“Having a place to belong,” she said aloud. That was what she’d wanted her entire life. A family to belong to. A home where she belonged.
At first, she’d worked for that, but after the fourth placement, she’d realized that she’d be moved around until she turned eighteen. She didn’t belong anywhere.
Her control slipped, and Gina refocused her thoughts the way Doctor White had taught her. Within a few seconds, she felt like herself—or whatever this new version of herself was.
With a jolt, Gina realized that she had two selves. One that lived here in Dallas, wallowing in her past and how awful it had been. One who wished she had someone to trust at work, someone to help her run this Texas headquarters of Classy Closets.
And she had a self who’d thrived on the tropical beaches of Hawaii. Who’d done the jobs required to get the reputation she wanted. Who’d fallen in love with a handsome man, even though she’d kept him at arm’s length for months.
“I can’t stay in Texas,” she said to the half-eaten sandwich. It, of course, did not answer back.
Do you think Owen would forgive me? Gina texted to Lexie.
Of course he will.
I need to do something big to apologize.
I think Owen would like the opposite of that, actually.
But Gina needed to do it. Needed him to know that for him, she’d do whatever it took to get him back.
Any ideas?
Let me talk to Jason. He knows Owen pretty well.
Gina relaxed back into the couch, her mind whirring in a good way for the first time in weeks. She’d done plenty of thinking while she got caught up to speed on everything happening in the Dallas office, while she sorted through Toni’s desk, and while she’d contemplated her next move.
“The job,” she said, practically lunging for her laptop. The sooner she hired a new general manager, the sooner she could get back to Getaway Bay and start planting roots. Roots that would get exactly what they needed under the hot sun and the tender care of Owen Church.
Two weeks later, Gina’s plane landed just as the stars started to wink to life in the sky. Perfect. Owen wouldn’t be at the hotel, and the only way he’d know she was back on the island was if he had a watch put on her name at Sweet Breeze.
She very much doubted that he had done such a thing.
“Welcome back, Miss Jackson,” the man at the check-in counter said, and Gina took the key from him to the fifth-floor long-term apartment suite.
Once inside, Gina marveled at the elegance of it, the functionality not suffering because of the gleaming stainless steel appliances and marble flooring in the bathroom.
Though it was getting late, she pulled up the real estate listings she practically had memorized. Tomorrow, she’d have to employ a spy or two to get out of the hotel without Owen knowing, but she had complete faith in her friends.
Friends.
Gina sighed as she sat on the couch, just being back in Getaway Bay more soothing than she’d even imagined. This place called to her soul and helped her feel like she’d returned to where she belonged.
The next day, she toured the ten-thousand square foot space, liking the huge windows that overlooked the east bay.
“I think it’s big enough,” she said to Lexie, who had come with her for the real estate tours. “What do you think?”
“It’s just you for now, right?”
“Right. So plenty of space to store the systems, put a desk, that kind of thing.” Gina turned in a circle, her heart lighter than it had been since that fateful phone call almost two months ago.
“I won’t be working here much,” she said. “The job at Sweet Breeze is months from conclusion.”
“Still would be nice to have a place to do business,” Lexie said. “I think this is the one.”
They’d looked at three other commercial properties that day, and Gina nodded. “You’re right. This is the one.”
The real estate agent beamed at them. “So we’ll offer on this one?”
Gina grinned, the gesture a bit foreign on her face but satisfying too. “Yes, put an offer in on this. Asking price is fine. I think it’s fair.”
“It’s fair,” Scott confirmed. “And we still have time to get to that first house today, if you’d like to.”
Gina met Lexie’s eye. “You game?”
“Absolutely.” Lexie followed Scott and Gina into the hallway. “When are you planning on telling Owen you’re back?”
“A couple more days,” Gina said vaguely. She had a plan, but she didn’t want to tell anyone quite yet.
Well, she had to tell two people, and after she and Lexie went through a cute house on the beach, she said good-bye to her friend and headed down the sand to a snow-cone shack.
Her heart thundered in her chest, especially when the two teenage boys came into view. “Hey, guys,” she said, causing both of them to turn. “Should we order first?” She hooked her thumb toward the shack. “Talk while we eat?”
“All right,” Cooper said, shooting his older brother a nervous look.
“We can talk while we wait in line,” Zach said, reminding Gina so much of Owen that she laughed.
“Fair enough,” she said. “Look, I don’t know what your dad has been like, but I’m going to try to make it up to him.”
“How?” Zach asked, the doubt still very much alive in his eyes.
“I’ll need your help,” she said, eyeing the menu and wondering what in the world tiger’s blood tasted like. “And I wanted to run this by you, because it has to do with you as well.”
“Me?” Zach’s eyebrows shot toward his hairline.
“Yeah. Aren’t you graduating on Thursday?”
Chapter Twenty
Owen knotted and then re-knotted his son’s tie. Finally Zach swatted his hands away. “I got this, Dad. Go see what Cooper needs.” It was a polite way for Zach to tell Owen to get lost.
He left his older son’s room and went next door to Cooper’s. He wasn’t sure what he was so nervous about. Zach was going to graduate—with honors, no less. They had the cords and everything.
But Zach had told him last night that he wanted to move out over the summer. Get a job and live on his own. Owen had nodded and smiled and asked questions. Zach seemed to know what he wanted. He thought through everything privately and only came to Owen once the decision had been made.
Owen liked that and didn’t at the same time. He’d like to be more involved in helping his son make such huge life choices, but then he reminded himself that Zach seemed to be doing fine on his own.
For some reason, Owen felt like another bomb was about to drop, and he had no idea what Zach would do next.
“Hey, bud,” he said to Cooper, who sat on the bed, his head bent to look at his phone. “Are you ready?”
Cooper looked up, his expression glazed over for a moment. “Yeah. I’m ready.” His tie was perfectly knotted, and as he stood, Owen realized how tall he’d gotten. How broad his shoulders now spanned, and how muscular he’d become. Cooper had two years of high school left, but he was rapidly becoming a man.
Owen smiled at him, soft emotions racing through him. What would Cooper do with his life? Would he stay nearby or go somewhere far away?
What would Owen do once his sons didn’t need him anymore?
He pushed the troubling thoughts away and swept his fingers along Cooper’s hairline, though not a single hair sat out of place. “Big day for Zach.”
“Yeah, he’s nervous about—” Cooper cut off, but Owen heard something there.
He cocked his head. “About what?”
“Moving on.” Cooper wasn’t a very good liar, so at least Owen had that as comfort.
“He’s ready for that,” Owen said, wanting to push the issue. But he decided that he’d find out soon enough. After all, if Zach was nervous about something, it would have to happen soon, right?
So Owen stepped back and said, “It’s time to go,” watching Cooper as he moved into the hall. They fou
nd Zach in the kitchen, a handful of chocolate covered macadamia nuts in his hand.
Definitely nervous.
Zach ate when he was trying to calm down, and Cooper starved himself. Owen brought his sons together and put one arm around each of their shoulders.
They huddled together, the way they’d been doing for a decade now. “I love you guys,” Owen said, his emotion catching in his throat.
“Love you too, Dad,” Cooper said in unison with Zach.
Owen drew in a deep breath. “All right. We better go. Don’t want to be late.” He stepped out of the huddle, sensing that from this moment on, his life would be different. He’d have to figure out how to parent an adult child, as if this parenting thing hadn’t already been hard enough.
“You’re driving yourself?” he asked Zach, who nodded. “You want to go with him or me?” he asked Cooper.
“I’ll go with him.” He obviously knew things would be different after today—well, after Zach moved away to college—and another wave of emotion swept over him as Zach slung his arm around Cooper’s shoulders and they headed for the garage together.
How could Linda not be here for this? Owen didn’t understand his ex-wife or her decision to remove herself from something so precious to Owen. She’d responded to his text with the picture of Zach’s graduation announcement with Tell him congratulations! I’ll send him something. Nothing had come yet, and Owen wasn’t holding his breath every time he checked the mail.
For one irrational moment, he thought about texting Gina. Just something simple like I miss you, so she’d know she could come back to him whenever she was ready.
Owen just seriously doubted she’d ever be ready.
He drove over to the basketball arena where the graduation was being held. He wasn’t late, but the parking lot was filling rapidly. He parked, texted Cooper to pick a spot to sit in and let him know.
His son came back with Fisher and Stacey are in section E, row 11. I’ll head there.
Perfect. See you there. Owen texted Fisher to make sure there were enough seats, but he didn’t doubt there would be. Fisher could probably get them seats on the stage if that was what Owen wanted.
He smiled at the thought and started the long walk inside. Thankfully, the air conditioners in the convention center were operating at full capacity, and by the time Owen sat down beside Cooper, he wasn’t sweating anymore.
He glanced down the row at Fisher and Stacey, and said, “Thanks for saving the seats.” He noticed at least eight more past Stacey. “Who else is coming?”
“Everyone,” Fisher said. “Tyler and Tawny. Esther and Marshall. Lexie and Jason. Sasha and Jasper. Lawrence. Ira and Gabi.” He turned and counted the seats, his finger bobbing with each one. “Someone else. Who did I miss?”
“Sterling,” Stacey said, fanning herself with the program.
Owen was touched at the outpouring of support for him and his son. “So I guess the dinner at Aloha Hideaway will cost me more than I thought, huh?”
“Nope. I knew how many had RSVP’ed.” Stacey smiled at him and rested one hand on her stomach. Owen immediately knew something was going on with her, and he suspected she was pregnant.
A smile touched his lips, but he turned away before Fisher or Stacey noticed. “My dad should be here soon.” He checked his phone to see if his father had texted. Not yet.
“Oh, he came over from Oahu?” Fisher asked.
“Yeah, last night.” Owen’s father was old, almost ninety, and the fact that he’d gotten on a plane to come to Zach’s graduation was a very big deal. “He wouldn’t stay at my place,” he said. “Despite my guest bedroom.”
Fisher shook his head. “Yeah, he’s at Sweet Breeze. I told him the shuttle would bring him over any time.”
Tyler arrived then with Tawny, Jasper, Sasha, Lexie, and Jason.
Owen stood and gave handshakes and hugs, even to Lexie, who he still hadn’t spoken with since her return from Dallas.
She seemed a little nervous as she skirted past him to an empty seat down the row. But she’d come, and that meant a lot to Owen.
He glanced around the floor below them, where the graduates would march in and sit.
“Did Zach tell you which side he was coming in on?” he asked Cooper, but he couldn’t answer before Owen’s dad arrived.
“Dad, you made it.” Owen hugged his father, and Fisher and Stacey moved down to make room for him.
Owen did all the introductions, just finished when Esther and Marshall showed up. Esther carried their baby girl on her hip, and she seemed so floppy to Owen. Still, he cooed at baby Ella and let them move down the row. Esther immediately passed the baby to Stacey, who bounced her on her lap like she knew exactly what to do with an infant.
The music started and the first people came out of the doors on either side of the stage that had been set up. Section E had a fabulous view of the stage and both lines of graduates, and Owen eagerly waited for Zach to make an appearance.
But he didn’t. And didn’t. With a last name that started with C, he should’ve been near the front.
Owen frowned when at least half the graduates had come out and flipped open his program, just to make sure his son was graduating today.
If that was the secret he and Cooper had been keeping…. Owen’s heart flopped uselessly in his chest.
But he found Zach’s name in the list and glanced back up. “Did I miss him?” he whispered to Cooper.
“He hasn’t come out yet,” Cooper said, unconcerned.
Around him, families cheered for their graduate while Owen’s frustration grew.
Almost every chair was full now.
The orchestra started on one more round of pomp and circumstance, and the principal of the school came out of the tunnel, followed by a few faculty members and then more green-robed students.
He climbed the stairs to the stage, the line of people behind him doing the same thing.
Owen sucked in a breath when he saw Zach going up those stairs.
“What in the world?”
“Did you even look at your program?” Fisher asked, his voice full of teasing.
But Owen couldn’t look now, because he was too busy soaking in the bright yellow cords that signified his son was graduating with honors.
Not only that, he wore a white sash over his shoulders, which made a V in front on his chest.
“He’s the valedictorian,” Owen said, pure wonder in his voice. He turned to Cooper. “Is that what you guys weren’t telling me?”
“He wanted it to be a surprise,” Cooper said, his face a full smile as he applauded.
Fisher whooped and Tyler yelled Zach’s name. He looked up to them and waved, his face so full of joy Owen wanted to cry.
Instead, he pulled his emotions back and waved at his son. His son, the valedictorian.
“He’ll have a speech.” Owen flipped open the program again, this time madly searching the other side for the order of things.
Sure enough, there was Zach’s name about halfway down. “So he was nervous about his speech.” He shook his head, wanting to be angry at his son but not quite pulling it off.
The song ended and everyone sat, and now Owen’s nerves turned to what Zach might say during his speech.
The choir sang, and a few faculty members spoke, then the senior class president, who also introduced Zach as the next speaker.
Finally, his son stood at the microphone, and Owen could see his nerves from way across the stadium floor.
“Well, here we are,” Zach said, a smile coming across his face and entering his tone. “Once I knew I was the valedictorian and would have to speak to you today, I thought a lot about what I might say. It was hard, because I know some of us are leaving the island. Some of us are staying. Some of us have parents and grandparents and friends here, and some don’t. And what qualifies me to give a speech at all? Just because I got A’s doesn’t mean I’m anyone special, with something important to say.”
He swallowed,
and Owen could barely contain the raging river of emotions rolling through him. So much happiness. So much change.
“Then I thought – what would my dad say to you?” Zach continued. “And everything fell into place. See, my dad, he’s raised me and my brother all alone for a long time.” Zach’s face crumpled for a single moment. If Owen hadn’t been staring intently at him, he would’ve missed it.
“He didn’t give up when things got hard. Most of the time, he didn’t even get mad when things went wrong, or when my brother and I didn’t follow the rules. He’s always worked hard to make sure we have what we need to be happy. And he never missed anything, despite his busy schedule. This year, my brother was a starter on the basketball team, and my dad attended every single game. Every one.”
Zach surveyed the crowd. “I have a point to this, I swear.”
People chuckled and twittered, but Owen’s heart was beating so loud he could barely hear them.
“A few months ago, he started dating someone,” Zach said, and Owen almost flew out of his seat. What was his son doing?
“I wasn’t sure what to make of it,” Zach said. “He’d never dated before. I thought he was happy, but watching him with her and seeing him come alive again…I didn’t really know what happiness was. Her name’s Gina, and she grew up in rough circumstances. No family support, because she was in foster care. But she graduated from high school and went on to get two college degrees. And I thought about what my dad would say about her.” Zach looked right at Owen now, and Owen leaned forward, not wanting to miss a single syllable.
“He’d say she was smart for looking past her circumstances. That she changed a rough situation into something positive through hard work.” Zach looked away, glancing around the crowd again.
“So my point is this: No matter who you are and what kind of grades you got in high school, no matter if you have a big crowd here to support you or no one at all, we can all learn from people like my dad and Gina. Don’t give up. Work hard. Be smart and look to the future with hope. Don’t get mad when things don’t go your way. Find a different solution. Dig in. Show up, and be there.” Zach’s voice broke on the last word. “Be there for each other.”
The Billionaire's Boyfriend (Clean Billionaire Beach Club Romance Book 6) Page 13
