Declan adjusted his baseball cap. “Remember your way around?”
“Yeah.” AJ wiped the saltwater from his sunglasses. “Don’t forget who taught you everything you know.”
“You mean Dad.”
Declan’s lopsided grin told AJ that his brother was kidding. “Hey, I might not have been the best fisherman in this family but I was one helluva teacher.”
The engine cut off. His father climbed down from the helm.
“That’s why you’d be great working with the tourists who don’t know one end of a rod from the other and think every single fish they catch is a salmon.” His dad stood next to him. “I sure as hell don’t have the patience.”
“Me, either,” Declan admitted.
“So where’s this app of yours?” Dad asked.
“On my phone.” AJ pulled his smartphone out of his pocket. He wasn’t exactly nervous, but he felt a strange sense of uncertainty, a way he hadn’t felt since talking to his first venture capitalist. “I’ll send you the app to load onto your phone tonight. I want your opinions, what works, what doesn’t, any improvements you would make.”
“Will it work on my tablet?” Dad asked.
Things really had changed around here if Jack Cole used a tablet. “Yes. It will.”
Declan leaned against the bridge. “So show us what this thing can do.”
With a deep breath, AJ handed his phone to his brother. “Here you go.”
Chapter Eleven
That afternoon, Emma removed another photo from the scanner/printer she’d set up in the guest bedroom while AJ worked on his laptop. So far, Lilah was none the wiser to what was going on and thought Emma and AJ were making the most of their afternoon together.
She was. Just not in the way Lilah thought.
Emma enjoyed pouring through the Cole family photo albums filled with decades of snapshots, looking for ones to use for the birthday party decorations. The images and the time spent with AJ’s family helped her clarify what she wanted in life. Something she never imagined happening during a temporary job as a personal assistant. A sigh welled inside Emma. If only she had someone to love her how she wanted to be loved... Someday she would.
She returned the photograph to the album and removed another picture. The candid with Lilah and one of her great grandchildren illustrated the passage of time. Emma remembered seeing a similar shot of Lilah holding the baby’s father, Ellis.
Emma scanned the photograph. “So your dad and Declan liked the app?”
AJ glanced up from his computer. “They thought the app needed fine-tuning. My dad gave me a couple great ideas that I’m trying to incorporate. Declan, too. I can’t wait for Ellis and Camden to try it tomorrow.”
The excitement in AJ’s eyes matched the smile on his face. Today had been a good day for him. Talking about his dad didn’t seem to change AJ’s mood, either. Emma couldn’t be more pleased. He’d come so far in such a short time. She wiggled her toes. “I’m so happy things went well out there.”
“Yeah, me, too. It went way better than I expected.” He shook his head. “Except my dad still wants me back in Haley’s Bay permanently.”
“Of course he does. You’re the oldest. His plans and dreams for you are still alive in his head and heart.”
AJ nodded, and for the first time, didn’t look upset over his father’s expectations. Definite progress. “My dad asked if I’d go fishing in the morning. Said we’d dock by noon so there’d be plenty of time to get ready for the party.”
“Better not stay up too late tonight. Sounds like it’ll be an early morning.”
“No.”
“What do you mean no?”
“I told my dad I was on vacation and wanted to spend the day with my girlfriend preparing for Grandma’s party.”
Emma placed her hands on her hips, though sitting downplayed her annoyance. “Haven’t you learned anything?”
AJ grinned wryly. “Is this when you take away my electronics before going all Supernanny and Nanny McPhee on me?”
“How could you say no to your father?”
“I never liked fishing much.”
“That’s not the point. Spending time with your family is.
“I can show up if I want, but I’d rather help you.”
“I’ve got everything under control.”
“You could use an extra hand. I’ve got two.”
“If you change your mind—“
“I’m too stubborn for that to happen.”
“Guess I deserve that.” Emma pulled the sheet from the printer and added the picture to the manila folder containing all the printouts. “This is the last one.”
AJ placed his laptop on the bed, then picked up the folder. He thumbed through the pictures she’d spent the day gathering and printing. “These are great. Grandma is going to cry when she sees these.”
The photographs covered almost all of the past eighty years of Lilah’s life. Emma had taken the most recent shots last night at Bailey’s house. “Happy tears I hope.”
“Tears of joy.” He hugged Emma. “Thank you. These pictures are going to make her birthday party more special.”
“You’re welcome.” She loved being in his arms, but was careful not to look at his face, especially not his lips. She didn’t want him to think she’d changed her mind about wanting a fling. She hadn’t, even if she couldn’t stop thinking about him that way. “I enjoyed seeing the Cole family over the years. Grady was a cute kid.”
AJ drew back. “Grady?”
“You were cute yourself.” She stepped out of his embrace. “Can you please take the folder and flash drive to Charlie? He’s waiting to drive these to the florist. She’s working on the decorations tonight so they’ll be ready tomorrow.”
“Sure, but what about the photo albums?”
“Your grandmother’s at the beauty salon with Bailey, Risa and Madison. Lilah will never know I borrowed them if I can get them back in the study before she returns.”
“I’ll run the stuff out to Charlie, then help you. We’ll be done in no time.” AJ slipped on his shoes. “Maybe we can take a walk before meeting my family at the pizza parlor.”
“Sounds good.” Lilah organized the albums by year, the way she’d found them. “We make a good team.”
He stopped by the door. “We would make a better one if you’d say yes.”
“Yes?” she asked, though she knew what he meant.
“To some horizontal experimentation with skin-to-skin contact. Should I go on?”
“Please don’t.”
“It’s for your own good.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes. You work too hard. It’s time to up the play factor in your life.”
“That’s what you’re going with?”
“Damn straight.” Laughter gleamed in his eyes. “Come on, doesn’t some hot sex with a billionaire sound like fun?”
His flirty tone made her laugh. She had to give him points for not giving up. She appreciated how he wasn’t pushing her, but keeping things light and playful between them. “My job is to look out for you. I like working for you, I don’t want to quit, and don’t you dare fire me. We work well as a team without the hot sex, in case you haven’t noticed. That’s why the answer was no, is still no and will always be no.”
He feigned being shot in the chest. “Rejected once again.”
“Stop asking and I’ll stop shooting you down.”
“Where’s the fun in that?”
“I had a feeling that’s what you would say.”
“Of course you did,” he teased. “Next time I need a pretend girlfriend I’ll make sure she’s not so old-fashioned.”
“I’m sure there are millions of women who would be more accommodating than me when it comes to having a fling with a handsome billionaire.”
“So you think I’m handsome?”
Darn, she hadn’t meant for that to slip out. Too bad he didn’t want to date, instead of having a fling, but Emma wouldn’
t go out with him, either. She liked him too much already. Opening her heart when she would be saying goodbye to AJ on Sunday would not be smart. “What can I say? You are easy on the eyes.”
“Hold that thought. I’ll be right back after I give these to Charlie.” AJ left the room with the file in hand.
Emma carried the photo albums to the study and placed them back in the bookcase. This idea of hers had worked out well. She had another, too. She would load every picture she’d scanned today for the party decorations and slide show onto a digital frame for AJ to give to his grandmother as a birthday present. Emma would give AJ a copy of the JPEG files to store in case anything ever happened to the frame or the house. Having a backup was important. She wished her parents had put photo negatives into a safe deposit box somewhere.
The song from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast sounded on Emma’s cell phone. The ringtone was from the Lundberg twins’ favorite movie. Her breath caught in her throat. Every nerve ending stood at attention as if a five-star general was walking past and needed to be saluted. Trey.
Why would Abbie and Annie’s dad be calling? Emma hadn’t talked to him in three months, not since she’d quit and moved out. She didn’t want to look back. Looking forward to being home alone didn’t hold much appeal, either. She wanted to make the most of the present here in Haley’s Bay. She had only two more days.
The song continued to play. She slowly pulled out the phone from her back pocket. If she took her time, maybe Trey would hang up. He had no reason to be calling her...unless something was wrong with Abbie or Annie.
Adrenaline shot through Emma. She grabbed her phone, then hit Answer. “Hello?”
“It’s Trey.” His voice sounded rough, on edge, the way he’d sounded after a solo visit to his late wife’s grave. After that, Emma had made sure she and the girls accompanied him. “Abbie was hit by a car.”
Not sweet Abbie with her pigtails and toothless grin. Emma tightened her grip on her phone. “How badly is she hurt?”
“She had surgery yesterday. They moved her from ICU today. She’s listed in serious condition.”
Emma collapsed against the nearest wall in the study, sinking to the hardwood floor. An elephant rested on her chest. The weight pressed down on her breastbone, as if it were real, not imaginary. She wasn’t sure what hurt more, breathing or her heart. But nothing she felt compared to Abbie’s injuries and Trey’s worry. “Oh, no. I’m so sorry. Does the upgrade mean she’s stable?”
Let her be okay, Emma prayed.
“Yes, she’s better,” Trey said. “But seeing her unconscious yesterday... I’m sorry for not calling earlier, but Abbie was in ICU. Only immediate family is allowed.”
Emma wasn’t family. She was the former nanny. Of course she wouldn’t be allowed in. “I understand. How’s Annie doing?”
“Scared.”
“That’s understandable.” Emma shivered, a chill overcoming her. “I’m sure you’re all worried right now.”
Arms encircled her, drew her close into a cocoon of welcoming, comforting warmth. AJ. She didn’t know where he’d come from, but she was thankful he was here.
She leaned against him, wanting to soak up his strength. He might be her pretend boyfriend and wannabe lover, but she considered him a friend. And she needed one desperately at the moment. Emma had gone through so much alone. She didn’t want to do that right now. Or ever again. “Where are you?”
“The children’s hospital.”
“I’ve been to their ER. Stitches for little Max. An ear infection for Samuel. An MRI for Brooklyn. They’re the best when it comes to kids.”
“That’s what I’ve been told.” Trey’s voice cracked. “Keely is here. She’s helping me with Annie.”
Keely was the new nanny Emma had found. “That’s great.”
“Yeah, but ever since Abbie woke up from the surgery she’s been asking for you. Annie, too. The girls wanted me to call and see if you could come by today.”
“Of course, I’d be happy to come to the hospital. I promised the girls I’d be there if they needed me.” If the girls needed Emma, she had to go. She wanted to see Abbie and reassure Annie. Emma calculated the drive time back to Portland. Then realized she didn’t have her car and also was obligated to AJ. She glanced at him. “At least I’ll try to get there. I’m not in Portland.”
“Go,” AJ whispered. “It’s not a problem.”
Affection for the man next to her made her wish things could be different between them. She mouthed a thank-you, then returned to her phone conversation. “I’m in Washington, across the river from Astoria, so it’ll take me a little time to figure out a way there.”
“As long as you’ll come,” Trey said. “It’ll mean so much to the girls. And to me. The thought of losing Abbie...”
The pain in his voice stabbed her heart. A lump clogged her throat. She knew loss, that kind of paralyzing hurt and grief. Emma laced her fingers with AJ’s, thankful he was here with her. She cleared her throat. “You’re not going to lose Abbie. You said she’s better. Stable. The girls need you to be strong, Trey.”
“I know, but being here reminds me of Elizabeth.”
Trey’s wife, Elizabeth, had died of ovarian cancer. She’d been a stay-at-home mom who doted on her girls and her husband. Trey had never done more than give the twins an occasional bath, grill meat or wash a load of laundry until his wife had gotten sick. But Emma couldn’t be Trey’s support system again. That was likely the reason he’d fallen for her. “Focus on the girls. That’s what Elizabeth would want you to do.”
“I’m trying.” He sounded so lost, like a rudderless boat adrift on the bay and heading toward the open water. “I don’t know what I would do without Keely.”
“I’m glad she’s there to help you.”
AJ squeezed Emma’s hand, sending tingles shooting up her arm. She relished the feeling for a nanosecond, then refocused on the phone call. She liked Trey, appreciated what a good single father he was to his girls and how generous he’d been as an employer. He was handsome, but he’d never sent her blood boiling through her veins or made her want to give up her last breath for one more kiss like AJ.
But she realized with a start, the situation with the two men was similar. Both claimed they wanted her, but Trey wanted a fill-in wife and mother and AJ wanted a pretend girlfriend and vacation fling. Neither wanted her. Not the way she wanted to be wanted. One man wanted her to complete his family. The other wanted her to be a willing casual sex partner. She didn’t want to be either. She deserved...more. But until this moment hadn’t known that. “Tell the girls I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
After a quick goodbye, she disconnected from the call.
“What’s going on?” AJ asked, still holding on to her.
“One of the twins I used to nanny for was hit by a car. That was her father. She’s in the hospital, doing better, but I promised the girls if they ever needed me I’d be there. I need to go. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. The jet will be the fastest way to Portland.”
The room spun even though she was sitting. Emma leaned forward to keep from getting dizzy. “Th-thanks. That would be the quickest.”
AJ used his finger to raise her chin. “You’re pale and look scared to death.”
She took a steadying breath. “I need to get to Portland. I’ll be fine.”
He didn’t look convinced.
“Really.” She tried to sound strong and in control. “I can fly for Abbie.”
AJ’s mouth twisted. “I doubt you’ve overcome your fear of flying since we arrived.”
“I just don’t like takeoffs,” Emma clarified.
“Why not?”
The girls needed her. She scooted away from him. “There isn’t time.”
He pulled out his phone and sent a text. “There is time. The flight crew needs to be notified, a flight plan filed and the jet prepared for departure.”
She’d forgotten flying had rules and regulations unlik
e driving a car. She wrung her hands.
“So why don’t you like takeoffs?” he asked.
How hard could telling AJ be? They’d shared so much these past few days, moments beyond hot kisses and meaningful glances. She enjoyed being with him. Except her tight muscles and roiling stomach didn’t seem to realize that.
“It’s...” Her lips clamped together, as if tightened with a vise. She couldn’t talk, not even if she wanted to tell him what had happened.
“Please, Emma.” The concern in AJ’s voice tugged at her heart. “Tell me.”
She hadn’t talked about what happened to her family since she’d stopped going to appointments with counselors and doctors. None of them understood what she’d experienced. No amount of talking or medicine would change the past. Her family and home were gone. Forever.
“Let me help you,” he said.
AJ had protected Libby during the conference call on the jet. He’d made a large donation to the rescue shelter at Emma’s request. His love for his grandmother and his family was clear, even if he wouldn’t admit it.
Forget his Attila nickname. He wasn’t a ruthless billionaire. The AJ she’d gotten to know was a thoughtful, generous, caring man. He wouldn’t be able to help her beyond the use of his jet, but telling him why takeoffs affected her so badly was the least she could do to thank him for his getting her to Portland quickly.
“Libby told you I was in the foster system when I came to live with her and her parents, right?”
He nodded. “But she never told me what happened to get you there.”
Emma inhaled deeply and blew the air out from her mouth. She did so again, mustering her courage and her strength. She could do this. With AJ at her side, she could do anything.
But she stared at the double-knotted laces on her tennis shoes, not wanting to see the familiar pity when people discovered she had no family. “When I was ten, my house caught fire. My bedroom was on the second floor. I remember being woken up by my brother, Michael. He was fourteen. I smelled smoke. Lots and lots of smoke. I could hardly see.”
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