself, and forced the most casual tone he could muster to say, “No worries. We’ll catch up tomorrow.”

  “Okay,” she said happily. “Thanks for understanding. Jock has been an amazing help. I’m really lucky to have a friend like him. Have a great night.”

  She ended the call before Jett even said goodbye.

  He felt blindsided. Sucker punched.

  He paced angrily. Was Jock a friend like he was her friend?

  He’s there, asshole. You’re not.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “WHERE ARE YOU?” Tia’s angry voice blared through the speaker of Jett’s phone. “The driver has been waiting for you for thirty minutes. You’re going to miss your flight.”

  “Cancel it.” Jett turned into Tegan’s driveway and said, “I’ll go to Louisiana next week.” An unfamiliar car came into view, and he ground out a curse, reminding himself he was the idiot who had left her to deal with her uncle’s things alone. But he sure as hell didn’t expect her to shack up with a dude for a night.

  “What do you mean, cancel it? What is going on?”

  “I’m on the Cape.”

  “What? You said Friday! We could have sent Jonas to deal with EBC. He knows that company inside and out. Did something happen? This isn’t like you. I can probably still get Jonas to do it.”

  Jonas Cross was a fast learner, and he’d been managing several projects. But he wasn’t Jett. He threw his car into park and said, “Get off my case, Tia. It’s my company, my reputation. I’ll take care of it next week.”

  “You’re supposed to be in LA next week and the week after to go over the final docs with legal before you leave for London.”

  He threw open his door and climbed from the car. “I’ll fly to Louisiana Sunday morning and LA next Friday morning. We’ll cram the meetings into a week. Tell the staff to plan on early mornings and late nights. We’ll get it done.”

  “Jett, you’re worrying me. Just give EBC to Jonas. You know he can do the work. I know you think you’re unstoppable, but at some point you’re going to get worn out.”

  “Not in this lifetime. I gotta go. I’ll fly out Sunday morning, as planned. Just change the destination.”

  He ended the call and stalked past the asshole’s car, his hands curling into fists. He’d worked out hard last night, trying to rein in the guilt and anger that had consumed him, but it hadn’t even taken the edge off. He’d finally chartered a private plane for the trip to Boston, and then he’d driven like a bat out of hell to get to Tegan. Nothing would stop him now.

  He ascended the stairs and pounded on the front door. He heard a man’s voice, turning his guilt to blinding anger.

  The door opened, and music blared. A tall and too-fucking-fit dude stood before him wearing nothing but a towel, his hair damp from a shower Jett did not want to think about. If Tegan showered with this guy, he’d lose his fucking mind.

  The guy made no bones about sizing up Jett. “Can I help you?”

  Jett instinctively squared his shoulders and thrust out his chest. “I’m here to see Tegan,” he said sternly, fighting the urge to blow past him.

  The guy glanced at Jett’s rental car; then he lifted his chin and said, “And you are?”

  Her fucking boyfriend was on the tip of Jett’s tongue, but it wasn’t true, and for all he knew, this guy had convinced her to forgo their FWB arrangement for a monogamous relationship with his pretty-boy ass. “Jett Masters. She around?”

  The man stared at him for a long moment, jaw tight, eyes narrowed, before finally stepping aside and nodding. “She’s in the kitchen.”

  Jett brushed past him, shooting a look into the living room on his way to the kitchen. His chest constricted at the sight of blankets and pillows on the floor. Hurt and anger warred inside him as he stormed into the kitchen, and his heart stumbled, rooting him in place in the entryway. Tegan was dancing to the blaring music, arms flailing, hips jerking in front of pancakes on a griddle. Her baggy sweatshirt nearly covered her tiny flannel shorts, and her pink slipper booties banged and slid on the floor as she sang about holding her girl at the top of her lungs. Her hair was a mass of tangles, and even knowing she might have been with the asshole standing behind him, she was still the best fucking thing he’d seen all year.

  Holy hell. He was screwed.

  “Tegan!” the othe
r guy called out over the music.

  Tegan startled. “Geez, Jo—” She turned, and her eyes caught Jett’s. She dropped the spatula she was holding and yelled, “Jett!”

  She ran toward him, stumbled, and he caught her in his arms. She climbed him like a tree, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, grinning like he’d given her the world—and fuck him, because he wanted to do just that.

  “What are you doing here?” she hollered, and then she pressed her lips to his, tearing them away too fast. “I can’t believe you’re here!” she said before he could respond. She looked at the other guy and said, “Jock! This is Jett!” She kissed Jett again and said, “I thought you were going to Louisiana? Why are you here?”

  As she slid down his body, Jett kept his arm around her, trying to make sense of her reaction while the half-naked dude she’d spent the night with was standing right there. Fuck it. If she didn’t care, neither did he. “Because I screwed up, Tegs. I should have come yesterday to help you with your uncle’s stuff. I know you’ve got this guy, but, Tegs, he’s not me. The two of you aren’t us.” He glanced at Jock and said, “No offense, man.”

  The guy looked too shocked to move.

  “I didn’t expect you to drop everything and come here,” Tegan exclaimed. “I understand about your work.”

  “I know you do, but you shouldn’t have to. Not when your heart is breaking from losing a man who meant everything to you. I want to be the guy you lean on when you’re sad. I want to be the one who wipes your tears and hears the stories that go along with the time you spent in this house. I want that, Tegan. I don’t fucking know how I’ll do it, and I’m sure I’ll mess it up a hundred times. But I want to try because you deserve that, and I hope you’ll give me a chance.”

  She leapt into his arms again and crashed her sweet lips to his, giving him the answer he needed and unraveling all the angst that had been eating him alive since they’d talked last night.

  “I’ll just…uh…go get dressed,” Jock said.

  Tegan shooed him away as they kissed, and Jett poured all his relief and all the emotions he’d been holding back into their kiss, turning her smile into the sensual sounds he’d so missed.