by Nina Singh
Something shifted under her weight and dug into the small of her back. The small nuisance was just distracting enough that Carli regained some semblance of sanity. On a regretful moan, she gave Justin a gentle push and he immediately pulled back. She straightened back to a sitting position.
“What the—” But Justin didn’t finish. He appeared as shell-shocked as she felt.
Dear God, she’d nearly made love to him right there in the middle of the store office, on top of a metal desk. A man she hardly knew. What if someone had walked in? Or worse, what if one of her parents had come to the store to check on her? It was bad enough Betty had discovered them asleep in front of the fireplace this morning.
The thought of someone walking in on the two of them was too horrifying to further contemplate.
One thing she knew for certain. She’d become an unrecognizable version of herself since Justin Hammond had arrived in her life. She didn’t like this incarnation of Carli. A woman who was too reckless and too unrestrained. It had to stop. All of it.
One way or another, they were going to have to resolve the question about the fate of the store. Then she was going to have to return to her previous life. And to her previous self.
* * *
Justin stepped away from Carli and rammed his hand through his hair. Damn it. What was it about her that made him lose control the way he did? He barely had a grasp on it now. She arranged her top and fixed the collar, breathing heavy all the while. Her lips were swollen from his kiss, her cheeks reddened from the stubble he had due to not having had time to shave this morning. He knew it was insane, but all he wanted to do was rub that stubble all over her soft, supple skin. Leave his mark on every inch of her body.
She may have done the sensible thing and pushed him away just now, but her eyes were clouded with passion and desire. For him. She wanted him as much as he wanted her.
But not here, not now.
The roar of a siren pulled them both out of a breathless stupor. The sound grew closer and within seconds could be heard right outside the wall. Damn it. He should have figured the fire marshal would want to come make sure the building was structurally sound.
“The fire department,” he told Carli. Her clothes were in disarray, her hair a mess of tangles from the way he’d rammed his hands through her curls.
“I’ll go greet them, if you want to...you know.” He motioned to her.
“Yes, thank you. I’d like a minute or so.”
Rubbing his chin in frustration and self-reproach, he left the office, the taste of her on his tongue still teasing his senses.
It took the fire marshal less than fifteen minutes to declare the building safe pending an electrician’s assessment. Also, he told them that they’d been lucky to actually lose power as the flooding could have cause an electrical fire.
Justin saw the man off and went to tell Carli the news. His phone vibrated in his pocket before he got far. A text had arrived from Jackson. To call him as soon as he had a free moment.
Justin sighed. No time like the present.
He dialed the number and waited as Jackson answered.
“Mr. Freider called me,” Jackson said. “How bad is the damage?”
“Pretty bad. It’s going to take a huge amount of resources to restore and become operational again. My original conclusion makes even more sense now...” He paused, an idea suddenly occurring to him. “But if you’re going to put money into restoration, it might be an opportunity to invest a bit more and take the unit into an expanded direction.”
“I’d be very interested in hearing about that.”
“I’ll sum up the proposal and email it to you.”
Justin ended the call and returned the cell phone to his pants pocket. He might have come up with a way to make the flood damage an opportunity in disguise.
Jackson sounded open to the idea. He had no doubt Carli would love it. He couldn’t wait to tell her.
* * *
Justin had been gone for quite a while. Was the fire marshal taking that long to wrap things up?
Carli’s curiosity got the better of her and she left the office to go find him. To her surprise, Justin was in the hallway speaking to someone on the phone. She immediately turned to give him some privacy until she heard a snippet of the conversation.
He was talking to Jackson.
“My original conclusion makes even more sense now...”
That was all Carli needed to hear. She felt like she had just taken a punch to the midsection.
Without her knowledge or her input, Justin was speaking to his father about the future of the store. And from the sound of it, he was making the argument that storm damage had only served to finalize his decision. He thought it should be shut down. She ran back into the office and slammed the door shut.
Justin had betrayed her.
He hadn’t even bothered to mention anything to her before making his decision. He’d just gone straight to Jackson. Using the storm as an excuse to argue for what he’d originally planned all along.
Like a fool, she’d gone ahead and trusted yet another man she shouldn’t have.
A knock sounded on the door. “Are you decent yet?” Justin asked from the other side.
With a huff of annoyance, Carli strode to the door and pulled it open to let him in.
Justin’s smile faded from his lips when he saw the look on her face.
“Has the wrecking crew been called in then?” she demanded to know.
He blinked at her. “I beg your pardon.”
“I suppose we’ll need to auction or donate the remaining items.”
“I’m afraid I still don’t understand.”
“You were talking to Jackson just now, weren’t you?”
“Yes, I called him after—”
She cut him off with a dismissive wave of her hand. Her heart sank further. So Justin had been the one to initiate the phone call.
“I know why you called him. And you did it behind my back.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You didn’t have to courtesy to come to me first. Just went ahead and gave your decision to your father. I don’t expect someone like you to understand just how wrong that was.”
“Someone like me?”
“You’ve never felt a loyalty to anyone or anything, have you? That’s why you don’t give a damn about keeping this store open. You never felt the sense of belonging that a place like this affords to the people who love it. After all, you never really felt like you belonged or were a part of anything, did you? Not to a town. Not to a family. All you manage to do is ruin things for others.”
“Wait just a minute—”
She didn’t want to hear it. Not right now. She had no use for his explanation, which that would no doubt involve numbers and returns and all the factual things that men like him always cared so much about. She crossed her arms in front of her chest to quell the shaking that had suddenly gripped her and turned away. “Just go.”
* * *
Justin had heard enough. Carli’s anger was palpable. And why? All because he’d had the nerve to talk to Jackson without her knowledge. She didn’t even care what the content of the conversation may have been. Her immediate assumption had been to think the worst.
You never really belonged...
Well, he had better things to do with his time than to try to explain himself to her.
He stepped closer to where she stood. Even now, with her anger directed straight at him, he couldn’t help but long to pull her to him, to kiss her fury away until they both couldn’t care less about some damn store and some ruined toys.
He clenched his fists at his side instead.
She paced around the desk, then turned to shoot him an accusatory look. A wealth of anger shone in
her eyes. All directed at him.
Something snapped within his soul as he met her gaze. Somehow, some way, he’d done it again. He’d damaged something precious. Damned if he knew how or why. But it seemed to be a talent he had.
Served him right for ever thinking things could be any different. And curse Carli Tynan for ever leading him toward that misconception in the first place.
Well, he’d heard enough. “I’m not sure why you’re so worked up. But understand this—I don’t need to run my intentions by you or anyone else.”
She gasped, then lifted her chin. “You’re absolutely right. I’m not sure why I thought you would have the decency to do so.”
Justin didn’t bother to reply to that. Without a word, he turned and stepped out of the office.
After all, what was there left to say?
* * *
Justin walked out of the rental agency and over to the late model SUV he’d just secured. He’d drive back to Boston, then arrange for a flight out of Logan. There was nothing left for him to do here.
In the interest of professionalism, he’d stop by Hammond’s corporate office building and give his father a quick summary. Not that it mattered at this point.
Shame too. He actually may have figured out a way to save Carli’s precious store and make some money for Hammond’s in the process. Well, it was none of his concern now.
Getting into the rental vehicle, he started the ignition, then sighed and pounded the steering wheel with his fist. Damn it. None of this felt right.
Every inch of him wanted to delay leaving, despite what had just happened back at the store. Only one explanation for it.
There was no denying he had inexplicably, unwittingly developed deeply serious feelings for Carli Tynan.
Look where it had led. He didn’t have it in him to have a healthy relationship. Certainly not with a woman like Carli who had a rich, fulfilling life. With family and friends who loved her.
Look how much havoc he’d caused her in the short time he’d known her.
Had it really been barely a week since he’d touched down at Logan Airport for the first time? It felt like years had gone by. The fact was, he’d be leaving a changed man. More so than he would have ever guessed.
He should have never come to New England. He’d known it was a bad idea from the beginning to come here, running to do Jackson’s bidding like an eager errand boy. He should have known it wouldn’t end well.
The conversation with Betty Mills had been awkward and uncomfortable when he’d gone to grab his belongings from the inn. She didn’t buy the explanation that he had to leave early due to a pressing business matter back in his Seattle office. The woman was too perceptive by half. She’d told him to visit again as soon as he could. He assured her he would. A lie. Betty would most likely never see him again, as sad as that was.
He didn’t have any business here in Westerson, regardless of how fond he’d grown of everyone he’d met during his short stay.
Now, sitting in the driver’s seat of the rental, all he wanted to do was drive straight out of town and keep going until he reached Logan Airport.
Begrudgingly, he realized he couldn’t do that. It would be a coward’s way out. He had to at least talk to Carli like a man and tell her he was leaving. And somehow explain that he hadn’t intended to mislead her in any way.
Not the easiest conversation.
He shifted into gear. Best to just get it over with. If he was lucky, Ray would be there at the house. He didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye to the little guy. Justin realized with a start that he would genuinely miss him.
Carli was on the porch as he approached the driveway. Unfortunately, she wasn’t alone.
Justin swore out loud. He just wanted to talk to her one-on-one, in private, to say all the things that needed to be said between them. For one final time. Unfortunately, it appeared that waiting for her to finish with whoever she was with was his only option. The last thing he wanted was a delay right now. He started to pull over across the street. After all, she wouldn’t recognize the car.
But then he realized three of her sisters and her mother were surrounding her. They were all laughing, sharing snacks and a bottle of wine. The scene was the perfect picture of a close, tight-knit family. A family full of love and affection. It was a picture someone like him had no business interrupting. Or trying to be a part of. Not with his history.
Her angry words echoed in his head once more—I don’t expect someone like you to understand.
An image of the Christmas tree crashing down in the Hammond foyer flashed across his vision. No, there was really no point in talking to Carli.
Justin drove on.
CHAPTER TWELVE
JUSTIN RODE UP the elevator to the top floor of the Hammond corporate office building. Still late afternoon. If he knew his father, the old man would still be at his desk.
He didn’t intend to be here long. He wasn’t going to leave Boston without personally notifying his father that as far as he was concerned, his responsibilities here were finished. Justin would email him the figures and ideas at a later time. Not that it mattered at this point. But the professional businessman in him wouldn’t let it slide. Not even when it came to his father.
To his dismay, Jackson’s office was empty. The lights turned off. Justin bit out a curse. He probably should have called first, but he’d been certain Jackson would still be at work.
“Justin? Can I help you?”
He turned to find Miranda, his old babysitter, in the hallway. “I was just looking for Jackson. Is he traveling?”
“No, dear. Believe it or not he’s already gone for the day.”
He had to admit he wasn’t quite sure if he believed it. At his curious stare, Miranda gave a small shrug. “He’s a different man these days. Ever since the Fryberg acquisition. Frankly, both your father and brother are behaving out of the norm.”
Could nothing go his way today? He really didn’t need to go back to that house. The Hammond mansion held no fond memories for him. “They have?”
She nodded. “No one can figure out why, but Jackson’s been leaving earlier and earlier. Some days he calls to say he’s working from home.”
Justin didn’t even know what to say to that. This was his father they were talking about, right? The same man he didn’t see for days at times as a child because he came home late from work and left early the next day?
“Anyway, is there something I can help you with?” Miranda asked.
“No, thank you.”
“Okay then.” She turned to go, but Justin felt an uncharacteristic tug in his chest. He hadn’t had a chance to say goodbye to anyone besides Betty back in Westerson.
And he had no idea if he would ever see Miranda again, for that matter. It surprised him that he cared. “Wait.”
“Yes, dear?”
“I just want to say how glad I am that I got to see you again, after all these years. I’m leaving tonight. So I guess this will have to be goodbye.” The words left his mouth in a swift torrent. He wasn’t used to being so damn sentimental. What had Carli Tynan done to him? With some awkwardness, he extended his arm to shake Miranda’s hand.
She ignored it and wrapped him in a big bear hug instead. He gingerly hugged her back. “Do you have to leave so soon?” she asked against when she finally let him go.
“I’m afraid so. I just need to wrap some things up with my father, and then I need to be on my way.”
“I see. It’s a shame James missed you entirely. I think it would have been good to have you two see each other again.” She slammed a hand against her chest. “Silly me. Just look at me sticking my nose where it doesn’t belong. But it broke my heart to see you boys yanked apart all those years ago. I think about it a lot.”
“You do?”<
br />
“Of course. It was wrong. So wrong. James just wasn’t himself those first few years after.”
“He wasn’t?”
She studied him with wide eyes. “Of course not. I know you must have struggled too, dear. But I saw firsthand how hard it was for that little boy to have his mother and brother just disappear like that.”
Justin had to admit, with no small amount of shame, that he hadn’t really given James much thought over the years. After all, he’d been the son who’d gotten to stay home, able to grow up in the same house he was born in. He slept in the same bed, kept attending the same school.
Whereas Justin’s whole life had been upended.
But of course, it couldn’t have been easy for James either. Justin hadn’t allowed himself to think about that. The reason was simple really: he knew James blamed him for all of it.
And he wasn’t wrong to do so.
“I wondered a lot about how you were doing,” Miranda added. “But I never doubted you’d grow to be a successful, decent young man.”
Justin had to stifle a groan. A decent man would have tried harder to get Carli to understand. Instead he’d simply walked off. But she’d get over it, he was sure. Judging by what he’d seen on the porch, maybe she had already started to.
“I wish I could have watched you grow up,” Miranda added, breaking into his thoughts. Tears shimmered in her bright blue eyes, which had grown dimmer and surrounded by more wrinkles over the years. This woman had genuinely cared for him. He’d been too much of a child to appreciate that at the time. The notion brought on a profound sadness. It might have made a difference all those years ago if he’d only known there was someone he could have turned to.
“Thank you. But I guess that ship sailed when my father made his choice.”
“Your mother did the leaving, dear. She took you with her.”
