The Billionaire’s Second Chance: A Small Town Romance

by Weston Parker

  “We’re going to go into all that in a moment, but what are you thinking getting back together with that woman? She’s already shown you she isn’t loyal. What makes you think she will be after you get married?”

  “Honestly?” I asked.

  “No, Will. I want you to lie to me.” He let out an exasperated breath. “Yes, obviously, I want honesty.”

  “In that case, you’re shit out of luck because I don’t have any answers for you. I wasn’t thinking anything by getting back together with her because I didn’t. Not really. She rushed out after me, there were reporters, and she lied to them. I already know she isn’t loyal. At least next time it won’t come as such a fucking surprise.”

  “Jesus,” he breathed before clearing his throat. “Are you even listening to yourself right now? What’s going on with you?”

  “Nothing. I’m just spent, okay? It’s been a long few days, and I kind of feel like the world is running away from me and I’ve lost the reins.”

  “You haven’t lost the reins, but you’ve definitely lost your way. How are you just letting all this happen? You’ve never been afraid of going toe to toe with Angelina before. Why now?”

  “I’m not afraid. I just don’t really have the energy. There’s this empty feeling in my gut and it just feels like it keeps expanding.”

  Dave sighed, and I heard a hundred unspoken words in that frustrated huff of a breath. Eventually, he summarized what he was thinking for me. “You’re not thinking clearly, my man. I strongly suggest taking a few days away from that fiancée of yours and getting your head on straight.”

  “About what?”

  “I think you’re making a mistake, but you need to realize it before it goes too far.” His tone was imploring. “It’s your mistake to make, and if you want to make it, then be my guest. Like I said before, I’ll stand at the end of that aisle with you and watch the most beautiful mistake you will ever make marry the fuck out of you, but you need to be honest with yourself.”

  “About what?” I repeated my earlier question, my heart pounding wildly for the first time in days as I waited for his answer.

  “About what you want, Will. Actually, more accurately, about who you want.”

  Angelina walked into the hall then, beckoning for me to follow as the wedding planner led her into another room. I took a long, hard look at the woman who would be walking down that aisle toward me.

  She was as beautiful as ever in a white-linen pantsuit, her ebony hair shiny and sleek, and her blue eyes wide and clear. Her heels were skyscraper high, accentuating her ass as she walked away from me.

  One of the best asses in the world and it did absolutely nothing for me as I watched her disappear into the other room. In fact, I hadn’t felt a flicker of attraction to her since she’d shown up in Traverse City.

  There was something wrong with me because I hadn’t even been able to bring myself to kiss her yet. I couldn’t touch her, hadn’t held her hand on the airplane, even though I knew she was afraid of takeoff.

  Or maybe there wasn’t something wrong with me. Dave could be onto something about this whole being honest with myself thing. I’d do that sometime. Just as soon as I got a minute to myself to fucking breathe.

  It’d been four days, and I still hadn’t been able to do that.

  In the meantime, I had a fucking wedding to tag along for. “Yeah, sure. I’ll do that. I’ve got to go, Dave. I’ll speak to you later, okay?”

  Chapter 34

  ANNA

  Jessie looked up when I tapped my knuckles against the frame of the open door to her office. She broke into a wide grin when she saw me.

  “Anna. Hey, how are you?” She stood up and moved out from behind her dad’s old desk to give me a hug. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at work?”

  “I hope that’s where I am,” I said, tingles of nervous anticipation running through me. I brought my palms together in front of my stomach and rushed out the next sentence. “I’m here to accept your offer.”

  Jessie frowned at me. “My offer?”

  “To work with you.” As my words sank in after turning her down so many times, I hoped like hell she hadn’t found someone else to do the job she’d offered to me.

  Her eyes lit up and she let out a squeal worthy of a fifth-grader before tackling me for another hug. “This is the best news ever. I’m over the damn moon, girl. Please tell me you’re not joking?”

  “I’m serious.” I had the sweaty palms to prove it, but I doubted Jessie wanted to know about those. “I’m ready for a change, and I’m ready to stop saying no just because I don’t think I should accept a helping hand.”

  “I knew you’d come to your senses.” She cheered when she pulled away from me, doing a little dancing jig with popping hips and her hands in the air. When she stopped moving, she called the kitchen to deliver a bottle of champagne to her office and then waved me into a chair. “What happened to make you realize it was time?”

  “I had a good conversation with my dad. He didn’t hold back anything about how he’s been feeling about me helping him pay off his bills and all that. He practically came out and told me to stop being silly and stubborn.”

  “Remind me to give your dad the longest hug in the world when I see him again.” She grinned as she dropped into her seat. “We’re going to have so much fun together.”

  “I think so too.” I really did.

  Going into business with my best friend sounded like a dream come true. It always had, especially since the job was still in the tourism industry. I was still going to meet people from all over and share my love for Mackinac with them. It was everything I could ask for, and I was more than grateful for the opportunity.

  “Thank you for waiting for me to come around. I know I’ve been stubborn about it.”

  Empathy warmed her eyes and she gave her head a slight shake. “It’s nothing. I’m just really glad you decided to take me up on it. When do you want to start?”

  “I kind of already told Mildred this morning that I quit. I have until the end of the week to get my stuff out of the apartment.”

  Her eyes widened in surprise, but then she burst out laughing. “I love it. What did she say? I bet she nearly had a coronary.”

  I shrugged but couldn’t quite keep from smiling. “For someone who’s told me I’m useless so many times, she really wasn’t happy when I told her I was leaving.”

  “That woman is never happy, but I’m willing to bet she’s devastated about losing you.” Jessie lips moved to the side, a mischievous sparkle behind those green eyes. “I think we should get you a sock. You’re a free elf now.”

  The knots in my stomach eased and there was a light feeling in my chest as I sat back and laughed at her joke. “I’m looking forward to it. I can’t wait to get started.”

  “There’s plenty for you to dive right into, but for today, I think we should celebrate.” Her door opened, and Seth appeared with the bottle of champagne and a silver ice bucket. My friend clutched her heart before opening her arms. “Seth, you’re a star. Thank you. I’d also like to introduce you to the newest member of our team. Anna’s finally decided to join us.”

  Seth broke out into a lopsided grin as he hooked the ice bucket onto the desk and burrowed the bottle into the ice inside. “That’s awesome news. You’re going to love it here.”

  As I shifted in my seat to be able to see both of them, my gaze caught on the vibrant gardens outside and the shore just beyond them. I almost couldn’t believe I would be seeing that all day, every day from now on.

  “I think so too. It’s been a long time coming.”

  He clapped his hands once, his wide grin still in place. “Well, if you need any help getting settled in, you know where to find me.”

  Jessie straightened in her chair, looking thoughtful for a moment before she gave him a charming smile. “I’m glad you offered actually. We’re going to need some help moving Anna’s stuff into the cottage tomorrow.”

  I f
roze up. “The cottage that Will—”

  “No. No. No. Don’t worry, not that one.” The corners of her mouth turned down and her eyes were suddenly sad again when she brought them back to mine. “I wouldn’t do that to you. There are three cottages. I think you should move into the one next to mine. It’s the closest to the street, but it’s got a great view.”

  “I’ll take it.” And then hope to everything that was holy that her brother didn’t come for a visit anytime soon.

  Being on the same property as him so soon would be too painful. Especially if he brought Angelina home with him. I was already planning on talking to Jessie about letting me take some vacation days for his next visit.

  After my talk with my dad last night, I’d decided to move forward by taking positive steps for myself. The first one I’d planned was to take this job, and the second was to move out of my apartment. I didn’t quite know what was next, but I was trying my best to focus on myself and not to think about William.

  Since it’d only been a few days, not thinking about him was a lot easier said than done. I was proud of myself for having done anything so fast, but inside, I was still raw and aching. Whenever I sat still for too long, the pain threatened to overwhelm me.

  One of the reasons why I’d moved so fast on resigning and taking Jessie up on her offer was precisely because I needed to immerse myself into something new. Between starting a new job, getting acquainted with my responsibilities, and moving, there would be plenty of other things for me to focus on for at least a little while.

  More than that, though, I’d realized that I’d wasted enough time being unhappy at Mildred’s. I’d been waiting for something, even though I still didn’t know what that something was, but I figured my dad opening up to me about pride was as good a something as I could’ve hoped for.

  It was time for me to start really living my life, and this had felt like the right first step to take.

  Seth’s voice broke me out of my thoughts. “Sure thing. I’ll round up a few of the others, and we’ll have you moved in before lunch.” He swept an arm out in the direction of the gardens. “Would you like me to show you around your new home?”

  “She practically grew up in this house,” Jessie interjected with a sigh. “Unfortunately, my brother has tainted all those memories with his prickish tendencies, but we’ll make new memories.”

  “That, we will,” I agreed, though there were certain areas of the B&B I’d be avoiding for the time being if at all possible. “Thanks for asking, Seth. I’ll be fine, though. I might take you up on it later to get myself oriented with how everything runs around here.”

  “No problem.” He gave us a nod. “Are you ladies going to be needing anything else? Chef wants me to run to town for him real quick, but I can bring you whatever you need before I go.”

  “We’re good.” She grinned at him and reached for the champagne. “If you’re going to be seeing the esteemed chef, will you ask him to bring us two salads when he’s got a minute?”

  Seth pressed two fingers to his forehead, dipping at the waist in a cute little bow before leaving us alone. When he was gone, Jessie cracked open the bottle and filled the glasses he’d left in the ice bucket.

  “Is it okay if we help you move tomorrow? We can do it on Friday too, but I figured you’d want to get it done and over with.”

  “Tomorrow is perfect. I’ll start packing tonight, but there’s not much there that belongs to me.”

  She nodded as she handed my glass over. “I’ll make the arrangements. We’ll have you moved and settled in before you know it.”

  Wrapping my fingers around the chilled glass, I dropped my gaze to look at the chains of bubbles rising to the surface. There was a fine mist that settled around the rim as they popped. The last time I’d had champagne had been on the boat with William, and as I looked at those bubbles, I could almost feel the heat of him behind me.

  A massive lump lodged itself in my throat, and my eyes were burning again. Jessie must have seen the shift in me, and when I looked up at her, she looked like she was about to burst into tears with me.

  “I wish someone would sit him down and get real with him just like your dad did with you,” she said softly. “I really thought he would make the right decision this time.”

  “I thought so too, but sometimes, people don’t know what they have even when it’s right in front of them.” Jessie had told me what she’d said to William at the ferry terminal before he left. Deep down in my heart, I thought she was right about Angelina not really loving him, but I truly hoped we were wrong.

  He’d made his decision, and it’d ripped me apart, but I still didn’t want him to marry someone who didn’t love him the way he deserved to be loved. There was also a tiny part of me who thought he knew all of this, but that he’d been backed into a corner by what Angelina had told the press.

  “There’s a lot of pressure on him,” I said. “I wonder if he even knows what the right decision is. Things might look different from his perspective.”

  Jessie scoffed, narrowing her eyes and glaring at the window. “He knows damn well the airhead actress in her designer heels is the wrong choice. My brother is conflicted, not stupid.”

  I couldn’t hold back the chuckle that slipped out of me. “He’s a little stupid.”

  She sighed and slumped back in her chair, holding the glare for another second before she laughed too, shaking her head as she glanced at me. “You’re right. He is. Let’s just hope he realizes it before it’s too late.”

  Chapter 35

  WILLIAM

  After being dragged around most of the day doing wedding stuff with Angelina, I was exhausted by the time we finally got back to my place. Her heels clicked against the tiles as she preceded me inside, and she turned to face me once I’d shut the door.

  Her eyes were wide and happy, a flirtatious smile on her face as she slipped out of her light jacket. “I think we should go for a swim.”

  She sashayed closer to me again, her hips swaying. She stopped when she was right up against me and put her hands on my chest. “Skinny dipping, maybe? We have a lot of time to make up for.”

  Any other man in the world would’ve given his left nut to get that kind of proposition from her. Hell, a month ago, I’d have already been naked and working at getting her the same way. As I stared down into those famous blue eyes of hers now, though, I kind of wished they would’ve been hazel ones looking back at me instead.

  I knew what Angelina’s body would feel like if I got it under mine. Hard and ungiving. She didn’t spend all those hours with her personal trainer for nothing. There was nothing appealing about getting a body almost as hard as mine under me anymore.

  Soft, luscious curves were what I dreamed about every night. Never in my wildest fucking dreams had I ever thought I’d say what I was about to, but there was no way I was getting naked with her.

  “I think we should talk about things instead.” Deftly taking a few steps back, I pivoted and headed toward the bar.

  Angelina didn’t follow me for a fraction of a second. Then she was stomping to catch up. “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me.” There was a soft swish when I slid open the cabinet under the counter. I extracted two beers and slid hers across the bar before popping the top off mine. “You showed up in Traverse City, said you wanted me back, and without waiting to actually talk to me, declared to the world that we’ve worked things out. We haven’t, Angelina. Not by a long shot.”

  “What is there to talk about, William?” The look she gave me was laced with pure venom, sapphire flames igniting in her irises before she jumped down my throat. “Do you really want to hash this out again? We’ve been through this so many times. I messed up. Then you messed up.”

  “We haven’t been through it. You’ve apologized, and you said you made a mistake, but there’s a lot more to it. Why did you do it if you supposedly love me so much?”

  “I was drunk. You know that.” She rolled her eyes dramatic
ally, parking her hands on her hips and gripping them so hard her knuckles went white. “Everything has been settled between us since we got back. Why do you insist on bringing it back up?”

  “Because it hasn’t been settled,” I snapped, my voice coming out like the crack of a whip. “You can’t just decide it’s been dealt with when it hasn’t, and that’s exactly what you did. What were you thinking when you walked out and declared the wedding was back on?”

  “I was thinking that you love me and that I’d apologized enough. I was thinking that you were done with that bimbo and had come back to your senses.” Her eyes narrowed to slits. “Was I wrong?”

  “Leave Anna out of this,” I practically barked, at the end of my tether with her insults toward my ex. “She’s not a fucking bimbo. This isn’t about her. It’s about you and me, and what’s going on between us.”

  “There were never any problems between us until she made her appearance. Don’t you dare tell me this isn’t about her.”

  “There were never any problems between us until you cheated on me, or have you conveniently forgotten about that?”

  “I can’t forget about it because you won’t let me,” she yelled, her cheeks flushing as she took a step forward and slammed her fists down on the counter. “Is this how it’s going to be between us from now on? Me doing everything I can to move on and plan a life with you while you keep bringing up my one mistake every goddamn day?”

  “Don’t turn this around on me, Angelina. I wanted a life with you. I took you to the fucking Maldives and proposed to you at the place you told me you’d always dreamed of getting engaged at.”

  “So, what’s the problem? You want a life with me and I want a life with you. That’s why I’m planning our wedding, not that you’ve shown any interest in it at all. Why can’t you just love me the way I deserve to be loved?”

  Clarity struck me like someone had turned on a spotlight in my brain when it had previously been stuck in a pitch-black void of night. How could I have been so stupid?